Bolivia's Morales Recounts Police Abuse

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press/Houston Chronicle

Nov 3, 3:12 AM EDT

Bolivia's Morales Recounts Police Abuse

By DAN KEANE and FRANK BAJAK
Associated Press Writers



AP Photo/Juan Karita

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) -- In a new feature film about his journey from dirt-poor sheep herder to Bolivia's president, Evo Morales is portrayed being beaten unconscious by anti-narcotics police and found the next day by fellow coca union leaders.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Morales said there were in fact multiple beatings during his years fighting forced coca eradication - and that he wants the armed U.S. agents who still direct his country's anti-narcotics police to leave Bolivia.

"It wasn't just once or twice," Morales said Friday, becoming animated as he recounted harrowing memories from the comfort a sofa in his presidential residence. "I could tell you many of these stories."
(snip)

One night in 1989, police nabbed Morales at a coca farmers' dinner, dragging him away to a van where he was kicked repeatedly. A crowd of his fellow cocaleros gave chase, prompting worried police "to start kicking me even harder," Morales remembered.

"But then suddenly they lifted me high up, and I'm up there with my face towards the floor of the van, and they threw me down like a piece of meat," he said. "I passed out."






Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BOLIVIA_MORALES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-11-03-03-12-30

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Evo Morales gave Condoleeza Rice a
charango, decorated with coca leaf
images.

[Judi Lynn]

1. More valuable information from the article:

In a wide-ranging 70-minute interview, Morales also said:

- His version of socialism requires state control of all basic services, including telecommunications.

- Armed separatists are looking to provoke fatal confrontations in the country's pro-autonomy eastern lowlands. He said he ordered troops to quit the region's main airport last month during a standoff over landing revenues after getting intelligence that the crowd that had stormed the facility included rabble-rousers with guns.

- This majority indigenous country will next week become the first to ratify the Sept. 13 U.N. declaration endorsing the rights of the world's native peoples. The United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand were the only countries to vote against the declaration.

After winning the presidency in December 2005, Morales has increased Bolivia's annual natural gas revenues from $300 million to $2 billion a year by exerting greater state control over the industry.

Water utilities have reverted to state control and authorities are negotiating the re-nationalization of the country's main telecommunications company, Entel, which is owned by Telecom Italia SpA. Officials have indicated electrical power could be next.

[Peace Patriot]

2. What a discomforting photo! You'd think Ms. Con would melt, like the Wicked Witch

of the West, in the presence of Evo Morales, who positively glows with personal integrity and honesty and REAL human warmth.

[Peace Patriot]

3. Imagine having a president of your country who was beaten by the narco cops!

Now there's somebody who understands what it is like to have nothing, to BE nothing to the world's powermongers and thugs, to be stomped on, to have no recourse, to be poor.

That should be a requirement for holding public office--at least one experience of the fascist boot heel.

[Peace Patriot]

4. Some interesting environmental stuff in this Morales interview...

"Bolivia's first indigenous president also told the AP that the world's richest nations must be made to pay for the damage their profligate use of natural resources has caused developing countries.

"He said he and other Latin American leaders are exploring possible legal means for demanding compensation for the developed world's 'ecological debt.'

"'It's not possible that some in the industrialized world live very well economically while affecting, even destroying others,' said the 48-year-old Aymara Indian. Scientists count this Andean nation's rapidly melting glaciers among the most profound signs of global warming."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BOLIVIA_MORALES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-11-03-03-12-30

------

"Ecological debt." Now there's an idea.

"...his vision of socialism is guided, Morales said, by the communal decision-making of Bolivia's indigenous societies and their 'way of living in harmony with Mother Earth.'"

I swear, South America's indigenous people are going to save us all. They are so amazing in their lo-o-o-ong, tough, dangerous, seemingly hopeless battles for the environment in the middle of frigging nowhere--remote jungles and mountains--protesting rapacious mining and logging. They just won't give up. They are dauntless. And--FINALLY!--they are gaining rightful political power in this wondrous democracy revolution that has swept South America. They elected a president of Bolivia! A coca leaf grower! Stomped on by narcos! Devoted to Mother Earth!

I rarely use the word "beautiful" about political events. But this is beautiful.

[1932]

5. And the Chavez/ Morales/ Allende/ Llumumba/ etc. appologists will post in three...two...one

:)

[High Plains]

6. Who has to apologize for anything?

[1932]

7. I'm poking fun at those anti-developing world socialist-democrat politicians

where someone posts some spin from the AP, five people pile on, and then someone says, "appologists in thee...two...one". It seems to be a pattern.

[Peace Patriot]

8. See also, 'We Need Partners, Not Masters' (Q & A w/ Evo Morales)

at
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2199421

Interview of Morales, by ABI (Agencia de Informacion Boliviana), after receiving a humanitarian award in Italy.

[me b zola]

9. k&r