Honduras on Slippery Slope

Booman blogged on Honduras yesterday, not once, but twice since there was a dramatic development during the day with (deposed) president Zelaya’s surprising return to the country. Using various transportation, a 15 hour trek through the country brought him to the Brazilian embassy where he is currently located. Zelaya obviously has considerable popular support – in spite of a curfew declared by the coup leaders – thousands gathered in the streets to show their support.
::

Today, there have been dramatic developments. In retaliation, the coup makers have cut of all utilities to the Brazilian embassy.

Honduran security forces are patrolling the area around Brazil’s embassy in the capital after clashes with supporters of ousted president Manuel Zelaya.
Mr Zelaya, who has taken refuge inside, accuses the interim authorities of attempting to “asphyxiate” the embassy by cutting off supplies.
The embassy’s lights, water and phones have been cut off and the only contact is by mobile phone, Brazil’s media say.
[…]

That is certainly a hostile act against the sovereign territory of Brazil and a clear indication that the coup makers are no boy scouts. The OAS, the EU and the Vatican condemned the coup when it took place, but there has been hardly any bark and certainly no bite in dealing with the coup. In fact, the IMF has recently extended credit to the tune of $164 million.

[…]
No country in the world recognizes the coup government of Honduras. From the Western Hemisphere and the European Union, only the United States retains an ambassador there. The World Bank paused lending to Honduras two days after the coup, and the Inter-American Development Bank did the same the next day. More recently the Central American Bank of Economic Integration suspended credit to Honduras. The European Union has suspended over $90 million in aid as well, and is considering further sanctions.
But the IMF has gone ahead and dumped a large amount of money on Honduras — the equivalent would be more than $160 billion in the United States — as though everything is okay there.
[…]

Time for the Obama administration to deal more forcefully with the thugs.

10 Comments

ask on September 22, 2009 at 5:53 pm

We had a freeper spawn coming by in Booman’s first thread last night.
Link

dada on September 22, 2009 at 8:32 pm

you showed admirable restraint…but there’s really no reasoning with the likes of them. personally, l was sorely tempted to nuke them.

dada on September 22, 2009 at 8:35 pm

micheletti’s losing it, first he attempts to lock down the entire country…to no avail…then he threatens to invade the Brazilian embassy. from l giordano at the field:

Radio Globo now reports that the same Supreme Court that contorted the Honduran Constitution to create a legaloid curtain around the June 28 coup d’etat is now meeting to cook up its latest kangaroo jump: a court order to invade the Embassy – under International Law, Brazilian territory – to capture (or assassinate) President Zelaya.

but that didn’t work out so well. so rather than escalate an already tense situation, and create an international breach, he backed down:

3:18 p.m.: Micheletti blinks:

Honduras’ de facto leader, Roberto Micheletti, said on Tuesday he has no intention of confronting Brazil or entering its embassy where ousted President Manuel Zelaya has taken refuge to avoid arrest.

“We will do absolutely nothing to confront another brotherly nation. We we want them to understand that they should give him political asylum (in Brazil) or turn him over to Honduran authorities to be tried,” Micheletti told Reuters.

…

5:57 p.m.: Brazil has now put its request for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council in writing. It clearly considers the hostile actions by the Honduras coup regime of cutting water, telephone and electricity to its Embassy and the physical intervention by regime security forces to prevent food, water or other provisions from entering the building as acts of war.

thugs is right…and none to bright either. it’s going to be a long night.

ask on September 22, 2009 at 8:55 pm

Let’s see if the SC will react. Here’s Reuters’ recent report:

Brazil requests U.N. meeting on Honduras

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Brazil said on Tuesday it is requesting an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to address the crisis in Honduras in the wake of ousted President Manuel Zelaya’s return to the country.

In a letter to the members of the council, Brazil said it is concerned “with the safety of President Zelaya and with the security and the physical integrity of the (Brazilian) embassy premises and personnel.”
[…]

Oui on September 23, 2009 at 3:40 am

Transcript of a Press Briefing by Mr. David Hawley, Senior Advisor, External Relations Department, IMF [Sept. 10, 2009]

QUESTIONER (online): Could you please clarify the conditions under which Honduras could access the SDR allocation?

MR. HAWLEY: Well, as we’ve already announced, the Fund recently approved a global allocation of SDRs of about $250 billion in special drawing rights. These are intended to supplement the reserves of all 186 members of the IMF. Honduras’s share of this allocation proportional to its quota in the Fund, is about $163 million — $163 million. However, the present regime in de facto control is not able to use these SDRs until a decision is made whether the Fund will deal with this regime as the government of Honduras.

Internet blogging and rumor

"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

ask on September 23, 2009 at 5:20 pm

Spoiling Manuel Zelaya’s homecoming

The US should not stand by while the coup government in Honduras brutally cracks down on Manuel Zelaya’s supporters
[…]
Now that Manuel Zelaya has returned to Honduras, the coup government – after first denying that he was there – has unleashed a wave of repression to prevent people from gathering support for their elected president.

This is how US secretary of state Hillary Clinton described the first phase of this new repression Monday night in a press conference: “I think that the government imposed a curfew, we just learned, to try to get people off the streets so that there couldn’t be unforeseen developments.”
[…]
The strategy goes like this: they control the national media, which has been deployed to convince about 30-40% of the population that their elected president is an agent of a foreign government who seeks to turn the country into a socialist prison. However, that still leaves the majority, who have managed to find access to other information.

The strategy for dealing with them has been to try to render them powerless – through thousands of arrests, beatings and even some selective killings. This has been documented, reported and denounced by major human rights organisations throughout the world: Amnesty International, the Centre for Justice and International Law, Human Rights Watch, the Inter American Commission on Human Rights and others.
[…]

SOS Clinton’s comments are simply totally inadequate…

dada on September 23, 2009 at 7:00 pm

according to al giordano, none other than lanny davis… clintonista, bff with lieberman, and general all round mouthpiece for hire…is up to his earlobes in the spin cycle:

…last night’s regime press conference – held embarrassingly and hastily in English, as if there wasn’t time to translate the incoherent drivel that US lobbyist Lanny Davis wrote for them to recite – the Honduras coup regime is now in flail mode. All it can do is attempt pathetic media stunts like that and turn up the brutality of its repression of its own people: a formula for continued repudiation and total self-destruction.

can you say that state, and specifically hillary, may have a conflict of interest?…and by association, obama?…l knew you could.
- ask on September 23, 2009 at 8:28 pm
  
  And, hardly anyone cares…
- observer393 on September 26, 2009 at 1:18 am
  
  And that isnt even surprising

ask on September 24, 2009 at 7:43 am

Ban suspends UN assistance to Honduran electoral body

23 September 2009 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has temporarily suspended United Nations technical assistance to the electoral authority in Honduras, saying current conditions are not conducive to the holding of credible polls.
[…]
Mr. Ban “does not believe conditions are currently in place for the holding of credible elections that would advance peace and stability,” his spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the UN is concerned about the current situation and allegations of human rights violations.

ask on September 22, 2009 at 5:53 pm

We had a freeper spawn coming by in Booman’s first thread last night.
- dada on September 22, 2009 at 8:32 pm
  
  you showed admirable restraint…but there’s really no reasoning with the likes of them. personally, l was sorely tempted to nuke them.
dada on September 22, 2009 at 8:35 pm

micheletti’s losing it, first he attempts to lock down the entire country…to no avail…then he threatens to invade the Brazilian embassy. from l giordano at the field:

Radio Globo now reports that the same Supreme Court that contorted the Honduran Constitution to create a legaloid curtain around the June 28 coup d’etat is now meeting to cook up its latest kangaroo jump: a court order to invade the Embassy – under International Law, Brazilian territory – to capture (or assassinate) President Zelaya.

but that didn’t work out so well. so rather than escalate an already tense situation, and create an international breach, he backed down:

3:18 p.m.: Micheletti blinks:

Honduras’ de facto leader, Roberto Micheletti, said on Tuesday he has no intention of confronting Brazil or entering its embassy where ousted President Manuel Zelaya has taken refuge to avoid arrest.

“We will do absolutely nothing to confront another brotherly nation. We we want them to understand that they should give him political asylum (in Brazil) or turn him over to Honduran authorities to be tried,” Micheletti told Reuters.

…

5:57 p.m.: Brazil has now put its request for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council in writing. It clearly considers the hostile actions by the Honduras coup regime of cutting water, telephone and electricity to its Embassy and the physical intervention by regime security forces to prevent food, water or other provisions from entering the building as acts of war.

thugs is right…and none to bright either. it’s going to be a long night.
- ask on September 22, 2009 at 8:55 pm
  
  Let’s see if the SC will react. Here’s Reuters’ recent report:
  
  Brazil requests U.N. meeting on Honduras
  
  NEW YORK (Reuters) – Brazil said on Tuesday it is requesting an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to address the crisis in Honduras in the wake of ousted President Manuel Zelaya’s return to the country.
  
  In a letter to the members of the council, Brazil said it is concerned “with the safety of President Zelaya and with the security and the physical integrity of the (Brazilian) embassy premises and personnel.”
  […]
Oui on September 23, 2009 at 3:40 am

.

Transcript of a Press Briefing by Mr. David Hawley, Senior Advisor, External Relations Department, IMF [Sept. 10, 2009]

QUESTIONER (online): Could you please clarify the conditions under which Honduras could access the SDR allocation?

MR. HAWLEY: Well, as we’ve already announced, the Fund recently approved a global allocation of SDRs of about $250 billion in special drawing rights. These are intended to supplement the reserves of all 186 members of the IMF. Honduras’s share of this allocation proportional to its quota in the Fund, is about $163 million — $163 million. However, the present regime in de facto control is not able to use these SDRs until a decision is made whether the Fund will deal with this regime as the government of Honduras.

Internet blogging and rumor
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
ask on September 23, 2009 at 5:20 pm

Spoiling Manuel Zelaya’s homecoming

The US should not stand by while the coup government in Honduras brutally cracks down on Manuel Zelaya’s supporters
[…]
Now that Manuel Zelaya has returned to Honduras, the coup government – after first denying that he was there – has unleashed a wave of repression to prevent people from gathering support for their elected president.

This is how US secretary of state Hillary Clinton described the first phase of this new repression Monday night in a press conference: “I think that the government imposed a curfew, we just learned, to try to get people off the streets so that there couldn’t be unforeseen developments.”
[…]
The strategy goes like this: they control the national media, which has been deployed to convince about 30-40% of the population that their elected president is an agent of a foreign government who seeks to turn the country into a socialist prison. However, that still leaves the majority, who have managed to find access to other information.

The strategy for dealing with them has been to try to render them powerless – through thousands of arrests, beatings and even some selective killings. This has been documented, reported and denounced by major human rights organisations throughout the world: Amnesty International, the Centre for Justice and International Law, Human Rights Watch, the Inter American Commission on Human Rights and others.
[…]

SOS Clinton’s comments are simply totally inadequate…
- dada on September 23, 2009 at 7:00 pm
  
  according to al giordano, none other than lanny davis… clintonista, bff with lieberman, and general all round mouthpiece for hire…is up to his earlobes in the spin cycle:
  
  …last night’s regime press conference – held embarrassingly and hastily in English, as if there wasn’t time to translate the incoherent drivel that US lobbyist Lanny Davis wrote for them to recite – the Honduras coup regime is now in flail mode. All it can do is attempt pathetic media stunts like that and turn up the brutality of its repression of its own people: a formula for continued repudiation and total self-destruction.
  
  can you say that state, and specifically hillary, may have a conflict of interest?…and by association, obama?…l knew you could.
  - ask on September 23, 2009 at 8:28 pm
    
    And, hardly anyone cares…
  - observer393 on September 26, 2009 at 1:18 am
    
    And that isnt even surprising
ask on September 24, 2009 at 7:43 am

Ban suspends UN assistance to Honduran electoral body

23 September 2009 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has temporarily suspended United Nations technical assistance to the electoral authority in Honduras, saying current conditions are not conducive to the holding of credible polls.
[…]
Mr. Ban “does not believe conditions are currently in place for the holding of credible elections that would advance peace and stability,” his spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the UN is concerned about the current situation and allegations of human rights violations.

Honduras on Slippery Slope

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