By Patrick Vanderpool
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America  

TIERRA AMARILLA, Chile – With the world’s attention focused directly on the 33 rescued Chilean miners over the last couple of weeks, Chilean President Sebastian Piñera has vowed to strengthen health and safety standards for miners in the future. 

Although miraculous, the rescue, and scrutiny that came along with it, has proven devastating to many mine workers.  New, strengthened regulations will undoubtedly cause mines to shut down for periods of time, and for some, permanently, putting many Chileans out of work in one of the country’s largest industries.

Northern Chilean mines are home to a vast amount of valuable copper, spurring investment to uncover the untapped resources.  Mining accounts for 40 percent of the state’s revenue and employs 170,000 people, about 10,000 of them just in the smaller mines in northern Chile.

The government crackdown on mining has closed dozens of mines or restricted operations until tunnels can be made safe, escape shafts can be dug and ventilation can be improved.  Piñera said he would triple the budget of mine safety agency Sernageomin, whose top regulators he fired after the collapse in San Jose but which had only three inspectors to oversee hundreds of mines in northern Chile.

Fernando Rivadeneira, a 45-year veteran miner, whose father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were also miners, stated “[t]his is all paralyzed now,” pointing to the small mine he owns and where he works.

Like the rest of the general public, the miners recognize the need and importance of a safer work environment in the mines.  However, they face unemployment as the only alternative because up to this point, the government has not offered any aid to those who will be forced out of work.

An inspection in September determined that Rivadeneira needed to reinforce tunnels in the mine that he operates, which means lining them with wooden timbers and industrial netting to capture falling rocks.  Rivadeneira, who is being forced out of a job himself, has also lost several workers on his crew due to the closing.

Rivadeneira said, “They are right about it, [b]ut I cannot just go work at something else. I am 62 and no one is going to give me a job.”  Nobody will argue that improved safety is a negative thing for the mining industry.  However, there are unintended consequences that cannot be ignored.

Although Chile has some of the toughest regulations in the region leading to a drop in mining accidents and fatalities, 31 miners have died this year, and government regulators admit that only a fraction of mining operations are ever inspected.

For more information, please see:

Washington Post – Government crackdown after mine collapse leaves other Chilean miners feeling left out in the cold – 16 October 2010

Bloomberg – Pinera Vows to Improve Chile Mine Safety After Rescue – 14 October 2010

CBC News – Chilean mine safety under scrutiny – 14 October 2010

By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

LA PAZ, Bolivia—Protests have continued against a controversial new law in Bolivia.  Members of the press and others fear that the “Law Against Racism and All Forms of Discrimination” will hamper their freedom of expression; supporters of the law herald it as a step toward equality.

The two disputed articles of the new legislation—Articles 16 and 23—make it illegal for journalists to publish or broadcast anything that could be construed as discriminatory.  The law also holds members of the press responsible for statements uttered by third parties.

Opponents of the law say they are concerned that the government will use the regulation’s language to eliminate voices of opposition.

During a protest in Santa Cruz last week, demonstrators wearing muzzles held signs reflecting sentiments such as, “democracy is dead,” “don’t muzzle our children’s future,” and “life is nothing if liberty is lost.”  A journalist tied a microphone to a noose and labeled it, “The PRESS-R.I.P.”  Many have dubbed the law “la ley mordaza,” which means “the muzzle law.”

The law’s proponents see things differently.  “The bill protects and guarantees equal treatment for all people,” Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera said.  “We have to combat a culture of racism. . . .  Do not forget that until four years ago the indigenous were discriminated against and abused, handicapped in their social and economic presence with racist epithets and attacks.”

An article by Workers World commended the law as a “triumph for the working class and oppressed,” and “for Bolivia’s majority Indigenous population and for the Afro-Bolivian community as well, both of which have suffered 500 years of oppression.”

There doesn’t seem to be an immediate end to the controversy.  Journalists are presently trying to collect a million signatures to overturn Article 16 and modify Article 23.

The Bolivian Bishops’ Conference released a statement which reaffirmed the “commitment to any initiative that leads to the removal of racism and discrimination,” but expressed worry over the “imminent risk associated with the recent approval and promulgation of that law, in regards to the exercise of the principles and fundamental rights of individuals and institutions.”

For more information, please see:

Committee to Protect Journalists-In Bolivia, anti-discrimination law raises concerns-18 October 2010

Workers World-New Bolivian law guarantees equality-15 October 2010

Andean Information Network-Conflict and Consensus:  The Anti-Racism and Discrimination Law in Bolivia; Part I:Content and Justification of the Legislation-15 October 2010

Fides-America/Bolivia:  Church promotes dialogue between journalists and government on anti-racism law-14 October 2010

CNN-Protests Continue in Bolivia Over Controversial Racism Law-14 October 2010