Hundreds of trucks snarl Bolivia farm region as blockades hit business

Aerial view of a road blocked by demonstrators as protests following the arrest of Santa Cruz governor and right-wing opposition leader Luis Fernando Camacho over an alleged coup in 2019 continue, in Pailon, near Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, January 3, 2023. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

PAILON, Bolivia (Reuters) - Hundreds of trucks lined highways in Bolivia's farming region of Santa Cruz on Tuesday, as protesters blockaded routes out of the region following the arrest of the local governor, and hard-hit local businesses urged a return to order.

Protests have gripped the lowland region since the Dec. 28 arrest of right-wing local leader Luis Camacho on "terrorism" charges related to an alleged 2019 coup against then president Evo Morales.