"Mining: more protests, more deaths, some dialogue”

The death of a protester at Las Bambas [part of MMG, part of China Minmetals] in October has already had a strong impact on public policy, as we outlined last week, and the fear of ‘contagion’ has proved real. http://www.perusupportgroup.org.uk/article-1220.html Last week brought further significant events: further deaths at police hands, this time in La Libertad, and more mining protests in the south…The tragic events in La Libertad have again highlighted the role of the police in handling protests and the relationship between the police and private mining companies. Two deaths occurred as a consequence of a protest against Consorcio Minero Horizonte. The company is held to be contaminating Lake Pias and failing to comply with agreements made with the community. Police used lethal force to deal with the blocking of the road leading to the mine…The fear and the reality of a Las Bambas ‘contagion effect’ have been illustrated by events last week in Cuzco, close to Las Bambas. Two companies have been affected. The Canadian company Hudbay saw protesters occupy one of its pits at the Constancia mine in Chumbivilcas on 7 November, and a second pit the following day. The company has since suspended all operations. At the same time, on 8 November, the mining camp of Anapi SAC in Quinota was taken over. The company’s mine lies some 40 minutes away from the camp, on the border between Chumbivilcas (in Cuzco) and Cotabambas (in Apurímac).[Includes previous company comments in Spanish]