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16 June 2009 | News | Human rights
The Genocide of the FTA
Investigations into the killing of indigenous are starting in Peru , while the first agreements are reached with the government.
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The Peruvian government signed an agreement of understanding with indigenous leaders, whereby it commits to submit a bill asking for the repeal of the two decrees that led to the massive protests of native peoples, because they would let transnational corporations exploit resources in the Peruvian Amazon.
The agreement was signed by the president of the Council of Ministries of Peru, Yehude Simon and by representatives of 390 indigenous communities. In token of understanding, the native peoples committed to lift the blockades of the main highway La Merced – La Oroya-Lima for four hours a day, although they will keep the peaceful protest measure until the decrees are definitely repealed.
The agreement was reached nearly ten days after the police intervened in one of the protests led by the indigenous in Bagua province, killing tens of people.
Yesterday, the Peruvian Congress approved the creation of a multipartisan committee to invesigate the incidents, while there are requests to question Simon and the Minister of the Interior, Mercedes Cabanillas.
The violent incidents happened in Peru also called the attention of the international community. The UN Special Rapporteur for the indigenous peoples, James Anaya, is in Peru to investigate what happened in Bagua.
The native peoples have reported how the police caused the confrontation, and killed more indigenous than what official figures show, since they burned down their bodies and then they threw them to into the water.
“The order the police had was not to dissuade”, indigenous leader Leoncio Calla told National Radio Coordinator. “They came to clear the road by shooting to kill”.
Calla denied that the indigenous who were protesting had weapons, or that they tried to take unpeaceful measures. “We only had our spears as a protest measure so that they would listen to us and repeal the laws that were unconstitutional, which attempted against biodiversity, wild life, water, and that took us by ignorant people. But we took to the streets”, the leader told CNR. He regretted the deaths of the police officers during the clashes, whom he called “brothers”, despite considering they had caused the violent incidents.
Meanwhile, in Bolivia, President Evo Morales was firm when defining what had happened in Peru.
“What happened in Peru, I’m convinced, was the genocide of the FTA, privatization, handing over the Amazon forests to transnational corporations in South America”, said the Bolivian President. He referred to the laws that led to the protests, which were adopted as part of the Free Trade Agreement that Alan Garcia’s government promoted with the US.
