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UNCLAS LA PAZ 001290 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
PLEASE PASS TO S/ES; OPS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC BL
SUBJECT: BOLIVIA: JULY 9 MARCH ON EMBASSY SITREP #1 1030 EST 
 
 
June 9 2008 
 
SITUATION REPORT. This is the first of three situation 
reports planned for today. Subsequent reports will be sent at 
1100 and 1400, EST. Should the situation warrant additional 
updates, Post will provide them as needed. 
 
-EMBASSY COMPOUND: Compound is currently secure with no 
protesters. 
-USAID Building:  Currently there are no reports of any plans 
to march to USAID. 
 
 
¶1. (U) A scheduled march on the Embassy has begun, with 
crowds leaving government-stronghold El Alto and heading into 
La Paz as of 0900.  Crowds are expected to arrive between 
1000 and 1100.  Currently the Embassy has additional police 
protection with tear-gas and crowd control armor.  The CAC 
has been reinforced with steel shutters over the windows, and 
Embassy is at minimal staffing.  Press reports indicate that 
miners in the crowd are throwing dynamite.  They are also 
reported to be carrying tires, gasoline and molatov cocktails. 
 
¶2. (U)  Over the weekend government rhetoric continued to 
highlight the fact that former Minister of Defense Sanchez 
Berzain has received asylum in the United States fifteen 
months ago.  President Morales made a public statement on 
June 8, asking that the USG "help so that Bolivian justice 
could proceed in an impartial manner" against Sanchez 
Berzain, adding "We would wish that the U.S. government, not 
only the ambassador, would help us to bring justice against 
those who caused so much damage in Bolivia: economic damage, 
damage to human rights.  These individuals have to be 
judged."  Morales continued, "It is not possible that some 
people with bad political histories could be protected by 
Philip Goldberg and the government of the United States." 
Cuban Ambassador Rafael Dauza, who was with President Morales 
on June 8, said that the USG provides asylum to "refugees 
from justice" not only from Bolivia, claiming that 
"imperialism" does not respect "the justice of the people." 
 
¶3. (U)  Emboff based in El Alto reports that El Alto city 
councilman Roberto de la Cruz has called upon Altenos to 
march upon the Embassy and burn it, citing Sanchez Berzain's 
asylum case.  Estimates of the number of marchers vary 
widely: some news reports suggest that there are currently 
fewer than 10,000 marchers, while other reports suggest 
higher numbers.  Emboff reports that the participants are 
"angry." 
 
¶4. (U) Embassy La Paz expects to send another sitrep at 1100, 
once the crowds have arrived.  A third sitrep, either as 
events escalate or as the march dissipates, will be sent in 
the afternoon. 
GOLDBERG