BUSINESS AS USUAL IN LATIN AMERICA UNDER OBAMA?
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SOA WATCH warns us all of nasty business out of Ft. Benning and Latin America.
Military Coup in the Making in Ecuador
U.S. Training of Latin American soldiers undermines democracy and U.S. government response to military coup in Honduras emboldened right-wing in Latin America.
As predicted by human rights groups, the U.S. support for the military coup government in Honduras has emboldened right-wing forces and caused more instability throughout the Americas.
President Rafael Correa is currently in the military hospital being treated for tear gas inhalation, about 45 minutes ago, he spoke live on the radio. He has made a statement that the integrity of the democratic revolution needs to be defended peacefully. He also said if he is assassinated, that he blames the opposition. He said that there are police trying to get to him through the windows and the roof of the hospital.
In his radio address the President did talk about this being a Coup attempt lead by the Police, Military close to an ex-President, but also by the Opposition and the ex-President Lucio Gutierrez. He stated that there is an attempt to destabilize the democratic citizen revolution that has happened in Ecuador. At this moment, the pro-democracy movement is gathering in the thousands in the capital but in all the plazas across the country. There are also people marching to the hospital to protect the President.
Today, September 30, 2010, around 8am, 150 or more Ecuadoran troops took over the international airport in Quito in protest to congress cutting benefits to police and military.
There have been violent protests by police and some elements of the military, reports that President Correa has been injured, and reports that the air force has closed down a number of airports. Shutting down the airport and cutting off highway access to the capital Quito, troops rampage through Quito, Guayaquil and other cities with tear gas and burning cars. Protesters are demanding that the government give more respect to military and increase benefits.
Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Ricarto Patina played down the severity in a BBC report saying that “This is not a popular mobilization; it is not a popular uprising. It is an uprising by the police who are ill-informed.”
“We’re faced with a process of destabilization of the national government and democracy in Ecuador,” Interior Minister Miguel Carvajal said, according to the EFE news service.
The UNA-SUR and ALBA countries are meeting right now to activate solidarity to protect the democratic process in the country and denounce the Coup. And the OAS (Organization of American States) called an special session in DC that is meeting right now. The OAS stated its support for the constitutional government of Ecuador. Earlier the head of the OAS stated this was a police insurrection and not a Coup.
Here is live coverage of what is happening Ecuador on TeleSUR (spanish)
Thousands of Ecuadoran troops have been trained at the School of the Americas. The Pentagon claim — that the institute instills respect for democracy and civilian leadership while teaching combat skills to Latin American soldiers — has once again been disproved.
Ecuadoran president Rafael Correa has pursued economic moves to correct Ecuador’s debt imbalance and refused to allow the United States to continue to use the Manta military base for U.S. soldiers.
The SOA has a long history of being involved in military coups in Latin American. In April 2002, the democratically elected Chávez government of Venezuela was briefly overthrown, and the SOA-trained soldiers Efrain Vasquez Velasco, ex-army commander, and Gen. Ramirez Poveda, were key players in the coup attempt.
Since 1946, the SOA/WHINSEC has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counter-insurgency techniques, sniper skills, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. Human Rights groups are calling for the closure of the institute. From November 19-21, 2010, thousands will converge on Fort Benning, Georgia to engage in nonviolent direct action and to call for the closure of the School of the Americas. For more information, visit www.SOAW.org.
< Stand up for justice: SOAW.org/take-action/november-vigil We appreciate your interest! You are subscribed to the SOA Watch list as eslkevin1@yahoo.com.
Click here to unsubscribe.
Contact us.
Our mailing address is:
SOA Watch, PO Box 4566, Washington, D.C. 20017, USA
Our telephone: (202) 234 3440
Click here to fund the campaign to close the SOA.
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SOA WATCH warns us all of nasty business out of Ft. Benning and Latin America.
Military Coup in the Making in Ecuador
U.S. Training of Latin American soldiers undermines democracy and U.S. government response to military coup in Honduras emboldened right-wing in Latin America.
As predicted by human rights groups, the U.S. support for the military coup government in Honduras has emboldened right-wing forces and caused more instability throughout the Americas.
President Rafael Correa is currently in the military hospital being treated for tear gas inhalation, about 45 minutes ago, he spoke live on the radio. He has made a statement that the integrity of the democratic revolution needs to be defended peacefully. He also said if he is assassinated, that he blames the opposition. He said that there are police trying to get to him through the windows and the roof of the hospital.
In his radio address the President did talk about this being a Coup attempt lead by the Police, Military close to an ex-President, but also by the Opposition and the ex-President Lucio Gutierrez. He stated that there is an attempt to destabilize the democratic citizen revolution that has happened in Ecuador. At this moment, the pro-democracy movement is gathering in the thousands in the capital but in all the plazas across the country. There are also people marching to the hospital to protect the President.
Today, September 30, 2010, around 8am, 150 or more Ecuadoran troops took over the international airport in Quito in protest to congress cutting benefits to police and military.
There have been violent protests by police and some elements of the military, reports that President Correa has been injured, and reports that the air force has closed down a number of airports. Shutting down the airport and cutting off highway access to the capital Quito, troops rampage through Quito, Guayaquil and other cities with tear gas and burning cars. Protesters are demanding that the government give more respect to military and increase benefits.
Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Ricarto Patina played down the severity in a BBC report saying that “This is not a popular mobilization; it is not a popular uprising. It is an uprising by the police who are ill-informed.”
“We’re faced with a process of destabilization of the national government and democracy in Ecuador,” Interior Minister Miguel Carvajal said, according to the EFE news service.
The UNA-SUR and ALBA countries are meeting right now to activate solidarity to protect the democratic process in the country and denounce the Coup. And the OAS (Organization of American States) called an special session in DC that is meeting right now. The OAS stated its support for the constitutional government of Ecuador. Earlier the head of the OAS stated this was a police insurrection and not a Coup.
Here is live coverage of what is happening Ecuador on TeleSUR (spanish)
Thousands of Ecuadoran troops have been trained at the School of the Americas. The Pentagon claim — that the institute instills respect for democracy and civilian leadership while teaching combat skills to Latin American soldiers — has once again been disproved.
Ecuadoran president Rafael Correa has pursued economic moves to correct Ecuador’s debt imbalance and refused to allow the United States to continue to use the Manta military base for U.S. soldiers.
The SOA has a long history of being involved in military coups in Latin American. In April 2002, the democratically elected Chávez government of Venezuela was briefly overthrown, and the SOA-trained soldiers Efrain Vasquez Velasco, ex-army commander, and Gen. Ramirez Poveda, were key players in the coup attempt.
Since 1946, the SOA/WHINSEC has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counter-insurgency techniques, sniper skills, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. Human Rights groups are calling for the closure of the institute. From November 19-21, 2010, thousands will converge on Fort Benning, Georgia to engage in nonviolent direct action and to call for the closure of the School of the Americas. For more information, visit www.SOAW.org.
< Stand up for justice: SOAW.org/take-action/november-vigil We appreciate your interest! You are subscribed to the SOA Watch list as eslkevin1@yahoo.com.
Click here to unsubscribe.
Contact us.
Our mailing address is:
SOA Watch, PO Box 4566, Washington, D.C. 20017, USA
Our telephone: (202) 234 3440
Click here to fund the campaign to close the SOA.
Explore posts in the same categories: Uncategorized
Labels: SOA watch ecuador latin America Ft Benning bad policy and practices usa foreign policy
posted by Kevin Anthony Stoda at 7:58 AM
1 Comments:
Report from Ecuador - Democracy under Threat
SOA Watch has been monitoring the situation that has been unfolding in Ecuador, which many have described as a failed coup attempt. We congratulate the social movements of Ecuador for impeding any possible coup.
Yesterday morning, a large number of media reported that the Ecuadoran military had seized the main airport in Quito and that the police fired tear gas, burned tires "after taking over bases in Quito, Guayaquil and other cities." They also claim that an Associated Press photographer "witnessed soldiers participating in the action that shut down the main terminal at Quito's Mariscal Sucre airport." On the other hand, TeleSur reported that the police had indeed launched a possible coup attempt but that the response by the military was unknown.
News from Ecuador kept pouring in as the events unfolded throughout the day. After President Correa was held hostage in a hospital by the police for 10 hours, Ecuadoran military forces moved in and freed the President and returned him to the Presidential palace.
We continue to call on Latin American governments to end the training of military and police personnel at the U.S. School of the Americas, International Law Enforcement Agencies (ILEA) or other institutions that promote anti-democratic behavior.
Please join us in Georgia for the 20th Annual Vigil to shut down the School of Americas, to make a stance against militarization throughout the Americas.
Read here for a "Report from Ecuador: Democracy Under Threat"
Eva Golinger's blog, Venezuelan journalist following the events of September 30th
Ecuador coup attempt? President Rafael Correa attacked in police revolt. On The Christian Science Monitor
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