Can we now call this what it is? Because it's not about the environment. It's about extortion, corruption and theft of Bear Creek Mining's legal rights to the Puno Santa Ana project area. Achieved through mob rule and terrorist actions.
"There are dark political interests here that are demanding power," Garcia told reporters. "What they are trying to do is pressure the next government of Ollanta Humala by issuing threats and forcefully demonstrating," Garcia said without providing further details.
Some 5,000 protesters, mostly Aymara Indians, have descended on Puno over the past few weeks to demand concessions be revoked for all mining companies, not just Bear Creek's Santa Ana project, ostensibly over concerns about potential pollution.
Magazine Caretas reported this week, however, that wildcat miners are interested in Bear Creek's concession and are working alongside protesters. Locals think the land has valuable gold deposits in addition to silver.
Often times they (the Puno terrorists) also demand direct economic benefits from mining and oil projects. SOURCE
Isn't that how criminal territorial monopolies and protection money has always worked? Is this the corruption President-elect Ollanta Humala has sworn to stop? I think Alan Garcia is rightfully washing his hands of this and just passing the baton, because this isn't over. Bear Creek has invested nearly $100 million. And notoriously environmentally unfriendly wildcat miners want to take it away. This really stinks bad.
Read on:
Bear Creek's director, Andrew Swarthout, told The Associated Press that the company had not received formal notification of the decree's revocation.
He said any government attempt to cancel the project would be illegal and amount to "expropriation."
"We followed all the rules. We got public consent. We're in the middle of an environmental impact statement. It was due process. Everything was within the letter of the law," Swarthout said.
The company has said it already spent $96 million on the Santa Ana project.
Swarthout has warned previously that any attempt to end the project would give pause to international investors who have announced their intention to plow more than $40 billion into Peru's mining sector in the coming decade.
Click Here to Read the Whole AP Article
The Company has followed all required processes to earn approvals in the ESIA process and the ESIA is based on a project design that takes into account the highest quality of environmental safeguards and standards as well as strong commitments to social sustainability and benefits to local communities including job training, agricultural, educational and health improvement programs. The Santa Ana project will provide 1,000 direct jobs, 1,500 indirect jobs, and provide over US$330 million in royalties and taxes for the Peruvian people and our surrounding communities. Mr. Andrew Swarthout, Bear Creek CEO, stated "We continue to believe that these protests and government responses are the result of the pre-election political climate. We remain confident that the protests will be successfully resolved allowing companies like Bear Creek to return to the normal, well-established permitting and other procedures under which all mining companies in Peru have operated for decades. I emphasize again that Bear Creek has received strong local community support for our Santa Ana project as demonstrated by the formal public hearing successfully completed in our local community at Santa Ana in February, 2011 in which the community officially ratified its strong support for the Santa Ana mine development. It is important to recognize that the protests in southern Puno are occurring distant from the Santa Ana project and involve participants far removed from the communities in which we work. We will continue, as always, to work with local and federal authorities to assist in resolving the regional issues even as we pursue our legal alternatives." He said any government attempt to cancel the project would be illegal and amount to "expropriation."
"We followed all the rules. We got public consent. We're in the middle of an environmental impact statement. It was due process. Everything was within the letter of the law," Swarthout said.
The company has said it already spent $96 million on the Santa Ana project.
Swarthout has warned previously that any attempt to end the project would give pause to international investors who have announced their intention to plow more than $40 billion into Peru's mining sector in the coming decade.
Click Here to Read the Whole AP Article
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