The video is being shown in Guatemala and Honduras, where Goldcorp operates, and in El Salvador, an area where Pacific Rim runs business. The documentary is also showing in Canada.

“Gold or Life” was produced by Caracol Producciones, CEIBA -Friends of the Earth Guatemala and Friends of the Earth International (watch trailer).

In Guatemala, for example, Marlin mine, owned by Montana Exploradora (a Goldcorp subsidiary) located in San Miguel Ixtahuacán and Sipacapa municipalities, in San Marcos department, violated the indigenous peoples right to be consulted and to self-determination. The project also violates the right to health, to environmental protection and access to water.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights acknowledged in May 2010 that the mining concession to Montana Exploradora and the beginning of the exploitation (2005) took place without prior, free and informed consultation to the affected Mayan communities. For this reason the Guatemalan state was ordered to suspend the activities.

The affected communities and social organizations supporting them say Goldcorp’s actions in Guatemala have had the consent of the Guatemalan state and the complicity of several European pension funds, who are also shareholders of the Canadian corporation.

Meanwhile, Pacific Rim has a long record of irregularities in Cabañas department, El Salvador, where it operates. It is even accused of murdering several environmental activists.

In late 2009, activist Dora Santos from Trinidad community, was killed. She was shot on the back while she was pregnant and she was holding her child, who was uninjured.

In mid 2009 activist Marcelo Rivera, a leader of the opposition to mining mega projects from the same region, was murdered. And on December 20 Ramiro Rivera, a member of Cabañas Environmental Committee was also killed.

The neighbors of the area have no doubts that Pacific Rim is responsible for the crimes. During Dora Santo’s funeral, priest Valentin Arias said: “Greed and gold ambition is the cause of all these evils”. “We are not here to ease then conscience, we are here to awaken it, to strengthen the community organization and to demand that this company leaves once and for all. We do not want it to go somewhere else, because it will cause harm anywhere. We want it to leave Cabañas, El Salvador and the world”, he added.

Photo: http://www.ceibaguate.org/