President foils assassin

Press, 9 June 1980, Page 9

President foils assassin

NZPA-Reuter La Pazi A Bolivian Army security ii officer tried . to assassinate h the Bolivian President (Mrsli Lidia Gueiler) at the week- ■ > end but she managed to lock 11 herself in her apartment-and ; .i called one of her aides-de-jl camp to restrain the assail- 1 ant. I

•A man identified as Colonel Jorge Estrada, security chief in charge of President Gueilers’s protection, entered the Presidential residence i dressed in civilian clothes and armed with a rifle, and banged on the door of the President’s apartment. Answering Mrs Gueiler’s

call for help, the aide-de-camp rushed to the scene and managed to restrain Colonel Estrada, who railing against the President, said: “We’ve got to get rid of this Avoman, and we’ll .have peace in Bolivia.” Security agents then, arrested hijn.

Visibly shaken by the incident, Mrs Gueiler, who earlier in ’the morning had attended meetings with her Cabinet and the military, suffered a nervous breakdown and had to be treated by a doctor. Members of Bolivia’s military high command arrived at the Presidential residence a few minutes after-Colonel Estrada was arrested. On instructions from the Army command, all. members of the Presidential Guard were replaced.

Mrs Gueiler later went to Santa Cruz de la Sierra,

lOOOkms east of La Paz for rest.

The incident came after recent rumours of an imminent military coup. Service staff at the United States embassy in La Paz have found two sticks ofdynamite outside the door of the compound. The dynamite, which was probably planted early ’ in the morning, failed to go off. The United States Ambassador to Bolivia ’ (Mr Marvin' Weissman) has come under ' fire ' from conservatives who accused him of meddling in Bolvia’s domestic affairs. Posters proclaiming. “Weissman go home” have appeared on La Paz vyalls. In Cochambaba, '4ookms south-east of La Paz, two dynamite explosions damaged the antennas of a local radio station.