Nicaraguan Opposition presses for strike

Press, 28 August 1978, Page 9

Nicaraguan Opposition presses for strike

| NZPA Managua T.- Opposition and Gov-; ernment in Nicaragua I yesterday prepared for a; ! trial of strength over a nat-i iional strike intended to oust 'the Right-wing. President (General Anastasio Somoza), Reuter reported. ,

The strike had only a i limited impact when it started on Friday, but the organisers said it would take full. (force today. Some Opposition businessmen had already paid employees in advance and arranged to close i their shops and factories, ithey said. But the Government newspaper “Novedades” derided I the strike, calling it a complete and absolute failure.

The strike followed a heavy blow to President Somoza’s prestige with last week’s successful attack by Left-wing Sandinista guer-

trillas on the national palace, (the seat of Congress. The i guerrillas secured safe conduct to Panama for themiselves and more than 50 jailed comrades after holding several hundred hostages for two davs.

General Somoza, whose i family has been in power for the last 40 years, also faced a worsening economic situation, because the politi-. ;Cal unrest has led to a flight Of capital from Nicaragua. Unrest, including occasion-; al gunfire, was also reported; in the towns of Masaya, Leon, and Granada, where most citizens stayed indoors, and the streets were deserted except for military ve- ; hides, United Press International reports. I In Leon, 85km west of ■ Managua, students threw up (barricades around the Uni■iversjty of Nicaragua, and

National Guard troops fired vollies into the air to break up student demonstrations.

A banker said the business: community wanted General. Somoza to step down and a’ national Government to take: his place quickly before Communists turn Nicaragua into another Cuba.

In Granada, 45km east of the capital, taxi-drivers joined the general strike.

The Government at one point sent a helicopter over the regional university centre of * Carazo and dropped concussion grenades. according to witr nesses.

The armed clashes, which persisted all day in three ■ districts of Jinotepe, involved National Guardsmen and regional university students who were trying to force Jinotepe businessmen to join the general strike.