The Council has been locked in a legal battle with Brazil's government for more than a year to avoid the building of the base in the middle of an Indian village. It said the base has raised tensions in Uiramuta, not least because it divides the Indians. The army says the base, which is one of several new installations to be built along Brazil's vast jungle borders, has to be located in Uiramuta because it is a strategic location and is close to frontiers with Venezuela and Guyana. The last decision by a court in Brasilia, in April, allowed the army to resume construction. The Indians want the army to move the base elsewhere and will take the case all the way to the supreme court if need be, the council said.
All local politicians support building the base.
Duprat said the death threat was a sign of the long history of abuse against Indians in Roraima state. The land has been demarcated, but the bill turning the land into an Indian reserve has been stuck on the president's desk since 1998. The total Indian population has fallen to 350,000 from more than 6 million before Portuguese explorers arrived 500 years ago, enslaving and persecuting them.