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Indian Country TodayNatives in Peru recently intensified protests they’ve been holding for 48 days which have shut down the country’s biggest crude oil fields, halted the operation of its only crude pipeline, blocked key Amazon highways and rivers, and disrupted travel to the Machu Picchu ruins.
The protests by Native groups are aimed at getting Peruvian President Alan Garcia to back down on recent law changes that would give his government a freer hand in selling rights over tracts of Amazon land.
AIDESEP spokesperson Edson Rosales said railways – the only access other than foot from the city of Cuzco to the Machu Picchu Inca ruins, the biggest tourist attraction in Peru – was blocked May 27 for a second day by groups including Machiguenga Natives. It was the first time the ruins had been affected.
The biggest Peruvian Amazon city of Iquitos – population 370,000 – was also paralyzed for a second day. Other protests hit many Amazon towns which faced supply shortages, he added.
He said other blockades of waterways, highways as well as pumping installations for the pipeline continued, and reported that Native leader Alberto Pizango remains firm to his original position that the protests will not end until Garcia backs down on legislation changes that threaten Natives ancestral lands.
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