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dam-l LS: Land Protests by Indigenous Groups Spread



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CHIP NEWS

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Date: April 27, 1999

Subject: Land Protests by Indigenous Groups Spread

Source: La Tercera

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LAND PROTESTS BY INDIGENOUS

GROUPS SPREAD

                              

Some 100 indigenous Mapuche communities in southern

Regions VIII and IX calling for the return of ancestral lands

occupied four more sites Monday, bringing the total number of

plots occupied in recent days to nine. 


The latest land occupations, which began last week, are a

further development in the sometimes violent protesting over land

rights and stem from the government's inadequate response to

 the matter, according to Mapuche spokesmen. 


The indigenous groups started moving into the land April 22, and

some threatened to start cutting trees after breaking off dialogue

with authorities. 


One of the latest land occupations occurred Monday on 208

hectares of the Rucananco estate, owned by forestry company

Mininco. Mapuche groups have had a long-running, sometimes

violent, feud with Mininco, accusing the firm of intimidating

indigenous groups and preventing them from using forestry land

to collect firewood and hunt. 


One Mapuche spokesman said "despite the massive

unemployment our people suffer, the forestry companies won't

give us work, so we decided to take back land which has always

been ours and which for irregular actions on the part of

authorities now belongs to private companies." 



*Chile Information Project


*The End*













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