The Tipnis and the repression of Chaparina

Today marks 13 years since the brutal repression of the eighth march of indigenous peoples from the lowlands, which had left on August 19 from Trinidad (Beni) to demand that the Isiboro Sécure Indigenous Territory and National Park (TIPNIS) not be divided for the construction of a road that was intended to link Chapare with the department of Beni. The mobilization was peaceful and self-sacrificing, as young and old, men, women and children advanced in defense of their habitat and their way of life. At their front they had the government of Evo Morales, determined to take out a million-dollar loan and divide the area, with the effects of coca migration and depredation that this entailed.

More than 30 days of marching had exhausted the indigenous column, many had muscle injuries and sores on their feet from the walk. September 25, 2011 was a Sunday. The participants of the mobilization stayed in Chaparina, located 223 kilometers from the starting point in Trinidad, to rest, wash their clothes and gather strength to resume the march on Monday. However, after lunch a contingent of about 400 police officers burst in, armed with lacquers, masking tape and other regulation weapons. They arrested everyone: adults and children, women and men, young and old. Some had it worse, like the leader of the Tipnis, Fernando Vargas, who was beaten.

The indigenous people were arrested, tied up and gagged. They were forced onto buses that would take them to an airport in the town of Rurrenabaque, from where they were supposed to take them to their places of origin and thus break up the march. They were taken away, but it was the civilian population itself that opened the doors and allowed the detained indigenous people to regroup and resume their walk to La Paz.

Some journalists who accompanied the march captured the brutality of the repression and witnessed that the argument that the indigenous people shot arrows at the police was false, as the Ministry of Government at that time wanted people to believe. The head of that portfolio, Sacha Llorenti, had posters of a defender of human rights, but became one of the main executioners in national history for these actions against defenseless people.

The Chaparina repression occurred during the government of Evo Morales, who now declares himself a victim of government aggression. At that time, neither Morales, nor Vice President García Linera, nor Llorenti had the dignity to take responsibility for the action and spun the narrative that the chain of command had been broken, although it was known that the action was planned in advance.

A year later, the ninth march would begin with the same cause. This time, the strategy of the Evo Morales government was to buy off leaders and break up indigenous organizations. The former president is also criticizing this now, forgetting that he also used this strategy during his administration.

What has happened 13 years later? The Tipnis was finally drilled, as the road has been advancing through that territory, but there is also an invasion of coca growers who are plundering the natural wealth of this reserve to plant coca. The discovery of several drug factories has also been reported, announced by the current Minister of Government himself.

In other words, the supposed indigenous president was the repressor of the indigenous people who helped to raise him up, and the popular government of the MAS is allowing the Tipnis to continue to be defiled, while the indigenous peoples of the lowlands are the most vulnerable at this time, particularly by the so-called interculturals, who are nothing more than settlers who invade, burn and traffic in land, displacing the indigenous communities.