Chile: Mapuche Indigenous Peoples Mobilize Against Dam Projects

Chile: Mapuche Indigenous Peoples Mobilize Against Dam Projects


Published 5 June 2015 (21 hours 9 minutes ago)


Various Mapuche communities have been mobilizing in recent weeks against 40 dam projects planned on their ancestral lands.


The land conflicts in the central region of Araucania between the indigenous communities of Mapuches and local residents and hydroelectric companies have intensified this week following the visit of the minister of energy to the region.

Minister Maximo Pacheco argued that the new dams will significantly improve electricity access in the region, reduce the electricity rates. However, indigenous leaders demand the complete withdrawal of hydroelectric companies from their lands. The Network for the Defense of the Territories called his announcements a “true slap in the face of human rights and interests of the region's inhabitants ... on the grounds of an immoral collusion.”

In the town of Curacautin, three indigenous leaders were charged Tuesday over their participation in the protests against the hydroelectric project “Doña Alicia” and the smaller plant “Pintoresco” that never received any environment or social evaluation. They are awaiting trial scheduled for July 2.

In Melipeuco, local authorities denounced various abuses in this sector, as the transnational firm Latin America Power, along with the Chile’s Enacon, are illegally setting up infrastructure facilities in the area of Shuelhue and Melipeuco. Opponents to the project have claimed that the area was being “sacrificed” for economic interests at the expense community-led development, and the preservation of environmental spaces crucial for the whole region.

More:
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Chile-Mapuche-Indigenous-Peoples-Mobilize-Against-Dam-Projects-20150605-0021.html