Political unrest in Bolivia, Church pulls missionaries

The LDS Church announced Tuesday that some 102 North American missionaries

serving in Bolivia have been transferred to Peru in the wake of political unrest

within the Bolivian government.A news release said the transfer was made "in consultation with U.S.

government representatives in Bolivia and with the cooperation of Bolivian

immigration authorities as a precautionary measure during the present unsettled

conditions there." The missionaries are expected to return to Bolivia "when

conditions become more settled," the release said.Most of the missionaries were transferred via commercial and charter flights

beginning last weekend. The transfer was completed Monday night.The Peace Corps also pulled its volunteers out of Bolivia over the weekend. "Our first priority is the safety and security of our volunteers," Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter said in a statement.The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning Saturday, urging all U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to Bolivia and encouraging U.S. citizens already in the country to "consider departing if the situation allows."LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter said Mormon missionaries will continue their

service in three missions in Peru, which is part of the church's South America

West area, headquartered in Lima.The Associated Press quoted Bolivia's president saying soldiers have arrested

an opposition governor inside the country on charges of organizing a massacre.Gov. Leopoldo Fernandez of Pando province is being charged with genocide in

what Bolivian President Evo Morales calls an ambush of his supporters last week

that left at least 15 dead and 37 injured. Morales announced the arrest at a

news conference Tuesday.Anti-Morales activists seized buildings last week in Pando and three other

states to protest a planned vote on a new constitution granting greater power to

Bolivia's poor indigenous majority.The continuing unrest, and last week's expulsion of U.S. ambassador Philip

Goldberg, prompted the United States to suspend the Peace Corps program in

Bolivia. That agency also evacuated its estimated 130 volunteers to neighboring

Peru. The U.S. Embassy has advised other Americans to leave Bolivia if they can,

the AP reported.American Airlines temporarily suspended flights between Miami and Bolivia

because of the political unrest.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has good relationships with

the Bolivian government and has a significant humanitarian aid program in the

country, according to the church press release. Recently, 1,000 wheelchairs were

delivered to Bolivia as a part of that humanitarian effort.