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Hundreds block Latvia road over hospital reform
31 Aug 2009 15:04:19 GMT
 Source: Reuters
RIGA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Hundreds of people blocked a main highway artery in Latvia on Monday in a rare protest against the impact of tough spending cuts forced on the financial crisis-hit nation.

The protest was in the southern town of Bauska, where people stopped traffic on a bridge which is on the main road from Latvia to neighbouring Lithuania. An anti-riot squad was sent from the capital to get the people off the road.

"At the peak of the action there were about 250 to 300 people, but now about 60 to 70 people remain on the bridge," said a spokeswoman for the police in Bauska, which is about 70 km (44 miles) from capital Riga.

The website of the Bauskas Dzive newspaper said the people were protesting over the end of intensive care facilities at the main local hospital.

Healthcare and education system cuts and reforms are part of government efforts to save 500 million lats ($1.02 billion) this year and next after the economy hit a double-digit recession.

The small nation of 2.3 million people last year had to agree a 7.5 billion euro ($10.72 billion) rescue from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union to get it through the recession.

Protests against the austerity measures, which have included public sector wage cuts and a pension cut, have been rare.

The only violent reaction to Latvia's woes and the government's mishandling of the crisis was in January, when hundreds of youths fought police in the capital city. (Reporting by Patrick Lannin, Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)


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People hold placards during a protest in Riga July 24, 2009. State employees staged a protest on Friday infront of government building while at the same time Latvia's Prime Minister Valdis ...


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Last updated:Mon Aug 31 15:07:02 2009