Thousands of tourists stranded in Peru amid protests
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Stranded tourists queue at the train terminal in the town of Machu Picchu, Peru’s main tourist attraction, after service was suspended, on Dec 14, 2022.
PHOTO: AFP
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CUSCO, Peru - Peru’s Congress rejected a move to bring forward elections as deadly protests left thousands of tourists stranded in the gateway city to Machu Picchu.
Protesters are demanding the release of ousted president Pedro Castillo, the resignation of his successor Dina Boluarte and for fresh elections to be held.
But Congress on Friday voted against a Bill to bring forward elections by more than two years from 2026 to December 2023.
It comes as demonstrations escalate and the death toll rises after protesters on Thursday night tried to storm the airport in the southern city of Ayacucho that was being guarded by soldiers.
Health Minister Rosa Gutierrez said 18 people have been killed in clashes since Castillo was arrested on Dec 7, with two Cabinet ministers resigning over the deaths.
Peru was plunged into political crisis last week after Castillo was impeached and arrested ordered to spend 18 months in pre-trial detention.
The leftist former schoolteacher is accused of rebellion and conspiracy, and could be jailed for up to 10 years if found guilty, said public prosecutor Alcides Diaz.
Ms Boluarte has declared a nationwide state of emergency
Friday’s vote in Congress needed 87 votes to pass, but it garnered only 49 in favour of bringing forward elections, with 33 against and 25 abstentions.
The rising death toll seemed to weaken Ms Boluarte’s grip on the presidency.
“Due to the number of dead Peruvians, Ms Boluarte needs to resign,” said Ms Susel Paredes, a centrist legislator.
Several airports in the country have been closed, including the international terminal in Cusco, which is the gateway city to the jewel of Peruvian tourism, the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.
Cusco’s airport is the third largest in Peru and serves the region’s tourist sites. It has been closed since Monday, when protesters tried to storm the terminal, leaving thousands of tourists in limbo.
“There are 5,000 tourists stranded in the city of Cusco, they are in their hotels waiting for flights to restart,” said Mayor of Machu Picchu town Darwin Baca.
The rail service that serves Machu Picchu has been suspended since Tuesday, leaving around 800 tourists stranded in the small town at the foot of the mountain where the Inca citadel stands.
An army helicopter was to arrive at Machu Picchu on Saturday to begin shuttling stranded tourists to Cusco, town officials said.
Around 200 mostly American and European tourists have left the town on foot along the train tracks in a bid to reach the town of Ollantaytambo, 30km away, from where they would be able to take a train to Cusco.
“What they fear is getting to Cusco and then not being able to go to their country because this could get worse,” said Mr Baca.
Several major roads in Cusco, the old Inca capital, have also been blocked by protesters, as have over 100 roads around the country.
The death toll rose sharply on Thursday when soldiers protecting the Ayacucho airport shot at protesters. Soldiers “found themselves surrounded with the masses closing in”, said rights ombudsman Eliana Revollar.
The army says its soldiers would have first raised their weapons and then shot into the air, but Ms Revollar said shots were fired at protesters. “This merits a criminal investigation, these people have died from gunshot wounds,” she said.
Soldiers have been deployed due to the state of emergency but Ms Revollar said they need to understand that their role is simply to support the police. “A state of emergency does not remove the protection of the right to life,” she added.
Another six people have died in incidents related to roadblocks, such as being prevented from reaching a hospital.
The nation’s human rights ombudsman’s office said 518 people have been injured in the clashes, among them 268 police officers. Human rights groups said 147 people have been detained.
“This needs to stop,” Ms Boluarte said on Friday about the violence. AFP
