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SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia-Huge crowds seeking autonomy for eastern Bolivia rallied Saturday against leftist President Evo Morales, as tens of thousands marched to support him in the capital, La Paz.The governors in the eastern lowland and energy-rich states of Santa Cruz, Tarija, Beni and Pando all declared greater self-rule at celebratory rallies Saturday, a move strongly opposed by Morales, who ordered extra police deployed to the region.The four rebel provinces-out of the nine that make up Bolivia-account for around two-thirds of the total gross domestic product and are home to a more than a third of the country's population.Morales warned that the moves towards autonomy were illegal, and that the army would guarantee Bolivia's territorial integrity.In Santa Cruz, a bastion of anti-Morales opposition, the streets of the provincial capital were flooded with marchers waving green and white flags, the regional colors."This is the best for Santa Cruz," said Carlos Vargas, a taxi driver, as he followed a speech by local authorities on autonomy.University student Cesar Gonzalez blamed Bolivia's ills on [[[[Morales, who he said "is guilty of splitting the country."Morales, the country's first indigenous president, is fueling the racial divide between the darker-skinned mostly indigenous Andean residents, known as 'collas,' and the lowland residents, known as 'cambas,' ]]]]Gonzalez said.The Santa Cruz event was more of a massive street party celebrating autonomy than a rally, with live music and dancing. Many hit the streets proudly wearing large straw hats typical of the region.Similar events were held in the capitals of the other rebel provinces.Meanwhile in La Paz, in the president's Andean stronghold, members of the Constituent Assembly delivered a draft of the [new constitution] to Morales at a public ceremony."This is the moment in which all of us Bolivians are going to feel integrated into the new state!" Morales told an ecstatic crowd overflowing the main La Paz plaza.Morales also blasted the actions of the eastern regional leaders."With the pretext of autonomy they want to split the country, but we are not going to permit any division of Bolivia," he told the cheering crowd.Morales earlier said that "the armed forces, and the Bolivian people, are here to make sure that the country never disintegrates."[[[The pro-Morales majority in the assembly approved the new constitution last weekend over a boycott of opposition legislators, and after moving the meeting to the Andean city of Oruro, another Morales stronghold, to avoid street protests.The new constitution is recognized by neither the regional governments nor the right-wing opposition to Morales' leftist government.]]]The dueling Saturday celebratory rallies highlight the divide between supporters and opponents of Morales who promised to better distribute the country's wealth to benefit the people of the highlands, where most of Bolivia's 8.5 million residents live.Most of Santa Cruz's 1.5 million inhabitants are mixed-race descendants of Spanish colonists, in contrast to the indigenous population that forms the majority in the poorer mountain regions.Outside Santa Cruz city hundreds of farmers loyal to Morales blocked main land routes with heavy stones to protest the autonomy plans.In the festive environment locals largely ignored an explosive hurled at the Santa Cruz courthouse, which news reports said shattered windows and damaged some furniture, but with no injuries.Morales earlier met European diplomats about possibly mediating the escalating crisis.http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071215/wl_afp/boliviapoliticsunrest_071215225109;_ylt=AkYLDUwP0hYHbgAglDBoxd2s0NUE
PS:I wonder what Morales changed in the "new constitution".
it sounds a whole lot like Venezuela,doesn't it?Actually he is buddies with Chavez...Well...I fell for the people of BOLIVIA but it sounds to me like Comunism is there to stay.....
As in the days of Noah....
