Zelaya, flying in Venezuelan plane blocked by army. Ortega's Nicaragua sending troops to Honduran border.

Zelaya Blocked From Landing in Honduras After Supporters Shot


By Andres R. Martinez and Steven Bodzin Bloomberg

July 5 (Bloomberg) -- A plane carrying deposed President Manuel Zelaya was blocked from landing in Honduras as he tried to enter the country and resume power. He vowed to return as the jet he was traveling in headed to Nicaragua.

At least one person was killed near the airport in the capital, Tegucigalpa, as security forces blocked the runway with trucks and clashed with demonstrators. Six people were injured, five by gunshots, according to aid workers at the scene. Telesur, a television network owned by Venezuela’s government, reported that at least two Zelaya supporters were killed.

“Stop this massacre in the name of God,” Zelaya said in an interview on Telesur as his plane circled the airport.

Zelaya, 56, will now regroup with supporters as he continues his quest to return to power after being deposed June 28. The Honduran armed forces, lawmakers and courts have rallied behind interim President Roberto Micheletti, who said today: “I won’t be pressured by anyone.”

The acting government put two vehicles on the runway, leaving too little space for the Venezuela-owned jet to land, Zelaya said on Telesur by phone from the plane. He said his plane was landing in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua.

Zelaya had originally planned to return to Honduras on July 2. He delayed his trip as the Organization of American States and regional leaders tried to reach a compromise that would restore him to office.

OAS Meeting

Micheletti, speaking at a news conference today in Tegucigalpa, said the plane wouldn’t be allowed to land to prevent the dispute from escalating into violence. Micheletti took power when troops ejected Zelaya from the country.

Zelaya flew from Washington where he attended a meeting of the OAS. Shortly before midnight, the group suspended Honduras’s membership from the regional body, paving the way for sanctions.

The Honduran military closed the road in front of the presidential palace as well as the road to the international airport in Tegucigalpa. Venezuelan television showed images of military helicopters taking off and landing from the Tegucigalpa airport and vehicles and people on the runway.

Zelaya told Telesur that Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo and OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza would fly in a separate aircraft to San Salvador, capital of neighboring El Salvador.

The OAS’s reprimand further isolates the transitional government, which has yet to be recognized by any country.

Opposition to Zelaya

While the UN, European Union and OAS condemned the coup, the courts, Congress and business groups in Honduras defended the ouster, saying it was necessary to avoid a shift toward a government similar to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Chavez, who said he would hold the new government responsible for anything that happens to Zelaya, said Venezuela has provided the plane he is flying in.

More than 10,000 people rallied in support of the transitional government July 2, the largest demonstration so far for the new government.

Opposition to Zelaya grew over the past year as he joined an alliance of socialist countries led by Chavez.

Approval for the Zelaya government fell to 30 percent in February from a high of 57 percent in January 2007, according to a nationwide poll by CID-Gallup.

U.S. President Barack Obama has also called for Zelaya’s reinstatement, and the deposed president’s wife and youngest son are being protected at the residence of the U.S. ambassador in Tegucigalpa.

Zelaya may return to Washington as soon as tomorrow should he be barred from landing in the Honduran capital, a U.S. administration official said today on condition of anonymity.

To contact the reporters on this story: Steven Bodzin in Caracas at sbodzin@bloomberg.net; Andres R. Martinez in Tegucigalpa at amartinez28@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 5, 2009 20:40 EDT

Just in case  you needed reminding about who the demonstrators are, check the dude on the right. They are carrying a demonstrator who ran onto the runway and was shot by security forces.

Honduran army sends their President to Costa Rica in his pajamas.

Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya in San Jose, Costa Rica, 28 Jun 2009

Honduran President Ousted by Military
By Laurel Bowman
Washington VOA
28 June 2009

Honduran military forces have ousted President Manuel Zelaya and exiled him to Costa Rica hours before a controversial constitutional referendum vote was set to begin. Organization of American States met in emergency session while the Obama administration expressed concern over events in the Central American nation.

President Zelaya says Honduran troops forcibly removed him from his home in the dead of night and sent him to Costa Rica in his pajamas.

The expulsion came on the day Mr. Zelaya had chosen for a referendum on whether to change the constitution to allow him to run for a second term in office. The president pressed ahead with the vote in defiance of Honduras' Supreme Court, which had declared the measure illegal.

In a news conference at the airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, Mr. Zelaya said he is the victim of a coup d'etat.

The Honduran leader said he has been kidnapped with violence and brutality, which he termed an affront to the entire world that brings back memories of past dictatorships in the Americas. Appearing alongside Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, Mr. Zelaya said he wants to return to Honduras as president and that he is counting on the support of all democratic governments, including that of the United States.

In Washington, President Obama issued a statement saying he is "deeply concerned" by events in Honduras. He urged all political and social actors in the country to respect democratic norms, the rule of law, and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Hondurans to respect their country's constitutional order.

Blocks away from the White House, the Organization of American States met in an emergency session. Honduras' ambassador to the body [Carlos Sosa Coello] demanded what he termed an 'emphatic condemnation" of the coup.

OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza echoed the call:

Inzulza said what has occurred is a military coup that must be condemned with energy. He said the OAS must issue a clear demand for a return to constitutional order and insist that human rights be respected.

President Zelaya is a political ally of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, who pledged to do everything possible to reverse the coup.

Honduras is to hold presidential elections in November. The country's 1982 constitution bans Mr. Zelaya's re-election.