<a href=www.voanews.com>VOA News 28 Mar 2003, 02:34 UTC

Venezuelan labor and strike leader Carlos Ortega has gone into exile in Costa Rica, where he sought asylum to avoid arrest for treason and rebellion in his homeland.

Mr. Ortega arrived in San Jose Thursday, one day after Venezuela's government agreed to let him leave the country. Mr. Ortega was one of the organizers of Venezuela's two-month general strike that failed to force President Hugo Chavez to resign and call early elections.

The labor leader went into hiding last month after the Venezuelan government sought his arrest on the charges that can carry a 20-year prison term.

Mr. Ortega later took refuge at the Costa Rican Embassy in Caracas and asked for asylum, saying he feared for his safety.

Mr. Ortega is the third major opponent of President Chavez to seek asylum. Last year, Colombia granted asylum to business leader Pedro Carmona, who briefly replaced Mr. Chavez during last April's failed coup against the populist president.

El Salvador granted asylum to retired naval officer Carlos Molina, who faced an investigation for his role in the coup.

BBC A key player in a strike which crippled Venezuela for two months has left the country for exile in Costa Rica.

Carlos Ortega was facing charges of rebellion and treason - charges that can be punished with 20-year jail sentences - when he walked into the Costa Rican embassy and asked for political asylum on 14 March.

The head of the one-million-member Venezuelan Labour Federation said he feared for his personal safety and was granted asylum.

On Thursday, Venezuelan television showed him boarding a plane bound for the Costa Rican capital San Jose, having been given a federal police escort to the airport.

Earlier, as he got into the car, he reportedly raised his fists in a final victory salute to a number of fellow government adversaries.

Others emerge

Another strike leader, Carlos Fernandez of the Venezuelan business confederation Fedecameras, is under house arrest facing treason charges.

A court ordered him to be released last week after deeming the evidence insufficient, but the attorney general has appealed the decision.

Seven former executives of the state oil company PDVSA emerged from hiding last week after a judge revoked warrants for their arrests on charges of interrupting the country's fuel supply.

President Hugo Chavez has allowed two other major political foes to leave the country over the past year:

• Pedro Carmona, who briefly replaced him as president during a short-lived coup in April last year, was allowed to leave for Colombia

• Naval officer Carlos Molina, who faced an investigation for his part in the coup, was granted refuge in El Salvador

Bill of billions

Before petering out in January, the strike severely affected oil exports and in some areas caused food and fuel shortages.

It is estimated to have cost the economy between $4bn and $6bn.

But Mr Chavez said he would never give in to demands that he resign or call a referendum on his presidency.

<a href=www.voanews.com>VOA News 27 Mar 2003, 21:49 UTC

Venezuelan labor and strike leader Carlos Ortega has left for asylum in Costa Rica, two weeks after taking refuge at its embassy in Caracas.

The opposition leader boarded a plane for San Jose Thursday after heavily-armed police escorted him from the diplomatic mission. His departure came one day after the Venezuelan government agreed to allow him to leave the country.

Mr. Ortega was one of the organizers of Venezuela's two-month general strike that failed in its bid to force President Hugo Chavez to resign and call early elections.

He went into hiding last month after the Venezuelan government sought his arrest on treason and rebellion charges for his role in the strike. Mr. Ortega later took refuge at the Costa Rican Embassy, saying he feared for his safety.

Mr. Ortega is the third major opponent of President Chavez to seek asylum. Last year, Colombia granted asylum to business leader Pedro Carmona - who briefly replaced Mr. Chavez during last April's failed coup against the populist president.

El Salvador granted asylum to retired naval officer Carlos Molina, who faced an investigation for his role in the coup.

AP Wire Posted on Thu, Mar. 27, 2003 CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela - An opposition leader charged with treason for directing a two-month strike against President Hugo Chavez left Thursday for exile in Costa Rica.

Carlos Ortega, head of the Venezuelan Labor Confederation, was being escorted by federal police from the Costa Rican Embassy to Caracas' international airport for a flight to San Jose, Costa Rica.

Chavez's government granted Ortega safe passage Wednesday, allowing the head of the 1 million-member federation to take advantage of a Costa Rican offer of humanitarian asylum.

Ortega, who called the strike in December trying to force Chavez's resignation and early elections, slipped into the embassy March 14 and requested political asylum after being charged with rebellion and treason. Those charges carry prison terms of up to 20 years each.

A handful of government adversaries waving Venezuelan and Costa Rican flags bid farewell to the burly, tough-talking opposition leader, one of Chavez's most outspoken critics. Ortega briefly raised his fists in a victory gesture before entering a car that sped him to the airport.

Costa Rica granted Ortega diplomatic asylum for humanitarian reasons after the labor boss expressed fears for his life.

Strike co-leader Carlos Fernandez, head of Venezuela's largest business confederation, also was charged with treason after the strike ended in February. He was placed under house arrest, but a court last week said there was insufficient evidence and ordered him freed.

Attorney General Isaias Rodriguez appealed.

The nationwide strike briefly paralyzed Venezuela's crucial oil industry, caused food and fuel shortages and cost the struggling economy at least $6 billion.

In nightly press conferences, Ortega and Fernandez demanded Chavez's resignation, saying his days in office were numbered. Chavez, elected to his current six-year term in 2000, ignored their demands to quit or call a referendum on his presidency.

Chavez's opponents accuse him of riding roughshod over the country's democratic institutions in his self-described "revolution" to help Venezuela's poor.

Chavez in turn accuses the opposition of incessantly conspiring to overthrow his elected government.

Despite dozens of marches, highway blockades, and an ambitious petition drive demanding an early vote, the strike fizzled last month.

Last week, seven former executives of the state oil monopoly emerged from hiding after a judge revoked warrants for their arrest on charges of interrupting the country's fuel supply. They were among 15,000 workers - almost half the work force at Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. - fired for striking.

The Organization of American States has mediated talks since November to find an electoral solution to the political standoff.

<a href=www.sfgate.com>Reference MARIANELA JIMENEZ, Associated Press Writer Thursday, March 27, 2003
(03-27) 19:12 PST SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) --

An opposition leader charged with treason for directing a two-month strike against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived here Thursday after being granted asylum.

Carlos Ortega immediately left for a meeting with Foreign Minister Roberto Tovar at the Foreign Ministry where he later told reporters he was "glad to be in Costa Rica" but that his exile "doesn't mean the democratic movements in Venezuela will come to an end."

Ortega, president of the million-member Venezuelan Workers Confederation, had taken refuge in the Costa Rican embassy in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas to avoid arrest stemming from his role in leading a crippling nationwide strike.

Venezuelan authorities, however, agreed Wednesday to grant Ortega safe passage out of the country.

Waving Venezuelan and Costa Rican flags, a handful of government opponents gathered outside the embassy to bid farewell to the burly, tough-talking labor boss, who raised his fists in a victory gesture before leaving for the airport escorted by heavily armed federal police.

The general strike was aimed at forcing Chavez to resign or call early elections.

Chavez has demanded 20-year prison sentences for Ortega and co-strike leader Carlos Fernandez, saying that they must be punished because the work stoppage cost Venezuela an estimated $6 billion, caused fuel and food shortages and suffering among the nation's poor majority.

Costa Rica granted Ortega asylum after he expressed fears that his life could be in danger. Tovar said his country granted Ortega asylum as "a courtesy," adding that "with this Costa Rica again meets its humanitarian obligations."

Last week, a Venezuelan appeals court ordered the release of Fernandez, who escaped charges of rebellion. Fernandez was previously held under house arrest.