Mexican President Felipe Calderon faced public anger during a visit to his country's most violent city, Ciudad Juarez, on the border with the US.

墨西哥总统利佩·卡尔德龙在参观与美国边境相邻的、暴力事件频发的华瑞兹市时遭遇了强烈的公众愤怒。

There were more than 2,600 murders in Ciudad Juarez last year

There were scuffles（混乱扭打） between riot police and dozens of protesters outside the convention centre where Mr Calderon and his cabinet met community leaders.

The president promised new initiatives to tackle（处理，抓住） crime in the city, which is a major battleground for drug cartels（贩毒集团） .

But he refused to withdraw troops, who critics say have worsened the violence.

More than 15,000 people are believed to have been killed in drug-related incidents in Mexico in the last two years.

There were more than 2,600 murders in Ciudad Juarez last year.

On 31 January, 13 teenagers and two adults were shot dead at a high school party. Their families have said they had no gang ties.

'Not welcome'

"If those deaths... mean anything it is that we need to change after that absurd（荒谬的，可笑的） sacrifice," Mr Calderon told Ciudad Juarez residents.

The president promised improvements in health, education, welfare and infrastructure¹（基础设施，公共建设） for the poverty-stricken northern city, but insisted he would not withdraw the 6,000 troops deployed²（配置，部署） there.

"I've promised the parents of the victims that we'll find a new impetus³（促进，动力） for the fight against the violent gangs," he said. "We have to have better co-ordination between the different institutions of government and the police forces to take on this challenge - a fight that we have yet to win."

But as soon as he finished his speech and opened the floor to questions, the criticism started to flow, says the BBC's Julian Miglierini in Mexico City.

"You come here one or two years late," a local leader told Mr Calderon, while a woman shouted: "You are not welcome here."

All those who spoke⁴ expressed their frustration⁵ about the level of violence, our correspondent adds.

They also complained about the lack of a proper infrastructure and alleged⁶ human rights abuses by the security forces.

The federal government's perceived（感知，领会） lack of efficiency in dealing⁷ with the crisis was another major grievance⁸（不满，委屈） .

Army helicopters patrolled the skies above, as federal riot police tried to disperse⁹（驱散，分散） the dozens of people staging a demonstration¹⁰.

Many were holding signs saying "army and police, leave!" and "Calderon out".

"Calderon's afraid... We want justice, we want him to resign," Luz Davila, whose two teenaged children were killed in the January high school party shooting, told the Reuters news agency.

Our correspondent says Thursday's frank and open session with citizens in a country where the office of the president is widely respected may signal the start of a new chapter for Mexico's most pressing difficulty.