Tahoe Resource Inc.’s Escobal silver mine in the municipality of San Rafael Las Flores, southeastern Guatemala, is the subject of local opposition and ongoing legal processes. Community leaders have faced repression, criminalization, and violence for their efforts to promote consultation processes with local residents. Despite the conflict, Tahoe put the mine into operation even before carrying out a feasibility study to establish the economic viability of the project.
While in Washington DC on May 26-29, Mr. Oscar Morales provided a first-hand account of the situation around the Escobal mine. Mr. Morales is Coordinator of the Committee in Defense of Life and Peace in San Rafael Las Flores, as well as a community advocate and agronomist, and among many in the community who are deeply concerned about the environmental and social impacts of Tahoe’s mine and oppose its operation. He has worked to support the six men shot by mine security in April 2013 and has been an advocate for the community consultations that have taken place throughout Santa Rosa and Jalapa. Mr. Morales numbers among the nearly 90 individuals who have faced spurious criminal charges for their opposition to the Tahoe project.
The Escobal mine, Tahoe’s only project, has been surrounded by controversy and conflict since 2011. The latest example occurred on April 13, 2014 when sixteen year old Topacio Reynoso was murdered near her home town of Mataquescuintla, Guatemala where she was head of a youth movement against mining. Her father, a leader in organizing a municipal vote on the mine, was critically injured in the same incident.
Other examples of ongoing controversy include a complaint to the Ontario Securities Commission in June 2013, which highlighted the company’s poor disclosure about violence in connection with the mine and the ongoing community opposition to the project. Tens of thousands of people have voted overwhelmingly against mining in 14 community consultations to date. Meanwhile, Tahoe’s former head of security, Alberto Rotondo, remains under arrest awaiting trial for the April 2013 shooting, which injured six peaceful protesters. A new campaign asks Canadian and US shareholders to divest from Tahoe Resources.
Despite these ongoing conflicts, Tahoe Resources has reported that “unanticipated social issues have been addressed.” However, locals report that these issues emphatically have not been addressed, and meanwhile, Tahoe Resources continues to operate its mine in Guatemala, where the company and its principal investor, Goldcorp Inc., wield considerable political and economic influence.
While in Washington DC, Mr. Morales met with US Congressional Offices, the State Department and civil society to raise awareness of the impacts of US and transnational investments in fomenting violence and conflict in Guatemalan communities.
Take action: Call on US and Canadian investors to withdraw their support for Tahoe Resources.
Originally posted on June 9, 2014.