September 17, 2022, 22:21 PM
September 17, 2022, 22:21 PM
At least one house burned, a communal headquarters knocked down and people injured is the balance of the confrontation between residents of San Miguel de Velasco and groups that “overwhelmed” private properties.
The incident occurred last Friday and was denounced today through videos circulating on social networks.
Because he was in a meeting, the mayor of San Miguel de Velasco, Pedro Damián Dorado (MAS), was unable to answer the calls made by this outlet to find out about the situation. He did send videos where you can see a house and things burned, a communal headquarters lying down and its water tank perforated in many places, a community member beaten and with wounds on his body, what appears to be a shotgun shell and community members from San Valentín 2 who denounce all of this.
In other videos it is denounced that the community members of San Valentín 2 blocked with trees the road that led to the place where they were settled, adjacent to two private properties; that on the way they found boards with nails to puncture the tires of the vehicles that were going to the place of the shots; and that upon arriving at the place there was a confrontation with sticks, sticks on which barbed wire was wound, and wires that functioned as whips. Until the police arrived.
Beatriz Tapanache, the first great chief of the Chiquitana Nation, indicated with the information at her disposal -since she was not there- that residents of San Miguel went to the private estates to defend them of the community members of San Valentín 2, who had taken them.
“Upon arriving at the place, they were shot at close range, with firecrackers, at the body, at the face, wherever. Besides, all those people were armed with sticks, clubs and shotguns,” he said.
Tanapache considers that the violent seizures of land are part of a “psychological war” used by the invaders so that the migueleños “lower their arms” and do not defend their territory.
“They arrive and plant their whipala, put up their MAS flag and already believe they own the land. They hit the community members and throw them out,” he lamented.
Despite the fact that they feel “orphaned” from government and municipal protection, the population of San Miguel de Velasco will continue to defend their lands, said Tanapache.
