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Newen peñi, newen lanmien

category bolivia / peru / ecuador / chile | repression / prisoners | opinion / analysis author Friday January 11, 2008 01:03author by peñi Report this post to the editors

Newen peñi, newen lanmien

Newen peñi, newen lanmien

The government of Chile, headed by President Michelle Bachelet and Prime Minister Velisario Velasco, continues its genocidal politics against the Mapuche People. Chile presents itself to the world as a country of progress and a champion of human rights, but it has no remorse when it comes to repression against the Mapuche people.
MichelleBachellet declared in a conference in Switzerland: ...in Chile we do not have have any political prisoners... The Mapuches are people have tried to solve matters in a way wich is neither democratic or peaceful... What can one expect from a politician who denies the political aspect of a struggle which has been ongoing for 500 years?
Entre morir doblegada es mejor morir de pie...If we must die bowed down, it is better to die standing... My grandfather died in jail in Valdivia, My son and my daughters are detained, my sister and I are also in jail and my grandchildren will also follow the same sad path of blood and suffering. Declairs Lonko Juana Calfunao. This is the reality which the Mapuche people face when thay choose not to live under Chile's democratic state. The president of Chile offers only two solutions: Prision or death.

Patricia Troncoso,who is in the Angol prison (IX region), has been fasting for nearly 90 days -the longest hunger strike in Chile's history- She is seriously risking her life and health but is willing to face all consecuences. Patricia faces a sentence of 10 years and one day, accused of burning down 100 hectares of pine woodland, property of Forestal Mininco. The case is called “Poluco-Pidenco”.
This and other logging companies are responsable for the acidification of the soil and destruction of eco-systems which existed in the native forests. By planting only pine trees the soils becomes too acid for other species to grow. It is not an exageration to say that a large part of the South of Chile has been turned into a vast green desert.
Patricia Troncoso started her hunger strike along with four other inmates. After 70 days of receiving no response from the government and at the request of their friends and comrades, the four others stopped, leaving Patricia on her own. There is no form of evidence against her, only declarations from the police, the logging company's guards and a few masked witnesses. Patricia has decided to conitnue with the strike even if it causes her death.

There is much state repression towards the Mapuche struggle. It is a fact that in any part of the world Police defends the interest of capital, but in Mapuche territory the police force and the Chilean secret Service have become blatent military guards for the logging companies and landowners. On the 3rd of January a group of 30 mapuches who were peacefully squatting lands owned by Jorge Luchsinger, were met by police who killed 23 year old Matias Catrileo. Matias was shot in the back with a bullet from an Uzi machine gun. This is not the first and only death. In 2002 Alex Lemun was murdered, shot in the head by the police. Rodrigo Cisternas was killed in 2007 .
Patricia's name will join the list of assassinations if the government does not take her just demands into account.

Newen peñi, newen lanmien
marrichiweu

strength brothers, strength sisters
if one falls, ten will rise.

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