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 QUITO, Ecuador (AP) - Thousands of police and soldiers were deployed to clear blocked highways Wednesday after the government declared a state of emergency in four provinces to curb Indian protests against a proposed free-trade deal with Washington.
The measure announced late Tuesday suspends constitutional rights to public assembly and gives police and the military broad powers to impose curfews and make arrests in the Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Imbabura and Canar provinces, as well as the towns of Tabacundo and Cayambe.
Luis Macas, leader of the left-leaning Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, told reporters Wednesday that his movement would end its protests if President Alfredo Palacio gave in to at least one of several demands.
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