Bolivia Protesters Build New Barricades

[smallprint]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3263545,00.html

Tuesday October 14, 2003 9:16 PM
By KEVIN GRAY
Associated Press Writer

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) - Protesters threw up road blockades of giant boulders and burning mounds of trash in and around Bolivia's capital Tuesday, demanding the president resign after days of deadly rioting and clashes.

With stocks of food, gasoline and other basics dwindling, La Paz ground to a standstill. Leaders of labor unions and Indian groups called for more protests, a day after clashes between demonstrators and soldiers killed at least 16 people.

snip

President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, who has refused calls to step down, remained secluded in his heavily guarded residence. The crisis began about three weeks ago when his free-market plan to export natural gas to the United States and Mexico ignited long-simmering discontent with his democratically elected 14-month-old government.

snip

As many as 60 people have been killed in three weeks of protests, according to human rights groups and local media. Authorities have not confirmed this figure.

end article

This story is huge but it is being buried by the US media, not surprisingly. The country is basically on the verge of revolution. The roads in and out of the country are blocked. There are ongoing battles between tanks and crowds of protestors. About 26 people were killed on Sunday when the Army opened fire with live ammunition on unarmed marchers. More have been killed yesterday and today. The leaders of the uprising have announced that the riots will continue until Sanchez is gone.

While Bushco fiddles in Iraq, Latin America is burning.

more backgound here: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/oct2003/boli-o14.shtml