Syndicate: Ecuador updates

[Paola Lucchesi <paola.lucchesi@mail.inet.it>]

X-eGroups-Return: sentto-14556-9140-paola.lucchesi=mail.inet.it@onelist.com
To: HoTGCPW <HoTGCPW@onelist.com>
X-Priority: 3
MIME-Version: 1.0
Mailing-List: list HoTGCPW@onelist.com; contact HoTGCPW-owner@onelist.com
Delivered-To: mailing list HoTGCPW@onelist.com
Precedence: bulk
List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:HoTGCPW-unsubscribe@ONElist.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 02:42:35 -0500
From: "pattrice le-muire jones" <pattrice@geocities.com>
Reply-to: HoTGCPW@onelist.com
Subject: [HoTGCPW] Ecuador updates

From:
"pattrice le-muire jones" <pattrice@geocities.com>

      2 BBC stories. The second is of the most interest to me, as I was
just about to say that they could succeed if only they could get the
soldiers to go on strike too. (The key to any general strike is to get at
least some of the workers employed as weapons of the state to join the
strike).

 ==========
 Wednesday, 19 January, 2000, 22:58 GMT Â 



Indians step up protests in Ecuador


Several thousand Indians are protesting in Ecuador's capital, Quito, as
part of a continuing campaign against the government's economic policies.
 The demonstrators are demanding the resignations of President Jamil
Mahuad, congress and the supreme court, and want a government of national
unity to be set up.
 Criticism of President Mahuad has intensified since he announced a plan
last week to replace the national currency, the sucre, with the dollar.
 Ecuador is in economic crisis, with inflation at 60%, the highest in Latin
America. Nearly half the country's 12.4 million people live below the
poverty line, according to the World Bank. Â 
 Many protesters used mountain paths to slip past checkpoints set up by the
security forces, who have been given emergency powers to deal with the
unrest.
 Elsewhere, demonstrators have blocked roads as part of what their leaders
describe as a popular uprising.
 Police estimate that 6,000 Indians have arrived in the capital over the
past two days, though local media reports put the figure as high as 10,000.
 "We are going to continue fighting slowly, peacefully," said Antonio
Vargas, head of the Conaie Indian confederation which is leading the
protest.
 He says Indians make up 45% of Ecuador's population, although other
estimates suggest they comprise a third or less.
 Ecuador's Interior minister Vladimiro Alvarez showed no signs of backing
down, though.
 "Those who don't recognise a constitutional government can't sit down and
talk with the constitutional government," he told local television on
Wednesday.
 The government declared a state of emergency on 5 January to allow the
armed forces to control public protests.
 About 30,000 police and military troops have fanned out across the country
to guard roads and key government buildings from the protesters.
 Many military checkpoints on main highways have blocked Indians from
entering by bus, forcing some to take side roads or walk into the city.
 Â 
 The protests and roadblocks have spread to other cities in Ecuador, where
some schools and markets have closed.
 On Wednesday morning, a police helicopter dropped pamphlets in Spanish and
the Indian Quechua language over the thousands of Indians camped in "El
Arbolito" (The Little Tree) park near Quito's colonial city centre.
 "Your animals need you," the pamphlets said, urging the Indians to return
home.
 Indigenous leaders say publicly they will block roads and practice other
forms of civil disobedience as long as necessary to force the government
out of office.
 Privately they say their chief goals are deep structural economic and
social reform, with or without Mr Mahuad, to help end a history of poverty
for the Indians.
 A similar protest by indigenous groups last year brought Quito to a
virtual standstill for almost two weeks, forcing the government to abandon
a controversial plan to increase fuel prices.

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Thursday, 20 January, 2000, 01:06 GMT Â 
 Ecuador Indians ask for military's support

 Indigenous Indian leaders in Ecuador have called on the armed forces to
support their campaign to topple the government over its handling of the
economy.
 At a meeting with military commanders in the capital, Quito, the Indian
leaders asked for help in forming a government of national unity.
 The talks took place amid continuing protests by thousands of Indians
opposed to the government's economic policies.
 The president, Jamil Mahuad, has taken much of the blame for Ecuador's
worst recession in decades. Criticism of Mr Mahuad has intensified since he
announced a plan last week to replace the national currency the sucre with
the dollar.
 Correspondents say it's unclear what the Indians will have achieved by
meeting with the military, which until now has given Mr Mahuad its firm
backing.




------Syndicate mailinglist--------------------
 Syndicate network for media culture and media art
 information and archive: http://www.v2.nl/syndicate
 to unsubscribe, write to <syndicate-request@aec.at>
 in the body of the msg: unsubscribe your@email.adress