2011 Bolivian indigenous protests
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Bolivian protests were a series of demonstrations by lowland indigenous tribes who opposed the construction of the Villa Tunari – San Ignacio de Moxos Highway through the Isiboro Sécure National Park and Indigenous Territory
the ancestral lands of 5,000 indigenous people from 3 ethnic groups, similar to the Trans-Amazonian Highway
in Brazil. The project was supported by migrants, highland indigenous groups, and the government. During the protests the lowland tribes peoples briefly held Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca
in their protests so as to curb a police counter-response. Defense Minister María Chacón Rendón
later resigned as a result of the violent crackdown on protests on 24 September that caused four deaths; due to the adverse reaction to the government crackdown Interior Minister Sacha Llorenti
also resigned. On 19 October the protest march reached the capital city of La Paz amid welcomes from the local population and the Information Minister, as security services were withdrawn from their posts guarding the presidential palace. Protests were held in the national capital La Paz
, Cochabamba
, Santa Cruz
, Yucomo, Rurrenabaque
, Trinidad
, San Antonio, El Alto
and Beni
.
of the first ever indigenous president, Evo Morales
, indigenous groups have intermittently continued social protests. In 2008, the predominantly European-origin residents of Bolivia's eastern lowland provinces was successfully resisted by the indigenous groups with the solidarity of highland indigenous groups, though it was after violent protests and deaths.
In 2009, the European-Bolivians also tried to protest Morales' attempts at a new constitution that would increase his term limit. However, a compromise that Morales would not run again led to the creation of a new constitution
and the establishment of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Another provision in the new constitution explicitly referred to the defence of the communal rights of the indigenous communities over their traditional tribal lands. However, a regional election that was one by right-winged party was widely celebrated in that part of Bolivia.
In 1990, Morales, as a union leader in the March for Territory and Dignity, had helped create the indigenous autonomy territories. Morales' primary support base is from the cocoa
-growing Aymara and Quechua tribes in the Chapare
region. However, in the part of the Amazon Basin that the highway is scheduled to be built they are known as "colonists" for having migrated to the region. He came to power on the promise of ending discrimination and marginalisation.
Morales said that the US$420 million 300-kilometre highway project, funded by Brazil in the quest to access the Pacific Ocean
, would be a principal part of his infrastructure plan. The highway would connect the agricultural region of Beni with the commercial crossroad of Cochabamba; it would also reduce travel time by half as it short-circuits Santa Cruz, a region that had opposed Morales' presidency. In June, he said that the highway would go ahead "whether they (indigenous groups) like it or not." In response, indigenous leaders, who had in the past been supportive of Morales, reacted adversely; this caused a rift within the ruling Movement Toward Socialism party. Some MPs of the party expressed their support for the protesters, as well as the demands of the roughly 12,000 residents of the Isiboro Secure Indigenous Territory and National Park (which is both a national park and an autonomous territory that is under the auspices of the Yuracare
, Moxeno and Chiman
indigenous peoples) in the Amazon Basin
, which is home to 64 indigenous tribes and where the highway was proposed to be built.
A study conducted prior to the protests estimated that 64 percent of the national park would be deforested
in less than 18 years. Furthermore, the highway could lead to land grabs by loggers
and cocaleros. The protesters also feared an "invasion" of migrants following the construction of the highway.
in Peru
's election
, several thousand indigenous Quechua tribes peoples blocked the border with Bolivia (whose post-colonial boundaries divide the Quechua tribes into at least two states) in protest against mining contracts given to a Canadian company that they said would poison Lake Titicaca
, their principal source of water. They too vowed to continue their protests after Humala's election.
, as well as compensation for the effects of global warming
.
in the hope of reaching the national capital of La Paz to protest Morales' initiative. More than 1,700 protesters, including pregnant women and children, joined the 375-mile trek. Following a march for over a month, the protest group reached the outskirts of Yucumo, a predominantly pro-government town, where pro- and anti- government groups clashed.
Following more than a week of protests, the marchers staged a larger demonstration in which they sought to circumvent a police crackdown by forcefully holding Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca
to march with them.
On 25 September, after the protesters reached the Yucomo region led to police firing tear gas and detaining some protesters, it also led to several injuries and four deaths. Maria Carvajal, a rights activist, said that the police attacked the protest camp with "extreme violence" and that she "could not believe what was happening." The next day, protesters returned and set barricades on fire at the airport runway in Rurrenabaque
in order to secure the release of 300 protesters who had been arrested, according to Mayor Yerko Nunez. Protests also occurred in the capital city of La Paz
as riot police had to organise a security cordon around the Quemada government building, where thousands of protesters denouncd the crackdown. Solidarity protests were also held in Cochabamba
(the scene of similar anti-government riots prior to Morales taking office, which some said were instrumental in leading the social movement
s that brought Morales to power), with student protests and members of the Aymara and Quechua indigenous peoples beginning a hunger strike
. Other protests were also held in the Beni
province and in Santa Cruz
.
On 28 September, several thousands again gathered to protest against the government crackdown and to defend the national park. The Central Obrera Boliviana called for a 24-hour general strike
; though some businesses stayed open, schools and medical services were affected. The strikers marched outside the capital of La Paz to El Alto
chanting "Evo is a fascist!" and "Evo is a lackey of Brazilian companies," miners burnt sticks of dynamite and the marches caused traffic delays. The protesters were said to be encouraged by the solidarity protests in the urban areas and the general strike; they then said that the protest march would continue. One protest leader, Mariana Guasania, told a group of about 200 protesters in Rurrenabaque: "Long live this historic march...the march goes on" in the quest to see a law that would guarantee the highway would bypass the national park. On 30 September, over 10,000 protesters in La Paz carried banners that criticised Morales on the grounds that his government was "the worst and it should go because it attacked human beings, the indigenous compatriots who had given it their support, and now it's turned its back on them;" they also questioned his commitment to the rights of the indigenous peoples and the protection of "Mother Earth," that he had advocated during his election campaign. As of 30 September, protesters said they would further their protests even though Morales said that "the roads construction is suspended until the national debate is over."
Protests resumed over the weekend of 1 October, with about 1,000 demonstrators continuing the unfinished stretch of 250 km to La Paz. Adolfo Chavez, an indigenous leader, said that "We have resumed the march and our intention is not to clash with anybody. Instead of accusing the indigenous people, what the government should do is resolve the problem of the road once and for all."
On 19 October, almost 2,000 protesters reached the capital city of La Paz. Despite the suspension of the project the protest march continued in order to see the project canceled. Fifteen hundreed protesters started the march to be joined by up to tens of thousands of protesters, according to the Al Jazeera English. As the protesters entered the city, people in La Paz cheered them by waving Bolivian flags
and white handkerchiefs. As a gesture of goodwill both police and riot control vehicles were withdrawn from their positions outside the presidential palace, while Information Minister offered an official welcome to the protesters.
Morales had said that a referendum would be held over the project in the Cochabamba and Beni departments following protests by farmers from the 16 tribes of the national park
in San Antonio. He has also previously said that he would work to ensure illegal settlers in the national part were evicted. On 28 September, following the march to El Alto, he said that "we ask for forgiveness -- forgive me. [The crackdown] was not an instruction by the president. No one in the government would have thought such an attack could happen to our indigenous brothers." He also called the protests a "wake-up call." However, Rosario Barradas, a leader of the Conference of Indigenous People, responded to the statement saying that "we don't believe what he says anymore. We are reorganising to continue this. We are not going to stop until this is solved." Despite the concessions, Jhonny a Osomomo chief said that: "If they build it correctly, so that it skirts the reserve, a road could be a good thing. For example, we have very few health supplies and doctors here and it could help keep our children healthy."
In response to the crackdown on 25 September, government officials, including Defense Minister María Chacón Rendón
and the ombudsman
, as well as opposition figures criticised the government's reaction. Chacon said that "This is not the way! We agreed to do things differently." She also announced her resignation. However, Communications Minister Ivan Canelas said that the police had no choice but to respond as they did. "The march [in the Yucumo region] was defused because it had become a source of violence." Morales' Interior Minister Sacha Llorenti
, who had come under pressure for his handling of the crisis, also resigned, along with his deputy Marcos Farfan.
On 11 October, the Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia had approved the President's decision to consult with local indigenous tribes regarding the project.
Cancellation
On 21 October 2011, Morales announced a possible postponement or cancellation of the proposed Amazon highway. Morales passed a law through the Bolivian Congress that would prohibit construction of a highway through the national park.
United Nations – Following the clash in Yucomo, the United Nations' deleage in the country, Yoriko Yasukawa, said that "the most important thing for us is that they stop the violence as soon as possible. And to remind the authorities that it is their responsibility to stop violence and protect the people."
Media
The Guardian
wrote that:
The BBC
echoed the sentiment saying that Morales is accused of "authorising excessive police force" and "putting economic development ahead of the conservation of the Amazon rainforest." It also added that the social movements that supported him initially have now turned against him. It concluded that:
, which resulted in a poor valid vote count after a campaign by the opposition to either boycott the election or cast blank ballots, Morales' standing was read as having been set back.
Isiboro Sécure National Park and Indigenous Territory
Isiboro Sécure National Park and Indigenous Territory is a protected area and Native Community Land in Bolivia situated between the north of the Cochabamba Department and the south of the Beni Department...
the ancestral lands of 5,000 indigenous people from 3 ethnic groups, similar to the Trans-Amazonian Highway
Trans-Amazonian highway
The Trans-Amazonian Highway , was inaugurated on August 30, 1972. It is 5,300 km long, making it the third longest highway in Brazil...
in Brazil. The project was supported by migrants, highland indigenous groups, and the government. During the protests the lowland tribes peoples briefly held Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca
David Choquehuanca
David Choquehuanca Céspedes is a Bolivian politician. He has served as the Foreign Minister of Bolivia since 23 January 2006.Choquehuanca, who is an Aymara Indian, is an Aymara activist...
in their protests so as to curb a police counter-response. Defense Minister María Chacón Rendón
María Chacón Rendón
María Cecilia Chacón Rendón is a Bolivian lawyer, political scientist and the former Minister of Defense. As of taking office on 6 April 2011, she became the first woman to occupy that office. She served as General Director of Multilateral Relations and Chief of Cabinet for the Vice Ministry of...
later resigned as a result of the violent crackdown on protests on 24 September that caused four deaths; due to the adverse reaction to the government crackdown Interior Minister Sacha Llorenti
Sacha Llorenti
Sacha Sergio Llorenti Soliz, or Sacha Llorenti, is a former Bolivian government official and past president of Bolivia's Permanent Assembly for Human Rights. He was appointed as Vice Minister of Coordination with Social Movements in January 2010, and elevated to Minister of Government in January...
also resigned. On 19 October the protest march reached the capital city of La Paz amid welcomes from the local population and the Information Minister, as security services were withdrawn from their posts guarding the presidential palace. Protests were held in the national capital La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
, Cochabamba
Cochabamba
Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the fourth largest city in Bolivia with an urban population of 608,276 and a metropolitan population of more than 1,000,000 people...
, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country...
, Yucomo, Rurrenabaque
Rurrenabaque
Rurrenabaque is a small town in the North of Bolivia on the Beni River. It is the capital of Rurrenabaque Municipality. In recent years it has become popular with international tourism as it is an easy gateway for visits to Madidi National Park , as well as the surrounding pampas...
, Trinidad
Trinidad, Bolivia
Trinidad, officially La Santísima Trinidad , is a city in Bolivia, capital of the department of Beni. The population is 130,000 ....
, San Antonio, El Alto
El Alto
At one time merely a suburb of adjacent La Paz, Bolivia, on the Altiplano highlands, the city of El Alto is today one of Bolivia's largest and fastest-growing urban centers. As of the 2001 census, the population was 649,958. In 2010, the population may be nearly 900,000, or more. The city contains...
and Beni
Beni
Beni may refer to:Places*Beni Department, Beni River and the Beni savanna, Bolivia*Beni Suef and Beni Hasan, Egypt*Beni Mellal and Beni Amir, Morocco*Beni, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo*Beni, Nepal Culture...
.
Background
Despite the electionBolivian presidential election, 2005
The 2005 Bolivian presidential election was held on December 18, 2005. The two main candidates were Evo Morales of the Movement Towards Socialism Party, and Jorge Quiroga, leader of the Democratic and Social Power Party and former head of the Acción Democrática Nacionalista Party. Felipe Quispe,...
of the first ever indigenous president, Evo Morales
Evo Morales
Juan Evo Morales Ayma , popularly known as Evo , is a Bolivian politician and activist, currently serving as the 80th President of Bolivia, a position that he has held since 2006. He is also the leader of both the Movement for Socialism party and the cocalero trade union...
, indigenous groups have intermittently continued social protests. In 2008, the predominantly European-origin residents of Bolivia's eastern lowland provinces was successfully resisted by the indigenous groups with the solidarity of highland indigenous groups, though it was after violent protests and deaths.
In 2009, the European-Bolivians also tried to protest Morales' attempts at a new constitution that would increase his term limit. However, a compromise that Morales would not run again led to the creation of a new constitution
Constitution of Bolivia
The current Constitution of Bolivia is the 17th constitution in the country's history; previous constitutions were enacted in 1826, 1831, 1834, 1839, 1843, 1851, 1861, 1868, 1871, 1878, 1880, 1938, 1945, 1947, 1961 and 1967. It came into effect on February 7, 2009, when it was promulgated by...
and the establishment of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Another provision in the new constitution explicitly referred to the defence of the communal rights of the indigenous communities over their traditional tribal lands. However, a regional election that was one by right-winged party was widely celebrated in that part of Bolivia.
In 1990, Morales, as a union leader in the March for Territory and Dignity, had helped create the indigenous autonomy territories. Morales' primary support base is from the cocoa
Cocoa
Cocoa bean is the dried and fully fermented fatty seed of Theobroma cacao, from which cocoa solids and cocoa butter are extracted...
-growing Aymara and Quechua tribes in the Chapare
Chapare
Chapare may refer to:* Chapare Province, Bolivia* Chapare RiverIt may also refer to:* Chapare virus...
region. However, in the part of the Amazon Basin that the highway is scheduled to be built they are known as "colonists" for having migrated to the region. He came to power on the promise of ending discrimination and marginalisation.
Morales said that the US$420 million 300-kilometre highway project, funded by Brazil in the quest to access the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, would be a principal part of his infrastructure plan. The highway would connect the agricultural region of Beni with the commercial crossroad of Cochabamba; it would also reduce travel time by half as it short-circuits Santa Cruz, a region that had opposed Morales' presidency. In June, he said that the highway would go ahead "whether they (indigenous groups) like it or not." In response, indigenous leaders, who had in the past been supportive of Morales, reacted adversely; this caused a rift within the ruling Movement Toward Socialism party. Some MPs of the party expressed their support for the protesters, as well as the demands of the roughly 12,000 residents of the Isiboro Secure Indigenous Territory and National Park (which is both a national park and an autonomous territory that is under the auspices of the Yuracare
Yuracaré
Yuracaré are South American indigenous people living on 2,500 square kilometres along the Chapare River watershed in Cochabamba Department and Beni Department, in the Bolivian Lowlands of the Amazon Basin. The Yuracaré reside not far from Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Cochabamba, among the forests...
, Moxeno and Chiman
Chimán
- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
indigenous peoples) in the Amazon Basin
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
, which is home to 64 indigenous tribes and where the highway was proposed to be built.
A study conducted prior to the protests estimated that 64 percent of the national park would be deforested
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
in less than 18 years. Furthermore, the highway could lead to land grabs by loggers
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
and cocaleros. The protesters also feared an "invasion" of migrants following the construction of the highway.
Parallels
Similarly, prior to the victory of left-wing candidate Ollanta HumalaOllanta Humala
Ollanta Moisés Humala Tasso is a Peruvian politician and the President of Peru. Humala, who previously served as an army officer, lost the presidential election in 2006 but won the 2011 presidential election in a run-off vote...
in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
's election
Peruvian general election, 2011
The Peruvian general election, 2011 took place on 10 April 2011. Since no candidate received more than half of all valid votes, a second round was necessary to determine the winner. This second round took place on 5 June and determined the successor of Alan García, as well as 130 members of the...
, several thousand indigenous Quechua tribes peoples blocked the border with Bolivia (whose post-colonial boundaries divide the Quechua tribes into at least two states) in protest against mining contracts given to a Canadian company that they said would poison Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It sits 3,811 m above sea level, making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world...
, their principal source of water. They too vowed to continue their protests after Humala's election.
Goals
In addition to the cancellation of the highway project, protesters also demanded the resignation of President Evo Morales following a bloody crackdown on protesters. Other demands by the protesters also included a cessation of oil and gas extraction projects in the Aguaragüe National Park and Integrated Management Natural AreaAguaragüe National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area
Aguaragüe National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area is a protected area in Bolivia situated in the Tarija Department, Gran Chaco Province. The national park covers the whole of Serranía del Aguaragüe, the easternmost mayor Sub-Andean range.- External links :*...
, as well as compensation for the effects of global warming
Effects of global warming
This article is about the effects of global warming and climate change. The effects, or impacts, of climate change may be physical, ecological, social or economic. Evidence of observed climate change includes the instrumental temperature record, rising sea levels, and decreased snow cover in the...
.
Protest march
The initial protest started in mid-August as activists from the Amazon Basin left BoliviaTrinidad, Bolivia
Trinidad, officially La Santísima Trinidad , is a city in Bolivia, capital of the department of Beni. The population is 130,000 ....
in the hope of reaching the national capital of La Paz to protest Morales' initiative. More than 1,700 protesters, including pregnant women and children, joined the 375-mile trek. Following a march for over a month, the protest group reached the outskirts of Yucumo, a predominantly pro-government town, where pro- and anti- government groups clashed.
Following more than a week of protests, the marchers staged a larger demonstration in which they sought to circumvent a police crackdown by forcefully holding Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca
David Choquehuanca
David Choquehuanca Céspedes is a Bolivian politician. He has served as the Foreign Minister of Bolivia since 23 January 2006.Choquehuanca, who is an Aymara Indian, is an Aymara activist...
to march with them.
On 25 September, after the protesters reached the Yucomo region led to police firing tear gas and detaining some protesters, it also led to several injuries and four deaths. Maria Carvajal, a rights activist, said that the police attacked the protest camp with "extreme violence" and that she "could not believe what was happening." The next day, protesters returned and set barricades on fire at the airport runway in Rurrenabaque
Rurrenabaque
Rurrenabaque is a small town in the North of Bolivia on the Beni River. It is the capital of Rurrenabaque Municipality. In recent years it has become popular with international tourism as it is an easy gateway for visits to Madidi National Park , as well as the surrounding pampas...
in order to secure the release of 300 protesters who had been arrested, according to Mayor Yerko Nunez. Protests also occurred in the capital city of La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
as riot police had to organise a security cordon around the Quemada government building, where thousands of protesters denouncd the crackdown. Solidarity protests were also held in Cochabamba
Cochabamba
Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the fourth largest city in Bolivia with an urban population of 608,276 and a metropolitan population of more than 1,000,000 people...
(the scene of similar anti-government riots prior to Morales taking office, which some said were instrumental in leading the social movement
Social movement
Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change....
s that brought Morales to power), with student protests and members of the Aymara and Quechua indigenous peoples beginning a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
. Other protests were also held in the Beni
Beni
Beni may refer to:Places*Beni Department, Beni River and the Beni savanna, Bolivia*Beni Suef and Beni Hasan, Egypt*Beni Mellal and Beni Amir, Morocco*Beni, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo*Beni, Nepal Culture...
province and in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country...
.
On 28 September, several thousands again gathered to protest against the government crackdown and to defend the national park. The Central Obrera Boliviana called for a 24-hour general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
; though some businesses stayed open, schools and medical services were affected. The strikers marched outside the capital of La Paz to El Alto
El Alto
At one time merely a suburb of adjacent La Paz, Bolivia, on the Altiplano highlands, the city of El Alto is today one of Bolivia's largest and fastest-growing urban centers. As of the 2001 census, the population was 649,958. In 2010, the population may be nearly 900,000, or more. The city contains...
chanting "Evo is a fascist!" and "Evo is a lackey of Brazilian companies," miners burnt sticks of dynamite and the marches caused traffic delays. The protesters were said to be encouraged by the solidarity protests in the urban areas and the general strike; they then said that the protest march would continue. One protest leader, Mariana Guasania, told a group of about 200 protesters in Rurrenabaque: "Long live this historic march...the march goes on" in the quest to see a law that would guarantee the highway would bypass the national park. On 30 September, over 10,000 protesters in La Paz carried banners that criticised Morales on the grounds that his government was "the worst and it should go because it attacked human beings, the indigenous compatriots who had given it their support, and now it's turned its back on them;" they also questioned his commitment to the rights of the indigenous peoples and the protection of "Mother Earth," that he had advocated during his election campaign. As of 30 September, protesters said they would further their protests even though Morales said that "the roads construction is suspended until the national debate is over."
Protests resumed over the weekend of 1 October, with about 1,000 demonstrators continuing the unfinished stretch of 250 km to La Paz. Adolfo Chavez, an indigenous leader, said that "We have resumed the march and our intention is not to clash with anybody. Instead of accusing the indigenous people, what the government should do is resolve the problem of the road once and for all."
On 19 October, almost 2,000 protesters reached the capital city of La Paz. Despite the suspension of the project the protest march continued in order to see the project canceled. Fifteen hundreed protesters started the march to be joined by up to tens of thousands of protesters, according to the Al Jazeera English. As the protesters entered the city, people in La Paz cheered them by waving Bolivian flags
Flag of Bolivia
The current flag of Bolivia was originally adopted by Bolivia in 1851. The state flag and ensign is a horizontal tricolor of red, yellow and green with the Bolivian coat of arms in the center...
and white handkerchiefs. As a gesture of goodwill both police and riot control vehicles were withdrawn from their positions outside the presidential palace, while Information Minister offered an official welcome to the protesters.
Response
Morales' immediate reaction to the protests was to call the marchers "enemies of the nation." He also sought to discredit them by saying they had been brainwashed by NGOs and saying the march was yet another attempt by the U.S.A. at expanding their imperialism.Morales had said that a referendum would be held over the project in the Cochabamba and Beni departments following protests by farmers from the 16 tribes of the national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in San Antonio. He has also previously said that he would work to ensure illegal settlers in the national part were evicted. On 28 September, following the march to El Alto, he said that "we ask for forgiveness -- forgive me. [The crackdown] was not an instruction by the president. No one in the government would have thought such an attack could happen to our indigenous brothers." He also called the protests a "wake-up call." However, Rosario Barradas, a leader of the Conference of Indigenous People, responded to the statement saying that "we don't believe what he says anymore. We are reorganising to continue this. We are not going to stop until this is solved." Despite the concessions, Jhonny a Osomomo chief said that: "If they build it correctly, so that it skirts the reserve, a road could be a good thing. For example, we have very few health supplies and doctors here and it could help keep our children healthy."
In response to the crackdown on 25 September, government officials, including Defense Minister María Chacón Rendón
María Chacón Rendón
María Cecilia Chacón Rendón is a Bolivian lawyer, political scientist and the former Minister of Defense. As of taking office on 6 April 2011, she became the first woman to occupy that office. She served as General Director of Multilateral Relations and Chief of Cabinet for the Vice Ministry of...
and the ombudsman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
, as well as opposition figures criticised the government's reaction. Chacon said that "This is not the way! We agreed to do things differently." She also announced her resignation. However, Communications Minister Ivan Canelas said that the police had no choice but to respond as they did. "The march [in the Yucumo region] was defused because it had become a source of violence." Morales' Interior Minister Sacha Llorenti
Sacha Llorenti
Sacha Sergio Llorenti Soliz, or Sacha Llorenti, is a former Bolivian government official and past president of Bolivia's Permanent Assembly for Human Rights. He was appointed as Vice Minister of Coordination with Social Movements in January 2010, and elevated to Minister of Government in January...
, who had come under pressure for his handling of the crisis, also resigned, along with his deputy Marcos Farfan.
On 11 October, the Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia had approved the President's decision to consult with local indigenous tribes regarding the project.
Cancellation
On 21 October 2011, Morales announced a possible postponement or cancellation of the proposed Amazon highway. Morales passed a law through the Bolivian Congress that would prohibit construction of a highway through the national park.
International
United Nations – Following the clash in Yucomo, the United Nations' deleage in the country, Yoriko Yasukawa, said that "the most important thing for us is that they stop the violence as soon as possible. And to remind the authorities that it is their responsibility to stop violence and protect the people."Media
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
wrote that:
Having nationalised gas and oil and introduced some immediate measures of social welfare, it seemed that the government of Morales would indeed, as he movingly declared at the Copenhagen Climate Conference, give priority to the protection of "PachamamaPachamamaPachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. Pachamama is usually translated as Mother Earth, but a more literal translation would be "Mother world"...
" and the long neglected rights of Bolivia's first nations. The march from the national park – or to give it its full name the Indigenous Territory of the Isiboro Sécure National Park (Tipnis) – was intended to insist on those constitutional rights...The attack on the Tipnis marchers will serve only to fuel a growing disillusionment. The guarantee of prior consultation in the constitution was ignored over petrol price rises (in 2010), and again over road-building projects like this one. And the defence of Mother EarthMother EarthMother Earth may refer to:*Mother Nature, a common metaphorical expression for the Earth and its biosphere as the giver and sustainer of life*Mother Earth , a Slavic deity*Gaia , the Greek mythological goddess personifying the earth...
rings hollow when it is clear that the economic strategy the Morales government has adopted seems to rely on new contracts with a range of multinational companies to develop oil, gas, lithium and uranium reserves – in other words, the very extractive industries that had gutted Bolivia's subsoil at the expense of a population 69% of whom were living in poverty when Morales came to power.
The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
echoed the sentiment saying that Morales is accused of "authorising excessive police force" and "putting economic development ahead of the conservation of the Amazon rainforest." It also added that the social movements that supported him initially have now turned against him. It concluded that:
With opinion polls suggesting Mr Morales' popularity is falling, some commentators are wondering if he will see out his second term in office, due to end in early 2015. Or will he leave power like the two previous presidentsPresident of BoliviaThe President of Bolivia is head of state and head of government of Bolivia. According to the current Constitution, the president is elected by popular vote to a five year term, renewable once...
, fleeing to escape mass protests by social movements who have learned that, in Bolivia, politics is made on the streets.
Analysis
Following the Bolivian judicial election, 2011Bolivian judicial election, 2011
The first Bolivian judicial election was held on 16 October 2011. The national vote was held to elect magistrates to serve on the Supreme Tribunal of Justice , the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal , the Agro-environmental Tribunal and members of the Council of the Judiciary...
, which resulted in a poor valid vote count after a campaign by the opposition to either boycott the election or cast blank ballots, Morales' standing was read as having been set back.