Anti-mining protesters square off with troops in south Peru
May 27, 9:04 PM EDT
Anti-mining protesters square off with troops in south Peru
By FRANKLIN BRICENO
Associated Press
AREQUIPA, Peru (AP) -- Dozens of farmers and activists burned tires and briefly occupied a bridge in Peru's southern highlands Wednesday, defying troops sent to quell weeks of deadly protests against a Mexican-owned copper mining project.
The first of two days of planned protests against the $1.4 billion Tia Maria copper mine was otherwise peaceful as hundreds of soldiers in riot gear fired tear gas and rubber bullets to clear demonstrators away from bridges, highways and airports in eight conflict zones.
Protests have roiled parts of the Peruvian Andes for weeks and tensions escalated this month after a third demonstrator died in clashes with police. About 200 protesters have been injured, along with around 100 police officers.
Farmers say the proposed open-pit mine will contaminate a river in the coastal Tambo valley and destroy their rice crops. The Mexican-owned conglomerate behind the project says it will rely on water from a desalination plant and return it all to the Pacific Ocean.
"Mining is a malignant cancer that has only brought us blood and pain," said Martiza Chite, a protester carrying a black banner reading "No More Deaths."
More:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_PERU_MINING_PROTEST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-05-27-21-04-02