The government of Bolivia has announced a sharp rise in the price of fuel with petrol and diesel going up by more than seventy per cent. The government said it could not go on subsidising fuel imports when so much is being smuggled out to neighbouring countries by profiteers. It has promised to mitigate the impact by increasing public sector salaries and freezing utility bills. But anger is already growing. Bolivia's main transport union has called for an indefinite strike in protest.