Failed attempt to close Río Azul landfill

Leaders of the demonstration said they decided to set pressure on the government, which has failed to satisfy their demands, which include property titles and economic aid to build housing.

At 7 a.m., some 100 people - most of them children, women, and elderly - got off two buses that were parked in front of the entrance to the landfill.

For almost two hours they did not move, but at 8:45 a.m. went across the street and tried to enter the facility; however, mounted policemen and anti-riot officers halted them.

At least 200 agents had been waiting since 2 a.m. for the demonstrators, according to an official source.

However, the demonstrators were not discouraged by the police presence. One of their leaders, Fernando Angulo, said, "The government has failed to comply with its commitments, so we have come to set pressure against it. We are not going to move from here."

The Minister of Health, Rogelio Pardo, responded that there would be no negotiations unless under peaceful terms.

Regarding the technical end of operations of the landfill, Minister Pardo said that it won't take place before three years.

David Monge, general coordinator of Tirrases in the negotiations with the government regarding the shutting down of the Río Azul facility, said that the residents of Río Azul did not participate in the demonstration.

"We are willing to cooperate with the government; several of the promises have already been fulfilled," he pointed out.

Even though the demonstrators wanted a written commitment, they withdrew at 11:10 a.m. with the verbal promise that the Minister of Health will meet with them on Monday.

Angulo warned that if the outcome of the conference with the minister was not a positive one, they would block the entrance to the landfill.

This was another chapter in the story of the Río Azul landfill, which opened in 1973 and has survived six deadlines and a larger number of demonstrations demanding that its operations stop.