Chile - A comrade on the terrible situation in Concepción

source: anonymous email sent to Hommodolars.org

translated from culmine

Comrades, we are writing to you to make known the delicate situation being lived in the city of Concepción. We have been widely covered by the media, in morbid and boorish way, supporting the excessive militarisation and security measures now so ridiculous that we have only 6 hours a day "free transit". Moreover, we want to denounce the scarcity that has stricken the great majority of poor citizens, who get many promises but no solutions.

1.- Until now, no authority - apart from the military - has turned up in the poor areas even to examine the damage caused by the earthquake or to know whether the people are dead or alive.

2.- An example: in the Aguita de la Perdiz quarter the citizens, in desperation, went en masse to plunder the Santa Isabe supermarket. This supermarket doesn't sell electrical goods or luxury items, and the people took what they needed, i.e. food and water. The same thing happened in other poor areas. Instead, the TV has spread ad nauseam an image of someone taking away a plasma television set. We are not condemning the looting of electrical goods, simply stating that this is a small-scale phenomenon compared to the looting of products that are indispensible such as food water and milk.

3.- Because of the looting, the authorities have decided to "punish" different sectors, leaving them without help and without restoring essential services. The town mayoress, recently nominated governor of the region by the right wing government, frankly admitted it.

4.- PDI agents have circulated absurd rumours, such as that "hordes" of delinquents would have descended upon the town (there is no petrol and there are soldiers everywhere. How would the "hordes", get there, by helicopter?). All this has created a climate of insecurity and paranoia among citizens, who have formed rounds to keep watch in the areas during the night, with clubs and firearms. A really dangerous situation which with the tiredness, tension and hunger can unleash acts of violence between the poor themselves.

5.- At the moment food is starting to get scarce in the poorest areas and there is no money to buy anything.

6.- Health conditions are horrendous, children and old people are beginning to get sick. The health clinic and hospital are collapsing.

7.- NO HELP HAS ARRIVED. If there had not been looting over the past few days the people in the poorest areas would be starving to death. We know that the situation is even more tragic in other cities, but this "punishment" of a whole area for not having respected established order seems to us to criminal behaviour, to say the least. Finally we consider the rumours spread deliberately by the PDI should be considered acts of terrorism, because they are aimed at striking terror among the poor.