Friday, November 30, 2007 (Philippines)

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV (above, right), Army Brigadier-General Danilo Lim (center) and former vice president Teofisto Guingona hold a press conference after rebel soldiers took over the Peninsula Hotel in Makati and called on the military to withdraw support for President Arroyo. The seven-hour crisis drew soldiers, police and armored personnel carriers to the hotel.(Afp photo) b>MANILA - The Arroyo government quickly quashed the latest crisis, dispatching troops and Swat teams when dissident military officers commandeered a five-star hotel after walking out of their coup trial yesterday. The officers, who demanded that President Arroyo resign over allegations that her government is corrupt, agreed to surrender as clouds of tear gas rose from the lobby of the Peninsula hotel. Security forces used an armored personnel carrier to smash through the roped-shut front doors and fired volleys of warning shots. [full story]