A WEEK OF PROTESTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 001603

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/02/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR PE
SUBJECT: A WEEK OF PROTESTS

REF: A. LIMA 1046

B. LIMA 1191

Classified By: DCM James Nealon for reasons 1.4b and d.


1. (C) Summary: The Moquegua Region "Defense Front" launched
October 1 the first of several protests planned by social
movements across southern Peru during the coming week. In
neighboring Tacna Region, where leaders are locked in a
dispute with Moquegua over mining royalties, the Regional
President has promised a larger competing protest. Social
movements from nine regions plan to launch unrelated October
7 protests against inflation and the government's
"neo-liberal" economic policies. A combination of structural
scuffling and provocation, some protestors are probably
hoping for sparks to break into flame. End Summary.


2. (U) The Communist-controlled "Defense Front of Moquegua
Region" on October 1 launched the first of several protests
planned by social movements across southern Peru during the
coming week. The Moquegua protest follows a major June
strike in which thousands of protestors captured dozens of
police hostages and cut off a major road artery to southern
Peru in order to demand an increased share of mining
royalties for the region. (Ref A). Moquegua strike leaders
say the current protest is meant to preempt a two day
(October 2-3) strike in neighboring Tacna Region. Initial
press reports indicate the first day of protests in Moquegua
was small and easily contained by security forces.


3. (U) In Tacna, the Regional President and local social
movement leaders are demanding that the distribution of
mining royalties remain the same, i.e., that additional
royalties not be redirected to Moquegua. The Tacna leaders
have promised that protests will be larger than the June
strike in Moquegua. According to initial reports from the
ground, the first day of the Tacna strike was "massive," and
shut down economic activity in the city. Tacna leaders have
also sought support from eight other regions that would be
affected by any change in the distribution of mining
royalties, according to press reports.


4. (C) On October 7, social movements from nine regions plan
to lead strikes (unrelated to mining royalty distribution)
against the government. In an echo of the nation-wide
protests this past July (ref B),these strikes have been
organized by the radical leftist labor union CGTP, which is
demanding an end to inflation and the "neoliberal" economic
model. CGTP has billed October 7 as a practice run for the
so-called "Assembly of the Peoples" demonstration it and
other groups are organizing for November 4 (as an
attention-getting event in the run-up to the APEC summit).
One contact with close ties to different social movements
told Poloff that he does not expect the October 7 protests to
gather much force. Other observers suggest protests will be
strong in some particularly unruly regions. The security
director for the company that runs trains to Machu Picchu
told Poloff he anticipates another extensive rural strike
that could force the company to suspend operations for the
day.

Comment: Mixed Brew
--------------

5. (C) Beginning even as the ongoing Health Care workers
strike remains unresolved, the current round of regional
protests is a mix of structural conflict and empty
provocation. Moquegua and Tacna are locking horns over the
most basic of political issues: who should get how much (from
mining production, in this case). By contrast, the CGTP has
an historical commitment to the radical political gesture and
demanding the impossible. Still, some of the protesters are
probably hoping that the sparks generated by these strikes
break into full-flamed protests that singe or even burn the
government.
MCKINLEY