Indian protesters win land rights battle against Peru’s President Garcia
Indian protesters win land rights battle against Peru’s President Garcia
mongabay.com
August 31, 2008
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Peru’s Congress rejected two decrees by President Alan García that made it easier for foreign developers to buy Amazon rainforest land. The repeal came just two days after lawmakers struck a deal with indigenous rights groups whose protests over the law had shut down oil and gas operations. The groups were worried that the laws weakened their land rights in favor of loggers, miners, and drillers.
On August 22 lawmakers voted 66 to 29 to revoke García’s Legislative Decrees N°1015 and N°1073. García said the decision would hurt foreign investment in Peru, worsening poverty. García decreed the land laws to meet requirements set forth by a new free-trade deal with the United States.
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During the protests, which lasted 10 days, indigenous groups seized an oil pipeline and a natural gas field. They also took at least two police officers hostage.
According to a recent study 72 percent of the Peruvian Amazon is already under concession to oil and gas companies. 56 of of the 64 blocks in the country have been concessioned since 2003 and some overlap lands titled to isolated indigenous groups, including “uncontacted” tribes.
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