BOLIVIA SITREP #2 1500: MARCH ON EMBASSY AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 001975 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/15/2018 TAGS: ASEC AEMR PTER BL SUBJECT: BOLIVIA SITREP #2 1500: MARCH ON EMBASSY AND RESIDENTIAL AREA REF: LA PAZ 1970 Classified By: ADCM Mike Hammer, reasons 1.4 b,d ¶1. (U) Situation Report. This is the second and last situation reports planned for today. --EMBASSY. The Embassy compound is currently secure with no protesters in the vicinity. Embassy and USAID/NAS personnel have been informed that they may return to work or take liberal leave. --EL CENTRO BUSINESS DISTRICT. Protesters have dispersed, and those protesters remaining downtown do not pose a threat to U.S. property or personnel. --USAID/NAS AND ZONA SUR RESIDENTIAL AREA. Alternate Command Center was evacuated from the USAID/NAS building upon receipt of report that a large crowd of demonstrators was headed toward USAID. This group of demonstrators later passed the USAID building and continued into the Obrajes/Zona Sur residential area. Demonstrators were stopped by police at the Calacoto bridge and later dispersed. Post activated the mission telephone cascade at 1150 to advise all mission employees and family to remain in their homes and to call the Bolivian National Police "Roving Patrol" in the event of any problems. An emergency Warden message was also issued advising Amcits to stay at home. No damage or violence has been reported from the Zona Sur residential area, where protesters have also dispersed. --9/16 PLANNED PROTEST. There are still reports that student protesters will march on the Embassy tomorrow. This march may be influenced by announcement of the counter-narcotics certification decision the afternoon of 9/15. Mission personnel have been told to anticipate a normal work day on 9/16 unless otherwise notified by telephone cascade. ¶2. (C) Comment: It is not clear why the march, which during the morning included thousands of people, resulted in so much less conflict and damage than expected. Charge's meeting with Foreign Minister Choquehuanca on 9/14, in which Charge reminded the Bolivian government of their Vienna Convention responsibilities, may have had an impact, as might Government Minister Alfredo Rada's public request that the social groups not protest because the Ambassador had already left the country. The government may also have wished to avoid international media coverage of a violent protest during the emergency UNASUR meeting in Santiago. Our sources suggest that the demonstration planned for 9/16 may still take place and may include more radical and violent elements; it is not certain that today's relative calm will continue into tomorrow. What was clear from today's events is that--if instructed by the government--police are able to control fairly sizable demonstrations. End comment. URS