ECUADOR’S PRESIDENT Rafael Correa has vowed to punish protesters who rebelled against his leadership, saying there would be “no forgiving nor forgetting” for those who plunged the country into anarchy.
Addressing cheering crowds from the balcony of the Carondelet Palace after being rescued from a besieged hospital in the capital, Mr Correa said the uprising was not a simple police insurrection over pay-related grievances but an attempt to overthrow him.
“Those people made the institution look so bad that they attacked their co-citizens, that they abused the weapons given to them by the society to which they belong, that they dishonoured the police uniform.
“Of course, all the people who can be identified will have the corresponding sanction. There will be no forgiving nor forgetting.”
Earlier yesterday soldiers stormed the hospital with automatic gunfire and stun grenades in a battle which left at least two dead and dozens injured, and enabled Mr Correa’s swift and triumphant return to the presidential palace.
Emotional and euphoric, he told supporters he would make an example of those responsible.
“What loyalty, what support,” he shouted to loud applause.
“This will serve as an example for those who want to stop the revolution not through the ballot box but with weapons.”
The rescue was the climax to a dramatic day in which a police revolt over austerity measures spiralled out of control, leaving airports and motorways blocked, borders sealed, the president assaulted and businesses looted.
Ecuador’s police chief Freddy Martinez resigned yesterday after failing to stop the rebellion, a spokesman for the force told Reuters.
The protests were triggered by a law passed by congress on Wednesday that would end the practice of giving medals and bonuses with each promotion, part of Mr Correa’s effort to save costs and slim bureaucracy.
Even before the protests, the government’s proposed austerity measures had triggered a political crisis and revolt by the president’s own party, the Country Alliance.
Mr Correa threatened to dissolve parliament and rule by decree until elections. – (Guardian service)