The meeting was requested by organizations less radical than those in arms against the national state
By
Cristián Torresfrom Santiago , Chile
A group of community members Mapuches invited President Boric to dialogue after the latest acts of violence in the southern macrozone of the country. REUTERES/Juan Gonzalez
Mapuche communities living in the southern macro zone of Chile requested a visit and to establish a dialogue with President Gabriel Boric after the latest episodes of violence that have occurred this week.
The communities that requested this dialogue with the Chilean government live in the Lago Lleulleu sector, in the Biobío region, where one of the epicenters of the Chilean Mapuche conflict is taking place. The community members also asked to establish communication with the Minister of the Interior and Public Security, Izkia Siches.
Those responsible for making this call asked President Boric to visit the conflict zone and to “If they can’t come to talk, don’t worry, we’ll gowith our leaders, with our traditional authorities to talk with them at La Moneda Palace,” said Kaen Reinao, a spokeswoman who read the statement summoning the government.
Reinao also had words about the death of the 66-year-old worker Segundo Catril, who died after being the victim of an armed attack when he was on his way to work in La Araucanía. “In light of the facts, we understand that this was not an act of vindication or sabotage, It was a cold-blooded attack whose intention was to kill the Mapuche workers who were in the mini bus. We do not know the motivations of the authors of this cowardly murder and of its authorship,” said Reinao.
Spokeswoman Karen Reinai stated that “we call on President Gabriel Boric and the Minister of the Interior Izkia Siches to visit the province and talk with us”. The text was read when the remains of the worker Segundo Catril were handed over to his relatives.
Visit from the Undersecretary
Forestry worker Segundo Catril.
The call for dialogue and a visit to the conflict zone was made just hours after the Undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve, landed in La Araucanía to meet with the authorities of the area. His visit was scheduled hours after the attack that took the life of the worker Segundo Catril.
Monsalve stated during his visit that “the government is going to use all the tools it has the rule of law to guarantee the safety of people”, and that, “obviously, the state of emergency is also a tool that is going to be evaluated”.
The previous statement was born after political and social pressures received by the government of Gabriel Boric for expanding the State of Exception in La Araucanía to reduce acts of violence in the southern Chilean macrozone. “Until now, the states of exception have shown that acts of violence decrease, it is true. It is also true that they have shown that they cannot prevent the murder of people, because they have occurred during states of emergency,” said Monsalve.
“That is why I want to reiterate that if we don’t want anyone to die, if we don’t want to have victims, the state of emergency by itself is not enough”, concluded the undersecretary.
Another attack on La Araucanía
When only hours have passed since the death of the worker Segundo Catril after being shot in the head, once again an attack in the southern macro-zone of Chile has to be regretted. Now a truck has been burned between the communes of Vilcún and Lautaro, located in the region of La Araucanía.
Those responsible for the burning were not arrested at the time because they fled. However, they left a sign demanding that the military leave Araucanía.
This attack took place only hours after a group of authorities meet in La Moneda to address the situation that is being experienced in the southern macrozone of Chile. In this instance it was confirmed that the State of Exception will remain unchanged. “The information about the actions will be released when they become effective, they have to understand that part of the territorial deployment strategy requires precisely not to advance some of the facts,” said the Minister Siches as she left the meeting.