Tegucigalpa: The Honduran de facto regime leaders decided to suspend the celebrations to commemorate the 188th anniversary of the independence from the Spanish colonialism, with the pretext of A(H1N1) influenza infection risk, the local media said.
Cancellation of the usual parade on September 15 to commemorate the historic date was announced by the Permanent Inter-institutional Civic Committee, the representatives of which also included the demonstrations by the National Front against the coup d'état among the inconvenient aspects.
Those civil parades will not be performed for the first time in this Central American country and "there are no convincing arguments to support such decision”, the local
Tiempo daily said yesterday.
People concentrations could increase the risk of infection with the flu. However, the main cities are the scenes of multitudinous marches that have been maintained for two consecutive months and there has been no clear incidence of infection due to the epidemic's propagation, the newspaper said.
The true reason for suspending the official parades should be sought in the political crisis caused by the coup on June 28, because it possible that they become strong protests against the de facto regime and the main actors of the constitutional breakdown, the daily assessed.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, August 23, 2009, 12:29