Striking Miners Clash With Police in Bolivia's Capital
LA PAZ, Bolivia — Hundreds of miners from a strike-paralyzed city in Bolivia's highlands battled police in the capital Wednesday, and authorities said 44 people were arrested and one officer was injured. Protesting miners from the city of Potosi threw rocks through windows of the Ministry of Government and then tossed small dynamite charges at police after officers used tear gas. A fire that broke out in pine trees at the adjacent German Embassy was quickly extinguished. The government said a police officer was taken to a hospital after being hit in the head. Hundreds of other protesters from Potosi also marched showing support for a civic committee that is seeking to negotiate an end to a 16-day-old general strike in that city, which is a provincial capital. Potosi depends heavily on mining and its residents have been hit hard by a slump in mineral prices. They are demanding the central government put more money into public works projects. |