Brazilian Army Withdraws From Rio Slums

[Township75]

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Army troops withdrew from Rio's most notorious shantytowns Monday, ending a 10-day operation that used tanks and helicopters in a failed effort to recover weapons stolen from a barracks.

Some 1,600 troops occupied 10 shantytowns, searching for 10 assault rifles and a pistol, stolen March 3 by gunmen wearing army-issue camouflage gear and ninja masks.

In the downtown Providencia shantytown where drug gangs battled the soldiers during the occupation, residents cheered as the 300 troops occupying the hillside slum began to leave. The drug gangs set off fireworks to celebrate the withdrawal.

The troops left because their authorization to search for the weapons had expired, an army statement said. None of the weapons was recovered.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060313/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/brazil_stolen_weapons;_ylt=A86.I11wwxZED5gA0hVvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

[meegbear]

1. How many brazillian?

;-)

[wakeme2008]

2. Side issue... Tours of Rio's Slums :)

I read this month's National Geo. Traveler magazine and they were talking about tours of Rio's slums you can take. They said you would be safe because the local drug lord was paid protection money :shrug:

[Bacchus39]

5. yeah, you can take favela tours during the day

they have brochures and info in the hotels.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

3. While going to work today

A string of about 30 trucks, 20 jeeps and 3 tanks (yeah, tanks) passed by, all chock full of armed soldiers. They were going to the biggest shantytown in Rio (in the world, actually) - Rocinha.

The visual brought up bad memories.

[oscar111]

6. Silva have any plans to end poverty? nt

xxxx

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

9. For one thing, minimum wage has been steadily rising

Not only numerically -- in buying power too. And there's a smattering of other programs underway. Not all of which work as advertised, but quite a few do.

[jseankil]

4. City of God

Great movie about the slums of RIO DE JANEIRO, check it out if you haven't seen it.

[Blue_Tires]

10. a great film

[phusion]

7. Slum ecology:

http://www.oriononline.org/pages/om/06-2om/Davis.html

Good article from this month's Orion...

[bemildred]

8. Great piece.

You don't know when its going to happen, but you know its going to happen.

[Jack_DeLeon]

11. Thats fucking rediculous...

All those soldiers, harassing and destroying the property and lives of some of the poorest people just because they lost 11 guns.

What the fuck.