[In Bolivia General Banzer's right-wing military dictatorship is…]

Scan page 3

In Bolivia General Banzer's right-wing military dictatorship is still reeling under the blow of the tin miners' strike.

Banzer, fearing increasingly for the loyalty of his troops, has been touring the barracks in an effort to hold morale together.

On June 29th the government announced the end of the strike. But subsequent reports from other sources say that it continues -which suggests that the government's announcement was a desperate ruse to try to end the monthlong stoppage.

The events in Bolivia have been followed in neighbouring Peru by one of the largest and probably the most threatening demonstrations of mass opposition to the reactionary, but left-talking, military junta since it came to office in 1968.

Like the events in Poland a few days earlier, Peru's massive protests were sparked off by very sharp price increases, in this case resulting mainly from the sudden devaluation of the sol by 44%.

The regime of General Morales Bermudez was taken aback by the sharp reaction which included strikes by workers and small traders and violent confrontations in the poverty-stricken shanty towns around Lima, where buses were overturned to make barricades against police attacks.

At least five demonstrators were killed by police on the first day of the riots.

The government declared a state of emergency, suspending constitutional guarantees (such as they an and imposing a 10pm to 5al curfew.

It tried to calm the demol strators by offering a £3 a week pa rise. But this is only a small fractio of the cut in real wages caused b the price increases, and it had in discernible political effect.

In both Bolivia and Peru t severely weakened military dict torships are living on borrowe ime. They can now last only ! long as the working class fails 1 find a clear and principled leade ship.

Scan page 4

L1CT ward