TFH01: HONDURAS COUP SITREP #22 (UNCLASSIFIED)

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 000622 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV CASC MARR KDEM PHUM ASEC HO SUBJECT: TFH01: HONDURAS COUP SITREP #22 (UNCLASSIFIED) 07/18/2009 AS OF 11:00 LOCAL (13:00 EDT) REF: A. TEGUCIGALPA 607 AND OTHERS ¶B. MANAGUA EMAIL SITREP 07/17/09 -------------- DEMONSTRATIONS AND OTHER ACTIVITY -------------- ¶1. (U) As of 11:00 local (13:00 EDT),approximately 1,600 pro-Zelaya demonstrators are gathered at Zelaya's "Popular Bloc" movement headquarters near Toncontin International Airport in Tegucigalpa, and are blocking the nearby major thoroughfare Boulevard Fuerzas Armadas. RSO notes the demonstration is expected to grow significantly and continue all day. Some reports suggest the group may migrate to the site at the airport where a protester died July 5. As of 11:00 local (13:00 EDT),no other protests have been reported in the city, and roads and highways connecting Tegucigalpa to the rest of the country are open, in contrast to the previous two days (Ref A). ¶2. (U) Elsewhere in Honduras, RSO reports: a pro-Zelaya taxi driver demonstration caravanning through Comayagua, but not/not blocking the CA-5 highway there; a pro-Zelaya protest is blocking the highway east of Santa Rosa de Copan; and in Yoro Department, a pro-Zelaya demonstration is blocking a highway at the town of Tepusteca. No violence has been reported at any of the protests. ¶3. (U) The de facto government reinstated the curfew July 15 following a heightened state of alert by the national police force (HNP). Curfew for July 17-18 overnight was 23:30-04:30 local (01:30-06:30 EDT),and is expected to be in force Saturday night as well. HNP contacts report 106 arrests for curfew violations overnight. Due to the last-minute nature of official curfew time announcements, A/CG has added a statement to the Warden Message urging AmCits to consult television and radio announcements each night to determine the correct curfew hours. ¶4. (SBU) Rumors of the increased potential for violence if today's negotiations in San Jose do not go well continue to keep the general public on edge and Post attentive to the possibility of sudden changes in the security environment. -------------- Infrastructure and Communications -------------- ¶5. (U) Toncontin International Airport in Tegucigalpa remains open and has been operating since Tuesday afternoon, July 7. American Airlines reports they have resumed flights as of July 18 after a two-day hiatus. Continental and Delta flights continue operating as normal. San Pedro Sula airport remains open for international flights, and American, Continental and Delta Airlines continue to operate flights as usual to and from that destination. ¶6. (U) As of 09:30 local (11:30 EDT),HNP reports all land borders are open to both private and commercial traffic and functioning normally. This contrasts with Ref B reporting claims of Honduran authorities turning away Nicaraguans at the Guasaule border crossing. Post will continue to pursue a clearer understanding of the situation at the borders through other sources. ¶7. (U) There are no reports of abnormal public utility outages in the country. -------------- Consular and Embassy Operations -------------- ¶8. (U) The Embassy plans to be open for normal business on Monday, July 20. Barring any changes in the security situation, the Embassy consular section plans to be open for regular consular services until further notice. TEGUCIGALP 00000622 002 OF 002 ¶9. (U) The Consular Section continues to receive approximately 50 inquiries each day from AmCits regarding the political situation. The latest warden message was issued Thursday, July 16. The Consular Section continues to regularly update ACS information on the Embassy website. ¶10. (SBU) Post convened an EAC Saturday, July 18, at 11:00 local (13:00 EDT) and determined there was no need to change the security posture. Post will convene another meeting Sunday, July 19 at 08:30 local (10:30 EDT) to review events further. LLORENS