From: EcoNet via Jym Dyer <jym@mica.berkeley.edu>
Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive,alt.activism,alt.native,talk.environment
Subject: NEWS: New Oil Threat in Amazon -- Aguarunas and Huambisas Act
Followup-To: alt.native,talk.environment
Date: 17 Oct 1992 04:38:04 GMT
Organization: The Naughty Peahen Party Line
NNTP-Posting-Host: remarque.berkeley.edu

[From EcoNet en.alerts Conference]
 
New Oil Threat In Amazon: 
Aguarunas And Huambisas Move To Prevent Destruction 
--------------------------------------------------- 
 
The Aguaruna and Huambisa Peoples of Northeastern Peru are
threatened with imminent devastation at the hands of US-based
petroleum companies.
 
Only in its early stages, the ill-designed exploration and
exploitation plan for the Maranon, Santiago, and Nieva River
Basins has already provoked a mass outcry from the area's native
population.  Emir Etsam Nugkuag, an Aguaruna from the community
of Napuruka, said on Monday (Oct 12) "The detonations [for
seismic testing] and the clearings being made are scaring away
the animals and destroying the resources that our families
depend upon to survive."
 
Oil company plans made available in Lima indicate that the
exploration will continue with the clearing of roads, helipads,
camps, and most likely test and then production wells.  Aguaruna
and Huambisa leaders fear a repetition of the environmental and
human nightmares recently experienced in Ecuador's Oriente.
 
One hundred and twenty representatives of Aguaruna and Huambisa
communities gathered in Napuruka on August 4th to meet oil
company officials who only agreed to speak to the communities
after being pressured by COICA, the Lima-based Coordinating Body
of Indigenous Peoples' Organizations of the Amazon Basin.
 
However, the company representatives arrived escorted by the
Peruvian Armed Forces and despite four days of desperate pleas
from community leaders, indicated they would not change their
plans before returning to Lima in an Army helicopter.
 
The companies operating in "Lot 50" (as the land is called by
the petroleum industry) are two Houston, Texas, USA based firms,
Edward Callan Interests and Halliburton Geophysical Services.
 
Contacted October 12th by Austin, Texas journalist Justin Noble,
a Halliburton spokesman refused to even confirm that his company
was operating in the zone.  Richard Yarbrough, president of
Edward Callan Interests, acknowledged his company's presence in
Lot 50; but declined to further elaborate on its operations or
any plans to address the Aguaruna and Huambisa demands that
their land rights be respected and that the environment should
not be damaged.
 
This new threat comes on the heels of the recent AIDESEP
(Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian
Amazon) victory preventing Texas Crude Inc. from entering the
Pacaya-Samiria Reserve.  Etsam Nugkuag, visiting Texas to
publicize the impending disaster, said in Austin Wednesday "We
know what oil companies have done to other indigenous people
and have seen their lands devastated. We will not permit this
irresponsible destruction to continue.  We have stopped big
companies in the past and we can do it again.  We ask for the
help of the international community to pressure these companies
to cease their operations on Aguaruna and Huambisa land."
Xref: sparky misc.activism.progressive:7497 alt.activism:17608 talk.environment:4256