Indigenous protest halts Amazon road build - for now

There has been a minor victory for indigenous campaigners in Bolivia fighting the construction of a highway through the Isiboro Sécure National Park and Indigenous Territory (TIPNIS), as President Evo Morales has temporaraily suspended its construction.

This follows a month-long march by indigenous communities to highlight the social and environmental costs of the road, which on Sunday was interrupted by a strong police response, with teargas.  Marchers have said that four people were killed, scores of protesters were injured and several others were still missing Tuesday. Bolivian officials emphatically denied Monday any deaths or injuries but promised to launch a full-scale investigation into the raid.

The road, largely constructed by a Brazilian company, has been planned to give Brazil access to the Pacific Ocean ports by connecting to highways in Chile and Peru.  Brazil is also financing over 75% of the estimated cost.  The economic impact from the road project could be positive in the short term for Bolivia, one of the poorest and least developed countries in South Americ, and there have been protests in support of the road from many town-dwellers.

However, there are concerns that the road would make the TIPNIS further available to coca cultivators, and massively interrupt indigenous societies and wildlife.  There also are social concerns for a large indigenous population used to living in relative isolation - the concerns are that there will be a significant influx of non-indgenous culture, leading to socail disintegration, diminishment of traditional authorities, and a re-balancing from protection of nature to a more money-based economy.

Morales is the first indigenous President to be elected in Bolivia, but he risks losing support from the indigenous people with his support of the TIPNIS road, according to analysts.

On Monday night Morales made this statement:
"While [we conduct] a national and regional debate, construction of the Tipnis road is suspended," he said, according to Bolivia's La Razón newspaper.

So, the campaigners' fight goes on...