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In
addition to the arrests, the
Traffic Police confiscated
five license plates of truck
that were obstructing in the
public road. / Traffic Police
courtesy photo
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Two
minors among the truck's drivers
protesters arrested by the anti-riot
police during the cleaning roads
riot operation
By the
A.M. Costa Rica staff
At midnight Tuesday, riot police
of the Ministry of Public Security
began the operation of clearing
roads that had been blocked by
truck drivers who are protesting
the new value-added tax that went
into effect Monday.
According to the police report,
during the operation 10 persons
were arrested, nine in the area of
Pérez Zeledón*
and one in the area of Matina*. All
were detained as consequences of
putting up resistance to police
removing the blockades.
Of those 10 arrested, two
are under 18 years of age. Police
did not identify them but said
they were taken to Juvenile
Criminal Prosecutor's Office of
Pérez Zeledón, under accusations
of causing disturbances on public
roads and obstruction of free
transit. They will remain in
custody until a judge
decided on pre-trial measures
against them.
The seven adult detainees in Pérez
Zeledón were identified with the
surnamed Godínez, Molina, Álvarez,
Madrigal, González and two with
the same surnamed Rojas. One more
detained man was identified by the
surname Murrillo. He was held in Guacimo*
near the Atlantic Coast.
All detained adults were taken to
the cells of the Public
Prosecutor's Office on suspicion
of causing disturbances on public
roads, violently opposing the
arrests and obstruction of free
transit. All of them must wait for
a judge to decide on pre-trial
measures for them.
According to Article 263 of the
Penal Code a penalty of 10 to 30
days in prison faces anyone who,
without authorization from the
competent authorities, prevents,
obstructs or hinders, in some
form, vehicular traffic or the
movement of passers-by.
In addition to the arrests, the
Traffic Police confiscated five
license plates of truck that were
obstructing in the public road. In
addition, fines may be levied
against the truck drivers.
According to the police report,
the special road control operation
was carried out in several sectors
of the country, mainly on the
routes to Limón on the Atlantic
Coast and Pérez Zeledón in the
south.
The order of this operation was
given by President Carlos Alvarado
Monday night because, as he said,
"the government tried until the
last minute to dialogue and seek
agreements with the truck drivers
to desist from the blockades, but
no consensus was reached to let us
have clear roads. Therefore, on
Monday night I gave the order to
clear the roads. "
Police had to use special
equipment and gas bombs to control
the areas where there were still
truck drivers blocking the roads.
Meanwhile, the president
personally was in communication,
monitoring the operation and the
application of protocols to
guarantee the order in the
country, said the Ministry of
Security in its statement.
Just the special operation in
Limón lasted about three and a
half hours, where in addition to
restoring the right of free
transit, "it was possible to
guarantee the clear road to 26 gas
transport trucks that were
escorted to San José to supply
some gas stations that had
reported shortages," said Michael
Soto, minister of Public Security.
During the day, there were more
operations for road control and
removal of obstacles in the roads,
in the areas of Guanacaste*,
Puntarenas*,
San Carlos*,
Limón* and
in the Pérez
Zeledón in south of the country.
Involved in the special recovery
operation to eliminate blockages
in the roads were police officers
of each zone, special riot police
know as the Police Intervention
Unit, the specialized intelligence
police know as Linces, the special
riot control patrol unit known as
the Special Support Unit, border
police officers, officers of the
Air Surveillance Service and
officers of the Traffic Police.
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Have the truck drivers' union
protests affected the traffic in
your community? We would like to
know your thoughts on this story.
Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com
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