Friday, Oct. 17, 2003 - 8:18 a.m.
Bolivias President Resigns After Protests & Deaths
I am not in Bolivia right now, thank God. (I'm in Santiago, Chile)
Protests, strikes and conflict have only continued to get worse since my departure Sept. 30th.
I heard there was a massacre in (presumably) La Paz on Monday, Oct. 13th that left 30-something Bolivianos dead. I read online that the current death toll is an estimated 74 (during one month of protests)!
I just learned that as of today, Oct. 17th, the Bolivian president, Sanchez de Lozada, has resigned after a month of protesting and clashes with the military, including the use of dynamite by protestors and tear gas by the military. Lozada's popular support had slipped below 10%.
The US State Dept. encouraged all Americans to get out of Bolivia as of Thursday, Oct. 16th.
Hundreds of travelers were airlifted out of La Paz just hours before Lozada's resignation on the 17th. They had been stranded there for about a week, the international airport had been closed, as well as many stores and businesses.
Many fellow travelers that I met after leaving Bolivia told me they had changed their travel plans due to the protests and were avoiding the country all together. I find this really sad (but understandable) because this poor country is very beautiful and has much to offer and see and do. This is hurting the tourist industry and in turn all of the Bolivian economy.
My understanding is that Bolivianos are angry with the presidents intention to export natural gas out of the country to (mainly) the US, through Chile (which "stole" Bolivia's coastline in the 1880s, annexing it as part of Chile and leaving Bolivia landlocked, making trade, importing and exporting more difficult) as well as US led-government efforts to erradicate coca as part of the War on Drugs.
Here are some related websites including the newsreport I got my info from:
http://www.latineconomies.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/ (check out the Q & A peice)
http://www.taipeitimes.com (scroll down to World News)
http://www.wnpolitics.com/s/latinpolitical/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1063678,00.html
http://www.cnn.com
