Venezuela mobilises military before TV closure
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| Published on Saturday, May 26, 2007 |
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CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters): Dozens of armored cars and military vehicles filled highways in Caracas on Friday in a show of force ahead of the controversial closure of an opposition television station, a military source said.
He said the government was preparing for possible violent demonstrations by critics of President Hugo Chavez who oppose the government's plan to take the RCTV station off the air on Sunday.
Government leaders in recent weeks have repeatedly warned that opposition demonstrators are preparing a "destabilization campaign" to spark street violence as RCTV loses its license.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Raul Baduel on Friday told state news agency ABN that "minority groups cannot go against the will of the majority of the Venezuelan people to create uncertainty in the case of RCTV's license."
He did not explain the deployment of the National Guard, including troop-carriers, motorcycle convoys and armored anti-riot vehicles, seen by a Reuters witness.
Opposition leaders say the government's closure of RCTV shows Chavez is clamping down on free speech as part of his self-styled socialist revolution.
The government accuses RCTV of supporting a failed 2002 coup and is preparing to replace it with a state-run public service channel.
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