En la tierra de Victoriano - Articulo de Prensa sobre la Caminata Contra la Mina

29 Sep 2009 9:59 AM Nota publicada en el diario panameño La Estrella

Indígenas llegan a tierra coclesana

LINETH TORRERO
periodistas@laestrella.com.pa

La marcha se encuentra en Antón, donde se quedarán hasta mañana, para luego emprender camino a San Carlos

COCLÉ. Alrededor de 70 indígenas y campesinos que iniciaron la marcha hacia la capital desde el pasado 15 de septiembre, cuando salieron de Bocas del Toro y Chiriquí, para protestar contra hidroeléctricas y minería en sus comarcas.

El pasado sábado fueron recibidos en la provincia de Coclé.

Los indígenas de distintas comarcas luchan porque se respete el derecho a la salud, situación que según ellos se está complicando con el inicio de las actividades mineras y los daños a las cuencas que utilizan para sus necesidades con la colocación de hidroeléctricas.

Gritando consignas en rechazo a estas actividades y recordando la lucha de Victoriano Lorenzo, los indígenas descansaron la primera noche en la casa de la Cultura de Río Grande y la segunda en el gimnasio Algis Moreno de Penonomé, para posteriormente instalarse ayer lunes en la Casa del Campesino de la Parroquia de Antón donde permanecerán por dos días antes de continuar rumbo a San Carlos.

Federico Molina, comisionado de la Comarca Ñucribo de Guaribiora de Bocas del Toro, señala que la Comarca Ñucribo rechaza la construcción de hidroeléctricas y la minería, cuyos efectos los vienen sintiendo desde el 4 de septiembre del 2008, cuando les construyeron un pozo de 300 metros de profundidad para lavar minerales extraídos de la minería, pero este se derrumbó lo que contaminó el río. Ellos desconocían el efecto que esas concesiones mineras les produciría hasta que observaron la muerte de peces, animales y hasta de cinco personas incluyendo tres niños que utilizaban el agua del río, destacó. Los indígenas utilizan los ríos para lavar, bañarse y tomar agua.

Ngöbe Protesters March to Capital City

Last week several dozen Ngöbe protesters set off from their villages in western Panama to Panama City to call attention to their message of environmentally and socially responsible development. The Ngöbe are facing many challenges to their way of life and right of self-determination from irresponsible open-pit mining ventures, hydroelectric projects, and large-scale tourist projects. Ngöbe leaders say that many of these ventures, including the Cerro Chorcha mine, are illegal and were approved in violation of laws requiring the informed consent of local communities and environmental impact assessments. The activists say that they want development that benefits their communities, protects the environment, and respects the rights of Panama's indigenous peoples.

The marchers will arrive in Panama City on October 6, kicking off a week of events to raise awareness about issues affecting the Ngöbe. The events will culminate in a march to the presidential palace on October 12.

More on the march: http://www.thepanamanews.com/pn/v_15/issue_15/news_07.html

Remembering the Flood of September 3, 2008

Residents of Besikö, in the Ngöbe-Buglé Comarca in western Panama, are accustomed to living with the seasonal rains that come every year from May through November, but last September's sudden inundation caught everyone by surprise. On the evening of September 3rd, 2008, as families were settling down for the night, villagers along the Fonseca River were startled to see water entering their homes and spreading through their fields. In the darkness and the rain, hundreds of people gathered their children, animals, and few valuables and climbed into the trees to escape the rising river. Clinging to the trees in the night, they wondered what would be left of their homes and livestock when day came and the waters receded.

The morning light revealed a landscape of destruction. Dozens of homes had collapsed or washed away. Giant tree trunks and other debris rested far inland where the high water had deposited them. The bodies of drowned cattle, horses, and other domestic animals lay on the banks of the river. And worst of all, several people were missing. Local leaders organized search parties to look for the victims while others began the difficult task of clearing debris and relocating the now-homeless families. The final death toll included 6 people and countless farm animals.

A year later, dozens of families remain homeless and landless, squatting in shelters made of scraps of tin and plastic tarps on a narrow strip of land between the river and the main road. The government prohibited the displaced families from returning to the low-lying land where they were living citing flooding concerns, but the officials have failed to follow through on promises to allocate new land to the victims. The families continue to live a precarious existence without adequate housing, proper sanitary or cooking facilities, or land for growing food.

The September 3rd flood reveals just how vulnerable the Ngöbe are to any natural or man-made events that upset the delicate balance of the fragile tropical mountain ecosystem in which they live. Scientists predict that global warming will increase the frequency of extreme rainfall events in Panama. Open-pit mines like those proposed by Dominion Minerals will destabilize steep mountain slopes and accelerate soil erosion, subjecting downslope communities to constant threat of landslides, flooding, and water siltation. Should Dominion's plans for Cerro Chorcha proceed as planned, the combined impacts of heavy rainfall and destabilized mountainsides will spell disaster for the Ngöbe.

Out of the flood waters has risen a new determination in Besikö to do everything possible to prevent another September 3rd. The community strongly opposes Dominion Minerals and the Cerro Chorcha mining project, which has become synonymous for environmental devastation. At a recent event protesting the mine, one high school student expressed the views of many, saying, "It is important to protect nature for future generations. If we fail to defend nature, we fail coming generations. We say yes to life, no to destruction by mining!"

The community held a mass on September 3, 2009 to remember the victims of the flooding one year ago.

Residents make a pilgrimage across the Fonseca River to commemorate last year's flooding.