Thousands of Hondurans were mobilized throughout the country to start the process of collecting signatures, which will end on June 28, the first anniversary of the military coup. The aim is to show the current government and the powers who staged the coup, that the people demand the reestablishment of Honduras through a new constitution. After the mobilization, they denounced the kidnapping of a well-known activist of the Resistance.
Ten months have passed since the day that the Honduran people we were severed of their aspirations to determine their own destiny.
On the morning of June 28, 2009, people had woken up early and were prepared to get out and vote in the referendum. It was to decide the presence of a fourth ballot in the November election, which would vote for the installation of a Constituent Assembly.
The powers that control politics and economy, in collusion with the repressive forces of the State and its international allies, violently suppressed and banished the legitimate President of Honduras.
What we did not anticipate was the reaction of the population and the effects that the coup caused between various popular organizations and people in general – a “boomerang effect” that consolidated a resistance struggle which has lasted 298 days.
Now, the National Front of Popular Resistance (FNRP) newly called upon Honduran people to demand a reworking of the country through a popular and democratic constituent assembly.
Given this new challenge the FNRP called for a new march involving tens of thousands of Hondurans in all of the country.
“Today, April 20, we begin the campaign for the Popular Referendum in which we will collect signatures for the installation of a National Constituent Assembly, told member of the national coordination of the FNRP, Juan Barahona.
We are also calling for the unconditional return of Father Andres Tamayo and former President Manuel Zelaya to the country.”
Barahona explained that the collection of signatures will conclude on June 28, the first anniversary of the coup, and that the FNRP has the minimum objective to obtain more than one million signatures.
“The Constituent Assembly is an urgent need, and the Honduran people demand it. The different departmental, municipal and local coordination of the FNRP “continued Barahona will be responsible to promote the collecting signatures across the country, in coordination with the national structure.”
Nourished during the march that was held in Tegucigalpa, thousands of people signed the Sovereign Declaration for the Constituent and for over three hours, took the road south, blocking national and international traffic.
“What starts today is a process starts that will allow us to re-launch our nation” said the leader of the liberals in resistance strength, Rasel Tomé.
They wanted to undertake a coup to stop the process of change that was coming, but they were wrong. The Honduran people have continued their peaceful resistance and joined, forming the FNRP, perhaps the social and political platform that our country has had, “said Tome.
Finishing the mobilization and before the arrival of the police special forces, the demonstrators chose to march to the domestic airport, where they finished their activities.
“In recent days, former President Rafael Callejas said we will never achieve a Constituent Assembly, because we do not have the support of the population.
“We will demonstrate to him, said Juan Barahona that we are the majority of Hondurans who struggle to achieve this goal.
We’re going to show these oligarchs, that what made the June 28, 2009 was only to postpone for a few months the route to the Constituent Assembly.
Our fight has not finished, and we will continue in the structuring, training and mobilization of the FNRP “concluded Barahona.
At the time of writing this article, circulated information that the member of the Resistance, Oscar Flores, had disappeared immediately after the march.
According to information which will have to be confirmed in the coming hours, Flores made a final call from his cellphone, claiming that he had been kidnapped by the police. The call was abruptly interrupted and it was impossible to communicate with him again.
Human rights organizations immediately began a search in all police stations, with no major results.
Oscar Flores has attended all the demonstrations organized by the FNRP, carrying a placard which adds up the days of resistance. A few days before the election last November suffered a kidnapping attempt by the military, which the managed to escape.
Giorgio Truchi, Honduras
Source: http://www.rel-uita.org/internacional/honduras/democradura/la_resistencia_inicio_consulta.htm