Weekly Report - 20 September 2007 (INNS 1741-7422)

PERU | Mining referendum. Three districts in northern Peru held referenda on mining on 16 September, which resonated at a national level by threatening the government's mining-development policy. Turnout among the 31,000 people on the electoral register in Ayabaca, Pacaipampa and Carmen de la Frontera, in the region of Piura, was some 60%, of which 95% voted "no" to the question "Do you agree with mining activity in your district?" The referenda were held in response to the Rio Blanco de Majaz copper mine concession won by China's Zijin in April. The ombudsman, Beatriz Merino, said they were constitutional but non-binding, adding that the result "would enrich the state's decision on the matter". President Alan Garcí­a sounded more enraged than enriched. He blamed "Communist sectors" for influencing local inhabitants, and "conspiring to stop the country growing". Separately, some 800 workers from China's Shougang, which operates Peru's main iron ore mine, began an indefinite strike on 17 September to demand higher salaries and better working conditions.

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