REPORTS OF COUP IN ECUADOR: Correa reportedly injured

[Hannah Bell]

For Immediate Release: September 30, 2010
Contact: Dan Beeton, 202-239-1460

Washington, D.C. - There are currently reports of a possible attempted coup d'etat underway in Ecuador. There have been violent protests by police and some elements of the military, reports that President Correa has been injured, and reports that the air force has closed down a number of airports.

The Organization of American States will convene an emergency meeting at 2:30 Eastern Standard Time in Washington D.C., to consider the situation.

Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director of the Center For Economic and Policy Research, called upon President Obama to state unequivocally that the United States will not recognize any government other than the democratically elected government of President Rafael Correa.

Weisbrot noted that the White House statement of June 28, 2009, in response to the military coup in Honduras, did not make any such assertion, and in fact did not even condemn the coup.

"These types of statements are very important, in that the people who are trying to overthrow a democratic government are looking for signs of whether a coup government will be recognized by the United States. The first White House statement last year in response to the Honduran military coup sent the wrong signal at a crucial moment."

At the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad in April 2009, President Obama stated: "I just want to make absolutely clear that I am absolutely opposed and condemn any efforts at violent overthrows of democratically elected governments, wherever it happens in the hemisphere.

"This is an important time for President Obama to live up to this commitment," said Weisbrot.

http://www.cepr.net/index.php/press-releases/press-releases/obama-should-oppose-attempted-coup-in-ecuador

[Vincardog]

1. LINK? "This is an important time for President Obama to live up to this commitment,"

[Hannah Bell]

2. i just linked it.

[Vincardog]

6. Thanks

[EFerrari]

3. Mark is a lot more temperate than I could be.

I hope the president is safe.

[Hannah Bell]

8. maybe something to do with this:

Ecuador passed laws in July aimed at changing current production-sharing deals for the new service contracts.

"With these last comments we will know which clauses of the new contract the companies will accept," and which they won't, said Wilson Pastor, minister for nonrenewable natural resources in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires Friday.

Pastor said the final comments would give the government a "very clear idea about the renegotiation process."

The third contract draft will be sent to private companies following consultations with Ecuador's state prosecutor, the tax department and the environment ministry, among others.

Pastor added that the ministry had received hundreds of comments from private companies on the new contract model, but "only eight or 10 are about sensitive matters," he said.

Private oil companies and the ministry have been negotiating the new contract model, under which private oil companies would receive a production fee while the government owns 100% of the oil and gas produced, since August.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100917-708352.html

[EFerrari]

10. Maybe. He's been facing off with Big Oil since he came in

and so, I assume, on The List.

[valerief]

4. They should overthrow their govt non-violently like the US did. The US used its Supreme Court. nt

[EFerrari]

5. Well, we didn't have millions of dollars from the United States

flowing in to fund the opposition the way Ecuador does. Gotta show your donor something for their investment.

[Capitalocracy]

37. This is known as a "judicial coup"

similar to what happened in Honduras, although the military was involved as well there.

Of course, the military logistics industry was the basis for the coup in the U.S., so the resulting government is what we would refer to as a "military dictatorship".

[malaise]

7. BBC has good coverage

This is frightening.

[EFerrari]

9. Correa had just had a knee operation and he is calling it a coup attempt.

Ecuador in turmoil as president denounces 'coup attempt'

by Alexander Martinez Alexander Martinez – 1 hr 19 mins ago

QUITO (AFP) – Ecuador was plunged into political crisis Thursday as troops seized the country's main airport and stormed the Congress building in what President Rafael Correa denounced as an attempted coup.

About 150 renegade troops seized a runway at Ecuador's international airport in the capital of the South American nation, as dozens of police protested on the streets against a new law which would strip them of some pay bonuses.

Dozens of police units took over government buildings in the country's other two main cities, Guayaquil and Cuenca, and Foreign Minister Ricardo Pitino blamed the insurrection on "sectors aiming to overthrow the government."

The uprising occurred as Correa was in the hospital recovering from an operation on his knee, and the president said he was seeking refuge in the building fearing for his life.

"It is a coup attempt led by the opposition and certain sections of the armed forces and the police," Correa told local television.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100930/ts_afp/ecuadorunrestmilitary_20100930181505

Did you know that in March or so, after our president came in, a plot was also discovered against Evo Morales? Using European mercs. The money tracked back to a fake "human rights group" here in New York.

[Billy Burnett]

11. Uh oh. Our friend Mika is there now.

Anyone heard from him recently?


:hi:

[EFerrari]

12. Crowley at State says they're "watching"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100930/pl_afp/ecuadorunrestmilitaryusdiplomacy_20100930181056

:eyes:

[mikelgb]

13. I see it is business as usual in Latin America

[EFerrari]

14. This is something: the English language media has been reporting

that police were protesting bonus cuts at the airport.

"In confused and chaotic scenes in Quito, scores of soldiers swarmed over the landing strip of the international airport, which was closed to flights. Witnesses said there was looting in Quito and in the city of Guayaquil, and that many workers and school students were being sent home. Elsewhere in Quito, uniformed police burnt tires in protest at a proposal to cut their bonuses."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=405&topic_id=42266&mesg_id=42266

That turns out to be untrue:

"Miguel Carvajal, the minister for interior security, said there was no threat to salaries or benefits. He blamed the reports of the benefit cuts on a massive disinformation campaign.

"He who says that is lying," Carvajal said.

"We call on the citizens. We call on the armed forces. We call on other governments to defend our democratic institutions," he said."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/09/30/ecuador.violence/index.html?section=cnn_latest

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

16. I'm watching Telesur on the web. Hugo Chavez is claiming Correa is being held at a Hospital by

coupsters (sic).

[EFerrari]

17. I can't get into Telesur. But there is a headline that says

some people are going there to rescue him. :scared:

:grr:

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

18. Apparently citizens are mobilizing to protest. nt

[EFerrari]

22. All I can get from Telesur is a print version of their frontpage. n/t

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

23. I'm seeing footage of what looks like someone being escorted in a gas mask walking on crutches. nt

[EFerrari]

25. One report has Rafa saying he was attacked with gas.

But who did the attacking isn't clear.

[EFerrari]

27. Chavez's statement at Telesure, developing.

TeleSUR 30/09/10

El presidente de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, confirmó este jueves que su homólogo de Ecuador, Rafael Correa, está secuestrado en el Hospital de la Policía de Quito.

"He hablado con él, unas cuatro o cinco ocasiones desde que comenzó el problema (...) me acaaba de ratifcar que lo tienen secuestrado", dijo en contacto telefónico exclusivo con teleSUR.

"Hace un minuto me lo repitió (Rafael Correa) estoy aquí dispuesto a morir, yo no voy a ceder", detalló el mandatario venezolano.

Chavez seems to say Correa is being held against his will.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

30. They showed footage of a general expressing support for the president but police

are attacking people on the street and reporters on the ground not sure who's guarding the president.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

26. It definitely looks like Correa leaning on someone as he walks with a crutch on the left arm wearing

a gas mask.

[EFerrari]

28. He had just had knee surgery. n/t

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

29. That's what I read as well. I'm not sure if he's being held though. It's not clear. nt

[EFerrari]

31. Right. Can't tell if he is sheltering or if it's something more dangerous. n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. Radio France International says he's sheltering at the hospital

and that the Armed Forces Chief is backing Correa: http://www.english.rfi.fr/americas/20100930-chaos-ecuador-amid-alleged-coup-attempt

[Judi Lynn]

74. Thanks, so much. We can be sure the disinformation guys will be working overtime. n/t

[Renew Deal]

15. Is this really about "bonuses" or is this something bigger?

And is it really 150 renegades in a country of 14 million or something bigger? I don't see this going well in the short term.

[EFerrari]

19. Correa and Ecuador took on Chevron big time.

This is not about police bonuses.

[TBF]

91. That tells us all we need to know. nt

[Capitalocracy]

21. K&R

Another one goes down, and what do you want to bet whatever comes of this will meet nothing but approval from Obama and Clinton's State Department?

Wondering how long I'll be safe here in Argentina.

[EFerrari]

24. We're pretty cut off from good info right now.

Anything you can add would be appreciated.

[Poll_Blind]

32. Working Telesur link here:

here

I'm able to pull it up using Internet Explorer. It would appear Correa's speaking live on Telesur at the moment. Could be wrong tho.

PB

[EFerrari]

33. Thanks. For some reason, I can't get from one place to another.

They have a high traffic notice up.

[Poll_Blind]

34. You may try periodically refreshing (like several times in a minute). From the Honduran coup....

...coverage, I learned that Telesur never really goes down on that stream. It may become overloaded but you can redial as much as you like and if you get in you're usually good to go for quite a while.

FWIW.

PB

[EFerrari]

36. Thanks, Poll_Blind!

[EFerrari]

35. Evo says (via Telesur) "When they failed to bring Correa down with referendums,

they resort to coup attempts". And he's being very direct about US involvement.

[Poll_Blind]

38. Thanks for the info, EFerrari! Many of us recall the information you and...

...Nadinbrzezinski helped get out from live feeds during the Honduran coup.

Again, much thanks!

PB

[EFerrari]

39. From what I hear, people are heading to the hospital

to offer their support to their president.

[Capitalocracy]

42. It could lead to an altercation

The people might actually try to get him out of the police hospital and confront the "rogue" police officers holding him there. A handful of police officers should be no match against the army of a nation coming to rescue the president, but an analyst was saying on the television here that the fact that they're not doing anything about it shows what side they're on. Still too early to see where this is going, but it doesn't look good.

[EFerrari]

44. I think it will be okay. Scary and dangerous, but okay.

Hang in, my friend.

[Renew Deal]

40. What US involvement?

Does he know something or is this paranoid BS? These guys need to stop talking and start getting involved if they really want to backup their friends.

[EFerrari]

43. Ever since Ecuador took on Chevron, your State Department

has not liked Correa. Capiche?

No one has details right now but just like Honduras, the right wing in Ecuador would not move without a green light from the State Department.

[Gaedel]

61. Conspiracy Alert

What was Sec State Clinton doing talking to Henry Kissinger?

[EFerrari]

41. Telesur says that people all over Ecuador are congregating

to show their support for their president and their government.

[EFerrari]

45. From SOA Watch:

Military Coup in the Making in Ecuador

U.S. Training of Latin American soldiers undermines democracy and U.S. government response to military coup in Honduras emboldened right-wing in Latin America.



As predicted by human rights groups, the U.S. support for the military coup government in Honduras has emboldened right-wing forces and caused more instability throughout the Americas.

President Rafael Correa is currently in the military hospital being treated for tear gas inhalation, about 45 minutes ago, he spoke live on the radio. He has made a statement that the integrity of the democratic revolution needs to be defended peacefully. He also said if he is assassinated, that he blames the opposition. He said that there are police trying to get to him through the windows and the roof of the hospital.

In his radio address the President did talk about this being a Coup attempt lead by the Police, Military close to an ex-President, but also by the Opposition and the ex-President Lucio Gutierrez. He stated that there is an attempt to destabilize the democratic citizen revolution that has happened in Ecuador. At this moment, the pro-democracy movement is gathering in the thousands in the capital but in all the plazas across the country. There are also people marching to the hospital to protect the President.

Today, September 30, 2010, around 8am, 150 or more Ecuadoran troops took over the international airport in Quito in protest to congress cutting benefits to police and military.

There have been violent protests by police and some elements of the military, reports that President Correa has been injured, and reports that the air force has closed down a number of airports. Shutting down the airport and cutting off highway access to the capital Quito, troops rampage through Quito, Guayaquil and other cities with tear gas and burning cars. Protesters are demanding that the government give more respect to military and increase benefits.

Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricarto Patina played down the severity in a BBC report saying that "This is not a popular mobilization; it is not a popular uprising. It is an uprising by the police who are ill-informed."

"We're faced with a process of destabilization of the national government and democracy in Ecuador," Interior Minister Miguel Carvajal said, according to the EFE news service.

The UNA-SUR and ALBA countries are meeting right now to activate solidarity to protect the democratic process in the country and denounce the Coup. And the OAS (Organization of American States) called an special session in DC that is meeting right now. The OAS stated its support for the constitutional government of Ecuador. Earlier the head of the OAS stated this was a police insurrection and not a Coup.
Here is live coverage of what is happening Ecuador on TeleSUR (spanish)

Thousands of Ecuadoran troops have been trained at the School of the Americas. The Pentagon claim -- that the institute instills respect for democracy and civilian leadership while teaching combat skills to Latin American soldiers -- has once again been disproved.

Ecuadoran president Rafael Correa has pursued economic moves to correct Ecuador's debt imbalance and refused to allow the United States to continue to use the Manta military base for U.S. soldiers.

The SOA has a long history of being involved in military coups in Latin American. In April 2002, the democratically elected Chávez government of Venezuela was briefly overthrown, and the SOA-trained soldiers Efrain Vasquez Velasco, ex-army commander, and Gen. Ramirez Poveda, were key players in the coup attempt.

Since 1946, the SOA/WHINSEC has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counter-insurgency techniques, sniper skills, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. Human Rights groups are calling for the closure of the institute. From November 19-21, 2010, thousands will converge on Fort Benning, Georgia to engage in nonviolent direct action and to call for the closure of the School of the Americas. For more information, visit www.SOAW.org.

[marmar]

67. selfdelete, wrong SOA

nt

[EFerrari]

46. From Telesur footage, you can hear the crowd calling out the police

as cowards and traitors.

I'm out for a while. Send good vibes to the people of Ecuador. They need 'em.

[Poll_Blind]

47. Thanks for the update, EFerrari! n/t

PB

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

48. Reporting that some people have managed to get past the police blockade to reach the

hospital.

[Odin2005]

49. Same old US-backed Fascist BS.

Obama is no different, just another Imperialist.

[EFerrari]

50. I don't see any statement from him yet

condemning the attempted overthrow of the democratically elected government of Ecuador.

But, the people are out on the streets all over the country, in Quito trying to protect their president and throwing rocks at the police force sell outs.

[EFerrari]

51. Reporter Christian Salas says there are helicopters overhead

military copters but no one knows their intention yet (whose side they are on).

ETA: The police still seem to be gassing the public.

[EFerrari]

52. A Cuban official is now on, denouncing the attempt to take down the government

of Ecuador and demanding that the United States go on the record.

[The Magistrate]

53. Please Keep The Up-Dates Coming, Ma'am

So far it looks like this one will fail.

[EFerrari]

54. I believe you are right, Your Honor.

The audio from TeleSur is not great but will do my best.

[EFerrari]

55. Telesur reporter says that the police seem to be losing ground

around the hospital as the people continue to advance.

When I look at the footage, it looks strange. Telesure seems to have their camera on the few people that dare to go right up to the national police. It's like there's a zone between where most people are standing and where a few protesters are confronting the police head on.

The crowd chanting, "Correa, amigo, el pueblo esta contigo" -- "Correa, the people are with you".

[Peace Patriot]

58. That's a stunning vid of Correa, declaring, "If you want to kill the president, here he is..."

Vid footage--very fiery (not to mention courageous): "If you want to kill the president, here he is. Kill him, if you want to. Kill him if you are brave enough.” --Rafael Correa

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11447519

---

Statement of Ecuador's Chief of Armed Forces, General Luis Ernesto Gonzalez Villarreal: "We live in a state which is governed by laws, and we are subordinate to the highest authority which is the president of the republic.”

---

I think we're looking at a failed coup attempt--but, do you have any sense of the sequence of events, re Correa's safety?

His fiery statement was followed by someone throwing a tear cast canister at him--he was hurt by the tear gas, but is okay, not seriously harmed. THEN what happens? I couldn't quite understand the sequence. It looked like his security forces were getting him out of there, then the tear gas exploded, then what? Is he safe NOW? Where is he now?

This rumored kidnapping of Correa at the hospital--did this occur LATER, after he went into the hospital for treatment of the tear gas burns? When he speaks (the above), he has not yet been tear gassed. The tear gassing footage follows. (He seems to have gone from the steps of the hospital into the crowd. I saw what looked like one of his security guards hitting or pushing away a riot-helmeted policeman who had lunged forward toward Correa, in the crowd.) When Correa speaks (the above), was he just emerging from being held captive (had just been rescued)? He then gives his fiery speech, walks into the crowd and gets tear gassed?

The teargas sequence starts with a close-up of Correa obviously suffering from tear gas burns on his face (but he's on his feet, not collapsed, basically okay). This is obviously just after that attack. Then, is he attacked again, with tear gas? (The crowd scene?) Then what? That's what I'm trying to figure out. Was the rumored kidnapping or detention before or after the tear gas attack?

[EFerrari]

60. My understanding at this point is that he was out in public

and was gassed, then he took shelter in the hospital.

The police still seem to be gassing people. And Correa just told Telesur, no, his safety is not a sure thing.

[Peace Patriot]

71. Here's a UK Telegraph report that Chavez says Correa's life is in danger

37 minutes ago

Chavez says he has been kidnapped IN THE HOSPITAL where he was on an IV recovering from the tear gas attack.

http://news.google.com/news/story?pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&topic=h&ncl=dGig9uZ42QBD5NM5cbtvD6KDB46bM

The airport has been re-opened by the military. The military remains loyal. UNASUR leaders on route to an emergency meeting in Argentina.

If this is correct, then my question about the sequence of events is relevant. But we don't know if this is correct. Chavez or the Telegraph may have gotten a garbled story in a very confused situation. Chavez, having gone through this, however, would likely be careful about what he said, and would likely only speak if he was in contact with Correa. In the 2002 coup, in Venezuela, they tried to force Chavez to resign, and no news reports about it were reliable. In fact, RCTV promoted the coupsters' lie that he HAD resigned. This was a critical point in the coup, with Chavez kidnapped and the members of his government barred from TV, and Chavez is not likely to forget it. Accurate info, and a direct line to Correa, are vital. I hope he has them. On the other hand, I hope he's wrong--that Correa's life is NOT in any danger.

Here's the Los Angeles Times 19 minute ago:

"Ecuador's government has launched an emergency news site tracking the unrest and response in the international community. As of this afternoon, Correa is reportedly in a police hospital, but it is unclear whether he is holed up there or being held against his will. The Los Angeles Times will have more updates soon.

-- Daniel Hernandez in Mexico City"

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2010/09/ecuador-unrest-security-coup-live-breaking.html

[Peace Patriot]

63. Here is a more coherent account from the Guardian...

Incensed officers shoved President Rafael Correa around and pelted him with tear gas and water when he tried to speak at a police barracks in the capital. Correa, 47, was taken to hospital from the effects of the gas.

(SNIP)

Correa challenged the protesters to kill him, according to local media. "I'm not taking one step back. Gentleman, if you want to kill the president, here he is, kill him if you have the guts." The rebel officers responded with shouts, stones and teargas canisters, prompting Correa's bodyguards to spirit him from the scene.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/30/ecuador-chaos-police-rafael-correa

-----

This seems to say that he is safe. Also, martial law has been declared, not surprisingly. Too bad the CIA/rightwing has such manipulable forces within the security establishment/military, even if they are just lower level people and are a minority. (As Correa or somebody said, no government has been more supportive of the police and other public employees. It was the legislature, not Correa, that cut off their bonuses. Correa opposed it! What stupids!)

Some things that are likely going to happen: Any commanders who were involved are going to be dismissed and prosecuted. The worst of the lower level rioters will likely be dismissed/prosecuted. But I don't think it will be a big purge, nor the punishments draconian. Correa is smarter than that. (He also has good advisers on it--in Chavez and Morales--who have been through all this.) Congress may be dissolved (which Correa has a constitutional right to do, in a political impasse) and new elections scheduled. in the meantime, Correa may reiinstate the bonuses by decree for those who were not involved (most), to make peace with the security establishment. I don't think he meant--when he said, "I'm not taking one step back"--that he was going to be obdurate about the bonuses. He opposed the legislature on that. I think he meant, literally, not take a step back from where he was standing, in the (hospital?) doorway.

He could also, instead of dissolving Congress, ask the Congress to rescind that measure. It's looking like the ground-level rioters were/are more aimed at the Congress than at Correa, but that certainly wouldn't be true of the instigators--rightwing oppo, CIA, and police/military commanders in cahoots with them. These latter likely used unrest about the bonuses as the means of attacking Correa. And it's looking like they made a very big mistake--or possibly they are just testing the waters. But I tend to think, at this point, that this is going to be a big setback to the rightwing and to the U.S.

[EFerrari]

69. The stuff about the bonuses being cut has been refudiated

by the Correa government.

[EFerrari]

56. Some vehicle is preparing to enter the hospital.

A truck, it (edit) is preparing to break through the police cordon. When I look at the footage, it's dense with gas.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

57. Same ol' same ol' in Latin America --

The People wrest control away from the US-backed Elite and then we have a coup.

O was rather disgusting on the Honduras coup, I can't wait to see what he has to say about this one.

[EFerrari]

59. President Correa is giving an extended interview to Telesur

the audio isn't very good but the fact of it is good news, anyway.

[EFerrari]

62. An official speaking for the national police told Telesur

they are insisting on a negotiation. Correa has said no negotiation under these circumstances is appropriate.

So basically, the national police just admitted they are holding the president hostage to their violence.

[EFerrari]

64. A group of citizens were just shown trying to shove their way into

the public teevee station. It's unclear who they are. They are dressed in civilian clothes. They broke the glass door to gain entry.

ETA: They were led by the attorney Pablo Guerrero, rep for the ex prez (right wing)

[marmar]

65. Uh-oh. I wonder what multinational corporations he pissed off?

nt

[EFerrari]

66. Oh, famously, Chevron. And it looks like former prez Gutierrez

is in on it because his lawyer just led a group of people to break into TV Ecuador.

/oops

[marmar]

68. I can't wait to hear Noam Chomsky's reaction to this.

nt

[EFerrari]

70. Telesur. Correa says the plan to get him to safety have been slowed down

in order to avoid bloodshed.

[Peace Patriot]

73. Yup, I just got that from Rotters...

"Trapped inside the hospital, where he was being treated, Correa said he was the target of a coup attempt and he would not negotiate with the police unless they ended their protest.

He also said there was a plan in place to end the standoff. 'The operation to rescue the president has been ready for a while but I haven't wanted to authorize it in order to avoid the loss of human lives.'" --Rotters

http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE68T40I20101001

Here's their lede:

QUITO (Reuters) - Renegade police attacked Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa in anti-austerity protests on Thursday and surrounded the hospital where he was treated as he accused his opponents of trying to topple him in a coup.

"I'll leave here as president or they'll take me out as a corpse," he told a local television station from inside the police hospital.

Outside, some of Correa's supporters hurled stones at the dissident police, who had launched the protests over a government proposal to cut their bonuses. They fired tear gas back at the president's followers. (MORE)

---

Interesting how this "anti-austerity" thing (the bonuses) keeps getting repeated over and over and over. They've even got me confused about it. I thought the legislature did it, not Correa--and that this was a major point of contention between Correa and the legislature. But apparently it ISN'T TRUE AT ALL. Yet it just keeps getting repeated, in corpo-fascist news story after corpo-fascist news story. They get memo from Langley, or what--about the plan's main "talking points"?

Interesting how it's now "renegade police"--now that it's apparent that they failed to bend the military.

[Poll_Blind]

72. The need to form something like NATO where an attack/coup on any of them brings the...

...immediate military assistance of the other member countries. This partially happened spontaneously during the Honduran coup where presidents of several South American countries famously boarded planes to go to Honduras to show support.

This would be formalizing that process, leaving the legislators at home and essentially setting up a dead-man's switch where if any of them are subject to a coup or other undemocratic removal of head of state, the others will militarily intervene.

The hope here is that they don't have to but that it would give the military, who is often behind coups, will think twice about the consequences of their actions before doing something like this.

PB

[The Magistrate]

79. That, Sir, Would Be An Excellent Idea

[Panaconda]

75. From 2008

‘CIA Infiltration’ Charges Prompt Shake-Up in Armed Forces
By Kintto Lucas

QUITO, Apr 10 , 2008 (IPS) - President Rafael Correa’s allegations that intelligence services in Ecuador had been infiltrated by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have led to a shake-up in the armed forces of unforeseeable consequences.

Resignations and dismissals are the order of the day. Wellington Sandoval resigned as defence minister Wednesday and was replaced by Correa’s personal secretary Javier Ponce. The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Hector Camacho, army commander Guillermo Vásconez, and the chief of police, General Bolívar Cisneros, also stepped down.

A high-level Ecuadorean military officer who asked not to be identified told IPS that the country is at a critical juncture, with only two possible routes: "either the military as an institution returns to its nationalist orientation or it submits itself once and for all to impositions from the U.S."

It is necessary, he added, for "independent and progressive sectors to regain control over the institution." He also called for "a reduction of the power of a group that answers to former president Lucio Gutiérrez" (2003-2005), a former army colonel who was removed as president by Congress and replaced by his vice president Alfredo Palacio.

...

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41945

[EFerrari]

76. I believe I'm hearing a live report that the armed forces are advancing

on foot toward the hospital where the national police has kept the president all afternoon. :scared:

[lunatica]

77. It's fucking amazing that we're watching this live

I'm watching Telesur.

[EFerrari]

78. Shots have been exchanged. It looks like a war zone out there. n/t

[The Magistrate]

81. So The Army Is Now Moving Against The Police, Ma'am?

[EFerrari]

82. Yes. The armed forces have formed circles around the people

who showed up earlier and are taking control of the area. It looks like they're trying to contain whoever might be in the crowd and to secure the hospital.

[EFerrari]

80. Telesur. The armed forces seem to be securing the area

slowly, taking control away from the national police.

[leftstreet]

83. K&R

Thanks to everyone on the thread for the updates

[RainDog]

84. The U.S. Ambassador stated support for the President of Ecuador

seen here in this link-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11449630

[EFerrari]

85. Telesur. President Correa is reportedly out of the hospital safely

but the Telesur reporter can't confirm.

[EFerrari]

86. There is still gunfire outside the hospital. A group from the army

has entered the hospital where officials from the national police are believed to be. The president is believed to have left the building already.

[maryf]

87. "people who are trying to overthrow a democratic government are looking

for signs of whether a coup government will be recognized by the United States." maybe whether it initiated in the US should be looked into as well...

K&R

[EFerrari]

88. Telesur: Correction. The president is still in the building.

He is said to be safe but cannot leave the building until the perimeter is secure.

[Starry Messenger]

89. k & r

Thanks everyone for the information on the thread.

[EFerrari]

90. Telesur. The president's car with several others seems to have left

the hospital and was met by cheering on the street by the people and also by members of the armed forces.

[The Magistrate]

92. Sounds Like The Desired Result, Ma'am

Thank you for keeping us informed.

[EFerrari]

93. It sounded like the gunfire was right on top of the reporter's head.

:scared:

The scene continues as the army cleans up the area but the republic seems to be safe for the moment.

[suffragette]

94. Yikes

but sounds hopeful.
Just caught up reading the thread.
Thanks for this.

[The Magistrate]

95. Have You Seen This From Mr. PollBlind, Ma'am?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9232087

[EFerrari]

97. No, I hadn't. Thank you. n/t

[bherrera]

98. President Correa is a little crazy

I saw the TV, and Correa went to see the police strikers, and he screamed to the policemen like a madman, to shoot him. It was suicide, with so many guys with guns in that place.

This started in the manner of a labor dispute, and the man went and made things a lot worse, insulting their manhood. Then the bad guys used this opportunity that the police were not working to steal and rob stores. And on top some of the right wing crazy faction decided to see if they could shoot Correa anyway.

Ecuador is a juvenile nation, they have a small labor problem, and it becomes a very big crisis. They are crazy.

[The Magistrate]

99. But You, Sir, Are Sane, And Oh, So Very, Very Bright....

[fascisthunter]

105. and you are a socialist....

yup... uhuh:eyes:

[EFerrari]

96. Thousands of people on the street waving flags in anticipation

of the president's arrival.

[EFerrari]

100. Correa thanking the thousands of people who he says

went to his aid. It's dark and hard to tell how many people he's talking to but from the volume, it sounds like everybody. lol

:)

[Peace Patriot]

101. Here's the New York Slimes' man-not-in-Quito, Slimin' Retardo...

He had to have help from a Maggy Ayala Samaniego, who IS in Quito, and a María Eugenia Díaz, who is in Caracas. Guesses as to which parts Retardo wrote? (Hint: the spin.)

----

Unrest in Ecuador Prompts State of Emergency

By SIMON ROMERO (??)
NYS - September 30, 2010

CARACAS, Venezuela — Ecuador’s government declared a state of emergency on Thursday after protests by hundreds of police officers and members of the military produced a tense standoff between President Rafael Correa and rebellious elements of the security forces.

Mr. Correa waded into the protesting scrum of police officers at a barracks in the capital, Quito, and emerged gasping for air after inhaling tear gas and having been shoved, insulted and pelted with water.

He called the protests “an attempt at a coup d’état” and lashed out at the protesting officers as “a bunch of ungrateful bandits.”

Mr. Correa sought refuge in a nearby police hospital, which was surrounded Thursday by protesting officers. The president, speaking to the news media by telephone, said that he was “practically captive” there, and hundreds of his supporters marched on the police compound, demanding his release.

Striking police officers also occupied the National Assembly, where hundreds of Mr. Correa’s supporters gathered outside.

However, it was not clear on Thursday night whether the police officers, who were protesting a new law that would reduce their benefits and slow salary increases, also sought control of the government.

The standoff arose after security forces took over barracks in several cities to protest the law, part of a broader project to rein in government spending. Some members of the air force joined the protests in Quito, blocking the airstrip at the international airport and preventing planes from landing or taking off.

Miguel Carvajal, the minister in charge of internal security issues, said at least one person had been killed and several injured. El Comercio, a newspaper in Quito, reported that rocks and bottles were thrown at a leader of Mr. Correa’s political movement who tried to enter the police hospital.

In the security vacuum created by protesting officers, sporadic robberies were reported at supermarkets and at two banks, in the capital and in Guayaquil, a large coastal commercial city. Retail businesses and schools shut down.

Mr. Correa had gone to the barracks to address the police complaints in person. A shouting match ensued, and at one point, he loosened his tie and opened his shirt as if to show that he was not wearing a bullet-proof vest. “If you want to kill the president, here he is,” he said. “Kill him, if you want to. Kill him if you are brave enough.”

The military leadership appeared to support the president. Gen. Ernesto González, the highest-ranking military official, called on the protesting police officers and troops to stand down. “We are a state of law,” he said in comments broadcast on Ecuadorean radio. “We are subordinated to the maximum authority, which is the president of the republic.”

The state of emergency gave police powers to the military and suspended civil liberties.

Leaders from across the hemisphere expressed support for Mr. Correa, with the Union of South American Nations, a political and economic bloc, saying it would hold an emergency meeting in Argentina. Colombia and Peru closed their borders with Ecuador in a display of solidarity with Mr. Correa.

The White House expressed support for Mr. Correa and urged a peaceful end to the crisis. “The United States deplores violence and lawlessness and we express our full support for President Rafael Correa, and for the institutions of democratic government in that country,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a statement.

The chaos raised new doubts over the stability of a country that had churned through eight different presidencies in the decade before Mr. Correa was first elected in 2006. Since then, Ecuador has enjoyed relative calm, and Mr. Correa’s leftist program of increased government control of the economy and social welfare programs for the poor proved popular enough that he was re-elected in 2009.

Mr. Correa, 47, an American-educated economist, forged a new foreign policy through an alignment with Venezuela, while also maintaining relatively cordial relations with Washington.

But his approval ratings had recently slipped amid protests over his efforts to reorganize the federal bureaucracy.

Maggy Ayala Samaniego contributed reporting from Quito, Ecuador, and María Eugenia Díaz from Caracas.

-----

My guesses as to Retardo's contributions are in bold face. These parts do a number of things. They way under-emphasize Correa's popularity. He won the 2009 election by nearly 70% of the vote. He wasn't just "popular enough" to get re-elected. He was/is HUGELY popular--and not just for "government control of the economy" (rather than rich people/corporate control) and "social welfare programs" but for many reasons, including his kicking the U.S. military out of Ecuador, which the people of Ecuador OVERWHELMINGLY wanted him to do. The new constitution, which he supported, won by about 80%. So for him to "slip" in the polls likely puts him into the company of FDR at the height of the "New Deal" or LBJ before the Vietnam War. Unprecedented popularity.

The Slimes do not cite any polls, and I admit that I'm just guessing, but I would guess that, if this "slippage" is true, he "slipped" down to 60%-65%! And his punishment for forging "a new foreign policy through an alignment with Venezuela" is for slimebag Simon Romero to state, without evidence, that he's "slipping" implying that it's a big slip--thus (in Retardo's reasoning), this revolt. Simon says: 'No-o-o-o-o-o, dummies, it's NOT the CIA and the Ecuadoran fascists lying to the police about their losing their bonuses and plotting a coup d'etat behind it. It's Correa's "efforts to reorganize the federal bureaucracy" that got him this destabilizaiton and coup d'etat attempt.'

Another thing I boldfaced was mentions of the Ecuadoran military--for instance, the one about some of the Air Force joining one uprising event. How does Simon know this (or even his stringer-in-Quito)? Interesting, huh? I think that somebody wanted them credited for doing their part. And I sense disappointment that the rest of the military couldn't be bent. This is followed by "The military leadership appeared to support the president." Nope. They STRONGLY supported the president. That is disgusting--"appeared to support"--and that, surely, is Romero/Retardo.

About the tear gas (more Romero?). Correa didn't suffer just "inhaling" tear gas. I saw the video. He was hit IN THE FACE with a tear gas explosive and suffered bad burns on this face and head, and was hospitalized with an IV in his arm because of it. Why this diminishment of the attack? Because Correa cuts a fine heroic figure, wading into these police protestors for direct negotiations, and when they wouldn't talk, declaring to them, "If you want to kill the president, here he is," etc. Correa is brave like an Arthurian knight of old. That is his character. What he said, of course, has to be reported--and I credit the stringer in Quito for noticing that he tore off his tie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt just before he said it (to demonstrate that he was not wearing a bulletproof vest). I saw it in the BBC video (but didn't quite know what it meant). But, IF YOU SAW THE VIDEO or IF YOU WERE THERE, you would KNOW that the tear gas canister hit him and he was seriously injured by it. He did NOT just "inhale" tear gas and get splashed with "water." These are Retardo re-writes, is my guess.

One other suspicious statement in this article (suspicion of spin/collusion) is this: "...it was not clear on Thursday night whether the police officers...also sought control of the government."

CLEARLY, the "police officers" were being USED. They don't have the wherewithal to take over Ecuador's government. Only the military has the wherewithal to do that. (And they just did it, under orders from the president, in a declaration of emergency/martial law.) The police can surely cause a lot of trouble. They can't "control the government." So this odd construction--"...it was not clear on Thursday night...".--is hiding something. And I think it's pretty obvious what it is--the coupsters behind the police rioting and disruption. I think we are likely looking at a failed coup attempt. This is a misleading statement--nudging the reader to suspect the police of an attempted coup, and not those who sowed a grievance among them and stoked them up--the real coupsters.

I don't call them the New York Slimes for nothing. And I don't call Simon Romero Slimin' Retardo for nothing. He is not a journalist. He is a shill--and a lazy one at that. My apologies to those who suffer a genuine handicap. My apologies to those who don't like names to be played with. But it's difficult to express the disgust I feel for this once respected newspaper and for this possibly once good or at least sincere reporter who seems to deliberately turn off major circuits of his brain and large pieces of his heart. He lies, and he slimes, and he slanders, and he disinforms in ways that convey utter contempt for his readers, as if he can't be bothered to make the effort to convince you of the latest set of "talking point" about the Latin America left, and as if it has become second nature. He doesn't have to try hard. He just fits the words to the "talking points." And, frankly, I think he's in on it--these U.S. coup attempts unfolding in Latin America. And so are his editors and owners. And it may be the "WMDs in Iraq" all over again--that is, an oil war plan.

I've had it with them. I really have. Line your cat box with it.

[EFerrari]

102. He doesn't say anything about the hours that the people

confronted the police at the hospital until the army could get there.

Scum bucket.

[maryf]

103. SOA info

Military Coup in the Making in Ecuador
U.S. Training of Latin American soldiers undermines democracy and U.S. government response to military coup in Honduras emboldened right-wing in Latin America.


As predicted by human rights groups, the U.S. support for the military coup government in Honduras has emboldened right-wing forces and caused more instability throughout the Americas.President Rafael Correa is currently in the military hospital being treated for tear gas inhalation, about 45 minutes ago, he spoke live on the radio. He has made a statement that the integrity of the democratic revolution needs to be defended peacefully. He also said if he is assassinated, that he blames the opposition. He said that there are police trying to get to him through the windows and the roof of the hospital.

In his radio address the President did talk about this being a Coup attempt lead by the Police, Military close to an ex-President, but also by the Opposition and the ex-President Lucio Gutierrez. He stated that there is an attempt to destabilize the democratic citizen revolution that has happened in Ecuador. At this moment, the pro-democracy movement is gathering in the thousands in the capital but in all the plazas across the country. There are also people marching to the hospital to protect the President.

Today, September 30, 2010, around 8am, 150 or more Ecuadoran troops took over the international airport in Quito in protest to congress cutting benefits to police and military.
There have been violent protests by police and some elements of the military, reports that President Correa has been injured, and reports that the air force has closed down a number of airports. Shutting down the airport and cutting off highway access to the capital Quito, troops rampage through Quito, Guayaquil and other cities with tear gas and burning cars. Protesters are demanding that the government give more respect to military and increase benefits.

Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricarto Patina played down the severity in a BBC report saying that "This is not a popular mobilization; it is not a popular uprising. It is an uprising by the police who are ill-informed."

"We're faced with a process of destabilization of the national government and democracy in Ecuador," Interior Minister Miguel Carvajal said, according to the EFE news service.

The UNA-SUR and ALBA countries are meeting right now to activate solidarity to protect the democratic process in the country and denounce the Coup. And the OAS (Organization of American States) called an special session in DC that is meeting right now. The OAS stated its support for the constitutional government of Ecuador. Earlier the head of the OAS stated this was a police insurrection and not a Coup.
Here is live coverage of what is happening Ecuador on TeleSUR (spanish)

Thousands of Ecuadoran troops have been trained at the School of the Americas. The Pentagon claim -- that the institute instills respect for democracy and civilian leadership while teaching combat skills to Latin American soldiers -- has once again been disproved.

Ecuadoran president Rafael Correa has pursued economic moves to correct Ecuador's debt imbalance and refused to allow the United States to continue to use the Manta military base for U.S. soldiers.
The SOA has a long history of being involved in military coups in Latin American. In April 2002, the democratically elected Chávez government of Venezuela was briefly overthrown, and the SOA-trained soldiers Efrain Vasquez Velasco, ex-army commander, and Gen. Ramirez Poveda, were key players in the coup attempt.

Since 1946, the SOA/WHINSEC has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counter-insurgency techniques, sniper skills, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. Human Rights groups are calling for the closure of the institute. From November 19-21, 2010, thousands will converge on Fort Benning, Georgia to engage in nonviolent direct action and to call for the closure of the School of the Americas. For more information, visit www.SOAW.org.
<br< Stand up for justice: SOAW.org/take-action/november-vigil

[polly7]

104. +1000 nt.