Valparaiso, Chile
On January 29 striking port workers in Valparaiso were threatened by soldiers and naval troops in an action which resembles the Pinochet dictatorship which ruled Chile until recently.
200 workers had blocked the road to prevent trucks entering the port to protest government delay in implementing port reorganization
At 14:45 Chilean time, around 20 soldiers carrying M-16 RIFLES closed in on the workers. Simultaneously, 2 truckloads of naval troops arrived. The workers leaders, alarmed, ended the confrontation by withdrawing the protesters.
Earl Gilman
El Nuevo Topo magazine
