13 injured in clashes between Bolivian police, protesters

LA PAZ, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 13 people were injured on Tuesday when supporters of former Bolivian President Evo Morales clashed with police in Mairana, a town in the eastern Santa Cruz department, said local authorities.

Santa Cruz's police chief Col. Rolando Rojas told reporters that a police contingent was dispatched to the old road connecting the central Cochabamba department with Santa Cruz, where Morales' supporters threw rocks and explosives at police, resulting in the injuries of 13 officers.

Since Oct. 14, protests have escalated as Morales' supporters, accusing the judiciary of persecution, have been blocking roads for two weeks to oppose the legal cases against him, which he denies. ■