Last report from Reuters, which may have a stringer on the ground in Tegucigalpa. CNN en español has coverage with some video, but does not seem to have a presence there at the moment and is covering events with help from a local station.

From Reuters:

Honduran soldiers detained leftist President Manuel Zelaya on Sunday in a constitutional crisis over his attempt to win re-election, government officials said. [snip] The president fired the armed forces chief of staff last week for refusing to help him organize an unofficial referendum on Sunday on allowing presidents to serve more than a single four-year term. The impoverished Central American country had been politically stable since the end of military rule in the early 1980s, but Zelaya's push to change the constitution to allow him another term has split the country's institutions. The Supreme Court last week came out against Zelaya and ordered him to reinstate fired military chief General Romeo Vasquez -- a move the president said amounted to a "coup" against him. The pro-government TV channel on Sunday called on Zelaya supporters to gather in the capital to support the president, but then went off the air without explanation. Phone calls to the presidential palace went unanswered.

It should be noted today's vote was to be a non-binding referendum on whether to have a vote on whether to hold a constitutional convention to reform the constitution in November. From what I can see, a number of institutions, including the Church, are strongly opposed.

Updates soon. The combination of heavily-armed, poorly trained soldiers and pro-Zelaya protestors is extremely dangerous. Apparently, people have been told to stay in their homes, but are not doing so.

Timeline of events this morning next.

Update 1:

8:36 a.m. local time. I am unable to access either the San Pedro Sula or Tegucigalpa newspaper. That means my only source of information at the moment is CNN en español. The organization of American States is holding an emergency meeting in Washington. My understanding is that electricity has been cut in parts of Honduras, and some media interrupted. The Honduran Congress may meet in emergency session later. There has not been an official statement from a military authority so far. CNN en español is interviewing people, who are denouncing the event as a coup. The European Union and OAS have sharply condemned the coup.

Update 2:

8:49 a.m. CNN reporting President Zelaya and his family have been safely taken to Costa Rica.

Update 3:

9:07 a.m. There are many more people in the street. Protestors seem to be provoking the army. Crowds are much larger and more animated. This won't end well. Here are two screen captures from CNN.

Update 4:

9:20 a.m. President Zelaya is expected to speak soon from Costa Rica.

What happened this morning, according to the El Heraldo in Tegucigalpa:

09:07am Protests. Tanks pass through blockades erected by protestors in some streets in the capital. 08:54am Militarized. Army mobilizes in Tegucigalpa streets. Government buildings under armed guard. 08:24am Emergency. Organization of American states calls an emergency meeting on Honduran crisis. 08:16am Honduran Secretary of State Patricia Rodas detained. 08:05am Army confiscates electoral materials to be used in today's election. 07:45am Armed forces confirm the president was detained by order of the Honduran courts. 07:26am Heavy military presence outside Presidential Residence. 07:24am Communications media recommends the population stay in the homes and remain calm. 07:10am Government chanel has beem removed from airways, as well as Channel 36, which is affiliated with the presidency. 07:08am No electricity. 06:43am Official TV channel says president was detained by army. 06:28am Area around presidential residence militarized. 06:14am Calm.

Update 5:

9:39 a.m. Zelaya speaking by phone to CNN. Says he was forced from his home at gunpoint in pajams, forced into a military vehicle, placed on a plane and flown to Costa Rica. Shots were fired in the presidential residence. He hid on the roof. Arrived in Costa Rica in pajamas.

Will not recognize another government in Honduras. Calls on other governments in region for support.

Update 6:

9:52 a.m. Zelaya still speaking on CNN. Calls on people to protest peacefully. Seems to be issuing a veiled call for strikes.

Military says the presence of Venezuelan and Nicaraguan "elements" in the country was the reason for the Zelaya's arrest, according to El Heraldo (make of this what you will, it is completely unsourced by the newspaper):

The verification of the entrance of Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, for the purpose of backing President Zelaya in holding a referendum this Sunday, was another of the principal reasons that led the courts to order his arrest and the Armed Forces to comply with the order. Reliable sources told El Heraldo there are confidential reports that the in the last three days people from the two countries entered at different points in the country for the purpose of backing Zelaya's illegal actions. The presence of foreign forces, authorized by the president, represented a violation of national sovereignty, the source said. To prevent foreign subjects from causing a crisis of violence, the Armed Forces are currently monitoring the country, with all their forces, including land, air and naval forces.

As I say, this report is completely unsourced and highly suspect. I mention it because it is the second justification being given by the military for the coup.

Update 7:



10:19 a.m. OAS emergency meeting underway in Washington. Was just interrupted by an announcement [from the Venezuelan representative] that diplomats from Cuba, Nicargua and Venezuela have been kidnapped and beaten in Honduras by masked gunmen. As previously reported, the Honduran Ministery of Foreign Affairs has also been kidnapped.

Update 8:

10:27 a.m. President Obama calls for respect of democratic norms. Reuters.

"As the Organization of American States did on Friday, I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter," Obama said in a statement. "Any existing tensions and disputes must be resolved peacefully through dialogue free from any outside interference," he said. An administration official said Obama's national security adviser, General Jim Jones, had briefed Obama on the situation in Honduras by telephone. An interagency team was following the situation and would provide updates to Obama throughout the day.

Update 9:

10:53 a.m.

La Prensa from San Pedro Sula reporting congressional president Roberto Micheletti will be named president of Honduras within the hour, by the congress. Congress will order a curfew.

Update 10:

11:02 a.m. All local TV stations off the air, according to CNN. CNN en español is also blocked, at least in Tegucigalpa, accordingn to the local reporter it is using. Electricity is apparently still off.

Congressional president Roberto Micheletti has arrived at the presidential residence by helicopter to be sworn in as provisional president shortly. I would expect a statement after he is sworn in.

Protestors burning tires in the streets. The army has confiscated most of the referendum materials, on orders from the Honduran Supreme Court, but symbolic voting occurs at some voting stations. Awaiting statement from the OAS, which continues to meet in Washington.

President Zelaya's wife on phone with CNN. She is in hiding in the "mountains" in Honduras. Says there are orders to arrest her as well. She was not taken to Costa Rica with her husband. Says she has not been in contact with her husband so far. Calls on Honduras to demonstrate peacefully and to show the world Honduras is a democratic country. Calls on soldiers to lay down their guns. Has not been in contact with her children.

Update 11:

11:23 a.m. Zelaya in press conference with Costa Rican president, Nobel laureate Oscar Arias. Arias condemns the coup. Says it is a step backward for democracy in Honduras and Central America. Says we thought democracy had been consolidated in the region to the extent that this couldn't happen. "We regret there are still people who applaud the idea of a coup just because they disagree with something. It is unacceptable to interrupt the constitutional order." Says he hopes the entire hemisphere condemns the coup.

Update 12:

11:38 a.m. The mayor of San Pedro Sula has been detained by the armed forces for supporting the referendum, according to La Prensa.

Zelaya/Arias press conference still going on. Zelaya says Honduras has "mafias" that try to run the government. Says today's situation is due to his removal of the head of Honduran joint chiefs, General Romeo Vazquez, last week.

Good news: there are no reports of deaths or injuries of protestors at this moment, although tear gas canisters have been fired.

Update 13:

12:33 p.m. URGENT: Honduran Congress: Reading a letter supposedly written by Zelaya RENOUNCING the presidency. This appears to be a forged letter. Zelaya was quite clear in his previous statements in Costa Rica in which he adamantly affirmed he is still president of Honduras. Waiting on response from President Zelaya. We are now entering the opera bufa phase of the coup. Violence will ensue shortly.

Update 14:

12:40 p.m. President Zelaya in telephone conversation with CNN says that he has NOT resigned and has no intention of resigning. "It is totally false." The question is whether the Honduran populace will know it's false, since news media have been closed in Honduras and access to CNN has been cut.

Update 15:

1:03 p.m. At least 8 government ministers detained, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Patricia Rodas and presidential secretary Eduardo Enrique Reina, according to La Prensa. Intestingly, this newspaper, which has been ardently opposed to the referendum, is reporting on its front page, "Congress Accepts Resignation of Mel Zelaya." There is no information on the front page that Zelaya is denying having resigned. I mention this because it's important to understand how the press frequently throws all professionalism to the winds in a crisis and will print blatant falsehoods. With telephone service and electricity cut and local television and radio stations shut down, the military and its allies in the press now control all information in Honduras. The people are effectively cut off. The congress is expected to enact a curfew, which will force people from the streets shortly.

Update 16:

1:34 p.m. El Heraldo from Tegucigalpa has received preliminary reports of two injuries of protestors.

Congress debating decree to make congressional president Roberto Micheletti the president of Honduras. We knew this several hours ago, since it was orchestrated and announced previously. The Supreme Court has affirmed that presidential elections scheduled for November will proceed as previously planned.

Update 17:

2:23 p.m. It's official. The congressional decree passed "unanimously" to accept the president's "resignation" (which didn't really happen), remove him from office for crimes against the constitution and install Roberto Micheletti as president. The country is on "Cadena Nacional" which is like our Emergency Broadcast System, meaning all television and radio stations have to broadcast the government's signal.

European Union statement earlier, as reported by theBBC:

The EU strongly condemns the arrest of the constitutional president of the Republic of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, by the armed forces. This is [an] unacceptable violation of constitutional order in Honduras. The EU calls for the urgent release of President Zelaya and a swift return to constitutional normality.

CNN's reporter is saying everything is calm on the streets of Tegucigalpa. Flyovers by the Honduran airforce have ceased.

Update 18:

3:49 p.m. Roberto Micheletti has now been sworn in as Honduras' new president. Here's a picture:

It's remarkable, when you think about it. In a period of just over 2 hours, the Honduran congress removed a president from power and (skipping over the vice-president in line of succession) installed a new president. All after forcibly removing the president and shipping him off to another country, while controlling all sources of information, limiting communication and disseminating misinformation about the president's resignation. Honduras now has one president who is recognized within the country and another president recognized by the rest of the world. It will be interesting to see how this situation is resolved. It's not at all clear where the anger seen on the streets this morning has gone. People may be at home watching soccer games, afraid to leave their homes or planning demonstrations for tomorrow. Or this may be the end of it.

Update 19:

4:55 p.m. The U.S. says it is working to ensure the safety of Zelaya and his family, according to the AP:

WASHINGTON — U.S. diplomats are working to ensure the safety of deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and his family as they press for restoration of constitutional law and his presidency. U.S. officials said Sunday evening they've spoken with Zelaya since he was taken to Costa Rica by the forces that wrested him from power. They also say the U.S. told Honduran military leaders and other power players there that the United States and other nations in the Americas would not support a coup. They say Honduran military officials stopped taking their calls as the crisis unfolded. Two senior administration officials briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, under ground rules set by the State Department.

President Zelaya has reportedly been flown to Nicaragua from Costa Rica on a plane loaned by Venezuela. Nicaraguan President Ortega called for an emergency meeting of Central American leaders this evening in Managua.

I believe we are still awaiting the official statement from the Organization of American States, which is expected to be harsh.

Update 20:

5:40 p.m. The "new president" of Honduras, Roberto Micheletti, has announced a curfew to take effect in Honduras at 6:00 [correction, 7:00] p.m. (As noted in earlier updates, the curfew was always going to be part of the package.) Schools reportedly will be closed tomorrow.

CNN en español has had some oustanding commentary this afternoon, the best of which has come from a representative of the Carter Center (as we all might expect). He's provided excellent analysis of the constitutional crisis. The international situation is looking bleak for Honduras. Today's events will affect trade relations, aid agreements and, possibly, endanger its membership in the OAS. (None of that came up in the congress' 2-hour debate on whether to procede with Zelaya's destitution, come to think of it.)

Update 21:

6:10 p.m. Mercosur has condemned the coup and said it will not recognize any Honduran authority besides Manuel Zelaya. According to Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo:

The presidents in the Mercosur region (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) agree on a firm posture of condemnation of any event that endangers the constitutional order and the will of the Honduran people as expressed in free elections.

The OAS Permanent Council has apparently issued a multi-point condemnation and called for a meeting of the General Assembly next week, perhaps Tuesday. I don't think the full OAS declaration has been posted yet. Here's a summary:

Washington - The Organization of American States on Sunday condemned the coup in Honduras and said it would not recognize any government but that of ousted President Manuel Zelaya. The international body's Permanent Council called for the "immediate, safe and unconditional return" of Zelaya to his office in a resolution adopted at an emergency meeting at its Washington headquarters. It called the coup "an unconstitutional alteration of the democratic order" and also condemned the reported detention of Foreign Affairs Minister Patricia Rodas and other government officials.

Update 22:

6:48 p.m. I think this will be the last update. Probably not much more will happen today, and I hope someone does a fresh diary tomorrow to continue the coverage. I'll conclude by posting a photo of President Zelaya as he appeared at his press conference in Costa Rica with Oscar Arias.

I debated about posting this because I don't want to play into the Honduran military's intent to strip Zelaya of all dignity by rousing him from his bed and forcing him out of the country wearing only a T-shirt.

I have been very pleased by the Obama administration's response to this crisis, with its firm policy of non-interference and endorsement of a multi-lateral approach to work with other countries in the hemisphere to resolve the situation. That is very different from what we saw in Venezuela under Bush, and worlds away from 1954, when Jacobo Arbenz was forced to strip at the airport in Guatemala before going into exile, to be photographed by the Guatemalan press in his shorts. There are strong historical echoes in this photograph, but this time the U.S. is on the side of democracy in the hemisphere.