Indigenous groups call for stand down in conflict areas

Ngäbe Bugle residents of  areas around San Felix and Las Lajas have  called for a stand down  at the two major conflict zones, scenes of road blockages and confrontations with police.

They have asked the deputy chieftain of the region, Mijita Andrade, to withdraw from the conflict zones to allow the chieftain general, Silvia Carrera, and members of the Coordinating team who have been meeting with government representatives. to continue working to achieve a special law to prevent mining and protect natural resource

 The residents made their call after hearing details of the consensus reached at the UN offices in the City of Knowledge. The agreement has  key two points,  the cancelation of mining concessions granted to natural or legal persons and secondly the provision that hydroelectric project applications must be endorsed by the authorities of the general congress of the region Ngäbe-Bugle.

The hydroelectric project Barro Blanco, still on the table to establish the process of reviewing the environmental impact study of the project, which will establish a commission composed of indigenous representatives, the Government and representatives of the company developing the project.