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Violence in La Araucanía: Business Groups Criticize Boric's Limited State of Emergency and Demand Full Implementation

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The first anniversary of the state of emergency decreed by President Gabriel Boric in May of last year occurs amid debates over the measure's effectiveness—which allows the deployment of the Armed Forces in support of police—and calls for greater security in La Araucanía.

The President decreed it after voting against its renewal during former President Sebastián Piñera's administration and after failing to implement an "intermediate" state of emergency upon taking office on March 11, 2022.

Thus, on May 17, 2022, the decree establishing a constitutional state of emergency in La Araucanía and the provinces of Arauco and Biobío in the VIII Region was published in the Official Gazette. It differed from the previous government's measure by being limited to "protecting routes in those territories," explicitly excluding secondary roads.

On September 12 last year—after replacing former Interior Minister Izkia Siches with current Minister Carolina Tohá—the decree was amended to include safeguarding lives. "The measures adopted under this decree must focus on ensuring free transit, route security, and protecting people's lives," the text stated.

The decree did not mention the specific circumstances prompting the change, including whether the August 29, 2022, arson attack on the Grollmus mill in Biobío—where a 79-year-old owner lost a leg after being shot—was a factor. The radical group Mapuche Lafkenche Resistance (RML) claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.

As the measure—requiring approval from both chambers of Congress every 15 days—approaches its first year, it has shown a decline in attacks during its enforcement. According to government figures compiled by La Tercera, attacks have dropped by 30% over 12 months.

Data from the Association of Forestry Contractors (not covering the exact period of the measure) also showed a 30% decrease in attacks against the industry in La Araucanía between January 1 and May 9, 2022, compared to the same period this year, dropping from 23 to 16 cases.
In this context, Undersecretary of Interior Manuel Monsalve is expected to arrive in La Araucanía this Thursday or Friday. Following the shooting of elected councilman Héctor Urban (Republicans)—with no injuries—and the pellet-gun attack on police in Ercilla, he declared the region on "red alert."

State of Siege
The call for a state of siege. A group of UDI deputies delivered an open letter to President Boric on Monday, urging him to declare a state of siege.

"Since mid-April, arson and terrorist attacks have intensified in southern regions, even threatening the physical safety of dozens or hundreds of citizens," stated the letter signed by Deputies Flor Weisse, Cristián Labbé, and Daniel Melo on behalf of the UDI caucus. It was submitted a day before Minister Tohá's interpellation.
"We believe it is essential to decree new measures to combat narco-terrorist groups operating in the Southern Macrozone, including a State of Siege in the aforementioned areas, as the current State of Emergency has fallen short."

"We do not want to be forced to reject future renewals if this widely demanded request by local residents is ignored," they wrote.

Spokesperson Camila Vallejo rejected the latter claim. "This government cannot act under threats; it must act based on its convictions and the most effective tools to address the situation," she said.
A key difference between a state of emergency and a state of siege is that the latter allows the President to delegate authority to restrict individual freedoms "wholly or partially to appointed Intendants, Governors, or National Defense chiefs," as per Article 3 of Law 18,415.

Industry Demands. Meanwhile, truckers, forestry contractors, and other groups gathered Monday morning at the Sociedad de Fomento Agrícola in Temuco to meet with government officials. Their goal was to discuss measures against violence. As of Tuesday, pressuring La Moneda through roadblocks was ruled out.

Acoforag
René Muñoz, Manager of the Association of Forestry Contractors: "We are calling for a state of emergency, as the law establishes, where the Armed Forces and police have full authority to combat terrorism, crime, and insecurity in the area. A complete state of emergency (...) covering not just main roads but also secondary roads, unlike the current limited measure."

Sergio Pérez, President of the National Freight Transport Confederation (CNTC): "The name of the state doesn’t matter—emergency or siege. But this limited, restricted state of emergency is useless." They also urgently requested a meeting with President Boric to address the current "defenseless" situation.

Presidential Delegate José Montalva: "They speak of military and police presence, and that’s what we’re working on. We met with Zone Chief Manuel Cifuentes (Carabineros) and National Defense Chief Rafael Cabrera." He announced truckers could use highway rest stops to deter attacks.

Meanwhile, the Defense Chief stated they would stop using color codes to refer to deployment percentages.

Source:www.ex-ante.cl