A planned week of opposition demonstrations in Zimbabwe was disrupted by police, Monday, after the arrest of the country?s main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, and other officials of the Movement for Democratic Change, MDC.

Tsvangirai was charged with contempt of court for refusing to comply with a judicial order to cancel the demonstrations. He was later released, but told Reuters, "I don?t think there will be any marches, because they (the government) will not allow it."

Police fired teargas to quell protests in the capital Harare, in an apparently successful operation to stop opposition supporters from taking part in the planned protests called to challenge the authority of President Robert Mugabe, 79, and force him from power.

About 6,000 students at the University of Zimbabwe were prevented by police from marching from their campus into the city centre.

… Journalists reported witnessing security forces ordering about 50 people - including women - to lie down on the street. They were then beaten with rubber batons and home-made whips. The Associated Press reported some people crying out: "What have we done?"

An MDC news release, Monday, reported that members of the army and police had opened fire on peaceful demonstrators in the Highfields district of Harare. "There are as yet unconfirmed reports that two people have been killed. An MDC youth has a bullet wound in his leg and is currently in the Avenues Clinic in Harare."

… In the second largest city, Bulawayo, witnesses reported police sealing off the main square to stop opposition demonstrators from marching. In other parts of the country, opposition protestors and officials were reported to have been picked up for attempting to march.

… Zimbabwe state radio described the opposition protests as a "flop", adding that the police and army patrols had contained the situation and maintained peace nationwide, with no mention of fighting between the security forces and protestors.

The MDC said it was determined to continue its week-long protest campaign, but acknowledged that the police crackdown on Monday had quelled potential demonstrations.

… Zimbabwe is the facing severe food and fuel shortages and the economy has collapsed. Mugabe?s largely unsuccessful and contested land reform policies have prompted criticism in and outside the country.

… In repeated and colourful verbal attacks of a very personal nature on the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, Mugabe has denounced the internal opposition in Zimbabwe of being in cahoots with London to try to bring down his government.