Extractive industry rant time
Warning: about to get into some shit.
In December of last year, the body of José Isidro Tendetza Antún was unearthed in Ecuador Winter’s Bone style- his son was tipped off to the location of the shallow grave and left to retrieve the remains himself.
There are several reasons why this story, hardly represented in widely circulated news syndicates, matters a hell of a lot. One being that it exposes complex and ubiquitous corruption in extractive industries (i.e. metal, petroleum, and mineral extraction), and more importantly it reminds us that there is no limit to the ingenuity, intelligence, and bravery possessed by a single human being to the very end.
Let’s back up a bit. José Isidro Tendetza Antúnwas the leader of the second largest indigenous tribe in Ecuador. The Shuar tribe has inhabited the country’s richly bio-diverse Amazon region for hundreds of years. He had been a prominent voice against environmental abuses including drilling and open pit mines in Ecuador. One of these projects, soon to be carried out by EcuaCorriente S.A., would devastate 45,000 acres of Amazon forest. 45,000 fucking acres. Below is the company’s slogan that I screen grabbed today:
My Spanish is rusty so please correct but roughly translated, “Communicate with the community, Social responsibility, and Environmental management.”
Sorry EcuaCorriente, but I’m calling bullshit.
Now let’s back up even further. EcuaCorriente S.A. is a wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary of Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group Holdings Co., Ltd. and China Railway Construction Corporation, Ltd.
On May 5th 2012, Mr. Yuan Guisen, China’s “extraordinaryand plenipotentiary ambassador in Ecuador” representing the interests of EcuaCorriente S.A. met with the president of Ecuador Rafael Correa Delgado and entered into a $1.4 billion copper mining contract. If you’re interested in a dry 1000 word document fleshing out the details of the contract, a copy of the original can be read here.
In short, Correa Delgado broke off a chunk of his country and sold it to a multi-billion dollar extraction behemoth. Now, this type of thing is happening all over the world and has happened for many, many years. But what is somewhat unique in this case is the trail of blatant unexplained disappearances of the company’s opponents.
Because in deals like this, EcuaCorriente S.A. is not only purchasing land rights but also the clandestine support of the Ecuadorian government and military.
“In Ecuador, multinational companies are invited by the government and get full state security from the police and the army. The army and police don’t provide protection for the people; they don’t defend the Shuar people. They’ve been bought by the company.” -Domingo Ankuash, Shuar member
Before Antún went missing and before his body was found, bound with several broken bones, he had been offered bribes on the condition that he step down from leading protests. He refused. His crops were then burned as a final warning. He was last seen on his way to a meeting of protesters against the Mirador copper and gold mine.
There is no limit to the bravery possessed by a single human being.
