Although the political unrest has not affected my town significantly (most people seem annoyed by all that's happening) and I spent my weekend in a small town called San Alejos riding dirt bikes to small communities for interviews, I have found that what I read online and what Hondurans say is going on is quite different.I was shocked when I got on the internet for the first time in two days and was overwhelmed with the information from the U.S. supporting the ousted President Manuel Zelaya.
Saturday I read La Prensa (national newspaper) and saw an add (look left) which says: "don't stain your hands with an illegal mark". The ex-president was trying to hold a vote to see if the people wanted to make an official vote to determine if he could gain the rights to make changes to the constitution. The people feared that he was going to try and do what Hugo Chavez did and assume control of the country (his main motive was to amend the constitution so it allowed the president to run for a second term). Most of those who I have talked to believe that the president does enough damage in one term and would gain too much power if he were allowed to stay for 8 years.
Most of Honduras disliked the president. The only people who supported him were the poorest people but I was told that was only because he raised minimum wage a small amount. Other than that he had not been that great for the people. I watched as the news reported that the military had kidnapped the president, the ambassador of Cuba and Venezuela and took them to Cuba. I was staying in a small town about 30 minutes from Tela called San Alejos and the people were relieved he was taking out of power before he tried to become a dictator by Chavez. They were slightly worried though because Chavez and Fidel threatened military force if the 4 urno (the vote to change the constitution) were not passed. They weren't sure what the response would be once they found out their ambassadors had been kidnapped.
Last night the head of the Congress was appointed as the new president. Although he was not a favorite the Hondurans supported him over Zelaya. We were afraid we wouldn't be able to return to Tela the next day because there were rumors that the police were trying to shut down all the streets to prevent rioting and protests. A curfew of 9pm has also been enforced for all of Honduras. This morning watching the news with Miguel's aunt and family friend it was reported that all of Central America and USA were boycotting Honduran exports. This was very upsetting because many of the people depend on the exports to survive. The family I was with just wants everything to be resolved.
When I got back to Tela and checked the internet I was so surprised that the rest of the world was against the coup. I thought they would support it since the president was doing illegal things and he was removed with the support of the people. It was also surprising because the Hondurans were counting on the support of the US, which I thought for sure they would have because Chavez and Fidel supported the president (meaning the pres. had to be bad news for everyone) but then I read:
Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez denounced Sunday's arrest of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya as a "coup d'etat" and alleged that the United States had a hand in his overthrow.
Speaking in Caracas, leftist leader Chavez urged US President Barack Obama to speak out about Zelaya's arrest just hours ahead of a controversial constitutional referendum, snapping that "the Yankee empire had a lot to do" with developments in Honduras.
"I call on the president of the United States to issue a statement as we have, rejecting this affront, which not only goes against Honduras but against all the peoples of Latin America," the Venezuelan leader declared, denouncing the action as a throwback to the past. "Troops were used to overthrow the government," Chavez said. "It's like so many coups that have taken place in Latin America over the past 100 years, against the wishes of the people and against a president who merely is trying to hold a popular vote," he told Venezuelan television.
Chavez also blamed Honduras's upper classes for the putsch, which he said "have turned Honduras into a 'banana republic', into a political, military and terror base for the North American empire." http://www.almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=92110&language=en
This is completely not true. I now understand that USA must condemn the actions otherwise it may create problems with other countries. However, I still believe the coup was warranted and I am hopeful that this will encourage a better government for the Hondurans.
Unfortunately, my friend I talked about before who was working for World Camp is being sent home. Her NGO doesn't want the new group that was to arrive this Thursday to come to Honduras. The group that was supposed to leave today is now stuck indefinitely in Honduras because the police shut down the road to San Pedro Sula. I of course think this is incredibly cool (I'm sure most people find it terribly inconvenient but how many people get to say they were trapped in another country?!)
For now I am quiet safe and loving Honduras more everyday. I ate fresh crab soup (I helped kill and clean the crabs, pick the limes coconut that were used to prepare it), traveled 30 min on a dirt road surrounded by huge palm trees to go swimming in the river, went to a church service where I was the guest of honor (the pastor happened to be a close family friend of the family we stayed with) and interviewed people in a community that didn't hve any running water or electricity.
**Things that only happen to me: Every time I walk through the town square there is a one legged man who is always sitting on a bench that shouts to me "Hey USA you wanna play basketball against me?"
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