3 Killed And 20 Injured In Peru Protest

LIMA – At least three people have been killed and 20 injured during clashes between security forces and demonstrators protesting a planned US$4.8 billion gold mine by US-based Newmont in northern Peru.

A 17-year-old was among those dead, and 15 people were also arrested at the  Conga mining project, Cajamarca region prosecutor Esperanza Leon told RPP radio.

More than 1,000 protesters threw stones at government offices in the town  of Celendin, and police responded by firing tear gas and using their batons to  disperse the crowd, local media reported.

During the scuffle, two police officers were wounded by “guns fired by  protesters who were trying to take over Celendin,” the interior ministry said  in a statement. It accused the demonstrators of committing “criminal acts.”    The Peruvian government declared a state of emergency and mobilized  security forces in Cajamarca.

Protesters say the Conga mining project will pollute the area’s lakes and  rivers, contaminating water supplies.

The demonstration came after Celendin Mayor Mauro Arteaga was said to have  expressed support for the project.

Conga was approved in 2010 by former president Alan Garcia’s government.

His successor President Ollanta Humala had been a backer of the project but  insists potential environmental impacts must be weighed.

The open-pit project, located some 3,700 metres (12,140 feet) above sea  level, involves moving the water from four lakes high in the Andes mountains  into reservoirs the company would build. – AFP

Peru