The Andes
Day of mining protests throughout Andean nations
In an internationall coordinated day of action, campesinos and ecologists held protests in Peru, Chile and Argentina under the banner "No to mining, yes to life."
Tag: mining
Southern Cone
Chile: court upholds suspension of Pascua Lama mine
Barrick Gold’s problems continue at the colossal Pascua Lama mine high in the Andes as a provincial court upholds its April suspension of construction on the mine.
Southeast Asia
US troops to Philippines amid Mindanao fighting
The White House is finalizing a deal with the Philippines that will allow the US to deploy more troops—as new fighting is reported from Mindanao despite talks with Islamist rebels.
The Andes
Peru: police fire on Cajamarca protesters —again
National Police troops in Peru’s Cajamarca region opened fire on campesinos protesting the Chadín II hydro-electric project at the highland town of Celendín, wounding nine.
Central America
Honduras: anti-mining activists face death threats
Violence continues in northern Honduras, with death threats against opponents of open-pit mining and the murder of a longtime campesino leader and his son.
The Andes
Peru: peasant leader killed in Cajamarca
Carlos Vásquez Becerra, a campesino leader who opposed mining projects in Peru’s conflicted Cajamarca region, was found beaten to death in a canyon.
Africa
China mining firms contribute to Congo abuses: AI
Chinese-owned mining companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo are contributing to a culture of human rights abuses, Amnesty International reports.
The Andes
Peru: new stand-off at Conga mine site
Some 4,000 campesino protesters again converged on the Conga mine site in Peru, pledging to establish an encampement and remain there to resist operations.
The Amazon
Peru: demands emerge for ‘plurinational state’
As Peru’s government continues to stall on implementation of the Prior Consultation Law, indigenous leaders have issued calls for declaration of a “plurinational state.”
The Andes
Peru: is Conga project cancelled?
Peru’s mining minister Jorge Merino denied media reports that the controversial gold project at Conga, in northern Cajamarca region, has been cancelled.
Southern Cone
Argentina: eight activists arrested in mine protest
Greenpeace activists carried out a banner drop to dramatize the threat Barrick Gold’s open-pit mining poses to a biosphere reserve in the western province of San Juan.
The Andes
Bolivia: break between Evo, labor federation?
Bolivian mine workers ended a two-week strike when the government agreed to a pension hike, but the episode may represent a break between Evo Morales and COB labor federation.