Word: pinochets
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...third such protest in as many months, it was unmistakable evidence that many Chileans can no longer tolerate the repressive regime of General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte. The two earlier protests drew larger crowds, but people were free to take to the streets then. Last week's outbreak occurred in the face of a major government crackdown...
...spoke out. Although the Reagan Administration has long given tacit support to the Chilean regime for its anti-Communist stance, some U.S. officials now fear that Pinochet's failure to promote democracy could plunge the country into civil war. The State Department specifically condemned the arrest of three prominent opposition leaders as "a regrettable manifestation of the serious tensions and divisions" in Chile, and called for "moderation and dialogue" leading to the restoration of democracy...
...protest was not the first of its kind. In May, Chileans engaged in similar demonstrations that left two dead and 150 injured. But last week's outbreak was far bigger and confirmed a growing, broad-based impatience with Pinochet. The demonstrators demanded an end to Chile's worsening economic crisis: inflation is running at about 35%, unemployment is at 21.9%, and real income has dropped 27% in the past two years. More significantly, the protesters also demanded an end to Chile's five-year-old state of emergency and a speedy return to democracy...
...Pinochet denounced the demonstrations as a Communist plot and vowed not to tolerate further opposition. "We will send the politicians back to their caves," he declared. "If it is necessary to harden the government, I'm going to harden it, push by push." The first push came the day after the demonstrations, when police arrested Seguel, who was taken from a friend's home and jailed for jeopardizing national security. Copper workers staged strikes at week's end to protest Seguel's arrest, halting production at three major mines. In an unusual television appearance, Pinochet adopted...
Opposition leaders have vowed to continue their protests until Pinochet yields to their demands, something the general has shown no signs of doing. The contest of wills in Chile is far from over...