Boliva latest

by ipsiphi Wed Oct 15, 2003 23:43

hang on in there and do your best.

Radio online streaming from Bolivia:
(in spanish naturally)
http://217.160.142.10:8000/listen.pls http://liveradio.indymedia.org:8003/bolivia.mp3.m3u
http://www.sindominio.net/libertadk/

photos updated daily with comments in English these have it might be noted been used by all mainstream European presses in the last three days.
: http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=Bolivia

differing "slants"

the anarko-feminist slant:
"Mujeres Creando" an anarko feminist group have had several activists arrested in La Paz the capital of Bolivia.
contact: [email protected]

the Red slant:
trotskyist website based in Argentina.
http://www.ft.org.ar/

the green slant:
one of the Bolivian news collectives is primarily ecologist in nature:




·our BCN slant·
: protest Embassy and apply all usual pressure.(as usual) target day- Friday.October– 19h30 c/ Velázquez, 26
you find your local consul under "bolivia" in the phone directory.
: use and let others know about all horizontal channels currently available, do not make unnecessary comparisons between the Chavez/Venezuela situation and the Bolivian situation, the mainstream media are short of contacts as well and are picking up all alternative news.

travel to Bolivia:

The European powers have indeed put Bolivia on the "no-go" list, and Sian your government advises you leave forthwith. Repsol the Spanish Oil company has suspended all plans to export Bolivian Gas, this is of _vital_ significance and _may_ signal a further breakdown of "stability",as Repsol are as important to Latin America as any US multi-nat. [out of code this = coup d'etat conditions]

last article on Bolivia complete with regretable trolling:
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=61619&type_id=all&search_text=bolivia


Que Se Vayan Todos!
Que Se Vayan el Gringo!

by ipsiphi - do your thing diplomatically! Thu Oct 16, 2003 00:12

contact details:

Presidencia de la República de Bolivia:
Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada
[email protected]
[email protected]

Vicepresidencia de la República:
Carlos Mesa Gisbert
[email protected]

Presidencia de la H. Cámara de Diputados:
Guido Añez Moscoso
[email protected]

Presidencia del H. Senado Nacional:
Mirtha Quevedo Acalinovic
[email protected]

Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto
Doctor: Carlos Armando Saavedra Bruno
Dirección: Plaza Murillo - c. Ingavi esq. c. Junín, La Paz – Bolivia
Fax: (591)(2) 2408642 / 2408905/ 2112163
Correo: [email protected] La Paz, Bolivia

Ministerio de Defensa Nacional
Licenciado: Freddy Teodovich Ortiz
Dirección: Avenida 20 de octubre 2502, Esquina Pedro Salazar La Paz, Bolivia
Fax: (591) 2 2433153
Correo: [email protected]

Ministerio de la Presidencia e Interino de Justicia y Derechos Humanos
Doctor: José Guillermo Justiniano
Av. Camacho No. 1485 Casilla No. 6500 La Paz Bolivia
Fax: (591-2) 2200383
Correo: [email protected]

Ministerio de Gobierno
Doctor: Yerko Kukoc del Carpio
Dirección: Avenida Sánchez Lima No. 2504 Esquina Pedro Salazar Plaza Abaroa, Sopocachi , La Paz Bolivia
Fax: (591-2) 2410870 – 2419973
Correo: [email protected]

facts and figures:
unknown number of wounded in La Paz.
64 confirmed dead in La Paz.
146 dead since the Presidency began due to crowd control.
USA gas export cancelled.
Spain gas export cancelled.

reporters without borders highlighting repression:
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=8260

bolivian indymedia articles posted in UK in english:
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/10/278945.html

***********************************
neither Iveagh House (Irish foreign affairs) or F&CO (British foreign affairs) have so far confirmed how many citizens/subjects are in Bolivia, it is _an idea_ to do a count.

by ipsiphi Thu Oct 16, 2003 01:33

wednesday:
dead - 2
wounded- 14

in the march from Oruro to La Paz, the protesters alledge that they were fired upon from the air by the Bolivian airforce. Many people have been detained with destination unknown.
The conflict has spread to the whole country.
In Cochabamba the mobilizations were met with brutality. In Oruro and Sucre there have been "radical mobilizations", ["radical mobilizations" is español shorthand for anti-system rioting and _extremist_ protest] in Chapare the roads are completely blocked, also the motorway between Potosí and Oruro. [this means infrastructural paralysis] In San Julián Santa Cruz blockades continue. [about two weeks but not of national economic importance]

At about five hours before the time of writing
in La Paz a pacifist demonstration had occured without incident, this contrasted with last nights "cacerola" (the banging of tins, pots and pans) which was severely dealt with in Chuquiaguillo.

The weekly newspaper Pulso has ceased circulation.
[The daily "El Diario" also has suffered from the closure of the countries infrastructure as well as certain inteference in it's editorial policy, it's journalists have been seriously intimidated by the armed forces and thus the appeals being made on behalf of freedom of speech in the previous comment. I'll leave it again:
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=8260en

The situation in Bolivia is _very serious_

& the ignorance of the underlying issues and politics which bring together global ecology, justice, democratic principles, socialism, anarcho-libertarianism, liberation theology, in Ireland and the Irish media is a most worrying reflection on the prejudices that maintain contemporary Irish "comnfortable living".

by zmag Thu Oct 16, 2003 01:38

Bolivia is not Venezueala.
nor is it Chile.
nor is it Argentina.
nor is it Colombia.
nor is it Brazil.

But it is South America.

by Econoticiasbolivia (Translated by: Latinsol) - posted 16/10/2003 03:31 imc bolivia Thu Oct 16, 2003 12:46

Community radio reporting tension during Thursday early hours in Bolivia after continuous massive popular mobilizations and more repression. Explosions and gun fire as part of the psychological warfare and attempts to silence reports from community media.

BOLIVIA: EL ALTO RESISTING ANOTHER WAVE OF TERROR
Econoticiasbolivia

http://www.econoticiasbolivia.com
Translated by: Latinsol

La Paz, October 16, 2003 (Hrs. 01:30).- They hit from the shadows, firing of machine guns, tear gas and pellet guns, they are the face-painted military who have been unleashing a psychological offensive of terror this early hours against the residents of El Alto.

The neighbours are in despair, they fear for their children and make calls to radio network Erbol, the only popular radio on the side of the people, which keeps them company through their pain and the tragedy of the poorest, most rebellious and the most dignified people of Bolivia.

The residents are on a vigil. Nobody sleeps, nobody rests. These are days of tension and nights of terror. People calling in from Vinto Tinto, from the area of Ballivian, from all over the communities. They have fear over what is taking place in Rio Seco, in Villa Adela. There, detonations can be heard, many dynamite detonations, lots of machine gun fire and explosions.

"It is the psychological war implemented from the North-American advisers", says one of the residents. Another can't help but shed some tears and there is no absence of insults to the gringo Sanchez de Lozada. Everyone is asking for Erbol (community radio) to keep them company, to continue its broadcasting.

The calls continue coming in, all of them bringing solidarity, calling for us to remain calm. "What does this dammed government wants", says a young girl.

There is much tension. A neighbour giving a farewell says "I will die as a Bolivian". Others make calls to keep calm, to trust in the community organizing power they have, to not allow fear to set in, to resist, to remain firm. In Erbol they are in vigil, the same as in the city of La Paz and in many places of the brown America, everyone with their eyes focused on the people of El Alto, who remain on their feet and who will never kneel down.

It is one o'clock in the early morning, the night is very dark, but the day light is near, a new day, the great day.

[email protected]

************************************
solidarity demonstrations have been held in Argentina and Brazil foccusing on the consular and other diplomatic missions.
************************************

A vendor sweeps broken glass in front of a burned building in the main tourist street of La Paz, Bolivia on Wednesday, October 15 2003. (Associated Press)

by iosaf Thu Oct 16, 2003 12:58

students.
not campesinos.
students you know the type.
clever, pretty, formerly middle class or formerly working class.
just like Irish students but far away and more tanned and unlike Irish formerly middle class or formerly working class they got fired on with _Real_ bullets.

real bullets. most soldiers come from campesino backgrounds. masks.

by Message from the Real World - Republic of Ireland Thu Oct 16, 2003 15:00

It would be a waste to spend money piping gas to the peasants. What Bolivia needs is hard currency which it can use to build roads, communications networks, schools, bridges, universities, advance factories. Lasting economic benefits will follow from this.

Give the gas out free to the peasants and what are you left with when it runs out in a few years time?

Back to square one and a debt to repay the cost of piping it out. These peasants know nothing about economics, the Bolivian government is doing the right thing. The peasants are being exploited by communist agitators. We all know that communism is the road to ruin, capitalism is the only way to achieve a lasting improvement in the lives of these people.

by ipsiphi Thu Oct 16, 2003 23:46

just like Argentina needed dolarisation. Like we've seen hard currency works in South America haven't we? & if we reflect on the average up in stock value of 2% across the blue chip investors in South America over the last 48 hours we may see clear indications that the "real world" isn't that worried about the loss of Gas contracts in Bolivia, and no surprise for contigency gas contracts have been traded in the futures markets for most of the last seven years, driving contemporary real world European states to become interested in North African and Russian gas reserves.

The Republic of Ireland, of course used to have a great little hard currency "the punt", great currency, it emerged from sterling on the basis of extensive reserves which ahem yawn yawn were held in the Bank of England in Gold (Au for the scientific misunderstood women of Belfield).

= when the Republic of Ireland has a hard currency of it's own it will be able to lecture other countries, meanwhile it is ahem yawn yawn very much in the €U world, and as such ought use it's "weight" to promote an another world which is ahem yawn yawn "Possible".

by Real World in Bolivia Thu Oct 16, 2003 23:47

Bolivia has been exploited and had its`natural resources raped by foreign powers for the last 500 years. Noone trusts that the issue of gas will be any differnt. The money goes back into the pockets of the foreign investors. These people are starving, Bolivia is the second poorest country in South America.
It may be easy to cast judgement on the campesiños actions from the comfort of your home in Ireland, it`s a different story when you see children as young as 5 working the streets selling tobacco and sweets to earn some money.

They need to hold on to this resource and not allow it to be exploited by foreign powers. This is about survival.

by Sian Muldowney Fri Oct 17, 2003 00:40 sianmuldowney at yahoo dot co dot uk Tupiza, Bolivia

"The only thing the people want is this butcher`s resignation" - Felipe Quispe, opposition leader
Tens of thousands of people marched in La Paz today calling for the resignation of the president. It was supposedly the largest march since the protests began. Simultaneously marches took place in Bolivia`s cities Cochabamba, Sucre, Oruro and Potosi. Other towns and cities that had previously remained quiet today also marched in solidarity.

The president promised that there would be a constitutional referendum concerning the gas and also that he would address other issues raised during the campaign. The protestors have rejected this offer and have declared that they will continue protesting until Goni resigns.

In a statement released Goni said that it would be undemocratic for him not to remain in office until 2007 and that he was looking after the interests of the country.

The protests have certainly gathered momentum. One of the major unions, Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) said thousands of its women would go on hunger strike in Roman Catholic churches. In fact the news reported last night that certain ìntellectuals` have already commenced a hunger strike.

At one stage today two miners from Pachacamya (south of La Paz) were killed by the army as they tried to enter the city. The army claimed that they were trying to smuggle dynamite and arms.

To date, the death toll is estimated at over 70 people with almost 200 injured. Rumours abound that the government had set up a fund to compensate for deaths even before the campaign began.

At the moment cities throughout Bolivia are paralysed and it is set to get worse as the president is refusing to resign.

by Jake Fri Oct 17, 2003 13:44

This shouldn't surprise us in the least.

Full story at:
Bush administration backs massacres in Bolivia
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/oct2003/boli-o17_prn.shtml

by ipsiphi - que se vayan todos! Fri Oct 17, 2003 13:48

Yesterday the protest widened. The spanish speaking/reading world is very big and typically slow to mobilise it's "public outrage", perhaps the mañana mañana?
However it is mobilising, and an issue which two weeks ago was little known outside zapatista international/ecologist international/trotskyist left international/liberation theology international circles is now reaching out of the clichés.

Later I'll leave an interview the the present preceived leader of the opposition which was published in El Pais in Spain yesterday, about 15% of the questions and answers reached the news-stands and it makes interesting "mainstream press" reading.

meanwhile these two photos, of two people in masks, both of backgrounds which are poorer beyond the imagination of the average European, one of them however has a life long job with pension, security, extensive personal risk, and one that guarantees food on his children's plate at the cost of "unending loyalty to his employer and state".

I request the editors leave the photos and the reader reflect on why the policeman chose to throw the stone back rather than use his gun.
That decision made in the midst of a street battle is the sort of decision that makes soldiers throughout history stop firing on their neighbours, fellow countrymen and women and fellow human beings.

Please note, I have no photos of an Israeli or British soldier returning a stone.

protester throws a stone.

policeman throws it back.

by refreshing Fri Oct 17, 2003 15:19

learn about Bolivar.
and see an argentine site which is organising Bolivarian socialist support.

by occasional centralisation Fri Oct 17, 2003 15:33

post your stuff there. as well as watching reports here.

you CAN do something.