Populations affected by Belo Monte occupy worksite

Populations affected by Belo Monte occupy worksite and close the transamazon Highway

Around 300 indigenous people and fishermen from the Xingu basin are camped peacefully, since the early hours of today, at the worksite of Belo Monte to ask to stop the construction of Belo Monte dam ina Altamira (Para, Brazil). The trans-Amazonian Highway, was also closed. The protest has no deadline. "Faced with the intransigence of the Government to dialogue and its insistence on disrespect, we occupied as of now the building site of Belo Monte and locked their access by the trans-Amazonian highway. We demand that the Government send forth a representative with warrant to sign a definitive withdrawal of the construction, says the declaration.

"Belo Monte will only happen if we keep our arms crossed. We cannot remain silent. ", said indigenous leader from the Xipaia people, one of the ethnic groups affected by Belo Monte. "We are warriors and we will not ask for anything to the Government but what the Constitution guarantees us. Our ancestors fought for us we were here. Several documents have already been made, several meetings and nothing has changed. The machines continue to enter the area".

"It's a shame the way our own Government treated us with continuous lies and refusing to dialogue with affected communities," said Sheyla Juruna indigenous leadership who went to Washington to attend a meeting promoted by the Inter-American Commission on human rights. "I am horrified to see how we are treated in our own land without even the right to be consulted about this horrific project," added during Conference at OAS headquarters. Convened by the IACHR to explain about Belo Monte, the Brazilian Government refused to participate.

Norte Energia SA, the company responsible for construction, deployment, operation and maintenance of the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant, in Pará, announced today that the judge Cristina Collyer Damásio has consigned this afternoon an interlocutory decision determining the immediate evacuation of the area and prohibiting "any acts of disturbance that could compromise the work progress."

Norte Energia SA said it cherishes by constant dialogue with the communities located in the area of influence of the project and stated that the project is accompanied by the Brazilian Institute of environment and renewable natural resources (Ibama), with the support of the National Indian Foundation (Funai), "being conducted with the full agreement of the local population and indigenous peoples of the region, for which they are guaranteed fundamental rights, full preservation of their land and quality of life ".

"Surprising that the Group of protesters, mostly gathered up in other regions, led by people motivated by interests that are not the national interest, has occupied a private area, resulting in unnecessary commotion of public order, embarrassment and intimidation to workers," added Norte Energia SA.

Declaration of the Xingu Alliance against Belo Monte

"We will not allow the Government to create this mill and any other projects which affect the lands, the lives and the survival of current and future generations of the Xingu basin"

We, the 700 participants of the seminar "territories, environment and development in the Amazon: the fight against the major hydroelectric projects in Xingu basin"; We, warriors, Araweté Assurini do Pará, Tocantins Assurini, Kayapó, Kraô, Apinajés, Gavião, Pará, Munduruku, Guajajara Guajajara do Maranhão, Arara, Xipaya, Xicrin, Juruna, Guarani, Tupinambá, Tembé, Ka ' affix, Tupinambá, Tapajós, Arapyun, Maytapeí, Cumaruara, Awa-Guaja and Karajas, representing indigenous peoples threatened by Belo Monte and other hydroelectric projects in the Amazon; We, fishermen, farmers, and coastal dwellers, impacted by the power plant; We, students, trade unionists, social leaders and supporters of the struggles of peoples against Belo Monte, we affirm that we will not allow the Government to create this mill and any other projects which affect the lands, the lives and the survival of current and future generations of the Xingu basin.

During the days 25 and 26 October 2011, have gathered in Altamira to reaffirm our Alliance and the firm resolve to resist together, no matter the weapons and the physical, economic and moral threats they have used against us, the dam project and assassination of Xingu.

During this last decade, in which the Government has taken over and developed one of the most damaging projects of the military dictatorship in the Amazon, we, who are all Brazilian citizens, were not considered, ears and much less consulted on the construction of Belo Monte, as guaranteed by the Constitution and the laws of our country, and international treaties that protect traditional populations, of which Brazil is a signatory.

Expelled from their land, expelled from Río Barrancas, threatened by machines and suffocated by the dust they raise, the peoples of Xingu are being brutalized by the Consortium authorised by the Government to overturn the cocoa plantations, forests, farms, orchards, gardens and houses, destroying the fauna of the River, usurp the spaces in the city and in the field, raising the cost of living, exploit workers and terrorize the households with the threat of a gloomy future of misery, violence, drugs and prostitution. And thus repeating mistakes, disrespect and violence of so many other hydroelectric projects and large taxes by force to the Amazon and its peoples.

Armed only with our dignity and our rights, and strengthened by our Alliance, we declare here that we formalize a Pact to combat Belo Monte, that makes us strong above all the humiliation that was imposed until then. We have signed a pact that will keep us United until the death of this project is wiped off the map and history of the Xingu, with whom we have a debt of honor, life and of blood if its survival so requires.

Faced with the intransigence of the Government to dialogue, and insistence on disrespect, we occupy as of now the building site of Belo Monte and lock their access by the trans-Amazonian highway. We demand that the Government send forth a representative with warrant to sign a definitive withdrawal of the outage and the construction of Belo Monte.

================

Quick (and dramatic) campaign update with what seems to be a declaration of war presented being at the Organization of American States:

The federal judge who had postponed the judgment 10 days ago called for a new vote (three judges must vote for a decision) yesterday, which was announced the previous afternoon. We mobilized quickly with protests the next afternoon at the federal courthouse. The decision was once again postponed. The previous delayer voted the construction plant is regular, leaving up to the third judge to decide. She used the same maneuver and asked to review the text, which can take as long as she desires. Because there is no real polemic as to the contents of the lawsuit, this indicates she will vote for the dam to proceed, only trying to buy time at this point.

EARLY THIS MORNING (October 27, 2011) 300 indigenous people and fishermen occupied the construction site. Meanwhile, a judge determine their removal and the Brazilian Government declined to participate at the seminar held by the OAS, where what seems to be a declaration of war was presented by indigenous leaders. Read the story and the declaration at:
****** http://veddas.org.br/forests.html *********

As the warriors camp at the worksite, we in Sao Paulo stand 150 strong at our Occupy Sao Paulo, which amongst other issues demands a complete stop to the construction of the belo monte dam. Last night at 3 AM the camp was attacked. One of our banners hanging from up the pass way was set on fire with gasoline, falling down in flames in the area where the tents are set up.