Ex-soldiers protest in Guatemala to get civil war payment

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Former soldiers who are demanding a war-time bonus  for serving in Guatemala’s 1960-1996 civil war have burst onto the grounds of the country’s congress building and set several vehicles afire. The protesters broke down gates leading into the building’s parking lot Tuesday and torched at least three vehicles. Some of the demonstrators apparently carried machetes, and some congress employees fled over a rooftop to escape. One legislator wrote that some of his colleagues were trapped inside the building. Another said the ex-soldiers had set fire to offices adjoining the parking lot. Soldiers eventually showed up to force the protesters out.