Thread: Honduran forces establish perimeter around Brazilian embassy

Honduran forces establish perimeter around Brazilian embassy

Ousted president Manuel Zelaya continues to take refuge inside embassy day after supporters clashed with police

Rory Carroll, Latin American correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 23 September 2009 17.26 BST

Link to this video
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2 ... th-protest

Honduran security forces have turned the capital Tegucigalpa into a ghost town and put a de facto siege around the Brazilian embassy where the ousted president, Manuel Zelaya, is holed up.

Troops established a three-mile perimeter around the embassy and occupied neighbouring rooftops a day after using batons, water cannons and teargas to clear thousands of Zelaya supporters, leaving around 30 injured, 170 detained and streets deserted.

Authorities also briefly cut the diplomatic mission's water, electricity and telephone lines and blasted it with high-pitched noise from a truck-mounted speaker, making conditions grim for Zelaya and the dozens of other people inside the building.

The leftist leader, who was exiled in a coup three months ago, sneaked back into Honduras on Monday, sought refuge at the Brazilian embassy and declared his intention to wrest back power.

Thousands flocked to the compound and cheered when Zelaya, wearing his trademark cowboy hat, appeared on a balcony. Violence flared after the authorities declared a curfew and sent in security forces to disperse the crowd. Businesses, schools and airports remained closed today and few ventured out amid isolated, sporadic clashes. Police said vandals seized the chance to loot shops.

A United Nations truck brought hotdogs to those inside the embassy but conditions were cramped, with many sleeping on couches and the floor. Around 85 Zelaya supporters and embassy staff left. Soldiers let them pass.

The ousted president, defiant but visibly drained in back-to-back media interviews, accused the interim government of "asphyxiating" his refuge and claimed there was a plan to assassinate him and make it appear like suicide. He also said six protesters died during the clashes, a claim the authorities denied.

Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told the UN general assembly in New York that Zelaya should be immediately returned to power and expressed concern about tensions in Tegucigalpa. "The international community must stay alert to safeguard the inviolability of Brazil's diplomatic mission in Honduras."

The interim president, Roberto Micheletti, urged Brazil to hand over his predecessor to face corruption and treason charges but said the embassy would not be invaded. "We will do absolutely nothing to confront another brotherly nation," he said. Zelaya could stay inside the compound for five to 10 years but would never return to power, said Micheletti. He agreed to talk to Zelaya on condition he accepted a presidential election slated for November.

Latin American governments, the US and European Union, all of whom recognise Zelaya as the legitimate leader, called for for dialogue and calm. Jose Miguel Insulza, secretary general of the Organisation of American States, said he was willing to fly to Honduras to mediate the moment airports reopened.

The crisis started in June when the army, congress and the supreme court, alarmed by Zelaya's leftward drift and embrace of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, forced him from office at gunpoint and hustled him on a plane into exile.

The coup was popular with many in the middle classes, who accused the president of flouting the constitution, but it infuriated Zelaya's mostly poor supporters.

Crisis talks in Costa Rica broke down last month without either side reaching an agreement. The strategy of the interim government was to ride out the diplomatic storm until November's election installed a new leader.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/se ... il-embassy

Brazil demands reinstatement of Zelaya
By Adam Thomson in Mexico City

Published: September 24 2009 04:00 | Last updated: September 24 2009 04:00

Brazil on Wednesday demanded that Manuel Zelaya be reinstated as president of Honduras, and warned the country’s interim government against violating Brazil’s diplomatic mission in Tegucigalpa.

Video at the link

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday morning, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Brazilian president said: “The international community demands that Mr Zelaya return immediately to the presidency of his country and must be alert to ensure the inviolability of Brazil’s diplomatic mission in the capital of Honduras.â€