Venezuelan Authorities, Government Supporters Clash

<a href=www.voanews.com>VOA News 14 Jun 2003, 01:39 UTC

Venezuelan authorities have fired tear gas to disperse dozens of government supporters who tried to disrupt an opposition rally in a Caracas slum. At least 14 people were injured.

Riot police and national guard troops took action Friday as pro-government demonstrators pelted them with rocks, bottles and firecrackers in the Petare neighborhood. Ambulances evacuated patients from a nearby hospital amid thick clouds of white tear gas.

While authorities clashed with the supporters of President Hugo Chavez, a block away opponents demanded a referendum on his rule. The opposition center-right COPEI party organized Friday's protest to call for President Chavez to leave office.

The trouble comes less than one month after unknown gunmen fired on an opposition rally in another impoverished area, killing one person and leaving 17 people injured.

Political tensions over the Chavez government have troubled Venezuela for months. Scores of people have been killed in street clashes and violence since April of last year when the president survived a brief coup. In December, Mr. Chavez's opponents began a nationwide general strike in a failed bid to force him to resign and call new elections. The walkout ended in February.

Chavez critics accuse him of leading Venezuela toward economic ruin and trying to model the oil-rich country on communist-run Cuba. President Chavez blames the economic downturn on the failed strike. Venezuela's Central Bank says the economy fell 29 percent in the first three months of the year.