Indian Activists Protest Bolivia Highway Project

VOA Breaking News
August 15, 2011 at 8:05 pm

At least 500 Indian activists have held a demonstration in Bolivia to protest a government plan to build a 300-kilometer highway through the Amazon rainforest.

The protesters gathered Monday in the Amazon city of Trinidad for a 600-kilometer march, which is expected to culminate in the Bolivian capital, La Paz. The demonstrators say the $415 million road threatens a protected area and their right to be consulted was violated.

President Morales has angered indigenous people by saying the road would be built through the Isiboro-Secure Indigenous Territory National Park “whether they like it or not.” Activists say they will be ready with bows and arrows when the time comes to protect their land. The project will be financed in part by the Brazilian government.

Mr. Morales is Bolivia's first indigenous president. In past speeches, he has said all nations must respect Mother Earth in their environmental policies.