Day Four of the Coup in Honduras: a view from within the country

[Note from BorderExplorer: This is a first-hand report from an American who serves as a lay Catholic minister in Honduras]

The situation is tense and should be for a few more days. A curfew is reimposed from 10 pm to 5 am from tonight until Sunday, I believe. During the curfew, according to one news report, several liberties are rescinded. For example, according to some experts, you cannot have a meeting, public or private, even in the streets or the churches, in your house or in a union hall.

Deposed President Zelaya was supposed to return Thursday but he has postponed it to the weekend. Meanwhile acting "president" Micheletti said that the only way Zelaya will return to office is through a foreign invasion. Micheletti says he's open to dialogue but in the next breath he says the courts will insist on jailing Zelaya if he returns. There are reports of conversations aimed at finding compromises. <New York Times article > I hope that all these efforts open a space for dialogue and some peaceful negotiated solution.

There seems to be a lot happening in some parts of Honduras. But information is very difficult to obtain. There have been injuries to some anti-coup demonstrators and one reported death. There are continued reports of media censorship, intimidation of protestors, and arrests or arrest warrants for opponents of the coup.

There have also been large demonstrations in support of the coup. There was supposed to be a march here in Santa Rosa in support, but I didn't see or hear anything.

International opposition to the coup continues. The US Defense Department suspended activities with the Honduran military. The Spanish ambassador has withdrawn. Today, the Organization of American States gave Honduras 72 hours to reinstate deposed President Manuel ZelayaManuel Zelaya or face suspension of its membership

A number of non-governmental organizations are affected. The local Habitat is moving its international volunteers to sites in El Salvador.

The first public pronouncement of the Catholic Church in Honduras can be found in article on a Spanish church website that reiterates a position the church took ten days before the coup. The article begins:

"The executive director of Caritas of Honduras, Father Germán Calíx, make it clear that the Catholic Church rejects the coup against the constitutional government of its country, but at the same time demands that the deposed official Manuel Zelaya respect the constitutional requirements for plebiscites and referenda in regard to constitutional reforms."

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The author of this narrative is a friend and former colleague of mine who is reporting the coup situation in Honduras as events unfold from on the scene. He has asked me to post his first-hand reports on Allvoices for him. His blog is Hermano Juancito.--BorderExplorer