Dear friends,
following you'll find an update on the AIRASOL-campaign and the
road-blockade in Roraima. We received the information via fax from
Giorgio Dal Ben and are networking it this way.
Networked by Pro REGENWALD - Hermann Edelmann
Monastier, 2 June 1994
The road blockade set up on March 14th by the Makuxi, Ingariko,
Wapixana and Taurepang peoples to get the "Garimpeiros" out of
their region and put pressure on Government for their land is
still going on.
STRUGGLE FOR LAND: MORE VIOLENCE
The Indians of the indigenous Area Raposa - Serra do Sol (Airasol)
have been in May the target of two violent actions: an aggression
by Police and a murder by outsiders.
The aggression On May 7th, late in the evening, some 8 drunken
policemen invaded several times the indian campement at the
Machado village's road blockade and aggressed the Indians and two
Funai's officials humiliating and threatening them. Both Funai and
Roraima Indigenous Council -CIR- strongly denounced the abuse.
The Murder On May 17th by night the 69 year old Makuxi, from
Napoleao village, Bento Sampalo was murdered by a cowboy of the
nearby farm "Nova Vida", which belongs to cattle breeder Jos
Saraiva. The killer beat the Indian to death and abused him
sexually. After committing the crime he went back to the victim's
wife and raped her until morning. The Indians of the Napoleao
village, warned by the victim's son, went to the farm and captured
the murderer handing him over to Police. He is now under arrest.
The Indians want Jos Saraiva to leave immediately the Raposa-Serra
do Sol region. They accuse him of being the crime instigator. The
killer, his employee, who had received from him some hours earlier
a bottle of cachaoa, admitted to have killed Bento Sampaio at his
command. The crime occured in the south-eastern part of the
Indigenous Area Raposa - Serra do Sol near Normandia, the only
white village of the entire region. It lies outside the area
controlled by the road blockade.
Remark
1) There is behind the crime a long dispute for land between the
indians and the invader, a long story of threat and abuse
committed by Jos Saraiva. In a document adressed to the
authorities, the Roraima Indigenous Council states: "Newspapers in
Boa Vista use to denounce that there will be a bloodshed in the
Indigenous Area Raposa-Serra do Sol, if this is demarcated. They
do no realize that blood of the Makuxi and Wapixana peoples is
since a long time ago leaving his stain on the savannah of
Roraima"
2) The inhabitants of the Airasol are really tired of being abused
and they are claiming for justice. From twelve cases of murder
occured in the region during the last six years only one murderer
was put on trial. He was acquitted last october by a jury on
allegation of self defense, although all circumstances of the
crime appointed him very clearly to be a murderer. "Impunity
permitted by Roraima's authorities conniving with this situation
is the cause for the continuity of criminal action like this
murder" says the document. No peace is possible for the
Indigenous peoples in Roraima without right to land.
INDIAN RIGHTS THREATENED
1) New Procedure for demarcation The Minister of Justice announced
the plan of creating an interministerial Commission to set up a
new procedure for demarcation replacing the Decree 22 which
regulates the issue. The Indigenist Missionary Council -Cimi- has
strongly denounced the decision as a manoeuvre carried out by the
Government to impeach the demarcation of indigenous land.
2) Concern of the Minister About "Foreign Interests" The Minister
of Justice confirmed the plan to Dom Luciano Mendes de Almeida,
the President of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil
(CNBB) and to the President of the Commission for Environment and
Minorities who visited him last week. In the same occasion the
Minister expressed his concern about the "foreign interests" for
demarcation of indigenous areas and the work of religious missions
in this field.
3) Revision of the Federal Constitution This is another important
issue we should remember is going on in Brazil. Indigenous
organisations and their allies are watching very closely the
revision of the Federal Constitution related to Indian rights. On
May 18th the Rapporteur of the Commission for Indian Statute, the
deputy Luciano Pizzato, presented a good proposal "substitutivo"
for improving the constitutional text, he had been widely
discussing with the Indigenist organisations. Some aspects
however will be improved by amendements that supporting groups
presented to the special Commission from May 23 through 27. The
amendements presented are related to the following fields; mining
activity (proposal to reject all mining licenses registered in the
National Departement of Mining Research - DNPM -before the 1988
Federal Constitution - there are some 800 mining licenses only for
the Yanomami area, land demarcation (punctual changes), medical
care, health care, education, productive activity.
This action aims at improving and summarizing the text.
Remark If the Commission is created, all demarcation activity will
be stopped. The Indigenous area Raposa-Serra do Sol issue too will
be submitted to the new rules. Theoretically, there will be no
total revision of the Airasol matter, as Politicians in Roraima
are telling to people, but only an adjustment to new procedure it
must nevertheless pay much attention to this dangerous matter
because of the well known will from enemies of drastically
reducing all indian land.
Conclusion Somebody can wonder about the attitude of the
Indigenous peoples in Roraima toward the situation they are
facing. Which is their reaction? It is completely normal. There
is no problem. While blockading the access to Airasol, they are
continuing to implement their plan at any level.........slowly but
always......
That's all for now. Um "abraco" a todos os amigos.