Residents say rebels rule Venezuela town

RUBIO, Venezuela, March 10 (UPI) -- Colombian leftist rebels are terrorizing and kidnapping residents of a rural western Venezuelan town, its residents say.

"Here Colombian guerrilla groups are operating, sometimes with the complicity of police," said one resident, The Miami Herald reported Monday.

"We live in a climate of terror fueled by the indifference of the state and the injustice of impunity."

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has repeatedly funded or giving refuge to Colombia's leftist rebel groups.

However, documents found on the laptop of a recently killed rebel leader reportedly show that the leftist Chavez committed $300 million to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

FARC has been battling the Colombian government for more than 40 years.