RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazil's president on Monday ordered 200 troops to the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, where a police strike in recent days sparked a wave of violence including what is already believed to be dozens of murders. </s> Brazil's president on Monday ordered 200 troops to the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, where a police strike in recent days sparked a wave of violence including what is already believed to be dozens of murders. A woman walks past by the entrance of an appliance store damaged after gang attacks in Vitoria, Espirito Santo state, Brazil February 6, 2017.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Channelnewsasia.com. </s> 1,500 soldiers deployed in Brasilia are removed after accusations President Michel Temer only trying to cling to power.

Brazil's president canceled an order that sent 1,500 soldiers onto the streets of the capital following criticism the move was excessive and merely an effort to maintain power amid increasing calls for his resignation.

The troops were deployed late Wednesday following a day of bloody clashes between police and protesters demanding President Michel Temer's ouster amid allegations against him of corruption.

Fires broke out in two ministries and several were evacuated. Protesters also set barricades ablaze and vandalised government buildings.

The issue of troops on the streets is sensitive in a country that lived under military rule from 1964-1985.

In a decree, Temer revoked the order on Thursday to deploy the soldiers "considering the halt to acts of destruction and violence and the subsequent re-establishment of law and order".

On Thursday afternoon, soldiers began to leave their posts in Brasilia.

Defense Minister Raul Jungmann insisted the deployment was necessary "to stop the barbarity" of the riots.

"We had no choice in order to prevent casualties among public servants and the destruction of public heritage," Jungmann said.

Images in national media, meanwhile, appeared to show police officers firing weapons, and the Secretariat of Public Security said it was investigating. In all, 49 people were wounded, including one by a live round. The person was shot in the jaw and was sedated and in serious condition Thursday evening, the Secretariat of Health said.

Temer's popularity has been in freefall since he took office a little more than a year ago after his predecessor was impeached and removed. Some Brazilians consider his presidency illegitimate because of the way he came to power, and his efforts to pass a series of economic reforms to cap the budget, loosen labour laws and reduce pension benefits have made him even more unpopular.

In addition, several of his advisers have been linked to Brazil's big corruption investigation, known as Operation Car Wash.

As part of the Car Wash probe, Temer now faces allegations that he endorsed the paying of hush money to a former lawmaker who has been jailed for corruption. Brazil's highest court is investigating him for alleged obstruction of justice and involvement in passive corruption after a recording seemed to capture his approval of the bribe. Temer denies wrongdoing.

READ MORE: Michel Temer accused of obstruction of justice

Many Brazilians want him out one way or another and are calling for him to resign or be impeached. The demands for his resignation have heated up since the release of the recording and came to a head in Wednesday's protest, when 45,000 demonstrators took to the streets.

Opposition lawmakers have submitted several requests in Congress for Temer's impeachment.

The use of troops in the nation's capital is particularly fraught in Brazil, where many still remember the repression of the country's 1964-1985 military dictatorship. Images of soldiers patrolling Brasilia increased the impression that Temer is struggling to maintain control and further ratcheted up pressure on him. </s> BRASÍLIA: Brazilian soldiers deployed Wednesday to defend government buildings in the capital Brasilia after protesters demanding the exit of President Michel Temer smashed their way into ministries and fought with riot police.

“At this moment, federal troops are already here in (the foreign ministry),” Defense Minister Raul Jungmann said in a brief televised statement. “And next there are troops arriving to secure all the ministerial buildings.”

Jungmann said the army was ordered in by Temer, who is fighting for his political life after being placed under a corruption investigation.

The deployment of soldiers sent a psychological shockwave through a capital already shaking from the day’s violence and frantic debate over the corruption scandal threatening to bring down the president.

In the lower house of Congress, the session was temporarily suspended after leftist deputies took over the speaker’s podium, brandishing signs saying “Temer out.”

Troops are regularly used in Brazil to back up police when law and order breaks down or help at major events like last year’s Rio Olympics.

However, the issue is deeply sensitive in a country that lived under military rule from 1964-1985 and the decision to bring soldiers into the heart of the government complex spooked even Temer’s allies.

“The question of a military presence is always something that frightens us,” said Tasso Jereissati, president of the PSDB social democrats.

Violence erupted soon after the crowd, estimated by police at 35,000, marched toward the presidential palace, which is flanked by Congress and the government buildings.

Although most of the protesters were peaceful, small groups wearing masks threw stones at officers ringing the area and smashed their way into the agriculture ministry and reportedly also the culture and planning ministries. Riot police crouching behind black shields lobbed tear gas and stun grenades into the crowd, triggering running battles.

When protesters set a fire in the agriculture ministry, employees were forced to flee.

“There was an invasion of the ministry’s private entrance. They lit a fire in a room, broke photos in a gallery of ex-ministers and confronted police,” a spokesman for the ministry told AFP. “The building was evacuated.”

Jungmann said the protest had been “peaceful but descended into violence, vandalism, disrespect, attacks on state property, and threats against people.”

Organized by leftist groups and trade unions a week after he was placed under a corruption probe, the protests are calling for Temer’s resignation.

Protesters also want the end of austerity reforms centered on cuts in the country’s generous but unaffordable pension system.

The left smells blood just over a year since Temer took over from Workers’ Party president Dilma Rousseff after she was impeached for illegally manipulating government accounts. Opponents say Temer could soon be forced to resign or subjected to an impeachment trial.

“It’s the end of this putchist government. That’s why the people have taken to the streets,” said Francisca Gomes, 59, who came from Sao Paulo to protest and carried a funeral ribbon with the president’s image and the words “RIP Temer.”

Inside Congress, Workers’ Party Senator Gleisi Hoffmann echoed those words, saying: “Temer will fall. Everyone says this government is dead.”

Temer insists the austerity reforms are already working and that more measures, especially pension reform, are needed.

Stuck in deep recession for two years, Latin America’s biggest economy is just now showing the first signs of returning to growth, although unemployment stands at nearly 14 percent.

However, Temer has been on the ropes since allegations that he attempted to pay hush money to a jailed politician and was involved in bribery. The scandal follows a landslide of other corruption allegations against much of Temer’s government and Congress in a huge probe known as “Operation Car Wash.”

For now, the president is trying to shore up his congressional alliance to resist calls for his impeachment. He has said he did nothing wrong and will not resign.

But analysts say that intense negotiations are going on behind the scenes to find the least traumatic way possible for Temer to be eased out.

Because he has no vice president, the constitution would require a 30-day period led by the speaker of the lower house, followed by an indirect election in which Congress picks a new president until after scheduled elections in October 2018.

“He doesn’t have the minimum conditions for this. But how the end will come for his government is the question.” AFP </s> BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Michel Temer signed a decree on Tuesday to deploy the Armed Forces to the northern state of Roraima on the border with Venezuela to assist in keeping order and ensuring the safety of Venezuelan immigrants.

Temer blamed Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro for an exodus of Venezuelans that has caused an immigration crisis spilling over the border into neighboring countries.

“The problem of Venezuela is no longer one of internal politics. It is a threat to the harmony of the whole continent,” Temer said in a televised address. </s> This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Brazil’s president has ordered 200 troops to the south-eastern state of Espírito Santo, where a police strike in recent days sparked a wave of violence including what is already believed to be dozens of murders.

The law enforcement stoppage in a state struggling with a budget shortfall is the latest example of how depleted public finances, amid Brazil’s worst recession on record, are crippling even basic health services, education and security in some states.

The crime surge in Espírito Santo, a small coastal state just north of Rio de Janeiro, began over the weekend, after police on Friday stopped work because of the pay dispute.

Brazil grapples with lynch mob epidemic: 'A good criminal is a dead criminal' Read more

Since then, local media and citizens with cellphone videos have broadcast scenes of chaos as thieves and other criminals appear to run rampant, particularly in state capital Vitoria and its suburbs, home to about two million people.

Local media reported that as many as 50 people have died during the period, an unusually high death toll for the state in such a short period. But a state security spokesman said the government has not been able to make an official tally.

Schools in the area closed, as did public health clinics and other local offices. State officials, who argue they have no resources to raise wages, have already replaced the police commander and say they will not renew negotiations with officers until they return to work.

“There is no way we can accept this attitude, leaving the population deprived of an essential service like public security,” Cesar Colnago, the state’s governor, told reporters after announcing the federal aid.

President Michel Temer, who also authorized the use of federal troops to quell uprisings in prisons last month that led to around 140 deaths in various states, dispatched the country’s defense minister to Espírito Santo on Monday.

The state security spokesman said federal troops were expected to arrive by Tuesday.

Several other Brazilian states are grappling with a financial crisis. In Rio de Janeiro, the state government has been struggling to pay expenses including salaries of police, teachers and doctors and basic supplies for schools and hospitals. </s> Brazilian President Michel Temer signed a decree on Tuesday to deploy the Armed Forces to the northern state of Roraima on the border with Venezuela to assist in keeping order and ensuring the safety of Venezuelan immigrants.

BRASILIA: Brazilian President Michel Temer signed a decree on Tuesday to deploy the Armed Forces to the northern state of Roraima on the border with Venezuela to assist in keeping order and ensuring the safety of Venezuelan immigrants.

Temer blamed Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro for an exodus of Venezuelans that has caused an immigration crisis spilling over the border into neighbouring countries.

"The problem of Venezuela is no longer one of internal politics. It is a threat to the harmony of the whole continent," Temer said in a televised address. </s> Brazil’s president ordered soldiers to restore order in the country’s capital Wednesday after some government ministries were evacuated during clashes between police and protesters who are seeking the leader’s ouster. Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched to Congress to protest economic reforms that President Michel Temer is pushing through and to demand he step down amid a corruption scandal.

Scuffles between police and protesters who tried to jump a cordon mushroomed into a series of clashes in which officers fired tear gas and pepper spray to contain the crowd. Protesters set fires and used portable toilets as barricades.

Local media captured video images of military police firing pistols into the air. The Secretariat of Public Security issued a statement late Wednesday saying it would investigate the weapons firing, saying that “this procedure is not used in protests.” Earlier, it said one person had been injured by a bullet but give no information on who fired the shot.

A fire broke out in the Ministry of Agriculture, and demonstrators smashed windows and doors at other ministries. Some government agencies were evacuated in response, the president’s office said.

In a brief national address during the unrest, Defense Minister Raul Jungmann said troops were being sent to guard federal buildings, including the presidential palace. The weeklong deployment was authorized by a presidential decree which left open the possibility that soldiers could be used more widely in Brasilia. The decree said Jungmann would decide the scope.

“This mess, this mayhem is unacceptable,” Jungmann said. “President Temer will not allow that.” Jungmann added that soldiers had already entered the Foreign Ministry, and televised images showed troops outside the presidential palace. In all, 1,500 will be deployed, the Defense Ministry said.

Temer is struggling to retain power after the release of a recording that appears to capture him approving hush money for a convicted former lawmaker. Brazil’s top court is investigating him for alleged obstruction of justice and involvement in passive corruption. The president has denied wrongdoing and said he will not resign.

His unusual decision to call in the military could heighten anger against the government if it is seen as the last gasp of a president trying to maintain his hold on power.

“This decree was never used in this context to protect an administration that is politically isolated,” said Newton de Oliveira, a professor and security specialist at Mackenzie University in Rio de Janeiro. He said he thought the supreme court might be called on to evaluate whether the move was constitutional.

Late Wednesday, Temer’s office issued a statement saying the move was necessary after violence had put the lives and safety of public servants at risk. It said the president had determined that using the country’s National Force, an elite police entity, would not have been sufficient. He also denied the move was unusual, it said.

“When order is re-established, the decree will be revoked,” the statement said. “The president of the republic underscores that he will not hesitate to exercise the authority given to his office whenever it is necessary.”

Already, many Brazilians see Temer as illegitimate because he came to office after his predecessor, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached and removed. His popularly only plummeted once he began governing as he tried to pass economic changes meant to jump start the economy, which is in a deep and protracted recession. A series of corruption allegations that have swirled around him and his administration also disillusioned voters.

Now, with the latest allegations against Temer himself, many Brazilians have had enough. In the wake of the announcement on the use of the military, senior officials began distancing themselves from the decision.

“If this government cannot hold itself up, the armed forces will not hold up this government,” said Sen. Renan Calheiros, who is the whip for Temer’s party in the upper house but has increasingly challenged the president.

Rodrigo Maia, the speaker of the lower house of Congress, who had asked Temer to instead use the National Force, called the move “an excess” and said he hoped it wouldn’t last longer than a day. Sen. Romero Juca, a Temer ally, defended the president’s decision, saying: “President Temer brought in the armed forces because a bunch of criminals were setting ministries on fire.”

The pressure on Temer to resign continued to ratchet up Wednesday. Federal police asked the president to submit to questioning, his defense team said in a statement, but a supreme court justice later determined the police did not have the right to do that.

Temer also lost yet another aide when Sandro Mabel resigned Wednesday, saying he needs to spend more time with his family. He is the latest in a string of aides and allies who have resigned or been fired amid corruption allegations.

With Brazil deeply divided and a political crisis deepening, a session of the lower house of Congress became chaotic, with opposition politicians surrounding the speaker’s desk in protest and holding signs saying Congress’ workings should be transparent. The Senate’s session also descended into chaos.

Several lawmakers have submitted requests for Temer’s impeachment to the speaker and Maia has angered them by saying he would take his time to review the requests.

While Congress debated, 35,000 people were marching toward the chamber down a long avenue lined with the main government buildings, including the Supreme Court, the presidential palace and the ministries.

Protesters shouted “Out with Temer!” and carried signs calling for immediate direct presidential elections. If Temer resigned, the Constitution says Congress would elect the next president, who would hold power for the rest of his term, which runs to the end of 2018. But many Brazilians, disgusted with the political class, want to vote themselves.

Protests in Rio de Janeiro against Temer and state austerity measures also descended into chaos, with demonstrators clashing with police.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now </s> BRASILIA, May 25 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Michel Temer on Thursday removed federal troops from the streets of the nation's capital, a day after sending in the army to contain violent protests against his scandal-plagued government.

Temer's decision to send armed soldiers to Brasilia on Wednesday provoked an outpouring of criticism in a country with raw memories of its 1964-1985 military dictatorship. And it gave the impression that Temer had lost control of the streets as he and his administration have been besieged by fresh corruption allegations.

"It was an unthinkable decision, totally out of proportion with the situation," Congressman Alessandro Molon, of the opposition Sustainability Network party, told reporters Thursday in the capital. "It shows a fragile government that has its days numbered."

The chaos has undermined Temer's claim to be the best person to provide stability to Latin America's largest nation. And it has weakened his political standing in Congress to the point where leaders of his party say that reforms needed to restore confidence and investment in a stalled economy could be delayed.

Defense Minister Raul Jungmann announced Thursday that Temer had revoked the decision to deploy the army, 17 hours after it was decreed. By midday, after his announcement, the troops were gone.

Hours earlier, soldiers carrying rifles guarded government ministries that had been stoned by protesters the day before. One building had been set on fire.

Jungmann said Brasilia police were overwhelmed by the tens of thousands of demonstrators who gathered to demand Temer's resignation and an end to his unpopular labor and pension reforms.

Jungmann said the army was called in to stop the vandalism that began when demonstrators and police clashed on the grassy esplanade of the capital, where about 50 people were injured.

Wednesday's protests were the most violent in Brasilia since anti-government demonstrations in 2013 and added fuel to a political crisis sparked by allegations that Temer condoned paying off a potential witness in a massive corruption probe.

Temer refused to resign last week after the Supreme Court opened an investigation into bribery allegations made in plea-bargain testimony by billionaire Joesley Batista. Batista is owner of meatpacking giant JBS SA and his allegations came from a conversation he secretly recorded with Temer.

The Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) presented a request on Thursday for Congress to open impeachment proceedings against Temer for failing to take action after listening to Batista detail bribes of authorities.

Fifteen petitions to impeach Temer have been filed since last week, but it is up to the Rodrigo Maia, speaker of Brazil's lower house and a Temer ally, whether they would be put to a vote. Maia has vowed he will not allow it.

Pressure on Temer to leave office comes on the heels of the impeachment of leftist president Dilma Rousseff last year.

But Temer's future is more likely to be decided by Brazil's top electoral court, which could annul the 2014 election victory of the Rousseff-Temer ticket for campaigning with illegal funds when it meets in early June.

Even some of Temer's allies see that as the quickest way to resolve Brazil's crisis.
Brazilian President Michel Temer deploys the Brazilian Army to the southeastern state of Espírito Santo, where a police strike has led to a wave of violence and looting, including dozens of murders in the state capital, Vitória.