Post by Victoria L. Henderson
Ian Austin, President and CEO
Skye Resources
Suite 1203-700 West Pender Street
Vancouver, BC
Canada, V6C 1G8
25 January 2007
Dear Mr. Austin,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my letter of 28 September 2006 regarding the activities of Skye Resources/CGN in El Estor, Guatemala. I appreciate your attempt to address my concerns and trust that you share my belief that Q'eqchi Maya peoples in El Estor deserve a reasonable and just resolution to the issues at hand.
When I visited Chichipate last August, community elders spent several hours explaining to me and my colleagues why they are opposed to your company's plans to mine in El Estor. The list runs long and includes not only concerns over property rights and environmental damage, but also fears about a resurgence of the deplorable violence that marked Canada's last mining experiment in the region. I refer here to the complicity of INCO/EXMIBAL in human rights abuses carried out during the 1970s and 1980s. As I am sure you are aware, Guatemala's Comisión de Esclarecimiento Histórico or Truth Commission has documented EXMIBAL's involvement in abductions, political killings, and multiple executions in Guatemala. Given that EXMIBAL was a majority owned subsidiary of INCO and that INCO is a key stakeholder in Skye Resources it is not difficult to understand why Q'eqchi peoples are concerned. The active participation of CGN employees in the most recent spate of land evictions in El Estor can only deepen this fear.
Having spoken with colleagues returning from El Estor and having watched video footage of the "squatter" displacement, I must question your company's description of the evictions as unfolding in a "peaceful atmosphere". It would seem to me that there could be few things less peaceful than having one's home torn down — or worse, burned down — by callous strangers, while a barrage of armed police officers watch on from the sidelines. The angry screams of a mother desperate to know where her now homeless children will sleep; the hopelessness of a man who can do nothing but bury his head in his hands and sob: these images provide a less than fitting testament to the "peaceful atmosphere" of which you speak. If you have not already seen video footage of the evictions, I encourage you to view it by visiting the following site.
The absence of gunfire should not be confused with peace. At its most basic level, peace requires the security of self and home — two things Maya peoples in Guatemala have historically and systematically been denied. In the interest of both corporate transparency and personal integrity, I respectfully request that you rescind your comments about the "peaceful atmosphere" of the evictions. Further, in place of using your company website to give thanks to the Guatemalan National Police for the "professional manner" in which it carried out the evictions, I urge you to join the international community and indigenous organizations such as CONIC (National Campesino and Indigenous Coordination) in demanding that the Guatemalan government make reasonable and just reparations to the affected communities. Despite your website's statement to the contrary, the situation in El Estor has in no way been "resolved".
Resolution in this case requires that outstanding issues be addressed. I ask for your consideration of the following six points of discussion, raised in your letter of 9 October 2006:
1 - WOOD COLLECTION
You have indicated that Skye/CGN allows those with "legal permits" to transport wood through company property. I would like to take you up on the offer of learning more about how this program works. As you know, I was told by the elders of several communities that Skye/CGN prohibits wood collection from traditional Q'eqchi lands. If nothing more than a formality separates indigenous communities in El Estor from collecting the wood they need, then this issue should be relatively easy to resolve.
2 - PROPERTY RIGHTS
According to your website, Skye Resources has entered into an agreement with the Guatemalan government to survey and document land holdings in El Estor in order to determine "exact property lines and tenure." This strikes me as a serious conflict of interest on the part of Skye Resources. Further, it sends a combative message to indigenous peoples whose lands are in dispute. Not only should Skye Resources remove itself fully from the surveying process, but it should also cease exploratory activity until such time as "exact" property lines and tenure have been determined.
3 - LAND "DONATION"
I was told by the CGN Community Relations Team that "we" (meaning Skye/CGN) donated lands to Chichipate. I accept that you are not claiming credit for such a gift and that you are not prepared to comment on any land transactions that might have occurred during the INCO/EXMIBAL operation. Given that INCO is a key stakeholder in your company, however, I would ask your assistance in directing me to an appropriate contact at INCO in order that I may follow up on the land "donation" to Chichipate.
4 - RAXCHE'
It would be difficult to argue with the vision of Raxche' that you outline in your letter. Improvements to the health and education of those living in the municipality of El Estor are of paramount concern. The problem, as I understand it from speaking with Q'eqchi elders, is that there is a significant breach between the Raxche' vision and the Raxche' reality. If there is one issue on which members of different local communities seem to agree, it is that Raxche' is dividing indigenous people in the region. One hopes that this is not what Skye/CGN intended and that you will investigate in order to determine why this view seems so widely held. Your letter states that Raxche' has five projects in Chichipate. Aside from painting the local basketball courts, which community elders acknowledge, I would appreciate if you could describe the nature of the other four Raxche' projects in Chichipate.
5 - MAYA COSMOVISION
I respectfully submit that your understanding of Maya cosmovisión fails to appreciate the deep spirituality that links Maya peoples to the Earth. I have visited Cerro 400 and you are correct in stating that, had I not been told, I would never have known that the area had been mined and reforested. I, however, am not Maya. The idea that the earth can be gutted and covered over "as if nothing had happened" is wholly inconsistent with Maya cosmovisión. Pointing out how "natural" a site may look after it has been mined is to confound the deeply spiritual with the highly superficial. Moreover, it is to disrespect the history of Maya peoples. As one Q'eqchi gentleman explained at a public meeting on mining held this summer in El Estor: "They (foreigners) come and bulldoze our land. It hurts us a lot, because we have dedicated many hours and much sweat in working that land." I understand that you have a job to do, Mr. Austin. However, I urge you, in carrying out your job, to remember this gentleman's words. He was speaking as much to you as he was to me and to the others in El Estor.
6 - "COURTESY VISITS"
You have noted that it is the policy of the CGN Community Relations Team to pay "courtesy visits" to communities in the municipality of El Estor. It seems to me, however, that it is the communities themselves that extend the true courtesy by allowing foreigners onto community property and by consenting to dialogue about a project that threatens both a way of life and a means of survival.
In conclusion, let me say again that I appreciate your having taken the time to address my original letter. Your last correspondence indicates that Skye Resources seeks "to learn how to improve (its) consultation processes and to better understand how (it) is perceived" in Guatemala. To that end, it is my sincere hope that you take the opportunity to reflect on issues presented above; that you address each of the six points of discussion; that you rescind your comments on the "peaceful atmosphere" of the recent land evictions; and that you join those who demand that the Guatemalan government make reasonable and just reparations to the affected communities in El Estor.
I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Victoria L. Henderson
MA Candidate
Department of Geography
Queen's University
Mackintosh-Corry Hall, D324
Kingston, ON (Canada)
K7L 3N6
Tel: +001 613 533 6000, x 75936
Fax: +001 866 876 8348
Email: 2dtvh [at] qlink.queensu.ca
PLEASE NOTE:
In fairness to both Mr. Austin and myself I would like to encourage those interested in this case to review my initial letter of 28 September 2006 and Mr. Austin's response of 9 October 2006, both of which Mr. Austin has posted to the Skye Resources website
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Open Letter To Ian Austin, President and CEO Skye Resources
Comments
Re: Open Letter To Ian Austin, President and CEO Skye Resources
by
Un Estoreno Mas
on Thu 01 Feb 2007 06:16 PM GMT | Profile | Permanent Link
RE: Open Letter To Ian Austin, President and CEO Skye Resources
I lived in the small town of El Estor for many years. I still visit El Estor and vicinity once or twice every year, and have great sympathy for its people and the place. Because of my affinity to this town I have been following all the events concerning El Estor. Here is my contribution for this blog. I would like to initially establish a few facts that could change part of the argument that prompted the Open Letter to the CEO of Skye Resources. When Exmibal came to El Estor they did not come with an army of mercenaries to oppress and remove all the people from the land they wanted to exploit. The land was bought from people who lived in El Estor, the majority were people with lots of resources at the time. Exmibal did not come and take away the land from the population. It was the “land owners” who sold the land to Exmibal, hence it was them who displaced the Maya Q’eqchi peoples from those lands. These people were expellend from their land by the use of brutal force. Their houses where burned, and their sisters and brothers killed or advised to leave. This was done by a group of connected locals with the help of the army and other interested groups. Once Exmibal established operations in El Estor change happened. Electricity all of a sudden was not a mystery. A park was built for the people of El Estor. A Hospital opened for the company, and people from El Estor had the chance of healing without having to travel for 8 hours to get to the nearest Hospital. A Bilingual School was installed, and people had a chance of learning. A community telephone was installed by Telgua and people were not disconnected from the world anymore. Change came with Exmibal, and helped this town and the people from the surrounding communities in great ways. When Exmibal operations where closed. El Estor became a ghost town once again. El Estor was forgotten, and these people that are invading the property of CGN/INCO/Skye Resources were forgotten by everyone. Government, Company officials, locals, and outsiders. In 2006 when the project Phoenix started to materialize the land that belonged to Exmibal was invaded. During the occupation of the land the unrest in El Estor was evident, and groups of invaders attacked several innocent people bringing some to the brink of death. The people attacked had nothing to do with occupation or displacement of the land. In most cases this poor people were the victims of a mob who was angry, and beyond control who had taken their for of justice by punishing innocent passers by. Peoples houses were in danger, and the majors house was burned by this mob. El Estor had never seen this type of violence in its history. Later that year the invaders were displaced from the land, by the police by what some describe as a violent event. The fact is that this is a complicated matter. We have a country that lives in extreme poverty where feudalism is predominant. Our people are illiterate by the millions, and unfortunately their ignorance is exploited by special interest groups that do not want to see our Maya excel. Small groups that believe the country is just for them, and groups that are looking at the opportunity of using a situation to obtain power, and money. Guatemala is in dire need of lots of help. The help we need are schools, health care, and training. We need ideas to become productive, and the need jobs, and lots of money to do that. This type of progress does not happen overnight. This evolution takes a lot of time, and a lot of help. In order to help ourselves we need foreign capital. We need a lot of industry to generate money for schools, we need foreign companies that would donate hospitals, and roads, and that would create programs to help our people generate business. As an Estoreno I thank all the people that have taken interest on our actual situation. I also beg everyone to become informed before taking sides, and I implore all to understand that if our Maya Q’eqchi do not have food they will not live to see our land be it a polluted one or not. I do not think anyone can determine what really happened by holding conversations with this or that person for hours or days. I think that if someone wants to understand what El Estor is they need to have lived there, not just to understand the place but to love the place. This is why I do not value the accounts of some people and I do not appreciate the letters that go out placing blame for what is happening on the foreign companies overlooking how and when the problem began. The blame for the displacement of our Maya Q’eqchi is to be placed on those who allowed it 30 or so years ago. Not on the company that is coming in now. The blame is to be placed on the landlords of the time of Exmibal, who evicted our Maya Q’eqchi by burning their houses, their food, and spilling their blood. This are the people who should pay retribution to our Maya. Exmibal has been gone for more 20 years. During this period of time not one person invaded their land. There were hundreds of carcasses from the houses they dismantled just sitting there, yet no one wanted them It was not but until recently that the occupation of this land started, so I ask Why now? What has changed the civil war ended a while back. Why is there a sudden interest on this land now that someone else is thinking of starting operations in El Estor? I can not help but think that this is nothing else but manipulation of our hungry and ignorant Maya by special interest groups, and I blame these groups for the blood that had already been spilled, and the blood that will be spilled in the future if they continue this manipulation. I ask those who are just instigation to please stop killing our people for oyur own benefits. I beg the foreigners that want to help El Estor to become informed before going on attacking the hand that we need in order to progress. We need Project Phoenix in El Estor, we need dialogue with them so we can help each other. Compromise can be obtained, and I am sure we can all benefit, but we can not benefit using violence, and instigation occupations that damage our country’s foreign image, and give us zilch in return. We need schools, hospitals, infrastructure. We need jobs so our people of Maize can eat. Lets work a compromise. Lets not let the special interest groups manipulate our people and us. We have been fortunate to learn how to read and write, and we can help our people by starting a dialogue to help the Maya Q’eqchi of El Estor. We can start change and set an example of how progress can benefit us all. Un Estoreno mas. Re: Re: Open Letter To Ian Austin, President and CEO Skye Resources
by
Patrick
on Sun 04 Feb 2007 04:15 PM GMT | Permanent Link
Hi thanks for posting on this blog and contributing to this discussion. It's great to broaden the debate and the many points you make can only help all those interested in the future of El Estor to reflect on the issues at stake. As you say it's important not to oversimplify- that's not our intention and for that we really welcome your thoughts. It'd be great to continue dialoging with you in future.
Re: Re: Open Letter To Ian Austin, President and CEO Skye Resources
by
Anonymous
on Mon 05 Mar 2007 01:15 AM GMT | Permanent Link
Estimado "Un Estoreno Mas",
I appreciate your response to my open letter to Ian Austin. You raise some interesting points, both about the events unfolding in El Estor specifically and about the involvement of outsiders more generally. Please permit me to clarify that I do not represent any particular special interest group, nor do I profess to represent any individual or collective group in El Estor. My initial letter to Mr. Austin was intended to relay and/or clarify information that I was given when I visited El Estor last year. The Q'eqchi people with whom I spoke in both public and private meetings expressly asked that I carry their message forward to Canada. I believe that this is a fair request and I hope you would agree that the opinions of those opposed to the Fenix Project count no less than the opinions voiced in favour of it. I could not agree with you more that schools and healthcare are high priorities. This is consistent with what I was told by the Maya Q'eqchi with whom I spoke last year. Since it seems that everyone shares similar priorities, it makes sense that the search for solutions be a collective effort. Mr. Austin has made it clear that Skye Resources is interested in building trusting relationships with the communities in El Estor. Given INCO's connections to Skye Resources, it is not difficult to understand why some people are concerned about a return to violence or why they worry about another "desertion" once the price of nickel drops. Rather than antagonizing these concerns by calling the recent land evictions "peaceful", I think there are more constructive ways for Mr. Austin to build trust with communities in the region. It is important that these issues be resolved through dialogue rather than violence. Your comments are an important part of that process, as is Mr. Austin's decision to post public correspondence concerning the Fenix Project on the Skye Resources website. Unfortunately, letters in support of the Fenix Project are often submitted to forums such as this one un-signed. This casts doubts upon the transparency of dialogue and the particular motives of those who speak out. I would encourage everyone who has something to say about these issues to sign their letters. It is only by committing to our words that we can build trust and respect into our dialogue. Sincerely, victoria |
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