Bolivia: eastern governors demand withdrawal of national army

[Judi Lynn]

Bolivia: eastern governors demand withdrawal of national army
Submitted by WW4 Report on Fri, 09/05/2008 - 21:37.
Bolivia's opposition governors in the eastern lowlands Sept. 3 demanded the national government withdraw its forces from Trinidad, the capital of Beni department, accusing them of repression at a youth protest occupation of the National Tax Service offices. The building was surrounded by National Police who stopped the action. Military forces have been reinforced in Trinidad since then. (Xinhua, Sept. 4)

The opposition governors threateed a new wave of protests actions that could cut off exports of natural gas to Argentina and Brazil. Authorities in Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando, Tarija and Chuquisaca, meeting this week in Santa Cruz, released a statement rejecting the new constitution proposed by Morales. "If the government persists on its course, we will not be held responsible for the outcome of any act that might block the exporting of fuel," they warned in a statement. Bolivia's National Electoral Court Sept. 1 invalidated a decree by Morales calling for a Dec. 7 referendum on the new constitution.

The government responded that the threats fuel separatism and racism. Their "insisting on implementing illegal autonomy statutes only will take us toward separatism and racism being expressed more virulently in some provinces," Government Minister Alfredo Rada told a news conference. (AFP, Sept. 3)

The escalation comes amid a rapidly deteriorating human rights climate in Bolivia's east. According to human rights observers from Santa Cruz, on Aug. 10 members of the San Ignacio Civic Committee and the Santa Cruz Youth Union broke into the residence of a group of Cuban doctors who were in the area providing free medical care to low-income patients. The doctors were met at their residence, beaten, forced into a truck, driven some 10 kilometers from San Ignacio, and then left there after being threatened with death.

The Santa Cruz Human Rights Coordinator (SCHRC) has petitioned the government to investigate the charges. The SCHRC also claimed that the Santa Cruz Youth Union, armed with clubs, baseball bats and other weapons, are patrolling the streets of the city with impunity.

More:
http://www.ww4report.com/node/5989

[Judi Lynn]

1. US: We must interfere in Bolivian affairs

US: We must interfere in Bolivian affairs
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:42:41 GMT

US envoy in Bolivia, Phillip Goldberg
The US ambassador in Bolivia meets the rebel governor of Chuquisaca saying Washington should interfere in the country's internal affairs.

Throwing his weight behind the rebel governor of Chuquisaca state Sabina Cuellar on Friday, Phillip Goldberg called on the Bolivian government of President Evo Morales to pay attention to the demands of the opposition.

Goldberg claimed that since Bolivia is presently in a state of political instability, the US institutions should interfere in Bolivia's internal affairs.

This is not the first time that the US officials are evidently interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.

Nonetheless, Morales denounced Goldberg's support of the right-wing “autonomy” movement that is promoting the secession of five Bolivian provinces.

More:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=68619§ionid=351020706

[Zorro]

5. Hmmmm. Linking to an Iranian news source

No political agenda in its reporting, I'm sure.

No doubt it's 100% accurate -- just like granma and the People's Daily -- and unlike AP, NYT, WP, McClatchy, IHT, etc. etc.

[Judi Lynn]

2. More violence in Bolivia after referendum

More violence in Bolivia after referendum
Posted: September 05, 2008
by: Rick Kearns / Indian Country Today


LA PAZ, Bolivia - In the three weeks after the contentious national referendum vote, anti-government forces from Bolivia's half-moon region staged a series of protest actions including: attacks against Cuban doctors treating poor communities; strikes; and massive road blockades.

Pro-government forces also clashed with the opposition groups in Santa Cruz and one contingent closed roads surrounding Sucre, the capital city of Chuquisaca.

In the midst of the war of words and physical attacks, Bolivian President Evo Morales also issued a decree to hold another national referendum vote for acceptance or rejection of the new Constitution already voted on by the National Constituent Assembly.

This new referendum, which also included provisions for elections of regional positions, was scheduled for Dec. 7 of this year, one year after the controversial drafting of the proposed Constitution. Bolivia's National Electoral Court however, ruled the decree unconstitutional and advised the President that the Congress would need to pass a law allowing the referendums.

The post-referendum turbulence transpired after efforts at dialogue failed, despite international support for the talks. In various press statements, The Organization for American States (OAS), the United Nations, and several diplomatic delegations from various countries urged settlement to no avail. On the day of the referendum vote however, violent actions already started to flare in the opposition city of San Ignacio in the Santa Cruz region.

According to human rights observers from Santa Cruz, on Aug. 10 members of the San Ignacio Civic Committee and the Santa Cruz Youth Union broke into the residence of a group of Cuban doctors who were in the area providing free medical care to low-income patients. The doctors were met at their residence by the two committees, beaten, forced onto a truck, driven approx 10 km from San Ignacio, and then left there after the committee members threatened to kill the doctors if they didn't leave the area.

Afterwards, doctors were relocated to an undisclosed location for their safety. The Santa Cruz Human Rights Coordinator (SCHRC) has petitioned the region's district attorney to investigate the charges. (As of press time, no charges have been filed.) SCHRC also claimed that the Santa Cruz Youth Union, armed with clubs, baseball bats and other weapons, were patrolling the streets of the city in the days that followed, supposedly looking for pro-MAS citizens and indigenous people in general.

More:
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096418166

[Judi Lynn]

3. Official: Bolivia gas won't be blocked

Official: Bolivia gas won't be blocked

The Associated Press
Friday, September 5, 2008
BRASILIA, Brazil: Brazil's foreign minister says he doubts that Bolivia's opposition will block natural gas exports, on which Brazil heavily relies.

The opposition in Bolivia's energy-rich provinces is demanding that President Evo Morales return state shares of oil and natural gas income he diverted to fund a pension for the elderly. The opposition has held strikes that have shut down banks, offices and public transportation.

Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said Friday he doesn't think Bolivia's opposition provinces will block gas exports to Brazil as part of the protest because it would be "shooting themselves in the foot."

Brazil is the biggest market for Bolivian natural gas, buying an average 30 million cubic meters a day.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/05/business/LA-Brazil-Bolivia-Gas.php

[Judi Lynn]

4. Bolivia's modern slaves

Bolivia's modern slaves
Friday 05 September 2008

For centuries, the Guarani people have lived in the sub-tropical forests of South America. Five hundred years ago European colonisation decimated them. Those who did not die entered a cycle of slavery that lasts to this day.

Like her parents before her, Ines, 72, has spent her life in servitude, toiling for long hours on a privately-owned ranch for no pay. "It was still dark when we started work in the mornings. We worked until 8, 10 o'clock at night, weaving, doing housework, cooking, spinning wool, everything", she says. She remembers being beaten by her boss as a child.

All her life, Ines has worked without being paid. "I don't know how much I should have been paid. They gave me old clothes - that was how they paid me", she says.

Today, in this remote corner of southern Bolivia, an estimated 2,000 families continue to live in semi-feudal servitude and debt bondage. Year after year, many workers find themselves trapped into paying back debts to their employers, which cancel out any meagre wages they earn. The calculations of their wages remain a mystery to many Guarani since, like Ines, they are often illiterate.

"The boss isn't bad, he doesn't hit me!"

Miriam Campos, a lawyer with the Bolivian Ministry of Justice and an advocate of Guarani rights to a decent wage and living conditions, pays regular visits to the Guaranis. "When we make these visits, we tell them they have the right to ask for their salaries - they work 10-12 hours a day. And they say to me, it doesn't matter. 'The boss isn't bad, he doesn't hit me!'"

More:
http://www.france24.com/en/20080905-caring-guarani-bolivia-indigenous-slavery-indians-south-america-servitude

On edit:

Please take a few minutes to view the clip added to the page, above the article. It really helps flesh out the story.