Residents in of Simón Bolívar, in Peru's Pasco region, clashed with National Police in a highway confrontation Sept. 23, as they were returning from a cross-country march to La Oroya [6] metal-smelting complex in neighboring Junín region. One protester was injured with a blow to the head in the fracas, which apparently began when an officer made a death threat to the passing demonstrators. The marchers intend to continue to Lima, and an officer reportedly told them that if they attempted to advance towards the capital they would "die like dogs." The protesters are demanding health and environmental remediation measures to address contamination of the area's waters with heavy metals from the Oroya complex. (RPP [7])
A deadline for liquidation of Doe Run, the corporation that runs the complex, passed last month, but the company's Board of Creditors are set to vote this week on a proposal to extend the deadline to February. The Oroya facility remains idled as Peru's government and debt-ridden Doe Run remain at odds over a clean-up plan for the complex, considered one of the most polluted industrial sites on Earth. (Portal Minero [8], Sept. 16)
