Honduran President Ousted by Military, হন্ডুরাসে সেনা অভ্যুত্থানের পর বিক্ষোভ
হন্ডুরাসে সেনা অভ্যুত্থানের পর বিক্ষোভ 
March 4, 2009, photo Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya (left) speaks with Cuba's Fidel Castro in Havana. Zelaya was in Cuba on an official visit. (Reuters
Ousted Honduras' President Manuel Zelaya speaks during a press conference before boarding flight to Nicaragua on the outskirts of San Jose, Sunday, June 28,
Soldiers surround the Honduran presidential residency in Tegucigalpa, on Sunday, June 28, 2009
Honduras names new leader after coup
The Honduran congress has appointed a new leader after the country's military forced leftist President Manuel Zelaya into exile, in a stunning move not seen in Central America for decades.
Congressional President Roberto Micheletti has been voted to replace Zelaya.
Micheletti has declared a nationwide 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for the next two days.
Earlier, congress members voted on Zelaya's supposed "resignation," as Congressional Secretary Jose Alfredo Saavedra read a purported resignation letter he claimed Zelaya had signed.
Zelaya, speaking from Costa Rica, later told CNN it was "totally false" and that he remains president.
Venezuelan President Huge Chavez, a close friend of Zelaya, has now threatened to bring the new Honduran government down.
"I have put the armed forces of Venezuela on alert," he said.
The coup came the same day a controversial constitutional referendum was set to take place, despite strong opposition from his own party and a Supreme Court ruling that it was illegal.
The referendum was to ask voters if they would want another vote in November, to be held in conjunction with the next presidential election, on whether to convene a group of experts to rewrite the constitution. Critics said that Zelaya hoped to remove limits to his re-election.
Zelaya was still dressed in his pajamas as soldiers confronted him outside the capital, Tegucigalpa. He was then taken to an air force base on the city's outskirts, his secretary, Carlos Enrique Reina, told The Associated Press.
Zelaya left late Sunday on a jet provided by Chavez, heading for Nicaragua. He is set to attend a scheduled meeting of Central American presidents Monday.
Late Sunday, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Peter Kent issued a statement condemning the "coup d'état."
"Democratic governance is a central pillar of Canada's enhanced engagement in the Americas, and we are seriously concerned by what has transpired in Honduras."
U.S. President Barack Obama also released a statement saying he was "deeply concerned" by Zelaya's expulsion.
"I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter," Obama said.
Protests
After news of the arrest broke, protesters, who called the move a coup d'etat, gathered outside the presidential palace, which had been surrounded by troops and tanks.
About 100 Zelaya supporters, many wearing T-shirts with the word "Yes" on them for the referendum, threw rocks at the soldiers and shouted, "Traitors!"
It is now unclear who is in charge. The constitution calls for the head of Congress to take over if the president cannot fulfill his duties, followed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court said it supported the military action, saying it has protected the constitution.
Zelaya called a Venezuelan TV network to condemn what had happened to him Sunday.
"There is no way to justify an interruption of democracy, a coup d'etat," Zelaya said Sunday, during a telephone call to Telesur TV. "This kidnapping is an extortion of the Honduran democratic system."
His remarks were echoed by Rafael Alegria, a labour leader and Zelaya ally, who called the Honduran president's arrest "regrettable."
"We're talking about a coup d'etat," Alegria told Honduran radio Cadena de Noticias. "This is regrettable."
Prior to the weekend, Zelaya had been warned that the military did not support the referendum and his backers told him that a coup d'etat could be underway.
Honduras has had its share of military coups in the last 45 years, once in 1963 and again in 1972. The military only relinquished power to civilians in 1981.
While Alegria reported that gunfire broke out during the president's arrest, a police officer outside the president's residence said this was not the case and that no one was injured.
With files from The Associated Press
March 4, 2009, photo Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya (left) speaks with Cuba's Fidel Castro in Havana. Zelaya was in Cuba on an official visit. (Reuters 
Ousted Honduras' President Manuel Zelaya speaks during a press conference before boarding flight to Nicaragua on the outskirts of San Jose, Sunday, June 28,
Soldiers surround the Honduran presidential residency in Tegucigalpa, on Sunday, June 28, 2009
Honduras names new leader after coup
The Honduran congress has appointed a new leader after the country's military forced leftist President Manuel Zelaya into exile, in a stunning move not seen in Central America for decades.
Congressional President Roberto Micheletti has been voted to replace Zelaya.
Micheletti has declared a nationwide 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for the next two days.
Earlier, congress members voted on Zelaya's supposed "resignation," as Congressional Secretary Jose Alfredo Saavedra read a purported resignation letter he claimed Zelaya had signed.
Zelaya, speaking from Costa Rica, later told CNN it was "totally false" and that he remains president.
Venezuelan President Huge Chavez, a close friend of Zelaya, has now threatened to bring the new Honduran government down.
"I have put the armed forces of Venezuela on alert," he said.
The coup came the same day a controversial constitutional referendum was set to take place, despite strong opposition from his own party and a Supreme Court ruling that it was illegal.
The referendum was to ask voters if they would want another vote in November, to be held in conjunction with the next presidential election, on whether to convene a group of experts to rewrite the constitution. Critics said that Zelaya hoped to remove limits to his re-election.
Zelaya was still dressed in his pajamas as soldiers confronted him outside the capital, Tegucigalpa. He was then taken to an air force base on the city's outskirts, his secretary, Carlos Enrique Reina, told The Associated Press.
Zelaya left late Sunday on a jet provided by Chavez, heading for Nicaragua. He is set to attend a scheduled meeting of Central American presidents Monday.
Late Sunday, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Peter Kent issued a statement condemning the "coup d'état."
"Democratic governance is a central pillar of Canada's enhanced engagement in the Americas, and we are seriously concerned by what has transpired in Honduras."
U.S. President Barack Obama also released a statement saying he was "deeply concerned" by Zelaya's expulsion.
"I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter," Obama said.
Protests
After news of the arrest broke, protesters, who called the move a coup d'etat, gathered outside the presidential palace, which had been surrounded by troops and tanks.
About 100 Zelaya supporters, many wearing T-shirts with the word "Yes" on them for the referendum, threw rocks at the soldiers and shouted, "Traitors!"
It is now unclear who is in charge. The constitution calls for the head of Congress to take over if the president cannot fulfill his duties, followed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court said it supported the military action, saying it has protected the constitution.
Zelaya called a Venezuelan TV network to condemn what had happened to him Sunday.
"There is no way to justify an interruption of democracy, a coup d'etat," Zelaya said Sunday, during a telephone call to Telesur TV. "This kidnapping is an extortion of the Honduran democratic system."
His remarks were echoed by Rafael Alegria, a labour leader and Zelaya ally, who called the Honduran president's arrest "regrettable."
"We're talking about a coup d'etat," Alegria told Honduran radio Cadena de Noticias. "This is regrettable."
Prior to the weekend, Zelaya had been warned that the military did not support the referendum and his backers told him that a coup d'etat could be underway.
Honduras has had its share of military coups in the last 45 years, once in 1963 and again in 1972. The military only relinquished power to civilians in 1981.
While Alegria reported that gunfire broke out during the president's arrest, a police officer outside the president's residence said this was not the case and that no one was injured.
With files from The Associated Press
জুন ২৯ - হন্ডুরাসে রোববার সেনা অভ্যুত্থানে প্রেসিডেন্ট মানুয়েল জেলায়া উৎখাতের পর প্রেসিডেন্ট প্রাসাদের কাছে বিক্ষোভ হয়েছে। শোনা গেছে গুলির শব্দও। �ায়ুযুদ্ধযুগের পর মধ্য আমেরিকায় এটিই প্রথম সেনা অভ্যুত্থান। সেনাবাহিনী ভোরবেলার অভ্যুত্থানে জেলায়াকে উৎখাত করে কোস্টারিকায় নির্বাসনে পাঠিয়েছে। এরপরপরই রাজধানীতে প্রেসিডেন্ট প্রসাদের সামনে জড়ো হয় জেলায়া-পন্থি শ'শ বিক্ষোভকারী। এদের কেউ কেউ মুখোশ পরে হাতে ছড়ি নিয়ে রাস্তায় ব্যারিকেড সৃষ্টি করে এবং বিলবোর্ড নামিয়ে ফেলে।
রয়টার্সের প্রত্যক্ষদর্শীরা বিক্ষোভকালে গুলির শব্দ শোনা গেছে বলে জানিয়েছে। বিক্ষোভে যোগ দিতে আসা একটি ট্রাক এবং ঘটনাস্থলে পৌঁছানো একটি অ্যাম্বুলেন্স থেকে ওই শব্দ এসেছে বলে ধারণা করা হচ্ছে। তবে গুলি কে ছুড়েছে এবং এতে কেউ হতাহত হয়েছে কিনা সেটি স্পষ্ট জানা যায়নি। ফাঁকা গুলি ছোড়া হয়েছে বলে জানিয়েছেন একজন প্রত্যক্ষদর্শী। ২০০৬ সাল থেকে হন্ডুরাসের ক্ষমতায় থাকা প্রেসিডেন্ট জেলায়া তার ৪ বছর মেয়াদ শেষের পরও তা বাড়াতে সংবিধান পরিবর্তনের পদক্ষেপ নেওয়ার চেষ্টা চালানোয় বিচারবিভাগ, কংগ্রেস এবং সেনাবাহিনী ক্ষুব্ধ হয়। এ ক্ষোভের মুখেই অভ্যুত্থান ঘটায় সেনাবাহিনী। জেলায়াকে উৎখাতের পর কংগ্রেস রোবার্তো মিচেলেত্তিকে নতুন অর্ন্তর্বতী প্রেসিডেন্ট ঘোষণা করেছে। মিচেলেত্তি রবি ও সোমবার রাত পর্যন্ত কারফিউ জারি করেছেন। হন্ডুরাসের শীর্ষ আদালত জেলায়াকে উৎখাতের জন্য সেনাবাহিনীকে নির্দেশ দিয়েছিল বলে জানিয়েছে। জেলায়ার আঞ্চলিক মিত্র ভেনেজুয়েলার প্রেসিডেন্ট হুগো শ্যাভেজ সেনা অভ্যুত্থানের তীব্র নিন্দা জানিয়েছেন। হন্ডুরাসে অভ্যুত্থানের প্রভাবে ভেনেজুয়েলায় কোনও ধরনের বিশৃঙ্খলা এড়াতে সেনাবাহিনীকে সতর্ক অবস্থায় রেখেছেন শ্যাভেজ। যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের প্রেসিডেন্ট বারাক ওবামা প্রশাসন, ইউরোপীয় ইউনিয়ন এবং অন্যান্য বিদেশি সরকারও জেলায়ার পক্ষ সমর্থন করেছে। 'দ্য অর্গানাইজেশন অব আমেরিকান স্টেটস' অবিলম্বে এবং নিঃশর্তে জেলায়ার দেশে প্রত্যাবর্তন দাবি করেছে।
