While the TIPNIS protest march continues with blockades by coca growers (settlers) and police force, this cartoon from El Diario shows how he rushes to go overseas. He went to Venezuela, to visit and then accompany that president for his chemotherapy in Cuba, then he intends to go to a UN meeting in the USA. La Opinion has some info on those “priorities.” Or as the government says, “previously arranged commitments.”
http://www.opinion.com.bo/opinion/articulos/2011/0918/secciones.php?id=3
Prior to his departure he suggested the TIPNIS protest group to take out four of their petitions from the negotiation table: according to current president, the TIPNIS group would be demanding to suspend works in the road construction of Cotapata-Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara-Caranavi=Quiquibey. They are also opposing to the road construction San BUenaventura-Ixiamas’ and of course the TIPNIS road which would “affect” some settlers. TIPNIS president, Fernando Vargas, demanded current Bolivian president to be more responsible in his remarks; “none of our demands affect other people,” Vargas said. Before travelling, current president said CIDOB’s protest is “political”and “news media politicised the indigenous march.” For now, Pagina Siete concludes there is no new dialogue scenario.
http://www.paginasiete.bo/2011-09-18/Nacional/NoticiaPrincipal/2Esp00118-SEP.aspx
El Dia reports that the TIPNIS protest group has identified “infiltrated people from the government” in the march. CIDOB’s leader, Justa Cabrera said there are a number of people that approach her group, “trying to participate in the march, when asked they cannot say whose organization they belong to;” so they are allowed to stay, in case they are real indigenous people. There are also others that come in vehicles, last Friday a car with tinted windows was following them, when the media tried to interview those occupants, they realized it was the director for the interior regime from the Government Ministry, Boris Villegas, who left without a statement. The TIPNIS group arrived to Limoncito, 17 kilometers away from Yucumo, where a group of settlers intends to stop the protest walk.
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