TFH01: ELECTIONS SITREP 1000 HOURS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 001219

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM HO
SUBJECT: TFH01: ELECTIONS SITREP 1000 HOURS


1. (SBU) Summary. Polls opened nationwide with some delays
and voting has begun in a generally orderly fashion. There
has been a heavy turnout and voters are enthusiastic. The
atmosphere in the capital of Tegucigalpa is quiet and normal.
Embassy reporting teams deployed nationwide reported no
security incidents. End Summary.


THE POLLS
--------------


2. (SBU) Ambassador, accompanied by the DCM and USAID
Director, visited thirty working class polling stations,
among which his security detail was voting, as of 10:00 on
November 29 and found poll workers to be following
procedures. The Ambassador reported that voter turnout was
very heavy and voters were enthusiastic. Embassy reporting
teams deployed nationwide reported delays in the opening of
polling centers ranging from ten to sixty minutes. Embassy
teams reported that the situations at their locations were
quiet and voting was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Embassy team in San Pedro Sula/Villanueva reported that the
polling center they were observing was to be located in a
private school, but when the balloting material arrived at
04:00 on November 29 the school director refused to allow the
facility to be used because he does not support the
elections. Emboffs watched as polling center was peacefully
re-located to a school about 100 meters away from the
original site and the first vote was cast at 07:50. Students
would not allow the Pedagogical University in Tegucigalpa to
be used as a polling center and polling stations to be
located there were transferred to two schools in Tegucigalpa.
Embassy watcher reported transfer process was not flawless
and some voters encountered difficulty finding their
stations. Students at the Autonomous University of Honduras
in Tegucigalpa also refused to allow the facility to be
utilized as a voting center and the polling stations to be
located there were transferred to an engineering institute.


REGIONAL ISSUES
--------------


3. (U) Nicaragua closed its border with Honduras at 06:00 on
November 28 and it will remain closed until the morning of
November 30.


SECURITY
--------------


4. (SBU) At 09:00, the military received reports of road
spikes ("megalitos") being thrown on the main road between
Tegucigalpa and Choluteca.


5. (SBU) An explosion occurred at Audio/Video near Hospital
Escuela in the capital of Tegucigalpa around 23:00 on
November 27; reportedly there were no injuries. A bomb was
launched from a motorcycle during the night of November 27
against Radio America. Police told Embassy employee on
November 28 that they detained two Hondurans in connection
with the attack against Radio America. According to the
police, they said President Zelaya paid them USD 12000 to
carry out the attack.


6. (U) Three small bombs went off outside schools in the
country's second largest city, San Pedro Sula, the early
morning of November 27. Three youths threw a molotov
cocktail at or under a concrete bench about 100 yards away
from the Instituto Primero de Mayo school, a polling center,
in San Pedro Sula at 15:00 on November 28. There were no
injuries.


7. (SBU) Embassy received information regarding a possible
threat against U.S. airlines flying into Tegucigalpa on
election day. The Embassy advised its employees not to fly
those carriers on that date and issued a warden message.


HUMAN RIGHTS
--------------


TEGUCIGALP 00001219 002 OF 002



8. (SBU) The Center for Women's Rights and Mary McCann, the
Amcit wife of the Honduran executive director of NGO Red
Comal, separately told Emboff on November 28 that
approximately 45 members of the Honduran FBI, police, and
military entered the office Red Comal around 13:00 on
November 28 in Siquatepeque, located in the Francisco Morazan
department and searched through the office. McCann told
Emboff that the police presented a search warrant allowing
them to search for weapons and that they did not find any and
that Red Comal staff reported that a policeman accused the
NGO of hiding guerrillas and guns. McCann said the security
forces left the office at 17:30 on November 28 and
confiscated four computers, money, and lists of participants
at workshops run by the NGO, which they told NGO staff would
be taken to the local Public Ministry office. Embassy
expressed its concern to the Special Prosecutor for Human
Rights and the military on November 28.


9. (U) Human rights NGO COFADEH reported to Emboff on
November 28 that her organization received two reports of
alleged human rights violations the evening of November 27.
Unknown security forces allegedly shot two members of the
anti-coup resistance movement on the road near the Armed
Forces General Staff headquarters in Tegucigalpa on November

27. A member of the resistance movement was allegedly
detained in the department of Lempira on November 27 and
threatened by security forces into distributing election
material. COFADEH further reported on November 29 that the
police leveled the homes of two resistance leaders in
Gualala; no further details were available. Embassy is
following up to gather more information on these incidents


10. (U) Human rights NGO CIPRODEH called Emboff at 21:00 on
November 28 and reported that the military had encircled the
"Guadalupe Carney" community near Trujillo in the Colon
department, which recently won title to land in the area. A
member of a visiting human rights delegation from the U.S.
called Emboff at 22:45 on November 28 and said she received
similar reports. Emboff unsuccessfully tried to call a
contact in Guadalupe Carney on November 28. Embassy is
following up to gather more information on this report.

LLORENS