TEGUCIGALPA, (Reuters) – Supporters of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya clashed with soldiers and police for a second day yesterday as street protests over the June 28 army coup turned rowdy.
Security forces fired tear gas to disperse a crowd of thousands of demonstrators in the capital Tegucigalpa and protesters responded by throwing stones in a scuffle near Congress. The demonstration calmed down by the afternoon.
Zelaya’s overthrow, after opponents accused him of trying to change the constitution to allow presidential re-election, has thrust Honduras into the worst political crisis Central America has seen in years. Talks, mediated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, to resolve the standoff have so far made little progress as a de facto government headed by former Congress head Roberto Micheletti refuses to let Zelaya return to power.
Protests on Tuesday and yesterday by pro-Zelaya activists left broken windows at shops and fast-food restaurants and sent demonstrators fleeing clouds of tear gas. It was one of the few times that near-daily rallies have turned violent since the coup.
