A comment on the recent carnage in the Peruvian Amazon
On 5 June conceded a unit of the Peruvian police force, the road blockades, indigenous demonstrators on the through road in the Peruvian Amazon region had built. It conducted a massacre that killed 24 policemen and at least 10 indigenous people and some 150 people were injured. The rapporteur of the UN for indigenous issues, James Anaya, and many other national and international agencies have been an objective awareness of the events required.
Some backgrounds may already be named.
all began one and a half years. President Alan García of the largest daily newspaper published in an article of Peru from his own pen, in which he announced his strategy for the development of Peru: the use and exploitation on a large scale of the natural resources of Peru in the high and lowlands. Peru could already be much further, García wrote at the time when its people are like the dog the gardener from the same plot of Lope de Vega position would. He wanted to eat his bowl is not empty, but let no one else approached his food. So did the Peruvians, according to Garcia, and in particular the backward indigenous Peruvians and others that would cover her yesterday communism today with an environmental cloak, if it were the use of the wealth of Peru. While at first mainly a (ben) through the series outcry of opposition intellectuals of the capital went to the indigenous people of the Amazon region soon became aware that Alan García would not let it stay with the announcement. In the so-called "Leyes de la Selva" (jungle law) he had a legal basis for the broad-based licensing of timber, oil, gas and water reserves of national and international investors.
Last year (200) organized the indigenous people of the Amazon region, however the first time a protest. they had not been asked, namely, how they are imposed from above Entwicklungsstragie their habitat. This is despite the signed by Peru ILO Convention A consultation provides compelling.
The protest last year was no use. The government was determined to impose its policy. Three months ago, agreed the indigenous peoples of the entire Amazon lowlands again to go on strike. That is, they blocked the main routes between the lowlands and capital, and he cut it from the oil supply.
The government was not ready for a dialogue, and sent for two months the police. Because of the capital Lima ran out of oil and therefore the light. In this context, the aforementioned massacre occurred.
until a week later, on 17 June, and after strong protests from Germany and abroad, according to Garcia, the government finally. Alan García publicly admitted was wrong, the indigenous people not to have asked in advance. On 18 June, he pulled two of the "jungle law" back. The Tieflandindigenas had won!
What do these protests and the victory of the indigenous people:
• The Indigenabewegung Peru with these protests, the first time become a national player in Peruvian politics. In contrast to Ecuador and Peru, an indigenous movement in Peru until then was not visible. •
's 350 000 indigenous people of the extremely sparsely populated rain forest (Selva) are far better organized than the numerically far superior Quechua and Aymara indigenous people of the highlands. In fact the lowland indigenous In recent decades, unnoticed by the capital organized and consolidated.
• An indigenous movement - come together in the highland and lowland indigenous people - is in development in Peru. End of May was held in Puno on Lake Titicaca, the Latin American Indigenous Summit. Important is the alliance of lowland and highland indigenous.
• Joint meeting of all indigenous people was and is the threat to their living space by the state and private exploitation of natural resources. Increasingly, however, indigenous people connect with their own concepts to the public. Especially with the concept of the "good life" (Buen Vivir), the indigenous people against a substantive point to make radical Modernisierungsstragie the Peruvian Government.
• Alan García has sought to Evo Morales and Hugo Chávez for the protests of indigenous people to blame. In fact, neither Evo Morales, Hugo Chávez has yet to do the Peruvian opposition Ollanta Humala to be causally related to the protests of the Amazonian indigenous. There is more of subsequent opportunism of the left politician Alan Garcia in turn allowed a convenient blame. The relations between Peru and Bolivia on the one hand have worsened by the conflict to a head the conflict in their respective policies.
• The conflict may be settled for now with the turn-government protests flared up sein.Neu in other parts of the country, however, show that indigenous groups now feel encouraged with their demands - z.Bsp. against the granting of mining concessions - also to get to the public. The conflict over the right model for development and modernization of Peru will continue, with a stronger indigenous group. In this sense, we may also be interested to see how the indigenous movement presents itself as a political player in the presidential race 2011th
• A word to the church: the Amazon region is one of the most sparsely populated regions of Peru and, in the eyes of the capital to the poorest and most backward. Maybe just because there been the progressive bishops not to Opus Dei and Sodalitium supporters exchanged. They and their pastorates and prelatures were just too small. That is, the most progressive Catholic bishops of Peru can be found today in the Selva.Bereits in April the 9 bishops had supported the protest of the indigenous people of the Selva against the "jungle law" in a public communique. As a facilitator and monitor for compliance with human rights, the Church is there estimated. To what extent they are used as a content conversation partner in the development of an alternative model of development of indigenous people remains to be seen.
• background of the controversial "jungle law" were the provisions of the free trade treaty between the U.S. and Peru. In these days of free-trade agreement between Peru and the EU is being negotiated in Brussels. Although various groups have called for a suspension of negotiations (including the Plataforma Europa Peru various solidarity groups and the information center Peru), these will continue.
• The Federal Republic of Germany provided substantial support for the newly established Peruvian Ministry of the Environment and is therefore of an influence on the development strategy of Peru.
More info at: www.infostelle-peru.de
