Peru's congress repealed the decrees rejected by indigenous

LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

This afternoon the Peruvian Congress, following a recommendation issued by the Government, repealed Legislative Decrees 1090 and 1064, which amended the Forestry and Wildlife Act and the Legal Regime for Agricultural Lands, respectively.

These were the decrees that had been strongly rejected by the indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon and which had led to the tense situation between these inhabitants and members of the Armed Forces.

At least 34 people died in bloody clashes in Northern Peru between police and indigenous peoples, after police moved in to break up strikes and blockades started in April by indigenous leaders in protests against the aforementioned decrees.

According to indigenous representatives, said decrees had violated their right to be consulted, as set down in Agreement 169 of the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Today’s proposal was approved with 82 votes in favor, 12 against (National Unity Party) and no abstentions.

Have other topics you'd like to see in our news section? If you or someone you know would like to contribute a news article to Living in Peru, whether it's translated or based on a personal investigation, send it to editor@livinginperu.com.

 | | | |

• Economy : September trade had a surplus of US$ 566 millions
• Business : Microsoft Peru will invest US $500,000 in its expansion
• Travel and Tourism : Prom-Peru to promote Southern Peru tourist destinations in Chilean fair
• Food : US gastronomic website praises Peru's food
• Mining/Energy : Peru: More natural gas found in Camisea

# Mike says :
18 June, 2009 [ 19:04 ]

Pussies!

# Carl says :
18 June, 2009 [ 19:47 ]

Governments should never repeal laws that are protested by the electorate. Governments are there to enforce rules and law, not reflect the whims of the populace.

Weakness.

# Thunderspirit says :
18 June, 2009 [ 21:17 ]

Governments are elected by the people for the people.Governments are elected to serve the people not the other way around rejoice!!peace once more is that not worth more then blood shed Carl?

# David N says :
18 June, 2009 [ 21:27 ]

Well said Carl.  The PE government is completely incompetent.

# Mike says :
18 June, 2009 [ 21:38 ]

I'm kinda split on this.  On the one hand, the government, meaning the congress people representing Amazonas, should have done a better job getting these laws debated and the department's citizens heard.

On the other hand, I think it is a really bad idea to overturn laws because people murdered policemen to get their point across.

If it was done solely through peaceful protests, I wouldn't have a problem, but considering the cowardly and criminal acts.....

One question I have is how long did this law take to get passed?  Was it introduced and passed quickly, or was there debate?  My second question would be on how all of the congress people from the Amazonas department (and nearby departments) voted.

# Thunderspirit says :
18 June, 2009 [ 22:03 ]

Also remember that there are 250 villagers unaccounted for yet i see nothing of this in your post mike,another tale of dispair where 34 villagers left a village only one returned what say you on that mike?and david the miserable,nothing new from you i see.

# Rene says :
18 June, 2009 [ 22:10 ]

Also unaccounted people are not a reason to overturn laws. BTW there are many tales about missing people, all mentioning different numbers. Very unreliable and barely believable...

Very good questions there, Mike. I also am very interested in the performance of their representation.

# Thunderspirit says :
18 June, 2009 [ 22:18 ]

The whole world has its eyes on you Peru i will repeat this was a good decision i pray for no more bloodshed and your right the bodies are missing aren.t they rene.But their is a spiritual investigation taking place whether you believe it or not and i stand firmly by my statement earlier.

# kvlegs says :
18 June, 2009 [ 22:24 ]

It is unfortunate the countries need to take part in the first world's destructive consumerism in order to "better" their economy.  Last I checked the natives live in the amazon and should have a say in how it is utilized.  What exactly do you think would happen to the amazon in 10 years if outside companies were allowed to drain it's natural resources??  Peru is quite small in comparison to North America and world is already well aware of the fact that it's natural resources are not far from tapped.   

# Spin Free Zone says :
18 June, 2009 [ 23:07 ]

Mike. It was never debated. The President woke up one day, and in order to fall in line with the requests of the United States, just decreed several laws.

# Spin Free Zone says :
18 June, 2009 [ 23:09 ]

I don't agree with Carl or David N.

The Government exists at the whim of the electorate. Whether the electorate are inteligent enough to make a decision is another story, but the Government is not a God like body.

# Spin Free Zone says :
18 June, 2009 [ 23:16 ]

One last comment...

Mike, according to "the other side", just so you know, they claim to have been protesting peacefully. All hell broke loose when Police and Natives began attacking each other after the police moved in to forcefully move the natives.

I've never been in a protest or riot, but I doubt that if a police officer hit me across the head and told me to move off the road, and I considered myself to have just cause and had a spear. I'd lunge with it back at him. If in response he shot and killed me, I'd probably be ok, in the heat of it all, for my friends to kill one of them. Lets be honest. We will never now how this kicked off, but rest assured, both sides will wrongly protest their innocence.

The police probably should not have moved in, the laws shouldn't have been decreed and the locals should probably have been listened to in the last hundred years. Or at least in the last few. The current crop of politicians, if anyone, are the ones to blame.

# Mike says :
19 June, 2009 [ 07:59 ]

I seriously doubt there are any "missing" people at this point - unless they just lost their way home after getting drunk.

There have been plenty of examples in the world of the police moving in to break up a demonstration - and the demonstrators staying peaceful.  In fact, it is a much more powerful way to demonstrate.

And most of the police were not killed in the heat of a pitched battle - they were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood.

As for representation - if these laws were just decreed one day without any sort of debate or input, then the people of Amazonas have plenty to be angry about and laws should be repealed.  Peru is a democracy, not a dictatorship; and Garcia's administration needs to take that more seriously.

# Spin Free Zone says :
19 June, 2009 [ 09:58 ]

Mike,

The problem is, in Peru, if those protesters remained peaceful when the police moved in, their protest would never have made the news. Their views would never have been aired at all.

At lets say the police moved in heavy handedly, cracked a few skulls and a couple of natives died while passively protesting... it STILL wouldn't have made the news.

That's the reality of this overly centalized hard to get around country.

# wow says :
19 June, 2009 [ 11:06 ]

Thunderspirit they probally ran away to live with Ortega, Chavez, Morales or are living with your buttbuddy Humala they probally are chicken ^^ ^* like thier leader now the Guest of Ortega. They murder police in cold blood then run like pussies

# Paul says :
19 June, 2009 [ 12:11 ]

Its important to remember that they were not laws in a true deomocratic sense, that is, that they were voted on in congress.   

They were presidential decrees.  So thee arguement that a few protesters have undermined the democractic process doesn´t wash. 

The implementation of these decress without due consultation, representation or a vote in congress, seems to me to be the only undermining of the democratic process here.

And remember Garcia represents about 20% of the poulation, votes recieved at his election were simply tactical. A less worse scenario.

And lets not even talk about the endemic political corruption.  

True representation and democratic process in Peru is very limited.

# mericorps says :
19 June, 2009 [ 13:34 ]

While I agree that the government should not bow simply because of violent protest, in fact should stand strong against them,

it would be ignorant to continue with a mistake.

The decision to repeal seems to have been made as a result of recognizing it was a mistake to begin with, not because of the violence and that is a sane choice.

# David N says :
19 June, 2009 [ 16:55 ]

Since I am a highly competent person in many ways, I should run for election in Peru, and the people should elect me.

Peru would run as a much better society with me at the helm!

# c.schmidt says :
19 June, 2009 [ 17:10 ]

Is good that agreement was reached.
I am glad that this people got peace.- A few wood exports  less- what the hell. In congress when the jungle people enter I was thinking how beautiful their clothing, how different was their appearance and that Peru should get more opportunities to listen to this people what they have to tell us. I think they should have 2 hours part of national tv to express their concerns and to show their way of living and thinking. As time goes by new ways of dialogue in better conditions can be found.

# god says :
19 June, 2009 [ 17:17 ]

David N,

I can say, with little doubt, you are the most failed human being I know on these boards.  I feel sorry for those who must suffer you on a daily basis and wonder how many of them have committed suicide rather than suffer you.

# Rene says :
19 June, 2009 [ 19:42 ]

So Thunderspirit, you want to say that the exact number of missing people can not be established with more accuracy (better than ranges from 50 to 250) because the bodies are missing. Correct? Well, then what about missing PEOPLE? Someone should miss them, right? Someone should be able to formally report a person missing. They should have left something behind, a family, parents, clothes, pictures. But as long as nobody reports a missing person belonging to these so called missing bodies, they probably have never existed as a person to begin with...

# Daniel says :
22 June, 2009 [ 02:20 ]

2009-06-10 Ollanta Humala en Mensaje a la Nacion por Conflicto Amazonico
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpBij92C0Ww

Viva Ollanta Humala.

PROTESTA POR LA MASACRE DE BAGUA. AMAZONAS-PERU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83iul1-9HN0


Genocidio de Bagua: renuncia Alan García
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT2V0RJK1qc&feature=related

ALAN GARCIA ORDENA Desalojo y MUERTE DISPARAN a NATIVOS INDIGENAS BAGUA / PERU 5-JUN-09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRj7trvxguw&feature=related

Guerra por la Tierra Desde Bagua Peru - Nativos consiguen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r-z5TPlQdA&feature=related

# Manuel says :
22 June, 2009 [ 16:25 ]

Autoridades de Bagua darán informe sobre desaparecidos en masacre

El alcalde de la región peruana de Bagua, Luis Núñez, informó este sábado que las autoridades a cargo de la investigación de la masacre cometida el pasado 5 de junio en esa zona, donde murieron un número indeterminado de personas, darán un informe oficial la próxima semana sobre los desaparecidos tras la represión policial .

En contacto telefónico exclusivo con teleSUR, la autoridad local explicó que para este informe, "se recogerán las informaciones que llegan de las comunidades nativas para cuantificar la cantidad de indígenas que podrían estar faltando".

Núñez manifestó que en este momento la población ha recobrado la paz y la tranquilidad en esta zona.

En cuanto a los heridos por la represión policial contra la protesta que llevaban a cabo los indígenas, el alcalde informó que "fueron dados de alta, no hay ninguna preocupación".

"A las autoridades competentes, como el Poder Judicial y el Ministerio Público se les hará entrega de las fotos y los videos que permitan determinar la responsabilidad de algunas personas y será competencia de las autoridades identificar quienes podrían estar infiltrados en estos hechos", añadió.

Al referirse a la visita del relator de la Organización de Naciones Unidas  (ONU) para los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas, James Anaya; Núñez afirmó que "cuando llegó la comisión hemos viajado a Lima para poder participar en la mesa de diálogo con el primer ministro peruano Yehude Simon, y me han informado que la reunión se ha llevado con normalidad".

El viernes, al concluir su visita, el relator de la Organización de Naciones Unidas  (ONU) para los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas, James Anaya, pidió la apertura de una investigación imparcial sobre  la represión policial que el pasado 5 de junio dejó un número indeterminado de muertos en la norteña localidad de Bagua, y añadió que a su juicio sí hubo una violación de los derechos humanos.

El Ejecutivo peruano aprobó una serie  de decretos sobre la tierra y el medio ambiente que los indígenas consideraron lesivos para sus derechos, y que fueron aprobados para el  Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) con Estados Unidos a la legislación peruana.

Estos decretos regulan el uso y explotación de los recursos hídricos y naturales de la selva, incluidos los recursos gasísticos, petroleros y maderero, estos reglamentos han sido tajantemente rechazados por más de 65 etnias indígenas de Perú.

Según los indígenas, con dicha legislación se contraviene su derecho a la consulta, contemplado en el Convenio 169 de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT), que suscribió Perú, además, alegan que con la implementación de dichas normas se violenta su derecho a la vida.

Por esta razón, los nativos iniciaron el pasado 9 de abril una protesta con bloqueos de rutas y ríos, y tomas de instalaciones petroleras, para conseguir la derogación de decretos.

La protesta de los indígena peruanos llegó al punto de mayor tensión el pasado 5 de junio cuando las autoridades peruanas reprimieron a los nativos en Bagua, en la zona conocida como la Curva del Diablo.

Después de mantenerse firme contra las demandas de los indígenas, el pasado lunes el Ejecutivo peruano dio marcha atrás y aceptó pedir al Congreso la derogatoria de los decretos 1090 y 1964. El llamado del gobierno fue atendido el jueves por el Parlamento que derogó estos decretos.

http://www.telesurtv.net/noticias/secciones/nota/52491-NN/autoridades-de-bagua-daran-informe-sobre-desaparecidos-en-masacre/

Nueve policías muertos y siete desaparecidos en Perú

Bagua es escenario de enfrentamientos entre la policía y nativos de la selva amazónica, quienes exigen al gobierno derogar decretos que consideran ponen en peligro sus tierras

elnuevodiario.com.ni

AFP - 15:00 - 06/06/2009

Enfrentamientos entre el Gobierno y las comunidades indígenas de la Amazonia han provocado derramamiento de sangre en Perú. Según las autoridades estatales, al menos 31 personas han muerto desde ayer en los ataques entre los nativos y la policía, que intentaba romper los bloqueos en las carreteras que estaban asfixiando a varias ciudades de la selva peruana. El general Miguel Hidalgo, jefe del estado mayor de la Policía, reportó hoy que de los 38 policías tomados como rehenes en una estación petrolera, 22 han sido recuperados vivos por el Ejército, nueve han fallecido y siete están desaparecidos.

El general del ejército Raúl Silva, jefe de la VI brigada de la selva peruana, con sede en Bagua, y quien asumió la autoridad civil en la zona en conflicto, indicó que los cuerpos de los policías muertos estaban siendo recuperados por soldados en el monte.

Los policías muertos hoy elevaron a 22 la cantidad de uniformados caídos desde que estalló la violencia ayer en la mañana, según declaraciones del primer ministro, Yehude Simon, quien también señaló la muerte de 9 civiles, advirtiendo que podría haber más. "Oficialmente hay nueve nativos muertos, no digo que no puede haber más, pero la Fiscalía y los centros de salud nos irán informando", aseguró en conferencia de prensa.

Versiones extraoficiales y de prensa estiman en 15 el total de civiles muertos, en todos los hospitales de la zona. Los medios locales hablan hasta de 25 muertos civiles.

El jefe militar instó a la población a la calma y a respetar un toque de queda en las localidades de Bagua, Bagua Grande y Jaén que rige por tiempo indefinido desde las tres de la tarde hasta las 6 de la mañana del domingo. La ciudad de Bagua, epicentro de las protestas, amaneció militarizada y bajo una tensa calma luego de la violencia registrada ayer cuando la población quemó y asaltó ocho locales públicos.

La violencia también se replicó en las cercanas poblaciones de Bagua Grande y Jaén, objeto de incendios, saqueos y tiroteos. La carretera desbloqueada por la policía -en la acción que desencadenó 24 horas de intensa violencia- ya se encuentra con el tránsito vehicular restablecido entre la selva y el norte del país. Esa carretera había sido tomada hace diez días por unos 2.500 nativos, como parte de una serie de protestas de las 65 etnias amazónicas.

Indígenas buscan explotación de hidrocarburos
Los indígenas están en pie de lucha desde comienzos de abril para que el gobierno derogue decretos que, consideran, ponen en peligro sus tierras y su supervivencia y buscan la explotación de hidrocarburos en la región sin su consentimiento.

El presidente peruano, Alan García, y el primer ministro Simon han denunciado que los hechos de violencia "son parte de un complot contra la democracia" que podría haber contado con apoyo externo, aunque no dieron más detalles.

En Lima el presidente del Poder Judicial, Javier Villa Stein, informó de una orden de captura contra Alberto Pizango, principal líder de la huelga amazónica e interlocutor del gobierno, quien ayer pasó a la clandestinidad. Está acusado de sedición, conspiración y rebelión.

En La Paz la ministra de Justicia boliviana, Celima Torrico, dijo sobre los incidentes en Perú que "ha ocurrido este hecho sangriento por no atender el pedido de los indígenas; siempre ha ocurrido esto, no nos olvidemos lo que pasó aquí en Bolivia con los gobiernos de la derecha".


Palabras Claves: Perú, sangre, policías, 31, nueve, fallecidos, selva, amazónica, gobierno, enfrentamientos

http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/internacionales/49375

Aprodeh reporta 61 desaparecidos por violencia en Bagua

Representante de Aprodeh indicó que esta cifra es un listado preliminar que la organización levantó en la zona del conflicto.

Califica la noticia

Calificado

|

Promedio

comentaimprimeenvía comparte

La Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de Perú (Aprodeh) reportó que 61 personas continúan desaparecidas, tras los hechos de violencia que se produjeron en la ciudad de Bagua, en la que el pasado fin de semana murieron 24 policías y 9 civiles.

El abogado Juan José Quispe, representante de Aprodeh, aseguró que esta cifra es un listado preliminar que la organización levantó en la zona del conflicto desde el siguiente día a los violentos enfrentamientos.

"Es una lista de nombres que tenemos de un cruce inicial que se ha hecho", explicó Quispe, quien recorrió la ciudad selvática de Bagua para recoger datos sobre denuncias de muertes y violaciones a los derechos humanos.

Según el representante, los desaparecidos son buscados por sus familiares en ciudades cercanas y cuarteles militares "y no los encuentran".

"Estas personas no están en los listados de heridos y refugiados levantados por la Defensoría del Pueblo", enfatizó Quispe tras descartar que se hayan escondido por temor a la represión de las fuerzas de seguridad.

La cifra oficial de 33 muertos ha sido mantenida por el Gobierno desde los días posteriores a los enfrentamientos, aunque diversas denuncias de familiares y organizaciones de defensa de los derechos humanos han señalado que hubo decenas de indígenas fallecidos.

Según esas versiones, que han sido rechazadas repetidas veces por el Ejecutivo, los cadáveres de esas víctimas han desaparecido porque fueron quemados o arrojados a los ríos.

Quispe llamó la atención, al respecto, "sobre la poca o nula información que dan las autoridades a los familiares".

Asimismo, aseguró de durante su recorrido por la zona constató violaciones a los derechos humanos y que hay 133 detenidos y 189 heridos.

"Las autoridades no colaboran con brindar una investigación preliminar acorde con que la mayoría de detenidos son nativos y no cuentan con un intérprete, por lo que cuando rinden sus declaraciones tienen dificultades", dijo.

Señaló que un grupo de personas permanece en el cuartel militar "El Milagro" desde hace una semana sin una papeleta de detención que respalde esta medida.

"Se ha configurado una violación de manera flagrante por parte de las autoridades policiales, fiscales y judiciales", aseguró.

También dijo que la mayoría de los detenidos en la comisaría de la ciudad de Bagua Chica "fueron maltratados por personal policial".

"Se solicitó que se pase por un nuevo examen médico legista. Sin embargo, el fiscal de la primera fiscalía de Bagua no aceptó esa solicitud, pese a que se dio el nombre de un capitán de apellido Jiménez que sería el autor de los maltratos", aseguró.

Por su parte, el secretario ejecutivo de la Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos, Ronald Gamarra, pidió que se acelere la investigación sobre posibles personas desaparecidas y que se asegure el acceso a atención médica de todos los heridos.

Gamarra solicitó también que el Gobierno atienda a los deudos de los policías para que estos puedan acceder a derechos como la pensión y el seguro social.

http://www.rpp.com.pe/2009-06-12-aprodeh-reporta-61-desaparecidos-por-violencia-en-bagua-noticia_187871.html



Deaparecidos en Bagua:
http://www.peru.com/noticias/regional20090512/33933/Bagua--Canoa-se-hunde-y-deja-3-desaparecidos

# Roberto says :
22 June, 2009 [ 16:29 ]

Genocidio en Perú: Una de las tantas caras del capitalismo

Los hechos lamentables ocurridos ayer, en la población de Bagua, en contra de un grupo de indígenas peruanos sólo se pueden comprender en el contexto del proceso de mundialización del capital. El capital busca apoderarse de todos los rincones de la Tierra. Especialmente en estos momentos de crisis en los países capitalistas centrales, la expansión del capital es aún más vital. Nuestros países están ahora en la mira del capital, quien arremeterá contra nosotros con más fuerza que nunca. Su necesidad de nuevos mercados, de nuevos productos es insaciable. En el caso de Perú se le facilitan las cosas porque el Presidente Alan García es un aliado del capital.

El origen de la masacre se encuentra en las leyes que se derivan de la aplicación del Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Estados Unidos y Perú. Según algunas de estas leyes, grandes extensiones de terreno en la Amazonia peruana serían divididos en lotes para ser entregados a empresas transnacionales, eufemismo por empresas de nacionalidad estadounidense. En esas tierras viven miles de indígenas, los cuales serían desplazados para abrile paso al progreso y al desarrollo.

Para el Presidente García: “Detrás de los sucedido en Bagua hay intereses internacionales para que Perú no salga de su subdesarrollo” (Fuente: http://boliviasol.wordpress.com/2009/06/06/masacre-deja-25-indigenas-muertos-en-peru/). Esas fueron parte de sus declaraciones donde sólo lamentó la muerte de varios policías. La versión oficial habla de “.. un secuestro de efectivos de los cuerpos de seguridad del Estado por parte de los indígenas y de los ataques que causaron varias bajas de la policía. ..” (Fuente: http://www.soitu.es/soitu/2009/06/06/actualidad/1244300923_637826.html). En otras fuentes señala que “Las fuerzas de seguridad peruanas liberaron a 22 policías, que fueron tomados como rehenes por grupos indígenas en la Amazonía”. El mayor ataque mediático contra los indígenas fue lanzado desde el periódico el Expreso. En su página prinicpal se puede leer en la parte superior el encabezado: “¿Quiénes son los genocidas?”, seguido de una lista de afirmaciones: “12 policías asesinados” “8 nativos muertos” “”149 heridos entre policías y pobladores” “”38 policías secuestrados”. Vemos aquí claramente la manipulación de la información y la intención de movilizar a la opinión de clase media en contra de los indígenas, los policías son “asesinados” mientras que, en el caso de los indígenas, se trata de “muertos”. Luego en el centro, en letras grandes el titular: “¡SALVAJES!”. Inmediatamente se encuentra un foto de un grupo de policías cargando un cadáver acompañada de la siguiente leyenda: “Todo comenzó con emboscada de nativos a patrulla con 6 policías abordo, les quitaron sus armamentos, los flagelaron, los atravesaron con sus lanzas, dos de ellos fueron quemados y arrojados a un abismo de 300 metros y un oficial arrastrado y descuartizado en la plaza principal de Bagua” (Fuente: http://www.expreso.com.pe/edicion/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53523&Itemid=9). En la parte interna del mencionado periódico se presenta la siguiente declaración de un policía:

“Estábamos formados al costado del peaje 'Bagua Grande-Nueva Vida' esperando la orden para iniciar el operativo, subimos al cerro para hacerles frente con sólo bombas lacrimógenas, cuando de sorpresa y por detrás, nos sorprendieron aproximadamente entre 200 a 300 nativos que nos hicieron frente (...) En la parte más alta del cerro continuó otros tantos nativos rodearon una patrulla de 8 policías y les quitaron su armamento, los flagelaron, comenzaron a atravesarlos varias veces con sus lanzas y luego los incendiaron, para después arrojar sus cuerpos a un abismo de 300 metros. Recién en la tarde de hoy (ayer) hemos podido rescatar sus cuerpos.” (Fuente: http://www.soitu.es/soitu/2009/06/06/actualidad/1244300923_637826.html)

A todo lo anterior se suman las declaraciones del Jefe del Estado Mayor de la Policía Nacional, general Martín Hidalgo, quien dijo que: "El contrincante es un oponente que ha tenido preparación militar" (Fuente: http://www.diario-expreso.com/ediciones/2009/06/06/mundo/liberan-a-22-policias-secuestrados-por-indigenas/Default.asp). Por otro lado, Yehude Simon, presidente del Consejo de Ministros, dijo días atrás que estaba "dispuesto a ir al lugar donde sea para demostrar a las comunidades como las están engañando" (Fuente: http://metrolatinousa.org/article/Latinoamrica/Latinoamrica/Perxfa_indxedgenas_amazxf3nicos_firmes_con_protestas_en_defensa_de_sus_tierras/95702).

Otro aspecto de la lucha mediática en contra de los indígenas es minimizar su sufrimiento. Para el Gobierno peruano sólo habían muerto tres indígenas y 11 policías fallecidos (Fuente: http://www.soitu.es/soitu/2009/06/06/actualidad/1244300923_637826.html).

Todo lo anterior nos muestra como se construye un caso en contra de los indígenas en rebeldía. Desde la perspectiva de la derecha, se trataría de comunidades confundidas, manejadas desde el extranjero por los enemigos del desarrollo, entrenadas militarmente, salvajes, secuestradores de policías y dispuestos a asesinar cruelmente a sus oponentes. Los medios de comunicación en manos de la derecha, que son los más poderosos, son los encargados de difundir esa imagen de los indígenas.

Estamos ante una expresión de la lucha de clases. No caigamos en las interpretaciones que se limitan a lo fenomenológico, las cuales hacen referencia a lo étnico o al racismo. Analicemos la siguiente oración: “Villa Stein ordenó la captura de Pizango.” En le contexto de la situación aquí tratada, en el seno de la sociedad peruana, ¿quién es Villa Stein? ¿quién será Pizango? ¿Por que uno ordena la captura del otro? Bueno, acertó, si así es. Javier Villa Stein es el Presidente del Poder Judicial y Alberto Pizango es líder de la organización indígena Asociación Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Amazonía Peruana (AIDESEP).

No hay duda de que el Presidente García ordenó el ataque a los manifestantes. El propio presidente firmó ante la prensa que: “llegó el momento de abrir las carreteras y abrir los ríos y asumir las responsabilidades”. (Fuente: http://boliviasol.wordpress.com/2009/06/06/masacre-deja-25-indigenas-muertos-en-peru/).

Es urgente un pronunciamiento del PSUV manifestando su solidaridad con los hermanos del amazonas peruano y sus justas luchas. Lo propio debería hacer las organizaciones sindicales, el Partido Comunista de Venezuela y otras organizaciones progresistas venezolanas. La solidaridad internacional con los oprimidos en una de las principales características de toda revolución.

La lucha de los hermanos indígenas peruanos es nuestra lucha.

julio_mosquera@hotmail.com

http://www.aporrea.org/actualidad/a79430.html

# Raul Hidalgo says :
22 June, 2009 [ 16:34 ]

Genocidio Peru
http://peruanista.blogspot.com/2009/03/un-museo-del-genocidio-peruano-o.html

# WOW says :
22 June, 2009 [ 17:14 ]

Manuel and others read the fine print ENGLISH and if you cant go spread your BS on another website

# WOW says :
22 June, 2009 [ 17:15 ]

Manuel and others read the fine print ENGLISH and if you cant go spread your BS on another website  its says: Currently we only allow english comments. and for you to understand Por ahora solo se permiten comentarios en ingles

# David N says :
22 June, 2009 [ 17:36 ]

LOL, what, you expect them to follow simple rules and directions?  Good luck, you're in PERU now!!

# WOW says :
22 June, 2009 [ 17:46 ]

David was being sarcastic been here for 4 years LOL

# Expat in Peru says :
25 June, 2009 [ 20:57 ]

Repealing laws as result of public disobedience is plain wrong. It sends a clear message that violence does work and now protest will get even more violent.

# WOW says :
26 June, 2009 [ 11:07 ]

Expat, I agree with you. I think the way the goverment handled Moquewa and other protests led to this. Last year a 10 yr old girl was murdered by protesting teachers and the gov did nothing. They kidnapped police in Moq and the goverment gave in and never arrested the kidnappers.

# Nora says :
28 June, 2009 [ 05:35 ]

We should donate a pile of "cell phones" so we can have the inside picture of the confrontation like they did in Iran.We do know that foreign investors had indirectly  killed many children with water polution (mercury and other chemicals) and destruction of their land among others. Development is inminet and they should compromise . For years the oil industry had taken advantage of the resources and ignored the needs of the silent people of the jungle but now that the industry is growing the people is no longer silent and we must listen.Cleaning the enviroment is not the solution and creating jobs is not enough they have the right to be recognized as organized towns with the right to vote and decide what is best for them.

# dee mock raaa seee says :
28 June, 2009 [ 09:18 ]

a popular vote of the people    is  50.001 % or more  of the votes.
the other loosing side has to accept like a gentelmen, caballero no mas, 
The problems stands here that a small % allways act like babys using violance to gain their point.
The large % of the people do not have to sit by and accept it saying  asi es peru as an excuse to do nothing as the mob takes away the democratic rights of the people.    but  things in peru do march to the beat of a different drum where the crazy mob runs wild in the streets.
there are more cell phones than people in Peru just is not the soup de jour on the main stream media at this time

# Worldwatch says :
4 July, 2009 [ 22:45 ]

Not a good state of Affairs for the Government of Peru as it  has just  shown the World, what the world will feels is not excepting in all aspects of Human Right.

The Government of Peru will only have itself to blame

Trade  & Export from Foreign Countries will be accessed to the extent where Sanctions will be called opon

# Indigo says :
13 July, 2009 [ 15:11 ]

If Mike can use language such as "pussies" and get away with it on the forum, then I can say the following:

There are some BOYS on this forum who have a serious case of IWW - Instant Weeny Wilt when they run up against MEN who are smart, informed and passionate about protecting their country from jerks like you.

Your brains are a little higher up - use them - that is, if you even have one!

# Indigo says :
13 July, 2009 [ 15:12 ]

Carl, you're a fascist.  Likely a 6 year old fascist but still a fascist!

# Carl says :
18 June, 2009 [ 19:47 ]

Governments should never repeal laws that are protested by the electorate. Governments are there to enforce rules and law, not reflect the whims of the populace.

# wow says :
14 July, 2009 [ 10:33 ]

Deleted for Inappropriate Content
LivinginPeru.com reserves the right to delete any comment containing profanity, political propaganda, spam, insulting language or anything else the editors of this site feel to be in any way offensive. To avoid comment deletion, please use good judgment and try to be respectful of other LiP readers.
Thank you
--The LivinginPeru.com team

# wow says :
14 July, 2009 [ 10:34 ]

Indigo, I guess you dont have a good understanding about the english language. Pussies in the context that was used wasnt meant to be a comment about women. In this context its meant especially for men that are weak. Now if someone used the word Cunt then you could get your short hairs up.

# wow says :
14 July, 2009 [ 10:34 ]

Indigo, I guess you dont have a good understanding about the english language. Pussies in the context that was used wasnt meant to be a comment about women. In this context its meant especially for men that are weak. Now if someone used the word Cunt then you could get your short hairs up.

# Indigo says :
14 July, 2009 [ 10:52 ]

Deleted for Inappropriate Content
LivinginPeru.com reserves the right to delete any comment containing profanity, political propaganda, spam, insulting language or anything else the editors of this site feel to be in any way offensive. To avoid comment deletion, please use good judgment and try to be respectful of other LiP readers.
Thank you
--The LivinginPeru.com team

# dolun says :
16 July, 2009 [ 03:14 ]

As you probably know by now if you play a druid,new feral form graphics are finally coming in patch 3.2. Druids will have cheap wow gold their choice of five different versions for each race and form (bear/cat);what form you get corresponds to buy wow gold your hair color for Night Elves and your skin tone for Tauren,both of which will be changeable at the barber shop.So far we've already seen the bear forms for Tauren and Night Elves.Today, Blizzard unveiled world of warcraft gold the replacements for the much-maligned Tauren cat form. You can see the results above.My initial reaction is that they're still a bit ugly,but way better than the previous Tauren cat form(which wow gold is marked "Old Cat form" above).

# Carlos Benavides says :
16 July, 2009 [ 04:05 ]

Peru: Blood Flows In The Amazon

By James Petras

17 June, 2009
Countercurrents.org

In early June, Peruvian President Alan García, an ally of US President Barack Obama, ordered armored personnel carriers, helicopter gun-ships and hundreds of heavily armed troops to assault and disperse a peaceful, legal protest organized by members of Peru’s Amazonian indigenous communities protesting the entry of foreign multinational mining companies on their traditional homelands.

Dozens of Indians were killed or are missing, scores have been injured and arrested and a number of Peruvian police, held hostage by the indigenous protestors were killed in the assault. President García declared martial law in the region in order to enforce his unilateral and unconstitutional fiat granting of mining exploitation rights to foreign companies, which infringed on the integrity of traditional Amazonian indigenous communal lands.

Alan García is no stranger to government-sponsored massacres. In June 1986, he ordered the military to bomb and shell prisons in the capital holding many hundreds of political prisoners protesting prison conditions – resulting in over 400 known victims. Later obscure mass graves revealed dozens more. This notorious massacre took place while García was hosting a gathering of the so-called ‘Socialist’ International in Lima. His political party, APRA (American Popular Revolutionary Alliance) a member of the ‘International’, was embarrassed by the public display of its ‘national-socialist’ proclivities, before hundreds of European Social Democrat functionaries. Charged with misappropriation of government funds and leaving office with an inflation rate of almost 8,000% in 1990, he agreed to support Presidential candidate Alberto Fujimori in exchange for amnesty. When Fujimori imposed a dictatorship in 1992, García went into self-imposed exile in Colombia and later, France. He returned in 2001 when the statute of limitations on his corruption charges had expired and Fujimori was forced to resign amidst charges of running death squads and spying on his critics. García won the 2006 Presidential elections in a run-off against the pro-Indian nationalist candidate and former Army officer, Ollanta Humala, thanks to financial and media backing by Lima’s rightwing, ethnic European oligarchs and US overseas ‘AID’ agencies.

Back in power, García left no doubt about his political and economic agenda. In October 2007 he announced his strategy of placing foreign multi-national mining companies at the center of his economic ‘development’ program, while justifying the brutal displacement of small producers from communal lands and indigenous villages in the name of ‘modernization’.

García pushed through congressional legislation in line with the US-promoted ‘Free Trade Agreement of the Americas’ or ALCA. Peru was one of only three Latin American nations to support the US proposal. He opened Peru to the unprecedented plunder of its resources, labor, land and markets by the multinationals. In late 2007, García began to award huge tracts of traditional indigenous lands in the Amazon region for exploitation by foreign mining and energy multinationals. This was in violation of a 1969 International Labor Organization-brokered agreement obligating the Peruvian government to consult and negotiate with the indigenous inhabitants over exploitation of their lands and rivers. Under his ‘open door’ policy, the mining sector of the economy expanded rapidly and made huge profits from the record-high world commodity prices and the growing Asian (Chinese) demand for raw materials. The multinational corporations were attracted by Peru’s low corporate taxes and royalty payments and virtually free access to water and cheap government-subsidized electricity rates. The enforcement of environmental regulations was suspended in these ecologically fragile regions, leading to wide-spread contamination of the rivers, ground water, air and soil in the surrounding indigenous communities. Poisons from mining operations led to massive fish kills and rendered the water unfit for drinking. The operations decimated the tropical forests, undermining the livelihood of tens of thousands of villagers engaged in traditional artisan work and subsistence forest gathering and agricultural activities.

The profits of the mining bonanza go primarily to the overseas companies. The García regime distributes state revenues to his supporters among the financial and real estate speculators, luxury goods importers and political cronies in Lima’s enclosed upscale, heavily guarded neighborhoods and exclusive country-clubs. As the profit margins of the multinationals reached an incredible 50% and government revenues exceeded $1 billion US dollars, the indigenous communities lacked paved roads, safe water, basic health services and schools. Worse still, they experienced a rapid deterioration of their everyday lives as the influx of mining capital led to increased prices for basic food and medicine. Even the World Bank in its Annual Report for 2008 and the editors of the Financial Times of London urged the García regime to address the growing discontent and crisis among the indigenous communities. Delegations from the indigenous communities had traveled to Lima to try to establish a dialogue with the President in order to address the degradation of their lands and communities. The delegates were met with closed doors. García maintained that ‘progress and modernity come from the big investments by the multinationals…,(rather than) the poor peasants who haven’t a centavo to invest.’ He interpreted the appeals for peaceful dialogue as a sign of weakness among the indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon and increased his grants of exploitation concessions to foreign MNCs even deeper into the Amazon. He cut off virtually all possibility for dialogue and compromise with the Indian communities.

The Amazonian Indian communities responded by forming the Inter-Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP). They held public protests for over 7 weeks culminating in the blocking of two transnational highways. This enraged García, who referred to the protestors as ‘savages and barbarians’ and sent police and military units to suppress the mass action. What García failed to consider was the fact that a significant proportion of indigenous men in these villages had served as rmy conscripts, who fought in the 1995 war against Ecuador while others had been trained in local self-defense community organizations. These combat veterans were not intimidated by state terror and their resistance to the initial police attacks resulted in both police and Indian casualties. García then declared ‘war on the savages’ sending a heavy military force with helicopters and armored troops with orders to ‘shoot to kill’. AIDESEP activists report over one hundred deaths among the indigenous protestors and their families: Indians were murdered in the streets, in their homes and workplaces. The remains of many victims are believed to have been dumped in the ravines and rivers.

Conclusion

The Obama regime has predictably not issued a single word of concern or protest in the face of one of the worst massacres of Peruvian civilians in this decade – perpetrated by one of America’s closest remaining allies in Latin America. García, taking his talking points from the US Ambassador, accused Venezuela and Bolivia of having instigated the Indian ‘uprising’, quoting a letter of support from Bolivia’s President Evo Morales sent to an intercontinental conference of Indian communities held in Lima in May as ‘proof’. Martial law was declared and the entire Amazon region of Peru is being militarized. Meetings are banned and family members are forbidden from searching for their missing relatives.

Throughout Latin America, all the major Indian organizations have expressed their solidarity with the Peruvian indigenous movements. Within Peru, mass social movements, trade unions and human rights groups have organized a general strike on June 11. Fearing the spread of mass protests, El Commercio, the conservative Lima daily, cautioned García to adopt some conciliatory measures to avoid a generalized urban uprising. A one-day truce was declared on June 10, but the Indian organizations refused to end their blockade of the highways unless the García Government rescinds its illegal land grant decrees.

In the meantime, a strange silence hangs over the White House. Our usually garrulous President Obama, so adept at reciting platitudes about diversity and tolerance and praising peace and justice, cannot find a single phrase in his prepared script condemning the massacre of scores of indigenous inhabitants of the Peruvian Amazon. When egregious violations of human rights are committed in Latin America by a US backed client-President following Washington’s formula of ‘free trade’, deregulation of environmental protections and hostility toward anti-imperialist countries (Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador), Obama favors complicity over condemnation.

Name

Email

Notify me via e-mail of new comments to this entry

Code :

Comment

• These comments are the property of their respective authors.
• Currently we only allow english comments.
• Por ahora solo se permiten comentarios en ingles.