SANTIAGO DE CUBA, December 26 (Luis Alberto Rivera, APLO) – An
announcement by local officials of a temporary reduction on the price of rice to
2 pesos a pound has led to several disturbances in Santiago, Cuba's second
largest city.
Consumers have been mostly lining up to buy the rice, a basic staple for
Cubans, but some, fearful of not reaching the head of the line before the rice
runs out, have caused disturbances. There have been reports of people trying to
reach the head of the line by wielding a machete.
The price reduction will be in effect until December 31, but some
Santiagueros have said that they'd rather pay the regular 5 pesos a pound in the
agricultural markets than lose their lives.
In a separate incident, a woman lost her life at an agricultural fair, when
the waiting crowd rushed a truck bringing in chickens, knocking the woman down
from the bed of the truck. The woman was subsequently crushed by chicken crates
that were also knocked down from the truck.
The official papers never report on these incidents.
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