Philippine rebels announce surrender after army raid

FE Team | Published: November 30, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

MANILA, Nov 25 (AFP): Philippine troops stormed a Manila hotel in a flurry of tear gas Thursday, moving to force out a small band of renegade soldiers inside who were demanding that President Gloria Arroyo step down.
The rebels, speaking to journalists who were also hunkered down in the luxury hotel, said they would surrender peacefully once the tear gas cleared after a dramatic confrontation that was broadcast live around the world.
"We are going out for the safety of everybody," said Senator Antonio Trillanes, one of the rebel leaders who just hours earlier had seized the Peninsula Hotel in the heart of Manila's financial district.
"We won't be able to live with our consciences if some of you get hit or get killed in the crossfire," he said, shortly after armoured personnel carriers rammed into the building and elite troops poured inside.
An AFP reporter inside the hotel said there were then fierce bursts of gunfire. Within about 20 minutes, Trillanes said the rebels would give up and that he was ready to face the consequences.
It was a quick conclusion to what had apparently been a well orchestrated move by Trillanes and Brigadier General Danilo Lim, who led a band of troops that barged into the hotel, overwhelmed security guards and took it over.
As they read their demands, an Internet website was announced with statements from the two men and a litany of complaints against the president, who has already survived multiple coup and impeachment attempts.
The renegades urged Arroyo to resign and called on the military, a crucial force in this vast Southeast Asian island nation with the power to make and break its leaders, to turn against her.
"We are joining our people in calling for a change in leadership," Lim said.
"We call on the military to withdraw support for Mrs Arroyo in order to end her unconstitutional and illegal occupation of the presidency," he said.