Radio Mundo Real

Four hundred members of the Ngabe-Buble community mobilized last January 30 in Chiriqui, Panama in defense of Bill 415, filed before Congress by the Coordination in Defense of Natural Resources and Rights of the Ngobe People.

The bill drafted by the indigenous people proposes to “cancel all concessions granted and the pending ones to national or foreign corporations for exploitation of mineral resources and to build hydroelectric projects in the Ngabe Buglé village and to immediately suspend all the works carried out by these corporations”. All these ideas are included in article 5 of the bill.

The communities are demanding Ricardo Martinelli’s administration to respect their bill, since the Legislative Assembly passed it last week but they eliminated article 5 from the original version.

Real World Radio interviewed Omiria Silvera, member of the Coordination in Defense of Natural Resources and the Rights of Ngobe People.

Silvera, who participated in the Meso-American meeting against the Mining Model held in Valle de Siria, Honduras, on January 27, 28 and 29, said that even though they have been defending their communities from mining projects for years, the bill was submitted to Congress only now.

The indigenous protests continued on February 2. They blocked the Inter-American highway in Chiriqui. The demonstrators issued a press release warning the international community about possible repression and violence against the people opposing mining.

Photo: Radio Temblor