On August 15, 2011, at least 1,000 members of indigenous communities living in the Bolivian Indigenous Territory of the National Park Isiboro-Sécure (TIPNIS) began their long and treacherous march on foot to the capital city of La Paz in hopes of engaging the Bolivian government in a peaceful dialogue to prevent the government from building a highway directly through their territory. To date, armed with nothing but their will to protect their homes and the park, they continue to march despite the Bolivian government’s violent attempts to disintegrate and stop the movement. On September 25, as the movement gained momentum with thousands of other Bolivians from different backgrounds supporting what has been called the “VIII Great Indigenous March to Protect the TIPNIS,” the Bolivian government clandestinely sent 500 members of its police force to attack the marchers’ camp at night. The police beat and sequestered hundreds of men and women, as well as separated children from their parents. The attack resulted in many injured and led children to flee and disappear for days in the surrounding forests. Hundreds of marchers who were captured and separated from the movement were able to rejoin after their capturers were met with resistance in a town of TIPNIS-supporters. During the course of their journey, hundreds of people belonging to other indigenous communities joined the march in support of the TIPNIS movement – more than two hundred of them from the Andean region arrived in La Paz two days ago. Now consisting of approximately 2,000, the TIPNIS marchers have walked well over 400 km and are now less than 100 km from La Paz. Because their arrival would have coincided with judicial elections scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 16, the TIPNIS marchers have postponed their arrival until Monday. READ MORE »
Recent Comments