Justice For Kai Sorem!
A statement from our Malaya Tacoma chapter on the killing of Kai Sorem
Malaya Tacoma strongly condemns the blatant violations of international humanitarian law conducted by the US-Backed Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Negros Occidental on April 19-20, 2026. For 12 hours straight, they carried out an operation of strafing that killed 19 people and displaced 653 residents.
Beloved Filipino American Kai Dana Rene Sorem was among the 19 who lost their lives in the massacre.
Kai was a 26 year old trans woman who grew up in Steilacoom, WA. She was a gentle and loving person who truly loved learning about her culture and her people.
She was a founding member of Anakbayan South Seattle and an advisor for a Filipino high school club for many years. She was dedicated to deepening her knowledge among the people, learning their stories of home to feel closer to what our people face.
In 2025, Kai participaed in the Anakbayan USA Exposure Trip, where she integrated among the peasants and learned even more deeply the extent of their struggle. She continued to dedicate herself to uplifting their stories and seeing the connection of Filipinos in the U.S. to back home. She shared their songs with everyone and taught people how to sing and play them. She was continuously inspired by the way people came together to stand up for their rights.
We share with heavy hearts and deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Kai. She was so loved in the community and reached so many with her kind, gentle heart. She went to be among the communities of Negros to truly learn of their day-to-day struggles as farmers and in their fight for land and justice.
Negros has a long history of bloody state repression, where much state-sanctioned violence has been inflicted against the people due to its rich abundance of sugarcane and the feudal system the farmers have endured, still tilling the land with just their bare hands and feet. The AFP has continuously tried to keep the people from standing up for their rights to land, livelihood, and dignity.
In fact, from 2022 to 2025, 52 out of the 135 victims of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines were from Negros, and now with the recent killings, raising that number to 71.
We must call out for what this blatantly is — a massacre and a violation of International Humanitarian Law. We must call for justice for Kai, the victims of the Toboso Massacre, and the people of Negros.
We demand an immediate and independent investigation into the AFP's April 19 and 20th attack.
We demand that families, as well as lawyers and human rights advocates, be given full access to their loved ones' remains without any threat, interrogation, harm, or intimidation.
