Security Force protests that started on Tuesday 2nd October continue this morning with a new petition of demands. After presenting a new petition with ten points last night, the representatives of protesters held a meeting with Secretary of Security Sergio Berni.

Among salary scale demands (a minimum of $7,000) the protesters announced their wish to “incorporate the staff to Labour Risks Insurance (ART) and to have a free choice of social benefits.” Berni promised to answer all complaints by next Tuesday.

Later this morning, the Ministry of Security Nilda Garré issued salary payments to all Gendarmerie agents for the months of August and September. Garré announced the “retirements” of ten Coastguard prefecture generals and ten Gendarmerie general commanders. She then appointed Carlos José Pereyra as General Commander, who replaced Juan Obdulio Sainz, and Andrés Manuel Monzón as a Prefecture General, who will replace Enrique Cingolani until the further notice.

Despite the changes, Naval Prefecture and National Gendarmerie agents decided to continue the protests.

An accident between two buses and a truck that occurred on Highway 3 in the province of Chubut has caused at least 14 deaths and 40 injuries. Nine of the fatalities were national gendarmes who were sent to the area to intervene in a dispute at Cerro Dragón between union workers and Pan American Energy, an oil field operator associated with China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).

The gendarmerie had arrived in the area by plane and were returning via bus, when an oncoming truck crashed into it. A second bus then collided with the first. Initial reports from the scene suggest the truck driver, who also died, may have fallen asleep behind the wheel. Victims were brought to Hospital Isola in Puerto Madryn, where 25 of the injured were said to be in critical condition.

In the past week, violence had escalated at Cerro Dragón, the largest oil field in the country, as 400 union workers took control of the site and demanded higher wages. Photos from around the internet showed the charcoal skeletons of overturned cars, as strikers were accused of damaging the company’s installations.

On Monday, union workers finally halted their occupation of the oil field after receiving confirmation that authorities would begin salary negotiations. But the CEO of Pan American Energy, Oscar Prieto, continued to voice concern that no one had been taken into custody for wreaking havoc.

In response to the incident, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner today declared a national period of mourning and said that the national gendarmerie would no longer get involved in conflicts that are the responsibility of provincial governments.

The national Argentine gendarmerie has admitted that an illegal database exists, which has information on union leaders, politicians and people from student, social and human rights organisations.

In a federal court, gendarmerie commander general Héctor Bernabé Schenone affirmed the existence of the database, which includes a detailed system of personal information obtained by social movement infiltration.

According to the Argentina daily newspaper Clarín, Schenone said Project X is “a database that is used as an analytical tool and guideline in court cases, like informational support to Operative Units.”

Clarín stated in the article that this information came a letter released yesterday for the Todos Noticias’ program “Two Voices.”

On 22^nd December, Schenone admitted to the existence of the then-unknown “Project X.”

Clarín also had one of its buildings raided by the gendarmerie on 20^th December.