April 27, 2005
People's Daily, China
Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolanos on Tuesday told the army and police to be on high alert amid mounting protests against bus fare hikes, which have prompted the opposition to demand his resignation.
Blaming the opposition Sandinista Front of National Liberation (FSLN) for the unrest, Bolanos urged the armed forces to be ready to "contribute to the maintenance of tranquillity and order in the country."
He also called on police to "take all necessary measures to ensure security and freedom of movement across national territory."
The president's call came hours after demonstrators hurled rocks and injured Bolanos's son, a 55-year-old businessman who wason a visit from the United States.
The head of state said he tried to talk with the protesters, but instead there were insults and violence.
Bolanos also reiterated that he will not resign after meeting with about 5,000 protesters who chanted slogans calling for his resignation.
He added that there were no magical solutions to the country's energy problem, and under the present conditions, it is impossibleto solve the crisis.
The conservative leader has canceled a trip to Mexico scheduledto start Wednesday due to the growing crisis in the Central American country.
In the past several days, students and commuters protested against the government's failure to increase subsidies to offset abus fare increase to 3 cordobas (18 US cents) from 2.5 cordobas (15 cents).
On Monday, 90 mayors, mostly from the FSLN, demanded that Bolanos step down or offer a solution to the hike in the rates of public transportation services.
Source: Xinhua
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