• Live
    • Audio Only
  • google plus
  • facebook
  • twitter
News > Chile

Chile Decrees a State of Emergency in Four Northern Provinces

  • Man looks on as fires burn in area being blockedby trucks. Feb. 13, 2022.

    Man looks on as fires burn in area being blockedby trucks. Feb. 13, 2022.

Published 13 February 2022
Opinion

The state of emergency will last for 15 days, after which it may be extended for a further 15 days.

The Chilean government decreed a state of emergency and military deployment in the border sectors of four northern provinces, where there were road blockades and protests by truck drivers demanding security, following the death of a colleague in an incident in which migrants are blamed.

RELATED:

Chile: 3 Military Remanded For Murdering An Ecuadoran Student

Prior to the decree, Interior Minister Rodrigo Delgado met with regional authorities, police and truckers' unions.

The truckers have blocked several routes in recent days to demand security following the death of truck driver Bayron Castillo in Mejillones.

The Executive will decree a State of Constitutional Exception for the protection and border control of the Tamarugal Province and the border areas of the provinces of Arica, Parinacota and El Loa.

The state of emergency will last for 15 days, after which it may be extended for a further 15 days.

Carlos Bretti, a representative of the cargo transporters, said that the truckers "should be lifting the strike right now".

At least 17 transport unions are the main protagonists of the blockades on the routes of Arica, Tarapacá and Antofagasta.

Despite Sunday's agreement, truckers in the regions of Antofagasta and Tarapacá blocked the accesses to their respective capitals again, despite the announcement of an agreement with the government.

URGENT - Sebastian Piñera declares a State of Exception in the Northern Provinces of Chile with a Border in the Desert. Military will be in charge of Public Order Control for the Next 15 Days after pressure from the Truckers

The conflict with the transporters comes at a time when the region has been the scene of anti-migrant demonstrations since last year.

The anti-migration climate has spilled over to the local authorities, who, by requesting measures from the government, have influenced a climate of stigmatisation and persecution.

Comment
0
Comments
Post with no comments.