Thousands of Shi'ite Muslim and Christian protesters blocked
roads across Lebanon with blazing tires yesterday ramping up
actions to oust the government. Three were killed and at least 50
people were wounded in gunfire between rival factions.
At least 48 people were hurt in scuffles, especially in Beirut
and in Christian neighborhoods, security sources said.
Black smoke billowed over Beirut as demonstrators shut main
roads, including those to the port and international airport,
crippling transport across the city. Black-masked Hezbollah
organizers prowled the streets on motorcycles, walkie-talkies
clamped to their mouths.
Lebanese soldiers fired into the air to keep stone-throwing
crowds apart in Beirut and on a highway to the north. Daily life
was paralyzed in the capital and many other areas of Lebanon.
"This government only understands force and today is only a
small lesson," protester Jamil Wahb said in the Shi'ite southern
suburbs. "We will stay here until they give in."
The strike dramatically escalates a Hezbollah-led campaign,
supported by Syria and Iran, and its allies to replace the
government and hold early parliamentary elections.
The army, which has been guarding government offices in central
Beirut since the opposition began protesting on December 1, has few
extra troops to deploy. It finds itself stretched after moving
thousands of men to south Lebanon and the Syrian border following
Hezbollah's war with Israel last year.
One Christian leader said yesterday's protests were tantamount
to a coup attempt against the Western-backed government.
PM remains defiant
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has shrugged off opposition demands
and announced an economic reform plan ahead of a conference
tomorrow in Paris, where foreign donors are expected to pledge
billions of dollars for Lebanon's debt-laden economy.
A senior US official said the Paris conference would bring
much-needed economic and political support to the beleaguered
Lebanese government.
Demonstrators blocked roads to Beirut airport with burning tires
and earth barricades. Several Arab and international airlines
suspended flights, though the national flag carrier Middle East
Airlines made no such announcement.
The opposition campaign has raised tension between Sunnis and
Shi'ites in Lebanon, still recovering from a civil war that lasted
from 1975 to 1990. The government is backed by anti-Syrian Sunni
leader Saad al-Hariri but its opponents include Shi'ite groups
Hezbollah and Amal, leaving Christians split between the two
camps.
(China Daily January 24, 2007)
