Page 5 - MIN SJA 10 SEPT 2015
P. 5
WORLD NEWS A11
Thursday 10 September
New Venezuelan border closure strands cars, workers
JACOBO GARCIA In his angriest statements der checkpoint Tuesday in crime and contraband of the border who don’t
Associated Press to date, Santos went after night as bored soldiers along Venezuela’s western recognize the international
PARAGUACHON, Colom- the 16 year-old “Bolivar- watched a soccer game. edge. division. The tribe has long
bia (AP) — Venezuela’s ian” socialist revolution Venezuelan bus driver Nearly 20,000 more Co- dominated economic life
sudden decision to close launched by late President Hector Medina had spent lombians, some of whom on the isolated Guajira
another major border Hugo Chavez. the whole sweltering day have lived in Venezuela peninsula, shared by both
crossing with Colombia has countries on South Amer-
left workers, vacationers A man sells arepas as Colombian soldiers patrol the border bewteen Colombia and Venezuela, ica’s northern tip, and is
and members of a nomad- heavily involved in smug-
ic indigenous community in Paraguachon, Colombia, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro gling, which they don’t
stranded, and further es- consider an illicit act.
calated tensions between has expanded an anti-smuggling offensive along the country’s frontier with Colombia, and Venezuelan authorities said
the neighboring countries. they will respect the Wa-
President Nicolas Maduro ordered another main crossing, this one in Paraguachon, closed Monday night as part of a two- yuu’s traditional nomadism
ordered the main cross- and increase education
ing in Venezuela’s biggest week-old anti-smuggling offensive. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) grant programs even as an
state closed Monday night additional 3,000 troops are
as part of a two-week-old “I’m not destroying the stranded on the Colombi- for years, have returned deployed to Zulia.
anti-smuggling offensive. Bolivarian revolution,” he an side of the border, while voluntarily, fearing reprisals “They are masters of their
The offensive has shelters said. “The revolution is self- his passengers had tried as reports spread about own land,” Vice President
and human rights groups in destructing because of its their luck walking across. security forces uprooting Jorge Arreaza said. “They
Colombia struggling to ab- own effects, not because “You can’t just out of migrants and marking their will be free to move back
sorb thousands of migrants of the Colombians.” nowhere close the bor- homes for demolition. and forth, just not with con-
who have fled their Ven- Santos also reiterated his der and leave everyone The flood of returnees has traband.”
ezuelan homes. willingness to engage in di- locked out like this,” he overwhelmed emergency But some members of the
The crackdown had tar- rect dialogue with Maduro said. shelters, leading Colombia indigenous community said
geted Tachira state across to resolve the crisis, per- In the space of two weeks, to warn of a looming hu- they had been blocked at
the border from Cucuta, a haps under the auspices of Maduro has closed six manitarian crisis. checkpoints and would
Boston-size city in Colom- Uruguay. crossings and deported Maduro could also face have to try to sneak across
bia that has long relied on A long line of cars wait- about 1,500 Colombians resistance from hundreds the border. Leaders were
smuggled gas, food and ed for a chance to pass without legal status, blam- of thousands of Wayuu In- already publicly denounc-
other goods purchased through a fenced-up bor- ing the migrants for a surge dians settled on either side ing the closure by Tuesday
in Venezuela at bargain- afternoon.
basement subsidized pric- “I don’t think this is what
es. we deserve, because all
In moving his focus north to we do is take care of our
Zulia state, Maduro is en- land,” said Wayuu activist
croaching on a more vital Ricardo Fernandez.
economic hub around the Maduro said more border
oil metropolis of Maraca- crossings could be closed
ibo, Venezuela’s second- in the coming days. In the
largest city. His administra- same address, he offered
tion took out an advertise- to take in 20,000 refugees
ment in the New York Times from the civil war in Syria.
Wednesday, saying that In recent days Colombia
Venezuela needed to take has stepped up a diplo-
steps to combat smugglers matic campaign against
who would do the country the border offensive.q
harm, but was committed
to respecting human rights Secretary of State Kerry in talks with Venezuela FM
and supporting peace.
But Colombia took the CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) day. Roberta Jacobson, dent Nicolas Maduro ac- cal reasons in Venezuela,
newest closure as an af- — Secretary of State John the top U.S. diplomat for cused the U.S. of working including prominent oppo-
front, with President Juan Kerry is speaking with Ven- Latin America, said the call to overthrow him, and the sition leader Leopoldo Lo-
Manuel Santos saying ezuela’s foreign minister as was an attempt to keep U.S. said his government pez. Lopez has been jailed
Wednesday that he had the two countries work to the lines of communication engages in undemocratic for 19 months and a ver-
opened channels of com- repair their relationship. open between the coun- practices. dict in his case is expected
munication and Venezu- Kerry called Venezuelan tries. Jacobson said Kerry ex- Thursday.
ela had responded by Foreign Minister Delcy Ro- Relations reached a low pressed concern about Last week, Kerry met with
shutting even more of the driguez on the phone Tues- point this year when Presi- individuals jailed for politi- Lopez’s wife, Lilian Tintori.q
border.
