Land Conflicts Threaten to Boil Over
Land Conflicts Threaten to Boil Over
By Natalia Ruiz Díaz
ASUNCIÓN, Feb 28, 2012 (IPS) - A group of landless families occupying rural property claimed by large landowners in eastern Paraguay agreed to move to the Ñacunday National Park, defusing a tense situation.
The latest high-profile dispute over land in Paraguay had threatened to lead to violence. But the 350 families of "carperos" – as they have been dubbed for living in "carpas" or tents – reached an agreement with the government to relocate to the park.
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The families laying claim to the land near the park say it belongs to the state and was never sold but was merely grabbed by landowners.
"The 'carperos' should be treated like the wives of ‘malandros’ (criminals); they only respond to beatings," businessman Tranquilo Favero, the biggest soy producer in Paraguay, told the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo.
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http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106888