Thousands rock at Rio carnival

news.ninemsn.com.au 14:26 AEST Sun 2 Mar 2003

AFP - Thousands of masked revellers let loose to a samba beat in the streets of Rio as the first Carnival watched over by Brazil's military for safety's sake hit its frenzied stride.

The muted military shades of armoured vehicles were juxtaposed with the usual flashy carnival fashions, from sequined bikinis to feathered headdresses on the heels of carnival's official start on Saturday.

The eastern military command declined to say precisely how many troops are out in force, days after a wave of violence by drug gang members, including bus torchings and intimidation, sent authorities scrambling to ensure the 400,000 foreign and Brazilian partygoers expected are not caught in the crossfire.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday gave the green light to send in 3,000 army troops to try to ensure safe streets for the week of frenzied parties, which already was being minded by 38,000 police officers.

It is the biggest show of force Rio de Janeiro has seen since it hosted the Earth Summit in 1992, when 150 heads of state and government converged on the UN meeting.

Earlier in the week, gangs torched about 30 buses, threw homemade bombs at shop fronts and forced several businesses and schools to close.

Authorities said it was a coordinated bid to get a drug baron freed from a prison outside Rio.

Frightened shop owners had closed their doors in some 20 neighbourhoods here on Monday under threats from gang members, as police patrolled the city trying to bring order back to the streets.