The church decided to evacuate 102 missionaries as a precaution amid violent protests against Bolivian President Evo Morales. Opposition-controlled provinces are demanding a larger share of of the country's natural gas wealth and trying to block the president's attempts to direct resources to the long-suffering indigenous majority.

The arrest today of opposition leader Leopoldo Fernandez, governor of the remote Amazonian province of Pando, abruptly ended efforts by the president and opposition leaders to talk about compromises after anti-Morales protesters ransacked government offices in Pando and three other eastern provinces last week. It also prompted the United States to evacuate its Peace Corps volunteers.

The LDS Church said the missionaries, who were serving throughout Bolivia, a landlocked nation bordering six other South American countries, where transferred by commercial and charter flights to Peru.

The evacuation began last weekend and was completed late Monday, according to the church.

LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter said it's likely the missionaries were transferred to Lima, Peru's capital. The church currently has seven missions in Peru.

The missionaries will serve in Peru and are expected to return to Bolivia after conditions settle down.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.