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.
The head of staff of the Army joint to the rebellion
Friday April 12, 2002 - 2h02 GMT
CARACAS, 11 avr (AFP) - the head of staff of the Army of Venezuela, the General Efrain Vasquez, joined Thursday evening the rebellion of several other officers of high row and asked so that the heads of garrison give an opinion with regard to president Hugo Chavez.
"This is not a coup d'etat, it is not insubordination, it is solidarity with the people vénézuélien", declared the Vasquez General, at the time of a press conference.
"the armed forces are not for attacking the people vénézuélien there. I order all to my commanders, who are my fortress and the fatherland, to fill their duty ", has it says, in reference to the incidental violent ones which marked the demonstrations of Thursday, making at least nine died and several tens of casualties.
Addressing itself to Mr. Chavez, it declared: "I was faithful to you until the end, I was useful to you until this afternoon, but deaths today cannot be tolerated".
"They oblige to me to make this decision. Generals made your duty (...) Today all the humans right were violated, of Vénézuéliens died because of the incapacity of dialogue of the government ", it denounced.