Biofuels Watch: New evictions in Chiapas likely for palm plantations

Sunday, February 28, 2010

New evictions in Chiapas likely for palm plantations

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Mexico: violent evictions in Chiapas rainforest clear land for biofuels?
By WW4 Report, http://ww4report.com/node/8385
Created 02/27/2010 - 19:32

NGOs in Mexico's conflicted southern state of Chiapas are protesting
the "forced displacement" by state and federal police of two peasant
settlements in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve [1]. The operations
took place Jan. 21 and 22 at the settlements of Laguna El Suspiro and
Laguna San Pedro—the last one a base community of the Zapatista [2]
rebel movement. Homes were destroyed, and the inhabitants forcibly
taken by helicopter to the nearby town of Palenque, where they were
given temporary shelter in resettlement center—and interrogated by
federal agents about supposed marijuana [3] cultivation on their
lands. Officials from the Federal Prosecutor for Environmental
Protection and National Commission for Protected Areas were
helicoptered in along with the police contingents to oversee the
evictions.

The Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas Human Rights Center [4], Fray Pedro
Lorenzo de la Nada Human Rights Center [5], Serapaz [6] and other
groups demanded the government indemnify the displaced communities.
They also cited other settlements at imminent threat of eviction,
including Nuevo San Gregorio, Nuevo Salvador Allende, Nuevo San Pedro,
6 de Octubre, Poblado Laguna El Suspiro, Ojo de Agua el Progreso and
San Jacinto Lacanjá.

On Jan 26, state and federal environmental authorities issued a new
plan for the "Ruta Maya"—including the Montes Azules reserve—
emphasizing eco-tourism development. (La Jornada [7], Feb. 5)

The Latin American Network against Monoculture Tree Plantations
(RECOMA [8]) warns that the lands of the evicted peasants could be
turned over for "biofuel [9]" production, noting that in January the
Chiapas state legislature had approved funds for establishing African
oil palm plantations. (Rel-UITA [10], Uruguay, EcoPortal.net [11],
Argentina, Feb. 23)

See our last posts on Mexico [12] and the struggle in Chiapas [13]

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