Iwanted to post this map in my prior post, to give you a sense of what it would mean for the regions of Santa Cruz, Beni, Tarija and Pando to declare themselves autonomous of the Bolivian government based in La Paz. As you can see, from the red lines delineating the regions seeking autonomy, not only would Bolivia lose more than half of its territory, but also its most fertile land.

In this post I want to update you on what is happening in Bolivia, now that the vote is under way. Already some regions are experiencing some violent confrontations between autonomistas, as Cruzeños are now known, and masistas, or supporters of the President's MAS party. Below is a map of the current trouble spots.

Last night in Yapacani, supporters of the President not only burned down three offices used by the autonomy movement, but also deliberately injured a reporter for La Razon, claiming he was working for the separatists. In San Julian, campesinos from Cochabamba, decided to block of the interdepartmental road between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. They also promised to burn any ballot boxes installed in the area to prevent a vote. In Montero, clashes between masistas and autonomistas ended when police intervened with tear gas to disperse the crowd. This was, however, not before a student on the pro-referendum side, was injured when a stick of dynamite exploded near him.

According to press reports, more than 1,000 supporters of the President have made their way to Santa Cruz from Potosi, Cochabamba and Oruro with the intent of stopping the referendum. So far, there have not been more reports of violence, however, many migrants from La Paz have reported that they are being intimidated by members of the youth militia, Unión Juvenil Cruceñista, whom they accuse of telling them that they should prepare for the ethnic cleansing that will follow today's referendum.

To continue reading this entry, please click here. Also, please note that I will be updating the entry at my blog with the most up to date information on today's autonomy referendum in Santa Cruz. Finally, be sure to take a look at my previous post providing a more comprehensive look at the reasons behind the autonomy vote.