Following a successful 24-hour general strike on November 15, El Alto's Federation of Neighbourhood Juntas (FEJUVE) declared that it would launch an indefinite strike if the Bolivian government did not agree to its demands. The entire city of El Alto was shut down during the strike, with protestors blocking the main entrance points into the capital, La Paz, as well as cutting off access to the international airport. The main demand of FEJUVE, which organises over 600 neighbourhood groups, is the immediate passing of the proposed hydrocarbon law, which will give the Bolivian state greater control over the nation's gas reserves, the second largest in South America and force gas transnationals not only to sign new contracts but pay up to 50% in royalties.

From Green Left Weekly, November 24, 2004.
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