"Yes, logically we are worried," Pastrana told reporters in Lima in answer to a question about the attack, in which 38 Colombian troops and rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, died in clashes.
It was the heaviest death toll in an attack since peace talks with the Colombian Marxist rebels collapsed last month. End Excerpt]
Venezuelans Protest Kidnappings (Chavez suspends gun licenses--threats to jail militiamen) [Full Text] CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Hundreds of Venezuelans marched through the capital on Saturday to protest the growing number of kidnappings in this increasingly violent South American nation. Brandishing signs reading ``Stop Kidnappings Now'' and ``We Want To Live In Peace,'' the protesters demanded tougher government action against kidnapping and the swift return of missing loved ones.
``We can no longer remain silent. We are constantly at the mercy of delinquents,'' said Carmen Tamayo, an office worker. ``Something must be done because nobody should have to live like this.'' Forty-one people were reported kidnapped in Venezuela during the first six months of this year, compared to 39 kidnappings reported in all of 2000. Seventeen Venezuelan kidnap victims are currently being held for ransom.
``The number of kidnappings is undoubtedly on the rise. That's why we are here demanding that the government take immediate action,'' said Jose Luis Betancourt, president of the National Ranchers' Federation.
Ranchers living along the country's remote 1,400-mile border with Colombia face the constant threat of kidnapping and extortion by Colombia's leftist guerrillas who can cross the border. Common criminals and gangs often cooperate with rebels.
Earlier this year cattlemen proposed forming private militias to fend off local criminals and rebels from neighboring Colombia. The idea was abandoned as President Hugo Chavez suspended the issuance of new gun licenses and threatened to jail would-be militiamen. [End] …July 15, 2001