La Via Campesina Paraguay wondered in a press release published on Sunday “How many more deaths will it take for the Paraguayan state to recognize its law enforcement role on environmental and human rights issues, enshrined in the National Constitution”.

Ruben Portillo Caceres, 26, was taken dead to the hospital of Curuguaty district on January 7th. According to his relatives, we had a high temperature, stomach ache and he had been vomiting. He had symptoms of intoxication after the massive spraying of GM soy plantations in the area, by Brazilian farmers. Colonia Yerutí is surrounded by GM crops.

After Portillo’s death nearly ten people were taken to the same hospital, including his mother. They had the same symptoms and other similar ones such us headaches, dizziness and diarrhea. Paraguayan newspaper ABC reported that the doctors are running routine tests on the people who were hospitalized and that some of them had worrying results. Five of the residents remained hospitalized there and one was even taken to the
Emergency Unit Center of Asunción.

Doctor Angie Duarte, director of the district hospital of Curuguaty, exposed to several institutions the cases of the people who might have been poisoned with agrotoxics.

Officials of the Environment Minister of Paraguay, the National Service of Vegetal Quality and Sanitation and the Minister of Health began investigations in Colonia Yerutí to know the cause of the purported intoxication. But the response has come late, claims La Via Campesina Paraguay. “The inexistent control of the corresponding authorities has led to another victim of agribusiness”.

The Paraguayan peasants warn about the need that the national population reflects on the reality in the rural areas. They explain that the model of GM soy plantations and the plantation of other large scale GM crops cause land grabbing from the indigenous peoples, eviction of peasants. While the spraying associated with it causes health problems such as miscarriages, babies born with malformations and environmental damage.

La Via Campesina Paraguay believes that the mass media and the State “are giving in to the interests of the soy businessmen, which resort to corruption and other schemes such as unlawful association to commit crimes with politicians, mafia and the big fish”.

Finally, the peasants demand the national government to immediately stop the massive spraying, and to help the people affected and punish the responsible “for breaking the environmental laws”. The residents of Colonia Yerutí are also demanding the authorities to confirm if there was poisoning by agrotoxics and if so, to expel the Brazilian land owners.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gojame/