Police attack unarmed native blockade at Bagua, Peru: ENS
Under bilateral Free Trade Agreements signed with Canada and the United States, President Alan Garcia recently pushed through 99 laws, some later declared unconstitutional, to support multinational oil, mining, logging, and land “development” in Peru's Amazon region, the largest outside of Brazil. Peru wants to become an oil exporter. Billions of dollars are at stake.
For years, over 200,000 native peoples living in the region have demanded consultation. After peaceful protesters shut down oil and gas pipelines, and blockaded roads and rivers in April, Prime Minister Yehude Simon finally agreed to talks with Alberto Pizango, leader of the AIDESEP native coalition.
President Garcia has now broken the government's promise, sending navy, army and police to attack protesters on the Napo River, and on the Devil's Curve road near Bagua. At least 66 (most of them native) are reported dead. Official responses: at televised police funerals Garcia likens the protesters to Shining Path terrorists; police sweeps, snipers, disappearances and vengeance killings have continued for the last 3 days. AIDESEP's Pizango calls Bagua a “massacre” and has gone into hiding. See eyewitness reports and photos by Ben Powless, a Six Nations Mohawk; Mongabay, Amazon Watch news and videos; Council of Canadians; history of the movement in Rootforce posts; NativeWeb / Abya Yala Net information from First Peoples in English & español.
17 June update: While blockades continued, Alberto Pizango was given asylum by Nicaragua. After weeks of talks with native leaders, Prime Minister Simon (who had been pushed aside by Garcia) promises to end the state of emergency and repeal the laws enabling land grabs in the Amazon -- but not the free trade treaty. Then he will resign.
Click map for details of Peru oil concessions: courtesy Amazon Watch
Oil plays include Conoco-Phillips, Occidental Oil, the Canadian Petroleum Institute, Brazil's Petrobras, and Argentina's Pluspetrol. For 35 years Occidental has poisoned local populations by dumping toxic wastes into local rivers, practices illegal in North America; similar practices are reported in Ecuador* by Chevron. Natives fled disease and disruption by retreating into the rainforest. But that is no longer possible.
Under bilateral Free Trade Agreements signed with Canada and the United States, President Alan Garcia recently pushed through 99 laws, some later declared unconstitutional, to support multinational oil, mining, logging, and land “development” in Peru's Amazon region, the largest outside of Brazil. Peru wants to become an oil exporter. Billions of dollars are at stake.For years, over 200,000 native peoples living in the region have demanded consultation. After peaceful protesters shut down oil and gas pipelines, and blockaded roads and rivers in April, Prime Minister Yehude Simon finally agreed to talks with Alberto Pizango, leader of the AIDESEP native coalition.
President Garcia has now broken the government's promise, sending navy, army and police to attack protesters on the Napo River, and on the Devil's Curve road near Bagua. At least 66 (most of them native) are reported dead. Official responses: at televised police funerals Garcia likens the protesters to Shining Path terrorists; police sweeps, snipers, disappearances and vengeance killings have continued for the last 3 days. AIDESEP's Pizango calls Bagua a “massacre” and has gone into hiding. See eyewitness reports and photos by Ben Powless, a Six Nations Mohawk; Mongabay, Amazon Watch news and videos; Council of Canadians; history of the movement in Rootforce posts; NativeWeb / Abya Yala Net information from First Peoples in English & español.
17 June update: While blockades continued, Alberto Pizango was given asylum by Nicaragua. After weeks of talks with native leaders, Prime Minister Simon (who had been pushed aside by Garcia) promises to end the state of emergency and repeal the laws enabling land grabs in the Amazon -- but not the free trade treaty. Then he will resign.
Click map for details of Peru oil concessions: courtesy Amazon Watch
Oil plays include Conoco-Phillips, Occidental Oil, the Canadian Petroleum Institute, Brazil's Petrobras, and Argentina's Pluspetrol. For 35 years Occidental has poisoned local populations by dumping toxic wastes into local rivers, practices illegal in North America; similar practices are reported in Ecuador* by Chevron. Natives fled disease and disruption by retreating into the rainforest. But that is no longer possible.
In neighbouring Bolivia, gas conflict blockades by the aboriginal movement brought Evo Morales to power in 2005. He insisted on a national share of oil and gas revenue. Bolivia continues as one of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) but can now afford to pay. With the poorest population in Latin America, for decades Bolivia suffered from “Washington Consensus” policies that enforced privatization of water, mining, transport and utilities – frequently aided by military dictators. Conservative parties in provinces east of the Andes, supported by oil interests, threatened secession last year, leading riots and massacres of local natives.
*Ecuador's Bill of Natural Rights now permits class lawsuits on behalf of the environment.
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Día histórico para los pueblos indígenas
AIDESEP, 18 de junio de 2009 -- A nombre de los pueblos indígenas, la vicepresidenta de la Asociación Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana, Daysi Zapata, expresó hoy su satisfacción por la decisión del Congreso de la República de derogar los cuestionados decretos legislativos 1090 y 1064 y exhortó al gobierno iniciar un diálogo sincero y transparente para el bien del país.
“Hoy es un día histórico, estamos agradecidos porque la voluntad de los pueblos indígenas ha sido escuchada y solo esperamos que en el futuro, los gobiernos atiendan y escuchen a los pueblos, que no legislen a espaldas de ellos”, enfatizó.
Acompañada de decenas de dirigentes nacionales y regionales con quienes acudió al recinto legislativo, Zapata saludó la actitud del presidente Alan García por darles la razón al dar marcha atrás con sus decretos que las comunidades indígenas consideraron atentatorio contra la amazonía, aunque expresó –nuevamente- que si esta decisión hubiera sido antes, se habría evitado lamentables muertes y enfrentamientos entre peruanos.
“Hoy mismo desde AIDESEP estaremos llamando a nuestras bases para que levanten sus medidas de lucha”, señaló. “Mis hermanos de Yurimaguas –agregó- afirmaron que volverán a sus comunidades, apenas los congresistas deroguen los decretos legislativos”.
La representante de Aidesep pidió, asimismo, que se deroguen los siete decretos legislativos restantes. Demandó además al Ejecutivo levantar cuanto antes el estado de emergencia y toque de queda instaurados en la ciudad de Bagua, la persecución política y hostigamiento a seis dirigentes de Aidesep, incluyendo al líder indígena Alberto Pizango.
Sobre el presidente de Aidesep, Zapata expresó sus deseos de que retorne pronto de Nicaragua al Perú, por lo que pidió a las autoridades cesar todo tipo de persecución.
“Quiero agradecer a los hermanos peruanos de la costa, sierra y selva por todo el apoyo que nos han dado”, dijo. Zapata aclaró que ni la dirigencia ni los hermanos indígenas han sido manipulados por organismos no gubernamentales. “Trabajamos con las bases regionales que son las que llevan la voz de los pueblos indígenas. Nosotros no estamos manipulados ni por las ONG ni por los grupos políticos, defendemos los justos derechos de los pueblos indígenas”, precisó.
Invocó a la mesa directiva y a la representación nacional levantar la suspensión aplicada a los siete congresistas que fueron – dijo – injustamente sancionados por defender los derechos de los indígenas.
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