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WORLDWIDE BIODIVERSITY/FOREST CAMPAIGN NEWS    

BRAZIL: Demarcation of Indian Lands Threatened    

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises    

March 9, 1995    

    

OVERVIEW & SOURCE    

The Indianist Missionary Council - CIMI of Brazil reports an     

upsurge in violence and intimidation aimed at halting the physical     

demarcation of Indian lands in Brazil.  This was posted in     

econet's rainfor.general conference.    

    

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:    

    

/* Written  6:55 AM  Mar  2, 1995 by ax:cimi in igc:rainfor.genera     

*/    

/* ---------- "Anti-indian interests try to preve" ---------- */    

                 ANTI-INDIAN INTERESTS TRY TO PREVENT    

                DEMARCATION OF INDIAN AREAS IN BRAZIL    

    

    Resorting to armed militiamen and constant threats against     

Indians, groups of regional farmers and politicians are     

obstructing the physical demarcation of Indian lands such as Arara     

do Rio Branco, in the municipality of Aripuana, state of Mato     

Grosso, Krikati, in the municipality of Montes Claros, and Guaja,     

in the municipalities of Bom Jardim and Ze Doca, state of     

Maranhao. At this moment, they are also trying to interrupt the     

demarcation of the Suya Missu Indian Area, located in the     

municipalities of Alto Boa Vista and Sao Felix do Araguaia, state     

of Mato Grosso.    

    

    These lands are included in a list of 11 areas whose     

demarcation has been determined through Ministerial Decrees, some     

of which were published in the Official Newspaper over two years     

ago. However, all demarcation activities have been paralyzed as a     

result of contrary pressures.    

     

    The Arara do Rio Branco Area has been suffering retaliations     

since June of last year, when local politicians - under the     

leadership of the now president of the Municipal Council of     

Aripuana, Altamiro Girardi - allied with farmers to build a road     

connecting the municipality of Aripuana to the state of Amazonas,     

crossing the Indian land. The Indians reacted against the illegal     

building of this road in their land and for this reason they began     

to be threatened by farmer Luis Almeida, who would benefit greatly     

from it.    

    

    Pastoral agents and the bishop of the Diocese of Ji-Parana,     

dom Antonio Possamai, who support the cause of the Arara Indians,     

are also being persecuted and calumniated. CIMI received     

information that gunmen hired by Mr. Luis Almeida are threatening     

pastoral agents and Indians and have been instructed to resort to     

whatever means to paralyze all demarcation activities.    

    

    The Krikati and Guaja are also facing difficulties caused by     

political adversaries supported by the governor of the state of     

Maranhao, Roseana Sarney. The governor has come to Brasilia     

several times to ask the minister of Justice to reduce the size of     

those areas by half.    

    

    These peoples have also been targets of terrorist attacks. The     

most serious of them was the assassination of Indian Manuel Mendes     

Krikati last month. The victim's brother, Alziro Krikati, and     

chief Mariano Krikati are being threatened to death. The day     

before yesterday at night, two unidentified men were seen prowling     

about near Alziro's home. Although the minister of Justice, Nelson     

Jobim, declared that the demarcation of the Krikati area would     

continue and that he would send Federal Police agents to protect     

the lives of the Indians, such measures have not been taken so     

far.    

    

    Senators Carlos Bezerra, Jonas Pinheiro and Julio Campos, and     

federal representatives Weliton Fagundes, Tete Bezerra, Augustinho     

Freitas, Roberto Fran<a Antonio Joaquim and Rodrigues Palmas sent     

a letter to the Ministry of Justice last week requesting that the     

physical demarcation of the Suya Missu area be suspended and the     

creation of a special commission ''to check the actual facts in     

loco''.    

    

    FUNAI has been keeping closely in touch with the Ministry of     

Justice and the government of the state of Mato Grosso for the     

purpose of avoiding such absurdity. The area within the bounds of     

the Suya Missu land was declared a traditional territory of the     

Xavante people by Ministerial Decree nr. 363/1993.    

    

    Faced with situations such as these, police and judicial     

authorities must take immediate measures to curb the action of     

perpetrators of terrorist acts against Indians.    

    

    On the other hand, the Ministry of Justice must take firm and      

determined measures to ensure the constitutional rights of Indian     

peoples, otherwise only the ''fittest'' will survive.    

    

                    Brasilia, February 22nd, 1995    

                 Indianist Missionary Council - CIMI     

    

###RELAYED TEXT ENDS###

You are encouraged to utilize this information for personal 

campaign use; including writing letters, organizing campaigns and 

forwarding.  All efforts are made to provide accurate, timely 

pieces; though ultimate responsibility for verifying all 

information rests with the reader.  Check out our Gaia Forest 

Conservation Archives at URL=   

http://forests.lic.wisc.edu/forests/gaia.html

 

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