Breaking News...Linden unrest continues… Joint Services, protestors clash again

Breaking News…Linden unrest continues… Joint Services, protestors clash again

Jul 28, 2012 News

-as defiant Lindeners block entrance to mining town

By Leonard Gildarie

Protestors on the bridge

Lindeners, ahead of a Presidential visit, today defied security forces, blocking a key entrance leading to that bauxite mining town and forcing Head of State, Donald Ramotar, to cancel a key visit.
On Friday, Office of the President through the Government Information Agency announced that President Ramotar was heading to Linden. The President was set to arrive early and GINA announced transportation arrangement for the media.
A statement later said that the President decided to cancel the visit based on advice from his security heads.
The meeting was to bring an end to situation that has had far-reaching effects for especially the interior locations.
Linden has been protesting almost for two weeks now the hiking of electricity tariffs from July 1.
Three protestors were shot dead on the first day of the protest, July 18. Several persons were also hospitalized and treated for gunshots wounds. This raised tensions.
This morning, as President Ramotar prepared to arrive, a small crowd of around 50 persons quickly swelled to around 500 at the Kara Kara Bridge which was blocked with logs.
Government workers, backed by police and soldiers, used a bulldozer to remove those large logs that had been placed across the bridge. The logs have been there a week now.
There was anger after one of the rails of the bridge was badly damaged during the exercise to remove the logs.
However, the Lindeners, defiant, despite the Joint Forces presence, blocked the bulldozer with some persons lying on the ground and even lining the bridge. The tension was high.
Lindeners are insisting that the President’s visit at this time is not needed as he was not there following the shootings which drew widespread condemnation.
Opposition parties have accused Government of spite with the rates hike saying that a heavy elections loss in November in that Region 10 area was the reason.