After 112 days:
Patricia Troncoso puts an End to Her Hunger Strike
Press Release - Chillan, January 30, 2008
To my beloved Mapuche and all those who have shown their solidarity, generosity and commitment to the demands of our people:
1. I wish to express my deep gratitude to my brothers and sisters who supported me throughout the strike. Like me, you have resisted repression. We defeated the media blackout, and we defeated the pride and arrogance of the government. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of those who put aside personal and selfish interests to ensure justice and freedom for all Chilean and Mapuche people, both impoverished and exploited by a predatory and inhuman economic model.
2. I want to say that we now have a document, which outlines the nature of the concessions that have been granted. It is more than just a document, as it is to be guaranteed by the church through Monsignor Alejandro Goic, the person in charge of supervising the fulfillment of this agreement. The church has given its word to ensure compliance with what was agreed and we believe in it:
CET (Centre for Work and Education) and release every Sunday for John Millalen.
CET and weekend release for Jaime Marileo.
These concessions will start from the beginning of March 2008 and the document is being kept in the custody of the church.
We wish to clarify, principally to the right-wing political parties, that the granting of these benefits is nothing more and nothing less than the recognition of the rights of any convict, because, as everybody knows, we fulfill the requirements, so this is not an act of generosity but an act of justice.
3. Let me make it clear that the hunger strikes that have been carried out have no other purpose than to denounce the injustice to which we have been subjected and assert the right of the people to land and autonomy. We also wanted to denounce the trials, which took place without respecting due process, and to denounce the applications of highly repressive laws such as the Anti-Terrorism Law and the Internal Security Law used originally by Pinochet.
4. Our campaign understands that this is a political-historical conflict with our people, and is focused primarily on the recognition of our territory and autonomy. International conventions, constitutional acknowledgments or agreements that endorse the rights of the Mapuche are not important unless it is we ourselves who help fulfill them and persevere to ensure that they are respected. We must do this to assure a future for the next generation.
So for the moment we do not believe in the "alleged efforts" made by the government when they make pledges, because all the political will has always gone to serving the expansion of forestry, hydroelectricity, airports, cellulose and mining projects and the plundering and exploitation of nature, without considering the endangerment of our land and how little we have left of our natural resources.
We believe that these efforts serve a purpose - to clean up the unfavourable image of the government abroad, while concealing the major issue, which is territory and autonomy. These they deny our people, whilst threatening to use the Anti-terrorism Law against us. That is why we believe that once again the state is lying out of convenience and will make promises and disregard them. The real gestures to advance our process of political reconstruction must be mediated and focused on seeking political and strategic alliances related to rebuilding a strong and healthy movement consistent with our history and the challenges facing our people today.
If we ask ourselves what we achieve with these mobilizations, we could answer:
A) First, having established the issue nationally and internationally, concerning the seriousness of the violence and militarization of the conflict zones where communities are currently resisting.
B) We believe that conditions do not exist in Chile to discuss the Anti-terrorism Law or the criminalization of Mapuche demands. That is why we are committed to the mediation made to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, where an agreement was reached properly addressing the Anti-terrorism Law, fair trial, due process and presumption of innocence and an end to the faceless or protected witnesses.
C) Recognition of intrapenitentiary benefits that are accorded to any prisoner.
D) Make it clear to the government that the Mapuche issue needs to be addressed seriously, without patched solutions or projects, but with the substantive issues that arise out of territory, autonomy, repression and the militarization against communities and support groups based in the cities. And perhaps what we have won without even realising the dimension of our progress is the “UNITING OF ALL OUR MAPUCHE PEOPLE." We have succeeded to bring together Mapuche from both sides of the Andes Mountains. “Puelches” (Mapuche from Argentina) and Ngulumapu now have only one political proposal, which has been inherited from our ancestral forefathers - "LAND AND AUTONOMY”.
Also, we have gained confidence in ways in which to be successful in our struggle, as the banner that we used in this fight is fair and just. The contribution each of us has made in the campaign, both small and large, humble and great, may mean more real changes in the near future concerning respect for human rights, changes in the economic system and the exploitation of the environment, protection and stewardship of natural resources (the few that remain), laws implementing improved requirements regarding environmental impact and clean technologies for future investment in this country. We want to stop the progress of deforestation of exotic woods and curb the depredation to deciduous forests and endemic flora, in order to end those economic activities, which endanger the balance and biodiversity of our territories. This will go together with the opportunity to exercise the individual and collective political rights of our people.
What are our main goals after this strike?
Reach a consensus on a political line that will allow us to address in a responsible manner, without protagonists or small-mindedness, the central issues for our people: land and autonomy, and the freedom to enjoy it.
To alleviate, through work with the networks of support from Chile and abroad, the repression to which children, youth, women and elderly continually suffer.
To denounce once again at an international level the human rights situation affecting our people.
Work on and document the issue of the Anti-terrorism Law and Internal Security Law which the state has been using as weapons of repression to criminalize the Mapuche struggle with unfair trials, protected (“faceless”) witnesses and lack of due process, etc.
Finally, I wish to say that today, 30th January 2008, I put an end to my hunger strike, which I have endured for 112 days. I trusted in the church, which we called upon to mediate in the defence of human rights and in defence of a people, poor and exploited by an economic model that has condemned humanity to miss out above all on its relationship with God and nature.
All that is left is for me to thank Monsignor Alejandro Goic, who demonstrated loyalty, responsibility and, above all, understanding of how complicated our cause is. Finally I wish to clarify that the historic political problem of the Mapuche people is a continuing problem, which will not be solved by just a hunger strike, but rather, by men and women uniting in determination. "AND NOW TO WORK."
Wherever the coligüe plant grows, new seeds will be born.
¡ Marri chi weu ! (If one falls, ten will stand up).
Thank you all, we shall win!
Patricia Troncoso Robles
Mapuche Political Prisoner