Honduras shocked by military coup
Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, who was planning a referendum to amend the country's constitution and allow him to seek another term as president, was outsted by the Honduran military on June 28. The proposed referendum had been ruled 'illegal' by the Honduran Supreme Court, but Zeyela was insisting that the vote would proceed.
Carpenteros Steve and Jordon Fox arrived in Honduras the day prior to the coup.
On Monday, Steve sent the following message: We have been here just short of 2 days and lots has happened. No doubt you have seen some of the news back home in Canada. The first morning here we awoke to military fighter jets flying over the capital...not quite what we expected. The President of Honduras apparently tried to make some significant changes to the constitution and was removed from power and flown out of the country, according to the news here. This has created a potentially unstable environment here, but things have remained very calm so far. There is a military presence around the capital but it is very peaceful. The president of the congress has been named interim President and they are trying to communicate, over the next few days, just what that will look like going forward. needless to say, there is no lack of excitement...if exciting was what we were looking for. Every day is a new adventure, and we totally feel your prayers here with us. We are totally at peace and feel God´s protection around us. Today I am driving to the south to begin our health initiative and Jordan will be in or near the capital and starting Spanish classes tomorrow.
Please continue to pray for the peace of Honduras and the safety and security of their people...for a sound and secure Government and for our safety while here.
Here is the perspective from Jordan's blog:
We were supposed to go to church today but we woke up with military jets flying over the city. The president has been evacuated and the city is under military rule. It is very interesting. We were advised not to go into the city so we went for a hike up a mountain. I find it interesting that the president is trying to change the constitution so he can stay in power longer. From what I hear the majority of people do not like the president. After watching the news we found out that the president had fled to Costa Rica. There is now a new president until the election in November. I do not fully understand what is happening but I am praying for the peace of this country.
We are staying with Dilia and Gregorio. It is nice to stay with some familiar faces who we have become friends with in the past trips. I played soccer with some of the kids and teenagers here and for the most part I felt like I was part of the community. Sometimes you start to feel invisible until reality hits and you realize you stand out like a red cloud in a blue sky. Being white, that is inevitable but one of my goals is to learn the culture and laguage so I can become more of a part of the community. By doing this I hope to not be seen as an outsider as much enableing me to observe more of the natural culture.
As updates arrive they will be posted here on the Carpenteros' website. You can also follow Steve and Jordan's personal blogs at:
or
Ana Joya at CRWRC sends the following prayer request:
Hello dear Friends,
I believe you have watched the news about my beautiful Honduras, it's true that is very unstable politically but it's not violent at all, right now I'm travelling with a Canadian visitor in the southern part of Honduras and doing nutritional teachings in different villages, in the city where we're right now there was a pacific marching asking for peace, that is what we want as a country.
I ask for your ongoing prayers because what really is scary is to hear other countries saying that a war is next in our country, we continue to work on the ministry here and your support is really important.
Blessings,
Ana Joya
Constituency Bridger
CRWRC Honduras
Fragile Political Situation in Honduras: Please Pray
Please pray for wisdom for Honduran and world leaders and for safety and peace for the Honduran people, as Honduras is in the midst of its biggest political crisis in decades.
Early this morning military officials forced their way into the home of Honduran president Manuel "Mel" Zelaya Rosales, placed him under arrest, and put him on a plane that took him to Costa Rica.
This action came in response to Zelaya's insistence on carrying out a referendum, planned for today, that would open the way to doing away with Honduras' current constitution and writing a new one-presumably one that would allow presidents more than one four-year term (Zelaya's term was to end in January 2010.)
Since the one-term limit is an "unammendable" point in Honduras' constitution, and since throwing out the constitution would be logically unconstitutional, the Supreme Court had ruled earlier that the referendum was illegal, and that "Mel" was carrying out an illegal act in trying to go through with it.
While "Mel" has adopted the populist rhetoric of Latin America's left (led by leaders such as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez), his actual record shows he has done little in four years to help the poor. Meanwhile, he has spent millions of dollars of public money to publish an official newspaper promoting his image and to run an official television station that runs programming generally featuring himself.
The military having forced Zelaya our of the country this morning, Honduras' National Congress proceeded to name the President of Congress (similar to the U.S.'s Speaker of the House) as the provisional president of the Republic until previously scheduled presidential elections take place in November.
I'm in Michigan at the moment but have spoken by phone with friends and family in Honduras and the situation there appears to be quite calm. While some vocal supporters protested Zelaya's ouster today, many more who did not support him simply stayed home. Electricity was cut in some parts of the country for several hours in the morning, but was returned by noon.
Please pray that the military, congress, and all others involved in the situation will continue to use restraint.
Thank God that up to the moment this has been a nonviolent event, and pray that the situation continues to be peaceful.
Pray that the political situation will continue to stabilize.
While the motives of many of the players involved in Zelaya's ouster are probably not altruistic, the situation is more complex and perhaps more positive than most of major international media sources such as the New York Times have suggested. For a good insider account of what's going on, I recommend reading this blog post. Here is another interesting blog post. This Wikipedia article also gives a fairly balanced, comprehensive overview of what's happened.
Thank you again for your faithful support for AJS's justice efforts and for your concern for the Honduran people. Que Dios le bendiga,
Abram Huyser Honig
Fundraising, Communications, & Advocacy
Association for a More Just Society
Pray request from SCM/Genesis
While at home in Tegucigalpa this morning, President Mel Zelaya, elected in 2005, was arrested by a military-led coup and was moved to Costa Rica.
Under current law, President Zelaya is not permitted to run for re-election when his four-year term comes to completion in January 2010; however, he pledged to carry out a referendum today which would ask voters to add a measure on the ballot in November. The requested measure would permit a constitutional assembly to form which would be given the power to adjust current Honduran law so that President Zelaya could run for another term.
Although the Honduras Supreme Court, Congress, and military leaders were all in agreement that the vote would be illegal, President Zelaya continued his promise to complete the referendum. The referendum did not occur because President Zelaya was arrested.
There appears to be little unrest in the country; however, some Hondurans are staying at home to gauge the impact on the country as well as discover if/when President Zelaya will return to power.
Please join us in praying for Honduras and the current political situation. Pray for wisdom for leaders, peace for the people, and the Lord's will to be done.
Praying with you,
Carlos Hernandez and Sarah Lawrence
SCM Genesis
Stewardship of Christian Ministries
News reports from Inter Press Service News Agency (IPS), the world's leading provider of information on global issues.
US-HONDURAS: Dictatorships and Double Standards Revisited
Analysis by Daniel Luban and Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON - When the Honduran military deposed President Manuel Zelaya on Sunday, in an incident that stirred memories of Cold War military coups in Latin America, it also seems to have caused at least some foreign policy commentators here to revert to positions reminiscent of the Cold War.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47485
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HONDURAS: Regime Faces International Isolation
By Thelma Mejía
TEGUCIGALPA - In the midst of the international isolation faced by the new government named by the Honduran Congress to replace President Manuel Zelaya who was ousted Sunday, the courts issued an arrest warrant for the leader Tuesday.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47480
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Deposed Honduran President Speaks at U.N.
By Henry Parr
UNITED NATIONS - Just a few days after being expelled from Honduras, the country that he was democratically elected to lead, Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales addressed the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, witnessing the unanimous passage of resolution that demands his reinstatement.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47476
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HONDURAS: Obama Declares Coup "Not Legal" Amid Uncertainty
By Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON - Capping a day of mixed signals, U.S. President Barack Obama said late Monday that he considered Sunday's ouster and exile of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to be "not legal" and that Washington still considered him the legitimate president of the Central American country.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47422
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HONDURAS: Analysts Call Coup a "Return to the Past"
By Thelma Mejía
TEGUCIGALPA - Sunday‚s coup d‚etat shows that in Honduras, democracy - which was restored in 1982 - is still hemmed in by the military‚s alliance with the economic and political powers-that-be, according to local analysts.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47418
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HONDURAS: President Overthrown in Military Coup
By Thelma Mejía
TEGUCIGALPA - A group of at least 100 soldiers surrounded the residence of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya early Sunday morning, hauled him out of bed, took him to an air force base and put him on a plane for Costa Rica.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47400
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HONDURAS: Referendum Row Rocks Democracy
By Thelma Mejía
TEGUCIGALPA - Honduras is caught up in a crisis following the dismissal of the head of the armed forces for refusing to provide logistics and security for a non-binding referendum called by President Manuel Zelaya for Sunday, the legality of which is disputed by the courts and the opposition.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47389
