Hondurans
Busy Stocking Up
Tegucigalpa - Thousands
of Hondurans on Wednesday rushed to buy good
and fuel, and draw money from banks after
the de facto government announced a
seven-hour respite of a curfew it imposed in
the wake of the return of the country's
ousted president Manuel Zelaya.
The de facto government announced on Tuesday
that the curfew will be temporarily
suspended from 10:00 a.m. (1600 GMT) to 5:00
p.m. (2300 GMT) Wednesday.
The curfew was decreed on Monday after it
was known that Zelaya had returned to the
country and was staying at the Brazilian
embassy in Tegucigalpa.
Since the start of the temporary suspension,
thousands went to shops. In few minutes the
shelves were empty and ATMs were out of
money. On Tuesday night, many supermarkets
in Tegucigalpa were already looted .
Tegucigalpa's streets were full of cars, in
some districts protestors blocked the
streets, burnt tires and placed big rocks to
make barricades.
Lines at the supermarkets extended onto the
streets and some lines at banks and gas
stations were of 300 meters long.
"I just have one quarter of fuel in my car
tank and I have not left my house because
the streets were occupied. If I can I will
enter the supermarket by all means to buy
water and caned food," Luis Vasquez, an
engineer, said.
Maribel Alvarez, a secretary, said that
"here we are like prisoners in our houses. I
have not gone to work and the food is
finishing."
Helicopters from the Honduran Air Forces
have been flying over the capital, mainly at
the area near the Brazilian embassy, where
Zelaya was staying.
The interim leaders resumed the curfew
indefinitely at 5:00 pm (2300 GMT)
Wednesday.
The Honduran political crisis began on June
28 after Zelaya was ousted and taken by
force to Costa Rica. He has since then been
seeking to return to power, with support
from the international community.
Citizens wait to buy goods outside a
supermarket in Tegucigalpa, capital of
Honduras, Sept. 22, 2009. Thousands of
Hondurans on Wednesday rushed to buy goods
and fuel, and draw money from banks after
the de facto government announced a
seven-hour respite of a curfew it imposed in
the wake of the return of the country's
ousted president Manuel Zelaya. (Foto: David
De la Paz) |
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