UK firm's partner 'wanted Peru to curb priests in mine conflict areas'

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

UK firm's partner 'wanted Peru to curb priests in mine conflict areas'
BHP Billiton associate urged removal of teachers and clergy, according to leaked US embassy cables
Tim Webb guardian.co.uk
Monday 31 January 2011 19.44 GMT

http://static.guim.co.uk.nyud.net:8090/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2009/10/18/1255891542985/Monterrico-protests-Peru-001.jpg

Three protesters were shot by during the Majaz mine demonstrations - one died

A mining company in Peru part-owned by a British FTSE 100 company agitated for the removal of teachers and Catholic bishops to new posts away from "conflictive mining communities", according to a leaked US cable obtained via WikiLeaks.

An executive of the company, in which BHP Billiton has a one-third stake, urged diplomats to persuade the Peruvian government and church to "rotate" such professionals out of sensitive areas, the secret document said.

The US and Canadian ambassadors, who hosted a summit of foreign mining executives in Peru in August 2005, requested specific examples of "anti-mining" teachers and bishops "who engage in inappropriate activities" to take to government and church leaders, the cable claimed.

The US embassy reported in another cable that the role of the church in the protests – mostly involving local indigenous communities – was "controversial and still open to question".

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jan/31/wikileaks-bhp-billiton-peru-mining-communities?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fmedia%2Frss+%28Media%29

[Judi Lynn]

1. Mining company personel also lie to the U.S., claiming workers were drug-connected.

From the article:

The cable also claims mining companies were said to feed information to the US embassy about the activities of drug traffickers in northern Peru.

The Majaz open cast mine, owned by British company Monterrico Metals and site of one of the bloodiest protests shortly before the summit, was said by company representatives to lie "along a foot track used by couriers who convey opium latex to Ecuador," reported the same cable.

"We are working with both the police and company representatives to further develop the information they have," the cable said. But it added that in the past there had been instances where unnamed non-US companies falsely claimed that drugs traffickers were co-ordinating protests to "enlist our (US government) assistance".

That's such an old, old, ugly tactic, isn't it?

Just tell the people with the death machinery lies about your enemies, use them to vaporize the people you don't like. God, it's so dirty, and it seems to work so often.

[formercia]

2. It seem Liberation Theology is alive and well in SA.

That's good to know. They will probably get a cease and desist order from Ratso soon.