News

After arson attack, mayors of Mulchén and Santa Bárbara call to curb rural violence

Sponsors

Once again, the issue of security in the so-called Southern Macrozone gains relevance due to the latest arson attack that affected a forestry company in the commune of Mulchén.

As reported by Diario La Tribuna, the incident occurred last Friday around 8:00 a.m. at the Los Pinos intersection.

There, unidentified individuals entered and set fire to four trucks, two pieces of machinery, and one truck, with no injuries reported.

The case is under investigation, and as happened with the mega-attack on the Rucalhue hydroelectric plant, no arrests have been made.

Nonetheless, a specialized team from the Investigative Police (PDI) arrived at the scene to gather evidence and continue the inquiry.

The mayor of Mulchén, José Miguel Muñoz, visited the property where the attack took place in a military surveillance zone.

After returning to the city, he called for increased security, mentioning that he had spoken by phone with the provincial presidential delegate of Biobío, Javier Fuchslocher.

"We are precisely assessing all the damages that occurred in this area, and I am urgently requesting, through the delegate, that the government please provide more security to this misnamed Southern Macrozone," stated the authority.

Muñoz expressed his hope that this situation does not continue to escalate, recalling that on April 20 of this year, "a tremendous attack was suffered in Santa Bárbara, the largest in history, and now this has just happened to us. So, deeply regretting that this is spreading, I hope, God willing, that this does not happen again."

The mayor asserted that "the doors of the municipality are open to help in any way possible because we must find these people. This cannot keep happening here in our commune, nor in other communes, nor anywhere. So, I fervently call on the authorities to take responsibility for the country's security."

Accompanying his colleague in Mulchén was the mayor of Santa Bárbara, Cristian Oses, who stated, "We experienced a serious situation ourselves, like the burning of a company's property, which not only affected that company but also the lives of our people, as well as the local economy."

Oses emphasized that the issue must be addressed collectively, at the governmental, legislative, and local authority levels.

On this matter, he clarified, "It does no good for a delegate or a regional ministerial secretary to come and say they will only meet with a technical committee when they don’t even have the technical capacity to take on that challenge. I believe it is important that today, mayors and parliamentarians are also included, since here we mayors and parliamentarians are united in working for the well-being of our people."

In this regard, he called on government authorities to be present where these events occur, "alongside our mayor and neighbors, because it is here where our people want the support of the State, the support of our parliamentarians, our government, and all the institutions involved in security."

Oses said the community sees municipalities as responsible for security because they are visible on the streets, though he clarified that "those who hold the responsibility, whether the Ministry of Public Security or the Ministry of the Interior, in managing the police, are now going elsewhere."

He added, "These are things that cannot happen again. We must review procedures, we must be where the events occur because that is where we provide security and peace of mind to our people."

Meanwhile, from the same location as Friday's attack, the provincial presidential delegate of Biobío, Javier Fuchslocher, had stated, "As a government, we have been emphatic that these are criminal acts, acts that go against the work done to maintain a safe province and region. And in the same way, we want to emphasize that we will work with all institutions in the territory on security matters to apprehend those responsible and bring them to justice. These situations cannot occur in the province of Biobío, and we will continue working to ensure a safe and protected territory."

Source:La Tribuna