4 May News Brief South America

Eduardo Herrera

BOGOTÁ, Colombia – President Uribe insists that President Chávez help stop rebels: Colombian President Álvaro Uribe reiterated his request to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez that his government help stop the guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) operating in Venezuela, who killed eight Colombian soldiers in the department of La Guajira on the border between the two countries. “The FARC narcoterrorist group which killed them, in a clear violation of the sovereignty of the neighbouring Republic of Venezuela, came from this territory and took refuge there after the confrontation,” said Uribe.

[AFP, EFE, El Tiempo]

LIMA, Peru – Shining Path increases firepower: The armed terrorist group Shining Path has doubled its firepower and has the capability to shoot down helicopters, say military intelligence sources. Shining Path members operating in the Valley of the Rivers Apurímac and Ene (VRAE), where drug trafficking groups are also present, possess two PKM machine guns, two RPG-7 rocket launchers, an MGL grenade launcher and a MAG machinegun, as well as over 100 missiles. This arsenal was stolen from soldiers killed in combat or obtained from drug traffickers which Shining Path guerillas are allied with, according to the government.

[La República, EFE]

LA PAZ, Bolivia – Bolivia rejects making labour market more flexible: President Evo Morales’ government will not attempt to make the labour market more flexible in response to the global financial crisis. Public Works Minister Walter Delgadillo, a former trade-unionist, said the government’s priority is to “guarantee stable employment”. Despite unrest among union leaders, Morales has approved five regulations in favour of job stability. One of these requires employers to guarantee their workers’ labour rights regardless of contract type.

[La Prensa, EFE]