Newsletter 24: Winter 2006-2007

On January 25, 2006, 48 people were arrested when Chilean federal police (Carabineros) broke up the blockade that had been in place since the night of Monday, January 22, to prevent the passage of heavy trucks and mining machinery. After the arrests, the local community returned to re-take the intersection. According to the protesters, the peaceful occupation and blockade will be maintained indefinitely.

The Indigenous World Uranium Summit

The Indigenous World Uranium Summit, held in Window Rock, Arizona, on November 30 to December 2, 2006, was a vindication of the Navajo Nation’s ban on uranium mining in Navajo Nation Territory and a regrouping of Indigenous opposition to uranium mining globally. People from Indigenous communities around the world spoke about their experiences living with the effects of the mining and use of uranium, from Fiji to India to the North America.

The Fraser Institute considers Québec to be the mining jurisdiction with the most favourable mineral and policy potential in the world.