São Paulo, March 1, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - In an assessment made by the president of the Union Force, Paulo Pereira da Silva, "Little Paul," around 30 thousand people took part in a demonstration today in São Paulo to protest the closing of bingo parlors in Brazil. Traffic in the locale became snarled. According to "Little Paul," the ban on the functioning of bingo parlors established by Provisional Measure 168 should leave about 120 thousand formal workers without employment.

"We are working with the government and with Congress to edit a new Provisional Measure for the purpose of temporarily maintaining the jobs and re-opening the bingo parlors. Later we can formulate new laws to guarantee the jobs and the bingo parlors, with a guarantee of inspection. If the bingo parlor is committing fraud, it must be shut and its owner put in jail," "Little Paul" declared. Similar demonstrations were held in Recife and Porto Alegre. The Union Force will promote demonstrations tomorrow (2) in Rio de Janeiro and Wednesday (3) in Brasília. (DAS)