2 Protesters Murdered, 30 Wounded by Police in Mine Protest in Peru

April 8, 2011 Earth First! Newswire

Two people died and over 30 were wounded Thursday in southern Peru when a
protest against a planned copper mining project erupted with gun-fire from
security forces against the protesters.

Thursday’s deaths brought to three the number of people killed this week
in protests by agrarian peasants who fear mining by the Mexican company
Southern Copper will contaminate water they use to irrigate crops.
Sustained protests have gone on for over two weeks near the Tia Maria mine
site. Southern Copper, which is owned by Grupo Mexico, has invested nearly
116 million dollars out of a 950 million dollar investment project in the
mine.

Officials at Islay Hospital say the two dead protesters were killed by
gunshots. Both were shot in the head. Earlier in the week, a 22-year-old
man identified as Huancapuma Clemente died after being shot in the abdomen
during a demonstration in the town of Mollendo, near the Islay province.

The regional police commander says protesters set fire to a municipal
building and local headquarters of the governing party. Protesters also
blocked access to the port of Matarani, where ships load ores for export
to China.

Earlier in the week Peru’ s government issued an order to temporarily
suspend an environmental impact study of the Tia Maria mine project.

If you would like to call the mining company behind the murders here is
there US office number: Arizona: (602) 494-5328