A car driven by Brazilian Indian Tuxaua Anselmo DionÀsio Filho was chased by a pick-up that was carrying the rice grower Paulo César Quartiero (ex-mayor of Pacaraima), Márcio Junqueira (Federal Deputy for Roraima) and a television crew, June 17, a Sunday.
On the same day, Quartiero and the ex-deputy mayor, Anísio Pedrosa went into the Parawani community in a pick-up and two trucks, according to a report by the Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR) coordinator.
Armed, hooded men got out of the vehicles fired their guns, surrounded and threatened the indigenous people. They scattered in shock and a 19-year old woman who fled during the confusion disappeared.
Indigenous people were bundled into a truck and after being insulted, they were abandoned on the highway a few kilometers away from the settlement. The attackers broke up the community hut, poured diesel oil on the food and took the Indian's tools.
The CIR has reported what happened to the Public Prosecutor's Office in Roraima, the Federal Police and the President of the Republic's Special Human Rights Department. In the Council's view, this type of attack takes place because there is still a feeling of impunity and lawlessness in Raposa, brought about by omission on the part of the State.
The deputy Márcio Junqueira, a member of the old PFL party, now called DEM, has also sent a report of the aggression to the Federal Police. It stated that he and the rice grower Paulo César Quartiero were attacked and thrown out of the indigenous land, whilst producing a report for his TV program.
The Federal Police said that it has opened up an inquiry.
In Pará, the Chief Odair José Borari, the Tapajós and Arapiuns Indigenous Council (Cita) coordinator, was the victim of further aggression on June 6. This is the second attack on this leader this year. The first took place in February. Borari was beaten up by four armed men and then tied up.
Odair has been received threats and had already reported this to the Federal Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office. According to Cita, the conflicts in the region have been aggravated because Funai have not carried out the requests for demarcation of the land of the Borari community in Nova Olinda.
