Forestry Contractors Await "Frontal Combat" Against Terrorism Promised by Kast and Demand Political Will

With expectations and caution, forestry associations reacted to the start of President José Antonio Kast's government, particularly regarding the measures that will be adopted to confront violence in the southern macro-zone.

The manager of the Association of Forestry Contractors, René Muñoz, told BiobioChile that the sector expects the new president to fulfill his campaign commitment to directly confront the violent groups operating in the area.

Muñoz indicated that forestry contractors have been one of the sectors most affected by the attacks in the southern macro-zone, therefore he insisted on the need for decisive action from the State.

"According to the president's approach, the confrontation is going to be frontal, and that is ultimately what we are asking for. We forestry contractors have been dealing with this for a long time and we believe that, first, because of what happens to us, and second, we demand from the State the political will to confront the problem," he told the cited media.

Corma: The Presidential Mandate is to Resolve Security

From the Chilean Wood Corporation (Corma), they also expressed their expectations regarding the new authorities. The association's president for the regions of La Araucanía, Los Ríos, and Los Lagos, Antonio Soto, indicated that before the new authorities took office, they held meetings to present their security concerns.

In that context, he mentioned the dialogue held with the Undersecretary of Security, Andrés Yuanet, whom he described as a person who knows the reality of the area.

"Andrés Jouannet is a well-known person, he knows the region very well and has held some positions as an authority. He has a very clear understanding of what needs to be done and the commitment they have by presidential mandate to solve the security issue in the region," said Soto.

Expectation for Regional Appointments

For now, President Kast's government has not yet announced the names of the new regional ministerial secretaries (seremis), including the one in charge of the Security portfolio in the area.

Even so, the associations indicated that there is no major concern about the delays in the appointments and they expect the Executive to announce the appointments in the short term to begin working on measures aimed at confronting violence in the southern macro-zone.