Clashes erupt in Bolivia

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL

(ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION )

Clashes erupted in Bolivia on Sunday (July 29) after the leftist government opened a consultation process with indigenous people to decide the fate of a proposed highway that has drawn sharp criticism on environmental grounds.

The Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Bolivia (CIDOB) accused the police of being involved in attacking the CIDOB headquarters. Half of CIDOB supports the government-led consultation while the other half opposes it.

Fierce opposition to the $420 million highway has put President Evo Morales at odds with his indigenous support base, while the road is at the heart of Morales' drive to boost infrastructure investment in the impoverished Andean nation.

The government will take until mid-September to consult 69 communities in the Isiboro Secure Indigenous Territory and National Park (TIPNIS), where work on the middle section of the 185-mile (300 km) road has been halted for nearly a year.