Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco
Encyclopedia
Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco or CAM, is a Mapuche
organization
dedicated to the revindication and recovery of former Mapuche lands. It was founded in 1998, in Tranaquepe, Chile
, and is responsible for land occupation in the zones of Tirúa
, Contulmo
, Cañete and Temucuicui. Protesters from Mapuche communities have used these tactics against multinational forestry corporations http://www.cooperativa.cl/p4_noticias/antialone.html?page=http://www.cooperativa.cl/p4_noticias/site/artic/20051111/pags/20051111124708.html and private individuals.
Several of its members have been judged under anti-terrorist laws left from the Pinochet era
. CAM arose from the Mapuche conflict
that was revitalized in the late 1990s with the rise of ecologism, and the revindication of indigenismo
by politicians of the Concertación. The land rights claimed by CAM can in many cases be traced back to the Occupation of Araucanía in the 1870s and 1880s a period during which many Chileans and foreign settlers acquired lands in Araucanía.
and Angol
, and occupied it. The occupation was made in response to their unanswered request to buy the San Sebastián estate by authorities. Sergio González Jarpa, agriculture businessman and owner of the estate, requested to the court of Angol the ouster of the occupants. Carabineros
gathered special forces from Araucanía Region
and flew in a GOPE unit from Santiago
. The ouster begun at around 14.00. As result one young Mapuche Jaime Mendoza Collio was shot dead and one carabinero was injured in the leg. The leader of Mapuche organization Consejo de Todas las Tierras Aucán Huilcamán
strongly condemned the actions of the police and called the killing an extrajudicial execution. Later on the Legal Medical Service of Chile stated that the dead Mapuche had been shot from behind in the back. Investigations by Policía de Investigaciones
have shown that the Mapuche who was shot, Jaime Mendoza Collío, did not have remains of gunpowder
on his hands as Carabineros had suggested.
The attacks of 2009 again brought the CAM issue to the level of government. The Alianza por Chile claimed that the Concertación governments have not done enough to arrest the authors of the attacks and protect private property. On August 19, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet
condemned an incident between minister Edmundo Pérez Yoma
(DC
) and the opposition deputy Gonzalo Arenas (UDI), where Arenas threw an alleged copy of the pardon
of former CAM leader Víctor Ancalaf on Pérez Yoma's face. Victor Ancalaf had served 5 years of a 10-year prison sentence for alleged terrorist crimes, which Ancalaf vehemently denies, after being sentenced by a closed military court using anonymous witnesses. Since his release an alleged leader of a paramilitary group called Comando Hernan Trizano claimed when interviewed by a newspaper to have large amounts of weapons and explosives, said they would blow up Victor Ancalaf and a list of other Mapuche leaders with dynamite in their belts, and made other threats..
Mapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
dedicated to the revindication and recovery of former Mapuche lands. It was founded in 1998, in Tranaquepe, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and is responsible for land occupation in the zones of Tirúa
Tirúa
Tirúa is a Chilean commune and town in Arauco Province, Biobío Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Tirúa spans an area of and has 9,664 inhabitants . Of these, 2,508 lived in urban areas and 7,156 in rural areas...
, Contulmo
Contulmo
Contulmo is a Chilean town and commune in Arauco Province, Biobío Region. Colonized by Germans of Berlin since 1884.-Geography:...
, Cañete and Temucuicui. Protesters from Mapuche communities have used these tactics against multinational forestry corporations http://www.cooperativa.cl/p4_noticias/antialone.html?page=http://www.cooperativa.cl/p4_noticias/site/artic/20051111/pags/20051111124708.html and private individuals.
Several of its members have been judged under anti-terrorist laws left from the Pinochet era
Chile under Pinochet
Chile was ruled by a military dictatorship headed by Augusto Pinochet from 1973 when Salvador Allende was overthrown in a coup d'etat until 1990 when the Chilean transition to democracy began. The authoritarian military government was characterized by systematic suppression of political parties and...
. CAM arose from the Mapuche conflict
Mapuche conflict
Mapuche conflict is a collective name for the revival and reorganization of Mapuche communities for greater autonomy, recognition of rights and the recovery of land since the Chilean transition to democracy. The Mapuche conflict is a phenomenon mainly from Chile, but also from neighboring areas of...
that was revitalized in the late 1990s with the rise of ecologism, and the revindication of indigenismo
Indigenismo
Indigenismo is a Latin American idea and movement pressing for a greater social and political role for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, and the revindication of indigenous rights and including compensation for past wrongdoings of the colonial and republican states...
by politicians of the Concertación. The land rights claimed by CAM can in many cases be traced back to the Occupation of Araucanía in the 1870s and 1880s a period during which many Chileans and foreign settlers acquired lands in Araucanía.
2009 actions and controversy
On the morning of August 12 of 2009, it is alleged by Chilean officials that about 80 Mapuches entered the country estate San Sebastián, located between CollipulliCollipulli
Collipulli is a city and commune forming part of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. Its name means "coloured lands" in the Mapuche language spoken in the area. It has a population of 22,354 and an area of...
and Angol
Angol
Angol is a commune and capital city of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile. It is located at the foot of the Nahuelbuta Range and next to the Vergara River, that permitted communications by small boats to the Bío-Bío River and Concepción. This strategic position explains...
, and occupied it. The occupation was made in response to their unanswered request to buy the San Sebastián estate by authorities. Sergio González Jarpa, agriculture businessman and owner of the estate, requested to the court of Angol the ouster of the occupants. Carabineros
Carabineros de Chile
thumb|250px|Carabineros de Chile, patrolling a street in [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]]The Carabiniers of Chile, are the uniformed Chilean national police force and gendarmerie, created on April 27, 1927. Their mission is to maintain order and create public respect for the laws of the country...
gathered special forces from Araucanía Region
Araucanía Region
The IX Araucanía Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions and comprises two provinces: Malleco in the north and Cautín in the south....
and flew in a GOPE unit from Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
. The ouster begun at around 14.00. As result one young Mapuche Jaime Mendoza Collio was shot dead and one carabinero was injured in the leg. The leader of Mapuche organization Consejo de Todas las Tierras Aucán Huilcamán
Aucán Huilcamán
Aucán Huilcamán Paillama , leader of the indigenous Mapuche organization Consejo de Todas las Tierras . He intended to run for president in 2005 election, but his candidacy was not accepted as he was not able to collect enough official votes validated by public notaries.-References:...
strongly condemned the actions of the police and called the killing an extrajudicial execution. Later on the Legal Medical Service of Chile stated that the dead Mapuche had been shot from behind in the back. Investigations by Policía de Investigaciones
Chilean Investigation Police
Investigations Police of Chile is the civil police of Chile. Founded in 1933, it is one of two Chilean police bodies, along with Carabineros de Chile. The PDI is the first collaborator of the Public Ministry of Chile in criminal Investigation....
have shown that the Mapuche who was shot, Jaime Mendoza Collío, did not have remains of gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
on his hands as Carabineros had suggested.
The attacks of 2009 again brought the CAM issue to the level of government. The Alianza por Chile claimed that the Concertación governments have not done enough to arrest the authors of the attacks and protect private property. On August 19, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet
Michelle Bachelet
Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a Social Democrat politician who was President of Chile from 11 March 2006 to 11 March 2010. She was the first woman president of her country...
condemned an incident between minister Edmundo Pérez Yoma
Edmundo Pérez Yoma
Edmundo Jaime Pérez Yoma is a Chilean politician from the Christian Democrat Party of Chile. He was twice the Minister of Defense during the administration of President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, and he served as the Minister of the Interior for President Michelle Bachelet's administration.Pérez...
(DC
Christian Democrat Party of Chile
The Christian Democratic Party is a political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. In the 2009 election it won 19 congress seats and 9 senate seats....
) and the opposition deputy Gonzalo Arenas (UDI), where Arenas threw an alleged copy of the pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
of former CAM leader Víctor Ancalaf on Pérez Yoma's face. Victor Ancalaf had served 5 years of a 10-year prison sentence for alleged terrorist crimes, which Ancalaf vehemently denies, after being sentenced by a closed military court using anonymous witnesses. Since his release an alleged leader of a paramilitary group called Comando Hernan Trizano claimed when interviewed by a newspaper to have large amounts of weapons and explosives, said they would blow up Victor Ancalaf and a list of other Mapuche leaders with dynamite in their belts, and made other threats..