ILLEGAL LAND TRAFFICKING CONFIRMED /PRIMARY FORESTS ADJUDICATED
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Gross Irregularities found in Connection with Ascendant Copper Corporation’s Properties in Junin (ESPANOL ABAJO)
On October 22, Ecuador’s Institute for Agrarian Development (INDA) made public its report of their in-situ inspection of17 of the Ascendant’s properties in the Intag area (JUNIN PROJECT) The investigation came in response to a denunciation of illegal land trafficking in the Junin area involving Ascendant Copper Corporation, made by the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission (http://www.comisionanticorrupcion.com/Biblioteca/boletines/BOLETINDEPRENSANo320.pdf) Based on the information pointing at gross illegalities in connection with adjudication of state land meant for agricultural use to benefit Ascendant, the Anti-Corruption Commission made several recommendations, including that the land illegally acquired by Ascendant revert back to state ownership. Among the findings and of the INDA report: 1) Most of the land inspected is covered in primary forests 2) The adjudicated land is very steep (over 90% slope), and unusable for agriculture (INDA is only legally able to adjudicate land that is apt for agricultural use) 3) At least one of the inspected lands may be within the Chontal Protected Forest 4) There was a lack of due diligence by INDA officials who adjudicated the land. 5) The data reported by Inda employees as part of the adjudication process has no relation with reality on the ground. 6) Some of the land now supposedly owned by Ascendant was previously sold to the community of JUNIN 7) Ascendant has not taken possession of its lands, which are in the hands of community members from Cerro Pelado and Junin- who expressed their desire to conserve the forests, since it is suitable apt for agriculture.
In essence, the INDA report confirms- and even expands on- the Anti-Corruption Commission’s findings. A parallel report prepared by community members and two Intag Solidarity Network members, who accompanied INDA’s representatives on the inspection, mentions that other adjudicated properties are found within the Chontal Protected Forest Reserve; and that a large property (over 270 hectare) that should have been inspected by INDA was not. Both reports make the same observation that most of the adjudicated lands showed no sign of anyone ever possessing or working the properties, which clearly violates INDA laws. Also, it is illegal for INDA to adjudicate primary forests, or land not suitable for agricultural purposes. If false information is given to INDA employees to obtain legal title it is, likewise grounds for annulling the adjudication (the land would revert back to the national government) As soon as we have the official reaction from the Executive, which should not take too long, we’ll be posting on the site. COMPROBADO TRÁFICO DE TIERRAS DE ASCENDANT
EL DÍA 22 DE OCTUBRE, el INSTITUTO DE DESARROLLO AGRARIO emitió un informe de su investigacion de 17 predios recientemente adjudicados en la zona de Intag que fueron a parar en manos de la empresa transnacional minera Ascendant Copper Corporation. La investigación del INDA fue en respuesta a un informe de parte de la Comisión Anti-Corrupción de Julio del año en curso, donde se descubrió señas de ilegalidades en el traspaso de propiedades adjudicadas a supuestos posesionarios de tierras que yacen encima de los yacimientos de cobre de JUNIN, Zona de Intag, Cantón Cotacachi http://www.comisionanticorrupcion.com/Biblioteca/boletines/BOLETINDEPRENSANo320.pdf
El informe del INDA confirma la existencia de ilegalidades e incumplimientos por parte de funcionarios del INDA en la adjudicaciones de predios en la zona de Intag a favor de la Ascendant Copper Corporation. La empresa minera, según la Comisiónm Cívico de la Corrupcíon, habría adquirido 56 propiedades en la zona de Intag, que abarcan a miles de hectáreas de áreas agrícolas y forestales.
Entre las conclusiones y hallazgos del informe consta:
1) "No hubo una investigación prolija en la toma de datos técnicos de campo por parte del perito inspector" .
2) La mayor parte de los predios visitados por la delegación del INDA se encuentran cubiertos por bosques primarios
3) "Los predios adjudicados por el INDA no son de vocación agrícola" , consta literalmente en el informe.
4) "Los datos que sirvieron como para base para las adjudicaciones en su mayoría no concuerdan con la realidad comprobada en la inspeccion
5) Exepto en 4 casos, no existen ninguna señal de ocupación, posesión o uso de los predios (mostrar la poseción es requisito indispensable para cumplir con la adjudicación)
6) En una propiedad adjudicada de 98 hectáreas tan solo 2 hectáreas pasto, el resto, 95.79 hectáreas, consiste de bosque primario.
7) Se presume que por lo menos 2 de las propiedades adjudicadas se encuentran dentro del Bosque Protector el Chontal- lo cual expresamente viola la Ley
8) No se cumplió con los planes de explotación de los predios propuestos en los trámites de adjudicación
9) Se estableció que los predios se adquirieron con ánimo de lucro- lo cual también cotraviene la Ley del INDA
Concluye el informe resaltando que la empresa minera no ha tomado poseción de las tierras adjudicadas, y que más bien, estan en manos de los comuneros de Junín y la comuna de Cerro Pelado, quienes tienen la idea de conservar sus bosques y que se encuentran en trámite para declararlos como áreas de reservas.
Por otro lado, moradores de la zona de Intag aprovecharon la presencia de funcionarios de INDA para denunciar irregularidades relacionadas a otras propiedades recientemente adquiridas por la empresa minera, en especial una propiedad de 273 hectáreas que estaría cubierta por bosques primarios. En su informe paralelo los moradores y dos observadores internacionales de Intag Solidarity Network, denunciaron que Por otra parte, el informe da fe de denuncias de los moradores del sector que varias de las poseciones compradas por Ascendant Copper Corporation como propiedades adjudicadas habrían sido previamente vendidas a la comunidad de Junín.
COMISIÓN DE MINERÍA
DECOIN
Defensa y Conservación Ecológica de Intag
PO BOX 144
Otavalo, Imbabura
Ecuador
www.decoin.org
decoin@hoy.net
Holding Steady on Misinformation: II part of Ascendant's Claims
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Holding Steady on Misinformation: II part of the Spin Sure enough, The Resource Investor’s latest news release (10/19) on Ascendant Copper’s operations in Ecuador did not disappoint. The first part of the 2-part spin left us with some truly impressive whoppers- such as saying that the latest government suspension of its activities in the Intag region was similar to the government’s “other suspensions”. Another good one was a quote from one of its directors to the tune of that the company was sitting on the biggest or second biggest copper deposit in the world. Then, the company lied about the December 2006 violent confrontation in which dozens of armed thugs labeled as paramilitary force by a prestigious Human Rights organization shot at defenseless community members. The thugs were paid for by Ascendant, and the confrontation did not take place in their land, as was alleged. Finally, and like a broken record, the company tried to blame all their woes in their Junin concessions (their “nest egg”) to the actions of “an ecological organization” (guess who?) On the second installment of the spin, the company repeats its unbelievable claim that they are sitting on one of the world’s biggest copper deposit (see our first exposé) Then, the release identifies DECOIN as the ecological group- but then goes further in making untrue statements that DECOIN signed an agreement in March 20th with the company to ease tensions in the area, and that DECOIN was involved in the demands contained in the agreement which forced the company to reduce it’s work force from 159 to 48 (keep in mind that they were not doing any exploration work) All of this is not only untrue, but ridiculous, since DECOIN has never signed anything with either the government nor the company. The company knows this very well because they have a copy of the March 20th agreement, which, in any case, was signed by the Community Development Council and the government- and not with the company (the company signed its own agreement with the government) As if this wasn’t sufficient, the spinners say that what has kept the company from “conducting its drilling program” was the seizing of the company’s farm in March of 2007 by local anti-mining protesters. This is one of the biggest pieces of misinformation yet. The plain truth is that company cannot drill, or carry out any other exploration activities unless it first gets its Environmental Impact Study approved. It is amazing that in spite of informing its investors and Canadian regulators that it has incurred over three million dollars in exploration costs just at the Junin site, the company has not done any exploration work whatsoever. And, this is simply because the government has not approved the company’s Environmental Impact Study (nor is it likely to) As to the claim that it is part of the UN Global Pact and that it is a socially responsible corporation- flexibility is the key here. Flexibility in interpreting what socially responsibility means. Paying for paramilitary-like force to violently try to storm past a community roadblock and shoot at defenseless campesinos might not qualify in most people’s concept as socially responsible behavior. Nor perhaps is financing the use attack dogs against community residents, and tear gassing six year olds. Inciting illegal land trafficking (currently under government investigation) might also be incompatible in most people’s mind with social responsibility. I suspect that telling investors the company has spent million of dollars in exploration costs when, in fact, no real exploration work has been undertaken, would probably fail the acid test for socially responsibility in most persons and institutions. I also wonder what socially responsible company would keep the truth from the public about the real nature and extent of the opposition to its project? Or tell the public that it is sitting on four times more minerals than what was technically inferred after years of drilling by a very capable corporation (Mitsubishi Materials in the 1990's) ? The list of questionable and illegal behavior and claims is very long. But let’s face it; unless there is genuine civil society involvement in Canada and other northern countries that really give a damn, there is nothing to stop extractive corporations from perverting the truth, ripping off investors, and causing social and environmental upheaval in countries like Ecuador. DECOIN
EXPOSING ASCENDANT'S LATEST SPIN
Friday, October 12, 2007
Exposing Ascendant Copper Corporation’s Latest Spin If there is one thing that makes most mining companies homogenous, is their need to spin, distort, and disinform the public regarding either the real value of their mining deposit, the regulatory obstacles they face, and/or, the projects's environmental and social challenges, plus the true nature of the opposition their projects face on the ground. They are specially careful about controlling and manipulating the information regarding grass-roots opposition. Rarely are all these spins found in one single, short news release. Following is a typical example of such spin- one of many we've faced in the years of dealing with a copper-mining project in the biodiverse Toisan Range of Ecuador. The October 10th Resource Investor news release (http://resourcexinvestor.com/news.php?id=2554) concerning Ascendant Cooper Corporation projects in Ecuador makes quite a lot of interesting, and outright disingenuous claims. Let’s look at the claims in the news release one by one. Amount of copper: We are sitting on the second if not the largest copper/molybdenum property in the world” …… “in fact we are looking at a potential in excess of a billion pounds of molybdenum and in excess of 20 billion pounds of copper”. Truth: The truth is that, after 5 years of exploratory drilling in the 1990’s in the Junin mining concessions, the Mitsubishi subsidiary, Bishimetals, only inferred the possible existence of 2.26 millions tons of copper, and very little molybdenum . This amounts to four times less copper than what Ascendant is saying they are "sitting on", and only 52 days worth of global annual consumption. Needless to say, it does not constitute even a medium size discovery, much less a world-class one. On the other hand, what little was discovered in the company’s Chaucha concession was so disappointing, that it led Antofagasta to pull out of their joint exploratory agreement 2 months ago forcing Ascendant to fork over to the Chilean mining company 1.12 million dollars (http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/070716/0278284.html) Suspensions: the release makes this assertion concerning the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum latest stop work order: "On the downside, the Correa government on September 25 announced the formal suspension of Ascendants mining and community development activities in the Junin area in an effort to defuse tensions, an announcement Ascendant said was only a repetition of a previously announced order" The Truth: the September 25, 2007 complete work suspension, contrary to what Ascendant would like to believe, is very much different from the other three suspensions, in that it came with a legal order signed by Ministry officials, and was based on a major judicial decision by the nation’s Attorney General. Also unlike previous times, this suspension was based on a violation of article 11 of the Mining Law- something not used in the previous suspensions. The Confrontation: This is what the Resource Investor has to say about the decisive and violent confrontation between the communities resisting the project and paramilitary-like security guards paid for by Ascendant: “These tensions boiled over in December of last year on Ascendants agricultural property. Anti-mining activists confronted a third party contracted agricultural firms Intag workers and security guards resulting in almost 60 people being held captive by activists, and locked in the local community church for several days until order was restored by Ecuadorian police.” The Truth: The confrontation took place, not on Ascendant’s agricultural property, but on the road leading to the community of Junin. Second, the “agricultural firm” mentioned was hired by Ascendant, and the persons which confronted and shot at the unarmed community members were a paramilitary force, as described by CEDHU, the prestigious Quito-based human rights organization. Third, of the nearly 60 persons held in the community church, none was from the Intag or Junin area- all were ex-military personnel from the coast of Ecuador, all had .38 caliber hand guns, pepper spray, and several had 12 gauge shotguns. The company later tried to claim these individuals were “agricultural consultants”. The Copper Delusion: As if this self-delusion wasn’t enough, the news release goes on to say that: “The Junin prospect has an inferred, NI 43-101 compliant resource estimate of 982 million tonnes. A drilling program is under way at the Chaucha property on the western flank of the Andes, the results of which are expected to up its combined resource estimate, according to Haigh”. In June of this year Micon International stated that, because of a noted discrepancy between a 2007 and an original assaying of the Bishimetals sampling, it was unable to verify their previous inferred 982 million ton copper deposit. Here is an excerpt from the June 11th release Because of the noted discrepancies, Micon has advised Ascendant that the inferred resource estimate contained in the Junin Report of 982 million tonnes grading 0.89% copper, 0.04% molybdenum and 1.9 grams per tonne silver, may not be fully representative of the mineralization at Junin, as the inferred resource estimate was based on historical data, some of which is now considered to be unverifiable due to deterioration of the core samples over time, the loss of fine material in the transfer of the historical core samples, and the methods of sampling and assaying employed during the 1990s Program. .” http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/070611/0264465.html In other words, termite damage and other factors may now make it impossible to confirm Micon’s earlier inferred results for the Junin mining concessions. In fact, in 2006, CELA, the Canadian Environmental Law Association, filed a complaint with the British Columbia Securities Commission questioning the procedure used by Micon International to ascertain the Junin inferred mineral content, which was based on the Bishimetals samples. The complaint is still being investigated. Scapegoating: If there has been a constant among Ascendant’s spins it is its efforts to try to portray to the world that their problems in Junin are due exclusively to the work of an environmental organization in the area. Here’s what the October 10th news release has to say: “The problems that we have had and are having at Junin are the result of a massive campaign of no mining in Ecuador conducted by a local NGO. This particular NGO has been operating since the mid-1990s and were violent objectors to Mitsubishi when they were drilling there from 1993 to 1997 on the same deposit." DECOIN is very flattered to think that we, a very small, under funded and understaffed grass-roots organization, with an office measuring 3 by 3 meters in the Intag town of Apuela (rent: $ 40 a month), could be responsible for all of Ascendant’s troubles in Junin. But we know the truth is very different, and that Ascendant’s allegations have other objectives. It is in any corporation’s interest to create the illusion that their project does not face grass-roots community and local government opposition. As every Banker knows, this is equivalent to a death sentence for mining projects.
The opposition to Ascendant’s Junin project is, in fact, truly remarkable in scope- perhaps even unique. It includes all seven local township government in Intag, as well as the Canton (county) government of Cotacachi, and the Provincial government of Imbabura- not to mention approximately 95% of the area’s legitimate organizations, and the overwhelming majority of the communities. Finally, it is important to point out that the opposition to the company’s project is led by the communities, and by them alone. The opposition to mining, far from being concentrated in Intag and Junin, is now a national issue, with several very strong anti-mining national groups opposing large-scale mining development. Given the firm and widespread opposition generated by this single mining project, one can only hope that investors are asking themselves what was it that the company did to deserve it. And while they are at it, perhaps they can question the need to misinform, exaggerate, distort, and keep vital information from the public. As a matter of fact, these are the kinds of question Rio Tinto Zinc should be asking itself, since it apparently considers itself a socially responsible corporate citizen, and Ascendant considers Rio Tinto its "strategic partner". DECOIN
La Hora: Ascendant Copper dejó Intag
Thursday, October 04, 2007
4 de Octubre de 2007
 Momentos en que Edgar Romero, funcionario de la Dirección de Minería de Pichincha pone los sellos de suspensión. García Moreno, La Hora
Ayer, una delegación de la Dirección Regional de Minería de Pichincha, por intermedio de Marco Cruz, director de la regional minera, exteriorizó la providencia que el Ministerio de Minas y Petróleos le impuso a la empresa canadiense Ascendant Copper para que suspenda sus operaciones de tipo minero en la zona de Intag.
La Hora
Official Shut Down of Ascendant / Ecuador Free of Large Scale Mining
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
espaniol ya mismito...... Official Shut Down of Ascendant in Intag
Ecuador Free of Large-Scale Metal Mining Today (Oct 3) officials from the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, accompanied by police, came to Chalguayaco Bajo and García Moreno to officially close down Ascendant’s operations in Intag. The Ministry’s employees placed official closure seals over the company’s office in Garcia Moreno and at their so-called demonstration farm in Chalguayacu Bajo, thereby completing the legal procedure set in motion last week by Minister Chiriboga when he declared a complete suspension to Ascendant’s activities in Intag. So, there are parties in many Intag’s community’s tonight!! Regarding the ridiculous spin the company is giving the latest events, seemingly aimed at misinforming their investors into believing that the government’s complete suspension orders are actually good for the company- well, what can one say? No matter how they paint the picture, there is NO way the communities, and much less the Municipality will ever consider allowing mining (besides the fact that the concessions were illegally begotten, and are in violation of the country's Constitution!!)) . The collective memory is still too fresh from the armed thugs, the December 2006 shootout, the countless death threats, tear-gassing of 6 year olds, attack dogs, and any other number of outrageous human rights abuses linked to the presence of this company. But then again, there are suckers born every minute ready to believe the most unbelievable things.....
Correa Sweeps to Victory
According to this afternoon’s official count (3 October), the government’s party, Alianza País, will win 70% of the vote in the Constitutional Assembly elections held last Sunday. The Assembly’s president will likely be Alberto Acosta, the most voted individual, who in an interviewed in Ecuador Radio yesterday confirmed his desire to declare Ecuador free of large-scaled metal mining. He also pointed out he would never support any kid of mining in places like INTAG, or in any other exceptionally biodiverse places, or in any location where communities reject mining. There is a collective huge sigh of relief in Intag tonight not felt in years.
NO HOPE FOR LARGE-SCALE MINING NOR FOR ASCENDANT
Monday, October 01, 2007
espaniol ya mismo....
NO HOPE FOR LARGE-SCALE MINING IN ECUADOR Communities in Intag Celebrate the Results of Elections In Ecuador, the government’s candidates won a landslide victory this past Sunday to the Constitutional Assembly, which will be charged with drafting a new constitution. According to exit polls, the government candidates have won not less than 60% of the130 seats- more than enough for majority vote in the Assembly. In the Intag area, site of Ascendant Copper Corporation Junin mining project, approximately 70% of the population voted for the government candidates- including in the town center of García Moreno, allegedly a stronghold of Ascendant. The government party was seen as to be against large-scale mining. To pass any resolutions in the Assembly a simple majority plus one is necessary. One of the first actions the Assembly is expected to take is to dissolve Congress. The main governmental candidate, and ex Minister of Energy and Mines, Alberto Acosta, who easily won his race, has been explicit on his objective to prohibit large-scale mining projects in Ecuador. He made this issue an important part of his campaign. Due to the large vote he received, he will likely preside the Constitutional Assembly. The Assembly will convene on the first of November, but Intag’s communities in the Intag area are rejoicing over the election results
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