Bolivian gas line explodes; protesters blamed

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LA PAZ, Bolivia: The head of Bolivia's state energy company says a pipeline explosion has cut natural gas exports to Brazil by 10 percent.

Activists opposed to President Evo Morales are being blamed for the explosion. The energy company says protesters took over an energy plant and closed a valve, creating pressure that blew up the pipeline.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/10/america/LA-Bolivia-Protests.php

[GliderGuider]

1. A bit of monkeywrenching?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeywrenching

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2. It is apparently a dispute about NG profit distribution...

On Tuesday, anti-government protesters trashed public offices in several eastern states in their attempt to keep natural gas revenues — Bolivia's chief export — for the nation's richer lowland provinces, where the bulk of its gas fields are located.

Opposition groups in the eastern provinces — Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando and Tarija — have staged a two-week long protest against Morales' efforts to remake the constitution and redirect natural gas revenues to the poor.

Morales has called the protests a "civil coup."

Opposition leader Branco Marinkovic from Santa Cruz, the unabashadly capitalistic seat of opposition to the avowedly socialist president, said Tuesday that the only way out of the conflict is for the government is to not hold a Dec. 7 referendum on a new constitution.

The new constitution, which would give indigenous groups with greater control of their traditional lands and make it easier for the government to redistribute fallow land, was approved by a special assembly last year amid an opposition boycott.

[GliderGuider]

3. Oh well, a boy can dream though...

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4. Regardless, it is part of the positive political feedback loop.