VHeadline Venezuela News reports: Guayana Chamber of Industry & Mining president Fernando Goyenechea says that more than twenty members of the industry association have signed a letter of protest in which they ask State Governor Francisco Rangel Gomez to declare a State of Emergency in southeastern Bolivar State because of high levels of insecurity through the industry after a number of companies decided to close, while other have lowered production as much as possible because the existing legal framework in Venezuela does nothing but to generates crime.

"Over the past two years between 40 and 50 small- to medium businesses have ceased activities in the Guayana region," Goyenechea says. "It is an unbearable situation ... business owners have found their companies "looted and intervened under judicial terrorism" ... the State of Bolivar has beaten the record for the number of homicides per capita in Venezuela with 83 murders during the month of May, of which 58 were in Ciudad Guayana.

Goyenechea emphasizes that the situation has led industries to close down their businesses and has frightened away foreign investment ... "besides having to deal with the legal uncertainties, we now have problems with employees." He says that "armed labor mafias have forced businesses to the wall and expect to discuss collective agreements in industry and mining ... businesses are paralyzed and then blackmailed ... it is the large firms that are suffering."

Senior State officials were expected to hold a meeting to find solutions to the security problems but the only ones to attend were the municipal security chief and the commander of National Guard Unit 48. Goyenechea says he is demanding a meeting with the State Governor in person today to being his attention to the urgency of the situation.