The same surprising way it started, the rioting ended 72 hours later. News analysts are puzzled by the rioting in the otherwise tranquil northern town of 60,000 people about 20 minutes from Santiago. What was most shocking was to see masked rioters carrying sophisticated pistols. Who armed these people? asked news analysts, while commenting that the scenes seen on TV looked like something out of the Middle East or Colombia. The masked vandals even seemed to be posing for the cameramen, commented Hoy newspaper. The disturbances left several injured, about 100 arrested, and one minibus damaged by the vandals. El Caribe speculates that the protesters were seeking some kind of political gain rather than improvements for the community.
