Respecting Mapuche Demands
June 1, 2001
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 Calendar 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.
Source: Chip News
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
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