environment

Mining proposals discussed

Bernardo Jiménez and Aparicia Rodríguez, human rights commissioners of the Comarca Ngöbe Buglé, are raising concerns about the apparent granting of mining concessions on their lands by the government.

The two arrived in Panama City Tuesday hoping to meet with officials from the Ministerio de Comercio e Industrias (Mici). While initially rebuffed, they eventually met yesterday with the deputy director of domestic trade, Manuel José Paredes, and the director of mineral resources, Jaime Roquebert.

Before beginning his journey back to the Comarca, Jiménez, said that the authorities pledged to take a tour of the region to discuss the matter with the residents.

According to the human rights commissioner, a mining concession within the region can only be authorized by the District Congress, which meets every six years. The next congress will be in March 2010.

The indigenous leaders were not alone at the meeting. Accompanying them were representatives from the Defensoría del Pueblo, the Centro de Estudios y Acción Social Panameño and the Centro de Incidencia Ambiental.

Authorities from the Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente said that all mining projects must submit an environmental impact assessment before operations can begin, and that none has been submitted for the projects within the Comarca Comarca Ngöbe Buglé.

The Comarca, formed in 1997, spans the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Veraguas and Chiriquí.