Fourteen protestors from Mapuche-Huichille communities in Chile began an occupation of land owned by presidential candidate Sebastián Piñera on the island of Chiloe, which is located off the central coast of Chile. The protestors are demanding the rights to part of the territory, which they claim belonged to their ancestors. Carlos Lincoman, the mayor of the Council of Huichille Caciques, which represents 26 communities and 20,000 people, directed an open letter to Piñera, reported Azkintuwe. In the letter, Lincoman questioned Piñera’s acquisition of the land and explained why the land should be part of Huichille territory. "Our territories were usurped by the Chilean State in 1900 [which] has permitted until today that certain foreigners and Chileans can come and appropriate our territories... We will continue defending what is ours, we will keep seeking justice in the International Courts, [the type of] justice that the Chilean state, which you aspire to govern, has not generated," wrote Lincoman.
In his letter, Lincoman also rejected Piñera’s proposed name for the territory, Tantauko, which refers to a treaty signed between Chile and Spain in 1826 that was supposed to protect Huichille rights to the island. Piñera, a candidate for the conservative National Renovation Party, declined a response to the letter and said that he is not concerned about the occupation, according to Prensa Latina. He bought the 115,000 hectare territory in 2004 and is planning to create a national park with camping and eco-adventure facilities, reported Axkintuwe. Recent polls show that Piñera is behind in the race, with the election scheduled for December 11.
