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Sat Dec 16 21:40:05 2006
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Riot force leaves troubled Mexico tourist city
16 Dec 2006 21:04:42 GMT
Source: Reuters
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By Jose Cortes

OAXACA, Mexico, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Federal riot police ended their weeks-long occupation of the center of the Mexican tourist city Oaxaca on Saturday, having weakened a protest movement trying to oust a state governor.

Violent clashes between the masked activists and riot police, and a string of shootings of protesters, made Oaxaca one of new President Felipe Calderon's top problems.

But the arrest of several high profile protest leaders has weakened the movement against the governor, and the frequency and size of demonstrations has fallen.

The federal police boarded trucks and rolled out of the city before dawn, handing over security to state police. The federal agents were headed for a nearby air base where they would remain until further notice, a state spokeswoman said.

"It's no longer necessary that they guard the streets; we are doing it now," said state government spokeswoman Luz Divina Zarate.

The federal force stormed the graceful mountain-ringed city in October, fighting fierce battles with leftist activists who had built barricades and closed government buildings in a bid to topple state Gov. Ulises Ruiz.

Police have snatched hundreds of protesters from the streets in recent weeks, leading to accusations by rights groups of illegal arrests and torture.

The protesters accuse Ruiz, who they say is corrupt and stole an election, of being behind at least a dozen deaths, mainly of activists, since the conflict began in June.

Gunmen identified by a national newspaper as local government officials were filmed shooting at activists at the height of the conflict.

Oaxaca is one of Mexico's cultural gems but is surrounded by rural areas of extreme poverty that years of corrupt government has failed to significantly reduce.

Since taking office on Dec. 1, Calderon has taken a tough line on Mexico's security problems, sending thousands of troops to his home state of Michoacan, where a turf war between drug cartels has led to soaring violence.

Hundreds of federal police left Oaxaca earlier this week to beef-up the offensive in Michoacan.

Tourism, one of Oaxaca's main income sources, collapsed during the protests, and visitors are still staying away.

Some local residents said the federal police had brought calm to the city and expressed concern over their departure.

"We really hope the security situation keeps on like it has, said trader Oscar Ortiz. "The fact that state police officers are here does not guarantee security."

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PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2006 A protester fires fireworks during clashes between demonstrators and federal police at the colonial city centre of Oaxaca, Mexico November 25, 2006. Protesters shot fireworks at riot police and burned down government buildings in Mexico's colonial city of Oaxaca on Saturday, days before President-elect Felipe Calderon was to take office.

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