by the El Reportero’s wire services
Enrique Peña NietoDespite his level best effort to divert the focus away from insecurity in Mexico since taking office in December 2012, President Enrique Peña Nieto was compelled to take urgent action this week when the conflict-torn south-western state of Michoacán was thrust into the global media spotlight.
The interior minister, Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong, announced that federal forces would take charge of security in the inflamed area of Tierra Caliente in Michoacán after meeting Governor Fausto Vallejo in the state capital, Morelia, on 13 January. The catalyst for the deployment of hundreds of soldiers and 2,000 members of the federal police (PF) was the imminent risk of a blood bath in Apatzingán, a city of 90,000. ‘Self-defence groups’ had taken control of much of the surrounding area in the previous week, and announced that they would drive the drug trafficking organisation (DTO) Los Caballeros Templarios (LCT) out of the city. Reported Latin News.
Mexican Federal Police takes control in southern Michoacan
The Mexican Federal Police with the support of Army now controls security in the entire southern region of Michoacan, where the government launched an operation this week because of the growing violence.
In a joint statement, the Ministries of the Interior (Segob) and National Defense (Sedena) emphasized that none of the actions in the different municipalities arose incidents. The takeover by the elements of the Executive occurs within a week of the head of the Interior Ministry, Miguel Angel Osorio, and the governor of Michoacan, Fausto Vallejo, signed the agreement to support the security of the state.
The forces led by the Federal Police, with the support of Army concluded the task of assuming police responsibility in all the municipalities that are facing operational action, government agencies said. As part of the actions, the military destroyed three marijuana plantations located in the town of Aquila, with a combined area of 3500 square meters.
At the same time, the Department of Defense concluded the collection of weapons from the local police for review and evaluation in accordance with the collective license for these corporations. As a result of this disarmament, 393 municipal police officers from Huetamo, Miigica, Aquila, Gabriel Zamora, Parácuaro, Ario de Rosales, Coahuayana, New Urecho and Chinicuila were taken for evaluation at the Center for Regional Training of the Sixth Military Region, in Tlaxcala.
The text also refers that the government sent this week 11 helicopter to reinforce security tasks confronting the actions of the The Templar Knights cartel and the extent of self-defense groups. These groups of armed civilians, emerged in February 2013, have expanded their presence in the area of Michoacán to deal with organized crime members accused of crimes such as extortion, kidnapping, theft and murder. Amid increasing insecurity, the Mexican administration called selfdefense groups to be integrated into the police or leave their weapons and return to their places of origin. By Prensa Latina.
Forestry model violates rights of Chilean Mapuche, study says
The current forestry model in Chile violates the rights of the Mapuche people and is an obstacle to its development, a study revealed today.
An investigation of the City Observatory and the International Work Group on Indigenous Peoples notes that Decree 701 of 1974 is harmful to the community.
The initiative aims to promote the exotic tree plantations on native forest care, causing irreparable damage to biodiversity and the Mapuches, the study stresses.
Quoted by radio station Radio Universidad de Chile, Pablo Huaiquilao, forestry engineer member of the Pewun Kimun Corporation, stated that it is large-scale monoculture exotic model.
“The state subsidizes it and generates money with subsidy of the Mapuches, we are those who pay the costs”, the expert said.
According to the City Observatory, despite it “ensure prevention of degradation, protection and recovery of soils of the national territory”, the decree is harmful because “nor the companies, nor the State have been responsible for the adverse effects.”
