Araucanía

La Tercera, Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Dear Director:

Despite being in a state of emergency due to disaster, and with military and police forces present in Araucanía addressing the needs generated by this state of emergency, there are groups that continue to harass farmers and disregard the rule of law, particularly the requirements imposed by authorities during situations like the current one. It seems that they do not fear the authorities and operate freely, convinced that no one will take action to stop them and bring them to justice.

The Ministry of the Interior and the Public Prosecutor’s Office have filed complaints on multiple occasions, but perhaps that is not enough. It is time to act with more strength and clarity; otherwise, we may find ourselves facing a mix of insurgents and criminals doing as they please, and farmers deciding to take their defense into their own hands, which could be complex and dangerous. We cannot continue to pretend that nothing is happening and sweep the security problems in Araucanía under the rug.

Richard Kouyoumdjian Inglis
Vice President of AthenaLab