CCR statement from October 2005 on mining and Hurricane Stan

PRESS ADVISORY

RAINS, EARTHQUAKES, ERUPTIONS....AND INVASIONS BY TRANSNATIONAL MINING COMPANIES IN EL SALVADOR

Destruction caused by tropical storm Stan, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and along with these disasters the deaths of 75 people: all this has not had any impact on the inhuman transnational companies, such as the case of the Canadian company Au Martinique Silver Inc. In the midst of the catastrophe caused by the rains, Au Martinique Silver tried to enter the region of the organized communities of the CCR in Chalatenango to begin mining exploitation and the environmental destruction which that will bring.

We the organized communities of the CCR-CRIPDES, along with mayors and the legislative representative for the FMLN in Chalatenango, Marco Tulio Mejía, understanding the grave damage which could be inflicted on the environment and the health of the population, gave an identity and defense class of how citizens struggle to protect the lives of present and future generations. On the 10th of October at 7:00 am , we the inhabitants of the affected communities of Guarjila, San José Las Flores and Nueva Trinidad formed a human chain in the community of Guarjila, carrying signs that rejected the presence of the transitional and chanting slogans in favor of organization and defense of the environment. We blocked the entrance of 2 Canadians and a group of workers, representatives of the mining company Au Martinique Silver Inc., who are in charge of initiating the excavations.

The representatives of the company, tried to convince us that mining would benefit the development of the Chalatenango region and that they had authorization from the central government. We the communities declared that the government never consulted us about the decision, thus we are ready to make our own decisions and we will make them responsibly. We asked that they leave the region, and a group of citizens accompanied them out of Chalatenango, to be sure that they would not return.

The USA transnational Commerce Group Corporation is currently exploiting the mining zone of San Rosa de Lima in the province of La Unión and plans to earn 600 million dollars. The Au Martinique Silver company will exploit the mines in the province of Chalatenango and Pacific Rim Mining (Canadian) will be working in el Dorado in the municipality of San Isidro in the Cabañas province. The el Dorado mining will affect a total of 75 square kilometers and in Chalatenango the area is 49 square kilometers. Pacific Rim has permission to exploit the area during 6 years. The Pacific Rim company has calculated that it will earn $196,744,000 net profit.

In the Cabañas and Chalatenango provinces, community organizations have formed resistance to avoid that these companies carry out their work.

According to the Salvadoran daily newspaper La Prensa Gráfica, the governmental Office of Mining and Hydrocarbons has granted 23 licenses for the exploration of possible gold and silver concentrations, the majority of those licenses going to companies from Canada and the USA . The companies are operating in the northern part of El Salvador : Chalatenango, Cabañas, San Miguel, Morazán and Santa Ana . “As well the Office of Mines and Hidrocarbons has identified 15 other zones in which they have carried out explorations and are ready for possible exploitation.”

As the communities of the CCR-CRIPDES, we present a piece of correspondence from the legislative representative Marco Tulio Mejía, designed to stop the advance of mining exploitation projects.

The communities of Chalatenango, confronted with this situation, denounce:

•    That the Canadian company Au Marinique Silver has usurped land in Chalatenango in order to exploit mining zones, without receiving approval from the communities in the zone and violating the right to environmental protection.

•    The violation of the Constitution of the Republic by President Antonio Saca, for not protecting the health and well-being of the habitants of the country by granting permission to these companies to destroy the environment and affect the health of the inhabitants.

•    We make a call to the government of President Saca, to make “responsible” decisions, which contribute to the preservation of the environment, since the lessons learned from the recent rains point to the environmental degradation and irresponsibility of construction companies that build in high risk zones, without the government doing anything in this respect.

•    We reiterate our commitment to continue defending with responsibility the rights of the population in general, with special emphasis on the population of Chalatenango.

•    We invite organizations that defend the environment to speak out against this abuse, which affects the conservation of the environment and is an attempt at the health of all citizens.

•    We make a special call to the international organizations, sister cities, and all organizations that identify with the preservation of the environmental equilibrium, so that they speak out against these grave problems.

Association of Rural Communities of Chalatenango –CCR-

Chalatenango, October 2005