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Monday, July 28, 2003
Upscale Makati district turned into a war zone
MANILA---Snipers perched on rooftops and wires from booby traps snaked around buildings as the usually bustling financial nerve center of the country turned ominously quiet yesterday.
Groups of heavily armed rebel soldiers wearing camouflage uniforms and sporting red armbands could be seen rigging explosives around the Ayala Center in the Makati district just a few blocks from the Stock Exchange.
The center contains a major five-star hotel, two large department stores and the Oakwood towers, a luxury condominium that is home to many foreigners.
Rebels with sniper rifles could be seen on top of the Oakwood—where the Australian ambassador was briefly trapped overnight—watching the surrounding area for any sign government troops might storm their stronghold.
Wires to the explosives were strewn around the shopping mall. One of the rebel soldiers told passing journalists: “If you step on that (wire), it will explode.”
Despite the danger, reporters flocked to the area, often stumbling over each other in the rush to get interviews with the plotters while avoiding tripping over the explosive wires.
The rebels insisted the residents of Oakwood were not being held hostage and around six hours after the siege began people from the complex emerged to board five buses out of the area.
Silent Sunday
Frightened expatriates, some clutching children, filed out escorted by the soldiers. One frightened woman kept repeating: “Get me on the bus, get me on the bus.”
Venezuelan national David Mendez said the rebel soldiers “were very kind, they did not harm us.”
Thousands of Filipinos usually flock to the mall every Sunday, to shop, watch movies and eat at the hundreds of restaurants and food stalls.
But the bustle was replaced by silence as the military used armored vehicles and trucks to cordon off roads leading to the Ayala Center. (AFP) |
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