Archive for October 5th, 2002

Venezuela: Phantom Coup or Comic Opera?

October 5, 2002

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez claimed to have foiled a coup attempt against him today. The truth was that the “coup” appeared to be more like a comic opera in the words of its suspected leader 83-year old Enrique Tejera Paris. In the middle of the night military and intelligence police searched his home accusing him of plotting to kill the Secretary General of the OAS Cesar Gaviria who had left on Friday. During the raid a map supposedly was found that described the takeover of the Presidential palace with local police (??). When Tejera Paris, a former Minister of Foreign Relations, showed up at the Intelligence police there was no formal opening of a case against him and he was not even detained. Chavez Foiled or Chavez Folly? You be the judge.


(That Mr. Tejera may be conspiring against Chavez may be true, roughly 60% of the population appears to be doing it, including me. The fact that he was not detained proves there was no solid evidence against Mr. Tejera and Mr. Chavez is simply VERY paranoid))