Military Police Arrest 13 Indigenous in Bahia
11/26/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Military Police arrest 13 indigenous in Bahia
Source: via NEWS FROM BRAZIL supplied by SEJUP (Servico Brasileiro
de Justica e Paz)
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: November 26, 1999
Last week, Sejup reported on a conflict between the Military Police
and the Pataxo Ha- Ha-Haes in the state of Bahia which resulted in the
death of two police officers. (See News from Brazil, No. 375 located
on our web page.) On Friday, police arrested 13 members of the tribe.
Cimi furnishes more information in the text below:
Today, at dawn, two military police were killed in a conflict
involving the Pataxs Hc-hc-hce of the Caramuru Catarina Paraguagu,
village in the county of Pau Brasil, south of Bahia. On November 16,
the indigenous people recovered 2 thousand hectares of traditional
territory, invaded by nine farms. Nearly 1,200 indigenous people, with
support from the Pataxs from the extreme south of Bahia, participated
in the recuperation. The conflict took place because the military
police, who were sent by the government of Bahia, went to the area
claiming "protection of other farms". The Pataxs reacted to the
invasion. The Federal Police, who are in Pau Brasil and should be
providing security for the indigenous people, did not approach the
area during the entire day, which compelled the indigenous people to
protect themselves. The President of Funai, Carlos Frederico Maris as
well astwo members of parliament, representatives of the Congressional
Human Rights Committee traveled to Bahia to follow up on the facts.
In a document sent to authorities and to the public, the Pataxs Hc-hc-
hce justify the recuperation charging that invaders have caused the
deforestation of the territory and consequentially, the reduction of
water flow of the Mundo Novo River, essential for the survival of the
communities. The indigenous people also blame the slowness of the
Federal Justice system because, to date, it has not judged the Action
to Nullify the Property Titles held by the invaders and which was
petitioned for by Funai in 1982. The conflict has been developing for
17 years and has caused the death of 13 indigenous leaders, among
them, Galdino Jesus dos Santos in 1997.
The federal and state governments and the Federal Justice system are
responsible for the confrontation that occurred this morning. The area
is indigenous, thus the Military Police cannot involve itself in this
issue, but they ignored this determination and invaded the territory.
The federal government, which has the constitutional obligation to
protect and demarcate the indigenous territories, does not comply with
the Constitution. The Federal Police, who were near the area where the
conflict occurred, acted in a partial manner because they do not
respect indigenous rights, which helped give rise to the conflict.
The Caramuru village was delimited in 1926 with 54 thousand hectares.
The National Indian Agency leased part of the land and, in the 70s,
the government of the State of Bahia conceded property titles to
farmers. The Pataxs Hc-hc-hce were subjected to live on 2,100
hectares. "We live on this land without any conditions for a good food
production as there is little land and help is not extended by the
appropriate agencies to offer the minimum financial conditions or even
an outlet for the little we are able to produce. Thus, we live with
hunger, lack of water and without prospect of better days", explain
the indigenous people.
In 1993 they tried to recover part of the territory, but they were
expelled. In 1997, they were in Brasilia to claim property rights of
the area, when Galdino, who was part of the delegation, was burned
alive while he was sleeping at a bus stop. Revolted, they decided to
retake the farms, 788 hectares, and remain there under a court
decision. The process, however, has not progressed, and is the reason
why their patience has run out. The climate is tense in the region.
"In April of 2000, the Pataxs celebrate 500 years of Resistance and
Fight. We want to have the 54,000 hectares of land in our hands on
this date", state the indigenous people.
Source: Folha de Sao Paulo, November 20, 1999 & Indianist Missionary
Council - Cimi, November 18, 1999
URGENT ACTION REQUESTS
-Letter campaign request from Indianist Missionary Council (Cimi)
Cimi is requesting that letters be sent to the officials below asking
them to take immediate action to ensure that no more violence happen
in the indigenous area of the Pataxo Ha-Ha-Hae (see story above):
- Minister of Justice:
Exmo. Sr. Ministro Jose Carlos Dias
E-mail: acs@mj.gov.br>acs@mj.gov.br
- President of the National Congress: Exmo. Sr. Senador Antonio Carlos
Magalhaes E-mail: acm@senador.senado.gov.br
- Governador do Estado da Bahia:
Exmo. Sr. Governador Cesar Augusto Rabello Borges E-mail:
segov.cmo@bahia.ba.gov.br
- Presidente da Fundacao Nacional do Indio: Ilmo. Sr. Presidente
Carlos Frederico Mares E-mail: webmaster@funai.gov.br
Suggested Message:
"Estamos acompanhando, bastante preocupados, o conflito deflagrado
pela acao da Policia Militar do estado da Bahia, na terra indigena
Caramuru-Catarina-Paraguassu, do povo Pataxo Ha-Ha-Hae, no municipio
de Pau Brasil-BA. Somos sabedores que do mesmo ja resultaram duas
mortes de policiais militares, alem de varios indios feridos e presos.
Como e do conhecimento de V. Sa., a Constituicao Federal do Estado
Brasileiro, em seu art. 20, XI, determina que sao bens da Uniao as
terras tradicionalmente ocupadas pelos, razao pela qual a Policia
Militar nao possui competencia para atuar em areas indigenas, sendo
esta atribuicao privativa da Policia Federal (art. 144, ' 1:,
CF/1988).
Solicitamos, portanto, seja retirado imediatamente todo o contingente
de policiais militares da terra indmgena Pataxo Ha-Ha-Hae, como forma
de evitar mais violencias."
(The letter is saying that we are concerned about the recent conflict
which happened on indigenous land in Bahia which resulted in the death
of two police officers, the wounding of several indigenous, and the
subsequent arrest of various members of the Pataxo Ha-Ha-Hae people.
As outlined by Brazilian law, the Military Police do not have the
right to act on lands belonging to indigenous groups. We therefore
ask that the all members of the Military Police be removed from the
land of the Pataxo Ha-Ha-Hae as a way to avoid more violence.)