Posted on 02/19/2006 9:48:46 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
AN explosion on the grounds of the Philippine presidential palace today was probably caused by chemicals in a trash bin set off by a lit cigarette, not a bomb, the head of security said.
"Nobody was injured," press undersecretary Isabel de Leon said, adding President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was inside the palace at the time.
The army tightened security yesterday after finding a bomb in its top military academy, one of the alleged targets of a plot to overthrow and possibly kill Ms Arroyo, who survived an impeachment attempt last year over allegations of vote-rigging and graft.
Witnesses said the ground shook and a green rubber trash bin was shredded by the blast, which brought government workers from their offices.
"There are no indications of an explosive. We suspect that some chemicals have been compacted in the garbage can," Delfin Bangit, head of the Presidential Security Group, said.
"It may have been triggered by something like a cigarette butt."
In Manila, police were already on maximum alert over the plot and expectations of large protests planned for February 24, the day before the country marks the 20th anniversary of the "people power" revolt that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
Last week, Reuters reported the plot involved a mass escape of mutineers originally set for January, hostage-taking at last weekend's gathering of military commanders, occupying army camps and removing Arroyo.
Yesterday, the commander of the police's elite force denied rumours his men were planning to storm the main police camp in Manila and hold commanders hostage as part of the plot.
Talk of a plot by some elements of the military has been growing since the escape from an army camp in January of four alleged leaders of a bloodless, one-day mutiny in 2003.
Rumours of unrest are common in the Philippines after a dozen coup attempts in the past 20 years and popular uprisings backed by the army that toppled Marcos in 1986 and Joseph Estrada as president in 2001.
I'm telling you, it was a faulty center fuel tank that caused the explosion!
And that's not a bomb? Chemicals in a trash bin is a normal occurrance?
I used to shove the fuses of cherrybombs up the mouth end of a lit cigarette as a delay/timing device when I was a prankful kid......
Kind of like rain on the windshield but no evidence of a cloud.
An empty aerosol can or, say, the vapors in paint-thinner container could "poof" the lid from a trash bin, but would not shred the bin (especially since the other garbage inside would absorb some of the blast energy). Thus their explanation seems dubious to me.
Uh... yeah... we have trash cans just spontaneously blow up all the time in my neighborhood. Honestly. One every couple of days, I'm sure.
Note: The following text is a quote:
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http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_2190.html
Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
This information is current as of today, Mon Feb 20 2006 00:53:08 GMT-0800.
PHILIPPINES
March 23, 2005
This Travel Warning is being issued to recommend that Americans consider carefully the risks of travel to the Philippines. Terrorist groups, including Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf Group, and radical elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front are planning multiple attacks throughout the Philippines. This information has been also released by Philippine government officials and is in the Philippine media. This Travel Warning replaces the Public Announcement for the Philippines dated February 18, 2005.
The Department urges Americans who choose to travel to the Philippines to observe vigilant personal security precautions; to remain aware of the continued potential for terrorist attacks against Americans, U.S. or other Western interests in the Philippines, and to register with the U.S. Embassy. The Department warns against all but essential travel throughout the country in light of a heightened threat to Westerners. There has recently been an increase in bombings by the terrorist groups in Manila, the region of Mindanao, and other areas where terrorist groups are active. Bombs have exploded in shopping malls, on public transportation, at airports and port facilities, in places of worship, and in other public areas resulting in numerous casualties, including several deaths. Bombs have also been found at places of worship. Travelers should be aware that since security has increased at official U.S. facilities, terrorists could seek softer targets. Such targets could include but are not limited to places where Americans and other Westerners live, congregate, shop or visit, including hotels, clubs, restaurants, shopping centers, identifiably Western businesses, housing compounds, transportation systems, places of worship, schools, or public recreation events.
Americans who remain in the Philippines are strongly encouraged to register with the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Manila through the State Department's travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov. The U.S. Embassy is located at: 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Manila, Philippines, tel. 632-528-6300. The Consular American Citizen Services (ACS) section's fax number is 632-522-3242 and the ACS web page is at http://usembassy.state.gov/posts/rp1/wwwhmain.html.
Americans can obtain information on travel and security in the Philippines from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the United States; or 202-501-4444 from overseas.
US citizens should also consult the recent Public Announcement for the Philippines, the Department of State's Consular Information Sheet for the Philippines and the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, located at http://travel.state.gov/ to obtain updated information on travel and security within the Philippines.
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...let alone knock down a nearby palm tree.
Nonsense.
Nothing to see here... move along now!
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