MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Armed Mapuches in Southern Chile burn 31 cabins, forestry machinery and open fire on a hydrant aircraft

Ricardo Margulis head of Fedetour regretted that that some 31 cabins were set on fire, “another action which only aggravates the critical situation of tourism”

The indigenous Mapuche tribe violent groups in southern Chile, involved in arson and destruction attacks, have warned that as long as forestry and construction companies keep ”devastating our resources, and the jails of southern Chile continue full of Mapuche patriots incarcerated, weichan (armed resistance) will not cease to be it under (president) Piñera or (elected president) Boric”.

Mapuche Resistance Lavkenche publicly admitted responsibility for a raft of attacks in Contulmo and other BioBio Region provinces, particularly since November, when eight Mapuche comuneros were sentenced for the death of a resident from the area, Eleodoro Raiman. “And the attacks will continue against tourism and extractive companies”, insisted Lavkenche.

The Armed resistance group also admitted having set on fire some 35 trucks, and forestry equipments, trucks involved in the extraction of sand and other construction materials, and further forestry machinery at different points of the so called Macrozone.

“The government and the ”coordinator clown“ Pablo Urquizar insist in accusing what they call massive savage crimes, but they forget to consider the heart of the matter which is condemning to years of prison to our fighters. We know government will punish our brothers, humiliate their families and will make sure traitors are seen as the victims”, pointed out the Mapuche resistance group

“Faced with this court and media farce is that we stand for combat, with our horns and justice fire power. Because despite the foreigners justice, there will always be Mapuche justice. We are a people advancing towards liberation and this means, listen clearly, expulsion of all historic usurpers , the real terrorists, because that is the only way Mapuche life and peace will be reborn”

Meanwhile the head Fedetur, an organization involved in tourism, Ricardo Margulis regretted that that some 31 cabins were set on fire, “another action which only aggravates the critical situation of tourism, in an area that during recent years has suffered attacks and destructions of this nature”.

BioBio Region governor said this was a direct attack on the income of all those families that make an honest living in the Arauco province. “This is a task that must be addressed by government, no matter its political color”

Likewise it was reported that a fire fighting aircraft, overflying the region was shot at by unknown individuals. According to the Chilean Wood Corporation, Corma, the aircraft belonging to the Mininco Forestry was fighting the fire that spread from the 31 cabins which suffered the arson attack and were a complete loss.

Corma president Juan Jose Ugarte, strongly rejected the attacks on the cabins and the display of automatic weapons by radical groups.“We are seeing eight to ten intentional arson actions every day. We need to defend ourselves and reinforce our capacity. We can't risk to be overwhelmed by this emergency”.

Apparently the aircraft received a shot in the left wing and was forced to an emergency procedure and landing.