President Hugo Chávez warned on Wednesday he would deport a U.S. Christian missionary group working among Venezuela’s indigenous peoples, saying the New Tribes Mission had “violated our national sovereignty. Then the President on Wednesday ordered the missionary group, working with indigenous peoples to leave the country after accusing its members of "imperialist infiltration" and spying.
“I have given the order, the New Tribes, the so-called New Tribes, are going to leave Venezuela. This is real imperialist penetration, it makes me ashamed … Enough colonialism!” Chávez said. “We’ll give them a period to gather their things and leave,” he added. “We don’t want to rush them.”
The president – dressed in green military fatigues and a red army beret – made the comments during “Indigenous Resistance Day” ceremonies in which he granted land titles to help native community groups.
Chávez said the missionaries have been gathering information in the southern region of the country and sending it to the United States.
“The New Tribes are there in the plains and in the Orinoco and take sensitive information, strategic information and they are exploiting the native Indians in our own house,” he said. “It’s real imperialist infiltration, the CIA.”
He said he received a report from Venezuela’s National Armed Forces (FAN) a few days ago that included a video on the practices of the missionaries. Chávez said the group was living in well-stocked camps while living next to poor Indian villages.
“They have plants for solar energy, electrical plants, radio communications systems, landing strips that are well maintained and are used by aircraft from abroad without going through customs,” the president said
He told the FAN that they “must end violations against our national sovereignty and this is a flagrant violation of our national sovereignty. ...This is an order. The so-called New Tribes will leave Venezuela. This is an irrevocable decision,” the president said. He said he would ratify the expulsion order once Interior and Justice Minister Jesse Chácon hands him a report on the group’s activities. According to the Associated Press, the Sandford, Florida-based New Tribes Mission work among the world’s 3,000 indigenous groups in the remotest areas, places that are untouched by Christianity.
The evangelical group has 160 assigned missionaries in Venezuela working with 12 indigenous groups, Reuters reported, citing the New Tribes’ Website.
The organization places over 3,000 workers in operations in 17 countries across Latin America, Southeast Asia and West Africa.
During the ceremony which took place in Barranco Yopal in Apure state, the president granted a total of 665,847 hectares to some 3,000 people from four indigenous communities.
Ten land titles – for more than 350,000 hectares – were given to various communities of the Cuiba and Yuaruro tribes in Apure. Another five were destined for the the Warao and Karina tribes in other parts of the country. Keys to tractors, pickup trucks and outboard motors were also handed out.
The government has pledged Bs.57 million to build homes and plant cassava and plantains to help the local tribes. “We are doing justice,” said Chávez. “We can now start to say that there is a homeland for the Indians.”
Nohelí Pocaterra, a pro-government deputy representing the country’s native population in the National Assemby (AN), praised the government for advances it made in preserving the indigenous way of life.
“Finally we have a government that has given dignity to the indigenous people,” Pocaterra said.
Three years ago the president renamed Columbus Day to Indigenous Resistance Day. Chávez said European settlers “expropriated” land from the indigenous.
From: http://www.thedailyjournalonline.com/article.asp?ArticleId=200171&Catego...
Note: By Robert Taglialegne
Daily Journal