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2011 Magallanes protests
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March 2012
2011 protests over rising of gas prices in Magallanes
Protesta Punta Arenas 2011.jpg
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Protests in Punta Arenas, Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region
El Segundo Puntarenazo (the Second Puntarenazo)http://www.puntocentral.cl/?p=7257 https://web.archive.org/web/20110707012608/http://www.puntocentral.cl/?p=7257 July 7, 2011 dead ¿Magallanes prepara su segundo "Puntarenazo"? Diputado Marinovic: El Presidente Piñera no es bienvenido en Punta Arenas Punto Central January 8, 2011 January 12, 2011 Spanish
Chile Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region, Chile
January 2011
The 2011 Magallanes protests were a series of protests provoked by the rising of natural gas prices in the Chilean region of Magallanes, in January 2011. The conflict ended on January 18, when Laurence Golborne and the Citizens Assembly of Magallanes reached an agreement.
Background
On December 29, 2010, the directory of Empresa Nacional del Petróleo (ENAP, National Petroleum Company) faced with high deficits due to subsidies provided to XII Region (Magallanes and Antártica Chilena) gas customers, proposed to increase the price of the natural gas by 16.8% in the region, located in the southern extreme of Chile, where everything requires gas heating because of the extreme climate.http://www.enap.cl/sala_de_prensa/detalle.php?no_noticia=252 https://web.archive.org/web/20120308114929/http://www.enap.cl/sala_de_prensa/detalle.php?no_noticia=252 March 8, 2012 dead Modificación del precio del gas natural en Magallanes ENAP December 29, 2010 January 12, 2011 Spanish mdy-all The apparent increase in the price was actually the result of a reduction of the heavily subsidised pricing for natural gas for users in this region. ENAP provides subsidies of approximately 80 percent of the delivered cost of gas in this region. As a result, users receive extremely low-cost natural gas, while residential users of natural gas in the Santiago region pay extremely high prices for the same commodity.
Protests
thumb|left|Residents of Puerto Natales protesting against the increasing of the gas price.
Empresa Nacional del Petróleo's decision, supported by the President Sebastián Piñera, the Energy Minister Ricardo Raineri, and the Mining Minister Laurence Golborne,http://www.radiobiobio.cl/2011/01/05/rainieri-respalda-alza-de-gas-y-cataloga-subsidio-en-magallanes-como-una-fiesta-que-debe-terminar/ https://web.archive.org/web/20120723185536/http://www.biobiochile.cl/2011/01/05/rainieri-respalda-alza-de-gas-y-cataloga-subsidio-en-magallanes-como-una-fiesta-que-debe-terminar.shtml July 23, 2012 live Raineri respalda alza de gas y cataloga subsidio en Magallanes como "una fiesta" que debe terminar January 12, 2011 Guzmán, Gerson Toro, Pía January 5, 2011 Radio Bío Bío Spanish mdy prompted a series of protests in that region during the following weeks, including mass mobilisations,http://radio.uchile.cl/noticias/98622/ https://web.archive.org/web/20110115084018/http://radio.uchile.cl/noticias/98622/ January 15, 2011 dead Mardones Francisco Punta Arenas nuevamente "congelada" por alza del gas Radio Universidad de Chile January 11, 2011 January 13, 2011 Spanish and a stoppage in the region's most important cities, such as Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales.http://www.lanacion.cl/asamblea-magallanica-adelanto-el-paro-por-alza-del-gas/noticias/2011-01-11/170904.html https://web.archive.org/web/20120324100818/http://www.lanacion.cl/asamblea-magallanica-adelanto-el-paro-por-alza-del-gas/noticias/2011-01-11/170904.html March 24, 2012 live Asamblea magallánica adelantó el paro por alza del gas La Nación January 11, 2011 January 12, 2011 mdy
thumb|right|Stylized version of the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region flag, saying "No to the increase of gas [prices] in Magallanes."
On January 11, the Asamblea Ciudadana de Magallanes (Magallanes Citizens' Assembly) convoked an indefinite strike from that midnight.http://www.elmostrador.cl/noticias/pais/2011/01/11/el-gobierno-no-cede-y-enfrenta-paro-indefinido-en-magallanes-por-alza-del-gas/ https://web.archive.org/web/20120926165324/http://www.elmostrador.cl/noticias/pais/2011/01/11/el-gobierno-no-cede-y-enfrenta-paro-indefinido-en-magallanes-por-alza-del-gas/ September 26, 2012 live Gobierno no cede y enfrenta paro indefinido en Magallanes por alza del gas January 12, 2011 El Mostrador January 11, 2011 Spanish mdy Two women, Claudia Castillo Campos, 19, and Melisa Silva Ruiz, 23,http://www.radiopolar.com/noticia_42607.html https://web.archive.org/web/20130725032153/http://www.radiopolar.com/noticia_42607.html July 25, 2013 live rotesta y muerte en Punta Arenas Palma González Eric Eduardo January 12, 2011 Radio Polar Spanish January 18, 2011 mdy were killed by a truck during the protests in Punta Arenas that night.http://www.elmostrador.cl/noticias/pais/2011/01/12/madrugada-de-incidentes-en-magallanes-al-iniciarse-paro-regional-por-alza-del-gas/ https://web.archive.org/web/20120926165519/http://www.elmostrador.cl/noticias/pais/2011/01/12/madrugada-de-incidentes-en-magallanes-al-iniciarse-paro-regional-por-alza-del-gas/ September 26, 2012 live Dos muertos y 31 detenidos en primera noche de protesta en Magallanes January 12, 2011 El Mostrador January 12, 2011 Spanish mdy The driver of the truck was trying to run through the illegal barricades that were being operated by the persons who were injured. The events took place late at night and involved the serious injury of an unsupervised small child. The parents, who could have been charged with endangering the child, received no legal sanctions. On the same day, more than thirty-one persons were arrested, some while trying to loot, burn, or otherwise destroy public property. Punta Arenas judges ordered the nearly immediate release of almost all those who were caught by the police. After the first manifestations, Carabineros de Chile requested a contingent of Special Forces to control the strike.http://tercera.com/noticia/nacional/2011/01/680-337732-9-carabineros-envia-contingente-de-fuerzas-especiales-para-controlar-paro-en-punta.shtml https://archive.today/20240526134046/https://www.webcitation.org/6EpUgWYWJ?url=http://www.latercera.com/noticia/nacional/2011/01/680-337732-9-carabineros-envia-contingente-de-fuerzas-especiales-para-controlar-paro-en-punta.shtml May 26, 2024 live Carabineros envía contingente de Fuerzas Especiales para controlar paro en Punta Arenas La Tercera January 12, 2011 January 12, 2011 Spanish mdy
During the January 12, the strike continued in the main towns of the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region, extending itself to the main border crossings with Argentina. More than two thousand cars remained isolated while trying to cross from the province of Tierra del Fuego to the province of Santa Cruz through Chilean territory. Another 1,500 tourists were left without movement in Torres del Paine National Park after routes to Puerto Natales and El Calafate were cut.http://www.theclinic.cl/2011/01/11/minuto-a-minuto-partio-el-puntarenazo/ https://web.archive.org/web/20120314061223/http://www.theclinic.cl/2011/01/11/minuto-a-minuto-partio-el-puntarenazo/ March 14, 2012 live The Clinic Minuto a minuto: Masivo acto en apoyo a Magallanes frente a La Moneda January 11, 2011 January 12, 2011 Spanish Actions by the protesters halted buses of people attempting to flee from Chile, leaving them at barricaded locations outside the cities, unable to move except by walking. This "forced march" situation adversely affected many elderly tourists, including those with disabilities, resulting in human rights complaints and well as violations of Chilean national law providing for free passage within the country. The Chilean national police, the Carabineros, refused to act on behalf of the foreign visitors by enforcing the national law, instead leaving these people without access to food or water, stranded without transportation outside the cities. Many elderly and handicapped people were thus forced to walk for up to 20 km. Before the regional protests and rebellion against the law were over, thousands of people had to be evacuated. Some chose to walk from Puerto Natales to the frontier with Argentina, where they were received as refugees, and given assistance to onward travel and other accommodation. Eventually the US Embassy quietly arranged for a cooperative effort involving the Chilean Air Force. Squadron Commander Vegas was credited with a successful airlift of several thousand visitors, with most being delivered to the Punta Arenas airport for onward transportation so that those people could flee from southern Chile. LAN airlines was able to evacuate many of these affected people with flights to Santiago.
Although it worked normally, cuts in the route to President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport forced the suspension of Sky Airline and LAN Airlines flights.http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/noticias/2011/01/110112_chile_disturbios_punta_arenas_lf.shtml https://web.archive.org/web/20110116032651/http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/noticias/2011/01/110112_chile_disturbios_punta_arenas_lf.shtml January 16, 2011 live El sur de Chile protesta contra Piñera por precios del gas Bustamante, Rodrigo BBC Mundo January 12, 2011 January 12, 2011 Spanish mdy
Consequences
Prior to the conclusion of the protests, the Interior Ministry invoked the Law of Internal Security of the State, with the intent to begin judicial determination of those responsible for the damages inflicted during the disturbances. The value of the damages varies, but was estimated in the Prensa Austral as being economic damage of approximately US$14 million, with additional damages to the infrastructure of Punta Arenas. The law of Internal Security of the State also provides for the use of the Chilean armed forces in restoring civil order, and the invocation of this law may have played a part in bringing the Asambla Ciudadana de Magallanes to the bargaining table. On January 14, the Minister Secretary General of Government Ena von Baer announced changes in Sebastián Piñera's Government cabinet, including the resignment of Ricardo Raineri as Energy Minister. Laurence Golborne became Mining and Energy Minister, on January 16.http://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=458544 https://web.archive.org/web/20121001183117/http://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/2011/01/14/458544/pinera-concreta-su-primer-cambio-de-gabinete-al-aceptar-la-renuncia-a-otros-tres-ministros.html October 1, 2012 live Piñera concreta su primer cambio de gabinete al aceptar la renuncia a otros tres ministros El Mercurio Online January 14, 2011 January 15, 2011 mdy
End of the conflict
On January 18, an agreement between the Government of Chile and the Magallanes Citizens' Assembly was signed. The government proposed to increase the price of gas by 3%, far less than its originally planned increase of almost 17%.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12222392 Deal ends Chile Magallanes gas protest January 20, 2011 January 18, 2011 BBC News https://web.archive.org/web/20110120043719/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12222392 January 20, 2011 live Industries will also be benefited by the agreement. Also, the government proposed to give 17,000 subsidies to the poorest families in the region, which will not be affected by the 3% increase.
See also
2006 student protests in Chile
2011–2012 Chilean student protests
2012 Aysén protests
1997 Chilean student movement
References
Category:Protests in Chile
Magallanes protests
Magallanes
Magallanes
Protests, 2011
Magallanes protests, 2011