 
Letter to Jim Peterson Minister of International Trade
Killing of two protestors at unauthorized
mine in Guatemala
12 January 2005
January 12, 2005
Hon. Jim Peterson
Minister of International Trade, International Trade Canada
Re: Killing of two protestors at unauthorized mine in Guatemala
Honourable Jim Peterson,
I am writing on behalf of KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives,
a coalition of eleven major Canadian churches and church agencies.
KAIROS is shocked and very alarmed to hear that two campesino protesters,
Raul Castro Bocel and Miguel Tzorin Tuy, were killed while protesting
the passage of platform trailers destined for an unauthorized mining
project in San Marcos. We are calling on you to work toward an immediate
end to the use of violence and guarantee a withdrawal of armed personnel
so that a peaceful resolution can ensue.
Glamis Gold, a Canadian/US company must stop its operation until
a public and transparent negotiation process is completed that includes
all potentially affected communities. The ILO Convention 169 requires
consultation with local communities. The World Bank, in its Extractive
Industries Review, maintains that the principle of free, prior and
informed consent needs to be obtained from affected communities
before any extractive activity can begin.
We call on the Canadian government to voice its strong objection
to the World Bank and Glamis Gold for proceeding with the Marlin
Mine in direct violation of ILO 169 and the principle of free, prior
and informed consent of affected communities.
In addition, we call on the Canadian government to use every measure
possible to ensure that the Guatemalan government does not continue
to use military force to facilitate private Canadian business pursuits
in serious violation of indigenous communities’ human rights.
We are monitoring the situation closely and look forward to hearing
about what measures have been taken to address this dangerous and
escalating situation. We anxiously await your reply.
Sincerely,
Mary Corkery, Executive Director
Cc: James Lambert, Canadian Ambassador to Guatemala, gtmla@international.gc.ca
Ginette Martin, Advisor Canadian Embassy, ginette.Martin@international.gc.ca
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