(Eng)Amazon Coalition Monthly Newsletter: November 1995

by way of neil@lds.co.uk (native-l@GNOSYS.SVLE.MA.US)
Fri, 17 Nov 1995 21:49:07 +0100

Original Sender: amazoncoal@igc.apc.org (Amazon Coalition)
Mailing List: NATIVE-L (native-l@gnosys.svle.ma.us)

AMAZON UPDATE #8
November 15, 1995

In Brief:

The situation for traditional peoples in Brazil appears to be worsening.
This month, as part of the general trend towards economic liberalization,
the Brazilian senate approved the privatization of the oil industry. This is
likely to lead to increased oil exploitation in the country. Meanwhile, a
representative of the Brazilian National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) was
killed by two shots during an inspection of the Sarare Indian area in Pontes
e Lacerda, Mato Grosso, where there were reports of clandestine mining
activities. According to FUNAI, the representative, Mr. Assis, was killed
by the miners. Traditional communities in the Amazon are organizing in a
variety of ways to defend themselves, however. In the state of Acre, Sia
Runikui Kaxinawa, current President of the Association of Kaxinawa Rubber
Tappers of the Jordao River, has announced his candidacy for Mayor of
Jordao. Please keep us informed of news and activities to include in this
Update!


Coalition Member News:
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT

Plans for the conference on Sustainable Development that heads of state
agreed to convene during the Summit of the Americas are finally beginning to
take shape. According to Under-secretary of State for Global Affairs, Tim
Wirth, the main goal of the Summit will be to bring together the Finance
Ministers and Environment Ministers of the Americas to address sustainable
development as more than a 'green' issue, but an integral part of the future
economy of the Continent. Both the U.S. and Bolivian governments have
expressed a commitment to include the participation of NGOs in the planning
process and in the Summit itself, although it is not yet clear how this will
be achieved. It is essential that we begin to lobby our governments now to
include protection of the land rights of indigenous peoples in any
sustainable development agreements in the continent. The conference is
scheduled to take place in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in early December, 1996.


RIGOBERTA MENCHU'S INFANT NEPHEW KIDNAPPED

On November 4, 1995 in Guatemala City, Rigoberta Menchu's 22 month old
nephew was abducted in broad daylight from his mother's arms. The
kidnapping of Carlos Velazquez Menchu bore a striking resemblance to the
"disappearance" tactics used by paramilitary death squads to intimidate
Guatemalan Indians a decade ago. Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta Menchu
believes the kidnapping was politically motivated due to her role in the
trial that indicted 25 soldiers and one officer for the massacre of 11
Mayan Indians on October 5,1995 in the village of Xaman. The incident took
place at a returnee community when a Guatemalan army patrol allegedly
entered the village and interrupted a community meeting. 11 returnees were
killed and 15 wounded. There is concern for the 11 other returnee
communities in Guatemala. In the last 3 months Menchu has been promoting the
participation of the Guatemalan Mayan People in the coming elections. 3
days before the kidnapping, Menchu's request of the Guatemalan Government
for protection of her and her family was denied. As of Nov. 14 there was
still no news of the infant. Letters of concern can be faxed to: U.S.
Embassy in Guatemala: (011-502)-231-8885 Guatemala Desk at Department of
State: (202) 647-2597


REVISION OF DECREE 22/91 TO BE SIGNED BY BRAZIL'S PRESIDENT

Decree 22/91 regulates the demarcation of Indigenous lands, and has lead to
unprecedented land demarcation in Brazil. Violence surounding indigenous
territories, however, has also increased. The Pro-Indian Comission of Sao
Paulo reports increased invasions of Indigenous lands in Rondonia and Para,
along with many other cases. An agribusiness firm has brought a case to the
Supreme Court arguing that Decree 22 is unconstitutional. If the Supreme
Court finds the Decree unconstitutional, which seems likely, then all
demarcations carried out under it may be lost. The President claims he will
revise the law in order to protect the areas already demarcated (before the
Supreme Court overturns it). His revisions, however, will open the
demarcations up to be challenged by citizens such as large landowners. The
Forum in Defense of Indigenous Rights suggests that the determination of the
Cardoso government to bring about this change of the Decree reveals its
connections to the rural oligarchy, large landowners, timber merchants,
mining companies and conservatives in the National Congress. The Forum is
calling for pressure on the government to honor the commitments it has made
to Indigenous lands. Letters of concern can be sent to the President of
Brazil:

Presidencia da Republica
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
e-mail: pr@cr-df.rnp.br Fax: 061-226-7566