LA PAZ, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Bolivian capital of La Paz was blocked Tuesday for the second day by cooperative miners demanding authorization to exploit gold in reserves and protected areas, which generated chaos in the seat of government, authorities reported.
During a press conference, Minister of Mining and Metallurgy Marcelino Quispe denounced that some groups of cooperative miners carried out acts of vandalism.
Those acts include the invasion and destruction of the state offices of the Jurisdictional Mining Administrative Authority and the National Service for Protected Areas, in addition to impeding the exit of officials from these facilities, he said.
The main demands of the National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivias include the approval of a law establishing a single tax of 4.8 percent on the commercialization of gold and mining concessions in protected areas.
Protesters insisted that they would only sit at the table with President Luis Arce, which halted the talks.
The confrontations disrupted daily activities in the capital, such as public transportation and education.
On Tuesday, a commission of ministers summoned the mining sector to dialogue in an attempt to calm the situation. ■
