At the end of last week, the Peruvian government allowed
the 30-day state of emergency to expire in six provinces of the Apurimac and
Cusco departments. Martial law was originally implemented
after protests against the massive Las Bambas copper mining project turned
violent.
During the last month, the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and
Mines scheduled a series of information workshops in the areas to educate the
local communities about the mining projects and the benefits that they will
bring to the region. President Humala said, “Firstly, we regret this situation
and the loss of lives, which is irreparable. Second, Las Bambas is the largest
mining project in Peru and the second largest in Latin America. Today Las
Bambas is almost ready to begin operations. The government via the mining and
energy and the housing ministries with deputies in food, agriculture and health
are meeting people in the region.”
Peru Reports noted that the local communities do not oppose
the project as such, just the location of a molybdenum plant and the
replacement of a pipeline with heavy trucks to transport the raw ore.
In political news, former Peruvian president and current
presidential candidate Alan Garcia has made the mining industry a central
pillar of his presidential campaign. Garcia has pledged
that Peru would attain a minimum of 6% GDP growth each year if he were elected.
He would accomplish this through a massive growth in public works projects, and
encouraging investment in mining projects by cutting the red tape needed to
receive regulatory approval.
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