Brazil Wants To "Ease Tensions" By Opening Indian Reserves To Mining

[hatrack]

SAO PAULO, Brazil - "Brazil's government is submitting a bill to Congress this year to open native Indian reserves to mining in a bid to ease tensions between miners and indigenous communities, an official said.

Under Brazil's constitution, mining in indigenous territories is forbidden; but the law has proved very difficult to police and conflicts between illegal prospectors and native Indians have occasionally resulted in bloodshed. The government has stepped up efforts to enforce the closure of illegal mining activities on indigenous reserves after Indians killed 29 illegal diamond prospectors in April on the Cinta Larga Indian territory in the remote northern state of Rondonia in the upper Amazon Basin.

"The law is expected to be tagged as urgent, which means it should get through the lower house and the Senate in 45 days," Paulo Ribeiro de Santana, advisor to the general director of Brazil's National Mining Department (DNPM), told Reuters late on Tuesday. "However, mining will take place in Indian territories only if the Indians living in that territory give their express permission for this," he stressed.

Vice Minister of Justice Luiz Paulo Barreto said that once the law was passed, the government would invite bids from parties interested in gaining prospecting and mining rights on specific areas in the indigenous territories. Prospecting and mining concessions would be won by those offering the highest royalties to the Brazilian government, as well as the most acceptable environmental protection plans, according to the justice ministry, which, together with the mines and energy ministry, has drawn up the proposal for the law."

EDIT

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/28288/newsDate/25-Nov-2004/story.htm

[YankeyMCC]

1. Excuse me but

"However, mining will take place in Indian territories only if the Indians living in that territory give their express permission for this," he stressed."

Bull-S***

The indians just learned that the government will change the rules as they please. This time they condesended to write into the law that the indigenous people must give permission. One of two things will happen. Either the people will feel this is their only chance for economic prosperity, or if to many of them balk at giving permission the government will just change the law again to make it easier for the mining cos.

Pardon my pessimism.

[blindpig]

2. deja vu all over again, civilization, ho!

It's treaty time!I'd have hoped that Lula, being a Socialist, would have higher standards of morality. Oh well, we've seen this movie before........(sigh)