By Admin1 (admin) (76.200.219.37) on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 10:23 am: Edit Post |
Peace Corps temporarily suspends operations in Bolivia because of "growing instability"
Since the turmoil began some three weeks ago, Bolivian President Evo Morales has thrown out the U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, accusing the American government of inciting the violence. The expelled ambassador, Philip Goldberg, called the charges "false and baseless" and said Bolivia was making a "grave mistake." Members of the 4-month-old Union of South American Countries lent support to Morales on Monday night, voting to create a commission to support the Bolivian government, according to President Michelle Bachelet of Chile. Evo Morales, Bolivia's first Indian president, is battling an autonomy movement in the natural gas-rich eastern departments of Santa Cruz, Pando, Beni and Tarija. The movement was sparked by Morales' pledge to redistribute wealth from the east to the country's poorer highlands. The unrest killed more than 30 people last week in Pando, and Morales declared martial law there Friday.
PCOL Comment: This is not the first controversy surrounding Philip S. Goldberg's tenure as US Ambassador to Bolivia.
Peace Corps temporarily suspends operations in Bolivia because of "growing instability"
Peace Corps temporarily out of Bolivia
Caption: Bolivian Army soldiers patrol Cobija, Pando department, northern Bolivia. Street violence which erupted in Bolivia last week, killing at least 18 people, was the result of a "coup" by rebel governors, President Evo Morales said Monday as he arrived in Chile for an emergency summit on the crisis.
Photo: AFP/Alexandre Lima
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Peace Corps temporarily has suspended operations in Bolivia because of "growing instability," the organization said.
All Peace Corps volunteers who were working there have been moved to Peru, the organization said in a Monday statement, explaining that the volunteers will have the opportunity to close out their service or be transferred to another post.
"Our first priority is the safety and security of our volunteers," Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter said in the statement.
"Thousands of Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Bolivia since 1962, building deep friendships with the people there. We hope the situation will improve soon so future volunteers can continue the Peace Corps' fine tradition of valuable service to the Bolivian people."
It was not immediately clear how many Peace Corps volunteers were affected.
The organization said its volunteers worked in agriculture, business development, environment, health and youth development.
Evo Morales, Bolivia's first Indian president, is battling an autonomy movement in the natural gas-rich eastern departments of Santa Cruz, Pando, Beni and Tarija. The movement was sparked by Morales' pledge to redistribute wealth from the east to the country's poorer highlands.
The unrest killed more than 30 people last week in Pando, and Morales declared martial law there Friday.
Members of the 4-month-old Union of South American Countries lent support to Morales on Monday night, voting to create a commission to support the Bolivian government, according to President Michelle Bachelet of Chile.
Since the turmoil began some three weeks ago, Morales has thrown out the U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, accusing the American government of inciting the violence. The expelled ambassador, Philip Goldberg, called the charges "false and baseless" and said Bolivia was making a "grave mistake."
Washington has expelled the Bolivian ambassador, Gustavo Guzman, in response.
Despite the escalating diplomatic strife, Goldberg said the United States and Bolivia will continue diplomatic relations.
advertisement
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also has expelled the U.S. ambassador to Venezuela in solidarity with Bolivia, and the United States has followed suit.
Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has announced that he also is suspending the accreditation of the U.S. ambassador to his country in support of Bolivia.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: September, 2008; Peace Corps Bolivia; Directory of Bolivia RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Bolivia RPCVs; Safety and Security of Volunteers; Diplomacy
When this story was posted in September 2008, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
PCVs Evacuated from Georgia
The Peace Corps has announced that all Volunteers and trainees serving in the Republic of Georgia are safe and they have been temporarily relocated to neighboring Armenia. Read the analysis by one RPCV on how Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili believed that he could launch a lightning assault on South Ossetia and reclaim the republic without substantial grief from Moscow and that Saakashvili's statements once the war began demonstrated that he expected real Western help in confronting Russia.
Dodd vows to filibuster Surveillance Act
Senator Chris Dodd vowed to filibuster the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that would grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that helped this administration violate the civil liberties of Americans. "It is time to say: No more. No more trampling on our Constitution. No more excusing those who violate the rule of law. These are fundamental, basic, eternal principles. They have been around, some of them, for as long as the Magna Carta. They are enduring. What they are not is temporary. And what we do not do in a time where our country is at risk is abandon them."
Read the stories and leave your comments.