I: Once Again, Bolivia is Struck by Protest and Government Violence

["Nello Margiotta" <animarg@tin.it>]

BOLIVIAN GOVERNMENT USES CIVILIANS TO COVER IT’S MILITARY OPERATIONS -
 >SEPTEMBER 24, 2000
 >
 >by Tom Kruse, Cochabamba, Bolivia
 >tkruse@albatros.cnb.net
 >
 >Cochabamba.  At least two people were killed and over 10 wounded today in
 >confrontation between Bolivian military and protesters near the community
 >of Parotani, about 350 km from La Paz, Bolivia’s capital, when government
 >troops, under civilian cover, fired tear gas and live ammunition on
 >protesters.
 >
 >For more than a week Bolivia has been convulsed by waves of protests by
 >peasants, coca growers, public school teachers and others.  One key form
of
 >protest has been the blocking of major highways, effectively cutting off
 >regions one from the other, and Bolivia from neighboring countries.
 >
 >In April of this year Cochabamba, Bolivia was the site of fierce protests
 >that succeeded in reverting privatization of the local water system by a
 >Bechtel Corporation affiliate, and forced substantive changes to water
 >legislation that local communities felt would cause them to lose control
of
 >their indigenous water systems.  In the current protests, local groups are
 >demanding approval of those legislative changes and final termination of
 >the contract with the Bechtel affiliate.  Those protests were joined by
 >rural and urban public school demanding wage increases, and coca growers
 >demanding an end to US financed coca leaf eradication and military base
 >construction in Cochabamba’s Chapare region.
 >
 >At 1:30am this morning, the Bolivian Permanent Human Rights Assembly
 >mediated negotiations between Prefect José Orías of Cochabamba and protest
 >leaders, to allow a small number of trucks carrying chickens and buses
 >carrying travelers, stranded for various day in Cochabamba.  Protest
 >leaders indicated they would make efforts to ensure safe passage of the
 >caravan, but indicated that blockade leaders would be hard to reach until
 >morning.
 >
 >At about 2:00am the caravan left, and, unbeknownst to the protest leaders,
 >accompanied by about 100 heavily armed regular army troops.  Protest
 >leaders indicate that at no time during the negotiations did the Governor
 >indicate the caravan would be militarized, and hand they known, they never
 >would have approved it’s departure.
 >
 >At 4:00am the first reports of confrontations between the military
 >accompanying the convoy and protesters were reported.  At just after
4:00pm
 >the first confirmed reports of dead and wounded came in.
 >
 >Sacha Llorentti, representative of the Bolivian Permanent Human Rights
 >Assembly, and member of the National council of Human Rights in Bolivia,
 >and who mediated the negotiations that led to the caravan’s departure,
 >feels the Prefect Orías lied to him.  In a radio interview he commented,
 >"We feel betrayed.  At no time did the Prefect suggest that he would send
 >dozens of well armed soldiers with the civilian convoy.  Had we known, the
 >[Human Rights] Assembly would never have played a role in negotiating the
 >convoy’s departure.  We feel the Prefect deliberately used the Assembly
and
 >innocent travelers and truckers as cover for military operations."
 >
 >Protest leaders have called for a mass public assembly to consult with
 >local organizations regarding the next steps to be taken.  What is certain
 >is that with the recent government violence, protests are destined to
 >continue.
 >