5,000 Marcos Backers Clash With Riot Police; 7 Injured

Riot police firing tear gas, water cannon and guns clashed Sunday with about 5,000 rock-throwing supporters of ousted President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

Seven people were injured, four with gunshot wounds, and 16 people were reported arrested.

The clashes occurred near two army camps in Quezon City, about 10 miles from downtown Manila. Troops moved in after the Marcos loyalists seized a one-mile stretch of a suburban highway.

Demonstrators blocked one end of the highway with six passenger buses they had commandeered and the other with rocks and trees.

About 1,000 riot troops--both police and soldiers--charged twice into the crowd within a two-hour period before dispersing the demonstrators by nightfall.

The demonstrators have held small rallies in front of Camp Aguinaldo, the headquarters of the armed forces, since rumors surfaced last week suggesting that Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile was about to launch a coup against President Corazon Aquino. Aquino and Enrile, who long served under Marcos, have said the reports are not true.

After Sunday’s clashes, hospital officials reported that five of the injured were hospitalized, four who were wounded by gunfire and a radio reporter hit by a rock. A soldier and an Associated Press reporter, also struck by rocks, were released after treatment.