Officer critical of Venezuelan leader detained

CNN
February 24, 2002

Officer critical of Venezuelan leader detained

                 CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- A National Guard captain who publicly called
                 for President Hugo Chavez's resignation will be detained for 15 days, military
                 authorities said.

                 National Guard Cmdr. Francisco Landis said that Chavez ordered the arrest of
                 Capt. Pedro Flores on the recommendations of a military council investigating his
                 case.

Flores joined Air Force Col. Pedro Soto in publicly calling for Chavez's resignation
and for the formation of a civilian junta to govern until elections could be held.

Flores' conduct "was not appropriate given his condition as an active officer,"
Landis said.

Flores will begin the detention Monday, Landis said.

Soto was discharged Thursday. The military is deciding whether to sanction Navy
Vice Adm. Carlos Molina Tamayo, who was the third dissident officer to speak out.

                 The three officers said soldiers resented being forced into civil duties -- painting
                 schools, fixing roads and managing bargain food markets -- under one of Chavez's
                 flagship development programs.

                 They also accused Chavez, a leftist former coup leader, of polarizing Venezuelan
                 society by constantly feuding with the business elite, Roman Catholic Church and
                 news media.

Flores, Soto and Molina all said widespread discontent exists within the armed
forces and have warned against the possibility of a military coup.

Chavez and commanding military officers insist the armed forces support the
government and the dissident officers have not sparked unrest within the ranks.

                 "We are loyal to the president of the republic," Gen. Lucas Rincon, inspector of the
                 armed forces and the military's highest-ranking officer, told about 200 military
                 officers.

                 Elected in 1998 with overwhelming support from Venezuela's poor majority,
                 Chavez has watched his popularity plummet to below 30 percent because of
                 frustration with rampant crime, corruption and unemployment.