Peru farmers' protest leads to state of emergency
Lima - The authorities in Peru have declared a state of emergency in eight provinces following clashes between striking farmers and police, in which one person died. The farmers have blocked main roads and railways in protest against a free-trade agreement signed with the United States in December.
The farmers are demanding talks with the government. They are worried that Peru will be swamped by subsidised US agricultural produce as a result of the agreement.
Thousands of travellers were stranded by the protests, including hundreds of tourists bound for Peru's top tourist attraction, the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. The Pan American highway was also blocked, north and the south of the capital Lima.
|