Amazon Indians blockade dam site
The remote Enawene Nawe tribe have blockaded the construction site of a hydroelectric dam in the Brazilian Amazon, which
they say will destroy their vital fishing grounds.
Around 100 members of the 420-strong tribe occupied the building site and a nearby highway on Thursday. They want to
stop the construction of a vast complex of hydroelectric dams being built on the Juruena river, upstream from their
land.
Companies led by the world's largest soya producers, the Maggi family, are pushing for the construction of the dams. But
the Enawene Nawe, who eat no red meat, say that if the dams are built, the fish they rely on will no longer be able to
reach their spawning grounds.
The Enawene Nawe say they have not been consulted about the dams. They are demanding and independent study into the
impact they will have.
A previous blockade of a major highway in June led the government to negotiate with the Indians, but plans for
construction of the dams continued.
ENDS