Ecuador seizes TV stations; economy minister quits

[Judi Lynn]

Source: CNN/Associated Press

updated 2 hours, 32 minutes ago

Ecuador seizes TV stations; economy minister quits
Agency takes over two TV stations, other businesses for debts due to bank failures


QUITO, Ecuador (AP) -- Ecuador's government seized television stations and nearly 200 other businesses Tuesday for debts stemming from bank failures in the 1990s. The economy minister resigned hours after the takeover.

A state agency that protects depositors in failed banks took over the offices of TC Television and Gamavision in early-morning raids backed by dozens of police.

It also took over dozens of other properties of Grupo Isaias, including insurance, agriculture, construction and real estate businesses allegedly linked to bankers facing embezzlement charges who fled to the United States.

~snip~
The deposit agency's manager, Carlos Bravo, insisted at a news conference that the government was not persecuting the press and said he hoped the seized stations would be returned to private ownership "as soon as possible."

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He said Correa was not even informed of the decision to take over the stations until Monday night.





Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/07/08/ecuador.tvdispute.ap/index.html

[Demeter]

1. Everybody Take Note

This is what should have happened with Enron and all the others.....

It's not too late, either.

[Peace Patriot]

2. Boy, is that a misleading headline!

Why would they do that--stick on a headline that made it seem that the Ecuadoran government was suppressing free speech?

Two probable answers:

1. Ecuador has lots and lots of oil, is a member of OPEC, and has a leftist government that believes in using the country's oil profits to benefit the poor.

2. The leftist government is evicting the U.S. air base at Manta, Ecuador (doesn't believe in the corrupt, murderous, failed Bush-U.S. "war on drugs").

[Robbien]

6. It is surprising that the articles aren't more harsh than they are

Even with the bad headlines, these articles at least say why Correa is doing what he is doing. Not one is throwing around the term fascist dictator as they did with the same situation in Venezuela.

[Joanne98]

3. YAY!

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. Sounds like the newspapers may have been suppressing important

news that would have tipped off the necessary authorities regarding the embezzlement situation. Usually, in latin america, it's the government that already controls the media, but in this case, it sounds like the rabi blancos had the edge.

[jaksavage]

5. Cleaning out the barn

after the republikkons left the country.