Angered by environmental destruction of their territories by mining and natural-gas-extraction operations, thousands of Bolivian Indians gathered on June 18 in Trinidad, the capital of the northern department of Beni, to begin a 1,400-kilometer (870-mile) protest march to the nation’s capital, La Paz. The Indians are demanding that the government give them a greater say over energty and infrastructure projects on their lands, as well as more territorial autonomy. The protests amount to a slap in the face for President Evo Morales, who has portrayed himself as a defender of Latin America’s most vulnerable populations against the adverse environmental impacts inflicted on them by the global economic system. “The process of change for which we fought has been distorted and lost... [Log in to read more]
