Brazil: Military takeover of tribal lands or legitimate forest protection?
And if the world could stop fighting wars and sign loads of new peace
treaties we could turn the world’s military powers towards replanting,
restoring and ridding the world’s forest of those who buy, bribe or
steal their way to it destruction. Of course the military is only as
good as its leadership and in the case below I question how much the
Brazilian government intends to protect the forest, as well as for
whom they intend to protect the forest for? It’s also important to
remember that for almost a decade a Brazilian propaganda campaign has
convinced most Brazilians that Brazil might be the world’s next Iraq
invasion. –Deane
Brazil plans to double the number of troops along the borders of its
vast Amazon rain forest area in the framework of the “Protecting
Amazon” project, reported O Estado de Sao Paulo” this weekend. Defence
Minister Nelson Jobim said the government will increase the number of
troops in the Amazon from 17,000 to 30,000 and build 28 new forts on
Indian land and conservation areas of the world’s largest rain forest.
According to the newspaper report the project is an initiative from
President Lula da Silva, which besides increasing presence and
patrolling it is geared to change the focus from “live frontiers” to
“military vigilance cells”, which means military staff will move into
the area with their families. There’s no fixed timetable for the
project, but defence sources said it’s a nine year plan which will
demand an investment in the range of 500 million US dollars. Existing
barracks will also be improved and another 60 million USD has been
earmarked. Brazil shares the huge Amazon basin, six million square
kilometres, with eight other South American countries: Bolivia, Peru,
Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Surinam, Venezuela and French Overseas
Territory Guyana. Strategic Affairs Minister Roberto Mangabeira Unger
said the Amazon protection project is part of a greater Brazilian
effort to modernize and equip the armed forces, create a rapid
deployment force and update its weapons industry. “The plan includes
the restructuring of Brazil’s weapons industry to guarantee the supply
of defence material without depending on foreign suppliers” President
Lula da Silva said at a recent ceremony to unveil the plan.
http://www.mercopress.com/vernoticia.do?id=15692&formato=HTML
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