Bolivia - March 13th, 2019
After the agreement between the Minister of Mining and Metallurgy and union representatives, the militarization of the state mine with the excuse of “jukeo” (theft of ore, NT)...
THE ARMED FORCES OF MORALES MURDERED FOUR UNEMPLOYED WORKERS
The new ORO directive already has their hands stained with blood of unemployed workers
General Assembly! Let the accomplices of the government and the murderous army go!
Out of Huanuni the Armed Forces!
The real “mineral thieves” are the imperialist transnationals that in 2018 alone
took 4100 million dollarsand left only 179 million for Bolivia!
Yestersday at dawn in the sector Bunker, upper part of Cataricagua on the road linking Llallagua with the mining district of Huanuni, four unemployed workers were killed at point-blank range by soldiers guarding the sector.
The names of the fallen are José Luis Nicolás García (31), Miguel Ángel Acerico Mamani (21), Julián Colque Condori (33), Roberto Altovar Montaño (24).
According to the diagnosis issued by the forensic doctor, the cause of the decease would be gunshot wounds.
This tragic event for the exploited was disclosed by several national media where they echoed the government’s statements that they would be jukus (ore thieves) and their activity would cause an alleged damage to the economy of the state mining company of Huanuni, generating deficits. Nothing further from the truth. Even the Minister of Mining and Metallurgy declared through the State Channel 7 that two important new veins have been found in the Posokoni hill: “which will generate a significant level of profits; so the level of control should be much more complete and comprehensive and therefore we will provide drones to the army that is doing external control -at this time they are patrolling with vehicles- and provide an infrastructure that render a higher level of control, presence and control, and the same for our National Police”.Also in that interview, he did not stop threatening the unemployed workers, whom he warned: “The jukus must know that Huanuni is not a no man’s land, it is not a free place, it is a place of the State where work is being done and in parallel where we are going to prevent that there is robbery, a robbery that is practically bleeding the profits of this important tin company of our country”.
The secretary of Internal Regime of the FSTMB, Elizabeth Alcón Condori, on behalf of the bureaucracy stated in an interview (03/13/19) that they had made an agreement with the police that would be in charge of the interior of the mine and the military to protect the exterior of mine from the jukus. She also affirmed after the massacre of the unemployed miners: “We are going to support the work that is being carried out by the police and the military in the task that has been entrusted to them to protect the deposit”. Similarly, the Secretary General, David Choque, Huanuni Mining Union declared in the news channel of Huanuni Hora 21: “as a union leadership we cannot be happy at this time with the loss of a human life (...) but a measure of caution has had to be taken when we are already overwhelmed with the so-called jukus that take large amounts of ore (...) the contract (signed with the police and the army, RN) says clearly, the protection of Cerro Posokoni and the State Company Huanuni (...) We as a union leadership are quite worried, what we have to guarantee is the safety of our company and the union”.
The statements of the miners union leaders of the Federation and the miners union of Huanuni support the repressive actions of the government and the Armed Forces. Thus they justify the murder of unemployed workers from Llallagua, whom the government treats as thieves, while the State trims down the personnel of the EMH and accuses the unemployed workers of Huanuni of wanting to occupy the mine. They are beginning the massacre of the unemployed after achieving the division of the workers ranks. At this moment there are 200 troops of the armed forces, with a helicopter hovering over the mining district; and under the direction of the Minister of Defense, Javier Zabaleta, a search operation is being carried out in areas surrounding the mining center.
Thus, what they really want to hide is the reckless plundering of minerals by the corporations, as if there was not enough money to “end with the jukeo”, that is, with unemployment and for the disappearance of “cooperatives” that enslave labor, including the use of children and women. The real jukus are the transnationals that alone in 2018 have taken 4100 million dollars, leaving for the Bolivian State the derisory amount of 179 million .
It is a tragedy that while the transnational companies bleed Bolivia, when the miners of the San Cristóbal together with the housewives call to the unity of the workers around the demands of better wages and labour conditions facing the Japanese transnational Sumitomo (who plunders zinc and silver) and Minister Navarro of the anti-worker government, the leadership of the FSTMB and the mining union of Huanuni justifies the murderous actions of the Armed Forces, when the urgent task is to unite the working class with the demand of jobs for all with a living and mobile minimum wage! One more shift in all the mines with the nationalization of the entire branch of mining production to guarantee job stability!
The facts speak for themselves. The militarization of Huanuni is not aimed to guarantee job stability, let alone taking care of the Posokoni hill from the jukus; its objective is to take care of the two veins that were found and to guarantee the whole of the EMH is at the service of the looting of the transnationals, by massacring the unemployed, imposing white massacre on the EMH and the subjection of the miners. Enough of spilling workers’ blood! Self-defence miners’ committees to confront the police and the murderous armed forces!
LSTI of Bolivia
