MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mapuche leader predicts conflict will increase with Chile's government

Huilcamán said Piñera's initiatives were “perverse.”

Mapuche Council of All Lands spokesman Aucán Huilcamán Sunday anticipated conflict and tension will increase between his community and the government of President Sebastián Piñera since there was no dialogue between them and each one sticked to their separate agendas.

 Huilcamán said his community was focused on self-determination as a Mapuche people with the restitution of the usurped lands in mind.

He insisted that the proposals of the Mapuche people have not been considered and that there has been no negotiation with the current administration.

During his visit to Valdivia, Huilcamán also addressed Piñera's initiatives of the for the region of Los Ríos and Los Lagos.
He said both the Jungle Commando and the Plan Impulso Araucanía were “perverse.”

Regarding Plan Impulso Araucanía, the Mapuche leader assured it was created to benefit the private sector. He recalled that two appeals have already been filed and that one of them had been declared admissible by the courts.

Huilcamán also pointed out that the “compensation for rural violence,” created by the government could trigger situations of arguable transparency.

The Jungle Commando is an anti-terror police group created by Piñera in June, which was trained in the United States and also in Colombia by its namesake force to operate in areas of conflict. In Chile, that area is where the greatest number of arson attacks occur: Bío Bío, La Araucanía and Los Ríos. The group is headquartered in Temuco.

The Araucania plan provides for the installation of resources that contribute to improving the living conditions of the indigenous population in the area which include but should not be limited to the Mapuche people, through the development of private entrepreneurship.