The Peruvian government is now doing everything it can to
try to crush the Tía María protests that have paralyzed the region of Arequipa
and which took two lives last week. In addition to a civilian that was shot and
killed by a police officer on Tuesday, the Peruvian government confirmed that a
policeman died on Thursday from wounds to the head that he received during the
protests. In the wake of this violence, the Peruvian government decided
to make the aggressive decision of sending 500 soldiers to the area to
reinforce the 2,000 police officers already battling the protestors.
According to Reuters,
Peruvian president Ollanta Humala signed a resolution ordering the army to
“prevent violence” in the area until June 7. Telesurtv
quoted the president as explaining, “We haven't lost hope that dialogue is
resumed. Meanwhile, we are taking measures to help maintain law and order.”
Peruvian Justice Minister Gustavo Adrianzen stressed
that the army will just help the police secure local infrastructure including
ports, roads, bridges, and tunnels.
Interestingly, a survey published
on Sunday shows that the majority of Arequipeños believe that mining
contributes to the development of their region and that the Tía María protests
have been masterminded by political interests. Nonetheless, 26% of those
surveyed believe that the solution to the blockades that have paralyzed the
Arequipa region should be the end of the Tía María project.
Carlos Gálvez, president of the National Society for Mining,
Petroleum, and Energy, during a conference in Peru, warned
that investment in mining projects will drop precipitously in the next few
years, all the way to zero in 2018, if the Tía María mining project does not go
forward.
Week after week, we’ve seen the situation in Arequipa get
progressively worse, to the point where the Peruvian government has now decided
to send in the army. The central government appears to have abandoned its
attempt at a negotiated solution, knowing that the country’s mining industry
once to see decisive action. Whether it is successful remains to be seen.
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