Happy Birthday, Mr. Jailed President
With riot police in full force, about 5,000 supporters of ousted Philippine President Joseph Estrada marked his 65th birthday with a rally outside the military hospital where he is being held while he faces corruption charges.
About the same number of riot police, who began showing up at 4 a.m. for the scheduled 2 p.m. rally, kept the demonstrators about 330 yards from the hospital gates.
Waving orange flags and streamers--the color of his political party--Estrada’s supporters sang “Happy Birthday.”
Estrada’s successor, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, said this week that her birthday wish for Estrada was “peace of mind.”
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