PBI-Honduras aware of security situation as protests take place against controversial thermoelectric plant
PBI-Honduras has posted:
“On Tuesday [June 11] we accompanied @guapinolre [Guapinol Resists – Municipal Committee in Defense of the Common and Public Goods] to the Supreme Court of Justice where they filed an appeal for protection against the open town meeting convened for today [Thursday June 13].
On several occasions, the Municipal Committee in Defense of Common and Public Goods and the affected communities in the area have opposed the installation of ECOTEK’s thermoelectric plant.
At PBI, today [at 12:08 pm in Honduras] we are very aware of the security situation of the people of the community.”
That situation refers to a highway blockade this morning followed by a protest.
This morning Noticias 24/7 reported: “The inhabitants of the Aguán Valley took the CA-13 highway at the height of the La Ceibita community, in a protest against the call for an open town hall scheduled for this day. With burning tires and banners in hand, the demonstrators expressed their opposition to the installation of a thermoelectric plant in the region.”
Photo of protest on highway.
That article adds: “The Municipal Committee in Defense of the Common and Public Goods of Tocoa, together with the communities of Lempira and Guapinol, have mobilized to Tegucigalpa to express their rejection. According to community leaders, the instruction to carry out the open town hall came from the Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Serna), Lucky Medina.”
By the afternoon, La Tribuna reported: “Residents protesting against a thermoelectric project in the community of Ceibita, Tocoa, Colón, threw stones at Mayor Adán Fúnez, in an open town hall. Preliminary information highlights that the mayor of Tocoa was arriving at the Basic Education Center of the community of Ceibita, to talk with the locals about the project. However, tempers flared and the demonstrators threw stones at the Mayor, however, the Honduran National Police managed to protect the mayor. The social organizations of Tocoa have organized a protest in rejection of the installation of a thermoelectric plant that they consider polluting.”
Contracorriente further explains in a tweet: “Amid claims and aggressions to journalists, the mayor of the municipality of Tocoa, Adán Fúnez, declared approved the Ecotek thermoelectric plant, which will operate based on petcoke. The mayor left the establishment after declaring the project approved, accompanied by a contingent of police. The communities complained that the Guapinol board of trustees was prohibited from participating in the open meeting.”
We note that lawyer Edy Tabora tweeted: “Adán Funez and Lenir Perez’s Ecotek company say they approved a thermoelectric project in Tocoa, without having been put to a vote. The communities reject the project and the Executive Branch reacts by protecting Lenir P. The town hall was illegal! The population said no!”
Video still.
And the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) has tweeted: “We express our solidarity with the community of Tocoa, Colón, which is being militarized as an act of intimidation and violence after a peaceful mobilization against the open town hall of the thermoelectric plant. Tocoa has already rejected this highly polluting thermoelectric megaproject on 6 occasions, owned by the mayor of the Libre party, Adán Fúnez, but the sovereign decision of the people has not been respected by the authorities. We denounce the arbitrary actions, violence and intimidation by the National Police and the military to impose this illegal open meeting that tries to approve the Ecotek petroleum coke thermoelectric plant, part of the EMCO mining megaproject.”
We continue to follow this situation.
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