Guatemala declares emergency in four towns to quell mining protests

[Judi Lynn]

Guatemala declares emergency in four towns to quell mining protests


[font size=1]
Guatemala's President Perez arrives for the inauguration of a new military detachment in Ciudad Quetzal, on the
outskirts of Guatemala City (Jorge Lopez Reuters, / April 10, 2013) [/font]

Reuters
10:03 p.m. EDT, May 2, 2013

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala declared an emergency in four southeastern towns on Thursday, suspending citizens' constitutional rights in an area where deadly protests over a proposed silver mine have erupted in recent weeks.

Guatemalan President Otto Perez announced the move in an effort to quell protests targeting the mine belonging to Canadian miner Tahoe Resources Inc. Two people have been killed in the demonstrations.

The company's security guards shot and wounded six demonstrators on Saturday, said Mauricio Lopez, Guatemala's security minister.

The next day, protesters, who say the Escobal silver mine near the town of San Rafael Las Flores will contaminate local water supplies, kidnapped 23 police officers, Lopez said.

One police officer and a demonstrator were killed in a shootout on Monday when police went to free the hostages, said Lopez.

More:
http://www.courant.com/news/nation-world/sns-rt-us-guatemala-miningbre94202v-20130502,0,3702005.story

[Catherina]

1. Do you want to laugh or cry?

They're trying to blame this on... are you sitting down? - Drug cartels.

The whole reason O.M. made all that noise about decriminalizing drugs is to get more military aid for the war against the poor under the pretext of fighting the "war on drugs". The 200 marines the US admitted to sending a few months ago isn't enough. The Rios Montt trial is tied into that to show *progress* on human rights so Congress will lift the 1990 ban on military aid and US funds can start flowing in. But the hitch is that Rios Montt has to be the sacrificial lamb and sole person responsible, which as you know, isn't working out too well.

So now the poor fighting the mining companies' crimes are Zeta. Pretty soon they'll be AQ.

Meanwhile they're still digging up graves. 8 were found just this week alone, from a genocide President O.M. swore never happened, and if it did, he knew nothing about it despite being the Head of Intelligence.

GUATEMALA CITY - President Otto Perez Molina said the raids and arrests are the result of an investigation of more than six months that has developed in the area with support from the Public Ministry, in which it was determined that there was conspiracy, armed robbery, murder, kidnapping, destruction of government property.

"The outcome of the investigation may prove that not all the happened here has been related to the San Rafael mine as some groups have wanted to say, there have been a series of crimes that are mixed with organized crime and other interests, which has led to anarchy in the region, "said the president.

These statements were supported by the Minister of Interior, Mauricio Lopez Bonilla, who noted that there is evidence that the incidents are related to the operations of the Zetas cartel, mainly in Jalapa.

...

http://www.prensalibre.com/noticias/justicia/Gobierno-Sitio-Santa-Rosa-Jalapa_0_911309151.html

[Judi Lynn]

2. They are so sure of themselves they don't even bother to change the pattern,

do they? Why bother? They always have gotten away with it so , as it appears. This is only nothing but pure evil. They show the world day after day the people controlling things, pulling all the strings in this world belong in prison, or institutions for the criminally insane and they should NEVER be allowed to have power over another living being of any shape or size.

So now these helpless people WITHOUT "friends in high places" to look out for them have stopped being "communists" and they are currently "drug traffickers!" Yeah, and only the right is so wildly stupid to believe any of it, ever.

One easy similarity from such a large array would be the Rio Negro Massacres. Wikipedia:

In 1978, in the face of civil war, the Guatemalan government proceeded with its economic development program, including the construction of the Chixoy hydroelectric dam. Financed in large part by the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank, the Chixoy Dam was built in Rabinal, a region of the department of Baja Verapaz historically populated by the Maya Achi. To complete construction, the government completed voluntary and forcible relocations of dam-affected communities from the fertile agricultural valleys to the much harsher surrounding highlands. When hundreds of residents refused to relocate, or returned after finding the conditions of resettlement villages were not what the government had promised, these men, women, and children were kidnapped, raped, and massacred by paramilitary and military officials. More than 440 Maya Achi were killed in the village of Río Negro alone, and the string of extrajudicial killings that claimed up to 5,000 lives between 1980 and 1982 became known as the Río Negro Massacres. The government officially declared the acts to be counterinsurgency activities - although local church workers, journalists and the survivors of Rio Negro deny that the town ever saw any organized guerilla activity.[1][2]

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%ADo_Negro_Massacre

[Catherina]

4. No, no they don't. It's the same. 500 years of exploitation, looting and murder.

The Mayan here, well their lives are considered pretty much worthless. They're *in the way*. And the Mining Companies are the absolute worst right now. There are entire, long stretches of rivers the indigenous people depend on to drink, water their crops, that are so poisoned you can see stretches of dead cattle, chickens, fish and crops. Then you've got all the miscarriages, birth defects, skin diseases, and other *mysterious* ailments. It's criminal.

This video is in Spanish but the pictures and the article explanation suffice.

Even The Cows Are Being Killed By Goldcorp's Mine In Guatemala

Grahame Russell, 2011

Goldcorp's open-pit, cyanide leaching mine is also killing cows in village of the municipality of San Miguel Ixtahuacan (department of San Marcos, Guatemala), and getting away with it with impunity.



On July 24, 2010, a local farmer Faustino Mendez (a Mayan-Mam man from the village of San Jose Ixcanique) came across two of his cows, dead. They had drunk water from a small creek flowing out of, and below Goldcorp's "San Martin" mine, and fallen dead in the river.

...

In the report, Faustino Mendez explains how he has been a farmer for 35 years, tending to his cows all that time, and this has never happened. When Goldcorp officials came upon the dead cows, just below their mine, there was a discussion about paying Faustino 2,500 quetzales (over U$300) per cow.

The report then documents an extraordinary conversation between a veterinarian who works for the Goldcorp-funded Sierra Madre foundation, that presents itself as a local NGO. The vet is trying to explain to the campesinos, who have gathered by the dead cows, that these deaths have nothing to do with the drinking of the water; that these diseases have been around for 1,000,000 years; that the campesinos should get vaccinations for their cows, etc.

Beyond being dumbfounded by the words of the veterinarian, in the pay of Goldcorp, another campesino explains that he has lived and worked there for 50 years and that - like Faustino - has never seen anything like this. No one gathered there believes Goldcorp's vet, but they treat him with respect.

MODUS OPERANDI: DENIAL, IMPUNITY, ... & A LITTLE MONEY
...
A NORTH AMERICAN PROBLEM OF IMPUNITY & UNJUST ENRICHMENT

Unless real pressure is brought to bear on Goldcorp from the Canadian government and politicians, and Canadian and American shareholders and investors, there will be no end in sight for the accumulating health and environmental harms and other human rights violations that the local Mayan-Mam people and communities are suffering.

...

http://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8777:guatemala-even-the-cows-are-being-killed-by-goldcorps-mine-in-guatemala&catid=30&Itemid=63

[naaman fletcher]

10. I agree

That it is ridiculous to blame this on the drug cartels, but I don't understand this statement:

The whole reason O.M. made all that noise about decriminalizing drugs is to get more military aid for the war against the poor under the pretext of fighting the "war on drugs".

Why would decriminalizing drugs get the US more military aid? Colombia got aid by promising to fight the WOD, not on wanting to legalize them.

[Catherina]

12. Clumsy sentence. It's a blackmail statement to put pressure on getting the ban lifted "or else"

But after this string of pleasant surprises, Pérez Molina’s most recent about face has drawn annoyance and even anger from the United States. Last Saturday he raised the possibility of legalizing drugs in Central America, saying he’d put the debate on the table in future meetings with regional leaders. He followed through on this promise on Monday, when he discussed decriminalization with Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes (who first agreed to consider the option, and later retracted facing pressure from Washington). The U.S. Embassy in Guatemala responded with a swift condemnation of the proposal.

So what is Pérez Molina’s endgame? A popular theory is that he’s trying to pressure the United States into lifting its ban on weapons sales to Guatemala, instituted in 1978 due to the military’s role in human rights abuses during the civil conflict. This makes sense. The president has spoken openly and frequently about his desire to buy U.S. arms, pressing the issue with head of Southern Command Douglas Fraser during their meeting last November (Fraser said the embargo may well be lifted in the near future). Threatening to decriminalize drugs as a last resort solution the problem of organized crime could pressure the United States to offer an alternative: renewed military aid.

But Pérez Molina may also be making a more ambitious attempt to alter the long-standing foundations of U.S. relations with Guatemala and Central America more broadly. The six-country region has largely been an afterthought in U.S. security cooperation with Latin America, which has historically centered on the larger economies of Colombia and Mexico. In FY2013 Central America will receive $60 million in U.S. security aid– less than half of the funds destined for Colombia and a third of total aid to Mexico – and of that Guatemala gets a paltry $2 million. Meanwhile, Pérez Molina inherited a country with one of the highest murder rates in the world, and an impunity rate of 95 percent (meaning just 5 in every 100 crimes are solved).

The legalization debate is a way of putting Central America – and Guatemala in particular – on the United States’ radar screen. It is also a way of asserting the country’s autonomy from Washington. Pérez Molina joins a long list of leaders calling for decriminalization, including former presidents of Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. In an era of waning American influence in Latin America, he may to be trying to align Guatemala more closely with its regional partners, pulling a country long beholden to the United States out from under its powerful shadow.

http://latamthought.org/2012/02/15/why-guatemalas-perez-molina-is-considering-legalizing-drugs/

This article says the ban was in 1978. That's confusing. It wasn't until 1990 that Congress officially cut off aid but it did officially decline after 1978 because of the huge outcry. Between 1978 - 1990, they were sending it through third countries, mainly Israel but that's a whole other historical thread.

And check this out, they were still getting some, not much, with more on the table if they can just show a weeee bit of progress. If they sacrifice Montt, they could get a lot more than this.

The US has increased its foreign military financing going to Guatemala from $500,000 in 2012 to $1.74 million in its 2014 State Department aid budget (http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/207305.pdf).

http://www.insightcrime.org/news-briefs/guatemalan-authorities-seize-luxury-narco-mansions

[naaman fletcher]

13. Interesting

I hadn't considered that, thank you

[Catherina]

3. Some more details. And guess what's on the agenda with Obama tomorrow?

President Molina heads to Costa Rica tomorrow for the two-day Presidents' Summit of the Central American Integration System, an annual conference for Central American heads of State. United States President Barack Obama will be present, and cooperation between US and Guatemalan security forces around anti-drug trafficking and anti-terrorism efforts is expected to be central to the agenda.

http://boingboing.net/2013/05/02/guatemala-state-of-emergency.html

Convenient. From angry Xincas fighting against theft of resources and poisoned water to drug cartels.

Protests are banned during this state of *siege* but the villagers are still out there and more are on their way.

Escalating Conflict and call for support from San Rafael, near Tahoe’s Escobal project (Xinca Parliament)
Posted on May 2, 2013 by miningjusticealliance
Update received yesterday from the Xinka Parliament near Tahoe Resources (Vancouver-based, partly owned by Canadian Pension Plan and Public Sector workers’ pension plans, and 40% owned by Vancouver’s Goldcorp) El Escobal Mine in Guatemala:

Update and request for support:

A contingent of soldiers is gathering in Jutiapa to head to Jalapa to carry out an arrest warrant against the leaders of the Xinka Parliament….who have led the opposition to mining exploitation in the region. WE CALL ON THE SUPPORT OF THE INDIGENOUS ORGANIZATIONS OF GUATEMALA, ON CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. WE FEAR FOR THE LIVES OF OUR LEADERS IN THE FACE OF THIS NATIONAL PERSECUTION. THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN AN ATTACK ON THEM IN FEBRUARY THAT RESULTED IN THE DEATH OF EXALTACION MARCOS.

united for our people,

The Xinca nationality of Guatemala

http://miningjusticealliance.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/xinca-update-from-san-rafael-el-escobal-tahoe-resources/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Media Advisory

Vancouver Mining Justice Alliance

- For Immediate Release –

New violence related to Vancouver-based Tahoe Resources’ El Escobal mine leaves one dead, several wounded

New violence this week has brought Tahoe Resources El Escobal Silver project in Guatemala back into the international spotlight. The renewal of violence around the Vancouver company’s controversial mine coincides with an Amnesty International-sponsored visit to Vancouver by the director of CEIBA, a Guatemalan organization that provides support to indigenous communities affected by mining.

The violence related Tahoe’s mine in Santa Rosa province began April 27 when security guards allegedly opened fire on protestors outside the mine, wounding six, including one youth who was shot in the face. According to local media reports, Guatemalan authorities detained yesterday Tahoe’s Chief of Security for the Escobal Mine at the Guatemala City Airport as he attempted to flee the country.

The attack comes only a month after the kidnapping of four indigenous community leaders while they were observing referenda on the mine held in neighbouring communities.

Tensions escalated April 29, following the detention of the mayor of the village of Casillas who refused to sign onto a pact between the mining company and mayors of nearby communities that had been brokered by Guatemalan Mines and Energy Minister Erick Archila, and Canadian Ambassador Huges Rosseau.

Crowds swelled outside the mine site and, the Guatemalan daily La Hora reports, the morning of April 30 one police officer was killed in clashes when national police attempted to drive protestors away from the mine entrance. Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina declared today that he is considering declaring a state of emergency in the area.

Tahoe is one of several Canadian mining companies whose security forces have been involved in clashes with local residents in Guatemala. In January this year, Vancouver-based GOLDCORP’s security guards opened fire on protesting workers, while HudBay Resources is currently facing civil charges in a Toronto court for the alleged rapes by its security forces of indigenous women in communities on land claimed by the company, and the murder of a community leader.

CEIBA director Juan Carlos Contreras works closely with communities neighbouring the El Escobal mine. He will be in Vancouver until May 4 and is available for interviews about the crisis in the area.

To arrange an interview with Mr. Cxxxxxxx, please contact Fiona Koza at #######, or by e-mail at [e-mail]

For more information in English on the conflict with Canadian mining companies in Guatemala, please visit the Mining Justice Alliance Facebook page at: Mining Justice Alliance, or contact Steve Sxxxxxx at ####### (Cell) or #######, ext #####.

http://miningjusticealliance.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/media-advisory-new-violence-related-to-vancouver-based-tahoe-resources-el-escobal-mine-leaves-one-dead-several-wounded-mja/

“They no longer even respect human life. The government officials who should be at the service of the population have now turned against the population to defend a transnational project,” said Divas.

Tahoe Resources owns the El Escobal mine, but Vancouver-based mining giant Goldcorp retained a 40 percent ownership interest in Tahoe when it sold the project in 2010. Still under construction, El Escobal was granted an exploitation license by the Guatemalan government on April 3 amid widespread protest and threats against opponents. Five days later, the community-based movement against mining in San Rafael Las Flores began an ongoing resistance camp on privately owned land less than 200 feet from the mine’s front gate. Despite a violent eviction on April 11, when 26 people were arrested and held for four days before being released without charges, the resistance maintained its presence at the camp.

On Saturday, April 27, a group of local residents left the resistance camp along the road that passes directly in front of the mine, heading towards the community of El Volcancito. When they passed the front gate, security guards opened fire on them from the other side.

“The mining company ordered the shooting against people there, injuring more than 10 people with gunshot wounds,” said Divas. “Six of them were taken to get medical assistance in Cuilapa and two to the Roosevelt Hospital in the capital, because they found evidence of serious injury.”


18 year old Luis Garcia, shot in the face on Saturday April 27

Alberto Rotondo, Tahoe’s Chilean head of security, was overheard giving the order to shoot, among other comments and insults, while some of the injured have stated that they saw him draw and fire a weapon as well. According to a Prensa Comunitaria article posted that same night, local witnesses said that Rotondo “ordered (the security guards) to shoot, saying that they are fed up with all this garbage, referring to our people. They insulted them, and then they loaded their rifles and began to shoot at them.”

...

http://upsidedownworld.org/main/guatemala-archives-33/4270-state-of-siege-mining-conflict-escalates-in-guatemala

“What actually happens is one thing, and the version managed by the government and the mining company is something else. The best Minera San Rafael spokesperson here is Minister López Bonilla"

[Judi Lynn]

5. This gets crazier & stranger. The timing is hard to ignore.

It seems unlikely the mining companies have EVER been dormant regarding getting a tougher hold on Latin America exploitable resources. This has to be an all out war against the people of Latin America, clearly.

There is no humane part of it. It's pure aggression, acquisition at all costs to human beings other than the company personel, and their lackies in local governments. No weapon is off the table in their war upon the poor majority of the human race.

These links are necessary reading. Thank you for helping us keep current on these critically important events.

[Catherina]

6. Look how a mining paper reports this

Guatemala declares state of emergency over anti-mining riots
Cecilia Jamasmie | May 2, 2013

The Guatemalan government has declared a state of emergency in four eastern municipalities after anti-mining demonstrations targeting mostly Canada’s Tahoe Resources's (TSX: THO) flagship Escobal silver mine, left one person dead and eight severely injured.

Local paper La Hora (in Spanish) reports the country’s interior ministry banned Thursday public gatherings and sent troops to four towns near the controversial silver mine, which received its operating permit early in April. The decision triggered a series of escalating anti-mining demonstrations in south-east Guatemala, close to where the mine will be.

Residents fear the Canadian-owned mine will drain and pollute their water supplies.

Violence increased over the weekend as 20 members of Guatemalan National Police were held captive by protesters in the district of San Rafael Las Flores, where Tahoe's project is located.

The Vancouver-based company had said yesterday it expected construction and development of Escobal mine to return to normal today. Instead, President Otto Perez Molina said it is considering sending additional troops in an attempt to arrive at peaceful solution with opponents

....

http://www.mining.com/guatemala-declares-state-of-emergency-over-anti-mining-riots-57202/

He sent in 3500 troops.

[Judi Lynn]

8. Residents KNOW the mine will pollute their water supply. There's no question.

That's one of the reasons they are upset. My god.

He claims it will return to normal, and he sends 3,500 soldiers. He must mean it will be nice and quiet after they kill everyone who doesn't run and hide, like the villagers did from him and his troops during the massacres.

This is getting very unpleasant, and we're sitting on our thumbs and watching as history could repeat itself, with the same people running the show all over again, with the exception of Ronald Reagan who died.

We, as DEMOCRATS, have to hope for the people. They are the ones who matter.

[Catherina]

11. Make that 8,500 heavily armed National Police + soldiers in 4 municipalities + 1 now. 16 captured

4 municipalities: de Casillas, San Rafael Las Flores, Santa Rosa, and Mataquescuintla as well as the municipal seats Jalapa of the Jalapa and Santa Rosa

Estado de Sitio en Santa Rosa y Jalapa deja 16 capturados

El Gobierno desplegó ayer a 8 mil 500 elementos del Ejército y de la Policía Nacional Civil (PNC), luego de que el presidente Otto Pérez Molina decretara el estado de Sitio en los municipios de Casillas, San Rafael Las Flores, en Santa Rosa, así como en Mataquescuintla y la cabecera de Jalapa.



http://www.prensalibre.com/noticias/Sitio-Santa-Rosa-Jalapa-capturados_0_911909100.html

People are in shock and afraid. The streets are empty. Workers don't normally carry their IDs with them because they get destroyed by the fieldwork/manual labor so not everyone can show ID or prove who they are.

Middle class readers, who can afford computers, electricity, internet connection, know how to read and write, were so pissed off last night and calling the President "Tito Arias", the civil war nickname he tried to keep under wraps, and calling him an assassin who's personally profiting off the mine he approved over the loud objections of the residents and a murderer for foreign interests.

A few defenders of the mines are saying that surely Cuba or Venezuela must be behind this and paid to bus people in to protest, paid for signs etc. Their cynicism is awful as if the Mayans are too backwards, too docile, to protest this on their own and good Mayans aren't getting in the way of progress.

Both the Pres and the Minister of Defense are very loudly saying that organized crime is behind these events too. And that not all these events have anything to do with the mine "as some groups insist on saying". I listened to the President's announcement yesterday. He mentioned human every single minute. Protecting the population. Peace, security. Fighting crime. Laws were broken and he has the responsibility to protect the peace. Can't tolerate anarchy. His announcement last night is in an earlier article in the audio link, not video. Oh yeah, the Public Defender is working closely with him to guarantee respect of human rights. This isn't to protect the mine but the population because the majority of unrest isn't even where the mine is. He's got the Catholic hierarchy on board to help him but there are, again, as usual, foot priests with the people. Some of the elite is blaming them, the foot priests and nuns for contributing to the unrest, what with all their talk of social justice I guess.

Here we go: He has "sufficient evidence" that a criminal structure is using the mine Santa Rosa as a pretext to commit various crimes.

Government insists there are criminal links

"As a result of this (6 month) research we can prove that all this has not necessarily been related to the San Rafael mine, as some groups want to say, but here there has been a series of criminal acts that are mixed with organized crime and other types of interests, which have led to anarchy in that region, "

------------------

Gobierno insiste en vinculación criminal



El presidente Otto Pérez Molina y el ministro de Gobernación, Mauricio López Bonilla, informaron ayer que el estado de Sitio lo decidieron tras una investigación del Ministerio Público (MP) que aportó“pruebas suficientes” de que una estructura criminal utilizó el pretexto de la mina en Santa Rosa para cometer varios delitos.

Ambos aseguraron que el MP desarrolló la investigación durante más de seis meses.

“El resultado de esa investigación nos puede mostrar que esto no necesariamente ha sido todo relacionado con la mina San Rafael, como algunos grupos quieren decir, sino que aquí ha habido una serie de hechos delictivos que se mezclan con crimen organizado y con otro tipo de intereses, que han provocado hasta anarquía en esa región del país”, afirmó el mandatario en conferencia de prensa.

...

http://www.prensalibre.com/noticias/politica/Gobierno-insiste-vinculacion-criminal_0_912508768.html

He also declared that wants to "clear the way" for the mining operation in San Rafael.

The two arrested Xinca leaders deny the charges against them.

They deny the accusations

...

To Xinka Parliament Speaker, Roberto González Ucelo, López Bonilla accused of having led the revolts in Santa Maria Xalapán, this siege will be "an opportunity for police to capture the drug dealers, if they really identified any "

...

He said that he was not involved in burning vehicles, and has evidence to be presented in the coming hours, that he wasn't even in Jalapa. Gonzalez also denied participating in holding the police hostage, because he had accepted, during a dialogue last Monday, to avoid violence.

Rudy Pivaral, the Committee for the Defense of Life and Nature of San Rafael Las Flores, said it all began with a peaceful demonstration to demand the capture of security chief mining company after they learned that they had killed six neighbors of Xalapán." That's when tempers flared," he said.

He added: "What we could do was to hit the road. People began to protest, and began to burn tires to protest the Xalapán deaths. Similarly, in Xalapán they grabbed some (security) patrols when they found out they had killed 6 people in San Rafael".

Pivaral recalled that during the protest 20 gunmen wearing bulletproof vests, who were not originally in the area, joined the demonstration. He said that those individuals burned two homes and vehicles at the entrance to San Rafael Las Flores.

...

The Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Affairs supported the government's move, in a statement, because of the violence and demanded the investigation and conviction of those responsible for the crimes.

...

http://www.prensalibre.com/noticias/politica/Gobierno-insiste-vinculacion-criminal_0_912508768.html

[Judi Lynn]

7. Guatemala: state of siege declared as Army, police crack down after protests against Canadian-owned

Guatemala: state of siege declared as Army, police crack down after protests against Canadian-owned mine

Xeni Jardin at 3:10 pm Thu, May 2, 2013

Guatemala declared an emergency in four southeastern towns on Thursday, suspending citizens' constitutional rights in an area where deadly protests over a proposed silver mine have erupted in recent weeks.

Guatemalan president Otto Perez announced the move in an effort to quell protests targeting the mine belonging to Canadian miner Tahoe Resources Inc. Two people have been killed in the demonstrations.

The company's security guards shot and wounded six demonstrators on Saturday, said Mauricio Lopez, Guatemala's security minister.

The next day, protesters, who say the Escobal silver mine near the town of San Rafael Las Flores will contaminate local water supplies, kidnapped 23 police officers, Lopez said.

More:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/05/20135321312218166.html

[Judi Lynn]

9. Tales of Reagan’s Guatemala Genocide

Tales of Reagan’s Guatemala Genocide
April 16, 2013

Exclusive: Guatemala is finally putting ex-dictator Efrain Rios Montt on trial for genocide in the extermination of hundreds of Mayan villages in the 1980s, but Ronald Reagan remains an American icon despite new evidence of his complicity in this historic crime, reports Robert Parry.

By Robert Parry

The first month of the genocide trial of former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt has elicited chilling testimony from Mayan survivors who – as children – watched their families slaughtered by a right-wing military that was supported and supplied by U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

As the New York Times reportedon Monday, “In the tortured logic of military planning documents conceived under Mr. Ríos Montt’s 17-month rule during 1982 and 1983, the entire Mayan Ixil population was a military target, children included. Officers wrote that the leftist guerrillas fighting the government had succeeded in indoctrinating the impoverished Ixils and reached ‘100 percent support.’”


[font size=1]
President Ronald Reagan meeting with Guatemalan
dictator Efrain Rios Montt.[/font]

So, everyone was targeted in these scorched-earth campaigns that eradicated more than 600 Indian villages in the Guatemalan highlands. But this genocide was not simply the result of a twisted anticommunist ideology that dominated the Guatemalan military and political elites. This genocide also was endorsed by the Reagan administration.

More:
http://consortiumnews.com/2013/04/16/grichilling-tales-of-reagans-guatemala-genocide/

[Catherina]

14. Locals angry

Voters in San Rafael Las Flores Voters have said no to the new mine

Oscar Morales is a farmer and cattle breeder in San Rafael Las Flores. For the last few years, he and his fellow residents have been trying to stop the Escobal silver mine, the leading project of Tahoe Resources, a joint venture between Canada and the United States.

For support, Morales and his fellow residents approached the municipal government of San Rafael Las Flores.

"For three years we have been asking for a municipal referendum and we have been denied," says Morales. "The company has criminalized us. They put forth appeals seeking the annulment and revocation of the process so that we couldn't carry out the referendum."

In response, Morales started the 'Committee in Defense of Life and Peace', a locally organized community referendum. Not official under Guatemalan Law, the referendum provided ballots to locals who could vote 'yes' or ‘no' to mining in their municipality.

"The process of community referendums began precisely because there was no consultation process held in our territory, for our people, in order to carry out the San Rafael mining project," says Morales. "They never consulted with the population."

...

http://www.dw.de/president-forced-to-act-in-guatemala-mine-fight/a-16780484

Good informative article despite the title. Here are pictures of the beautiful, stunning Ayarza Lagoon (Laguna de Ayarza), in Santa Rosa, that they need to protect for their livelyhood and lives. It's at the crater of an extinct volcano. There's only a thin layer of rock barely 200 meters thick that divides the underground aquifers from the lagoon.

[Judi Lynn]

15. It's one of the last places for mining, clearly.

Last edited Fri May 3, 2013, 03:46 PM - Edit history (1)

The citizens, OF COURSE, are right.

Someone in government is criminally corruptible to have bent over for Tahoe Resources at the hideous destruction of the future of his/her own environment, not to even mention the life forms dependent upon safe water resources.

By the way, Ira Gostin, of Tahoe Resources twitters his fun meals! Happy meals from
Ira!

https://twitter.com/gostin

[center]

Too bad he doesn't really enjoy a safe world, a safe life for human beings. [/center]

[Catherina]

16. Residents of four municipalities wake up to news they're under Martial Law. Tahoe Press release.

Last edited Fri May 3, 2013, 03:43 PM - Edit history (1)

Residents of four towns east of Guatemala's capital woke up to news that their communities had been placed under a 30-day state of emergency by the administration of President Otto Perez Molina, following anti-mining protests that turned violent.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/05/02/guatemala-state-of-siege-after-anti-mining-protests/

Xeni Jardin ?@xeni 28 minutes ago
Guatemala: Just passed the entrance to the San Rafael Mine. Large security presence at entrance. Helicopters overhead. Army, state, police.


US Embassy just put out an alert:

United States Embassy Guatemala, Guatemala

Security Message for U.S. citizens: Security in Santa Rosa and Jalapa

May 2, 2013

There is an increased level of violence in areas of the Departments of Santa Rosa and Jalapa, characterized by anti-mining protests, damage to property, and several fatalities and injuries. As a result, the Guatemalan government has declared a state of siege as of Thursday May 2, in four municipalities: San Rafael las Flores and Casillas in the Department of Santa Rosa, and Jalapa City and Mataque scuintla in the Department of Jalapa. The state of siege can legally last up to 30 day s and provides for additional Guatemalan government security personnel in the area, with other restrictions possible, such as limitations on public gatherings and increased searches. The U.S. Embassy does not know how long the state of siege will last and is alerting travelers to exercise extreme caution when traveling to these areas.

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/guatemala/42224/wardenmessages/WMSecurity20130502.pdf

and the mining company denies, deflects, omits, twists, and lies

Tahoe denies security chief arrested, calls media reports inaccurate

...

As for its security chief, Ira Gostin, Tahoe manager of investor relations, said in an interview Wednesday that Rotonda was detained by police at the airport, not arrested, and that he voluntarily turned himself into police.

“He was not fleeing,” Gostin said. “He was leaving the country on leave and once he found out that he was wanted for questioning he immediately turned himself in.”

Still, that Rotonda was looking to leave Guatemala a few days after a violent incident under his watch at Escobal was sure to raise questions about whether there was a link between the weekend violence and Rotonda trying to leave the country.

Gostin said there was no such connection.

“No - it is a coincidence,” he said.

...

Tahoe said in a statement Wednesday the violence in Jabala was unrelated to Escobal.

“This group of people, I don't know what they were protesting,” Gostin said. “There's no mine in their area.”

...

http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/content/en/mineweb-junior-mining?oid=188457&sn=Detail

Really? You don't know what they're protesting? Like people are only allowed to protest in front of your mine where you shoot them? Why this pretense that the entire area hasn't been protesting over the entire region's water being poisoned?

Here's their press release from May 1. It deftly changes the order of the aggressive acts. Happy Labor Day Guatemala I guess. Italics mine.

TAHOE CLARIFIES REPORTS REGARDING INCIDENTS NEAR ESCOBAL PROJECT

VANCOUVER, B.C. (May 1, 2013) – Tahoe Resources Inc. (TSX: THO, NYSE: TAHO) has issued this statement to clarify inaccurate media reports about violent incidents that have broken out in recent days in the region around its Escobal silver project in southeast Guatemala.

According to Tahoe CEO Kevin McArthur, the Company has seen a number of anti-mining protests around the project that is under construction near the community of San Rafael Las Flores. “While many of these activities have been peaceful and respectful, violence from outside influences has escalated in the past weeks since we received our operating permit,” said Mr. McArthur.

During the evening shift change of Saturday, April 27, 2013, a protest involving approximately 20 people armed with machetes turned hostile. The Escobal security force used tear gas and rubber bullets to repel the protestors at the mine gate. These individuals left the area following this incident and some were treated at hospitals and released.

“Our investigation has shown that only non-lethal measures were taken by our security. We regret any injuries caused by rubber bullets, but we take the protection of our employees and the mine seriously,” said Mr. McArthur. The government is investigating the incident with the Company’s full cooperation.

With the exception of the Saturday incident, all other reported events occurred away from the project site. The Company reports an increase of outsiders being bused into the area to protest and cause public disturbances. On Monday, four busloads brought protestors to the area, and in an ambush of local police, one officer was shot and killed.

There are also reports that approximately 25 police officers were captured and disarmed in Jalapa department (province) by an angry mob. This incident was unrelated to the Escobal project and occurred in a department other than Santa Rosa where Escobal is located.

Tahoe’s Guatemala security manager was detained by authorities on Tuesday due to the highly charged atmosphere and inaccurate press reports about Saturday’s events. He has not been charged with any crimes, and the Company expects him to be released when the government investigation is complete.

“We send our condolences to the family of the slain police officer and strive to engage with and to peacefully coexist with all stakeholders in this area of Guatemala. This project is being constructed to the highest environmental and social standards and it brings needed employment to the area and millions of dollars in annual royalties and taxes,” said Mr. McArthur.

“One of our top priorities is to protect the health, welfare and safety of our employees and contractors from these criminal actions,” Mr. McArthur said. Tahoe currently employees 665 workers at Escobal, 96 percent of whom are Guatemalan, with an additional 1,300 contractors helping to construct the mine.

As a result of the incidents in recent days, work at the mine has slowed and construction and development is expected to return to normal by Thursday.

http://www.tahoeresourcesinc.com/tahoe-clarifies-reports-regarding-incidents-near-escobal-project/

[Catherina]

36. Liars. Liars! Medical personnel confirm it was live ammuniotion, not rubber bullets

In statements to the press (Minister of the Interior Mauricio López) Bonilla attempted to explain that mining opposition has been used as a pretext for the establishment of organized crime in the region. "There is a difference between legitimate conflict and pseudo-conflict...by saying that they are opposing the mine through delinquent acts, they are hiding behind the excuse of mining opposition. It favors them to make people believe that there is conflict over mining in all of the municipalities."

...

On Saturday, April 27 mine security shot at and injured six community members, as they walked on a public road located in front of the mine installations. One of the men remain in the hospital in critical condition. Alberto Rotondo, head of security for Tahoe Resources' subsidiary, Minera San Rafael, is being held responsible for the attack. Medical personnel confirmed the attack was carried out with live ammunition and not rubber bullets, as was initially reported by the company and López Bonilla. On the morning of April 30, Guatemalan authorities arrested Rotondo in the airport as he attempted to flee the country. Rotondo has been formally charged with attempted homicide.

On Monday the 29th, as Minera San Rafael management and the Guatemalan government signed an agreement outlining the royalties to be paid to the state, more than 2,000 residents of San Rafael Las Flores took to the streets in a peaceful march in opposition to the mine project. Later that afternoon, community members intercepted and detained 23 members of the national police in Jalapa, believing that they were mobilizing to repress the march in San Rafael. An operation carried out by the national police the following day resulted in the release of the officers.

Later that same day, a member of the National Police was killed in an armed attack carried out by a group of masked men in Sabana Redonda, a community located near the mine site. While this incident is still under investigation by Guatemalan authorities, the attack matches the pattern previously denounced by human rights organizations, which is characterized by illegal clandestine groups intent on creating instability in the region and delegitimizing peaceful opposition to the mine.

Despite government claims on Thursday that they are in dialogue with mine affected communities, the deployment of 8,500 military and police to the four municipalities suggests otherwise. Far from acting as a mediator, the Guatemalan government has instead chosen to respond to conflict with the repression of communities opposing large-scale development projects and the stigmatization of community leaders and human rights defenders.


NISGUA has been accompanying the consultation processes in the communities surrounding the Tahoe Resources mine site since 2011.

http://nisgua.blogspot.com/2013/05/guatemalan-govt-declares-state-of-siege.html

[Judi Lynn]

37. So the President has swarmed the area by now with 8,500 military and police.

From the article:

Despite government claims on Thursday that they are in dialogue with mine affected communities, the deployment of 8,500 military and police to the four municipalities suggests otherwise. Far from acting as a mediator, the Guatemalan government has instead chosen to respond to conflict with the repression of communities opposing large-scale development projects and the stigmatization of community leaders and human rights defenders.

All of these people are heavily armed, of course. The people are clearly overwhelmed by this military presence for protesting the fact their only water supply is going to be poisoned, and ruined, and they can't the government to protect them.

Sounds like a story written in hell.

[Catherina]

17. Key Data: Escobal project, Tahoe Resources Inc, GoldCorp

Key Data

Company:Tahoe Resources Inc, GoldCorp Operational status:exploration Materials extracted:silver, gold Type of mine pen pit Main issues:human rights, community relations, water
Description

The Escobal project is a gold and silver mine located 70km southeast of Guatemala city, and approximately 3km from San Rafael las Flores, a town of about 3,000 people. The mine, expected to become operational in 2013, lies within a mountainous landscape interspersed with rolling hills and valleys [1].

The Escobal project is a gold and silver mine located 70km southeast of Guatemala city, and approximately 3km from San Rafael las Flores, a town of about 3,000 people. The mine, expected to become operational in 2013, lies within a mountainous landscape interspersed with rolling hills and valleys.

The area is important for agricultural production for both local consumption and commercial production [1]. The coffee produced in the area is sold in the international market and thus is also an important source of revenue. The importance of agricultural production and commercialization to the region means that water quality and water availability are crucial resources, so local communities perceive the mining project as a threat to these resources.

In 2007 Goldcorp obtained its exploration license, and three years later the Environmental Impact Assessment was reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Environmental and Natural Resources [3]. The approval of the project triggered a great deal of resentment amongst the local communities who claim they were neither informed nor consulted about the mining project. As a result, frustrated inhabitants from the municipalities of San Rafael Las Flores, Casillas, Nueva Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa de Lima y Jumaytepeque came together in order to fight against the future development of the mine[2] [3]. Peaceful marches, demonstrations and gatherings were frequently organized over the years 2010 and 2011. On July 3rd, a community referendum was organized in Nueva Santa Rosa to allow its residents express their opinions on the mining project, 7,602 residents participated, and 98.87% voted against the mine [3]. A week later, on July 10th, the neighboring municipality of Santa Rosa de Lima also organized a community referendum which resulted in 98.34% of the community voting against the mine [3].

The Escobal mine remains serious threat to the local economy, and to the health of people living around the mine [2], and for many inhabitants of the region the case of the Marlin Mine is a testament to the validity of their concerns.

Creative Commons License

http://micla.ca/conflicts/escobal/

Data is from MICLA (McGill Research Group Investigating Canadian Mining in Latin America

[Judi Lynn]

19. We can use this deeper background. Thanks. n/t

[Judi Lynn]

18. Even though some articles imply Tahoe Resources is a Canadian company,

this link doesn't mention it at all:

Tahoe Resources Inc
Ste 460, 5190 Neil Rd , Reno , NV , 89502 , United States

Description: Tahoe Resources Inc. (Tahoe) is engaged in the exploration and development of mineral properties in the United States for the mining of precious metals. Its flagship Escobal project is located in southeastern Guatemala approximately 70 kilometers from Guatemala City. As of December 31, 2011, Tahoe?s Escobal Project was in the exploration phase. The Escobal Project is a pre-development silver project located in southeastern Guatemala, demonstrating silver, gold, lead, and zinc mineralization (the Escobal Project). All identified mineral resources for the Escobal Project are located on the Oasis concession, one of three exploration concessions, which comprise the Project. As of December 31, 2011, 21 drill holes totaling approximately 4,942 meters were completed for the purpose of collecting metallurgical test samples. The Margarito zone was discovered during the year ended December 31, 2011, through drilling in the area west of the Central zone resource.

2013-04-13 02:30:56

http://www.insideview.com/directory/tahoe-resources-inc

[center]~~~~~[/center]
GUATEMALA : REPRESSION GOING FROM BAD TO WORSE
Friday, April 12, 2013
Posted by Rights Action Team |
“PROTECTING” TAHOE / GOLDCORP INVESTMENTS



(April 10, 2013, San Rafael Las Flores, Santa Rosa , Guatemala . Source: Comité en Defensa de la Vida y la Paz , https://www.facebook.com/pages/Comit%C3%A9-en-Defensa-de-la-Vida-y-la-Pa...)

April 10, 2013

29 PEACEFUL PROTESTERS DETAINED BY POLICE

Yesterday, the Guatemala police detained 29 people from the mining-harmed communities who were peacefully protesting Tahoe/Goldcorp’s gold and silver mining operation. This follows upon recent shootings and breakins, kidnappings and a murder.

April 4, 2013

BULLETS & BREAK-IN

On April 5, we reported on how, despite the unresolved kidnapping and murder (see below), the Guatemalan government gave the go-ahead mining license to Tahoe/Goldcorp, who quickly celebrated the good news to shareholders and investors. The government gave this license despite every singly community consultation in the region saying ‘no’ to this type of large-scale development project, despite not having the “social license” and despite the worsening levels of repression and threat at the local level. (http://rightsaction.org/action-content/tahoe-celebrates-mining-license-s...)

Almost at the same time that Tahoe/Goldcorp was celebrating their license, armed men fired bullets into the offices of CALAS (Center for Legal, Environmental and Social Action) while its director, Yuri Melini , was inside; and unknown criminals broke into the home of Rafael Maldonado, a lawyer with CALAS, tossing the place, robbing nothing, and leaving a file about the Tahoe mining interest in plain view.

PLAZA PUBLICA REPORTS:
CALAS SUFFERS ATTACK HOURS AFTER MINING PERMIT WAS APPROVED [FOR TAHOE RESOURCES/GOLDCORP INC]

(http://www.plazapublica.com.gt/content/atentan-contra-calas-horas-despue...)

Yesterday afternoon (April 3), shortly after the license was given [to Tahoe Resources/Goldcorp Inc.] for the exploitation of gold and silver in the San Rafael mine in San Rafael Las Flores, Santa Rosa, three shots were fired against the Center for Legal, Environmental and Social Action (CALAS) while its director Yuri Melini was inside the office.

Shortly after this attack, at 10.30 PM, a lawyer from this same environmental organization, Rafael Maldonado, discovered the forcible entry of his home. In a press conference today Maldonado indicated that the doors were forced opened, and that all of his file-drawers and closets had been visibly rummaged through. He added that they left the file of the San Rafael Mine case on the very top of the mess.

“It was a direct message from the mining company, because we have participated in the entire legal process against the mine and are accompanying the consultations that are taking place in the communities” stated Maldonado.

~snip~

“We have given photographs to the Vice Minister of the Interior in which the mine’s private security forces, from inside the mine, are carrying out illegal actions against the civilian population, jointly with members of the National Civilian Police. We also request the investigation of this criminal group. This type of action is precisely of the competence of the CICIG (International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala )”, explained Melini.

More:
http://www.rightsaction.org/action-content/tahoe-resources-goldcorp-guatemala-repression-going-bad-worse

[Catherina]

20. Guatemala women defenders defy Canadian mines and plead for help

Note the same mine but the story is the same.

Guatemala women defenders defy Canadian mines and plead for help
By Kara Andrade and Ruth Warner | March 8, 2012

GUATEMALA -- ...

We're moving into a conflict-torn area where communities, like San Miguel Ixtahuacán and neighbouring Sipacapa, have been drastically changed by the arrival of mining companies like Montana Exploradora, a Guatemalan subsidiary of the Canadian-owned mining company Goldcorp, which began the exploitation of the Marlin Mine in 2004. We're not sure what to expect, but our role is clear: Record first-hand testimonies from women who say their lives have been changed dramatically by the mining in the area. We're here as part of a larger fact-finding mission sent to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala in January by the Nobel Women's Initiative (NWI). Based in Ottawa, the organization was founded by six female recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, and is led by Laureate Jody Williams, winner of the 1997 prize for her anti-land mine work. The organization sends delegations of prominent citizens -- lawyers, journalists, human rights defenders, artists -- into high-conflict areas around the world to investigate the plight of women and human rights defenders, defensoras, including those who are targeted as women -- raped, assaulted, denied the power to protect their land, livelihood, health and families. We've heard some terrible stories during the past 10 days travelling through these countries.

Entering the valley, San Miguel Ixtahuacán hangs on our right past the once thick pine forests. We are met by a woman defensora wearing the traditional elaborately-woven Maya blouse, huipil, and matching wrap-around skirt of the region, along with a nun and priest from the local Catholic Church, which has been a vocal opponent to mining activities in the area. They welcome us over breakfast, which we eat quickly after we learn a group of women is waiting for us. The nun, who is a native of San Miguel Ixtahuacán, leads us into the main street; we pair off and walk through this small quiet town where all the doors facing the street are open and people bend their head as a greeting as we pass. We are led into a bright meeting hall where indigenous women sit in a large circle facing us as the sound of marimba music fills the room. Between us on the floor is another circle made from carefully placed dried ears of corn pointing towards the centre where more corn forms spokes pointing in four directions. There are unlit candles and the silence of waiting. When we are all seated, they begin to sing a hymn:

"Was it you who sent the miners?
They violate the womb of Mother Earth.
They take the gold, destroy the hills.
A gram of blood is worth more than a thousand kilos of gold."

We kneel with them for a Mayan blessing and prayer and then they tell us their stories, one after another.

"The mining company," says Maria Elena, "is our worst wound; it has torn open our mother earth, who feeds us, and we feel her pain. We have no peace, our communities are being divided and destroyed."

"We don't want the water to disappear and the trees to dry up," said Francisca Pastoran, in a desperate tone. "We want to be heard as women. We don't want kidnappings, violence and hatred. Our ancestors left us an inheritance that was complete. What are we going to leave ... slavery?"

They detail kidnappings, the violence against them and their families, the death of crops, children with strange rashes and sickness they say comes from water contaminated by the mining. They tell us how their ancient communities are now fracturing -- some welcoming the mines as an economic alternative, others strongly opposed, saying the mines poison their land, make their people ill and that private mining security forces intimidate and threaten them. For many of the women, Spanish is their second language, while others speak only their indigenous Mam tongue, which is interpreted to us. None of the emotion is lost.

...

http://rabble.ca/news/2012/03/guatemala-women-defenders-defy-canadian-mines-and-plead-help

Crisanta Perez, one of the women leading the anti-mining movement, with her youngest daughter in San Marcos. Photo: Ruth Warner

"We need you to carry our voices to other places, to other countries so that someone hears us who can support us. We're very affected by this and we hope through you that people can hear our stories and help us."

--

Was it You, who sent the miners?
(Hymn from San Miguel Ixtahuacan)

They violate the womb of Mother Earth.
They take the gold, destroy the hills.
A gram of blood is worth more than a thousand kilos of gold.

CHORUS:

What is happening to my people?

And you, my God, where are you hiding?

We are paralyzed by fear.

My people are sold out and they don't realize it.
Water is becoming scarce, it is the color of hell.
Polluted air rises to the sky.
We seek miracles - in the final hour,
Seeking to heal the sick and the mortal damage.

Poor people are easy to buy off.
Gifts silence suspicions and doubts.
The salaries are taken to the bars in town,
Leaving behind dark homes and my people divided.

You created a garden - not a desert.
We want progress with respect for the environment.
The hunger for gold eats more and more earth.
And you, my God, must ask:
What are my people doing?

[Judi Lynn]

23. Eloquent verses for the song, hope it will be heard well.

Beautiful mother and child, beautiful, and good. They should NOT be victims of these monsters.

[Catherina]

21. "There’s a big binder of wanted names"

Xeni Jardin Xeni Jardin ?@xeni 25m

Checkpoint 100 meters from San Rafael Mine entrance.




Xeni Jardin Xeni Jardin ?@xeni 5m

Within 15 minutes after our arrival, Army troops had erected this puesto de control, from scratch.




Xeni Jardin Xeni Jardin ?@xeni 4m

Army personnel and commander carrying lists of people to be captured & detained. Image, tel#, gov ID #s.




Xeni Jardin Xeni Jardin ?@xeni 3m

I spoke to one soldier not authorized to speak formally; explained to me reasons people on list are wanted for capture.



Xeni Jardin ?@xeni 3m

There’s a big binder of wanted names.

[Judi Lynn]

25. I could swear the man closest to the camera is U.S.American. That schnozz!

He looks like a very fair-skinned, stocky, US soldier to me. Posture, too.

I recall reading one of your links which says they have more contractors there than local workers. Maybe that's what the guy is.

They sure got out there fast, didn't they?

If only they can go back home without hurting more people.

[Catherina]

26. I think you're right. Definitely, 100%, not Guatemalan

There are 200 marines down here in an advisory/training role.

And the mines do hire private security. Usually it's local but with something this big, they could be bringing in outsiders.

I truly hope that's not an American. Tahoe says the majority of their employees are local. Who else is going to work the mine after all? Do you remember which link that was? Maybe I incorrectly summarized something? I'd be shocked if they had more contractors than locals working.

[Catherina]

22. 4/17: Community Leader Daniel Pedro Mateo Kidnapped and Murdered

Community Leader Daniel Pedro Mateo Kidnapped and Murdered in Guatemala


Daniel Pedro Mateo and his wife.

On April 16, 2013, the body of Qanjob’al community activist Daniel Pedro Mateo was found murdered in Santa Eulalia, Huehuetenango, Guatemala. He had been kidnapped for 12 days and his body showed signs of torture.

Daniel, a founder of the community radio station Snuq Jolom Konob, disappeared on Sunday, April 7th in the village of El Quetzal, Huehuetenango on his way to host a workshop on Indigenous rights in the community of Santa Cruz Barillas. His family was contacted by kidnappers and demanded a ransom of Q150,000 in return for his safety. Despite the efforts of his family and community to gather money to pay the ransom, Daniel’s body was found last night in his village of Santa Eulalia.

Daniel Pedro Mateo was a painter, teacher, a founder of Radio Snuq Jolom Konob, and a leader in the community resistance to mining and hydroelectric activities in Huehuetenango. Childhood experiences that exposed him to the grave inequalities and injustices confronting poor and indigenous communities in Guatemala motivated his lifelong commitment to work for a more just and humane society. After the armed conflict ended, he joined with other Qanjob’al Maya leaders in Santa Eulalia to start a radio station that would give voice to their community that formed the majority of the local population, but were nonetheless marginalized and silenced. Daniel was no longer involved in the day-to-day work of the station, but maintained close ties with many of the current volunteer staff and leadership.

...

Daniel’s death comes in a series of recent murders in Guatemala of Indigenous activists. Just last year, anti-dam activist and community leader, Andres Fransisco Miguel, was shot and killed by security guards of Hydro Santa Cruz in Barillas, where Daniel was headed to host a workshop. In March, Exaltación Marcos Ucelo, an Indigenous Xinca leader active against Canadian Tahoe Resources' silver mine in Jalapa was found beaten to death, after being abducted alongside three other Xinca leaders. Six months ago, seven Indigenous protestors were shot and killed by Guatemalan military in Totonicapan.These events reflect the dangerous state that Indigenous leaders and environmental activists find themselves in Guatemala.

...

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/breaking-news-community-leader-daniel-pedro-mateo-kidnapped-and-murdered-guatemala

Adding this because my conscience will bother me if I don't

Community organizations in Santa Eulalia are calling for contributions to cover funeral expenses and to support Daniel’s family in this difficult time. He leaves behind an ailing wife and eight children.

To give a gift to the Mateo family, please make a donation online here and write “Daniel Pedro Mateo” in the comments section. Cultural Survival will deliver 100% of donations to the family.

[Judi Lynn]

27. It was only a couple of weeks ago when they tortured and murdered the man.

The government doesn't care, the police won't help, of course. The people themselves couldn't be more at risk.

Thank you for this real information. Rest in peace, Daniel Pedro Mateo, may his wife find solace some day. What a (another) sad, sorrowful situation.

[Catherina]

24. local anti-mining activism groups are throwing away their phones

Xeni Jardin ?@xeni 25m

Soldier just told me some names are on “to capture” list for trafficking arms, others for “incitement,” others violent crimes.


Xeni Jardin ?@xeni 18m

House, burned 4 days ago Monday night--owned by a young man who worked for San Rafael mine.
3 cars were burned outside of this home, too. No one knows who did it but clearly the man had enemies.





- Roadblock 100 meters from San Rafael mine. Army control point being constructed as I type. Guatemala.

- A reporter we ran into says persons from local anti-mining activism groups are throwing away their phones, believing (sensibly) trackable.

[Judi Lynn]

29. Thanks for the photo, update. Someone DOES have enemies, for sure.

Glad they've by-passed the phones.

[Catherina]

28. Molina tweet: "Migrants, economy, regional security and the war on drugs are issues on agenda "

Otto Pérez Molina Verified account ?@ottoperezmolina
Migrantes, economía, seguridad regional y lucha contra el narcotráfico son temas de agenda en #CostaRica http://tinyurl.com/d6d9j9q


Migrants, economy, regional security and the war on drugs are issues on agenda in #CostaRica

https://twitter.com/ottoperezmolina/status/330403623110590465

[Judi Lynn]

38. That photo shows him as a monster. It's true to life. n/t

[Catherina]

30. "UN must challenge Canada's complicity in mining's human rights abuses"

UN must challenge Canada's complicity in mining's human rights abuses

Canada is due for review at the UN human rights council – abuses by its mining companies must not be overlooked


Barrick Gold's processing plant at the Pacua-Lama mine on the border of Chile and Argentina. Photograph: Reuters

Canada is scheduled for its universal periodic review (UPR) at the UN human rights council on 26 April. The UPR is an international mechanism established in 2006 to hold governments accountable for their human rights records. According to Ban Ki-moon, the review has the potential "to promote and protect human rights in the darkest corners of the world".

When Canada stands before the UN to have its "darkest corners" examined, the international community must not turn a blind eye to its complicity with a global mining industry whose corporations are among the worst human rights and environmental offenders in the world.

The abuses by Canadian mining companies are a systemic part of an economic development policy that disregards human rights and disdains the environment. It is no coincidence that Canada is now home to 75% of the world's mining companies, the majority operating overseas. The Canadian government has accelerated its pursuit of investment treaties in the global south to serve the interests of the extractive industry. These treaties allow companies to challenge environmental, public health or other resource-related policies that affect mining profits.

At the same time, Canada allows its corporations to benefit from a climate of impunity, offering no legal recourse for adversely impacted communities and demanding no accountability in exchange for generous public subsidies, as the EU and other jurisdictions do. These conditions have made Canada a haven for the global mining industry.

Canadian mining companies are operating at the heart of violent conflicts around the world. Although the industry often claims the violence is localised and specific, there is an unmistakable pattern of social conflict surrounding mining projects. Anti-mining activists are being brutally attacked and killed for voicing their opposition to mega-mining project in communities throughout the global south. Yet impacted communities have been unsuccessful in bringing their cases to Canadian courts.

...

Please read the rest here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/apr/24/un-canada-mining-human-rights?CMP=twt_gu

[Judi Lynn]

39. Hope many people will learn what's written in this article. Finally someone explained it!

Had been wondering for so long why it is that Canadian companies have been so active in such vicious acts again Latin America, and why so many!

Even George H. W. Bush's own connection with Barrick Gold is linked to Canada, of course, and they are deeply flawed regarding human rights.

This link is very valuable. It needs many pairs of eyes. Thank you.

[Catherina]

31. In Greece today, same thing happening (protests against Canadian Mining). Our silence, their gold

Theodora Oikonomides ?@IrateGreek 1 May
#Greece Riot police block access to #Skouries for residents opposed to gold mining. Pic v @katerinaelikaki #rbnews




GARA ZERO ?@GaraZero 14m

Video showing teargas used in Ierissos #skouries. People calling cops "bastards" Compare with #Guatemala #rbnews

Our silence, their gold (video)

Informative video on gold mining in Greece created by the “Open Coordinative of Thessaloniki against the Goldmines”.

English and French subtitles available. Click on the subtitles icon.

[idwiyo]

32. K&R

[Catherina]

33. Main #Guatemala paper reports "normal activities continue" in region with 8,500 troops, checkpoints

Sandra Cuffe ?@Sandra_Cuffe 4m

Main #Guatemala paper reports "normal activities continue" in region under State of Siege with 8,500 troops, checkpoints, arrests... #fail

[Judi Lynn]

40. They intend to terrorize the protest out of the people, don't they? n/t

[Catherina]

41. I desperately want to say no but what else are 8500 troops for?

The Mayan tribe up there is the Ixil and they have a history of resisting. They were one of the hardest tribes for the Spanish to conquer. They suffered heavy losses during the civil war too and now there are only about 60,000 of them left. Wiki says they may have been specifically targeted for 'numbers reduction' during the civil war. Testimony during the Rios Montt trial is that one of their tasks was "how to eliminate the Ixil population". Now they sit on land with massive mineral abundance & hydroelectric power potential; their land is a prime extraction industry target.

I hate to be cynical but they're also prime witnesses against Rios Montt and there daily. They organize the marches to the courthouse and the chants that "Yes it was genocide!" and that they won't rest until they have justice. I hope there's no link there because with the state of emergency, they'll have a hard time getting to the tribunal.



They speak their own language and still live off the land, the old-fashioned way. They don't want to assimilate like many of the Mayan tribes. They're primarily maize farmers who still practice the traditional slash and burn method. They also live off weaving (beautiful sofffft weaving).

Anyway, they have a history of resisting and they don't want to lose their livelyhood, their water. Where would they go then? To slave away in factories?

Connect all those dots and I don't see another outcome because the mining companies aren't leaving, the government has no intention of not accommodating the transnationals and the Ixiles (and other locals) have no intention of having a further poisoned environment.

This is how they live to this day and I find it lovely

[Judi Lynn]

42. These images are overwhelming. Only a monster would ever interfere in their lives.

How evil can someone finally be to covet the very land people have lived upon for generations, then pay off politicians who will in turn GIVE him the very land from under their feet, sending those people to live WITHOUT their community ever again, to go begging help from strangers who don't know, don't care, won't help, anyway.

Who could do this to other human beings? Right-wingers will do everything except sacrificing their own comfort to acquire more creature comforts, pleasure for themselves, even when it actually means suffering the lives of other people.

What criminal would EVER take money, too, to lift his hand against these people, or to conspire against them? It would take a greedy, dirty a-hole who thinks he can live without a conscience, and without the fear he will be held responsible.

The fabric in their textiles is stunningly created, the effect is complex, radiant. No doubt those designs are ancient, as well. Since you say they are also soft, it appears they take great pains to achieve this result. The depth, brilliance of the colors amazes.

Too bad they don't have more headsets so more people can hear the translated proceedings at the trial.

One has no choice but to hope for the protection of these clearly good, decent people. They've suffered too long for being born in the places coveted by the evil ones.

[Catherina]

34. Guatemala: Tahoe's Mining Licence Approved in Wake of Violence; Investigation into Murder Pending

Tahoe's Mining Licence Approved in Wake of Violence; Investigation into Murder Pending

For Immediate Release,
April 8, 2013


Media contacts:
Amanda Kistler: Center for International Environmental Law, [e-mail], ########
Ellen Moore: Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala, [e-mail], #######

UPDATE: Call for investigation and company departure in response to recurring violence in area of Canadian-owned silver project

(Washington, D.C.) -- After more than two years of delay, the Guatemalan Minister of Energy and Mines (MEM) announced on Wednesday, April 3, that it had approved the exploitation licence for Tahoe Resources' Escobal mine in San Rafael Las Flores, Guatemala. The announcement comes less than two weeks after four indigenous Xinca leaders were abducted while returning from a community referendum in El Volcancito, in which more than 99 percent of people voted against the Escobal project. One of those abducted was found dead the next day.

"That MEM issued the licence while the investigation of our friend Exaltación Marcos Ucelo's murder is still pending is not only an affront to Exaltación's memory, but it is also a violation of our right to consent," said Roberto González, President of the Xinca Parliament, who was one of the four abducted, only to be released hours later. "If there is impunity for outright murder, how can we expect the Guatemalan government to protect us from harmful contamination generated by mining operations?"

More than 4,300 individuals from 43 countries have signed a letter to Guatemalan Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz, requesting her office involve the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) in carrying out a robust investigation into the attack and murder. The letter also urges the government to protect human rights and environmental defenders as they exercise their rights to live in a safe and healthy environment and to free, prior and informed consent.

"That this licence was issued at all is a miscarriage of justice," said Kristen Genovese, Senior Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law. "The context of escalating violence only highlights what any impartial observer can see: the Escobal project does not have the social licence to operate. Thus far the Guatemalan government has prioritized mining interests over justice and the protection of human rights, and it's time for the CICIG to step in."

According to declarations by Rafael Maldonado of the Centre for Legal, Social and Environmental Action in Guatemala at a press conference on Thursday, the process to approve the licence was "illegal, arbitrary and obscure." He added that the approval comes amidst ongoing reports of intimidation, violence, and provocation perpetrated by armed, clandestine groups allegedly linked to the mine's private security and the State security apparatus.

"The attack against the Xinca leaders is one of a growing number of acts of intimidation and violence against communities and their allies resisting the Tahoe project," said Ellen Moore, staff at the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala. "Indeed, since the licence was issued on Wednesday, there has been a spike in threats against vocal mine opponents. The more than 4,300 signatures from around the world echo the call by Guatemalan communities for an end to the impunity that continues to benefit transnational companies at the expense of local communities."

Local and national human rights and environmental organizations have already announced their intention to challenge the legality of the mining license (SEXT-015-11). There is also an open criminal complaint against the mine for industrial contamination of the Los Esclavos River.

See also:

URGENT ACTION: Call for investigation and company departure in response to recurring violence in area of Canadian-owned silver project
Guatemala's Highest Court Denies Justice to Indigenous Peoples Affected by Mining, March 2013

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) is committed to strengthening and using international law and institutions to protect the environment, promote human health, and ensure a just and sustainable society. CIEL is a non-profit organization dedicated to advocacy in the global public interest, including through legal counsel, policy research, analysis, education, training and capacity building.

http://www.ciel.org/Law_Communities/Guatemala_Mining_8Apr2013.html

[Catherina]

35. Civil Protests (Denunciations) starting.

I don't know of any real protests yet but I'm about to leave the house and find out what's going on. There will be no protests, none, in my euro (non-Mayan) town. Few will really care.

Guatemala: State of Emergency Generating Protests

The President Otto Perez' decision to impose martial law in four municipalities of southeastern Guatemala to combat organized crime fueled denunciations of these measures to criminalize social struggles.

By: AFP

The president ordered martial law after clashes between police and opposition to mining by a Canadian firm left an officer dead and eight wounded. However, Perez justified his decision using the war on drugs.

For the director of the Legal Action Center, Environmental and Social (Calas), Yuri Melini, Perez's statements "are regrettable" and seek to "criminalize community and social demands for land and territory."

"If the government has that information (drugs), then arrest the criminals and prove that they are. If there are no such organizations, the government should apologize to the people, "said Roberto Gonzalez, one of the leaders of the group opposed to the Canadian mining facility, Tahoe Resources, in the town of San Rafael Las Flores.

...

Although the president said that the state of emergency was not imposed "because mining has a first order" but to restore order and combat organized crime, activists believe the measure is support for the transnationals.

"This situation shows us that they're in the service of transnational mining companies because the officials are either doing them a service or receiving an economic benefit" said Melini told AFP. They're using "excessive force with a mobilization of between 3,500 and 8,000 soldiers and people have told us they are afraid to leave,"

...

http://www.estrategiaynegocios.net/2013/05/03/guatemala-estado-de-sitio-genera-protestas-civiles

[Catherina]

43. Soldiers are distributing this poster door to door to entire area

Under Martial Law, no protests, no demonstrations, not allowed to carry any weapons, any hostile action against the new overlords will be punished severely... Goal is "to return peace & tranquility to residents of this area. We invite you to be calm, have faith in the Army."

snitch information at the end

[Catherina]

44. Mr President, Where are the Zetas? Here are the drug *mansions*

Mr President, Where are the narco traffickers and the Zetas? The homes of the poor being violated. Soldiers with large caliber weapons to humiliate, to harass us. How come you've never done anything for us? Quit lying. You're doing this for the mine, not the people.

[Catherina]

45. Door to door searches

This is how they're leaving our homes



This is the only picture I could find but there are reports of homes and crops destroyed.

[Judi Lynn]

46. So they use the protest concerning the Canadian mining company as the reason

to flood the place with 8500 troops who treat the citizens like US soldiers treat Afghanistani, and Iraqi people, kicking down their doors, trashing their homes, seizing people to throw in jail?

Takes your breath away they would ever do this.

Thank you for posting these images. It presents the reality our own "news" media will NEVER admit to us, not in a million years. We may be financing some of it but it's none of our business, apparently, according to our country's oligarchs.