Over 100 Mapuche leaders assembled in Temuco, Chile on September 23 and submitted an open letter to the government detailing their "absolute and express" rejection of proposed reforms to Article 17 of Chile's Indigenous Law (19.253). Article 17 currently prohibits division of indigenous lands into sites of less than three hectares. The changes, proposed in October 2002 by three legislative delegates, would allow the government to divide indigenous lands into plots as small as half a hectare.
The open letter of opposition, now posted on Mapuche International's website, reject proposed reforms as an infringement of indigenous land rights and as a violation of the state's obligation under Article 34 of the Indigenous Law to consult indigenous peoples regarding their lands. These Mapuche leaders worry that if passed, the changes will fragment indigenous communities and open lands to exploitation by logging companies and other business interests. In the letter, the Mapuche leaders also requested constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples and Chile's ratification of Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization.
