For all our Spanish students and volunteers about the political situation of Ecuador

This is how the things happened yesterday:

In the morning, police and army started a strike.

At 10, the president went to the Head Quarters of the Police. He tried to discuss the new law about reducing some extra bonuses for promotions. The officers started an aggression to the president and he needed to go to the police hospital (he had had a surgery in his right knee last week).

Once the president was in his room, he was surrounded by some police officers who didn’t let him out. Thus, the president was kidnapped al 11.

All the presidents of South America countries announced their support to the constitutional order and the president.

During the morning and afternoon, all political parties expressed their support to the president and democracy.

At noon, the army quitted the strike and announced that all army staff support the president.

At 5 in the afternoon, the police expressed support to the president.

Therefore, only the officers who stood close to the police hospital were in deep troubles. They were surrounded by the army, citizens and other Police elements.

At 7, army and policemen went in to rescue the president. Unfortunately, one cop died.

At 8:30, the president arrived to the Presidential Palace, explained what had happened and the situation calmed down.

A political party was behind the first strike and tried to have advantage of the situation that the president was kidnapped. Under those circumstances, Ecuador had a “coup d’état” (change the president violently) that doesn’t succeed. Nevertheless, the government has declared a state of emergency (not a state of siege). This means that the normal line of power for police and army (President – State minister – generals - troops) will be shorter (President – troops).

The state of emergency doesn’t mean that people loose rights or things like that.

The following items have been done in order to keep our students and volunteers safe:

-       We contact all volunteers and students to give them information about the situation and about safety under those circumstances.

-       Ecole Idiomas gave lunch to the students and send them home in taxis yesterday

-       The office was closed at three

-       We call the host families and explain the situation.

-       This morning we gave the students and volunteers a report and some information printed from the Internet about the current situation.

-       We recommended the students and volunteers to stay home this weekend in spite of the calmness of the situation today.

Everything is fine and peaceful now.