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THE MAPUCHE PEOPLE OF CHILE SPEAKS
January 27th, 2001
We would like to state that our struggle to recuperate our ancestral land will continue, because we are aware that through the struggle, is the only way to achieve our right to land and autonomy, so we can expel from our land the entrepreneurs, the tourist industry and the forest companies that are getting rich with our poverty and the repression exerted against us.
- Yesterday, Friday January 26, 2001, our community started the symbolic process of taking back the Mapuche land stolen, in this case by the Chilean entrepreneur Osvaldo Carvajal, through a peaceful demonstration that lasted only a few minutes.
- This demonstration was quickly repressed by a large group of the Chilean police (uniformed and plain clothed) who used rubber bullets and tear gas. The protesters left the place and went back to their homes.
- The police force continued its repressive action by chasing the Mapuche people into their homes. One of the demonstrators was wounded in his right eye by a rubber bullet and has been hospitalized in the Concepcion hospital. Ten people were arrested, 9 men and a woman.
- Among the people arrested there are three Lonkos (leader of a Mapuche Community): Bautista Ancalao Necul, Lonko of the Tranicura I Mapuche Community, Jose Marihuen, Lonko of the Tranicura II Mapuche Community and Manuel Fren, Lonko of the Kuyinco Mapuche Community. Also arrested was Maria Llanquileo, leader of the Mapuche Arauco-Malleco Coordinating Committee. During the arrestment the police and their weapons threatened the Mapuche people with death.
- As a result of this brutal repression, Hector Llaitul, a mapuche Social worker, was also arrested. He is now in the Hospital of Canete, in critical condition wounded by rubber bullets in his body, head, face and arm, which has not been extracted yet.
- On Saturday, 27 of January, the Judge of Canete approved the detention of six of the arrested Mapuche people and one released. The other three has been put under a Military Court (Bautista Ancalao Necul being one of them). The six men are in the jail of Lebu City and the woman in the jail of Arauco City.
- By order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, last Saturday, the Intendent of the 8th Region, presented a request to impose The Law of Internal National Security against the Mapuche people detained. This will be resolved on Monday, January 29, 2001.
Pascual Cona Mapuche Community
The Mapuche Arauco-Malleco Coordinating Committee
(translated by Hugo Torres-Cereceda )
We urged you to write letter of denunciation so we can get the release of the Mapuche brothers and sisters arrested in Chile.
Please write to:
Mr. Ricardo Lagos Escobar
President of Chile
e. mail : presidencia@segegob.cl
or:
Mr. Jose Miguel Insulza
Minister of Internal Affairs
e. mail: presidencia@segegob.cl
or:
Jose Antonio Gomez Urrutia
Minister of Justice
e-mail: presidencia@segegob.cl
Please send copies of this email to friends and organizations that
would be interested in supporting this campaign.
Also sent copies to:
Comapudehuma e. mail : comapu@netexpress.cl
And
Mapuche Committee on Human Rights, Canete-Chile
Fax: 56-41 619830
For more information please contact:
Aramando Navarrte
Carlos Pilquil
Coordinators:
Committe for the Support of Mapuche People, Montreal, Canada
Phone #: (514) 271-7599
Phone#: (514) 937-1880
Victor Gavilan
Coordinator
Committe for the Support of Mapuche People, Calgary, Canada
Phon # : (403) 235-3067
Hugo Torres-Cereceda
Coordinator:
Committe for the Support of Mapuche People, Winnipeg, Canada
Phone #: (204) 453-8581
Dionicio Barrales
Coordinator
Committe for the Support of Mapuche People, Edmonton, Canada
Phone #: (780) 462-5295