Social conflicts up by nearly 250 percent since Peru’s Garcia took office

Social conflicts have shot up from 84 in July 2006 – a month after Peru President Alan Garcia was elected as APRA’s presidential candidate in a runoff election – to 284 this past month, reported daily El Comercio on Tuesday.
Of the 284 social conflicts tracked last month, more than 60 percent were related to regional [...]

Survival International: call for napalm bombing of ’savages’ in Peru’s Amazon wins “Most Racist Article of the Year Award”

An article implying that Peruvian natives should be bombed with napalm has been named by London-based Survival International as the ‘most racist article’ published in the last year by the mainstream media.

No alliances will be made with Lima Mayor Castañeda for upcoming 2011 presidential elections, says Simon

Former premier and head of the Peruvian Humanist Movement Yehude Simon said Friday that his party would not be making any alliances with the “authoritarian” Lima Mayor Luis Castañeda Lossio for the upcoming 2011 presidential elections.
“We have a different vision,” said Simon, who compared Castañeda’s style to that of Ollanta Humala, head of Peru’s Nationalist [...]

Peru Interior Ministry to monitor social conflicts in collaboration with Ombudsman’s Office

Nearly two months after the deadly Bagua clashes that left 34 dead and hundreds of people injured, Peru Interior Minister Octavio Salazar Miranda announced Wednesday the creation of a special office to monitor social conflicts and prevent any further outbreaks of violence.
“We have to evaluate the situation. We can’t watch events unfold from a law [...]

Cardinal Cipriani warns of “foreign meddling in Peru’s internal affairs” during July 28th homily

The Archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, said during his sermon on Independence Day Tuesday that “Peru needs an iron front to stamp out foreign meddling and interference in the country’s internal affairs.”
“Peru is an open country and is always ready to initiate dialogue with those willing to collaborate in good faith,” said Cipriani [...]

DA confirms Bagua indigenous protesters were not armed

Amazonas region District Attorney Oswaldo Bautista Carranza has confirmed that indigenous protestors involved in a deadly clash with police last June were not carrying firearms.
“Our preliminary investigation has led us to the conclusion that the indigenous protesters were not carrying any type of firearm,” said Bautista in comments to daily La República.
Before dawn on June [...]

Peru’s García meets with Chinese Vice-President Liu Yunshan

Peru President Alan García, who has repeatedly said that Peru is “a victim of international communism,” met Monday with Chinese Vice-President and the head of the Communist Party’s Propaganda Department, Liu Yunshan.
“President García was very sincere and friendly,” said Liu, one of 24 members of the Politburo, the most influential group of politicians in the [...]

Human Rights Watch: Peru radio closure could undermine press freedom

The Peruvian government’s decision this month to revoke the broadcast license of a local radio station “could have a chilling effect on community broadcasting in Peru,” reported Human Rights Watch on Wednesday.
“The timing and circumstances of the revocation suggest that it may have been an act of censorship, or punishment, in response to coverage of [...]

Peru Government adopts conciliatory tone after Amazon clashes

In a conciliatory move, after two months of telling indigenous communities that the government would not review legislation aimed to open up the Peruvian Amazon to more foreign investment, Peru’s Premier Yehude Simon asked Congress to repeal the controversial decrees by June 18.
“I understand that the members of Congress are upset,” said Simon. “But I ask [...]

Minister of Women’s Affairs resigns following violent clashes in Peru’s Amazon

The Minister of Women’s Affairs and Social Development, Carmen Vildoso, resigned from the Cabinet of Peru’s President Alan García late Monday evening, following violent clashes between police and indigenous protesters in Peru’s northern Amazon that left dozens of police and civilians dead.