From: "Curtis Price" <cansv-AT-igc.apc.org>
Date:          Wed, 2 Jul 1997 11:22:31 +0000
Subject:       (Fwd) Shots fired as strike hits Dominican town


------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date:          Tue, 1 Jul 1997 17:44:16 -0700
From:          NewsHound <NewsHound-AT-hound.com>

Reply-to:      NewsHound-AT-hound.com
Subject:       Shots fired as strike hits Dominican town



NewsHound article from "STRIKES" hound, score "78."



Shots fired as >>strike<< hits Dominican town

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Reuter) - Protesting >>workers<< burned
tires and fired shots at Dominican police Tuesday during a 48-hour
>>strike<< which closed down most of San Francisco de Macoris, police and
radio reports said.

Police said at least 20 people were arrested and that shots were fired
during street clashes but reported no injuries.

Local radio station Radio Popular said masked demonstrators fired shots at
police in the district of Pueblo Nuevo on the northern rim of the town, 117
miles northeast of the capital Santo Domingo.

It was not immediately clear if police shot back, although some radio
reports spoke of ``exchanges of gunfire''.

Local journalists told Reuters by telephone that protestors had also burned
tires and that home-made bombs had been heard going off, although the town
was calm late Tuesday.

They said factories, banks and schools had closed for the >>strike<<,
called by about 20 popular organisations and set to continue Wednesday.

>>Strike<< leaders were demanding the government build a hospital and
airport in the area, extend electricity services to rural areas and take
measures to lower the cost of living.

The Dominican government sent in army and police units Saturday to quell
any unrest, saying the >>strike<< was politically inspired and blaming the
opposition Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD). The PRD Tuesday denied any
link to the protests.



------------------------------------------------------------
NewsHound is a service of Knight-Ridder, Inc.
For more information, write to: speak-AT-hound.com

This material is copyrighted and may not be republished without permission
of the originating newspaper or wire service.
------------------------------------------------------------

For more information, visit the NewsHound website at http://www.newshound.com
or send an email to speak-AT-hound.com.



     --- from list aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---