- Title: BOLIVIA-PROTEST/POTOSI Striking Bolivian miners demand meeting with Morales
- Date: 20th July 2015
- Summary: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (JULY 20, 2015) (REUTERS) MINERS SET OFF DYNAMITE EXPLOSION DURING STRIKE IN THE CENTRE OF LA PAZ PROTESTERS MARCHING HOLDING BANNER FOR POTOSI CIVIC COMMITTEE VARIOUS OF PROTEST AND EXPLOSIONS POLICE GUARDING THE ROUTE TOWARDS GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS VARIOUS OF MARCH (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PROTEST ORGANISER, MILTON NAVARRO, SAYING: "President Evo Morales, don´
- Embargoed: 4th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA9FA3DB63ID7YYJPK1B8K8MBOB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Bolivian miners from the southern Bolivian department of Potosi continued protests in La Paz on Monday (July 20) after two weeks of strikes and tensions over demands that President Evo Morales fulfill his promises to develop their region through infrastructure and job opportunities.
Protesters set off dynamite in the streets of the capital on Monday as police blocked the route towards Plaza Murrillo, La Paz's main square that houses the Burnt Palace President Palace and National Congress of Bolivia.
Protesters are calling for the construction of hospitals, roads and an international airport to be built as part of a 26-point plan for the government.
The Potosi Civic Committee said the government has refused to sit down and discuss their regional issues, and accused authorities of discrimination and violence against the miners.
Potosi, a rural area of the country known for its mining resources, suffers a lack of development, lagging behind the rest of the country and a national economic growth rate of five per cent.
It is also suffering from high poverty and food and medicine shortages.
"President Evo Morales, don´t let the department of Potosi suffer. The department of Potosi has no food, we are hungry, but this is not the fault of the civic committees who have reunited here in la Paz in hope of an answer for our demands. The only person to blame here is President Evo Morales. Why is he afraid to have a dialogue? He does not have the capacity to have a dialogue?" said Milton Navarro, an organiser of the protest.
The clashes come after from scenes last week when on Friday (July 17) police first used tear gas on the protesters but, when they ran out of tear gas canisters, police reportedly threw rocks at the activists.
Saturday (July 18) saw a lull in protests but riot police continued to guard government buildings and brought in vans for the possible detention of protesters.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Minister of the Government, Carlos Romero, remained noncommittal with regards to dialogue with the protesters, saying that they would wait for the convening of a commission.
"There are obviously many things behind all of this which I am sure will gradually become clearer, the only way to determine the truth is through facts and the truth will come out bit by bit. There is of course manipulation involved, financing, and a political game which logically could involve external participation. But we reiterate that we will remain firm with regards to the request for dialogue; we are waiting for the designated government commission," Romero said.
Twenty percent of Bolivian mining cooperatives are working at a loss due to the fall in mineral prices, raising anger at the government for failures to enact industrialisation plans. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None