MILITARY-INDIGENOUS PARADE NON-VIOLENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 002186

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL BL
SUBJECT: MILITARY-INDIGENOUS PARADE NON-VIOLENT

REF: A. LA PAZ 2141

B. LA PAZ 2156

Classified By: Ecopol Chief Mike Hammer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U) The August 7 Armed Forces Day parade held at El
Trompillo military airport in Santa Cruz went off peacefully
(Reftel A). Approximately 6,000 spectators watched thirty
indigenous groups (including the poncho rojos) march with the
Bolivian Armed Forces. President Morales, Vice President
Garcia Linera, Minister of Defense Walker San Miguel, and
Santa Cruz Prefect Ruben Costas sat together in the official
grandstand. The Santa Cruz Civic Committee, Santa Cruz
Business Chamber (CAINCO),and the Central Workers Union
(COB) did not participate in the parade. The indigenous
marchers were housed on base and not allowed to go into the
city of Santa Cruz. Contrary to GOB statements that the
marchers financed their own participation, the press reported
that the Armed Forces paid each indigenous marcher a daily
per diem of roughly $10 USD. President Morales spoke for
twenty minutes, much shorter than the nearly four-hour speech
he had delivered in Sucre the day before (Reftel B).
Government media outlets trumpeted the parade as a sign of
Bolivian unity.

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COMMENT
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2. (C) The credit for the lack of violence during the
parade goes to the Bolivian military and Santa Cruz leaders.
The military, in charge of the parade, made a virtue out of
necessity; keeping a tight rein on the indigenous marchers
and restricting them to the base outside of town to avoid
possible conflict in the city. Only the Bolivian flag was
allowed to be displayed during the ceremony, setting aside
more regional symbols such as the whipala and cruceno flags.
In the days leading up to the parade, Santa Cruz Prefect
Ruben Costas repeatedly called for calm, and his attendance
at the event was meant to defuse regional tensions. CAINCO
President Gabriel Dabdoub told Emboff that CAINCO, the Civic
Committee, and the COB decided not to participate in order to
keep the peace, adding that "it would not have been prudent
to send our people to march in that environment."



3. (C) Comment continued: President Morales scored a
public relations victory by showing the country the ability
his government has to host an indigenous parade at the seat
of its opposition. Two underlying messages were that
President Morales' government is composed of and represents
the indigenous, and that even the Armed Forces are subject to
the control of indigenous social organizations. Morales'
short speech and lack of verbal attacks can be partly
attributed to the poor reception he received the day before
in Sucre (Reftel B). End Comment.
GOLDBERG