Dear Warden:

Below please find a Warden Message from the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia.  Please share this warden message with any U.S. citizens in Bolivia with whom you have contact.  We hope this information is useful to you.  If we may provide further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,
American Citizen Services Unit
U.S. Embassy La Paz, Bolivia

WARDEN MESSAGE
U.S. EMBASSY LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
November 27, 2007

This Warden Message is being issued to notify American citizens that a general strike is planned in six departments of Bolivia for Wednesday, November 28, 2007, in protest against the government and the Constituent Assembly’s passage of a new draft Constitution.  The six departments that are expected to participate in the strike are:  Santa Cruz, Beni, Tarija, Cochabamba, Chuquisaca and Pando.  Please be aware that travel to and from these areas is likely to be disrupted.  Travelers should maintain contact with airlines and/or tour operators for up-to-date travel information.

This is a reminder that the current situation in Bolivia is very tense, as evidenced by the serious violence that occurred in Sucre over the weekend of November 24-25.  There is a risk that demonstrations and protests might break out at short notice.  We wish to remind American citizens that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence.  American citizens are therefore urged to avoid the areas of demonstrations if possible.  American citizens should stay current with media coverage of local events and exercise caution. 

For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Internet website at http://travel.state.gov where the current Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements can be found.  Additional information is available in the Consular Information Sheet for Bolivia at http://travel.state.gov and on our Embassy website at http://bolivia.usembassy.gov.

Current information on travel and security in Bolivia may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or, from overseas, 1-202-501-4444.  These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).  American citizens traveling or residing overseas are encouraged to register with the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate on the State Department's travel registration website at https://travelregistration.state.gov.

U.S. citizens may contact the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia, via e-mail at consularlapaz@state.gov or by telephone at (591-2) 216-8297 during working hours or (591-2) 216-8500 after hours and on weekends.  The Consular Section is located in the U.S. Embassy at 2780 Arce Avenue in La Paz, Bolivia.  The Santa Cruz Consular Agency can be reached by telephone at (591-3) 351-3477 and the Cochabamba Consular Agency can be reached by telephone at (591-4) 411-6313.