Heavy military presence in Honduras after coup
Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by Xander in Headlines
CNN
June 29, 2009
Honduras remained calm but tense Monday as military troops who removed President Jose Manuel Zelaya a day earlier ringed the presidential palace and demonstrations broke out nearby.
The Telesur TV network showed images of troops, tanks and other military assets deployed around the presidential grounds.
The station, which is privately owned but partially funded by the pro-Zelaya Venezuelan government, reported that the armed forces had set up roadblocks on major highways to inspect passengers on buses and trucks making their way to Tegucigalpa, the capital.
Zelaya supporters have called for a general strike, the station said.
The military deposed Zelaya early Sunday and flew him to Costa Rica. Roberto Micheletti, president of the Congress, was named provisional president.
Zelaya had been at odds with the other branches of government over a referendum he wanted to hold Sunday. The nation’s Supreme Court had ruled the referendum was illegal, and Congress had voted not to hold it.
Zelaya disregarded those actions and vowed to hold the vote anyway.
The head of the Organization of American States condemned the coup, and the U.N. General Assembly scheduled a session Monday to discuss the issue.
The General Assembly’s president, Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, called the Honduran military’s intervention a “criminal action,” and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a statement condemned the removal of “the constitutional president.”
Hours after Zelaya’s ouster, Micheletti was sworn in Sunday as provisional president to the applause of members of Congress, who chanted, “Honduras! Honduras!”
Outside the building, Zelaya’s supporters protested, but their numbers were limited, and the streets remained mostly peaceful.
Micheletti told CNN en Español on Sunday night that he had imposed an “indefinite” curfew.
Micheletti became president after lawmakers voted by a show of hands to strip Zelaya of his powers, with a resolution stating that Zelaya “provoked confrontations and divisions” within the country. A letter of resignation purported to be from Zelaya was read to members before the vote.
But the deposed president, Zelaya, emphatically denied in an interview with CNN en Español that he wrote the letter. Speaking from Costa Rica, he said he plans to continue exercising his presidential duties with a trip to Managua, Nicaragua, to attend a summit of Central American heads of state.
Zelaya awoke to the sound of gunfire in his residence and was still in his pajamas when the military forced him to leave the country Sunday morning, he told reporters. He was flown to Costa Rica, where he has not requested political asylum.
“This was a brutal kidnapping of me with no justification,” Zelaya said.
He called the coup an attack on Honduran democracy.
“There are ways to protest without arms,” Zelaya said.
The coup was widely criticized in the region, in strongest terms by Zelaya’s leftist allies, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. A statement from Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry said Zelaya was “violently expelled from his country by a group of unpatriotic, coup-mongering soldiers.”
The Bolivian government also condemned the coup, accusing Honduran troops of kidnapping Zelaya and violently expelling him from his country.
In a statement, President Obama said that he was “deeply concerned” by the news.
“I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter,” Obama said. “Any existing tensions and disputes must be resolved peacefully through dialogue free from any outside interference.”
No other countries immediately recognized Micheletti as president.
But in Honduras, the Supreme Court said in an official statement that the military was acting in accordance with a court order to put an end to Sunday’s scheduled vote, which the court’s justices had found illegal.
Micheletti addressed the issue in his first remarks as provisional president.
“I did not reach this position because of a coup,” he said. “I am here because of an absolutely legal transition process.”
Zelaya, a leftist elected in 2005, had found himself pitted against the other branches of government and military leaders over the issue of Sunday’s planned referendum. It would have asked voters to place a measure on November’s ballot allowing the formation of a constitutional assembly that could modify the nation’s charter to allow the president to run for another term.
Helen Murphy
Jun 29th, 2009
this was not a military coup. get it right please. he committed crimes against the constitution and was removed from office by an order from the congress with the assistance of the armed forces. basically he was fired. the military was just acting on orders. this is not a military state and never was. we have a new president and frankly we are thrilled that the Honduran courts and congress and military all worked so efficiently together to uphold the constitution and democroacy. feeling safe finally here in Honduras
cecilia
Jun 29th, 2009
People are making this look like if Zelaya is the victim HELLO!!! How can someone be innocent when he was threatening people at works on taking away his jobs, if they dont voted for him. All he wants is to ruin our country, if he wanted whats good for our country he would have been a better president instead but all he did was making people concern of their welfare. WE WANT HIM OUT OF HERE, and people who says the opposite, is because either they are corrupts or they have been payed.
UNA SIMPLE HONDUREÑA
Jun 29th, 2009
I AM HONDURAN, I AM LIVING IN TEGUCIGALPA ONE AND FOR ALL
THIS WAS NOT A MILITARY COUP!…ME HAVE A NEW PRESIDENT A CIVIL GOVERMENT.
WHO STAND FOR DEMOCRACY!..BECAUSE WE WERE IN DANGER OF BECOMING HUGO CHAVEZ DOMAINS. WE DO NOT WANT CHAVEZ HERE!!…INTERNATIONAL MEDIA COME HERE, COME OR AT LEAST CONTAC ONE OF THE MEDIA HERE SO YOY WILL KNOW THE TRUE!!
LOURDES MARIA MARTINEZ RAMIREZ
Jun 29th, 2009
Tegucigalpa MDC, Honduras, CA, June 29, 2009.
Journalist
Glenda UMAÑA
CNN en Espanol
Dear Journalist Umaña:
My name is Maria Lourdes Martínez Ramírez, with Identity Card # 0801-1964-05862, I am a woman of 44 years of age, I do not belong to the middle class, much less rich or upper class, but I’m not as poor farmers living outside the city.
For months I have been extremely concerned and frustrated by the political situation, as rejection from the depths of my being, what the ex-president Mr Manuel Zelaya Rosales has sought to give to my beloved country.
It pains me to see how much the former president and people around him have deceived many farmers in my country, making them believe that the fourth box would remove the criminality, corruption and especially hunger and would deprive the poor health when everything is a lie, a lie very well because it had widespread power and resources to do so.
Their ministers, directors and employees of government institutions ceased to go to work promoting the fourth ballot box inside the country, a total deception, because everyone here knows that the president of Venezuela Mr. Hugo Chávez is supporting this project since the end quarter of the urn is to perpetuate MEL ZELAYA in power and he (Hugo Chávez) has been in Venezuela.
The people of Honduras wants democracy. Our country is NOT in the hands of the military as Mel Zelaya said internationally, this is not true democracy prevails, contrary to what he wants to remain in power.
We want elections in November this year, we do not want a president remain in power, we impose a system of government in which we take away our rights as citizens and we can not say for fear of reprisals.
Want a free country for my daughter and my whole family, I do not want Hugo Chávez to intervene in my beloved country Honduras, which is left in Venezuela, we do not want.
I call on international bodies like the OAS, the UN, the European Union, etc.., Listen to the other side of the Honduran people through the representatives we have, and please do not allow us to impose a system of government is rejected by the majority of the Honduran people, as is that of Mel Zelaya wanted to stay as a dictator.
Sorry to make this letter so long, I’m not an influential person in my country but I am a Honduran who loves to Honduras, I hope you read my letter. Thank you very much.
roberto
Jun 29th, 2009
I am honduran and this whats happening is NOT A MILITARY COUP is us hondurans defending what we believe in and we believe in is democracy and this man Manuel Zelaya was a clear threat to our democracy he wanted continuism he wanted even to violate our constitution to achieve this`just as Chavez did in Venezuela we dont want our country to end up like venezuela we want freedom not oppresion and I greatly thank our armed forces for what they did and our supreme court of justice for taking over plEase i BEG the international community to learn more of what happened here and stop hearing the words of the ignorant fool we had for president we dont want no hugo chavez we dont want ortega we want our country to withstand the elections coming on november and for the ones who are watching us to acknowledge our current goverement as legal and help us go still on the path of democracy dont believe the words of Zelaya ortega and Chavez the are not defending democracy ITS A LIE those words are just curtains of smoke covering their true ambitions they are the true enemy Viva HONDURAS Y VIVA NUESTRa DEMOCRACIA please dont let zelaya get back to presidency we dont want that those people of CNN that are protesting are the least minority they are a little group of people paid to create a revolt by Zelayas people the mayority of Honduras made their point we dont want zelaya we want our constitution no be intact AND international community OPEN YOUR EYES dont help Zelaya
JUANKA69
Jun 29th, 2009
Based on comments I’ve heard in the media from President Obama and Secretary Clinton and well as from other countries, I am not convinced they understand the facts on the ground, and the threat that President Zelaya represented. CNN has been especially egregious, characterizing President Zelaya as the victim.
Just imagine if Honduras has to bow to international pressure and reinstate Zelaya? I trust we all know that this would be horrible . Imagine if a US President brought in foreign help to change the constitution so the president could remain in office for life.
what has happened here followed the legal process for removing a renegade president and that it had support of the courts, congress and the military and the vast majority of citizenry. This was NOT a coup, but a criminal arrest. Hondurans should be applauded for how they handled this!
Carlos Ordoñez
Jun 29th, 2009
I’m a citizen of Honduras, I have lived in this country my whole life. I’m not rich, cannot go to live outside this country in case of trouble. IfI do so, it would be as a refugee. That been instated, I will state I’m oppose to any kind of dictator.
We have oppose to Zelaya’s abussive wrong doing for more than a year. Manifestation has occour, the same block that support him rigth now, has opposed him in the past. What can that tell you?
Carlos Ordoñez
Jun 29th, 2009
He has pay the poor class of this country and lied to them to get support. they support him because of a miserable donation it will last only days, because of a stuburn beleive in colors (political parties) and not reasoning to what it’s good for the country.
He has been oppose by thousand for more than a year. Last week where more than 10,000 citizens in San Pedro Sula, calling for a solution, and that landed in deaf ears.
Carlos Ordoñez
Jun 29th, 2009
Please look at out history for the last 3 years. We had massice unenplyment, health crisis, a infectuos pandemia at our doors, a eartquake wich destroy many bridges, I won’t go on, beacuse the list it’s to great. Was he concern about this? no. he hasn’t. His only concern was to abuse of power, use our poor country’s money as his on wallet. He has spent more time out side this country than working.
Where was CNN when the opposition started a year ago. 28 days hunger strike by a few district attorney against his orders. Where was CNN? so many civil rights violated by his inneptitud, and unwillingness to do his job.
It was’s a coup. I admit, it was the best choice, but on friday the 26th, he (Zelaya) stated a decret to take the illegal consult as legal (despise the rulling against it by the Supreme court), to call a assembly to change the constitution, which it’s illegal, and any act to do so it’s called treason by our law.
He was arrrested and deported. It wasnt’ a coup, We have our political goverment, not a millitary one. Please get your facts straight, then judge.
Carlos Ordoñez
Jun 29th, 2009
I misspell the third paragraph:
“It wasn’t a coup. I admit it wasn’t the best choice, but on friday the 26th, he (Zelaya) stated a decret to take the illegal consult as legal (despise the rulling against it by the Supreme court), to call a assembly to change the constitution, which it’s illegal, and any act to do so it’s called treason by our law.”
I will say it again: “it wasn’t a coup”
Honduras
Jun 29th, 2009
Greetings:
I write to you with great concern and alarm regarding the current political situation in the nation of Honduras. The truth of the sequence of events, as always, has been twisted, and citizens of the world have the right to know the true story. As a citizen of Honduras and truthful member of my society I stress to you and the rest of the world truthful information.
The world believes that the acts of the Honduran congress to fly the ex-president Mel Zelaya to Costa Rica was un-constitutional and an offense to democracy. But, the truth is that Mel Zelaya executed several federal crimes that granted the legislative and judicial branch of the Honduran government permission to remove Mel Zelaya of his presidency.
The acts commenced when Mel Zelaya chose to join the Alternative of Bolivarian States (ALBA) giving a shift to our nation from democratic-right to an extreme left. He divided the nation by insulting the productive sector and accusing them of the poverty, when they are the ones that supply the working force. This eventually led to Zelaya’s decision of “consulting the people” for a 4th ballot box in the elections. Zelaya then created a “survey”, which was proclaimed unconstitutional by the Tribunal Supremo Electoral (Electoral College), the Congress, the Supreme Court, the Human Rights System, and the Jury. The constitution allows the other two powers of the state to act against the third one if it fails to comply with the Constitution.
Mel decided to carry his illegal survey anyways. The Armed forces proclaims on its Constituent that they have to follow the law. This caused Mel Zelaya to make the decision of firing the Minister of Defense and the Commander of the Armed Forces, resulting with the resignation of the Commander of the Army, Navy and Air force. Honduras had no military leaders. Hence, there was no one in charge of carrying out the “survey”. It unraveled as follows:
• Mel entered by force into the Air Force base to get back his survey materials,
• The survey was carried out with a ballot box, finger ink, and identification requirements, no longer making it a survey but a vote,
• On Saturday June 27th, Mel chose to publish in La Gaceta (Law Newspaper) a law by himself saying that the result of the survey would summon a dictatorship that same day, perpetuating him on power,
• Mel was taken under Art. 323 of the Constitution by the military forces under law of the Judicial and the Legislative Branch
• Mel was expelled from the country, and according to lay the new president is the president of Congress.
• This is not a military coup because the Armed Forces General Romero Vasquez Velasquez would be the president; it is called by our constitution a Technical Power Succession.
• A new government is now in place under President Roberto Michelleti and democracy has triumphed.
The following are links to truthful sources of the current situation in our country. I wish that you keep your mind open on the matter and inform yourself with the correct information.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124623220955866301.html#mod%3Darticle-outset-box%26articleTabs%3Darticle
http://www.thenextright.com/category/blog-tags/alg
http://hondurans4democracy.blogspot.com/
I hope my voice is heard and that the truth eventually unravels, may peace prevail in our nation. God bless Honduras. PLEASE listen to us.
Saúl
Jun 29th, 2009
I´m a proud citizen of Honduras, today a openned my eyes beside my beautiful wife and baby girl and happily drove my car to work, if you understand what a military coup is? it wouldn´t allow me to have my given right of moving myself to work and get back to my home. We are proud because we defended our constitution, our democracy and our territory of Chavez intentions of spreading his evil seed of comunism, terror, can´t the foreign press understand that we defend the military coup and stand behind them because we love our democracy, we love our freedom which Zelaya wanted to control it with the same ideological ideas as Fidel, Chavez and Correa, we had a military coup because we whant our democracy back, we will have elections on November and no military as we speak is in control, we have a new president and tomorrow i will be focusing on my job and not the coup. It´s time for the foreign press to listen our voice and start making their job, we hate comunism, we hate that someone with all the world backing him up was planning to break our constitution and had the idea of extending his presidential term just the same as Chavez.
Do your job, stop being irresponsable, we want our freedom, our democracy and we will fight for it.