RIO DE JANEIRO: Indigenous activists occupied the headquarters of a government agency yesterday to demand a voice in the construction of a controversial dam on the Amazon.
The natives arrived in the capital Brasilia a week ago for talks with federal authorities after occupying one of the Belo Monte dam’s building sites.
Unhappy with the outcome, about 150 activists invaded the headquarters of the National Indian Foundation (Funai), the federal agency handling indigenous affairs, late on Monday.
“We want respect for the constitution in which the indigenous rights are clearly spelled out,” chief Valdenir Munduruku told AFP. “The government is putting forward various decrees, which flout our rights over our lands with the creation of dams,” he added. “We want prior consultation over all these dams.” AFP
