Protesting decrees issued earlier this year by President Alan Garcí­a, members of various indigenous groups in the Peruvian Amazon marked Aug. 9, the International Day of Indigenous People, by occupying facilities operated by oil, gas and hydropower companies. The protest action, still underway as of mid-month, targeted oil and hydroelectric plants in the northern departments of Loreto and Amazonas, as well as facilities in southeastern Peru's Camisea natural gas field. Demonstrators are calling for the government to cancel more than two dozen decrees issued in the first half of the year to bring Peruvian legislation in line with the country's free-trade agreement with the United States. The agreement was signed in 2006 and has since been ratified by both countries, which must... [Log in to read more]