Today, October 23, two Tupinambás were jailed and diverse persons of the people were injured as a consequence of conflicts with the Federal Police (PF) in the south of Bahia. The tension began on Monday, October 20, when the PF initiated the reintegration of possession of the village Serra do Padeiro, one of the areas where the Tupinambá live.

 

In January of 2008, the Regional Federal Tribunal (TRF) of the 1^st Region, suspended for 180 days, the decision to remove the Tupinambá from the villages that are near Ilhéus and Itabuna (in Olivença, Una and Buararema). During this period, the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) is due to finalize the report of identification of the indigenous lands of the Tupinambá who live in the region. The report was finalized, but the FUNAI asked for complementary anthropological information from the anthropologists responsible for the Technical Group (GT) of Identification. The GT had not yet concluded the report with the new data requested by FUNAI.

 

With the deadline expired, the Federal Court in Ilhéus determined that the PF carry out the reintegration of possession orders already conceded. In the past week, two orders were carried out in Olivença. Monday (20), some police were in the village of Serra do Padeiro (Buerarema) verifying the areas from which the Tupinambá were to be removed. Three indigenous persons who questioned the police about their presence on the land were shot with rubber bullets. On Tuesday (21), another reintegration action was executed in the village of Tucum, in Parque de Olivença. On that occasion, the PF impeded the FUNAI regional administrator, Rômulo Siquira, and the coordinator of the Articulation of the Indigenous Peoples of Northeast Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo (APOINME), Luis Titiá, from accompanying the eviction.

 

Yesterday (22/11), the TRF-1 decided to give 180 days more so that FUNAI can conclude the identification of the indigenous lands in the region. In this period, the orders of reintegration of possession continue to be suspended.

 

Arrests and tension

In Olivença, the families if the village of Tucum, had already begun to return. In Serra do Padeiro (Buararema), however, the tension remains very high, due the imprisonment of two indigenous people and the actions of the police in the area, in the search for cacique Babau, who is accused of formation of a gang, private incarceration and damage to public property. According to indigenous sources, using rubber bullets and tear gas, the action left many people injured and homes and implements of the indigenous people destroyed.

 

Today October 23, Jurandair and José Nildo Barbosa were jailed. Jurandir, brother of the cacique of the village, drove a car of the National Health Foundation (FUNASA) and took some of the women to the city of Buerarema from the village, in Serra, among them two women with their recently born children and a pregnant woman. The women were taken to the Prefecture of Buararema and later had to return the 20 km to the village on foot.

 

Jurandir was taken to the Federal Police station in Ilhéus. According to information from the indigenous, they were severely attacked and in the afternoon, were taken to the hospital. According to information from the PF, he was arrested ‘in flagrant’ and was being accused of formation of a gang and resisting arrest. In spite of being in flagrant, the arrest was related to the facts that occurred on October 20.

 

The driver of the School bus, José Nildo Barbosa was taken into custody by the police while transporting children to the college in Buerarema, after being detained and threatened for a long time in the street. José Nildo was released that afternoon.

 

During the entire day today, the PF impeded the circulation of cars, including the press, in the area of Serra do Padeiro. According to information from the indigenous peoples, a helicopter is over-flying the area and more than 25 cars working in the action of search and apprehension.

 

(information from Haroldo Heleno – Itabuna team)

 

Brasília, 23 October 2008

CIMI – Indigenist Missionary Counsel