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Peru in state of emergency By Mark Mulligan in Santiago and Agencies Published: May 28 2003 20:22  Armed troops were deployed throughout Peru on Wednesday as the government sought to quell civil unrest which has come close to paralysing large parts of the country. Alejandro Toledo, the president, announced a state of emergency on Tuesday night in response to a wave of strikes and road blockades by protesting teachers, health workers and farmers. There were violent clashes outside the national congress building on Wednesday as troops and police used water cannon to disperse thousands of strikers who had marched on the capital demanding improved wages and conditions. Earlier in the day, thousands of travellers and truck drivers were left stranded around the country as agricultural workers, striking public sector employees and other activists blocked some 30 highways and roads with trees, rocks and burning tyres. Mr Toledo said concern about perishable goods left abandoned in trucks was a key factor in his decision to call out the troops. "We have decided to declare a national state of emergency for 30 days so that people can exercise their personal liberties and travel freely," said Mr Toledo in a televised address. "The country cannot be shut down. Democracy without order and without authority is not democracy," he said. Under the Peruvian constitution, the president, with the agreement of a central cabinet committee, can call the armed forces to restore order when internal security is threatened or in the case of natural or man-made catastrophes. Troops and police would be used to restore civic order in 12 of the country's 24 provinces, authorities said. This is the second time Mr Toledo has called a state of emergency since coming to power in July 2001. Troops were used in June last year to restore order in the southern city of Arequipa, where violent protests forced him to shelve plans to privatise two electricity generating companies. Despite boasting one of the highest growth rates in the region, Peru is a divided country where about half the population lives on $2 or less a day. Widespread dissatisfaction with the policies of Mr Toledo, a Stanford-trained economist, has driven his popularity rating down to 14 per cent and led to waves of public disorder and protests across the country. Mr Toledo admitted on Tuesday night that despite economic and social reforms his government had been unable to reduce poverty, create jobs or improve incomes. However, he said his short-term priority was to re-open schools and highways to avoid a complete paralysis of the economy. Gerardo Ayzanoa del Carpio, the education minister, on Wednesday declared a 17-day strike by teachers as illegal and began moves to re-open schools with unemployed and non-unionised teachers. |
