|
Philippines declares state of emergency after coup attempt
Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of emergency on Friday, hours after top armed forces officials said they foiled a coup attempt to oust her from power. In a televised address, the president said: Some [officers] attempted to break the armed forces chain of command, undermine the civilian government and establish an unconstitutional regime. She signed a proclamation commanding the armed forces to maintain law and order throughout the Philippines, prevent or suppress all forms of lawless violence and any act of insurrection or rebellion. This is the first time she has called out the military to perform law enforcement functions, which have been carried out by the police since May 2001, when thousands of supporters of former president Joseph Estrada assaulted the presidential palace shortly after his arrest. Mrs Macapagal said some of the plotters had been detained and the chain of command from the military chief of staff down to battalion commanders was intact. As commander-in-chief, I am in control of the situation, Mrs Macapagal said. Thousands of anti-government rallyists trooped to the streets to protest against Mrs Macapagals latest proclamation and to press for her resignation over allegations that she cheated in the May 2004 presidential elections. Police forcibly dispersed two groups of anti-Arroyo demonstrators who tried to assemble along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, the capitals main road, where 20 years ago this week hundreds of thousands of people gathered in a peaceful revolt that led to the removal of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos. Between 15,000 and 20,000 protesters managed to gather by late afternoon on Ayala Avenue in Makati city, the Philippines financial district, but the police had dispersed the gathering by early evening. Pro-democracy groups condemned Mrs Macapagals latest proclamation. The Free Legal Assistance Group, which helps victims of human rights abuses, said it was a license given to the military and police to use against whatsoever they perceive to be enemies; it silences all forms of criticism, including media reporting. Mrs Macapagals decision to declare a state of emergency, which was arrived at during a long cabinet meeting, came after the armed forces chief of staff, General Generoso Senga, announced that the commander of an elite fighting unit the Scout Rangers regiment was being held for allegedly planning to lead soldiers joining anti-government protests on Saturday. Gen Senga said the scout rangers commander, Brigadier General Danilo Lim, contacted him on Thursday night to ask that he withdraw support from Mrs Macapagal. He said he refused and instead ordered the commanders confinement. He added that the armed forces remained loyal to Mrs Macapagal and the government. A military spokesman said disgruntled troops had planned to announce to the crowd of protesters on Friday that they were withdrawing support from Mrs Macapagal, and were hoping that this would bring a groundswell of opposition to the president. Military observers said the threat to Mrs Macapagal remained in spite of Gen. Sengas statement of loyalty because Brig. Gen Lim might still have accomplices among senior officers who remain unaccounted for. Glenda Gloria, a writer specialising on defence issues, said: The situation is still very fluid. Lims accomplices will likely lie low after he was detained but may still move against the government if mass actions against Mrs Macapagal gather momentum. The peso, Asias leading gainer last year, posted its biggest drop in over two years yesterday while the stock market index fell 1 per cent. Several governments including Australia, Hong Kong and the US issued advisories urging their nationals to exercise caution when travelling to the Philippines. Posted by: lotp 2006-02-25 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=143721 |