PERU: Protests over natural resources continue

Record ID: 338865

  • Title: PERU: Protests over natural resources continue
  • Date: 29th May 2009
  • Summary: LIMA, PERU (MAY 27, 2009) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SEVERAL HUNDRED PROTESTERS MARCHING THROUGH LIMA STREETS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) STUDENT ALAN SHIJAP FROM THE AMAZON REGION, SAYING: "We, the indigenous students, we are standing up for two things. One is for the state of emergency to be lifted that the government has declared, and the other is that we want them to repeal the
  • Embargoed: 13th June 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Peru
  • Country: Peru
  • Topics: Energy
  • Reuters ID: LVA77BEGUEBRWQO4UKIEPQVGJULL
  • Story Text: Indigenous groups staged strikes and marches across Peru on Wednesday (May 27) as protests over the control of natural resources continue in the Andean country.
    Peru declared a state of emergency more than two weeks ago in the central regions of Loreto, Amazonas, Ucayali and Cuzco, a move that allows it to send in the armed forced and impose curfews to break up demonstrations.
    In Lima, almost two thousand people marched through the city demanding an end to these measures.
    "We, the indegenous students, we are standing up for two things. One is for the state of emergency to be lifted that the government has declared, and the other is that we want them to repeal the nine laws against the Peruvian Amazon. If this is not resolved today then the fight will continue across all of the Peruvian Amazon," said Alan Shijap, an indigenous student from the the Peruvian Amazon region.
    Protests have erupted across the country and on Tuesday (May 26), train services were halted to Machu Picchu as protesters blocked the tracks.
    Peru, which has auctioned off mining and energy concessions throughout most of the country, has drawn fierce criticism from environmental and human rights groups that say development threatens the environment and risks exposing remote tribes to new and deadly diseases.
    The government is encouraging investment as it tries to transform itself from a net oil importer into a net exporter.
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