Bolivian Indians have paralysed much of the country with protests against plans to open up the energy sector to more investment, carrying homemade banners with slogans like “Foreign oil companies out!”

To which the companies reply: Be careful what you wish for.
Although no foreign energy majors such as Brazil’s Petrobras or Britain’s BP are discussing leaving the country, energy sector sources and economists say the wave of protests is likely to scare off big investments for years to come.
President Carlos Mesa recently threatened to quit in frustration at the highway blockades and political opposition to his proposed energy law, which aims to fuel foreign interest in developing Bolivia’s vast natural gas reserves.
Mesa quickly withdrew his resignation after most parties in Congress agreed to consider his proposal, but that may have been too little,
too late.
“The damage is done,” said a source close to Bolivia’s foreign energy companies. “Energy companies need a time horizon of at least five to 10 years to make big decisions, and the current instability makes that impossible.”
“I think you’ll see an extended period of enough investment to keep current operations going, but not much more,” the source said.
Many from Bolivia’s poor indigenous majority have opposed foreign investment, believing their country’s natural resources will be looted with no benefit to them.
Despite massive discoveries of gold, silver, oil and gas over the centuries, Bolivia is still South America’s poorest country.