In a communique published on 12 August, the Committee for the Promotion and Defense of Life Samuel Ruiz García reported that residents of the Monte Sinaí ejido, Chicomuselo municipality, had denounced the offers of workers from the Montecristo mining firm, which had promised “social projects such as roads and clinics, in addition to their commitment not to pollute the environment of local communities.” The Human Rights Committee reminded “the different levels of government that since 14 May 2009, these communities have decided by majority not to allow the entrance of mining firms which seek to destroy their lands and put the lives of local residents at risk. Furthermore, they have expressed that they would defend their lands, even if that costs them their lives.” The Committee warned that “for this reason, the presence of miners in the communities is a provocation for these communities, which may lead to a major conflict.”
For more information (in Spanish):
Comunicado del Comité para la Promoción y defensa de la Vida “Samuel Ruíz García” (12 de agosto)
Rechazan pobladores de Chicomuselo, Chiapas, proyectos mineros en la zona (La Jornada, 15 de agosto de 2013)
For more information from SIPAZ (in English):
Chiapas: Self-defense brigades against looting by mining corporations (5 March 2013)
Chiapas: two thousand march at the close of the “Chiapan Meeting of Unity against the Extractive Mining Model” in Frontera Comalapa (7 December 2012)
Chiapas: Second Forum “For the Defense of Our Mother Earth and Land; Yes to Life, No to Mining Devastation” (21 September 2012)
Mexico: “Mined land, the defense of the rights of communities and of the environment” (14 December 2011)
Chiapas: Death-threats directed against the Chicomuselo parish (13 October 2010)
Chiapas: the Peace Network presents report on Chiapas’ border zone(13 October 2010)
Chiapas: Canadian delegation investigates mining abuses (2 April 2010)
Chiapas: Anti-mining activist Mariano Abarca killed (1 December 2009)
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