Venezuelan strike boss seeks Costa Rica asylum-official

www.alertnet.org 14 Mar 2003 19:27

CARACAS, Venezuela, March 14 (Reuters) - A Venezuelan union boss sought by authorities for leading a crippling strike against President Hugo Chavez has asked for political asylum at the Costa Rican embassy, a government official said on Friday.

Carlos Ortega, a fierce critic of Chavez who spearheaded the two-month opposition strike that tried to oust the leftist leader, went into hiding last month ago after the government arrested another strike leader.

"The information I have is that he has asked for asylum from the government of Costa Rica," Interior Minister Lucas Rincon said.

Opposition demonstrators quickly surrounded the Costa Rican embassy building in support of Ortega, who faces civil rebellion and other charges for leading the strike that disrupted oil output in the world's No. 5 petroleum exporter.

Chavez, a former paratrooper who survived a brief coup in April last year, brands his political enemies "terrorists and coup mongers". He has threatened to arrest strike leaders who he accuses of trying to sabotage the oil industry.

Ortega is the third major foe of Chavez to seek political sanctuary overseas in the last year.

Pedro Carmona, the opposition business chief who briefly replaced Chavez as president during April's coup last year, was allowed to leave for Colombia last year. Retired naval officer Carlos Molina, who faced an investigation for his part in the coup, was later granted refuge in El Salvador.