Chilean truckers on strike over insecurity on roads

Truckers in Chile went on strike on Tuesday to protest crime and the increase in toll rates on their routes, clogging highways on the outskirts of Santiago.

They blocked arterial routes early morning before dispersing with the promise of a larger blockade if the Chilean authorities do not offer better road safety, better working conditions, and a reduction in fuel and toll prices.

"They (the robbers) can shoot you, they killed a colleague a few days ago, and you don't know if you are going to make it back home; that's the fear we have when we work," said driver and truck owner Fabian Moraga during the protest.

Chilean authorities reported that nine people were detained during the partial strike, some for impeding the movement of vehicles and others for public disorder.

In the last decade, Chile has seen an increase in violence, with arson attacks on farms, machinery, and trucks in the regions of Biobo and La Araucana, 600 km south of Santiago, home to the Mapuche, the country's largest ethnic group.

(Source: Reuters)

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