 |
|
|
 News Around the Republic of Mexico | October 2006 
Teachers Return to Oaxaca Classes
 Rebeca Romero - Associated Press
| | A mother passes a boy a mexican flag at the Francisco Zarco school before entering to classroom in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico on, Tuesday Oct. 24, 2006. The parents of children opened and cleaned the school at Francisco Zarco so that their children can study upon their return. (AP/Eduardo Verdugo) |
Some striking teachers have returned to their classrooms in Oaxaca state after a walkout linked to lengthy protests that have scared tourists away from this historic southern city.
Alma Rosa Fernandez, an official with one of the teachers' unions, said Tuesday that about 4,000 of Oaxaca state's 14,000 schools have reopened since the strike began five months ago.
The protest movement is a coalition of the striking teachers, leftists, students and Indian groups demanding the resignation of Gov. Ulises Ruiz, whom they accuse of rigging the 2004 election to win office.
A majority of union delegates voted Sunday to end the teacher's strike, which has affected 1.3 million children statewide but the vote was quickly annulled by those who support continuing the strike. Teachers now plan to meet to hold another vote later this week.
A group of 50 teachers went to the United Nations office in Mexico City on Tuesday to demand the international body intervene and ask Ruiz to step down. UNICEF has called on all parties to resolve the conflict and allow children to return to school.
Protesters in this tourist mecca, a colonial city 220 miles southeast of the Mexican capital, have blockaded streets, chased police out and taken over radio stations since late May.
Five people have been killed by police or armed groups. The unrest has scared away tourists, costing the city more than $300 million in lost earnings, according to local business associations.
On Thursday, the federal Senate voted that there were no grounds to remove Ruiz from office. On Saturday, about 1,000 protesters marched to the Senate headquarters in Mexico City to condemn the decision, saying it could to lead to more violence. |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us