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Peru congress suspends land laws
Parliament suspends legislation that sparked violent Amazon protests.
Last Modified: 10 Jun 2009 21:40 GMT

Peru has been rocked by violent clashes
over Amazon oil exploration [AFP]

The Peruvian congress has voted to temporarily suspend two land laws that sparked violent clashes between indigenous protesters and police last week, killing at least 60 people.

The laws, which encourage foreign mining and energy companies to invest billions of dollars in projects in the Amazon rainforest, were decreed by Alan Garcia, the Peruvian president.

Garcia has 15 days to either sign the suspension order or send it back to congress, which can override his veto.

It was not immediately clear for how long the suspension would last and Wednesday's vote was seen as a stop-gap measure to give congress more time to agree on a more permanent solution.

'Genocide'

In video

Deadly clashes rock Peru in fight over jungle land
Protests against the laws turned violent on Friday when police opened fire as they tried to break through a highway blockade manned by thousands of protesters.

Thousands of indigenous people, many armed with wooden spears, have vowed to continue their blockades on remote Amazon jungle highways to defend their ancestral lands from developers.

On Wednesday, Nicaragua granted political asylum to a protest leader accused of sedition after the protests.

Alberto Pizango had accused the government of Alan Garcia, Peru's president, of "genocide" following Friday's clashes.

Peru's indigenous peoples say that Garcia's government did not consult them in good faith before signing contracts that could affect at least 30,000 indigenous people across six provinces.

Source:
Agencies
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