Amazon Aborigines lost their lives because of wifi passwords
VenezuelaAt the end of March, four members of the Yanomami tribe were shot dead by soldiers after a fight over a changed wifi password.
The incident took place in a remote area of the Amazon rainforest, called Parima B, near the Brazilian border, where the Venezuelan military’s airbase is located.
The Yanomami tribe has 38,000 people, living on 18 million hectares of land, a 40-day walk from the nearest town and can only be reached by plane.
A few years ago, they made a deal with the government to use the army base’s Internet connection to promptly report irregularities in their land, especially illegal gold mining. But last month, there were some leadership changes at the base and the wifi password also changed.
The Yanomami tribe lives in the jungles of the Amazon, far from populated areas. Photo: Ozy
After the connection was cut, some tribal people walked for days to the airbase to complain, but the situation turned chaotic when the soldiers refused to share the new password. The ensuing scuffle left four Aboriginal people shot dead, five others and several soldiers wounded.
Miguel Rodriguez, governor of Amazonas state, said officials and prosecutors had been sent to the area to try and determine exactly what happened and who was responsible.
Yanomami first had long-term contact with outsiders in the 1940s when the Brazilian government sent troops to demarcate the border with Venezuela. Since then, the area has been ravaged by a wave of 40,000 illegal gold miners in the 1980s, and the situation persists to this day.
Venezuelan Justice Minister Tarek William Saab announced that the Ministry of Public Security and the Ombudsman’s office have been mobilized to investigate the incident. He appointed prosecutors for indigenous affairs and human rights to conduct joint investigations with the Criminal and Criminal Science Investigative Corps (Cicpc). Officials went to Parima B to carry out the investigation. But one of the lawyers warned of cultural difficulties that could hinder the investigation. “Due to their own worldview, they won’t let their brothers out, nor will they allow the police to do an autopsy.”
According to the initial investigation, the weapons used by both sides included guns and bows. Police seized a 9mm gun and at least 70 rifle bullets along with sticks, bricks and stones scattered at the scene.
Hai Thu (According to The Telegraph, Washington Post and El Pais)
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
