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El Ciudadano

Original article: Comunidades Williche de Chonchi y Quellón en Chiloé continúan movilizadas ante violentas detenciones de sus comuneros

One week after the violent arrest of 24 community members and residents from the Púlpito area in Chonchi and Compu in Quellón, the local communities have maintained a peaceful roadblock to support and demand the release of their members, who face charges including theft of wood, organized crime, land usurpation, money laundering, and other related offenses. The communities report severe economic and psychological consequences, as most of those detained were key to their families’ livelihoods through farming and firewood work.

By Camila Pérez Soto

A community member, speaking from the Ruka of the Cuyulhue community in Púlpito, wished to remain anonymous and shared that the arrests occurred around 5 AM on Wednesday, March 25, shocking families awake and forcibly entering homes during an operation led by the Police Investigations from Puerto Montt.

The member clarified, «They didn’t enter the houses gently; they came in pointing guns at the homeowners and children. They broke doors and ransacked everything because… Families have reported that even the flour they had for baking bread was disturbed. What could they possibly find in a bag of flour? This was an attack on their greenhouses too. People work small gardens to sustain their families; what do they think would be there?»

This situation has undeniably created psychological repercussions within the community, as they had never been exposed to such levels of violence.

The charges against the community members and residents include theft of wood, land usurpation, organized crime, money laundering, and illegal trade, while the communities assert that these lands are ancestral territories of the Mapuche-Williche people in Chiloé.

According to Luis Llaitureo, the Werkén of the Coihuin community in Compu, «We are communities with land claims that date back centuries, which the Chilean State has never recognized. The disputed land currently occupied by our peñis in Púlpito lies within our jurisdiction and historical maps; this is why we are here, providing support, especially since three of our community members are also facing formal charges. The idea of a criminal gang is a huge lie that everyone knows isn’t true.»

The plaintiffs in this case include the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), the State Defense Council, two private companies linked to investment entities, and two individuals.

This Monday, during the formal hearing, seven of the 24 community members and residents received a precautionary measure of house arrest; however, the communities are hopeful that this measure will be extended to all members currently detained in the Alto Bonito Prison in Puerto Montt, considering the impact of being away from their families and the Chiloé archipelago.

It is crucial to highlight that the communities are eager to establish a dialogue table with authorities to discuss job reconversion, as the traditional work of collecting firewood will no longer be viable. They hope that authorities will address the economic challenges they are facing, as many of the detained individuals were primary financial supporters of their families.

The interviewed community member emphasized that this situation also represents a historical demand from the communities for their ancestral lands.

“The State has prioritized private interests first; there are descendants of grandparents and great-grandparents here who have lived their entire lives in this area. The State has not recognized that but has favored private entities. This isn’t just our community; it involves the entire province, especially in the southern part of Chiloé,” she clarified, noting that the Cuyulhue community of Púlpito has requested these lands from CONADI since 2002, yet has only been granted a third of what they sought.

In conclusion, the Werkén of the Coihuin community in Compu stated:

“Here, we are labeled on social media as ‘Indians,’ as ‘lazy,’ and accused of claiming things that don’t pertain to us, that we don’t respect the land, which is untrue. How can we not respect what we are? We are the true owners of these lands, the indigenous communities, all of whom the Chilean State carries historical debts with. We are making this demand, and we will continue until our community members are released.”

The Citizen

La entrada Williche Communities in Chonchi and Quellón Remain Mobilized Following Violent Arrests of Members se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.