PERU: Escalating Conflicts Put Pres. García on the Spot

[Judi Lynn]

Source: IPSNews

PERU: Escalating Conflicts Put Pres. García on the Spot
By Milagros Salazar

LIMA, Jul 12 (IPS) - Three people dead, several injured, and fire at an airport: the results of a wave of protests in Peru, regarded as the worst social crisis since Alan García became president nearly one year ago. Thousands of teachers, workers and peasant farmers continued the mobilisation Thursday.

"The people who are protesting are desperate because the economy is growing but nothing in their lives has improved. Their demands will continue until wealth is better distributed," Víctor Gorriti Candela, deputy chief of the General Confederation of Peruvian Workers (CGTP), told IPS.

The workers are demanding that the government enforce labour laws, eliminate outsourcing of services, tax high mining profits, revise the free trade agreement with the United States, and give workers the freedom to opt out of the private pensions system, among other actions promised by García during his electoral campaign.

With the first anniversary of his term of office only 16 days away, thousands of Peruvians are calling García to account. Workers and social organisations crowded the streets and plazas of Lima on Wednesday, while strong protests also took place in the southern regions of Cusco, Arequipa, Puno, Tacna and Moquegua.

In an attempt to restore order, the government has deployed more than 15,000 police throughout the country, and has authorised the armed forces to intervene to prevent protesters from taking control of public buildings.


Read more: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38521

[Peace Patriot]

1. You play Bush's game, you lose. That is the lesson for South America.

Alan Garcia, the corrupt leftist who beat out the true leftist (Ollanta Humala) in the last election, couldn't wait to make a "free trade" deal with Bush. I knew it would be the ruination of Peru's economy, and it's already happening. Argentina went through this. Bolivia went through this. Many Latin American countries have gone or are going through this, until the people learn what a rotten deal it is, and throw out the bastards who made it. Garcia will be next.

It's amusing, in a way, what happened in the last election. Humala--a 100% indigenous like Morales in Bolivia, and politically aligned with Morales, and with Chavez in Venezuela--came out of nowhere, with no political experience and no big money backers--and won 30% of the vote in the primary election, bumping the rightwing candidate out of the race. The Bushites, the corporatists and the rich elite didn't have a candidate, so they were forced to back Alan Garcia, the most corrupt leftist they could find. Morales and Chavez endorsed Humala. The Bush State Dept. and its lapdog media played this as a negative for Humala, and said stupid things like Peruvians will resent "outside interference." (Ha, ha, ha--"outside interference"! get it?) But those endorsements actually won Humala many more votes. He won 45% of the vote against Garcia in the general election. This complete unknown almost won the presidency of Peru. And that additional 15% of the vote did not come from the right, it came from the mountains, from the indigenous, who don't give a fuck for colonial borders, and are part of--and, indeed, the leaders of--a huge social justice movement that is sweeping the Andes region and the continent as a whole.

Now Garcia is reaping the harvest of his corruption and his dirty friendship with Bush. The same thing is happening in Peru as happened in Argentina, Bolivia and other countries, where the people became fed up with induced poverty, brought on by predatory corporations (often US corporations), their loan sharks (the World Bank/IMF), U.S.-dominated "free trade" (enslavement in sweatshops, rip off of their country's natural resources, US ag dumping, and horrors such as GMO crops, "terminator" seeds, and pesticide spraying), and the murderous, fascist, militaristic U.S. "war on drugs."

In Bolivia, when Bechtel Corp. privatized the water in one Bolivian city, and then jacked up the prices to the poorest of the poor--even charging poor peasants for collecting rainwater!--the people rose up and threw Bechtel out of their country, and elected socialist Evo Morales, who is fast establishing principles of the "commons," and the right of Bolivians to benefit from their rich natural resources--oil, gas, minerals, forests, fresh water. In Argentina, which became a basketcase trying to pay off World Bank debt (incurred by the rich rightwing elite), the poor and middle class banded together and took tiny hammers and broke every bank ATM display window in Buenos Aires, in protest. Three governments later--in quick succession--they finally got a good leftist government which promised to get them out of World Bank debt and never get into it again. The government of Nestor Kirchner negotiated a deal with Venezuela to buy up some of their debt on easy terms, and Argentina is now well on its way to recovery.

World Bank debt, the further enrichment of rich elites, "free trade," the impoverishment of the vast majority, and the ruination of the social and economic fabric of the country, all go hand in hand. That is the course that Alan Garcia has embarked upon in Peru. And rebellion against it is happening sooner than I thought it would--probably because of the example of Venezuela, Bolivia, Argentina and Ecuador, that South Americans do not have to put up with this. They can seize the initiative and begin to direct their own fates, through the strengthening of democratic institutions, election of good leaders and common cause with other leftist countries.

I hope Alan Garcia soon meets his deserved fate, and is run out of office. The news is that Paraguay is also going to have a real leftist as president this year--adding to the long list of peaceful, democratic revolutions in the region (Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile and Nicaragua). Peru is a Clintonesque dinosaur, just as Colombia is a Bushite dinosaur. The future lay in Latin American self-determination and social justice. Peru needs to join the Bolivarian revolution.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Escalating protests in Peru with at least three dead

Friday, July 13, 2007
Escalating protests in Peru with at least three dead

~snip~
The first victim of the escalating protests was a 13-year-old girl who was killed during clashes between police and teachers in the southern Andean region of Apurímac. In a jungle area in the central Andean region of Junín, farmer Alcides Huamaní Rivero was shot to death by the owner of a store where weapons were sold. The owner was trying to prevent a group of protesters from taking over his shop.

A teacher died Wednesday night in the Lima hospital that admitted her last Friday. She had been beaten by police, according to spokespersons for the striking teachers. Teachers have been on strike for better pay and to oppose government sponsored education reform.

On Wednesday 5,000 strikers occupied the international Manco Cápac airport in Juliaca setting fire to furniture, office equipment and local workers' houses, in spite of the presence of nearly 300 police who attempted to contain the protesters.

In the central Andean region of Ayacucho, the governor of Huanta province, Erick Montero, was held hostage for five hours by members of the Regional Defence Front.

The strikers demanded an apology from Montero for President García's remarks, two days earlier, in which he had said that the striking teachers were "resentful, fault-finding parasites" who didn't want to go and teach their classes.

Teachers belonging to the Unified Trade Union of Education Workers of Peru, went on strike in public schools to protest the approval of legislation which the government argues will improve education, but teachers see as a move to "privatize”.
(snip/...)

http://www.mercopress.com/vernoticia.do?id=10902&formato=HTML

[conspirator]

3. When you make a deal with the bush mafia you can say good bye to your store n/t

[High Plains]

4. Angry coca growers are part of the mix, too.

They want:
--No free trade treaty without popular consultation
--Respect for the coca farmers
--Increases in health and education spending
--An investigation into the use of glyphosate (Roundup) against coca crops
--Respect for human rights by the executive, police, and armed forces
--Defense of the interests of the coca growers and the environment
--Fair prices for coca and other agricultural commodities
--Creation of an Agrarian Bank

Long live coca! Long live democracy!

This is from the largest coca growers' union in Peru, the Peruvian Confederation of Farmers of the Coca Valleys:

PRONUNCIMIENTO DE LA CONPACCP-DIFUNDIR

PARO NACIONAL 11 Y 12 DE JULIO 2007

PLATAFORMA NACIONAL

1.- No al TLC sin consulta popular.
2.- Respeto a todos los empadronados de la CONPACCP, en todas las cuencas cocaleras del Perú.
3.- Incremento del 3 al 6% del PBI para el sector educación, de acuerdo a la recomendación del UNICEF, sector Salud y otras instituciones.
4.- Creación de una comisión de investigación y análisis, para evaluar la presencia de agentes patógenos contra los cultivos en las cuencas cocaleras del Perú y todo esto en contra de la planta de la Hoja de Coca y la utilización del GLIFOSATO.
5.- Respeto pleno de los DD.HH. de parte del poder ejecutivo, Policía Nacional y Fuerzas Armadas.
2.- La defensa de los intereses de los agricultores en las cuencas cocaleras del Perú y de los productos agrícolas, especialmente la planta de la coca, protección del medio ambiente y la identidad cultural de los agricultores.
4.- Precio justo de los productores de la zona, coca, café, cacao, plátano, barbasco y otros. No al monopolio de las empresas como ENACO y otras; promover la industrialización de los productos de la zona.
5.- Creación del Banco Agrario y el otorgamiento de prestamos a los verdaderos agricultores con mejores facilidades, beneficios y la implementación del seguro agrario
.

¡VIVA LA CONPACCP!
¡VIVA LAS ORGANIZACIONES EN LAS CUENCAS COCALERAS DEL PERU!
¡VIVA LA COCA!
¡VIVA LA DEMOCRACIA!

[struggle4progress]

5. Angry demonstrators take police hostage in Peru

14 Jul 2007 00:58:27 GMT
Source: Reuters

AREQUIPA, Peru, July 13 (Reuters) - Hundreds of angry demonstrators took nine police hostage in southern Peru, amid a string of protests against President Alan Garcia, police said on Friday.

"The protesters surrounded a group of nine police that were lifting a road blockage on the Arequipa-Puno road, and took them hostage," a police officer who asked not to be named told Reuters.

"They (protesters) tied them up, and they are still being held by the mob," the official added.

According to the police, some 1,000 protesters had blocked the highway, some 690 miles (1,100 km) south of the capital Lima, to demand the government invest in the region and express support for a public teachers strike that started this week. ~snip~

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N13408600.htm

[Judi Lynn]

6. Really picking up the pace, aren't they? Last lines of your article are interesting:

Garcia took office for a second time a year ago, pledging to claw Peru away from a "social catastrophe" by creating jobs and ending growing inequality.

His first term in power ended in 1990 amid economic turmoil and widespread protests.

Hard to believe they aren't just wild about him! This is guaranteed to enhance _Bush's image in their eyes, as well, since he really, REALLY didn't want the other one, the good guy, Ollanta Humala, to win.

[antiimperialist]

7. Alan Garcia's approval tanking

When he assumed the Peruvian presidency in 2006 he had a 63 percent approval rating. This popularity has skidded, with it now at 42 percent.

http://www.coha.org/2007/06/28/lighting-mustn%E2%80%99t-strike-twice-alan-garcia-determined-to-avoid-another-failure-which-could-be-staring-him-in-the-face/

[Judi Lynn]

8. By hook or CROOK, this man was slipped right back into Peru's Presidency, with his HORRIFIC record!

Sure, this is from Wikipedia, but the info. can be gleaned from other sources:

Despite his initial popularity among Peruvian voters, García's term in office was marked by bouts of hyperinflation, which reached 7,649% in 1990 and had a cumulative total of 2,200,200% over the five years, thereby profoundly destabilizing the Peruvian economy. Owing to such chronic inflation, the Peruvian currency, the sol, was replaced by the Inti in mid-1985, which itself was replaced by the nuevo sol ("new sol") in July 1991, at which time the new sol had a cumulative value of one billion (1,000,000,000) old soles. During García's administration, the per capita annual income of Peruvians fell to $720 (below the level of 1960) and Peru's GDP dropped 20%. By the end of his term, national reserves were a negative $900 million.

According to studies of the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics and the United Nations Development Programme <2>, around the start of his presidency, 41.6% of Peruvians lived in poverty. During his presidency, this percentage increased by 13% (to 55%) in 1991. García also made an attempt to nationalize the banking and insurance industries. He incurred the wrath of the International Monetary Fund and the financial community by unilaterally declaring a limit on debt repayment equal to 10% of the Gross National Product, thereby isolating Peru from the international financial markets.

The economic turbulence exacerbated social tensions in Peru and contributed in part to the rise of the violent rebel movement Shining Path, which lauched the internal conflict in Peru and began attacking electric towers, causing a number of blackouts in Lima. The García administration unsuccessfully sought a military solution to the growing terrorism, allegedly committing human rights violations which are still under investigation. These include the Accomarca massacre, where 47 campesinos were gunned to death by the Peruvian armed forces in August 1985, the Cayara massacre (May 1988) in which some thirty were killed and dozens disappeared, and the summary execution of more than 200 inmates during prison riots in Lurigancho, San Juan Bautista (El Frontón) and Santa Bárbara in 1986. According to an official inquiry, an estimated 1,600 forced disappearances took place during García's presidency. His own personal involvement in these events is not clear. García was allegedly tied to the paramilitary Rodrigo Franco Command, which is accused of carrying out political murders in Peru during García's presidency. In addition, there were unconfirmed but popular rumours that he was suffering from bipolar disorder. There were also rumours of ties to Colombian drug dealers, aside from public charges of high-level corruption and theft at all levels of his government, and the naming of APRA party members to various administrative positions that they were not qualified for.

García's presidency left the country with hyperinflation, isolated from the international financial community, with negative reserves of US$900 million, continuous subversive activities by the Shining Path, great increase in poverty levels and an electric train multi-million investment in Lima that was never finished. His critics claim the many poor decisions he took while in office created an environment that lead to the rise of an authoritarian leader like Alberto Fujimori. Some suspect García and APRA cut a deal with Fujimori during the 1990 election, backing him in return for immunity, so as to prevent Mario Vargas Llosa and his FREDEMO party, then leading in the polls, from coming to power. During the campaign, Vargas Llosa had promised to investigate corruption in the García administration.
(snip)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Garcia

The article also says he attempted to reinstate the death penalty for captured "Shining Path" guerrillas, but was emphatically rejected by Peru's Congress.

[Judi Lynn]

9. Street protests 'paralyse' Peru

Street protests 'paralyse' Peru
By Dan Collyns
BBC News, Lima

Nationwide protests and a general strike have brought Peru to a near standstill over the last week.
Thousands of people in every major town and city took to the streets, and three people are reported to have been killed in clashes around the country.

The protests are widely seen as a show of disapproval with the government of President Alan Garcia.
(snip)

In a country where street protests are something of a national pastime, this last week has vastly exceeded expectations.

In the biggest demonstration since Mr Garcia became Peru's president, there was a national show of discontent with his government.

More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6899331.stm

[Judi Lynn]

10. Peru says "Keep those goddamned genetically modified potatoes to yourself!"

Peru's Ancient Inca Capital Bans Transgenic Potatoes

LIMA, Peru, July 19, 2007 (ENS) - A region of Peru that is a center of potato diversity has banned genetically modified varieties of the tuber. The Cusco regional government's Order 010 - approved by majority vote on June 21 and made public today - is intended to protect the genetic diversity of thousands of native potato varieties.

The order forbids the sale, cultivation, use and transport of genetically modified potatoes as well as other native food crops.

Potatoes have been cultivated in the Cusco region for thousands of years and helped to feed the ancient Inca empire.

The regional capital Cusco is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Americas. Along with nearby Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas just named one of the new seven wonders of the world, Cusco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The potato originated in the highlands of South America. Peru and its Andean neighbor countries are the crop's center of diversity - with more than 4,000 distinct varieties that farmers have developed over generations.
(snip/...)

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2007/2007-07-19-01.asp

[Judi Lynn]

11. Peru launches drive to regrow lost forests

Peru launches drive to regrow lost forests

July 20 2007 at 06:29AM

Lima - Peru has launched an ambitious drive to regrow millions of hectares of jungle and forests laid bare by illegal logging, pollution and slash-and-burn farming, officials said on Thursday.

The immediate goal is to reforest more than 100 000 square kilometres (the size of South Korea) of forest that have been devastated these past 40 years, said National Institute of Natural Resources (Inrena) president Roberto Angeles.

Inrena has begun a massive planting program in Peru's Amazon jungle basin, along the Pacific coastline and in the Andes highlands with a variety of trees including eucalyptus, pine, cypress, walnut, cedar, alder, ash and poplar.

In mahogany saplings alone, the institute plans to plant one million in the next two years.

"The importance of managed forests is that they are fully exploitable, compared to natural forests which, when completely uprooted, would cause the destruction of the ecosystem," said Angeles.
(snip/...)

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=122&art_id=nw20070720061753721C420760