Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06CARACAS76
2006-01-12 18:28:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Caracas
Cable title:
MAJOR CARACAS HIGHWAY SHUTS DOWN AS RESIDENTS
how-toVZCZCXRO0147 PP RUEHAO DE RUEHCV #0076/01 0121828 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 121828Z JAN 06 FM AMEMBASSY CARACAS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2744 INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 5806 RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 5063 RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES PRIORITY 0951 RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ PRIORITY 1508 RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY 9709 RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY 1583 RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO PRIORITY 3202 RUEHAO/AMCONSUL CURACAO PRIORITY 0508 RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL PRIORITY 0216 RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA PRIORITY 0378
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 000076
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM VE
SUBJECT: MAJOR CARACAS HIGHWAY SHUTS DOWN AS RESIDENTS
PROTEST MUDSLIDES
This Message is Sensitive But Unclassified, please treat
accordingly.
-------
Summary
-------
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 000076
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM VE
SUBJECT: MAJOR CARACAS HIGHWAY SHUTS DOWN AS RESIDENTS
PROTEST MUDSLIDES
This Message is Sensitive But Unclassified, please treat
accordingly.
--------------
Summary
--------------
1. (SBU) On January 9, residents of "El Chupulun" in the
municipality of Baruta staged protests on the Prados del Este
highway, a major Caracas thoroughfare, shutting it down for
two and half hours and causing major traffic congestion. The
residents were demanding that the mayor of Baruta take steps
to protect their community against the dangerous mudslides
that occurred recently after heavy rains poured through
Caracas. According to the government of Baruta, there is no
way to fix the situation except to move them elsewhere; a
solution the residents of "El Chupulun" say is unacceptable.
They blame the government for using the earth from the hills
behind them to repair the highway. While there is no
indication the two are related, it is odd that Baruta (one of
the better and opposition managed parts of Caracas) is being
called out for its mismanagement when President Chavez and
the GOV have seen little popular demonstration as a result of
the enormous negligence that resulted in the closing of
Caracas' most important bridge. End Summary.
--------------
Rain brings more civic problems
--------------
2. (U) The recent harsh rains that spurred the eventual
close of the Caracas-La Guaira bridge also caused mudslides
in "El Chupulun," a poor, squatter neighborhood of the Baruta
municipality in Southeastern Caracas. While there have been
no reports of injuries and only limited damage, residents
fear the results could be much worse next time. According to
them, the municipal government of Baruta is to blame because
over the last four years it has been digging earth out of the
hill behind their community to make frequent repairs on the
nearby Prados del Este highway, a major Caracas thoroughfare.
As a result, the residents of "El Chupulun" decided to use
the highway as the location for a two and a half hour protest
that completely shut down traffic during the morning rush
hour.
3. (U) The residents are demanding that the Baruta
government (run by opposition party Primero Justicia) build a
wall to protect them from future slides. However, the Baruta
Director of Planning claims this is impossible and has
proposed the much more drastic solution of relocating all of
the residents to another area. According to the Director,
engineers have studied the structural soundness of the hill
and determined that a wall would not be effective and that
there is no way to stop mudslides in the future. The only
safe solution, he says, is to move the residents to a
different location. The residents of "El Chupulun" say that
this solution is unacceptable. There has been no mention
from the Baruta government as to who, if anyone, would pay
for the relocation.
--------------
Comment
--------------
4. (SBU) Notably, Baruta is one of the best-run
municipalities in the Caracas area, so it is interesting that
this would be the location of one of the first post-bridge
closure protests, especially considering that the mudslide
seems to have caused little damage. It is also curious that
the National Guard never stepped in to clear what is one of
Caracas' major traffic arteries. This, and the fact that it
comes at such an opportune time, raises at least the
possibility that there was a political motive behind the
protests, perhaps to call attention away from the recent
government mismanagment by the Chavistas. There is no
evidence to indicate that this was the case, however. Either
way, it's noteworthy that this opposition controlled (and
well-run) part of the city is being held accountable for a
rather small occurrence, when Chavez and the GOV have seen
thus far only minimal political damage, thus far, from
CARACAS 00000076 002 OF 002
negligence that caused the closure of the country's most
important bridge.
WHITAKER
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM VE
SUBJECT: MAJOR CARACAS HIGHWAY SHUTS DOWN AS RESIDENTS
PROTEST MUDSLIDES
This Message is Sensitive But Unclassified, please treat
accordingly.
--------------
Summary
--------------
1. (SBU) On January 9, residents of "El Chupulun" in the
municipality of Baruta staged protests on the Prados del Este
highway, a major Caracas thoroughfare, shutting it down for
two and half hours and causing major traffic congestion. The
residents were demanding that the mayor of Baruta take steps
to protect their community against the dangerous mudslides
that occurred recently after heavy rains poured through
Caracas. According to the government of Baruta, there is no
way to fix the situation except to move them elsewhere; a
solution the residents of "El Chupulun" say is unacceptable.
They blame the government for using the earth from the hills
behind them to repair the highway. While there is no
indication the two are related, it is odd that Baruta (one of
the better and opposition managed parts of Caracas) is being
called out for its mismanagement when President Chavez and
the GOV have seen little popular demonstration as a result of
the enormous negligence that resulted in the closing of
Caracas' most important bridge. End Summary.
--------------
Rain brings more civic problems
--------------
2. (U) The recent harsh rains that spurred the eventual
close of the Caracas-La Guaira bridge also caused mudslides
in "El Chupulun," a poor, squatter neighborhood of the Baruta
municipality in Southeastern Caracas. While there have been
no reports of injuries and only limited damage, residents
fear the results could be much worse next time. According to
them, the municipal government of Baruta is to blame because
over the last four years it has been digging earth out of the
hill behind their community to make frequent repairs on the
nearby Prados del Este highway, a major Caracas thoroughfare.
As a result, the residents of "El Chupulun" decided to use
the highway as the location for a two and a half hour protest
that completely shut down traffic during the morning rush
hour.
3. (U) The residents are demanding that the Baruta
government (run by opposition party Primero Justicia) build a
wall to protect them from future slides. However, the Baruta
Director of Planning claims this is impossible and has
proposed the much more drastic solution of relocating all of
the residents to another area. According to the Director,
engineers have studied the structural soundness of the hill
and determined that a wall would not be effective and that
there is no way to stop mudslides in the future. The only
safe solution, he says, is to move the residents to a
different location. The residents of "El Chupulun" say that
this solution is unacceptable. There has been no mention
from the Baruta government as to who, if anyone, would pay
for the relocation.
--------------
Comment
--------------
4. (SBU) Notably, Baruta is one of the best-run
municipalities in the Caracas area, so it is interesting that
this would be the location of one of the first post-bridge
closure protests, especially considering that the mudslide
seems to have caused little damage. It is also curious that
the National Guard never stepped in to clear what is one of
Caracas' major traffic arteries. This, and the fact that it
comes at such an opportune time, raises at least the
possibility that there was a political motive behind the
protests, perhaps to call attention away from the recent
government mismanagment by the Chavistas. There is no
evidence to indicate that this was the case, however. Either
way, it's noteworthy that this opposition controlled (and
well-run) part of the city is being held accountable for a
rather small occurrence, when Chavez and the GOV have seen
thus far only minimal political damage, thus far, from
CARACAS 00000076 002 OF 002
negligence that caused the closure of the country's most
important bridge.
WHITAKER