[Aztlan] Attack on a Peaceful Indigenous Blockade in the PeruvianAmazon

[Jaime Pretell]

Seems a police station was attacked and the police were murdered and the 
police station was burned down. Hope it gets better.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Elaine Schele" <elaineschele at gmail.com>
To: "Aztlan" <aztlan at lists.famsi.org>
Sent: Friday, June 05, 2009 6:06 PM
Subject: [Aztlan] Attack on a Peaceful Indigenous Blockade in the 
PeruvianAmazon


> >From Reuters News Service and Amazon Watch
>
> Police Violently Attack Peaceful Indigenous Blockade in the Peruvian
> Amazon, Leaving Four Dead and 18 Injured
>
> BAGUA, Peru, June 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amazon Watch reports
> that at approximately 5 a.m. this morning, the Peruvian military
> police staged a violent raid on a group of indigenous people at a
> peaceful blockade on a road outside of Bagua, in northern Peruvian
> Amazon.  Several thousand Awajun and Wambis indigenous peoples were
> forcibly dispersed by tear gas and real bullets, among them are
> reports of at least 18 injured and four confirmed dead, although the
> toll is expected to rise.
>
> At 2 a.m. police approached demonstrators as they were sleeping along
> the Belaunde Terry road. Demonstrators refused to move the roadblock
> as helicopters dropped teargas bombs. Eyewitnesses report that police
> attacked from both sides firing real bullets into the crowd as people
> fled into the hills. As the unarmed demonstrators were killed and
> injured, some wrestled the police and took away their guns and fought
> back in self-defense resulting in the death of several police
> officers.
>
> The chief of police claimed that protestors were armed, necessitating
> the use of gunfire, a claim refuted by dozens of eyewitnesses
> including local journalists who report the demonstrators only had
> traditional spears and in no way provoked violence. The Garcia
> Government yesterday issued an order for the police to begin forcibly
> removing indigenous demonstrations that have paralyzed the Amazon for
> 56 days.
>
> Gregor MacLennan of Amazon Watch stated:  "It is absolutely untrue
> that indigenous peoples provoked violence. Rather, they are engaged in
> non-violent civil disobedience in the tradition of Martin Luther King
> and Mahatma Gandhi.  It is the Peruvian Government forces that have
> provoked violence against peaceful people who are trying to safeguard
> the Amazon for future generations for all Peruvians."
>
> Indigenous peoples have vowed to continue protests until Congress
> revokes the controversial decrees issued by President Garcia to
> implement the Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Recently,
> the constitutional committee of Congress ruled that legislative decree
> 994 and 1090 were unconstitutional. The full Congress was scheduled to
> debate decree 1090 yesterday, however, Garcia's party prevented the
> debate.
>
> The protests have provoked national debate about government policies
> in the Amazon. Human rights organizations are calling for solidarity
> demonstrations at Peruvian Embassies worldwide.  AIDESEP, the national
> indigenous organization of Peru has called for a nationwide general
> strike starting June 11th.
>
> Background information available at www.amazonwatch.org, press.
> Contact Andrew Millerandrew at amazonwatch.org.
>
> Andrew Miller of Amazon Watch, +1-202-423-4828, andrew at amazonwatch.org
>
> Elaine
> http://volunteermayameetings.blogspot.com/
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