Number 373, November 5, 1999.
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In this week's issue:
>NEWS BRIEFS
- Study reveals increase in "misery" in Brazil
- Indigenous and riverside communities react to big projects
- Ex-landless inaugurate supermarket
- Mayor who denounced drug trafficking assassinated in Mato Grosso do Sul
- Update on Febem revolt
- Spanish judge considering possibility of extraditing Brazilian torturers
NEWS BRIEFS
-Study reveals "misery" has increased in Brazil
According to the most recent study concerning misery in Brazil, the situation is worse than imagined. Forty-three million Brazilians, or 28% of the population, live in extreme poverty--people who earn less than R$ 73 (US$ 35) per month, which is not enough to buy food to sustain themselves. The study, done by the coordinator of the Institute of Studies for Work and Society, and researcher for Institute of Applied Economic Research, Marcelo Neri, also demonstrated in his studies that nearly half of the population, or nearly 78 million people, are "poor," earning less than R$149 per month. According to another study from IBGE (Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics), in 1990, 12.7% of national income was in the hands of 50% the most poor; this number declined to 11.2% in 1998. Meanwhile, 20% of the most rich possessed 62.8% of the national income in 1990; in 1998, they possessed 63,8%.
Source: Jornal da Cidadania
September 1999
-Indigenous and riverside communities react to big projects
A commission formed by 50 indigenous representatives of the Apinajé, Javaé, Xerente, Karajá, Tapirapé and Krahô peoples, 16 riverside communities and peasants affected by the Lajeado hydroelectric power station in Tocantins met in Brasília this week to repudiate the construction of the Tocantins-Araguaia waterway and the hydroelectric stations planned for the region. The negative impacts of these projects upon the environment and the way of life of the populations that survive from the rivers are reason enough to halt the projects. In the meetings in Brasília with the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL), Funai, and other entities, indigenous people and riverside communities, accompanied by the National Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) and Cimi, distributed a strong letter denouncing the negative impacts of the enterprises throughout the entire region.
The Tocantins-Araguaia waterway will have an impact on 15 indigenous peoples of the Mid-West region and 10 conservation units, including the Araguaia National Park. The project's objective is to utilize the Mortes, Araguaia and Tocantins Rivers to market grains, fuel and fertilizers. The modification of these rivers to meet this demand, however, will cause the death of the fish and animals who these people depend on for survival.
The Lajeado hydroelectric affects the Xerente people and the riverbank communities who charge the Investco company, the party responsible for the construction of the dam, of non-fulfillment of the compensatory measures foreseen in the Basic Environmental Projects (PBAs). Information is that the construction of the Peixe, Impueiras and Serra Quebrada hydroelectric stations will begin shortly (the latter estimated to flood 5% of the Apinajé indigenous area). The 2015 National Energy Plan foresees the construction of 10 hydroelectric power stations in the Tocantins River. For all of the cultural and environmental damage that these projects could cause, the indigenous, riverside and peasant communities unanimously and categorically state that they do not accept the Tocantins- Araguaia Waterway and demand that public sessions be held to express their opinions. They also reject the Serra Quebrada dam and likewise demand that public sessions be held in regard to the Lajeado hydroelectric power station.
Source: Indianist Missionary Council - Cimi
October 21, 1999.
- Ex-landless inaugurate supermarket
The inauguration this week of a supermarket in the state of Rio Grande do Sul caught many people’s attention, including the governor of the state, Olivio Dutra. The establishment, which sells over 3,500 items, belongs to a group of ex-landless families who were settled in the area in 1990. The supermarket operates out of building that was constructed by the settlers themselves with an investment of R$ 150 million. The majority of this money came from a federal program called Procera, which seeks to help those who have benefitted from agrarian reform projects. The manager of the supermarket, Ladimir Trombeta, said they hope to attract consumers by offering lower prices which are possible because of the elimination of "middle-men."
Source: Folha de Sao Paulo
October 30, 1999
-Mayor who denounced drug trafficking assassinated in Mato Grosso do Sul
The mayor of Mundo Novo, a city of 16,000 in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, was assassinated this past Saturday while on the veranda of her home. A former landless worker and a member of the MST (Movement of rural workers Without Land), Dorcelina de Oliveira Folador had been denouncing the "mafia" of the city, who according to her, are involved in drug trafficking, gun running and illegal adoptions of Brazilian children to other countries. The mayor had received death threats before her assassination. The case is being investigated by the Federal Police.
Physically handicapped, Dorcelina was a courageous woman who knew that her leadership would raise the ire of the people. The symbol she used for her 1996 campaign was a broom with the words, "Let’s sweep out corruption, Dorcelina is the solution."
Source: Folha de Sao Paulo
November 1, 1999
- Update on Febem revolt
Last week, Sejup reported on a major riot which occurred in a Sao Paulo juvenile detention center (see News from Brazil, No. 372 on our web page). All of the youths have now been transferred out of the center where the riots happened, and the center has been permanently shut down and is currently being demolished. The transfer of the youths however has caused tension in the other Febems (juvenile detention centers) as they are already overcrowded. The number of detainees jumped from 2,200 in 1996 to 3,716 in 1999 while the number of spaces only went from 1,700 to 2,350 in the same period. The governor of the state, Mario Covas, announced on Wednesday of this week that he will build 20 new centers by July of 2000. The cost of each center will be between R$ 1 million to R$ 1.5 million. "If the Febem budget won’t cover the costs, we will take money from other sectors," said Covas. Meanwhile, escapes and rebellions have been almost a daily occurrence this week.
Source: Folha de Sao Paulo
October 30 - September 4, 1999
- Spanish judge considering possibility of extraditing Brazilian torturers
Baltasar Garzon, the Spanish judge who is responsible for the request to extradite Augusto Pinochet, is also studying the possibility of doing the same regarding Brazilian authorities involved in practices of torture, killing, and "disappearing" political opponents of the military dictatorship (1964-1985). For the moment, Garzon is concentrating on Chilean and Argentinian cases, but if Pinochet’s extradition is successful, he hopes to include other Latin American countries like Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. Lawyers who work with Garzon said that it remains to be determined which Brazilian authorities would be the target of such extradition requests, but the beginning point would be an investigation into "Operation Condor," a pact made among military authorities of the Southern Cone in the 1970's in which information and torture tactics were exchanged.
Source: Folha de Sao Paulo
November 4, 1999
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