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Peru: Stranded tourists airlifted out of mining strike regions

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

Tanker ships carrying food and fuel had to be sent to Peru's southern regions on Friday because of protest that are not letting up in the region.

Thousands of miners and residents in the region of Moquegua blocked roads this week when it was announced that Southern Peru Copper cut some of the royalties the region normally received.

It was reported that Southern would provide the region with royalties based on how much was produced in each region. The mining company will no longer give the same amount to each region. In this case, the region of Tacna will receive a bigger share.

Aside from having to provide food and fuel for people stranded in the region, tourists also needed to be assisted.

Iperu, a service for tourists created by Promperu, the country's tourism promotion agency, reported that it had to help hundreds of tourists leave the region after strikes paralyzed 55 transportation companies.

Peru's national police provided foreign tourists with three flights out of Tacna on Friday, moving them to safer grounds.

Among those helped were tourists from Chile, Germany, France, Spain and the United States.

 | | | |

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# Splaktar says :
14 June, 2008 [ 18:21 ]

Pretty ugly and disruptive.  I know a number of people here in Arequipa that haven't been able to get back to their homes because of these protests.  The gov't should not allow protesters to cripple transportation or disrupt the rights of free people to travel through Peru.

If these people can't protest peacefully they should be in jail.

# Mark says :
14 June, 2008 [ 18:44 ]

Having spent some time working as a driver all over Peru I have come across several disruptive roadblocks in my time including one where the windscreen of my coach was smashed by a huge rock and my 30 passengers were sh***** themselves, and yes they are disruptive and annoying but there are reasons why people protest in this way.

The Palestinians (for example) blow people up because they feel they have no other means of protest that will get their message across. The US backed Israeli government has taken away these peoples lives and country. ALL ILLEGALLY.

It is a well known fact that most prior Peruvian administrations (going back to Pizarros time) have handed out all the cash and benefits to the people of Lima and the coast while the people in the highlands have suffered.

Blocking roads to get their government to listen helps to get their point across and as we've seen recently in Spain, amongst others, it is just not Peruvians who block the roads. As the price of oil contines to be manipulated and increases more and more of the effected will be protesting.

Do you know who is most 'put out' by these roadblocks? Gringos, that's who. The locals don't care usually as unlike us they are not in any hurry to get where they're going. It's only us that always in such a hurry. Manana, manana

Personally, I'd rather see them shut the nation down by blocking the transport system them taking people hostage and shooting them. That's how it once was, right?

The highlands of Peru have been ignored for centuries, which is an ongoing problem. Whose votes did Ollanta capture? The people of the highlands right? We are all fortunate that he didn't get enough to put him into power because none of you would be in Peru working now you would have all been deported. Yeap, would have stuffed the country but that's the level of frustration and annoyance out there.

I'm thankful that most of the time they are 'just' blocking roads.

They could always start kidnapping people again. Which would you prefer?

# Splaktar says :
14 June, 2008 [ 20:03 ]

Just because they aren't murdering people as often anymore does not mean that there isn't room for improvement.

# TC says :
14 June, 2008 [ 20:34 ]

I agree Mark:   

Allright for some,but what about the others,there is a Bigger Picture to be seen and acknowledged in occordance to this Issue

# More nonsense says :
15 June, 2008 [ 12:14 ]

Unholster pistol. point directly at your right foot. Pull trigger.  This always is a very effective way to get results.  Forget about holding the local, regional and provincial elected officials accountable.  That is the democratic way.  Anarchy is the supreme way. 

# jb says :
15 June, 2008 [ 12:33 ]

BTW, why do the Americans and Jews have to come into a blog about a stike by miners in Peru against a Mexican controlled company?  Am I missing something?  Grupo Mexico is the major shareholder in Southern. I always knew the Mexicans were secretly imperialists at heart. And by the way, if you read the article, the strike has nothing to do with Southern Peru Copper not paying the royalties to the community.  It is because they will distribute the royalities based on how much was produced in each region.  Of course, everyone knows that this is not fair.  Ask the regions that will be receiving more.  I am sure they will be throwing rocks, burning tires and blocking roads very soon too. 
Also, If you want to go after the people who are driving up the price of oil, 99 out of 100 global economists point to the high demand by the Chinese economy and speculators.  Oh, probably the Jews too because we all know they are secretly in bed with OPEC and the Arabs. 

# Jim says :
16 June, 2008 [ 14:59 ]

Always some thing to protest about. Don't these people have anything else they could be doing? Lets see. I Know!! They could protest the non-arrival of the Tanker Ship that was trying to deliver food and fuel. "Where is our food that we need to feed our hungry? Where is our fuel so we can cook our meals for our families?" It never ends folks. Next up? Another rebound effect and SUTEP will probably join the fray as well before to long.

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