Guatemala mob offers to free kidnapped police officers in exchange for land talks

[Judi Lynn]

Guatemala mob offers to free kidnapped police officers in exchange for land talks
JUAN CARLOS LLORCA, Associated Press Writer

February 22, 2008 2:19 PM

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) - An angry mob in Guatemala that took about 30 police officers hostage on Friday offered to release the officers in exchange for talks with the government on legalizing their lands, a human rights official said.

The crowd surrounded the police station in the Caribbean coastal town of Livingston on Thursday night, disarmed the agents and took them in small boats to their remote village of Maya Creek, said police spokesman Faustino Sanchez.

The mob of hundreds threatened to kill the officers unless authorities agreed to release a jailed farm leader accused of leading land seizures.

But human rights prosecutor Sergio Morales, who is involved in efforts to end the standoff, said Friday that a deal had apparently been reached with the townsfolk.

More:
http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=WORLD&ID=565249414755911894

(An angry "mob" like the 200,000 citizens murdered by the Guatemalan government in its frenzy to rid the country of "leftists?")