Bolivia: protests against road construction reach Lapaz

Pressure mounts on Bolivian president as indigenous march continues and a strike locks down La Paz in ongoing conflict over Amazon road plan.The marchers are expected to reach La Paz on October 12. Social protests are common in Bolivia, the regions biggest natural gas exporter, but tensions have eased since Morales was elected in 2005 on pledges to give more political power to the indigenous majority.However, it is the second time in less than a year that he has faced fierce opposition from his own powerbase over a government policy. Late last year, a wave of strikes and street protests prompted him to roll back a hefty fuel hike.Protests by indigenous activists opposed to the road pose a dilemma for Morales, who has put the project at the heart of his strategy to improve the countrys dilapidated road system.As the indigenous marchers made their way from the eastern Amazon lowlands, union leaders organized a strike in La Paz, blocking off roads with bonfires.The Morales administration has accused demonstrators of trying to sabotage nationwide judicial elections this month, a claim protesters deny.At a public appearance on Thursday, Morales sat behind his Finance Minister Luis Arce Catacora, who announced a stipend for public employees. Morales did not speak at the event.The situation with indigenous marched peaked recently when police, who had been blocking the marchers path to La Paz, violently dispersed the demonstrators, causing an uproar across the country.Union leader Javier Caceres, said the government was out of line, but large corporations were the real enemy.