Why Aren't They Mining?

National Coordinating Committee of Campesino Organizations (CNOC)

March 13, 2006

Translated by Erin Riddle

Why aren’t they mining in Zone 10 and 14, and areas owned by the ruling business class?

Fourteen months after the death of Raúl Castro Bocel, a campesino murdered by henchmen of the Guatemalan police and army in Los Encuentros, Sololá, when the local population resisted the transfer of mining equipment to the department of San Marcos, the National Coordinating Committee of Campesino Organizations (CNOC) would like to express support for the Bocel family and the Kakchiquel community and extend our solidarity to the mayor of Sololá, who has received an infinite number of death threats for defending the interests of her people.

Historically, indigenous peoples were confined to the departments of San Marcos, Huehuetenango, Quiché, Alta and Baja Verapaz. Today these same peoples are being pushed off the land to make way for mining companies, which sooner or later will not only destroy the highland landscape, but also bring misery and death. One of the most precious metals mined is uranium, used to build atomic bombs and manufacture missile heads with depleted uranium, which have been used to kill civilians in Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. Canadian and American companies have expressed interest in metal exploration and excavation in Petén, Izabal, Jutiapa, and have already started in Chiquimula.

Arrogance and intolerance characterize the Oscar Berger administration, which has failed to consider proposals from the social sectors participating in the High Level Commission on Mining. More than a year ago, for more than one year they agreed to amend the Mining Law, which the Ministry of Energy and Mines sent to Congress with the administration’s unilateral changes. The Guatemalan government, run by landowners and businessmen, is obligated to prioritize transnational companies that plunder the land. They know they will benefit from the millions of dollars in royalties generated to the detriment of rural communities. The government assures that the indigenous and campesino population living in these communities will never be lifted out of poverty and therefore, they “should be grateful for the mining projects underway,” which will create jobs for them. These companies don’t mention that the profit will be made off of the cheap labor used for the excavation of the site.

We reaffirm that mining activity kills, destroys, and contaminates, which is why we must act to defend Mayan regions. For this reason, CNOC stands in solidarity with the High Level Commission on Mining and completely rejects the government’s maneuvers, which have clearly demonstrated that the government is not interested in development for the people, but rather the financial benefits that will increase the amount in their personal bank accounts in foreign countries. We also call on the people from the Q´anjob´al region of Huehuetenango; Uspantán and Chicamán, in Quiché; the communities of El Rincón and El Incienso in Esquipulas, Chiquimula; Asunción Mita in Jutiapa; the northern region of Suchitepéquez; and Comitancillo and Sibinal in San Marcos, to firmly oppose any action in favor of mining exploitation as the authorities from the Ministry of Energy and Mining have granted licenses without first gaining the approval of the High Level Commission, and without consulting the rural communities on the consequences of mining exploitation.

The indigenous and campesino struggle continues towards a future without mining exploitation…

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	National Coordinating Committee of Campesino Organizations (CNOC) March 13, 2006 Translated by Erin Riddle Why aren’t they mining in Zone 10 and 14, and areas owned by the ruling business class? Fourteen months after the death of Raúl Castro Bocel, a campesino murdered by henchmen of the Guatemalan police and army in Los Encuentros, Sololá, when the local population resisted the transfer of mining equipment to the department of San Marcos, the National Coordinating Committee of Campesino Organizations (CNOC) would like to express support for the Bocel family and the Kakchiquel community and extend our solidarity to the mayor of Sololá, who has received an infinite number of death threats for defending the interests of her people. Historically, indigenous peoples were confined to the departments of San Marcos, Huehuetenango, Quiché, Alta and Baja Verapaz. Today these same peoples are being pushed off the land to make way for mining companies, which sooner or later will not only destroy the highland landscape, but also bring misery and death. One of the most precious metals mined is uranium, used to build atomic bombs and manufacture missile heads with depleted uranium, which have been used to kill civilians in Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. Canadian and American companies have expressed interest in metal exploration and excavation in Petén, Izabal, Jutiapa, and have already started in Chiquimula. Arrogance and intolerance characterize the Oscar Berger administration, which has failed to consider proposals from the social sectors participating in the High Level Commission on Mining. More than a year ago, for more than one year they agreed to amend the Mining Law, which the Ministry of Energy and Mines sent to Congress with the administration’s unilateral changes. The Guatemalan government, run by landowners and businessmen, is obligated to prioritize transnational companies that plunder the land. They know they will benefit from the millions of dollars in royalties generated to the detriment of rural communities. The government assures that the indigenous and campesino population living in these communities will never be lifted out of poverty and therefore, they “should be grateful for the mining projects underway,” which will create jobs for them. These companies don’t mention that the profit will be made off of the cheap labor used for the excavation of the site. We reaffirm that mining activity kills, destroys, and contaminates, which is why we must act to defend Mayan regions. For this reason, CNOC stands in solidarity with the High Level Commission on Mining and completely rejects the government’s maneuvers, which have clearly demonstrated that the government is not interested in development for the people, but rather the financial benefits that will increase the amount in their personal bank accounts in foreign countries. We also call on the people from the Q´anjob´al region of Huehuetenango; Uspantán and Chicamán, in Quiché; the communities of El Rincón and El Incienso in Esquipulas, Chiquimula; Asunción Mita in Jutiapa; the northern region of Suchitepéquez; and Comitancillo and Sibinal in San Marcos, to firmly oppose any action in favor of mining exploitation as the authorities from the Ministry of Energy and Mining have granted licenses without first gaining the approval of the High Level Commission, and without consulting the rural communities on the consequences of mining exploitation. The indigenous and campesino struggle continues towards a future without mining exploitation…





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