State of seige declared in Bolivia

[silver 2039]

Bolivian 'state of siege' declared

• Story Highlights
• Constitutional guarantees suspended; people cannot meet under state of siege
• Bars and clubs must close at midnight and residents cannot carry guns
• Governors of states under control are meeting with President Evo Morales

LA PAZ, Bolivia (CNN) -- Bolivian authorities declared a state of siege to begin at midnight Friday in the eastern department of Pando, which has been the site of recent unrest.

Defense Minister Walker San Miguel and Minister of Government Alfredo Rada announced the move, which begins at midnight and lasts until 6 a.m.
Under the siege, constitutional guarantees are suspended, private vehicles without authorization are banned from the streets, groups are not allowed to meet; bars, restaurants and discos must close at midnight and residents are prohibited from carrying firearms, the officials said.



The announcement was made as a C-130 plane carrying federal troops landed in Santa Cruz at the civilian airport, which had been controlled for the past week by pro-autonomy forces.

Watch more about the crisis in Bolivia »

An insurrection against Bolivian President Evo Morales in the eastern part of the country entered its second week Tuesday, with groups backed by local governors seizing control of government offices and airports and threatening to shut off a gas pipeline that feeds strategic fields in Argentina and Brazil.



On Tuesday, in the nerve center of Santa Cruz, mobs rampaged into the main telephone office. The office had recently been nationalized, and took control of the internal revenue and agrarian reform offices in the town center.

Pando's governor, Leopoldo Fernandez, confirmed the arrival of the C-130, and a local official, Ricardo Shimotagua, told Notivision Television that there was shooting at the airport.


Sasaha Llorenti, a Bolivian government spokesman, said the military was fired on when the plane landed and responded with its own fire.


The ensuing gunfire left one person dead and three wounded, according to Carlos Suzuki, a member of the Civic Committee of Pando. He said the plane was initially able to land because it was rumored to be carrying U.N. aid.

Eight people died Thursday in Pando in clashes between pro-autonomy and pro-government demonstrators.
Meanwhile, in La Paz, the governors of the eastern departments -- wealthier parts of the nation that are seeking autonomy -- were meeting with Morales.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/09/12/bolivia.stateofseige/index.html

Whoa. So it looks like Bolivia may break up.

 

[Pannonius]

Maybe they'll get some help in breaking up...

 

[JohnRM]

America's fault, right?

 

[Birdjaguar]

Venuzuela to the rescue!

 

[Maimonides]

I love how bars & clubs can stay open, but they must close at midnight. This doesn't sound very serious. If it was serious, martial law would be declared, not shorter drinking hours.

After taking another look at the OP, ONE plane full of troops was dispatched by the government??? One plane of troops couldn't have controlled my high school prom... This is not newsworthy.

 

[crabapple]

I love how bars & clubs can stay open, but they must close at midnight. This doesn't sound very serious. If it was serious, martial law would be declared, not shorter drinking hours.

They dont want to worsen the rebbellion by stopping people from drinking

 

[GrandAdmiral]

I'm curious how this is the US's fault. I'm assuming that if Bolivia and Venezuela are expelling US diplomats then they have some kind of evidence?