|
| At least 2 dead in clash in Peru |
| | www.chinaview.cn 2004-07-02 09:40:39 |
LIMA, July 1
(Xinhuanet) -- At least two persons were killed and 35 injured Thursday in a
clash between police and teachers in Huamanga, capital of the southern Andean
department of Ayacucho.
Reports said the situation is uncontainable and uncertain, when the demonstrators, armed with
stones and clubs, burned buildings of the Judicial Branch and the residence of
Mayor Gerardo Ludela. They also attempted to set fire on buildings of regional
government and the city council.
Riot police used tear gas
to repress hundreds of striking teachers who had occupied the Huamanga central
square.
According to reports, three unidentified professors
and a policeman were seriously injured, while 40 others received treatment in
hospitals.
Several teachers have taken control of the
municipal palace, the Regional Education Direction and the Education
Administration Unit since last Saturday. In early Thursday, violence broke out
after the police tried to drive them away.
"I denounce all
these acts of violence in Ayacucho and blame the president (Alejandro Toledo)
and the interior minister (Javier Reategui) for this chaos," Mayor Ludela told
Peruvian media.
The Peruvian Education Workers Union, an organization representing 280,000 public school teachers, has been on strike since June 21, demanding higher wages and accusing the government of trying to privatize public schools. Enditem |
|
|
Breaking
News