Seven young Portuguese are being held in a hotel in Peru’s second-largest city, where conflicts associated with the removal of the Peruvian president prevent them from returning to Portugal, the mother of one of the youngsters told Lusa. .
“They are trapped in a hotel in Arequipa, where they arrived with great difficulty. On Saturday night they were detained as they continued on the Pan-American Highway towards Cuzco. They were traveling in a bus where they stayed for 50 hours because the roads were blocked by the protesters, ”she told Lusa Paula Rodrigues.
The protests in Peru have intensified in recent days, with the blockade of roads and the occupation of the second largest airport in the country, in Arequipa, which is some 1,200 kilometers from the capital, Lima.
Realizing that the bus would have difficulties leaving the place, the young Portuguese, together with two Danes, two Peruvians and the guide, decided to walk to the nearest town, reported Paula Rodrigues.
“They arrived at a town in the middle of the desert where they managed to get a truck that allowed them to get to another town,” said the mother of the 24-year-old, with whom she continues to maintain regular telephone contact.
When the young people arrived in Peru, they were taken by surprise by the riots caused by the ouster of the president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, arrested accused of promoting a “coup d’état”. In Arequipa, some 2,000 protesters took to the airport runway on Monday, halting air traffic.
The portal of the Portuguese communities published an alert not to travel to Peru. The note adds that due to the political situation in the country, traveling to and from the interior of the country is not recommended. The communities portal also recommends that the Portuguese in Peru stay in the hotel until the situation improves.
MNE monitors the situation and guarantees that the Portuguese “are safe”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Portuguese embassy in Lima, has been monitoring the situation of the seven young people detained in the protests in Peru. In a note sent to TSFThe Ministry also adds that the Portuguese embassy is “in coordination with the diplomatic representatives of the other countries of the European Union in Peru, as well as with the Delegate of the European Union.”
“The Embassy of Portugal in Lima has made all possible efforts with the Peruvian authorities and maintained contacts with the Portuguese and their families, with a view to their safe departure from the country,” the note read.
“The Portuguese who are currently in Peru are safe, with the monitoring and support of the Embassy in Lima, until the reopening of the airports, so that they can travel and leave the country safely. Provide all the necessary support, ”he adds.
In addition to the airport blockade, demonstrations in Peru have intensified with road closures across the country in a broad popular and indigenous movement challenging Lima’s political elite.
The new Government of Peru has declared a state of emergency throughout the country for 30 days to try to control the widespread protests against the removal of President Pedro Castillo, which implies the suspension of the right to demonstrate.
“The National Police, with the support of the Armed Forces, will ensure the control of private property throughout the national territory and, above all, of the strategic infrastructure and the well-being and security of all Peruvians,” announced the Minister of Defending. , Alberto Otárola.
The minister indicated that the new executive wants an “authoritarian” response to the protests and clashes with the police forces, which have already caused at least eight deaths among the demonstrators and more than 200 injuries, according to the latest balance.
“An energetic response with authority is necessary,” continued Otárola, who stressed that the measure included “the suspension of freedom of movement and assembly” and with “the possibility of a mandatory curfew”, in addition to the intervention of the forces military for the “maintenance of order”.
The young Portuguese had scheduled a return trip for today at 4:30 p.m. (Lisbon time), but at that time they were still staying at a hotel in Arquipa, some 1,200 kilometers from the capital.
The young people are classmates from the medicine course at the University of Coimbra, they had finished their six-year term and had taken the final exam and as a reward they decided to take a two-week trip: One week in Rio de Janeiro and another in Peru.
On Monday they tried to contact the Portuguese embassy in Peru with whom they have been in contact, however the parents of the young people are beginning to worry that they cannot guarantee a quick return.
“Right now they are stuck in a hotel waiting for a solution to return,” said Paula Rodrigues, explaining that the idea is to make a connection to Lima and then take a flight to Europe.
Source: TSF
