One Man Dead and Others Injured as Mining Protests Continue in Bolivia

Last week, a protest broke out in a rural area of Bolivia near Potosi in reaction to the activities of Canadian mining company South American Silver Corp. The company plans to open up mines and has been performing exploration missions in order to begin extracting materials from the area around 2014 or 2015, CBC News reports.

Although the company claims that it has obtained agreements from most of the indigenous people in the area, it appears that at least a few communities in the area are concerned for the environmental impact of mining procedures on the land.

Some officials have stated that during the protest that erupted last Thursday evening, at least six individuals were injured. Over the weekend, officials announced that a local farmer had also died, but they claimed he had died from a dynamite accident while he was drunk, BBC News reports.

Quechua protesters had reportedly taken five hostages from the mining camp in the protests last week. Three of these detainees were released later on Friday. The other two have not been located.

Bolivian president Evo Morales has stated that he is considering nationalizing the Canadian mining company’s project, named Malku Khota. The company claims it has already invested at least $50 million into the project. The Vancouver Sun quotes Morales’s stance on the issue:

Nationalization is our obligation, I already raised the issue of nationalizing (the Malku Khota project) last year, and I told (local residents) to reach an agreement, because when they want we’re going to nationalize.

Protesters hope the president takes their side and have continued to protest throughout the country, even demonstrating in La Paz in recent weeks. Indigenous demonstrators have continued to rail against police forces, which have responded with water cannons and tear gas. Here’s a short video that shows some of the unrest in Bolivia in recent weeks:

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Read more: bolivia, civil liberties, mining, peru, protest, silver, violence

Photo Credit: Raphael Saulus

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Jen M.

12:03PM PDT on Jul 11, 2012

This is absolutly horrible.

July 11
send a green star

Past Member .

11:15AM PDT on Jul 11, 2012

I'm Canadian, and I'm ashamed of these companies.

Rafael Z.

6:45AM PDT on Jul 11, 2012

Did anybody notice the video is NOT about the Mine described in the article?

The protests are about the building of a highway that will go through a national park and resident's land. Nothing to do with the article.

5:08AM PDT on Jul 11, 2012

protect life, prosecute those that seek to destroy our shared home and our fellow beings
life has value beyond measure
Peace and Love
*********** WALL OF SHAME ************
┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬
┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬
┬┴┬┴┬┴ The Wall ┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴
┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬
┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴
DEMOLISH ------>>>>> THIS WALL !!!!
DEMAND FREEDOM, FOR ALL THE WORLD!!!!

Sarah M.

4:57AM PDT on Jul 11, 2012

Canada under the Harper Government are showing again, whether right or wrong, they don't listen to their own and others on the environment nor other issues.

JL A.

5:40PM PDT on Jul 10, 2012

Kudos to Morales for taking a strong stand