Bolivia miners clash with police, President Paz under fire

Bolivian miners clashed with the police during a march on Thursday to call for the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz, with some setting off dynamite.

Blasting small charges of dynamite has become increasingly common in the second week of the nationwide unrest.

Thousands of Bolivian miners marched through downtown La Paz to demand labor reforms, fuel, and greater access to explosives, among other things.

But as the hours passed, they began chanting slogans calling for the president's resignation. Police responded to violent protestors by discharging tear gas.

Blockades and marches have paralyzed much of the Bolivian capital over the last few days as various groups, including school teachers, demand higher wages amid the nation's economic crisis.

Bolivia's economic downturn has worsened of late due to a shortage of US dollars and a decline in energy production.

The latest wave of protests was triggered by farmers demanding that a law permitting land mortgage be repealed.

Although Paz signed a decree to annul the law on Wednesday, protests have only continued to spread.

President Paz was sworn into office only six months ago, winning the election on promisesto pull the Andean nation out of its worst economic crisis in a generation.

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Miners meet President Paz

Before demonstrators and police clashed on Thursday, a delegation of about 20 miners entered the presidential palace for a meeting with the president, Reuters reported, citing a source.

Separately, the Bolivian president had convened several ministers for emergency talks on the miners' demands.

Bolivia's Economy Minister Jose Gabriel Espinoza said the government was "open to dialogue" as he entered the palace.

Meanwhile, the authorities said that, as of Tuesday, there had been reports of 67 blockades on the country's highways, which had been blocked by large trucks several days ago. This has led to shortages of food, goods and medicines for hospitals.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko