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Reporter's Notebook: Luis Gomez

Goni Behind Possible Vaca Diez Regime

Posted by Luis Gomez - June 9, 2005 at 4:31 pm
Breaking news: First, we have learned that former Bolivian president Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada’s son-in-law, political operator Mauricio Balcázar, arrived this morning in Sucre to support Senator Hormando Vaca Diez in his presidential aspirations. (Evo Morales denounced this in a press conference this morning from Sucre, the official Bolivian capital).

A half hour ago, the national director of conflict resolution from Carlos Mesa’ s government, Gregorio Lanza, confirmed on Radio Erbol that Balcázar traveled to Sucre on the same plane as Vaca Diez. Flying from Santa Cruz (a one-hour trip), Balcázar and Vaca Diez held a cordial conversation, according to the Mesa administration official.

But there’s more… Apart from the information Gregorio Lanza has reported, it was also learned yesterday afternoon that Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR) ideologue Oscar Eid held a meeting with U.S. embassy officials to guarantee Vaca Diez’s succession and the demobilization of all sectors opposed to the government: Vaca Diez’s party already had ready a dishonest gas “nationalization” decree in order to achieve this. This information, obtained by journalist Walter Chávez (director of the local paper El Juguete Rabioso), has already further shaken the scenario.

Meanwhile, a rumor has been circulating that, shaken by the military’s statements this morning, Vaca Diez could take a step back. The Bolivian military leaders, though they defended the Constitution and said they would accept any constitutional successor to the presidency, also left this very clear: “the demands of the demonstrations,” which have occurred every day for nearly four weeks, “should be heard.”

Despite these doubts, Vaca Diez let out a Freudian slip during an interview in Sucre, where he said he was still “President of the Republic,” quickly correcting himself to say “…of the Senate.”     Ten minutes ago, the Congressional president entered the House of Liberty and is expected to impede the meeting of the anticipated session, trying to buy himself some time.

In Sucre, soldures are carrying boxes of ammunition to the local government headquarters, and the tension is relentless. The miners’ contingents have already reached Yotala, a town less than 50 kilometers from the capital.

The murderous coalition from October 2003 is forming and arming itself once again. Hormando Vaca Diez has their support and is trying to take power… and meanwhile, the combatants are beginning to arrive in Sucre to stop him.

Don’t abandon your posts now…

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The First Victim Falls in Bolivia

Submitted June 9, 2005 - 4:40 pm by Luis Gomez
A few minutes ago the miners that were headed for Sucre, to stop Hormando Vaca Diez from becoming president of Bolivia, faced repressive forces in the town of Yotala… and one of those miners has died.

It seems that a peaceful miners’ march was held back with gas and bullets by a combined group of military and police. Mineworker Juan Coro, president of the March 27 Miners’ Cooperative, received a gunshot wound and died on the spot. Four others are injured.

The Federation of Bolivian Miners’ Cooperatives (FENCOMIN) has confirmed that this came from an “order from Vaca Diez,” part of his plan to take power.

In several communities around Sucre, the military has begun to arrest social leaders and stop the demonstrators heading towards the capital to surround the National Congress, or join the blockades.  

The first victim has fallen… the scenario has gotten much darker…

Sources: Vaca Diez Behind Death of Bolivian Miner

Submitted June 9, 2005 - 5:29 pm by Luis Gomez
After consulting with various sources, we can report, kind readers: The President of the National Congress Hormando Vaca Diez is behind the death of the mineworker Juan Coro and the three wounded who are at this moment at Santa Barbara Hospital in Sucre.

It seems that during his flight to Sucre from Santa Cruz this morning, accompanied by Mauricio Balcazar (the son-in-law of ex-president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada), Vaca Diez ordered the Commander in Chief of the National Police, David Aramayo, to block the passage of all demonstrators who were marching toward the capital to surround the session of Congress.

It was members of the special forces group known as “The Dalmatians,” known for their brutal participation in the Water War of 2000 in Cochabamba, who repressed the mineworker’s march. Now, with this information confirmed, we can correct, for the peace of mind of all the world, BOLIVIA’S ARMED FORCES DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE REPRESSION.

Vaca Diez has gone to meet with Comandante Aramayo, suspending the work session he was holding with congressional party leaders. In that meeting where he tried to come to an agreement to bring the National Congress into session, Vaca Diez had told Congress members from the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party that nobody will be able to stop him from becoming president, that he has the support to obtain it…

But the death of the miner changed the direction of the wind: the New Republican Force party (NFR), one of the rightwing parties that initially supported Vaca Dias, has decided to withdraw all support from the Senator from Santa Cruz in his attempt to arrive at the presidency.

Finally, two things: Some members of Congress have already opted to leave Sucre, due to the new political climate that is growing in that city. At the same time, in La Paz, President Carlos Mesa is now meeting with his entire cabinet to evaluate the situation…

Before signing off for the moment, we leave here for you and for history the information about the first victim of this stage of the conflict, that will fall upon Vaca Diez:

 Juan Carlos Coro, 51 years old, was hit by a bullet that perforated his abdomen, landing in his heart. Coro, President of the Mineworkers Cooperative “27 de Marzo” from Potosi, was shot when he was inside a bus belonging to his union…

More to come…

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