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   Coup d' Etat in Makati City

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Topic: Coup d' Etat in Makati City (Read 284 times)

Pau
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Coup d' Etat in Makati City
« on: Jul 26^th, 2003, 10:02pm »

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Armed men take up positions in Manila
Plastic explosives set up in financial district, they say
Saturday, July 26, 2003 Posted: 9:51 PM EDT (0151 GMT)

Armed men set up explosives in the commercial district of Makati in the Philippines capital.

MANILA, Philippines (CNN) -- About 50 rogue members of the Philippine armed forces barricaded themselves in the capital's financial district early Sunday, claiming to have rigged explosives and accusing the government of conspiracy.

The armed men, who wore camouflage uniforms and identified themselves as members of the military, set up devices near the Rustan department store in the Glorietta Shopping Center. The location, in the Makati district, is near an upscale hotel and corporate housing units.

The men warned that the devices might detonate and urged onlookers not to approach.

A spokesman for the group said its actions were not part of a coup attempt, despite a week of rumors that disgruntled officers within the 113,000-strong Philippine armed forces were plotting one. The spokesman said rigging the devices was a way for the soldiers to air a complaint against the government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Late Saturday, 36 of the military members released a video in which they accused Arroyo of selling arms to rebel groups and carrying out a series of bombings that the government has blamed on the rebels.

The group said Arroyo, 56, was conspiring to declare martial law so she could remain in power after her term expires next year.

The government issued a statement calling the accusation "a lie," and said the soldiers themselves could be victims of propaganda.

The soldiers' accusation plays on the fears of many Filipinos after the infamous 21-year term of President Ferdinand Marcos.

Marcos instigated a series of bombings and civil unrest in the late 1960s and early 1970s, using that as an excuse to declare martial law in 1972. It took the People Power Revolt of 1986 to end Marcos' time in office.

The soldiers' accusation also strikes at the level of confidence Filipinos have in the Arroyo government's efforts to fight terrorism. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, in the United States, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has been accused of carrying out terrorist acts in the southern Philippines. It has been blamed for two attacks in the past year alone.

MILF, the largest Muslim separatist group, had been widely seen as having a legitimate political grievance, but since the September 11 attacks it has been marginalized, and its links to other terrorist groups have hit at its credibility. The soldier's statement Saturday appeared to be an attempt to reverse that perception.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan, who was implicated two years ago in a plot to overthrow Arroyo, will be charged with involvement in the coup attempt, a cabinet secretary said Sunday on Philippine TV.

Honasan, who announced this month he was seeking to run for either president or vice president next year, is a former military officer who led seven bloody coup attempts in the 1980s.

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Pau
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Re: Coup d' Etat in Makati City
« Reply #1 on: Jul 26^th, 2003, 10:08pm »

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Well this is another problem our country would be facing again... especially this has occurred in the financial capital of the country.... Sad

As of an hour ago, President Arroyo has just given deadline until 5pm Philippine Time (0900GMT) this afternoon.. for the rebels to surrender or else the Armed Forces may have to use force to get them out....

ohh boy... this would definitely bring our economy to a lower state as of now.... I hope this would end quickly.. with no casualty or injury or destruction to any property... At least all the foreigners and locals who stays and lived in the building are free to go, including the Australian ambassador...

but i see that their grievances are valid... as of an interview by their speaker...

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MzWings
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Re: Coup d' Etat in Makati City
« Reply #2 on: Jul 27^th, 2003, 6:28pm »

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Just know that you're in our prayers pau! And please - keep us posted on the situation as often as you can. Thanks for posting the info above. Huge hugs to you and yours!

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The senility to forget the people I never liked
The good fortune to run into the ones that I do
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