A massacre. That's how yesterday's dawn began at "Fazenda
Santa Helena" (Santa Helena farm) in the Amazon state of
Rondonia, Northwest Brazil. It was around 4 a.m. when two hundred
heavily armed men from the Military Police, with bullet-proof vests
and antiriot troops invaded a settlement of landless peasants to
enforce a judicial eviction order issued by a local judge. The
property, occupied by 500 hundreds families (around 2,500 people)
early this month, is located at the municipality of Corumbiara, 600
km from the state capital, the city of Porto Velho.
The police attacked the huts with tear gas, which created a
great confusion among the people. Later there was shooting. Until
now the casualties raised to 32 people, mainly women and children.
Two policemen also died. In the nearby hospitals there are over 200
wounded peasants. Many people are lost in the bush and some
wounded, dazed by the tear gas, plunged in the river. At this point
it's impossible to know exactly how many people died. Yesterday the
police isolated the area during the whole day, nobody managed to go
there. A delegation of Congressmen traveled to the region today.
THE SETTLEMENT
On July 16th, 1995, around 200 families settled at the
"Fazenda Santa Helena", in Corumbiara, in the state of Rondonia. In
the following weeks more peasants joined them.
The area is a 16,000 hectares(40,000 acres). Supposedly 8,000
hectares are dedicated to cattle herding and the rest was totally
abandoned, covered by bush. The peasants occupied the latter.
The landholder name is Helio Pereira Moraes and lives in the
Sao Paulo city, thousands of miles away. Accordingly to the
information that we have he acquired the land through a fraud in
INCRA (the Brazilian federal agency for land) obtaining rights over
eight properties of 2,000 hectares each, while he could have only
one.
THE AFTERMATH
Civil Society's organization are in touch with the Governor of
Rondonia, Mr. Valdir Raupp; Congressmen traveled to the site of
this tragedy and all social movements and grassroots organizations
in the state are involved in a solidarity network to help the
wounded.
We ask you to send protest fax to:
the Brazilian president, Mr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso, fax:
(55-61) 226.7566;
the "Procuradoria Geral da Republica" (the Brazilian General
Attorney), fax: (55-61) 313.5444;
the Governor of Rondonia, Mr. Valdir Raupp, phone: (55-69)
223.3000, fax: (55-69) 224.3520;
the Security State Secretary, Mr. Wanderley Martins Mossini, phone:
(55-69) 224.2125, fax: (55-69) 224.2715.
During the day we will receive further news, that will be
immediately disclosed. Any direct contact with the local
organizations should be made through the following phone numbers:
CPT - phone: (55-69) 221.2001
fax: (55-69) 223.1135
Federacao dos Trabalhadores (Peasant Unions' Federation)
phone: (55-69) 421.5985
We believe that international solidarity is very important to
avoid further violence in the region, while putting pressure in the
Brazilian authorities to punish those who made this slaughter.
IBASE-Brazilian Institue of Social and Economic Analyses
CNRA-National Campaign for the Land Reform