Deborah Dupr̩ / Human Rights Examiner Р2010-11-02 02:27:52
http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/5000-people-block-oil-vessels
LIMA (October 27, 2010) — At noon on Sunday, October 24, thousands of people took oil giant abuse matters in their own hands after years of continual leaking crude oil affecting their health and safety. They closed the passage of vessels for the important Amazon River, at height of the Puerto Orlando community.
Indigenous Peruvians of the upper Maranon basin, Nauta district, achieved what their neighbors to the north in the US have not come near doing after the world’s greatest oil spill and public health catastrophe that occurred six months ago in the Gulf of Mexico.
Five thousand Peruvians are demanding a direct dialogue, transparent, free and fair between indigenous communities and State authorities and the oil company Pluspetrol according to Indigenous Peoples and Issues Resources (IPIR).
In support of the strike, over seven thousand people gathered on Monday for a meeting convened by the Organization of Neighborhood of Naute.
“Community spokesmen denounced the neglect of communities that have seen their lives affected by the continuous leakage of crude oil to its main water source, the Marañón River,” reported IPIR.
On June 19, 2010, an oil spill occurred at the height of the town of Saramuro and another on September 24, shocking the population in the Rio Corrientes.
As witnessed on Gulf of Mexico shores and beaches, thousands of fish, river dolphins and other species were found dead on shores of beaches Samiria River Basin in the heart of the Pacaya Samiria that operates the Plus Petrol in Lot 8X.
Indians End Blockade on Peruvian River
LAHT
LIMA (October 27, 2010) — Thousands of Peruvian Indians blocking the Marañon River in the Amazonian jungle region of Loreto to protest damage done by an oil spill agreed to end their protest.
An official of the Iquitos river port authority told Efe that the natives agreed to end the blockade of the Marañon, one of the main transport routes in the jungle region, after meeting with representatives of the regional government and the company they are protesting against, Argentina’s Pluspetrol.
The Indians demand that the oil company fulfill the agreements reached after a June 19 oil spill.
Though Pluspetrol says that it has complied with the agreement and the waters of the Marañon are no longer polluted, the Indians say that problems persist and therefore the company must continue to distribute food and other provisions as it did at first.
Under the accord reached Thursday, both parties are waiting until the National Water Authority issues a report on the current environmental situation of the river waters.
With that understanding, river transit for freight and passengers returned to normal around 6:00 p.m. Thursday, while the roughly 4,000 Indian protesters went back to their communities.
A possible drowning occurred during the protests when a 19-year-old Indian man fell in the river Thursday morning as a private boat tried to break through the blockade.
A Peruvian navy patrol boat is searching the river in an attempt to recover the body of the missing man, the Iquitos port authority said. EFE
Learn more about how corporations are violating human rights of indigenous peoples and what they are doing about it:
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International: Video On Indigenous Peoples’ Solutions For Climate Change
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Orissa: Majority Report Of MOEF Committee A Vindication Of Peoples Just Struggle Against POSCO Project
Brazil: Cooperatives For “Fair Globalization� Indigenous People, Cooperatives, And Corporate Social Responsibility In The Brazilian Amazon
South America: The Emergence Of Indigenous Movements In Latin America And Their Impact On The Latin American Political Scene: Interpretive Tools At The Local And Global Levels
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Brazil: Indigenous And Local Communities Want To Expand Consultations On REDD
Ecuador: Application Filed By The Inter-American Commission On Human Rights Concerning Kichwa People Of Sarayaku And Its Members
British Columbia: AFN National Chief Joins Tsilhqot’in In Defence Of Fish Lake: Cabinet Must Reject Mine Proposal
Australia: Consultations On Native Title Agreements And Payments Continues – Public Feedback Sought
Oceania: Summary Of Workshop On Responding To Climate Change In The Pacific
Orissa: Troubled Vedanta Loses Appeal For Controversial Refinery
Ecuador: Bishop Criticizes Chevron For Its Role In World’s Largest Oil-Related Catastrophe — Seeks Assistance Of US Conference Of Catholic Bishops As Humanitarian Crisis Worsens
Orissa: Letter Of The Majority Members Replying To Gupta’s Illegal Recommendations Concerning POSCO
Canada: First Nation Leadership In Central And Eastern Canada Dismiss B.C. Boreal Forest Meeting
Chile: Statement Of The Committee Of Defense Of The Sea Concerning The Supreme Court Ruling
Peru: Ministry Of Energy And Mines Questioned About Consultation Of Indigenous Peoples In Oil Blocks
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