Living in Peru : your everyday companion

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This afternoon the Peruvian Congress, following a recommendation issued by the Government, repealed Legislative Decrees 1090 and 1064, which amended the Forestry and Wildlife Act and the Legal Regime for Agricultural Lands, respectively.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

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Amazon protest leader Alberto Pizango has just left Peru on a plane headed for Nicaragua, where he has been granted political asylum.

Amazon leader Edson Rosales says Pizango left Lima Wednesday on a Copa Airlines commercial flight.

Pizango had left the Nicaraguan embassy under strict police surveillance.

The flight will stop in Panama and El Salvador before arriving in Managua.

Peru's Public Prosecutor's Office has started a process against Pizango, who is held responsible for inflamming tensions and provoking the recent Bagua clashes, which caused an official death toll of 24 police officers and 9 civilians. 

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's Ministry of Transports and Communication has officially closed the local Radio Station La Voz de Utcubamba (in the Amazonian Region).

According to Carlos Flores, spokesman for La Voz de Utcubamba, the station has all its legal licenses, permits and paperwork “in order” since 13th March 2007.

However, the aforementioned Ministry issued a closure order against the radio station (official number 211-2009-MTC) alleging that it had not “sent the documentation regarding licenses for some of the station’s equipment”.

This is the only radio station that has transmitted live coverage of the Bagua conflict, providing a voice through its microphones to the people of Bagua.

Government congressmen have accused the station of inflaming tensions among the population, and the station has reportedly received several anonymous threats.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's Ombudsman, Beatriz Merino Lucero, declared to local Radio Capital that no mass graves have been found by the prosecutors.

Merino had admitted earlier that she had sent Roberto Guevara, the the Chief of  the  Ombudsman's Office in Bagua, who went along with some public prosecutors to check on the facts.

"Mr. Guevara has inspected the area, known as El Reposo,  along with 4 prosecutors and 5 forensic doctors, and has just reported me that there are no mass graves nor human remains, " she explained this afternoon.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

The Parish priest of Bagua, Casinaldo Ramos, informed RadioProgramas del Perú (RPP) that a mass grave has been found containing the bodies of native peoples, close to an area known as El Reposo.

“The number of corpses is yet to be determined” he said.

He also stated that the parish is registering native peoples distributed throughout Bagua Grande (some 700 have been registered so far), and will help them return to their communities.

Priest Ramos, from Chachapoyas explained that the register is likely to be much higher, and that the Catholic Church has decided to undertake this task due to local people feeling “very afraid” and believing they will be attacked by the police at any time.

He said that this census is being coordinated with the Public Minister (Public Prosecutor's Office) and the Ombudsman’s office.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's Amazon indigenous leaders and Ombudsman Office presented today very different death toll figures.

Peru's Police Chief, General Jose Sanchez Farfan, confirmed that 23 policemen died during the riots.

Official reports admit only nine civilian casualties, including natives and mestizos as well.

However, some witnesses, the natives and human rights organizations claim that the number of civilians casualties may be in fact higher: around 40 people.

Indigenous leader Champion Nonimgo, who has taken the place of Alberto Pizango, declared to RadioProgramas del Peru that these corpses have not been found since "the police and the Army has either incinerated them or thrown them to the rivers, to hide them.”

Meanwhile, General Sanchez reported that 18 of the 38 hostages had been taken somewhere into the rainforest, where they were shot.

According to him, eight officers escaped during the executions. and another five  were rescued afterwards; but the others are still missing.

Reportedly, Bagua is undergoing a tense calm, due to military presence, but the strike and blockades continue in another Amazon cities and towns.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

According to regional radio La Voz de Utcubamba (Voice of Utcubamba), in Amazonas, Peru's National Police is arresting the Amazon natives from the Santiago Apostol Hospital.

It is unknown where the arrested natives are being taken.

According to Voice of Utcubamba Radio, relatives and representatives are trying to inform the Ombudsman officers in town, but the telephone calls have gone unanswered.

Other reports from this radio station say that there are 56 natives arrested in a militar station, 19 would have been sent to Chiclayo city, and another 10 awajun natives are still missing.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

According to the telephonic call made from Imasita village (Amazonas region) aired by Limean Radio Capital, natives have already killed 18 out of the 38 hostages at PetroPeru Station N°6.

Reportedly, Peru's Army has taken control of the Station, rescuing 20 of the hostages.

However, Peru's Defense Ministry claims (according to RadioProgramas del Peru) to have rescued 22 hostages and reports only 9 confirmed casualties.

The other 7 are reported as "missing".

According to regional radio reports, available via Twitter, (#Bagua) the  natives have temporarily retreated to their villages, but have threatened to come back.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

A total of 38 police officers are hostages at PetroPeru Station N°6, where hundreds of amazonian protesters are threatening to kill them and “blow up all the  whole place” if the government does not derogate inmediately the decrees 1090 and some others from the Forestal Law they reject

"If our demands are not met, these people will be executed. We cannot go against the whole population," said a man via Radio Capital, identifying himself as Carlos Huaman.

One of the hostages is an official of the oil company, identified as Fernando Lizar Jorge.

"The hostages are being custodied by 400 ex members of the Army who fought in El Cenepa war” explained Huaman.

The villager said that about 2,000 people are “ready to blow up the station.”
However, Walter Kategari, native leader of the Interethnic Association for Development of the Peruvian Jungle (AIDESEP), said he was completely unaware of these facts.

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LivinginPeru.com
Isabel Guerra

Peru's Minister of the Interior, Mecedes Cabanillas, confirmed that nine policemen died this morning during clashes with Amazonian natives in a sector known as "Curva del Diablo" (Devil's Curve) between kilometers 200 and 202 of the Fernando Belaunde Terry road, in Bagua (Amazon Region).

Cabanillas is considering the possibility of imposing a curfew in the area, as well as sending in the armed forces, and has stated that she believes “political interests” may be behind these protests.

According to indigenous leader Alberto Pizango, there may be 22 indigenous casualties, which he blamed on President Alan Garcia.

“The government must answer for this” he said.

Bagua's Mayor, Luis Nuñez, informed Radio Programas del Peru (RPP) that some 11 civilians may also have died during the clashes.

Furthermore, National Coordination of Radio (CNR) reported that Pizango, who is to face charges of insurgency and mutiny, might ask for asylum from Bolivia, Venezuela or Ecuador in the next few hours.

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.