Bolivian police fired tear gas at protesters throwing stones and small charges of dynamite on Monday as thousands marched in central La Paz to demand President Carlos Mesa nationalize the country's energy resources. Indian protesters, miners and students marched waving "Nationalize Now" and "The People Demand Nationalization" banners, and vowed to maintain roadblocks causing gasoline and food shortages in La Paz after more than two weeks of blockades, Reuters reported. Smoke from burning tires wafted through the narrow streets of the mountain capital as protesters dodged police and shot catapults and slingshots. The latest upheaval began when Congress passed a law hiking taxes paid by foreign oil and gas companies. The decision disappointed Indians who want a larger share of the energy riches they say have only benefited the white European-descended elite of South America's poorest nation.
