Edward Helmore in Chiriquí, Panama @ Guardian ~ Panama’s village leader Silvia Carrera defies a president: After anti-mining protests in Panama left three dead and brought the Pan-American highway to a standstill, the elected chief of the Ngäbe-Buglé people says the fight for justice must continue
The Ngäbe-Buglé comarca, or territory, sits atop the huge Cerro Colorado copper deposit, the richest mineral deposit in Panama, possibly in all of central America. Pro-business Martinelli, a self-made supermarket tycoon, signed a deal with Canada’s Inmet Mining with a 20% Korean investment to extract as much as 270,000 tons of copper a year, along with gold and silver, over the 30-year lifespan of the proposed mine. Panama’s tribes form 10% of the population but, through a system of autonomous comarcas, they control 30% of the land, giving them greater leverage. (…)
