Soldiers surround main military base in Venezuela's capital
Caracas, Apr 11, 2002 (EFE via COMTEX) -- Battle-clad soldiers Thursday surrounded Fort Tiuna, the Venezuelan capital's main military base and site of the Defense Ministry, while tanks guarded the entrance, the media reported.
A toll plaza on the road leading into southern Caracas - which passes in front of Fort Tiuna is located - was closed, shutting down the route into the city.
According to the Internet website of El Universal, a Caracas daily, members of the National Guard (GN), a militarized police force, were preventing cars from entering or leaving the capital.
Throughout the day, the media reported rumors that groups of military officers who oppose President Hugo Chavez were meeting to organize a coup, but the military high command said the president remained in his office with their full support.
Meanwhile, downtown Caracas remained under the tight control of police and GN troops, which were trying to prevent clashes between protesters and pro-Chavez toughs, although they were not able to prevent earlier outbreaks of violence in which at least seven people died and 48 others were wounded.
Copyright (c) 2002. Agencia EFE S.A.
Anyone else see the hand of Otto Reich in all of this?
Totalitarian regimes are all going ballistic at once... so much for the congress poo poohing about bush's theory of "rogue states" running amouk...
Looks like ALL the crazies are feeling pretty pumped up, after one pukeface "arabfat" totally stands down the war on terror and is allowed to throw his wrench into the machinery gears... one arafat, puts the whole war on terror, on hold, and it makes every would be arafat think... "hey, that could be me."
It gives lots of hope to would be, and bona fide dictators that when they pitch a fit... AMERICA will rush in to negotiate no matter HOW heinous their acts.
I hope they overthrow this illegally elected fraud.
God save their nation.
I give up... I want my M-TV.