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Members of the elite Bolivian riot police have locked themselves inside their own barracks as part of a police strike. In February of 2003, a day after the government announced an increase in income tax to finance Bolivia's sizable budget deficit, nearly 10,000 police participated in a strike, demanding a 40 percent pay hike. The government was forced to call in the army to substitute for the police. Students and workers joined the demonstration, and violence broke out between police and soldiers in front of the Government Palace, resulting in the death of 27 people, including 13 police officers. The tax hike was soon scrapped. Much of the financial assistance the U.S. provides for Bolivia is given for the purpose of anti-narcotics efforts; in particular, much of this money is specified for Bolivia's police and military.
REUTERS/David Mercado
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