Tipnis

[applejuice]

The marchers will wait for negotiations once more, however, the government has conditioned its presence: Negotiations must take place somewhere else, a commission of representatives of the marchers (leaders or not) and the presence of people affected by the march (obviously, the cocaleros, the force group of Morales). The medics accompanying the marchers were "invited to leave the march", declared Teresa Morales, Minister of Productive Development.

[Human No More]

Someone with the same surname?

...not at all suspicious

[applejuice]

They are relatives, though they both deny it. Today the protest will resume. The president called the marchers "sort of tourists, because they sleep in tents in the night". Cocaleros and settlers in La Paz's Yungas (the tropical part of the department) have declared they won't allow the marchers to pass through there. The possibility of a confrontation is now something very real. This morning, Police used tear gas to disperse a blockade in support of the protest in Santa Cruz, where Guarani people supports the demands of the marchers.

[applejuice]

After recent declarations of counteractions to the protest, the leaders have decided to concede the conditions asked by the government to install negotiations.

As a personal note, this decision shows humility from the marchers, the war of words started by Morales and the government was enough to make a saint lose the patience. Should this fail, it will be because the capricious nature of Evo. He believes (and his environment keeps that going) that he is some sort of Julius Caesar... he believes his words are commands and whomever dislikes them, then he/she is a traitor (and if he could, probably would kill us all that oppose him).

[applejuice]

After 22 days of marching (and four dead children) there is no solution to the protests of Tipnis inhabitants. The government proposed a consult that wo9uld include the Cocaleros. However, because of the last, the proposal was rejected. Last saturday, thousands of cocaleros were brought to the city to show the alleged support for the construction of the road. Despite the good intentions shown by the protest leaders, the government is still carrying a defamation war on the protest in the government-owned channel and several publicity slots in all private TV channels show spots made by the National Communications Ministry trying to convince public opinion that the road HAS TO BE BUILD THROUGH PROTECTED AREA.
March will resume tomorrow, however, settlers in Yucumo have stated that they won't allow the marchers to continue the protests should they arrive there.

[applejuice]

After many attempts to start negotiations and after Morales, again, said that "there will be a road through there..." the march has reached the town of Yucumo, which is closely related to Morales' party. They are blocking the road and have taken as hostage to the leader of CONAMAQ. Tipnis leaders are negotiating his release.

[Moco Loco]

Sounds intense.

[applejuice]

After several delays caused by the death of one of the leaders in an airplane crash two days ago, marchers are undecided whether to continue the protest or wait for government envoys to resume negotiations. They fear violent encounters with pro-road population just ahead in the road. Activist are denouncing actions taken by the government in order to stop them of assisting to the march. Some photos of the blockade (note the use of tractors to block the road, showing the use of public property by those supporting Morales).

[Human No More]

...wow

The lack of coverage of this elsewhere is really bad

[applejuice]

As a side note, a survivor of the crash was found alive today:BBC News - Bolivia crash survivor found after three days in jungle

[apache_blanca]

all I can think about is this:

Michael Jackson: Earth Song

[applejuice]

Sorry for the late update, I haven't been so busy since I got married.
Government has expressly ordered the Police to stop the march, supposedly to "avoid acts of violent nature". To do so, 800 policemen have been deployed along the road and Yucumo. Our Chancellor has just said that "nobody can change what the president has already decided" (which means that the road will be build across the protected area, even if it is illegal).

[applejuice]

The march will go on. After many attempts to find a solution, the government has stated that the road will be build despite any protests. Military trucks are arriving to Yucumo and the Police Commander has spoken to national media he has received "clear instructions to stop the marchers".
There is tension in the country. Last time the government sent military forces with the pretext of "preserving the order" there was a terrible confrontation in Pando. As a result, 18 people died and 30 went missing. Suffice to say that the subsequent investigation only imprisoned people opposing the government. It is a common consensus among people that if only one of the marchers dies as a result of repression, the whole country may enter into another violent period like 2003, which saw Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada leaving the country. CONAMAQ (the institution that unites indigenous people from the Altiplano) has instructed to block the roads in the whole country as a form of support to the petition of TIPNIS people: No road.

[auroraglacialis]

Wow this is getting really tense. It is good to hear that the support for the activists seems to run wide though. And I hear zip of this in the news over here

[Empty Glass]

Indeed, I never hear anything about it except through here. Even a search of "Tipnis" on Google News doesn't turn up as many articles as I thought it would.