re: The cause of the Peruvian Amazon indigenous groups

This is a note with information about a regional strike in which indigenous groups from the Peruvian Amazon region of Madre de Dios have taken to the streets to reclaim respect for their rights. The Peruvian government has been systematically putting in place measures which are directly related to the Free Trade agreements which they have signed with the USA, Chile and China. As a result the government is in the process of making amends or reforming existing laws to enable the open negotiations with these states. This means ensuring available land for logging purposes, to invite big scale gold mining initiatives, as well as secure the entrance of big multinational oil companies. The native communities have been fighting for the last 25 years to ensure recognition for their land rights to their ancestral territories with the help of the Native Federation of Madre de Dios (FENAMAD). Based on the fact that most of the 31 communities (30 out of the 31) havenow received titled deeds to their land, the government is looking for ways to divide the communities thus ensuring the open sale and exploitation of their lands. This regional strike coincides with a larger National Strike in the whole of the Peruvian Amazon region started on the 9th April 2009 and leadered by AIDESEP (Interethnic Association for the Development of the Amazon) who represent all of the indigenous groups in Peru. This follows National Strikes held last year in July and August 2008. The platform for the strike remains mostly unchanged as there has been no move by the government to implement the changes which the indigenous groups are proposing to ensure the health of their environments and ultimately their right to a life of dignity and a choice in the way in which they develop (auto determination).