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Crippling
Venezuelan Strike Continues, Oil Industry Badly Hit
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Venezuelan
Army soldiers stand guard at a gas station in Caracas after the strike started
to badly disrupt the country's vital oil industry
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CARACAS,
December 8 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Thousands of people
across Venezuela staged noisy protests late Sunday, December 8, as a
crippling general strike headed for a second week amid fears of
escalating violence and concern over oil exports.
Minutes
after organizers announced a continuation of the strike and the
anti-government protests, crowds took to the streets of Caracas and
other cities, banging pots and pans and calling for the resignation of
President Hugo Chavez, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Defiant
opposition leaders vowed to continue indefinitely a general strike
against Chavez, which has begun to badly disrupt the country's vital oil
industry, said BBC News Online. They have called for more workers to
join the strike - a call most recently answered by the country's
domestic airlines pilots and workers in the countries largest aluminum
plant.
With
no end in sight to the strike, Chavez stepped up his rhetoric against
the opposition Sunday, accusing them of trying to force him from power
unconstitutionally, BBC added. He has warned that he may declare a state
of emergency if the disruption continues to escalate.
Chavez
also accused the opposition of trying to sabotage the oil industry,
saying that they, along with foreign supporters, wanted to seize control
of PDVSA, the state oil company.
"They
won't stop the oil company, they won't rob Venezuela of its
happiness," he shouted, grabbing a plastic model of the baby Jesus
from a crib on his desk and kissing it, said BBC.
He
deployed troops to oil installations affected by the protests, further
fueling tension that surged Friday, December 6, when a gunman shot three
people during a rally.
Crude
production has been severely hit by the strike, triggering unease on
international oil markets concerned over supplies from Venezuela, the
world's fifth-largest exporter.
In
a rambling address, Chavez accused the country's main employers and
trade union groups, backed by foreign interests, of stirring the
conflict in a bid to topple him and seize control of the lucrative oil
industry.
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"I call on all Venezuelans to defend our oil industry," said Chavez
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"It
is a terrorist plan," he said in his "Hello, President"
radio program.
"I
call on all Venezuelans to defend our oil industry," he added,
quoted by AFP.
Shortly
after his address, military troops used tear gas to disperse protesters
in Puerto La Cruz, the main oil exporting port located 220 kilometers,
(140 miles) east of Caracas.
A
manager of the state-run oil company, who supports the strike, said
"non-authorized personnel backed by the National Guard," had
sought to gain control of installations, which are virtually paralyzed
by the strike.
On
Saturday, December 7, navy troops took over an oil tanker of the
Petroleos de Venezuela oil company whose captain was among several to
join the nationwide strike.
The
company declared "force majeure" – an event that cannot be
reasonably prevented or controlled – to avoid facing fines if it fails
to comply with its export commitments.
"The
situation will cause delays. Therefore we decree force majeure in the
export of products," the daily El Universal quoted company
vice-president Jorge Kamkoff as saying.
The
strike could deal a major blow to the government if it continues
affecting the oil sector, which accounts for more than 50 percent of
government income and 80 percent of foreign exchange revenue, according
to AFP.
Severe
fuel shortages were reported in several parts of the country, and
shoppers stormed stores that remained open to stock up on basic
necessities.
The
strike is led by the country's main employers and trade union groups, as
well as civic movements, and is backed by military officers who have
declared themselves in rebellion.
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