A 3 August 1994 Los Tiempos report states that Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) Secretary General at the time was Juan Chávez. The same report and a 23 January 1995 Hoy report state that COB's Financial Secretary was Carlos Camargo. The Hoy report and a 3 May 1995 Television Nacional Network report state that COB's Executive Secretary was Oscar Salas. The same Hoy report adds that the Organizational Secretary at the time was Vladimir Terceros. A 5 September 1994 Presencia report states that COB's Secretary was Ricardo Fernández. A complete list of COB's Executive Committee for 1994-1995 could not be obtained by the Research Directorate.

In a 13 January 1998 telephone interview with the Research Directorate, the Secretary of External Affairs for the Central Obrera Departamental de La Paz Union provided the following names and titles of Executive Committee members who served from November 1993 to December 1995: Juan López Coutil, President; Humberto Ochoa Vilca, Secretary General; Thomas Guettierez Choc, Secretary of Relations; Alfredo Santano, Luis Alvarado and Juan Mario Machicado, Secretaries of Conflict; Gerardo Choc, Angel Fernández Martinez and Walter Calisea, Organizational Secretaries; Miguel Sambrana, Minutes Secretary; Oscar Jiñeros, Secretary of Media and Propaganda; Juan Otista, Secretary of Education and Culture; Mario Choquiña and Walter Arena, secretaries of Transport; Fernándes Choc, Secretary of Housing; José Ariega and Falustio Fernández, Secretaries of Unions; Juan Acha, Secretary of Industry; Felix Acno, Representative to the COB; Ugo Martínez, Secretary of the Environment; Edgar Aracio, Secretary of Social Security; and Vilma Trata, Secretary of Human Rights.

Please note that these names were obtained from the Central Obrera Departamental representative by telephone and, therefore, some spelling errors may have been committed in the names.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Central Obrera Departamental de La Paz, Bolivia. 13 January 1998. Telephone interview with the Secretary of External Affairs.

Hoy [La Paz]. 23 January 1995. "COB's Membership, Contributions Declining." (FBIS-LAT-95-035/WNC)

Los Tiempos [La Paz]. 3 August 1994. "COB Promotes 'Plan of Struggle'." (JPRS-TDD-94-036-L/WNC)

Presencia [La Paz]. 5 September 1994. "COB Leader Warns Against Risk of MBL Split."

Television Nacional Network [La Paz]. 3 May 1995. "Government-COB Accord Fulfilled; Banished Leaders Released." (FBIS-LAT-95-086/WNC)

Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights. 1994-1995.

The Europa World Year Book 1995. 1995.

Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 1994-1995.

Latin American Regional Reports: Southern Cone Report [London]. 1994-1995.

Electronic sources: IRB Databases, Global News Bank, LEXIS/NEXIS, Internet, REFWORLD (UNHCR database).