BRASIL: YANOMAMI MASSACRE BECOMES NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE
by mario osava
rio de janeiro, aug 24 (ips) -- brazil's government has
transformed the massacre of amazonian indians into a national
security issue, after an international outcry led to warnings
from the military that the country's sovereignty was in danger.
president itamar franco decided to create a new ministry for
the amazon at a monday meeting of the national defence council,
made up of the country's five military chiefs, political
authorities and cabinet ministers. parliamentarians say the new
ministry is likely to be headed by a military official.
the council also recommended the urgent establishment of a
system to protect the amazon, including 17 radars, so that the
air force can survey brazil's borders and fight against drug
trafficking, smuggling and damage to the environment.
president franco has already approved an 800 million dollar
budget for the protection system.
the council further agreed to set up a ''special structure of
the federal police'' in the yanomami territory ''with support in
the form of human and material resources from the armed forces
and other government agencies,'' a defence council release
stated.
miners massacred dozens of yanomami -- 70 according to the
national indian foundation (funai) -- in the state of roraima,
northern brazil, just over a week ago.
the killings were widely condemned abroad.
the daily 'o estado de sao paulo' reported tuesday that the
idea of a supranational body to oversee the amazon, mooted in the
1980s in reaction to forest fires that were destroying the
region, might be relaunched in french political and university
circles.
the international reaction has led the military to come out
against what is sees as potential threats to national
sovereignty.
foreign interference ''is inacceptable'' and the idea of
creating a ''supranational authority'' for the amazon or the
yanomami area is much less so, said admiral arnaldo leite
pereira, armed forces chief of staff.
some two weeks ago, the heads of brazil's armed forces charged
that u.s. military operations in neighbouring nations threatened
the country's amazonian borders. they interpreted the presence of
u.s. troops in colombia and guyana as part of a plan by
washington to install bases there. (more)
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the defence of the amazon appears to be a return to the
climate of exacerbated nationalism that reigned during the
presidency of jose sarney (1985-1989), in response to pressure
from international environmentalist groups against the burning of
the amazon's forests.
politicians in roraima state, including governor ottomar de
souza pinto and senator cesar dias, insist on denying the
yanmomami massacre. they say it was invented by foreign
forces interested in the amazon's riches.
and the foreign ministry barred diplomats from the us and
canadian embassies in brasilia from visiting the scene of the
massacre after the funai, a state body, had granted them
permission to do so.
the ministry said it had not been informed of the visit.
its move contrasted with the government's announcement, after
the jul. 23 massacre of eight street children in rio de janeiro,
that it would give more information to the international
community so as to reduce the negative repercussions of such
events.
with the creation of the new ministry, the yanomami issue and
questions relating to amerindians in general will be part of a
body of amazonian problems including the environment and the
exploitation of minerals and other resources, that will be
approached under the shadow of national security.
(end/ips/trd/so/mo-im/kb/93)
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[c] 1993, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS)
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