Paranoia On Display In Ecuador

Photo: Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa (Reuters / Stringer)

Ecuadorian President Warns Of Possible 'CIA Attack' Before Elections -- RT

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has said the CIA may try to kill him prior to upcoming elections. Citing reports of a plot to “destabilize the region,” Correa said the threats were “credible,” given the history of US involvement in Latin America.

­Correa alluded to reports by Chilean journalist Patricio Mery Bell, who allegedly passed on information to the Ecuadorian government that President Correa’s life was “under threat” by a CIA plot.

“There are many cases of [the CIA] interfering” in Latin American affairs, Correa said during a campaign tour in the coastal province of Guayas. “These are credible [reports] because this has happened before in Latin America.”

The head of the US diplomatic mission in Quito, Adam Nann, responded to Bell's claims by saying that Washington “would never get involved” in Ecuador's electoral process.

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My Comment: So a Chilean journalist has evidence of a plot .... but does not provide any. RT is a Russian news service .... even they are mocking this report. But such is the state of affairs in Ecuador.

Update: Not to be outdone .... Bolivia is now saying that there is a CIA plot against it's leader.

Unrest In Ecuador -- News Roundup October 2, 2010

Ecuador: When The Cops Took On The President -- Time Magazine

The good news from Ecuador is that no coup materialized on Thursday after angry national police officers roughed up President Rafael Correa — who in his own rage dared them to "kill me!" — and kept him sequestered in a Quito hospital before soldiers extracted him that night. The bad news is that Ecuador — which has seen seven different governments in the past 13 years — has yet another volatile political crisis on its hands, just when it looked as though it was finally morphing into a more stable, oil-rich Latin American nation. The question now: Will Correa work to calm the country, which is part of the leftist, anti-U.S. bloc headed by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, or will he use Thursday's melee as an excuse to dissolve Congress and go after his foes?

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More News On the Unrest In Ecuador

'Coup' drama plunges Ecuador into uncertainty -- BBC
Ecuador calm after police unrest -- Al Jazeera
Police unrest under control, Ecuador official says -- L.A. Times
Ecuador's president promises to punish his enemies after day of chaos -- The Guardian
Five killed amid Ecuador attempted 'coup' -- The Telegraph
Ecuador's Correa Asserts Control, Police Chief Quits -- New York Times/Reuters
Ecuador Police Chief Resigns After Uprising -- New York Times
State of siege in Ecuador as Rafeal Correa takes on rebel police -- Christian Science Monitor
Ecuador neighbours reopen borders after 'coup attempt' -- BBC
Dramatic Video of a Standoff in Ecuador -- New York Times
Correa May Use Failed Uprising to Push Ecuador Changes -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Ecuador revolt: Attempted coup or uprising? -- Yahoo News/AP

A State Of Emergency Is Declared In Ecuador

Ecuador Calls State of Emergency -- Wall Street Journal

QUITO—Ecuador declared a state of emergency on Thursday as protests by police and some members of the military led to nationwide unrest, accusations of a coup d'etat, and the dramatic rescue by army troops of the country's president, who was holed up in a hospital after being tear-gassed by police.

The troubles seemed to tilt dangerously when police protesting cuts to their benefits surrounded a hospital where President Rafael Correa was being treated after inhaling tear gas during an earlier visit to a police barracks. Mr. Correa's office said the police would not allow him to leave the hospital and were holding him hostage.

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More News On the Unrest In Ecuador

Standoff in Ecuador Ends With Rescue of the President -- New York Times
Ecuadorean troops rescue leader from rebel police -- AP
Ecuador riots: FCO advises travellers to stay indoors -- The Daily Mail
Ecuador Troops Rescue President from Hospital -- Voice of America
Ecuador soldiers rescue president amid revolt by police -- L.A. Times
Ecuador unrest: 'kidnapped' President Rafael Correa rescued -- The Telegraph
Ecuador's Troops Free President Held Captive -- NPR (Audio)
Ecuador attempted coup: president vows to punish rebels -- The Guardian
Unrest grips Ecuador, threatening President Rafael Correa -- L.A. Times
Q+A: Risks to Ecuador's oil and mining sectors -- Reuters
In pictures: Quito unrest -- Financial Times
A strike against democracy -- The Economist

President Of Ecuador Claims Coup D'Etat As National Police Go On Strike. State Of Emergency Declared

Police Launch Massive Protest In Ecuador -- Wall Street Journal

QUITO—Members of Ecuador's national police and air force Thursday launched a massive strike against the government of President Rafael Correa.

The heated protests started after the Correa administration went ahead with overhauls that will cut benefits and affect decorations that increase remuneration for the police and military.

Police officials burned tires in the streets and protested against the government, while air force officials shut down the airport in Quito. The army has said it supports President Correa.

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More News On The Unrest In Ecuador

Ecuador declares state of emergency amid 'coup attempt' -- BBC
Ecuador's president, claiming coup attempt, 'won't relent' -- CNN
Protesting police throw Ecuador into chaos -- AP
Correa Claims Ecuador Coup Attempt After Scuffling With Police -- Bloomberg
Ecuador in turmoil as president denounces 'coup attempt' -- AFP
President attacked in Ecuador unrest -- Reuters
Ecuador thrown into chaos as police and troops take over airport -- The Guardian
Ecuador President injured in ‘coup’ -- The Telegraph
Peru's Garcia says to shut Ecuador border due unrest -- Reuters
US watches Ecuador events closely -- AFP

Rebel Video Hounds Ecuador's Correa

In this frame grab taken from an undated video found on a computer seized during the arrest of an alleged senior operative of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, in Bogota shows the rebel groups number two commander Jorge Briceno aka Mono Jojoy. The Associated Press has obtained the video that appears to dispel any doubts that Colombia's main rebel army gave money to the 2006 election campaign of President Rafael Correa of Ecuador. (AP Photo/APTN)

From Yahoo News/AP:

BOGOTA – An hour-long video police found in a computer of an alleged rebel appears to confirm that Colombia's largest rebel army gave money to the 2006 election campaign of President Rafael Correa of Ecuador.

The video shows the second-ranking commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia reading the deathbed manifesto of founding leader Manuel "Sureshot" Marulanda. The manifesto states that the FARC made contributions to Correa's campaign, but it's possible that Correa wasn't aware of them.

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My Comment: Now we know where some of the FARC's narco dollars went to.

This is a smoking gun .... if I was a politician or news reporter in Ecuador, I will start demanding some answers.