Cruel police reaction to Bolivians final nail in coffin

By Lokman Ilhan

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AA) - Supporters of ousted Bolivian leader Evo Morales have filled the capital La Paz, carrying seven coffins of people killed in Tuesday clashes with the security forces.

The protesters on Thursday demanded the resignation of self-proclaimed interim president, Jeanine Anez, shouting slogans of "we want justice," "killer Anez," "peace comes if Anez goes".

Police disbanded the group who wanted to enter Murillo Square -- where the Government Palace is located -- with tear gas. The confrontation lasted nearly two hours.

At least eight people were arrested and four people were slightly injured, including a small girl.

On Tuesday, police and military forces crackdown on protesters in the Senkata neighborhood of El Alto city near La Paz, where an oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) transfer center was closed by barricades.

The confrontation left nine civilians dead and more than 60 protesters injured.

Since the resignation of Morales, the death toll of protests rose to 33, and 800 people were injured during the wave of violence.

Turmoil in Bolivia began in October, when indigenous leader won a fourth term in office, facing immediate resistance from opposition parties that challenged the election results. Protesters took to the streets claiming the ballot was rigged.

After weeks of upheaval, Morales resigned from his position upon the military's suggestion and moved to Mexico, where he was offered political asylum. The conservative Anez, who had been serving as a senator at the time, then proclaimed herself interim president.

But public demonstrations have yet to subside, with mostly rural and indigenous pro-Morales supporters taking to the streets since Morales left the country in numerous cites including the capital La Paz as well as Sacaba and Cochabamba. Backers of Morales insist that the ouster of the elected former president was a coup.

* Writing and contribution by Beyza Binnur Donmez from Ankara