Protesters demand return of ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya

Protesters in Honduras yesterday put up roadblocks in the capital, Tegucigalpa, as they demanded the return of the president, Manuel Zelaya, hours after he was ousted in a military coup.

Hundreds of people, some wearing masks and armed with sticks, put up barricades near the presidential palace as governments across the region condemned the first military overthrow in central America since the end of the cold war.

What has so far been a bloodless coup could yet turn lethal.

Shots were fired near the presidential palace last night,but it was unclear who was shooting or whether there were any casualties.

Soldiers seized Zelaya, who was in his pyjamas, early yesterday and took him to neighbouring Costa Rica by plane.

The 56-year-old president, looking dishevelled but calm, said he had been expelled by "rightwing oligarchs" and promised to return to Honduras.

Zelaya, who had been in office since 2006, was ousted after clashing with the judiciary, congress and the army over proposed constitutional changes that would allow presidents to seek re-election.

The US and European Union joined Latin American governments in denouncing the coup.

In Honduras, however, the establishment rallied around the army's action.

Congress named an interim president, Roberto Micheletti, who announced an immediate curfew for Sunday and Monday nights. The country's leading court said it had authorised the toppling of the president.

The protests in Tegucigalpa were small, but defiant civilians shouted insults and slapped soldiers occupying the presidential palace. Most Hondurans, who are bitterly divided over Zelaya, stayed indoors.

The deposed leader was due to meet leftwing allies in Nicaragua today for an emergency summit likely to be dominated by Zelaya's mentor, the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez.

Chávez put Venezuelan troops on alert and vowed do everything necessary to restore his ally, whom he claimed may have been ousted by Washington's hand.

www.guardian.co.uk...

Jeez this sounds exactly like what happened to Chavez.

Watch what happened to Chavez

Google Video Link

Similarities are self evident.

If Chavez, Castro, Ortego, and now Obama are against this action. Something tells me we should support it.

Hmmm if a military throws out a politician that is defying the constitution of a country, it seems there is a reason why Obama, Chavez, Ortega and Castro would be against this action since all of the above don't really care about the rule of law when it stands in the way of their agendas.

online.wsj.com...

It remains to be seen what Mr. Zelaya's next move will be. It's not surprising that chavistas throughout the region are claiming that he was victim of a military coup. They want to hide the fact that the military was acting on a court order to defend the rule of law and the constitution, and that the Congress asserted itself for that purpose, too.

Many Hondurans are going to be celebrating Mr. Zelaya's foreign excursion. Street protests against his heavy-handed tactics had already begun last week. On Friday a large number of military reservists took their turn. "We won't go backwards," one sign said. "We want to live in peace, freedom and development."

It seems that the "protesters" are actually Chavez puppets and not really a representation of the Honduran people.

Once again, bonehead Obama and Clinton are on the wrong side. You have to ask yourself what agenda is being fulfilled by allowing this illegitimate foreign *president* to remain in power.

Hmmmm, sounds strikingly familiar. What other coutry has an illegitimate foreign president in power whose sole purpose is to fulfil the global elite's agenda?!?!?

My god, it's full of stars......