LAND CONFLICT IN ORURO

UNCLAS LA PAZ 001587 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON BL SUBJECT: LAND CONFLICT IN ORURO REF: LA PAZ 1517 ¶1. (U) The GOB displaced 7,000 squatters from privately-owned lands in the Department of Oruro on June 9; one off-duty police officer was killed in the confrontation. Members of an organization dubbed the "Roofless Movement" (similar to the Landless Movement) had been living in tents on private property for weeks and had instituted a hunger strike calling for the resignation of MAS officials who had failed to respond to their demands, including Minister of Government Alicia Munoz (who is from Oruro) and Governor Alberto Aguilar. President Morales' June 3 land decrees (see reftel) emboldened the squatters in their desire to stake out landholdings. On June 9, the confrontation escalated when GOB police and military forces attempted to evict the squatters with tear gas. Although the circumstances are unclear, one of the squatters, off-duty police officer Santiago Orocando Arevillca, was shot and killed. Twelve to fifteen others were injured. ¶2. (SBU) Comment: The GOB has stated that it will not negotiate application of the law, and has said squatters cannot take over productive lands. On its face, the GOB's intervention in Oruro seems to support the rule of law. However, many are concerned about the law's uneven application and blame the GOB for opening the proverbial Pandora's box with its recent land decrees. It remains to be seen whether the GOB will continue to use a heavy hand in the increasing number of land conflicts throughout Bolivia and whether poor, rural Bolivians will have the patience to wait for the Constituent Assembly to decide this important issue. End comment. GREENLEE