Lima, May 25 (Prensa Latina) A protest against mining and oil concessions which has shut down the border with Bolivia entered its 17th day Wednesday in the South Andean region of Puno, Peru, without any prospect of a quick solution. The protest also cut off access to Puno City, capital of the region with the same name, which has been shut down since yesterday by about 10,000 local protesters.
According to Gen. William Andia from the 4th Mountain Division of the Army, the protest continued even after the armed forces took control over buildings, basic public services and other strategic points.
The military deployment was enforced based on a government resolution stipulating the intervention of the armed forces to support police as a preventive measure, Andia said.
Puno Mayor Luis Butron expressed his solidarity with the strikers, who oppose the mining and oil drilling acitivites because of their polluting and harmful effects on agriculture and cattle raising, traditional activities in southern Puno.
According to press reports, on Wednesday, four provinces of northern Puno will begin waging 48-hour general strikes, blocking road, and demonstrating in solidarity with the protest in the south.
Meanwhile, Peru’s Chamber of Commerce announced that losses caused by the border blockade totaled about 20 million USD.
The prison gates are open... 