1 dies in Oaxaca's growing unrest

OAXACA, Mexico - Masked gunmen killed a protester Tuesday as escalating violence increased pressure on President Vicente Fox to intervene in a three-month-long protest by leftists and striking teachers.

Thousands of protesters calling for Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz's resignation have occupied the southern city's center, taking over buses, setting up barricades and taking over radio and television stations to broadcast revolutionary messages.
The protest started May 22. Ruiz is accused of rigging the state election in 2004 and of using force to repress dissent.

On Tuesday, a group of about 15 men in three cars drove up to a private radio station occupied by protesters and sprayed the building with gunfire, killing a 52-year-old man, officials said.

Prosecutor Lizbeth Cana said detectives would investigate the shootings, saying that the city was under siege from "urban guerrillas."

Ruiz and business leaders have urged President Vincente Fox to send federal police to the city but Fox spokesman Ruben Aguilar said the government will not use force to resolve the conflict.

"Only dialogue can solve problems. . . . Violence will just lead to more violence," Aguilar said.

Prior to the shooting, thousands of protesters, some armed with clubs, marched through the center of the city throughout Monday night, burning piles of tires and smashing windows.

Most businesses in the center of city were closed Tuesday and garbage collectors could not operate because of the street blockades.

A group of masked men Monday fired on a government television station that the protesters have occupied since Aug. 1, injuring one man. Protesters responded by taking over 12 private stations and blocking the city's four main entrances with buses.

Some 70,000 public-school teachers went on strike May 22 to demand salary increases totaling about $125 million, but the government said it couldn't afford that and counter-offered with less than a tenth of that amount.