“If the minister threatens us that way, we’ll see each other on the street”. In this way, the president of the Federation of Truck Owners of the fifth region (Fedequinta), Iván Mateluna, responded to the Minister of the Interior (s), Manuel Monsalve, regarding the possibility of using the Internal Security Law of the State for the mobilization that part of the truckers union is carrying out.
The president of the Federation of Truck Owners of the fifth region (Fedequinta), Iván Mateluna, referred to the statements of the Minister of the Interior (s), Manuel Monsalve, who did not rule out the use of the State Security Law against unemployed truckers, pointing out that “if the minister threatens us like that, we’ll see each other on the street”.
“He didn’t You can’t make an accusation like that, nor can that threat you’re making to us, because I firmly believe that the roads have not been closed so far”, added Mateluna.
Likewise, the leader apologized to the public, stating that “we desperately took to the streets, because we have a serious problem with fuel (… ) We know that we are being a tremendous disservice to people who want to travel freely, but they also have to understand that we are asking for it for all citizens”.
“This is a matter of lowering (the price) of diesel”, he stated regarding the reasons for the mobilization.
In that vein, he explained that “this demonstration is for the whole country, we are saying today that we want a reduction in fuel prices and that we really want them to stabilize for at least six months to be able to negotiate with the constituents”
Going back to what Manuel Monsalve pointed out, Mateluna pointed out that “he sends us a message through the press saying that the State Internal Security Law is going to apply to us because he had signed an agreement with the truckers, well, I want to tell the Mr. Monsalve -with the respect he deserves- that we have not signed any agreement, because I was at that negotiating table where they kept us all day, to give us crumbs of what we went to ask for”< /strong>.
“We are going to use all the tools that the Rule of Law gives us,” the Secretary of State indicated early in the day, adding that “if that implies using the Law of State Security, the Government is going to use the State Security Law.”
For his part, the Regional Governor of Valparaíso, Rodrigo Mundaca, indicated that Carabineros has completed 171 reports to truckers for obstruction of movement in the framework of the mobilization for the Demand greater security and measures due to the high price of fuel.