Ecuador Court Martial Process Begins http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000204/wl/ecuador_military_1.html Friday February 4 9:51 PM ET Ecuador Court Martial Process Begins QUITO, Ecuador (AP) - Ecuador's military said Friday it planned to try 16 officers and a sergeant for their part in an uprising that led to President Jamil Mahuad's overthrow. Together with hundreds of Indians, a cadre of young army officers seized Congress on Jan. 21 and proclaimed a "Parliament of the People" to fight corruption and end poverty. Their formation of a three-man governing junta prompted the military high command to force Mahuad from office to avoid "a social explosion." The junta said it wanted fight corruption and work to improve the lives of the poor. Armed forces chief Gen. Carlos Mendoza briefly took a place in the junta before turning power over to Vice President Gustavo Noboa. Last week, Noboa received the presidential sash in a ceremony in Congress. Mendoza said he agreed to join the coup until democratic order could be restored. Mendoza, who has since resigned his post, was among 96 officers still being investigated, said Gen. Norton Narvaez, chief of Ecuador's army. Police on Thursday used tear gas to disperse demonstrators who marched in support of officers who had been arrested or detained. About 2,000 students, Indians and relatives of the colonels who led the military uprising demanded the officers' release. Narvaez said "the officers that had been detained are in barracks in Quito, with all guarantees and respect that any citizen would receive." ________________________________________________________________________