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| Bolivia in rare calm due to religious holiday |
La Paz, Bolivia / AFP
05/27/2005
Bolivia was unusually calm Thursday after days of violent protests
against the government of President Carlos Mesa, though more protests
were planned for the coming days.
The annual Catholic feast of Corpus Christi, or the “Solemnity
of the Body and Blood of Christ,” which featured several large
processions, had a calming effect in this largely Catholic country.
The truce is likely to last through Friday, when Mother’s Day
is celebrated here.
But more protests have been called for Monday, and especially on Tuesday,
when Congress meets again.
The Bolivian Congress approved a tough new energy law, that gives
the state a greater stake in the country’s lucrative natural
gas industry, on May 17.
Opposition groups however say the law does not go far enough, even
though foreign oil companies who operate in Bolivia -- including ExxonMobil,
Total, Petrobras, British Gas and Repsol -- say the legislation is
tantamount to confiscation of their installations.
Bolivia, an impoverished nation of nine million people, has an estimated
48.7 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, the second-highest reserves
in South America after Venezuela.
The respite in protests allowed for a breath of normality in downtown
La Paz, where merchants opened their stores unconcerned about clouds
of tear gas, fired by riot police against protesters, wafting in.
The downtown Plaza Murillo, next to both the presidential palace and
Congress, was quiet though still heavily guarded by riot police and
soldiers.
Over the week fierce clashes took place in the streets leading up
to the plaza, as wave after wave of protesters sought to storm Congress.
La Paz however remained largely isolated by land since protesters
have blocked the country’s main roads. Many gas stations were
refilled on Thursday, and customers flocked to markets to stock up
on supplies, fearing scarcity and further unrest next week.
Two junior military officers that publicly demanded Mesa’s resignation
on Wednesday were nowhere to be found on Thursday. The military chief
of staff quickly distanced the armed forces from the gesture, and
is said to be looking for them. |
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