The police chief in the Philippines yesterday warned that action would be taken to prevent "ugly incidents" during a third day of street protests over the decision not to allow vital evidence in President Joseph Estrada's corruption trial.
Thousands of Filipinos turned out to form a six-mile human chain as part of a move to oust Mr Estrada.
The protests were triggered by the Senate decision, by only 11 votes to 10, to disallow bank documents as evidence in the trial. Prosecutors claimed the evidence would have shown Mr Estrada had illegally amassed $60 million while in office.
The trial came to an abrupt halt after all of the prosecutors resigned, claiming the court move was virtually an acquittal.
The National police chief, Gen Panfilo Lacson, said his men would ensure that Mr Estrada's opponents were kept apart. "We will not allow both groups to have a physical confrontation. The police will be right in the middle to act as buffer so there will be no ugly incidents," he said.
There are concerns that the protest movement would reach the same intensity as during the 1986 people's uprising.
The human chain yesterday was the idea of the Catholic Archbishop, Cardinal Jaime Sin, who in 1986 urged Filipinos to take to the streets to stop Marcos's tanks advancing on rebel soldiers.
The House of Representatives is due to meet in the next few days to discuss what happens next in relation to the trial.
The Speaker, Mr Arnulfo Fuentabella, said the majority of members did not want to accept the resignation of the prosecutors.
The opposition yesterday suspended a massive march planned for today that authorities feared could lead to violence.
Mr Estrada's opponents had called on Filipinos to march in their millions on Malacanang Palace today to pressure the impeached leader to resign. They later called it off after cooler heads intervened. The march would have brought them face to face with Estrada supporters who have started their own vigil and barricaded a road near the presidential palace.
--(AFP)