Today saw the launching of the the first Mapuche Tehuelche radio in Argentina. FM Trauwleiñ To Kom 89.7 started operating at 10am in the town of Esquel, province of Chubut.

Invite to the launch of the first Mapuche radio in Esquel

The FM radio has been opened in the framework of the Audiovisual Communication Services Law (22.522), usually referred to as the “Media Law” -enacted in October 2009- which establishes the possibility for indigenous people to open radio and TV services (article 151). It is the first indigenous radio to open in the country as a consequence of the new Media Law. In December last year, a Mapuche TV station opened in the nearby town of Bariloche.

Article 151 of the law establishes one of its objectives which is to preserve and promote the identity and cultural values of the indigenous community.

“The Mapuche Tehuelche people of Chubut exercise their right to communicate with identity”, says the radio’s presentation poster. It is the first time that these actors are included in the media system.

“Having earned the right to participate in the communication system, we exercise it from our territories, working with the national state, the communities, and as indigenous people” says Aldo Cayulef, leader of the community. “It is a great way for us to defend our culture and start to use the new technologies” he added.

‘Trauwleiñ To Kom’, means ‘We are all getting together’ in Mapuzungún (the Mapuche language).

The opening ceremony counted with the presence and support of various national institutions as the Federal Authority of the Audiovisual and Communication services (AFSCA), the National Institute of Indigenous affairs (INAI), and the National Commission of Communications (CNC).

Road map of Santa Cruz & Chubut Provinces. By thejourney1972 (South America addicted), on Flickr

At 5pm tomorrow afternoon president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and the head of YPF Miguel Galuccio will announce plans to begin exploration of unconventional oil resources in the province of Chubut. This will be the president’s first visit to an YPF site since the companies’ nationalisation in May last year.

According to estimates from the national oil company, the oil fields of Aguada Bandera could yield up to 50bn cubic feet of natural gas. Well D-129, which overlooks the Gulf of San Jorge, could yield a further 45bn cubic feet of gas. The exploration and subsequent exploitation of the oil fields discovered last August will demand both a high level of skill and expertise as well as a substantial amount of investment.

The two oil fields located just outside the city of Comodoro Rivadavia are thought to have as much potential for development as the Vaca Muerta field located in the province of Neuquén which holds reserves of roughly 270bn cubic feet of gas. This untapped potential in Chubut coupled with the fact that Argentina has the third largest amount of unconventional oil reserves in the world, are key selling points for attracting both local and international investors.

YPF has signed deals with North American oil company Chevron, as well as the Argentine company Bridas. Successful collaboration will greatly enhance YPF’s prospects for further exploration.

Over 100 fire fighters are battling against a forest fire that started yesterday afternoon in the National Park of Los Alerces, in Chubut.

According to official sources the blaze started at 4pm on Thursday afternoon and has already affected 30 hectares of forest.

Reports emerged that the blaze had been contained, but unfavourable weather has further complicated the fire fighters’ work.

“The adverse climate conditions burdened the squads’ attempts at controlling the fire. The squads’ work was focused on both flanks of the fire and at its rear, with hand held devices, water lines, and also counted with the support of two fire fighting aircrafts from the National Plan for Fire Control,” read a statement released by the National Park on Thursday night.

The efforts to control the blaze were set to continue today, with reinforcements arriving from the neighbouring city of El Bolsón.

The park’s trails have been closed to tourists except for groups with official park guides. However no populated areas are believed to be in direct danger of the fire or smoke.

Because of the extent of the fire and the difficulties to control it, fear has risen of irreparable damage being made to the fauna and flora of the area. The park is home to a number of protected species, both vegetal and animal.

National Park Los Alerces (Thomas Moravec, Wikimedia)

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and although early reports suggested a cigarette butt might have triggered the blaze other hypotheses are also being considered.

“The forest fire could have been caused by a candle from the historic cemetery” announced Juan Garitano, mayor of nearby town Trevelin, in an interview with FM Tiempo Trelew.

The historic cemetery, located in the area in which the blaze is believed to have started, is a tourist attraction just off Route 71. It is one of the oldest cemeteries of the region where the first foreign settlers were buried at the beginning of last century.

Men armed with sticks and chains attacked environmental protesters that had gathered in Rawson, Chubut, to peacefully protest against the deregulation of mining operations in the region.

A statement released by the NGO Solidary Conscience, accuses several members of the UOCRA construction union of organising a violent repression on Tuesday afternoon. The protesters were attacked while they were marching towards the local Congress, where deputies were gathered in one of their weekly meetings.

Videos of the attack were published online:

Several people were hospitalised, some in a serious state, according to local newspapers and Solidary Conscience stated that a 15 year-old man and an adult woman were still in the hospital.

The same statement said “while the aggressors threw themselves on the protesters, that have been marching twice a week on the local Congress every Tuesday and Thursday, many legislators were watching through the windows, while the police never intervened”.

The local province has been allegedly trying to find a way around the Law 5001, that regulates mining in the region and prevents “mega-mining” projects. The Union of Patagonian Assemblies (UAP) said in a statement that they hold deputy Carlos Eliceche and Governor Martín Buzzi, for the occurred.

The protesters are demanding that the governor submit the issue of changing the mining restrictions to a popular referendum, a demand the governor has refused to meet, stating that it was a matter that should be decided by the government alone.

Large-scale mining projects in Argentina have been a controversial issue, as environmentalists are worried about water usage and long-term pollution problems.

Tourist Boat and commersons dolphin (Photo: Marc Rogers)

As we leave the harbour, I can’t help but think our boat is a little on the small side.

The feeling is only reinforced when I hear one, sighing from somewhere – it sounds like everywhere – beneath us. Soon afterwards, I’m looking it right in the eye, and if I’m not mistaken, it’s looking right back at me.

Aesthetically speaking, Argentina’s Patagonian coastline can’t compete with the enchanting lagoons and snow-capped scenery of the Andes. But the real draw is found offshore, feeding and breeding in the churning South Atlantic.

Every year, the UNESCO World Heritage site Península Valdés draws over 100,000 visitors looking for a glimpse of the exotic marine wildlife that migrates to this part of the world in the Southern Hemisphere spring. Immediately south of the peninsula, which protrudes like a kidney from Argentina’s eastern flank, Golfo Nuevo is a sheltered natural bay that holds one of the largest populations of Southern Right Whales in the world.

The whales are undoubtedly the main attraction, but our day trip from nearby Puerto Madryn begins with smaller, more manageable creatures. As our minibus bounces along dusty dirt tracks, we see some of the guanacos (think llamas) and rheas (think ostriches) that stalk the reserve’s 3,500kms. Sheep reared on local estancias graze where they can. It’s not long since breakfast, but the sight of our woolly friends gets me thinking about dinner – barbecued lamb is a local speciality and tender cuts are served in most Patagonian restaurants.

It’s when we get to Punta Cantor, on the east coast of the peninsula, that things take a turn for the bigger. They may not be quite as large as whales, but four-tonne elephant seals are nothing to sniff at – not that you’d want to with the pungent odour these beasts give off.

Elephant seals sprawled out along the sandy beach. (Photo: Marc Rogers)

On the beach, three males are sprawled out along the sandy beach, each accompanied by up to a dozen females. These harems are the trophies for winning fierce territorial battles, and some alpha bulls can enjoy the services of over fifty concubines at a time.

“They are arranged like a buffet,” quips Valerie, our guide for the day, “for the orcas”. Península Valdés is one of the few places in the world where intelligent killer whales have learned how to pick off unsuspecting seal pups right from the beach. Photographers from all over the world camp out for months hoping to capture one of nature’s rarest predators in action. We’ve only got an hour, and despite spending it all willing the appearance of a dorsal fin, nothing happens.

The seals on the beach certainly don’t seem too worried as they scratch and yawn their way into the late afternoon. We find out later that this apathy is actually critical for survival: conserving energy is vital during the breeding season, when the fasting seals can lose up to a third of their body weight.

Whale Business

The highlight of the tour is saved for last, and the sun is dipping as we wait for our speedboat in Puerto Piramedes, the peninsula’s only inhabited town. We are briefed in disconcerting right whale dimensions: adult females can weigh up to 60 tonnes and reach over 15 metres in length, while males have the largest testicles in the animal kingdom (around 500kg each). Fortunately, we are assured, these are gentle giants, who almost never try to mate the boat.

We soon find out the whales are also curious: sightseeing boats are forbidden from getting too close to the whales, but no one can stop them approaching us. Out in the gulf, a pair glides by nonchalantly, taking a good look at us while spraying V-shaped fountains through their twin blowholes.

Whale's tail (Photo: Marc Rogers)

Their inquisitive nature is charming, but it didn’t always serve the right whales well. They are endangered animals, historically victims of extensive whaling due to their slow speed and generous blubber content (the name was given because this was the ‘right’ whale to be harpooning). In modern Argentina, they are considered a natural monument, and protected by law from the moment they enter the country’s territorial waters. The only attacks they face now come from flocks of seagulls jealously guarding the local fish supply.

Today’s whales seem to enjoy their privileged status, showing off with spectacular jumps and photogenic tail splashes. It’s chaos on the boat, as everyone tries to look in every direction at once, desperate not to miss any action.

It is only when one gets really close that a respectful silence falls over the group. Faced with such grandeur it’s impossible to think of anything to say, and those who try only spoil the magical moment. After 90 minutes, the captain turns us around and takes us back to port, accompanied for much of the way by one particularly playful whale.

Penguins (Photo: Marc Rogers)

Size Isn’t Everything

Peninsula Valdés is the obvious starting point for any trip to these parts, but it’s just a tiny patch on a rugged coastline full of wildlife watching opportunities. Our next stop is Rawson, the capital of Chubut Province and the first town to be established by 19th century Welsh pioneers. Here we board another boat, this time searching for Commerson’s dolphins. A patchwork of black and white, Commerson’s look a bit like small Orcas, and are the closest we get to the elusive beast. A fierce wind swirls and ominous rain clouds threaten, but the dolphins are delightful, ducking and weaving around the boats and surfing the bow wave.

Another 120km along the coast is the Punta Tombo reserve, home to the largest colony of Magellanic Penguins on the continent. Upwards of one million knee-high penguins nest here from September to April, braying like donkeys and filling the air thick with the smell of regurgitated fish. With their innocent faces and awkward Charlie Chaplin walk, these penguins are endlessly entertaining, though the park rangers warn that there is nothing funny about their sharp beaks.

On the way back to the car, we stop to allow a penguin to cross the path ahead. It pauses too, gives us a look, and then preens itself for several minutes while we wait.

Not for the first time this trip, it’s obvious who’s in charge here.

The oil and natural gas exploration company Pan American Energy (PAE) ended its contracts with the companies Skanska and Contreras Hermanos today. Both these companies hired almost 1000 ‘Dragóns’, or workers of the Cerro Dragón oil field (the largest of its kind in Argentina) who have been picketing on a national highway in the province of Chubut, as part of a protest that began on June 21st.

The  ‘Dragóns’ have been asking that PAE provide them with the same conditions and pay as they would to workers affiliated with the  oil and gas workers union. Although they carry out many of the same tasks, the PAE rejects this possibility. In response, the ‘Dragóns’ began picketing on a national highway in Chubut and blocked the entrance of several oil fields in the area.

Officials stepped in yesterday to try to resolve the conflict between protesters and their employer. Federal Judge Eva Parcio ordered an eviction of the ‘Dragons’ from National Route 3, and Governer of Chubut Martín Buzzi tried to implement a conciliatory agreement between the protestors and PAE.

The PAE has responded today by cutting their contracts with the two companies responsible for hiring the ‘Dragóns.’ The company told La Nación that the decision was made because the two contracted companies  did not comply with their responsibilities and  did not protect PAE property and equipment during the protests. They affirmed, however, that the action taken today would “not affect the production of oil and gas.”

Representatives of the Dragóns said that the group would discuss this afternoon whether to accept the conciliatory agreement or not, and are still keeping some roads blocked. Guido Dickanson of the ‘Dragóns’ told El Ambito Financiero that for the conflict to end “they would have to give in to our demands, to solve the salary inequalities, to reincorporate those who were fired, and to not treat us like second-class workers.”

An accident between two buses and a truck that occurred on Highway 3 in the province of Chubut has caused at least 14 deaths and 40 injuries. Nine of the fatalities were national gendarmes who were sent to the area to intervene in a dispute at Cerro Dragón between union workers and Pan American Energy, an oil field operator associated with China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).

The gendarmerie had arrived in the area by plane and were returning via bus, when an oncoming truck crashed into it. A second bus then collided with the first. Initial reports from the scene suggest the truck driver, who also died, may have fallen asleep behind the wheel. Victims were brought to Hospital Isola in Puerto Madryn, where 25 of the injured were said to be in critical condition.

In the past week, violence had escalated at Cerro Dragón, the largest oil field in the country, as 400 union workers took control of the site and demanded higher wages. Photos from around the internet showed the charcoal skeletons of overturned cars, as strikers were accused of damaging the company’s installations.

On Monday, union workers finally halted their occupation of the oil field after receiving confirmation that authorities would begin salary negotiations. But the CEO of Pan American Energy, Oscar Prieto, continued to voice concern that no one had been taken into custody for wreaking havoc.

In response to the incident, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner today declared a national period of mourning and said that the national gendarmerie would no longer get involved in conflicts that are the responsibility of provincial governments.

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is expected to announce a new economic structure for Argentine oil company YPF at tomorrow’s meeting with province governors. The decision will come after weeks of plummeting stocks and highly publicised discontent with YPF’s Spanish majority stakeholders, Repsol.

Earlier today, Pagina 12 cited Neuquén province governor Jorge Sapag as saying that Argentina’s largest oil and gas producer will soon be reconfigured as a “mixed” capital structure, built of both public and private sector shareholders.

“We think there is going to be news in the meeting the president has called for Thursday,” he said. “The state will probably want to rule a mixed economy, and encourage private investment.”

The statements came following the governor’s meeting with planning minister Julio De Vido. Although Sapag did not mention De Vido’s in his statements, he did include president Fernández’s sentiments.

“There is no time to lose,” he said. “I spoke with the president of the nation, [and she is] ready to receive capital from all over the world.”

Spain’s Repsol currently owns more than half of the oil company, after former president Carlos Menem’s decision to privatise it in 1993.

Ever since then, several detractors and political parties have called for the re-nationalisation of the oil resources.

Their voices grew louder as the provinces of Chubut and Santa Cruz expired four concessions with the company. The governors of the provinces cited a lack of YPF’s promised investment in exploration and production.

The rocky political waters have caused Deutsche Bank to cut its rating on shares of YPF.

“Since the start of the conflict between YPF and the government, we were hopeful for a better resolution,” said a Deutsche Bank report published by Dow Jones. “But the removal of concessions and the possibility of the government becoming a shareholder of the company indicate that the upside is limited from current levels, at least in the short term.”

A protected witness in a sexual abuse case involving a minor, in which police were implicated, died of stab wounds yesterday in Trelew.

The courts had ordered the 22-year-old man, now identified as Bruno Rodríguez, to leave Chubut province because of the potential risks to his life after he became the key witness in a sexual abuse case earlier this year.

Sergio Rey, the lawyer for the rape victim, confirmed yesterday that Rodríguez had been killed. He also announced that there were currently no suspects in the murder case.

Reports say Rodríguez came back to Trelew, the second largest city in Chubut, to complete paperwork a few days ago. He came unaccompanied by police protection, and suffered three stab wounds in violent scenes early yesterday morning.

He was unconscious when he was discovered, and he was taken to the emergency room. He was pronounced dead soon after noon, without giving any clue about who his assailants were.

Rodríguez was the key witness in a high profile case in which nine policemen were accused of raping a 16-year-old boy at a police station.

On the 18^th January, 2011, the teen was arrested for hitting his girlfriend in the street. He was taken to the police station and a few days later his family claimed that various policemen beat him up and raped him. Forensic tests later confirmed the abuse.

Police had arrested Rodríguez for armed robbery weeks before the abuse of the minor and he apparently witnessed the rape at the police station.

Eleven Chubut officers were detained Thursday following accusations of beating and sodomizing a 16-year old male.

They are accused of “seriously offensive sex abuse”…”committed by police personnel.”

Six of the original officers arrested for the alleged abuse have been freed, while the other five remain in custody. If found guilty, they could face 8 to 25 years in prison.

Of those still detained, four are suspected to have been responsible for the actual abuse, while the fifth is said to have stood by.

The youth was arrested on Wednesday while having a discussion with his girlfriend, under an anonymous accusation that he had attacked a woman on the highway.

After being released into the custody of his mother, the youth told her that he was beaten by the officers, and was taken to the hospital to seek medical attention.

Shortly thereafter, the minor revealed to his mother that he had additionally been anally raped with a blunt instrument, likely by an officer’s baton. Forensic results of the youth’s wounds confirmed his accusations.

After the adolescent’s mother reported the incident, ten officers were arrested after lending their services in a Trelew raid. Citing the “gravity” of the acts in this case, Chubut governor Martin Buzzi dismissed the leader of the provincial police, general commissioner Néstor Siri, and displaced Trelew precinct leader Juan Carlos Contreras.

“It is an aberrant event, one that is being investigated for the attorney general María Tolomei,” said Jorge Miquelarena, ombudsmen of the province Chubut.

The troops implicated in the incident were from the second precinct of Chubut; the same who were involved in repressing a recent truck driver demonstration with rubber bullets on Wednesday.