Police and students clash in Ecuador

Students clashed with police on Jan. 19 in a third day of protests that have left over 140 people injured in the Ecuadorian capital Quito. Hundreds of students and even schoolchildren as young as 10 took part in the latest protests, which were against a possible bus ticket price rise and a US oil company. More than 142 students, police and passers-by have been injured by rocks or tear gas in the three days of clashes, according to the Ecuadorian Red Cross. In addition, 139 youths were arrested, but most of them now have been released on orders of the presidency, police said. The protests initially focused on reports that bus tickets would become more expensive, but authorities have stressed they had not authorized any public transport price hikes. The demonstrators also demanded that the government kick out the Occidental Petroleum, known as Oxy, and refuse to join the US-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas, which is being planned. The clashes paralyzed downtown Quito as protesters hurled rocks at police and damaged homes and businesses, and forced the closure of the Congress, which is situated in the city center. Interior Minister Alfredo Castillo admitted that police used excessive force against the youths and said officers responsible for the excesses would be punished. But he also suggested some lawmakers hoping to force him from office may be manipulating the students, and pointed out authorities have already made clear public transport prices would remain unchanged. The Federation of University Students of Ecuador demanded the government put that pledge in writing, failing which "the struggle will continue." At the same time, indigenous groups have called for protests against a free-trade pact Ecuador is negotiating with the US. The groups are also seeking the ouster of President Alfredo Palacio, claiming he has failed to bring about crucial reforms in the South American country. Ecuador, which will hold presidential elections later this year, has been marked by chronic unrest and governmental instability over the past years. In April, public protests over the dismissal of corruption charges against two former presidents led to the ouster of then-president Lucio Gutierrez by Congress. Gutierrez was the third Ecuadorian leader to be deposed in eight years. And in August, the government deployed troops to Ecuador's Amazon region to end six days of civil unrest that had cut oil exports. Protesters agreed to end their blockade of roads after foreign oil companies acceded to their demands to help pave roads and pay a portion of taxes to the regional governments.