Police, general held hostage in Peru mining protest

Jun 17, 2008, 18:24 GMT

Lima - Peruvian Defence Minister Antero Flores Araoz ruled out Tuesday a military intervention to free dozens of police officers - including one general - taken hostage Monday in the southern region of Moquegua amidst demonstrations for a greater share of mining royalties.

'We contribute nothing by calling for troops to go in and repress them. We have to manage to give this a peaceful solution,' Flores Araoz told reporters.

Thousands of demonstrators took the hostages Monday and barricaded themselves in a church in the city of Moquegua to underline their demands for more income from the Mexican copper firm, Southern.

Media reports said 42-66 police officers were being held against their will under the protection of church authorities and the Ombudsman, a nationally-appointed citizens' advocate. They are surrounded by demonstrators.

The situation escalated in Moquegua - a coastal, Andean province with some 170,000 people, some 1,150 kilometres south of Peruvian capital Lima - after the police officers were dispatched Monday to clear bridges.

Protesters had been blocking the bridges between the Moquegua and Tacna regions since Thursday, and on Monday they overpowered the officers and took them hostage instead.

In 2005, Moquegua received about 117.5 million dollars and Tacna about 107 million dollars from the mine, but the mode of calculation was changed, and now Tacna is to receive 245 million dollars and Moquegua 80 million dollars.

Amid criticism over the 'weak' police response and amid demands of a resignation by Interior Minister Luis Alva Castro, Flores Araoz stressed the government is exercising its authority and called upon the media to refrain from 'alarming information, since they are counter-productive.'

The Ilo harbour on the Pacific, the railway line and the road towards Tacna have been blocked with stones, while some vehicles and public places were set on fire by the crowd.

In Tacna, on the border with Chile, the situation was dramatic amid a shortage of food and fuel, and regional authorities declared a state of emergency.

Jorge del Castillo, president of the Peruvian Council of Ministers, was to pursue Tuesday further negotiations with regional and local authorities in Moquegua, where 15 local officials have been on hunger strike in Lima since Thursday.

However, a new demonstration was scheduled to take place Tuesday in Moquegua.