TEGUCIGALPA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Two died and several
others were injured on Sunday, when army troops clashed with supporters of
Honduras' deposed President Manuel Zelaya.
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Supporters of ousted Honduran President,
Manuel Zelaya, clash with riot squad officers during a protest against the
military coup near Toncontin international airport in Tegucigalpa.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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"Police are firing live rounds," a photographer with
the La Tribuna newspaper told Xinhua by telephone. One young Zelaya supporter
died after being shot in the head.
Protesters said a teenage girl was also killed.
A police source said clashes took place when
demonstrators tried to access the airport landing strips.
The plane carrying Zelaya circled above the main
Honduras airport, unable to land as the runway was blocked by soldiers with
military vehicles.
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Supporters of ousted Honduran President,
Manuel Zelaya, clash with soldiers during a protest against the military
coup near Toncontin international airport in Tegucigalpa. Zelaya headed
back to crisis-gripped Honduras on Sunday, one week after he was kicked
out of power and as interim leaders' threats to block his arrival sparked
bloodshed. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
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Zelaya was forced to land in neighboring Nicaragua
and vowed to try again Monday or Tuesday to return to the country.
"Faced with this situation, we have to go on with
what we had planned," he told the Telesur news channel from the plane.
Zelaya's supporters took the streets around the
airport starting early morning. Witnesses said up to 30,000 people appeared
around the airport. Zelaya said on Saturday he would fly to Honduras accompanied
by officials from the Organization of American States (OAS) and the presidents
of Argentina and Paraguay.
On Sunday afternoon, demonstrators broke a police
cordon and entered the airport facilities. Several witnesses told Xinhua that
soldiers threw tear gas grenades into the crowd, and demonstrators fought back
with sticks and bottles.
Demonstrations both for and against Zelaya have
filled the streets of Honduras' main cities since last Sunday, when he was
ousted in a military coup.
Honduras was expelled from the OAS on Saturday after
the post-coup government failed to comply with a deadline to restore Zelaya.
Ousted Honduran President Zelaya close to land in El
Salvador
TEGUCIGALPA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Honduran President Manuel
Zelaya, who was ousted by the military-backed coup a week ago, is already on his
way back home by taking a Venezuelan airplane, and now he is close to land in El
Salvador.
President of Argentina Cristina Fernndez, Rafael
Correa of Ecuador and Fernando Lugo of Paraguay are accompanying him; however
they are staying in El Salvador.
The only one accompanying the deposed president to
return home is the president of the United Nations General Assembly, Miguel
D'Escoto. Full story
Post-coup Honduras gov't says to
prevent landing of any plane carrying Zelaya
TEGUCIGALPA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Honduras' post-coup
government has ordered that any plane carrying deposed president Manuel Zelaya
will be prevented from landing, de facto foreign minister Enrique Ortez
Colindres told a domestic radio station on Sunday.
"With the support of the president and the armed forced,
as foreign minister, I have given instructions that the plane not enter the
country," he told HRN radio. He added that the Civil Aviation Directorate has
instructions not to allow any such plane to enter the country, "no matter who
comes in it". Full story
Honduras' military seals airports to
prevent Zelaya's return
TEGUCIGALPA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of police and
soldiers on Sunday sealed the streets leading to Toncontin Airport, in Honduras
capital Tegucigalpa, ahead of the possible arrival of President Manuel Zelaya,
who was deposed in a military coup last week.
All road traffic has been halted since the early hours of
Sunday, and the only way to reach the airport is on foot. Full story
Nicaragua denies reports of troops buildup at Honduras
border
MANAGUA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Nicaragua's President Daniel
Ortegaon Sunday denied an accusation from Honduras' post-coup government that
Nicaraguan troops were massing on their shared border. Full story
Honduras accuses Nicaragua of massing
troops on its border
TEGUCIGALPA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Honduras' post-coup
president, Roberto Micheletti, on Sunday accused Nicaragua of massing troops on
their shared border, and said that Honduras is capable of defending itself.
He also called on Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega to
respect Honduras' sovereignty. Their shared border is southeast of Honduras
capital Tegucigalpa. Full story
