Bizarre, but bus drivers in Bolivia are on strike because they want to drink-drive

Bolivia: drivers deepen strike against the penalties for driving drunk Publication: Clarin - Ultimo Momento
Provider: Clarin
March 4, 2010 (14:37) Bolivia faces the second day of public transport strike against the decree signed by President Evo Morales that severely punishes drunk driving.

In these two days of strike, police have arrested 62 drivers for damage to private vehicles, private property and public ornament. The protest takes place in the cities of La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba, Tarija, Potosi, Oruro and Sucre.

The measure was imposed by the Government of Bolivia in January after the death of some 79 people in several traffic accidents and in some cases showed that drivers driving while intoxicated.

Among the measures is the permanent loss of driver's license if a driver is found by police drunk driving, and permit the temporary cessation of operations of the companies involved in accidents.

Television footage showed the early hours of Thursday groups of drunken drivers threw stones at vehicles, whipping with belts to their colleagues who did not obey the strike, puncturing tires and blocking roads.

President Morales criticized the attitude of the protesters because they lose legitimacy in society by not joining in the defense of the lives of passengers at the drivers who drive drunk on public transport.

"With their drunkenness they kill themselves and kill other people. What kind of union we have, which advocates policies and programs to kill and to kill?" Questioned the president.

According to media, monitoring the call was almost universal in La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba, Tarija, Potosi, Oruro and Sucre, where, in addition, pickets of strikers blocked roads, highways and beaten with belts came to some colleagues who did not follow the protest action.

The executive secretary of the Confederation of Drivers criticized Bolivia's Government Minister Sacha Llorenti, asking "how is it possible that more than 150,000 drivers who belong to the confederation says we're drunk."

Posted By: Worzel Scrimmage, Mar 5, 16:24:14