“Or - La terre à coeur ouvert,” the French version of “Taking the Heart from the Land,” a comic that I wrote and Joe Ollman illustrated, originally published in Extraction!, is now available online from the National Film Board.

The Investing in Conflict booklet that I put together with help from a variety of organizations and wonderful folks/volunteers, contains a major error, which unfortunately wasn’t caught before the first edition went to the printers.

It is in the introduction, in a phrase that reads “Miners are rolling in money.” That phrase should (and will in future editions) read “Mining companies and their executives are rolling in money.”

Jeffrey St. Claire’s newest piece, What a Miner’s life is worth, explains the deadly and difficult conditions facing mineworkers in the United States, and is well worth the read.

PUBLIC STATEMENT IN FAVOUR OF COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY OPEN PIT MINING

To Human Rights Organizations, the Human Rights Ombudsman’s office in
Guatemala, the United Nations in Guatemala, Indigenous Peoples around
the world, and to National and International Communities.

The company Montana Exploradora de Guatemala (subsidiary of Goldcorp
Inc.), thought their Marlin Mine, has caused great damages to our
lives and livelihoods, and continues to commit atrocities that violate
fundamental human rights, particularly of the Mayan Mam peoples in the
municipality of San Miguel Ixtahuacán, peoples who are the original
inhabitants of the lands which have been concessioned in the interest
of transnational corporations by the Guatemalan state.

On the 13th of June, Montana Exploradora de Guatemala (Goldcorp) acted
via the National Civil Police (PNC) to repress women, children and men
who are reclaiming the guarantees of their lives and livelihoods,
which are threatened and assaulted by the actions of the company.
These actions by the police are the response to the permanent
resistance of an organization of families who do not want the mining
company or the presence of electrical wires and transformers to
service the mine in their territories.

For these reasons, we publicly denounce the actions of the National
Civil Police in favour of the mining company, acts which include
threatening dozens of local children with tear gas, as well as the use
of force against women who took peaceful action to demonstrate that
they do not want the mining company in their community and territory.

1. THE THREAT OF ELECTRICAL TOWERS

The posts that support the high voltage cables are about to fall upon
homes that are located near the posts, in addition, the high voltage
tower provokes illnesses because of radiation, which is cause for
worry for families that live in the area.

2. TRICKERY AND LIES IN THE PURCHASE OF COMMUNAL LANDS

When the company arrived in the communities, they said that they were
going to do a field study and set up a project for the production of
orchids in order to generate work for the communities. In this way,
they tricked the communities into the sale of lands, even though the
communities defended their rights and rejected the company’s plans.
Faced with community resistance, the company used coercive force and
death threats, and argued that even though the surface lands belonged
to the communities, the subsurface belonged to the state and thus the
communities were unable to defend themselves because they didn’t know
their rights.

3. WORSENING OF THE DAMAGES TO PEOPLES’ HOMES

From 2006, when the explosions to break up the rock and extract GOLD
and SILVER from our lands began, until now, there are more than 100
homes that have been damaged and cracked as a result.

BECAUSE OF THIS, WE DEMAND THAT:

1.       the national community begin an immediate observation of what is
happening; and that the government respect for our rights as
Indigenous peoples, and comply with the Constitution of the Republic
and international treaties that affect Indigenous peoples,
particularly the International Labour Organization’s Convention 169.

2.   human rights organizations make use of the studies presented to
them in order to clarify the actions committed by the police and
company security guards.

3.  the Attorney General’s office fulfils their duty and realizes an
investigation into the actions committed by public forces.

4.   the international community observes and acts in solidarity with
our dignified struggles in defense of our legitimate rights, so that
these acts do not remain in impunity.

5.    the United Nations provide observers.

Signed:

COMMUNITIES IN RESISTANCE
PARISH OF SAN MIGUEL IXTAHUACÁN
ASSOCIATION ADISMI

El fallo de inconstitucionalidad de la Corte de Constitucionalidad en Guatemala sobre la Ley de Minería. Leer el texto completo del fallo.

Check out my latest article, “Temporary Relief from Mining Conflicts in Ecuador” special to Upside Down World.

Just posted some new photos on Flickr from my recent trip to Ecuador working as a production assistant to Malcolm Rogge on his film “Under Rich Earth.”