Local indigenous populations claim the land to be theirs, and resent the exploitation of an outside corporation.

Canada’s Skye Resources now lays claim to the land, and paid workers a nominal sum to destroy people’s homes.

With the force of the army and police, company workers took chainsaws and torches to people’s homes, while women and children stood by.

Skye Resources claims that they maintained “a peaceful atmosphere during this action.”

Watch:
on youtube, or
on google, or doanload as a MOV file

quote:

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Although some things have undoubtedly changed since the signing of the Peace Accords in 1996, a climate of fear and uncertainty has been maintained by the CNG-Skye Resources since land reoccupations began in September. Locals I met with in December told of biweekly helicopter flyovers, fruitless meetings with company representatives who will not allow community members to bring legal representation or translators, and of a horrifying night of military and police evictions that took place in November, when hundreds of police and army personnel arrived to remove people from the lands.

The first eviction took place on November 12, and was carried out without an order signed by a judge, required by Guatemalan law. In statements reminiscent of the days of EXMIBAL, eyewitness testimonies on the night of the evictions explained that groups of police and troops deployed from within the boundaries of company property -- some using company vehicles -- to evict people from their homes.

Revolución was faced with a second eviction order on December 27th, 2006. The Christmastime eviction order appeared to be an attempt on behalf of the CGN-Skye Resources to “go legal” -- to follow procedures for eviction from private land as dictated by Guatemalan law. On the morning of the 27th, the people in Revolución were organized and expecting the worst, and it was only through listening to a local radio station that residents learned that the eviction would not take place.

The sense of relief was fleeting, however. Another eviction notice was filed for January 8th, 2007. Arriving in El Estor on the evening of the 7th, it was evident that something was amiss. Dozens of police vehicles clogged the thoroughfares of the nearby town of Rio Dulce, and police were everywhere. The following morning, it was clear that evictions were imminent.

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[ 28 January 2007: Message edited by: M. Spector ]

Anyways...

Quetar, unfortunately it's a norm within Canada too - with land developers, logging and hydro businesses; it's not quite as overt and extreme as it is on the outside, but the policies and means are really no different. Even Canada itself is akin to doing business as Skye is...

I'm going to email Victoria Henderson shortly and try to get more info.

http://www.skyeresources.com/corporate/board_of_directors/

15 of the world's top 20 weapons-makers, tobacco giants such as Rothmans and Imperial Tobacco, and nine of the top 10 air polluters in the U.S.

see: {URL=http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/observer/story.html?id=fd182e92-b450-49e3-a2b1-2f92c2a1ea3c]The Dark Side of the Canadian Pension Plan[/URL]

Oh, but stockholder meetings, you say.

Please. Most institutional funds don't even bother voting for or against any resolutions, and from what I understand about the way such meetings work, is that no-shows and abstentions are counted as having voted the same way as the majority, which usually favors the status quo of not rocking the boat.

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Originally posted by Ahni:
M, It seems CPP monies are being invested in over 2000 companies, including:[/URL]

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Originally posted by jeff house:
So, who owns Skye Resources? Shouldn't this be made more known here in Canada?

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