MILITARY CLASHES WITH FISHERMEN, LEAVES NINE

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 003174

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DEPT PASS TO AID/OTI RPORTER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2031
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM VE
SUBJECT: MILITARY CLASHES WITH FISHERMEN, LEAVES NINE
WOUNDED

REF: CARACAS 2990

Classified By: Robert Downes, Political Counselor,
for Reason 1.4(b).


1. (U) SUMMARY Violent clashes in the port of Guiria in
Sucre state left nine fishermen injured on October 19.
Fishermen took control of the port in early October,
protesting the awarding of a contract to a new port
administrator. Police and military forces, accompanied by
state governor Ramon Martinez, stormed the port October 19 to
remove forcefully the fishermen, opening fire and apparently
wounding nine. This incident is the latest in a spate of
shootings where BRV military forces have engaged in excessive
force resulting in dead or injured civilians. END SUMMARY


2. (U) Fishermen took control of the port of Guiria in
Sucre state approximately two weeks ago, demanding the state
rescind a contract with a new port administrator. The
aggrieved fishermen took over the port in hopes of pressuring
the state government to renew its contract with the current
administrator, so that they could maintain their jobs. The
fishermen were also protesting the closure of an ice plant at
the port, without which they could not preserve their catches.


3. (U) In the early morning of October 19, police and
military forces, accompanied by Sucre Governor Ramon
Martinez, stormed the Pesquero International Port in Guiria
to remove forcefully protesting fishermen. The soldiers,
ordered to disperse the protesters, opened fire, resulting in
nine wounded fishermen. Sympathizers of the fishermen also
descended on Guiria city hall, leaving municipal buildings in
flames.


4. (U) Governor Martinez on October 19 said that there were
sinister forces behind the clash with the fishermen at work
to destabilize the country. He said that certain generals in
the National Guard are linked to these forces. He also
accused a member of opposition party Primero Justicia of
lending a boat to protesting fishermen to sail the three
hours to Trinidad and attempt to besiege the Venezuelan
embassy in that country (military forces reportedly
intercepted the alleged plotters at sea). The president of
the Port, Humberto Mata, told press that the taking of the
port is actually part of a greater, but still localized,
political movement against Martinez.


5. (U) The National Assembly on October 19 named a
commission to investigate the violence in Guiria. The
commission has eight days to present its report, proposing
solutions acceptable to the state and municipal governments,
as well as the federal Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and
the fishermen.

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COMMENT
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6. (C) Lurid reports of use of excessive military force
against civilians have been in the news in recent weeks. We
now add nine wounded fishermen to the dozens of miners killed
in Bolivar state (reftel) and the Guyanese miner killed near
the Venezuelan-Guyana border.

BROWNFIELD