Sunday, February 20, 2011

Wikileaks Peru: Preventing America from buying Machu Picchu


La Luche Sigue, the Struggle Continues!
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
A diplomatic cable from Peru released by Wikileaks once again exposes the US Embassy's bias toward Indigenous activists and their supporters in Peru. Once again, James Nealon of the US Embassy in Lima names names as the US carried out espionage.
Nealon reports on protests designed to halt the private industry from profiteering at what he calls "archaeological sites," which are sacred places to Indigenous Peoples.
Protesters said they "were fighting to prevent America from buying Machu Picchu."
Nealon wrote on March 4, 2008, "Radical union and student leaders recently led a strike to protest a law that would facilitate private investment in tourist services at archaeological sites, effectively shutting down the city of Cusco February 21-22. Residents of Cusco broadly rejected the law and said it favored deep-pocketed investors and tourists over poorer local residents ..."
Nealon expresses relief that Venezuela didn't seem to be involved in the protests, continuing his theme of placing Venezuela on his watch list.
As in another cable, Nealon targets Indigenous activists and their supporters. The publisher of an Indigenous newspaper is singled out in the cable.
Nealon wrote, "Hugo Blanco: Blanco is an unaffiliated radical leader that led the effort to block roads in Anta Province outside Cusco city, according to local contacts. Blanco is a prominent anti-systemic actor who was jailed for leading an indigenous insurgency in Cusco in the 1960s. He now publishes a newspaper called 'La Lucha Indigena' (The Indigenous Battle)."
Psst Nealon, the Indigenous Struggle Continues, La Luche Sigue.
Read cable and see the list of names:
http://213.251.145.96/cable/2008/03/08LIMA389.html
La Lucha Indigena newspaper on the web (Spanish)
http://www.luchaindigena.com/
Previous article: Wikileaks: US engaged in espionage of Indigenous activists in Peru
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2011/02/wikileaks-us-engaged-in-espionage-of.html

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