THE Chilean military declared a night-time curfew in the capital Saturday, and President Sebastian Pinera announced he would freeze an unpopular public transport policy, as the government struggled to tackle widespread unrest in the streets over fare hikes.

The general in charge of security in Santiago under a state of emergency imposed over the weekend announced a curfew in the city and outlying areas between 10 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. yesterday.

As the curfew came into effect, crowds of thousands of people marched, gathered in public squares and came out of their homes to take part in traditional pot-banging protests, witnesses said.

Fires continued to burn and looters were seen in flashpoints around the city of 6 million people where earlier police and military clashed with protesters. There was also significant unrest in the port city of Valparaiso, the seat of Chile’s Congress, where the government also declared military rule late Saturday, and in the southern city of Concepcion.

Pinera said he would reverse public transport fare increases, which had caused widespread protests after they were announced Oct. 6.

The president said that he had listened “with humility” to “the voice of my compatriots” and to discontent over the high cost of living and patchy public services.  (SD-Agencies)