Philippine Interior Secretary Jose Lina said on Friday a coup plot that led to an uprising by renegade soldiers last weekend may have included plans to kill President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and other officials. "The assassination has been the subject of an intelligence report, not only of the president but some other personalities, but we did not deem it wise to make that public," Lina told local television. He added the intelligence report had yet to be validated and that the government had the situation under control. The National Bureau of Investigation is seeking coup charges against 321 rogue troops now in detention, but Armed Forces Chief of Staff Narciso Abaya said on Thursday "the threat is still live" with other soldiers still unaccounted for. Local media said about 100 heavily armed men were missing. Arroyo warned on Thursday the Philippines was not totally out of danger after the ninth army uprising in 17 years.
| They seem to be better at uprisings than at controlling MILF and the NPA... |
She insists she will not run in elections that must be called by May 2004, but she has many enemies who would like to ensure that she has no chance of reversing course. "It was not a simple mutiny, it was a coup d'etat," Lina told a Senate defense committee that began a probe on Friday of the siege at a luxury hotel in Manila's business district on July 27. "There is a civilian component to this coup d'etat." |