Posted on 04/11/2002 1:49:54 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Half a million Venezuelans clamoring for President Hugo Chavez to resign marched to the presidential palace in Caracas on Thursday in a huge protest that marked the most powerful challenge so far to his three-year-old rule.
With National Guard troops deployed to protect the palace and several thousand supporters of the president also gathered there, the country's military high command made a public appeal for calm and called on people to avoid violence.
Police fired tear gas to keep groups of the marchers away from the palace and running battles broke out as some Chavez supporters threw stones at the anti-government protesters.
At least 500,000 anti-Chavez demonstrators, beating pots and pans, chanting "Out, Out" and waving national flags, marched down Caracas' main avenues, shutting down traffic as they moved in a mass from the east to the center of the city.
Turning out to back an indefinite general strike called by labor and business foes of the president, the anti-government demonstrators had gathered earlier in eastern Caracas, where speaker after speaker demanded that the firebrand left-wing president should step down along with his Cabinet.
His critics accuse him of trying to impose a Cuban-style left-wing regime upon the world's fourth biggest oil exporter. They also criticize him for failing to deliver election promises to reduce chronic poverty, widespread unemployment and serious crime.
"Chavez, get out now, once and for all, we don't want you any more," Carlos Ortega, leader of the country's largest trades union CTV, hollered to the crowd.
March organizers called for people in other cities across the country to take to the streets to protest against Chavez.
Appearing in a national television broadcast with other members of the military high command, Venezuelan Armed Forces chief Gen. Lucas Rincon said the country's security forces were carrying out their duty to maintain law and order.
"Apart from a few spots of trouble, the situation in the country is normal," he said.
PRESIDENT IN HIS OFFICE
"I call on the Venezuelan people to stay calm ... to reject incitements to violence, disorder and anarchy," he said. Rincon denied reports the president, who has stayed out of sight during the protest, was under arrest at military headquarters.
"He's in his office (in Miraflores)," he added.
As the anti-Chavez marchers headed for the palace, aides of Chavez called on his supporters to go to Miraflores to demonstrate in his defense. "Let everyone go to Miraflores to defend the revolution," pro-Chavez National Assembly Deputy Juan Barreto said.
The huge opposition march, one of the biggest ever, went ahead hours after the embattled government offered a dialogue to its foes in a bid to ward off the threat of economic chaos caused by two days of a nationwide work stoppage.
Venezuelans protest against President Hugo Chavez in Caracas April 11, 2002. At least 300 thousand opponents of Chavez marched through Caracas pressing ahead with an indefinite general strike as his embattled government tried to start up a dialogue to ward off the threat of economic chaos. REUTERS/Chico Sanchez
The labor and business shutdown, combined with a continuing protest by staff of the state oil giant PDVSA (Petroleos de Venezuela), sapped economic activity and disrupted oil operations in Latin America's fourth biggest economy.
"The cost is immense," said Pedro Carmona, president of the leading business association Fedecamaras, which along with the CTV (Venezuela Workers' Confederation), organized the strike.
Caracas, for a third day, had fewer vehicles and pedestrians on its streets, apart from the protest. Many shops and companies remained closed and the effects of the stoppage were being felt in other cities.
Chavez has been facing mounting opposition for months from political foes, business and labor leaders, and even dissident military officers. An army general on Wednesday called him a lying traitor and urged him to quit.
"We can't carry on putting up with this madman," said one of the marchers, Aurora Hernandez.
Chavez, an ex-paratrooper who defends a self-proclaimed revolution as a campaign to help the country's poor majority, initially dismissed the strike organizers as a handful of "corrupt oligarchs and petty politicians."
But in a more conciliatory response late on Wednesday, Defense Minister Jose Vicente Rangel offered a dialogue to the government opponents, although he called the strike irresponsible and predicted it would fail.
Rangel said no state of emergency would be declared by the president and there was no threat of a military coup.
Although the defense minister insisted the armed forces were behind the president, an army general, Nestor Gonzalez, Wednesday publicly criticized Chavez and urged him to resign.
The call followed criticism from other dissident officers in February, played down at the time by the president.
Rangel sought to reassure the nation the government would not abandon democratic practices to tackle the strike conflict, and he urged opponents to make the same pledge.
OIL INDUSTRY DISRUPTION
But there was increasing concern the general strike would lead to unsustainable political and economic turmoil.
The most serious disruption has been to the state oil company PDVSA, where dissident executives and employees have staged a six-week protest to oppose management changes made by Chavez.
Despite repeated public assurances from the government that the oil industry was not being affected, industry sources said Thursday half of the 960,000 barrel per day Amuay-Cardon complex, Venezuela's largest refinery, had been shut down.
Disruptions were also reported to key oil output, refining and export operations.
Good!
Can't someone give him a good'ole "Allende" between the eyes
Time for a coup.
Looks normal to me!
That, combined with half a million people taking to the streets calling for his resignation just can't be good for a South American leader.
He's outta there.
Where are you seeing this? I knew this day would come.
Very good special...when reality trumps ideology--dictators---"red directors" too!
14:50 EDT - Police fire tear gar to prevent pro-government and anti-government demonstrators to clash.
15:40 EDT - President Chávez goes on national TV to denounce that the national strike is an insurrection and blamed the media for what he termed as a distorted image of the situation.
16:20 EDT - While the president keeps speaking two TV stations report that opposition demonstrators in the proximities of Miraflores palace had been fired upon and wounded.
16:34 EDT - Chávez announces the shut down of Radio Caracas Television, Venevision and Televen.
17:15 PM EDT. :Chavez speaks, closes down TV and radio stations while anti-government protesters clash with the police. Newsmen report five people killed and 17 wounded.
In view of precipitating events Venezuela Online News will be constantly updated as of 13:00 EDT Thursday , April 11 reporting all latest developments.
5:20 p.m.. In 16 hours Refinery of Paraguaná By decision of the workers of that plant would become paralyzed was completely suspended to the gasoline distribution and other fuels from that refinery. Esteem that in 16 hours the process completely will be paralyzed.
5:01 p.m.. Hospitalized Enrique Mendoza In the last minutes it was confirmed that the Governor of the state Miranda, Enrique Mendoza had to be taken of urgency to a hospitable center by poisoning with tear gases.
5 p.m.. Levelled off host RCTV it was possible to be known that shortly after knocked down the opened signal of transmission of RCTV, its facilities the light tanks use of and esteem were smoothed even by means of that the same will happen to the other televising plants shortly.
5 p.m.. 6 died in the center of Caracas are rgistrando confrontations in downtown which has left as balance the death of 6 people. The authorities are trying to rescue the order in the zone
4:50 p.m.. RCTV and Televen only in signal by subscription the national channels that steep and have been arbitrarily removed from the air can be tuned by the deprived Supercable signal, Directv and by subscription
4:45 p.m.. Forced Televen to extinguish his antenna in the Conatel Die it forced neustra plants television transmitter to extinguish his signal of open transmission. Also the signals of Globovisión and CMT were removed from the air
4:40 p.m. Outside air RCTV the RCTV signal was removed from the air by order of Conatel and the president of the Republic said during the chain that will shortly be suspended the signal of Venevisión and Televen
Chávez in national chain: I do not go away national Head of State again chained the signals of mass media to offer for the first time in 2 days an official transmission without using itself alternating spokesmen. Cávez said that the today march is a demonstration of the " degree so of tolerance " that his Government has characterized, which " has been arranged to engage in a dialog and to recitificar of history ".
3:30 p.m.. I am not competent to haul the ears to him to Chávez the General prosecutor of the Republic said less that it did not have competition to haul the ears to him to anybody, to President Chávez, in spite of the abusive interference of televising and radial chains, in spite of the incursion of the guerrilla and in general to the crisis that is lived in the different sectors, including the institutional weakness.
3:25 p.m.. March advances in spite of rumors of violence In Silence has registered the launching of tear pumps to disperse to the multitude that it loves to arrive until Miraflores. Nevertheless, with handkerchiefs dampened in vinegar people continue advancing and she is not let intimidate by the followers of the Government.
2:11 p.m.. March arrived at Central Park by avenue Bolivar Still are observed great volumes of people moving from Chuao, when it was already possible to be known that the multitude is jammed from the freeway Francisco Fajardo to the avenue Bolivar in the environs of the Caobos.
2:10 p.m.. The Military High Command does not resign In national chain, the Gral. Lucas Rincón, General Inspector of the FAN, said that it is not hour to continue feeding the social confliction and denied that president Chávez was lengthy and who the Military High Command had resigned. Corner was accompanied by each one by the commanders of the 4 Armed Forces.
1:10 p.m.. Near 1 million people it marches via freeway Continues the group mobilizing itself from Chuao towards downtown by the freeway Francisco Fajardo. The mobilization reaches more than 1 million people and still there are 200 thousand people journeying from Altamira towards Miraflores.
12:50 p.m.. March changed route and goes to Miraflores the demonstrators in front host wing of Pdvsa Chuao decided to follow course the Palace of Miraflores to demand in direct the resignation of the President of the Republic.
12:48 p.m.. Kamkoff: Board of directors could pronounce during the day the member of the Board of directors of Pdvsa, Jorge Kamkoff, whose exit is also being slicitada by the workers dela company and the civil society, has informed via teléfonica that if he is decided to altogether present/display the resignation to the company, it already has his taken decision. Kamkoff was partisan of the exit of the group in benefit of the recovery of the first industry of the country. It said that he cannot pronounce himself specifically on the matter, but who the Meeting is reunited and could be pronounced in the course of the day.
12:45 p.m.. Petkoff: it has So breaks in board of directors of Pdvsa the director of the newspaper As, Teodoro Petkoff, thought that the existence of a fracture in the Board of directors of Pdvsa is evident, which is reunited in the seat of the institution analyzing he at the moment present scene that is lived in the streets of the country and that demands the exit of those directors and President Chávez.
Juan Fernandez: we exhausted search of dialogue " dismissed " executive of Pdvsa, said from platform public of Pdvsa-Chuao, that the massive presence of the citizens in the street is a demonstration of which the conflict in Pdvsa governed by principles and ethical values and that it has mobilized to the rest of the civil society has to react according to those same principles and values, and for that reason they altogether demand the resignation of the President.
11:25. a.m.. Demonstrators congregate in Chuao Vehicles with ignited lights and waving flags they move by the streets of the city in route towards the neuralgic points of public manifestation in against the National Government. In alrededors of Pdvsa-Chuao, the citizens did not wait for the march but that they met there of once waiting for the Co-demonstrators who walk via freeway.
10:30 a.m.. Multitudinal manifestation in Park of East Thousands and thousands of people have become in the environs of the Park of the East and Altamira in massive answer to the call sent by the CTV and fedecamaras present this Wednesday at night. Armed with flags, whistles and casseroles the Venezuelans corean the motto " Nor a step back " and " Outside Chávez " in signal of their discord with the present crisis catalyzed by the conflict of Pdvsa.
Chavez said Radio Caracas Television, Televen and Globovision had abused their freedoms of expression by allegedly inciting opposition protests Thursday that erupted in violence. He said his decision was based on law to deter unrest.
In a nationally broadcast speech, Chavez accused the news media of exaggerating the size of a general strike this week that he claimed had failed. Most Venezuelans were working, Chavez claimed in his first appearance since the general strike was called on Tuesday.
He accused the opposition and news media of "inciting violence" by convening a massive march on the presidential palace Thursday.
National Guard troops fired tear gas at the front ranks of marchers bearing sticks and throwing rocks to keep them about 100 yards (meters) away from the palace and thousands of Chavez supporters. Tear gas drifted into the presidential compound.
Multiple shots were fired near the palace, and scuffles with police erupted in several downtown locations. The number of injuries wasn't immediately known.
Strike leaders had appealed to the armed forces to back their campaign to oust the president. But armed forces chief Gen. Lucas Rincon said Thursday the high command stood behind the president, and he appealed for dialogue.
The 1 million-member Venezuelan Workers Confederation, or CTV, and Fedecamaras, Venezuela's largest business group, originally called the general strike to support executives who are protesting a Chavez-appointed board at Venezuela's strategic oil monopoly.
At a Thursday rally, however, CTV head Carlos Ortega and Fedecamaras head Pedro Carmona demanded that Chavez resign. More than 150,000 cheered their call before marching several miles toward the palace, where the violence erupted.
"There is no accommodation possible. What we're seeking is Chavez's resignation," said Gregorio Rojas, Fedecamaras' treasurer.
He said the opposition had been trying to persuade the armed forces to force Chavez to step down and establish a "transitional government" that would call new elections.
The CTV opposes the government in part because it owes members billions of dollars in back wages inherited from previous governments. Chavez refuses to recognize Ortega's leadership of the country's biggest labor group.
Fedecamaras claims it wasn't consulted about economic laws he decreed last year affecting industries ranging from oil to agriculture.
Oil managers at the PDVSA monopoly began a work slowdown last week that has serious curbed exports in Venezuela, the world's fourth-largest oil exporter and the No. 3 supplier to the United States.
The International Energy Agency warned that Venezuela's crisis and political uncertainties in the Middle East could upset the oil market. OPEC has said it has no plans to pump more oil to replace supplies being withheld by Iraq to protest Israel's offensive against Palestinians.
Venezuela's 950,000 barrel-per-day Paraguana refinery ran at less than 50 percent capacity, and loading of tankers proceeded slowly, with at least 20 vessels anchored at main ports. The 130,000 barrel per day El Palito refinery won't reach full capacity until the weekend. Industry officials said gasoline supplies to major Venezuelan cities could be threatened if the slowdown continues.
PDVSA management charged the board appointments were based on political considerations and not merit. They originally demanded that five of the new directors be removed. After six weeks of protests, Chavez fired seven more executives Sunday and sent 12 others into early retirement.
That move was one reason for Ortega and Carmona to join forces and stage a 24-hour nationwide strike on Tuesday. They extended it indefinitely Wednesday.
Chavez reminded Venezuelans that they elected him in 1998 and had approved, in a series of elections and referendums, reforms to the National Assembly, the courts, a new Constitution, governorships and mayoralties.
Chavez insisted his government was freer than any before it and he had tried to tolerate a "minority" bent on destabilizing his government. [End]
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Rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, are widely believed to have camps on the Venezuelan side of the jungle-covered border and to use Venezuelan territory to move their forces from one combat zone in Colombia to another.
A Colombian army general has publicly accused the rebels of using Venezuelan territory, and on Wednesday, a Venezuelan army general whose responsibility had been to patrol the border made the same allegation. Venezuelan army Brig. Gen. Nestor Gonzalez Gonzalez said Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government was lying when it denied rebel camps exist inside Venezuela.
Mancuso said in a telephone interview Wednesday from the mountains of northern Colombia that the AUC, as the paramilitary group is known by its initials in Spanish, was holding off for now on an attack until the repercussions were analyzed. "But while President Chavez's tolerance of the guerrillas exists, there is an incentive to attack the FARC camps inside Venezuela," Mancuso said.****
That is the right order. One of the things that Pinochet did was sell off the government own business that allende had confiscated. BTW Allende was elected with 39% of the vote if I remember correctly.
a. cricket
Chavez closed four private Caracas television stations for allegedly abusing freedom of expression by inciting opposition protests that erupted in violence. The stations continued transmitting by satellite, however.
National Guard troops fired tear gas at the front ranks of marchers bearing sticks and throwing rocks to keep them about 100 yards (meters) away from the palace and thousands of Chavez supporters. Tear gas drifted into the presidential compound.
Multiple shots were fired near the palace, and scuffles with police erupted in several downtown locations. Some people fired on crowds from rooftops. A body lay in a pool of blood next to the presidential palace.
Greater Caracas Mayor Alfredo Pena, a Chavez opponent, quoted Manuel Rojas, director of Caracas' Hospital Vargas, as saying that four people were killed and 24 wounded.
"Chavez has shown his true face. This dictator's apprentice brutally ordered the repression of a peaceful demonstration," Pena claimed.****
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