Four municipalities began the popular consultations in 2006 in Huehuetenango, in the northwest of the country, in the border with Mexico. A year later, the process had already covered the 13 municipalities of the Maya Mam region. Four years later on May 18, the indigenous communities issued a statement declaring their territories free of megaprojects.

The 28 municipalities of the department rejected megaprojects. They are particularly concerned about mining and hydroelectric megaprojects.

Real World Radio interviewed Basilio Tzoy. He is the coordinator of the Advocacy Unit of CEIBA – Friends of the Earth Guatemala. He lives in one of the municipalities of the Maya Mam region of Huehuetenango and he has followed the whole popular consultation process very closely.

Together with the Departamental Assembly in Defense of Natural Resources and the Maya Mam Coordinator, “we issued our declaration by demanding the government to respect the results of the 28 consultations” of the department, said Tzoy. They also demanded Alvaro Colom’s administration “that it should not accept demands to carry out studies of hydroelectric or mining projects in the areas”.

He explained that the Maya Mam communities reject mining because it pollutes their rivers and the environment and the drilling of wells lead to water shortage. They are also concerned about the social conflicts, the conflicting position on megaprojects inside the communities, the threats against those who oppose them and the criminalization of the protest.

Besides, “the resources taken by the corporations have great value and none of the profits stay in the country, let alone in the communities”.

On February 18, the Maya Mam municipality of San Juan Ostuncalco, in Quetzaltenango, had also voted against seven mining exploration licenses granted by the Ministry of Energy and Mining to Canadian company Goldcorp.

That company has most mining licenses in Guatemala. It operates in different departments, said Tzoy. The case of Marlin mine is emblematic. It belongs to Montana Exploradora (Goldcorp) and it is located in San Miguel Ixtahuacán and Sipacapa municipalities in San Marcos department. The project violated the indigenous peoples’ right to prior and informed consultation and to self determination and it also undermines the right to health, to the protection of the environment, and to access to water.

Several Guatemalan social organizations are exposing the lack of action of the Guatemalan state to put a stop to the corporations. Tzoy told Real World Radio that the national government does not recognize the community consultations and that Colom’s administration has granted several mining licenses although before being elected the president had said he would not.

Basilio also said mining and hydroelectric transnational corporations and some national powerful sectors have pressured the government to approve the projects.

Finally Tzoy said that Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean will continue to support and advise the communities that reject megaprojects in Guatemala. He added that the federation has done an important political work in the lead up to the September elections. “We demand the political parties to respect the consultations and to not allow any more megaprojects in the region”.

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