Protestors Condemn Mining Corporation Suing El Salvador
Protestors Condemn Mining Corporation Suing El Salvador
By Barbara Doherty
WASHINGTON, Dec 15, 2011 (IPS) - Protestors rallied in front of World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C. today hoping to persuade a tribunal housed there to dismiss a case brought by Pacific Rim Mining Corporation against the government of El Salvador.
Pacific Rim is suing El Salvador for more than 77 million dollars over the government's refusal to approve a permit for a cyanide-leach gold mining project along the Lempa River, which is the main water source for a majority of the nation's population.
"The case before the World Bank tribunal is a travesty," said Cecil W. Roberts, president of United Mine Workers of America. "A ruling in favour of the Pacific Rim gold mining company would represent a threat to workers' rights and the environment."
When initial explorations begun by Pacific Rim in 2002 turned up a promising vein of ore, the pro-business Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) government encouraged it to apply for a mining license.
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