In a recent open letter (posted on Upside Down World) to Ian Austin, Skye Resources CEO, Dawn Paley made the following two points:
"Having witnessed two days of evictions, on January 8th and 9th, 2007, I would here like to clarify two important points that I can only assume have not been properly communicated to you by your colleagues in Guatemala. The first point arises in your response to the email campaign about the evictions, dated January 17th, 2007, where you state that "the police were unarmed."
With all due respect, Mr. Austin, that is not true. Many members of the police were armed with guns or/and automatic weapons, all of them appeared to be carrying batons and tear gas, and some were carrying riot shields. More troubling still, and in direct contradiction of the 1996 Peace Accords in Guatemala, heavily armed members of the Guatemalan army participated in the evictions that took place on the 9th of January.
Please see attached photos shot by photographer James Rodriguez at the evictions on January 9th, 2007.
The second point requiring clarification is your January 17th contention that with regards to the houses burned on the 9th of January "we don't know who started the fires, we do know it was not anyone who works for CGN or contracted by CGN." Again, Mr. Austin, that is simply not true.
CGN/Skye Resources employees were instructed by CGN/Skye Resources lawyers to burn the structures in Barrio Revolución on the 9th of January. The District Attorney responsible for reading the eviction notice, Mr. Rafael Andrade Escobar, denounced these acts of arson very clearly as acts carried out by employees of CGN/Skye Resources."
With all due respect, Mr. Austin, that is not true. Many members of the police were armed with guns or/and automatic weapons, all of them appeared to be carrying batons and tear gas, and some were carrying riot shields. More troubling still, and in direct contradiction of the 1996 Peace Accords in Guatemala, heavily armed members of the Guatemalan army participated in the evictions that took place on the 9th of January.
Please see attached photos shot by photographer James Rodriguez at the evictions on January 9th, 2007.
The second point requiring clarification is your January 17th contention that with regards to the houses burned on the 9th of January "we don't know who started the fires, we do know it was not anyone who works for CGN or contracted by CGN." Again, Mr. Austin, that is simply not true.
CGN/Skye Resources employees were instructed by CGN/Skye Resources lawyers to burn the structures in Barrio Revolución on the 9th of January. The District Attorney responsible for reading the eviction notice, Mr. Rafael Andrade Escobar, denounced these acts of arson very clearly as acts carried out by employees of CGN/Skye Resources."
As yet no response has been posted on the Skye Resources website to these latest open letters from Dawn Paley and Victoria Henderson.
Background
Dawn Paley, an independent journalist was in Izabal, with the photographer James Rodriguez and film maker Steven Schnoor during the forced evictions in early January. You can read more on Dawn's blog 'Reporter Zero', James' blog 'Mi Mundo' and watch Steven Schnoor's video of the evictions.
Cerigua have just (22-02-07) posted a report: "Campesinos/tierras: Narran historia de desalojo"
"Rony Méndez, líder comunitario de La Unión, El Estor, Izabal y víctima de "supuestas" órdenes de desalojo emitidas por el Juzgado de Instancia Penal, Narcoactividad y Delito Contra el Ambiente de la localidad, dijo a Cerigua que garantías ciudadanas fueron violentadas por el estado guatemalteco durante los hechos."
You can find other related links on the mining issue in Guatemala here. Mining is an issue that we've covered on a regular basis on this blog.
