The violence erupted as police officers broke up a road blockade

Published Date : 08-06-2009 Type : Report Source : Associated Press, Reuters, CAOI, AMAZONWATCH Source Date : 06-06-2009

It is no exaggeration to say that the state of Peru is currently in turmoil.

Last week, perhaps scores of Indigenous protestors were killed and wounded by police as they demonstrated along a roadway in the Amazon region. The government alleges that the police and hostages also suffered fatalities at the hands of the demonstators.

At the time of writing, it is not clear what was done to whom and how they suffered.

Nonetheless, according to various independent eye witnesses, the blame must be placed squarely on the government’s determination to implement a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) - aimed at opening up much of the country to unacceptable and aggressive mineral exploitation.

In response to these tragic events, a number of organisations both inside and outside Peru, are calling for support and protests at Peruvian embassies around the world. Below, we reproduce a call for action published on June 8th. Readers are invited to indicate their support by emailing : bong@tebtebba.org

learn more : http://www.minesandcommunities.org/...