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DAM-L mapuche/biobio / endesa: South America

Subject: LS: Respecting Mapuche Demands/ BioBio Endesa etc
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Date: Fri, 01 Jun 2001 16:01:43 -0700
To: irn-biobio@netvista.net
From: Monti Aguirre <monti@irn.org>
Subject: LS: Respecting Mapuche Demands
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CHIP NEWS
June 1, 2001
*****

RESPECTING MAPUCHE DEMANDS
An Expert Discusses Chile's Indigenous Conflict

(Ed. note:  Chile's National Indigenous Development Corporation
(Conadi) has voiced concern about the increasingly violent nature of the
conflict between the government, private companies and country's indigenous
groups.  The indigenous population is demanding the return of its ancestral
lands, the majority of which has passed into the hands of private owners
and forestry companies.
             While most protests are peaceful, the situation has become
increasingly violent since December.  When members of Chile's largest
indigenous group, the Mapuche, staged a protest along Highway 5 (the
Pan-Americana) on Wednesday, police responded with tear gas and shots were
fired.  The police's reaction was, however, criticized Thursday by Interior
Undersecretary Jorge Burgos.
             In the following article, originally published in La Nacion,
Jose Aylwin Oyarzun, a lawyer with La Frontera University's Indigenous
Studies Institute, discusses the tense relationship between the government,
the police, the private sector and the indigenous population and appeals
for a quick solution to the worsening situation.)
             For some years now the Mapuche have voiced their dissent about
the way their ancestral lands have been treated.  Forestry plantations, the
construction of roads and hydroelectric plants, for example, have all been
approved by the State, meaning the indigenous communities have been forced
into a corner.
             The State and private companies have repeatedly refused to
listen to the demands of the indigenous population regarding projects that,
in many cases, have a radical effect on their lives.
             We shouldn't forget that sometimes the government has shown
considerable determination to help the indigenous, by approving the
Indigenous Law and returning ancestral lands.  [Ed. note: The Indigenous
Law established protection and development norms for indigenous people, as
well as creating Conadi].  The State promised to purchase 150,000 hectares
of land over a period of six years for the indigenous community, showing
the magnitude of the problem.  The government's efforts have not, however,
satisfied the aspirations of indigenous groups.
             This has led to a gradual distancing between the State, Mapuche
and private companies.  While Mapuche make demands according to their
spiritual beliefs, the government imposes its law of reason by force,
creating an increasingly violent situation.
             What is more, the violence used by the police and private
companies appears to be disproportionate to the acts committed by
indigenous groups.
             The police have started to use firearms as a way of controlling
indigenous demonstrations, while physical and verbal abuse is becoming
increasingly frequent.  Authorities are often heard using racist insults
that directly violate the Indigenous Law.
             Also worrying is the relationship between the police and
private or state-owned companies.  In Alto Bio Bio, in southern Region
VIII, the police sometimes appear subordinate to the National Electricity
Company (Endesa).  The same can be said for the police in Malleco, Region
VIII, where they sometimes seem to be acting as the forestry companies'
security guards.
             These reports are serious because they are not isolated
incidents aimed at specific people, but are systematic acts of oppression
by State personnel.  Apart from violating human rights, the State's
behavior prevents any improvement in relations between the Mapuche and the
rest of Chilean society, forcing the indigenous population to take an
increasingly militarized position.
             The government must put a stop to the conflict.  By
investigating reports of violence against Mapuche and punishing those
concerned, we could end the current climate of impunity among public
officials.
****
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Monti Aguirre
Latin American Campaigns
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way
Berkeley, CA. 94703 USA
Phone:  510 . 848.11.55 and 707 . 869.16.37
Fax:    510 . 848.10.08
e-mail:  monti @irn.org
<http://www.irn.org>http://www.irn.org


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