COPAE  2009-12-02 18:58   

The second week of November, the team of engineers from UUSC and members of COPAE visited communities to present the cracked-houses report.

In San Miguel approximately 300 people met in the church’s meeting room. Members of different communities that surround the mine who suffer from the cracks in their homes gave their testimonies.

One habitant of San Miguel began to question a group of women who had given their testimony arguing that what they said were lies and that because they had sold their lands to the mining company they should now deal with the consequences. Although there was a heated moment, the call to calm by the leaders was heard and the individual chose to step down. In the end, it was clear that the resistance movement to mining is peaceful and must not fall to the provocations of people who only want to create chaos and problems in San Miguel.

Robert Robinson, the leader of the engineering team presented the report in English; Alejandro, of COPAE, translated it to Spanish and Ricardo, from the San Miguel parish, translated it to Maya Mam.

In the end, several leaders of different communities in San Miguel stood up to share a few words. They expressed their rejecting for mining activity based on the damages it has caused in the region—from environmental damages, to damaged houses, to social divisions.

Sipacapa

In the municipality of Sipacapa the presentation of the cracked-houses report was made in the regular meeting of the COMUDE (Municipal Council on Development). The auxiliary mayors shared their concerns with the team that Montana Exploradora continues to work towards its goal of pushing further into sipakapense territory.

However, the reflection of the COMUDE became more about the importante of resisting by means of their community consultation. Had they not already held their community consult they would be suffering the same problems as their neighbors in San Miguel. In the end, their message was strong: In Sipacapa the resistance continues!