No to Pascua Lama.
Rodeo, Department Church is the heart of the territory occupied by Barrick in San Juan. There, the last Saturday January 15, 2011, Chilean and Argentine community organizations rocked the tense calm of this rural town tightly controlled by the multinational, which must rely on local police to disrupt the march which added applause and accessions of the population.
together to give a hug to the mountains to binational "Simply because the mountain is ours." While the original idea was summarized under the limit of both countries, at last, after delays in the Chilean contingent, activists from both nations embraced each other in a symbolic gesture of uniting two people on the esplanade of the town's church.
After a meeting in the square, marched down the main street while the people cheered and began to join the protesters. Perhaps that is why the police followed them with a lot of troops on foot, by bus and car was ordered to abort the start. Just five blocks from the start, a tight formation of soldiers was brought to the passage of the demonstrators while they were told not to follow even a step further. Militants tried to walk back and again the police cordon prevented him from tip to tip forward. The protests of the demonstrators made their voices heard but failed to advance. As usual anywhere in the world that preys, Barrick managed to silence them with the support of the repressive apparatus of the formal government of the province.
is that Rodeo is the home base for the multinational operates Veladero questioned, one of the world's largest gold mining ventures. According to their affidavits, produces a daily average of 6000 ounces of gold, equivalent to 8 million 400 thousand dollars. It's a mega-enterprises which separates the gold by mixing cyanide and water (the height, extracted from glaciers periglacial and place). Attached is Pascua Lama project to extract gold and silver in both countries and separate them with sulfuric acid (a substance far more polluting than cyanide). This project, the first run thanks to the Argentine-Chilean Mining Treaty - signed in 1997 by Menem and Frey-establishing a zone free from metal mining for the benefit of transnational mining is the major concern of the communities gathered on Saturday.
"We will be neighbors, beyond the virtual country that lay between us. We embrace the range that historically has separated us and now joins us for this mega mining chemical which we are being exposed, which is the biggest polluter in the world. We do not want to blow up our mountains. The range is for all and all. "
Background [*]
The" Treaty ... "meant the delivery of the Cordillera to the transnationals. That was a "third state" and transnational mining exactly the sources of water for both countries.
Alongside this policy of looting, destruction and death, the people affected by opencast mining mega-flush toxic substances from both sides of the Andes, are organized in assemblies, despite being disqualified and prosecuted in a novel process of repression, increasingly become stronger defense of its territory.
Huasco Valley, Vallenar and Alto del Carmen in Chile Jáchal Church in San Juan are the localities affected by these huge mines Barrick already suffering water shortages, declining agricultural production and health of its residents .
Both sides came together in July at a meeting called "Los Andes no Frontier Mining: Common Causes and Channels." Then they agreed on objectives and actions. The embrace of Saturday showed to what extent, what ever faced the two peoples, unites today. Reasons
[*]
- understand that pollution the territory is a crime against humanity and that water is an essential right to life.
- megaminería know that metals (gold, copper, silver), no metals (potassium, lithium, etc.) now invade territories devastated mountains, appropriate water sources towns, contaminated with toxic substances overwhelms their cultures. Alert
- not defend human rights if they violate fundamental rights to life, water and healthy environment. Claim that those opposed to this destruction are censored, threatened, punished and prosecuted.
- accused as responsible for turning this area into zones of sacrifice to the president Cristina Kirchner, governors Gioja of San Juan, Beder Herrera of La Rioja, Catamarca Brizuela del Moral, Jaque de Mendoza, Urtubey of Salta, Jujuy Barrionuevo, Alperovich of Tucumán, Santiago del Estero Zamora and all accomplices in this sector model.
- demand the repeal of the mining code and national laws which complement and sanction a national law banning mining.
- thus led to the binational meeting people and embrace the "absolute repudiation of the Treaty Binational Mining and mining type driving." Also
- "unconditional defense of water and ice because the treaty allows the location megaminas those in the high peaks, where the glaciers. "
- Another objective is to" prohibit this type of mining in both countries. "
- also matters," the defense of our lifestyles, our historical heritage social, cultural and destroy companies that understand these various mechanisms of cooptation and corruption, extortion, dividing peoples, communities and families. "
- Finally aspire to" replace the neoliberal economic model to one that respects the nature and include measures to conserve and use resources efficiently in addition to a realistic concept of development. "
[*] data on the flyers distributed during the meeting.
