October 29, 2006

Since I wrote the letter above, the situation here has gotten a bit exciting. Last Friday there was a big strike, which meant the roadblocks (that normally are only in place at night) were in place and guarded all day. This was in response to the teachers backing out of the conflict as the government granted their labor rights demands the day before. The remaining opposition was upset by this lack of support and decided they needed to put the pressure on. That afternoon the local police force attempted to clear several roadblocks guarded by the revolutionaries. Four people were shot and killed in the ensuing confrontations. What put this event in the global news was that an American journalist who was taking pictures of it all was one of those who were killed. In response, large numbers of federal police/marines have been sent here from the capital to take over where the local police left off. The opposition says they are not backing down and the tension is about as high as I’ve seen it so far. Most businesses have closed and the town seems eerily quiet except for occasional helicopters circling the city. We live up on a hill about a mile northwest of downtown and have a great view of the city. The compound we live in has a big gated fence and is safely away from all the action. Don’t worry about me – I know how to stay out of (too much) trouble.

For more info and pics of the craziness down here, check out:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6096960.stm
http://www.narconews.com/en.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/6095946.stm