Page 12 - aruba-today-20170502

A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 2 May 2017

Puerto Ricans protest on May Day as debt deadline nears

laid off nine months ago the highway dragging
from her job at a packag- suitcases. Juanita Morales
ing plant. “I was embar- Rosa, a 65-year-old retired
rassed to have to start sell- teacher, said she depends
ing water on the street.” on a public pension sys-
The demonstration began tem that is expected to
peacefully, but toward the run out of money this year
end police launched tear and faces a more than
gas and smoke bombs $40 billion deficit. “How are
and used pepper spray we supposed to find work
against a small group of at 65 years old?” she said.
protesters who broke sev- “There is no work.”
eral windows of a bank Unemployment on the is-
using a pipe and a skate- land of 3.4 million people
board. Some in the crowd has hovered around 12
burned U.S. flags. percent, and nearly half a
“Ricky is selling the island!” million Puerto Ricans have
demonstrators yelled in moved to the U.S. main-
reference to Gov. Ricardo land in the past decade,
Rossello, whose adminis- many in search of jobs and
tration is expected to an- economic opportunity.
nounce soon whether it has Puerto Rico is struggling to
Singer Rene Perez, of Calle 13, front row, third from right, joins a protest against looming austerity reached a deal with bond- emerge from a recession
measures amid an economic crisis during the May Day march, as protesters demand an audit holders to restructure a por- caused in part by previ-
to identify those responsible for the public debt, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday, May 1, 2017. tion of its debt or embrace ous administrations that for
Puerto Rico is preparing to cut public employee benefits, increase tax revenue, hike water rates a bankruptcy-like process. decades borrowed billions
and privatize government operations, among other things.
(AP Photo/Danica Coto) The protests affected ser- of dollars to cover budget
vices at Puerto Rico’s larg- deficits. In 2015 the island’s
DANICA COTO long economic crisis and nances for their economic est public hospital, para- then-governor announced
Associated Press looming austerity mea- troubles and demanded lyzed the bus system and that the debt was unpay-
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico sures. an audit to identify those forced many businesses to able, and the territory has
(AP) — Thousands of pro- The May Day demonstra- responsible for running up a close. Demonstrators also since racked up multi-
testers blocked roads and tors denounced the U.S. $70 billion public debt load. briefly blocked traffic near million-dollar defaults on
marched in Puerto Rico’s Caribbean territory’s lead- “I’m on coupons, and things San Juan’s international government-issued bonds.
capital Monday to vent ers, blamed a federal con- are bad,” said 55-year-old airport, prompting some That sparked a flurry of law-
their anger over a decade- trol board overseeing its fi- Blanca Catala, who was travelers to walk along suits from creditors.
Last year the U.S. Con-
Protester disrupts start of Cuba’s May Day parade gress approved a rescue
package that led to the
creation of a federal con-
Associated Press and ran ahead of the tens him off the ground and nized event where agents trol board charged with
HAVANA (AP) — A protest- of thousands in the pro- hauled him away in front of line the route of the march. overseeing Puerto Rico’s
er briefly disrupted the start government march. foreign and Cuban journal- It echoed a September finances. In recent weeks
of Cuba’s largest annual Wearing a Cuban flag ists covering the parade. 2015 demonstration that the board and Rossello
political event on Monday, T-shirt and gripping the Two of the guards shouted saw a member of the Santi- have been approving aus-
sprinting in front of May Day Stars and Stripes above his “Long live Raul!” and “Long ago-based dissident group terity measures aimed at
marchers and brandish- head, he stayed ahead live Fidel!” — Castro’s older Patriotic Union of Cuba ap- cutting costs.
ing a U.S. flag before he of two similarly dressed se- brother and predecessor, proach Pope Francis and Puerto Rico is preparing to
was dragged away. Presi- curity agents until he was who died Nov. 25. One cry out to the pontiff before cut public employee ben-
dent Raul Castro watched swarmed by other officials struck the protester in the security agents detained efits, increase tax revenue,
along with other military and tripped over his own face as he was carried past him. Several others were hike water rates and priva-
and civilian leaders and feet. Plainclothes officers reporters.The protest was a arrested nearby as they tize government opera-
foreign dignitaries as the struggled to control the surprising breach of secu- appeared to try to join the tions, among other things.
man broke through security man but eventually lifted rity at a government-orga- protest.q q