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Protest against road toll closes Colombia-Venezuela border bridges |
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13:35, July 05, 2007 |
Residents of the Colombia-Venezuela border region blocked highways on Wednesday in demand for the removal of a road toll imposed by the Colombian government on one of the busiest border highways in South America.
Two international bridges, the Simon Bolivar and the Francisco de Paula Santander, have been closed since Monday, as truckers, gasoline sellers, traders and local residents of Norte de Santander set up barricades, leaving hundreds of cars stranded.
The protestors threw rocks and police responded with tear gas.
"They cannot charge us in an area where we have to come and go daily because of our work," said trader Gladis Arenas, who said her earnings would be seriously affected by the charge.
But Alvaro Soto, a government official, defended the toll, saying those vehicles that pass here have paid "much less than in any other Colombian region."
The toll will be used to maintain local roads, he said.
Police said that the demonstrators were using the Venezuelan territory to sidestep the Colombian police.
Some 40,000 vehicles cross the border every day, and international trade matters much for generating local income.
Source: Xinhua
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