A Community Immune To Gold Fever

A Community Immune to Gold Fever

October 31, 2005

By Carlos Martínez - www.elfaro.net/

San Salvador - Tobías was helping his cow give birth when he saw those men come walking across his property for the first time. "We're looking for mines," they told him. Naturally, responded, "Ah, no, you won't find any more mines here, after the war, all the land mines were removed." It was September, and for the first time the strangers explained why they were there: "No, the mines we are looking for are gold mines."

These folks turned out to be a group of employees of mining company Martinique Minerals of El Salvador, which spent more than three months exploring the territory of San José Las Flores, in the municipality of Chalatenango. The company, a subsidiary of Canadian mining company Gold Martinique, had obtained permits in May to explore 49 square kilometers in the zone known as Ojo Blanco, covering five towns. One month later, the prospectors began to explore the land, the majority of which is owned by residents of Las Flores.

In the days of the civil war, this municipality of 26 square kilometers, was located in the epicenter of the war, and almost all of the residents supported, armed or not, the Popular Forces for Liberation (FPL). In fact the current power structure of the community is a legacy of the years of conflict: the Mayor shares decision-making authority with the Communal Council, which gives the true mandate of the community.

In the town there are rules which everyone, absolutely everyone, must follow. For example sales of liquor are prohibited, and the bars can only sell beer until ten at night. Important decisions are taken by the Communal Council only after a period of open popular consultation. Representatives are chosen through a secret vote and serve for two years. The mayor is just one voice among many in the weekly meetings of the Council. And recently, a new rule was aproved: Nobody is to negotiate with the miners. And in this case, the meaning of "nobody" is to be taken very literally.

Upon learning about the intentions of the strangers, community leaders got to work investigating what gold mining really entailed. They contacted Miguel Vásquez, bishop at a neighboring town who had experiences in a mining situation in Panamá; they got videos, communicated with neighboring Guatemalans, contacted environmental NGOs, and arrived at a conclusion: Mining is a big problem, and they should not let miners operate, explore or even visit the zone.

"They are being manipulated; these are people who still haven't emerged from the civil war, now they think they are experts in mining and they have gone and told folks that we are going to tear out a 49 square kilometer hole and pollute the whole zone!" complains Vidal Recinos, supporter of the mining company in the municipality.

On September 19, mine prospectors were expelled from the zone. A comittee of leaders informed them of the decision: "We have made the decision to not permit you to work here and the company must suspend the operations," were the words of Felipe Tobar, president of the Communal Council. "We already know what it will mean if you all carry out the mining exploration, and we have met in the General Assembly of more than 150 persons. The response we bring to you is the immediate suspension of the project, and that you do not invest any more resources, for this project is not going to go through."

But the company persevered. They made deals with five local persons, and began to negotiate with some landowners one-by-one. Of the five thousand persons who are constituents of Mayor Felix Lara, only 120 have a salaried job: Municipal employees, teachers in the schools and the police. The rest live from their crops. In conditions like this, the lure of employment promised by Martinique Minerals comes like water in the desert.

Martinique Minerals pays eight dollars for a four hour work day, and twelve dollars on weekends. "The work is to collect some stones, and they pay us for that! They are promising the stars to everyone," comments Miguel Torres, a 24 year old who some time earlier was interested in working for the company.

The company is stubborn, certainly, but so too the people of Las Flores can be very pursuasive: One morning in early October, some two hundred people carried out a veritable ambush some kilometers from the town. Vidal Recinos, a Guatemalan geologist, Patrick, a Canadian geologist and four workers had endure a forty minute scolding from the Mayor, the President of the Comunal Council, two priests, and other local leaders. "I told them, 'It doesn't matter to you what we have told you, you are still at it! We're going to convince you that you don`t mess with this town. Please, you are going to leave, and we don't want to see you here.' The Canadian's moustache was trembling. Fortunately we didn't need to do more - we are saving our energy for the future," relates Felipe. The scolding completed, the miners hurridly drove away, escorted by community vehicles. This was the last time the company has appeared in the zone.

Despite their rejection, company executives remain optimistic. Bill McGuinty, Vice President of exploration for Intrepid Minerals Corporation, parent company of Martinique Gold, told El Faro from Canada: "We've been informed about the situation in Las Flores, but we understand that very recently there has been a change in the attitude of some of the residents of the zone. We understand their worries, and we want to carry out meetings with them to involve the community, and explain to them what our work is about, then we will be preparing some proposals which involve the community."

But contrary to the expectations of the Canadians, Felipe Tobar says the issue is moot: "Look, we have paid for these lands with our blood. I saw seven members of my family die in one night... So many of us gave their lives, so that now these folks come to ruin us?... Those of us who didn't die in the war are ready to give their last drop of blood here if necessary, but we know they will never enter. They will never enter."