The suspicions might well be wrong. But the assumption that they are absurd is as shaky as sinilar assumptions would be about, say, the authorities in Russia in regard to Litvinenko. Or Israel, in regard to Arafat's, where similar suspicions have been raised.

Governments are capable of just about every kind of nastiness, pretty well all governments.

And in te case of Chavez it is inevitable that the history of the reported 638 assassination attempts against Fidel Cstro over the years must colour the thinking of Venezuelans.