Gas, noise bombs thrown into Brazilian embassy

Jurgen Schmidt. Earth Times. September 25, 2009.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras - Ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya said Friday gas and non-lethal noise bombs had been thrown into the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, where he has taken refuge, but Honduras' de facto government denied that the embassy had been attacked. Zelaya said the air felt heavy and strange, and people in the building had become sick, with one aide vomiting blood. He said he had stomach cramps, and that his eyes and throat had become itchy as a result of the attacks, which he said seek to "scare" him.

Police spokesman Daniel Molina said no gas or noise blasts had been used against the Brazilian embassy.

Zelaya was ousted by a military coup on June 28 and sent into exile. However, he secretly returned to the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, Monday and sought refuge at the Brazilian embassy.

The UN Security Council on Friday condemned any acts of harassment by the de facto Honduran government against the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa.

Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amotim appeared before the 15- nation council at UN headquarters to appeal for the safety of the embassy personnel. He said the de facto government in Honduras has restricted staff movement, adding that food and clothing have to be brought in by humanitarian groups.

"It is against the Vienna conventions" that protect the inviolability of foreign embassies, Amorim said.
Elisabeth Malkin reported from Tegucigalpa, and Marc Lacey from Mexico City.