Contre les projets miniers : émeute à Juliaca. Cinq morts – 24 juin 2011

Two killed in Peru’s anti-mining clashes

bbc.co.uk

25 June 2011

At least two people have been shot dead in clashes between police and anti-mining demonstrators in southern Peru, hospital officials say.

Violence in the Puno region started when about 1,000 people were prevented from breaching a security fence around the international airport in Juliaca.

The protest was part of a two-day strike over a silver-mining contract given to a Canadian corporation.

Demonstrators fear that this will increase pollution.

They also say it will bring few benefits to the local population.

Locals v multinationals

Flights were cancelled during the protest, stranding hundreds of tourists who had been visiting the town on the shores of the world’s highest navigable lake, Lake Titicaca.

The Puno region on the border with Bolivia has been in the grip of a generalised protest against all mining activity for more than a month.

In May, indigenous Aymara protesters blocked roads between the two countries for three weeks.

The disputes over natural resources pit poor locals against multinational companies.

The social conflicts have come to characterise the outgoing government of President Alan Garcia, with critics saying he often took the side of the large companies. Read more…