TWO THIRDS OF BOLIVIA STRIKES AGAINST EVO

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 002386

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/29/2017
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL PHUM BL
SUBJECT: TWO THIRDS OF BOLIVIA STRIKES AGAINST EVO


Classified By: A/DCM Mike Hammer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

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Summary
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1. (C) The departments of Cochabamba and Chuquisaca joined
Bolivia's media-luna (Pando, Beni, Tarija and Santa Cruz) and
held a 24-hour general strike (paro civico) on August 28.
The opposition is calling the strike an overwhelming success,
since it paralyzed the six departments and demonstrated the
people's frustration with the central government's policies.
Meanwhile the ruling Movement Toward Socialism (MAS)
government claimed the strike was a failure because it was
only a partial strike, the organizers used coercive tactics
to force compliance, and there were violent episodes in
Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, and Beni. More confrontations,
including violence, are near certain in the coming weeks as
both the government and opposition are determined to show
they have popular support and are calling on their hard-core
supporters to take to the streets.

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Autonomy and Democracy, Yes; Communism, No
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2. (C) The civic committees of Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba,
Pando, Santa Cruz, and Tarija organized the general strike.
The strikers' key demands were for the government to respect
democracy and departmental autonomy, and for the MAS to stop
imposing its political agenda on the country without
considering the demands of the opposition. They also called
on restoring the legislative and executive branch to Sucre
and for the government to respect the independence of the
courts, namely the constitutional tribunal. Despite
continuing MAS claims that only the rich city-dwellers of
Santa Cruz support the civic committees, Emboff observed that
all elements of Santa Cruz society participated in the
strike. In the outlying areas of Plan 3000 and Villa Primero
de Mayo, Emboff witnessed local members of the Santa Cruz
Club de Madres out on the streets cooking for the strikers
and spiking the tires of cars whose drivers tried to ignore
the strike.

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Violence and Vandalism
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3. (C) Cochabamba and Santa Cruz were the focal points of
confrontation, with only minor incidents in Beni and Tarija.
In Cochabamba pro- and anti-government groups clashed despite
a sizable police presence. One police officer was injured in
the confrontation, and the police detained several people.
Despite a call from Santa Cruz Civic Committee Branko
Marinkovic for protesters to behave peacefully, members of
the Union Juvenil Crucena (Youth Union of Santa Cruz) were
filmed vandalizing shops and attacking shop keepers.
Minister of Government Alfredo stated that three members of
the Youth Union were arrested. In Santa Cruz, Emboff noted
that the Santa Cruz youth union seems to be radicalizing: one
group waving Santa Cruz flags drove through town in a jeep
emblazoned with swastikas.

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Amcit Arrested, Released
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4. (C) In Cochabamba, twenty-year old American citizen,
Daniel Ruiz Arapo, was arrested and detained for eight hours.
Police reportedly thought that the black SUV he and other
detainees were driving belonged to the Prefect. The four
detained youth were transporting wire mesh, fireworks,
Bolivian flags and a civic-committee flyer explaining the
purpose of the civic strike. On the advice of civic
committee counsel, the four youth did not make a statement,
and they were ordered released due to lack of evidence of a
crime.

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Comment
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5. (C) The regions that struck on August 28 are already
announcing further pressure tactics for August 30. In a
speech to a cocalero women's meeting in Chimore on August 28,
Vice President Garcia Linera asked that social movements
"defend the process of change and the government through
mobilization." The mayor of Santa Cruz Percy Fernandez
declared on August 28 that the country should be split into
two nations, an eastern lowland nation which would include
part of Cochabamba and Chuquisaca, and a western highland
nation. Whereas civil war or secession remain unlikely,
violent confrontations between Morales supporters and the
opposition are almost guaranteed.


6. (C) While the Bolivian government is desperately trying
to downplay the strike, this is the first time the
departments of Cochabamba and Chuquisaca have joined with the
four media-luna states in a public display against the
government. Such a show of force against the government in
these two departments was unthinkable only a few months ago.
The question remains whether the growing opposition will
motivate Evo to enter into a serious dialogue and compromise
or simply make him more determined to steamroll ahead.
Unfortunately, the local conventional wisdom, leans towards
the latter. Stay tuned.

URS