Word: coupes
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Manila In her first full week as leader of the Philippines, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was faced with both the resignation of the country?s Defense Secretary and persistent rumors of possible coup attempts by at least three military factions. Analysts say the decision of Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado to step down over policy differences with a newly appointed official both underscored the deep political divisions within the Philippines and reinforced the perception that Arroyo is having difficulty reconciling the interests of various pressure groups. The new President did, however, take an aggressive stance toward the whispers that she might...
...phone. At her maiden press conference last week, Arroyo was asked if Lieut. General Edgardo Espinosa, supposedly one of her most loyal military supporters, was planning a rebellion. As the news cameras rolled, Arroyo called the general and, using his nickname, asked: "Espine, are you going to stage a coup against me?" The general's response: "It's beyond my imagination...
...being genuine, the general must have been the only person in Manila not imagining a coup last week?and the rumor mill had them coming from all sides. The biggest warning was that uniformed loyalists of Joseph Estrada could be planning an armed comeback for their ousted ex-Commander in Chief, who was holed up in his posh mansion in San Juan, a Manila suburb, reportedly drinking lots of expensive red wine. General Espinosa was supposedly marshalling his forces for a truly petty reason: he was one of the first generals to decide to abandon Estrada two weeks...
...moved swiftly to cement their support, shrewdly naming former President Fidel V. Ramos Special Ambassador of Goodwill, an anemic-sounding title for what could be a very powerful role. (Ramos is a former armed forces chief of staff, and during his six-year term as president there were no coup attempts.) Then, on her first day in office, Arroyo gave some of the juiciest government jobs to military...
...recovery of al-Qaeda documents in Afghanistan. When five bombs were detonated across Manila on Dec. 30, 2000?which the police now blame on Fathur?no one knew who was responsible or what was the motive. One theory at the time held that the bombings were an attempted coup by the Philippine military. Now Southeast Asian leaders say an al-Qaeda-like organization has sprung up, with the vague but familiar goals of attacking American targets and pushing for further Islamicization of the region?perhaps with hopes of carving out an Islamic state from parts of the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei...