The Pacific Conference of Churches has appealed to Chilean authorities to restrain from using force in the crackdown on indigenous Rapa Nui protesters campaigning to retain their ancestral land.
A church statement from the Fiji capital of Suva called for a ” peaceful outcome”.
The appeal came today after reports that armed Chilean soldiers opened fire early on Friday morning on unarmed Rapa Nui civilians with rubber bullets, buckshot and tear gas.
Chilean forces have moved in to forcibly remove the indigenous owners off their land.
Among 24 reported casualties is the president of the Rapa Nui Parliament, Leviante Araki, who was shot twice and has been airlifted to Santiago, the Chilean capital, for medical treatment.
Radio New Zealand International reports a Rapa Nui activist saying his people are “preparing for the worst” in their struggle with Chilean authorities for the return of ancestral lands.
Santi Hitorangi was one of dozens injured in the clash with Chilean forces.
He says his legs are riddled with wounds, one Rapa Nui man was airlifted to Chile with a serious eye injury and the hospital was inundated with injured people.
‘Shot in back’
“The President of Parliament was shot in the back. He sustained ten bullet holes in his back. He’s in OK condition. Many including women were shot in their faces, in their heads,” Hitorangi told RNZI.
According to the PCC, tension had been escalating for months after the Chilean government refused to hold meaningful discussions on the peaceful reoccupation of land by the Rapa Nui people.
Rapa Nui is the indigenous name for Easter Island, a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean.
The island was taken over by Chile in 1888. Under current Chilean law, land could be given back to the indigenous owners by issuing titles.
“The attack began at around 5:45am when Chilean troops began rounding up and beating unarmed civilians,” said the PCC statement.
The civilians defended themselves by throwing rocks back to the soldiers who then opened fire with rubber bullets, buckshot and tear gas.
Other injuries reported include Richard Tepano, a young man shot at close range in his right eye; Maori Pakarati, shot above his right eye and arm; Zita Atan who was shot in the head; Pia Vargas shot in her right leg; Honu Tepano shot in the shoulder; Claudio Tuki shot in the forehead; Enrique Tepano shot in the face; Santi Hitorangi shot in his right leg from behind and twice in the back.
On Thursday, the governor had asked the Rapa Nui people to evacuate their premises, who refused to move. The judge who authorised the order for the soldiers to move in has reportedly disappeared.
The Chilean government reportedly wants ownership of Easter Island because of the economic gains it would receive from the archaeological treasures on the island.
Easter Island is widely famous for its 887 monumental statues – called Moai – created by the early Rapa Nui people.
The statues are a World Heritage Site. The Rapa Nui people comprise 60 percent of a population of around 5000.
More graphic casualty pictures
Maori Television special report from Rapa Nui by Annabelle Lee-Harris @ 20min
Pacific Media Centre
