Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Saint Lucia (Agenzia Fides) - Sen. Sixto Pereira met yesterday, June 3, the Bishop of the Diocese of Ciudad del Este (Paraguay), His Exc. Mgr. Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano, in which the Bishop was asked to mediate between the parts, Ñacunday and Saint Lucia, in the dispute over land. For the parliament, the residents of the community of Saint Lucia have been evicted from their lands illegally, because they have the necessary documents and have all the papers in order. The note sent to Fides by a local source, also refers to the request of the political representative of the government: to act more responsibly and with documents in hand to find a definitive solution to the problem before a clash among Paraguayans explodes.
In order to apply the agrarian reform, the government had ordered, a few days ago, the transfer of 575 families from the area of Ñacunday to that of Saint Lucia, after living there for 14 years. This created tension among the population, as a matter of fact the people of Saint Lucia expressed their disagreement with regards to this "invasion" of their lands.
The local press reports that about 15 days ago, some buildings intended for people who had to come, were set on fire by unknown persons, and a few days later fire was set to the bridge of access in Saint Lucia, to prevent the arrival of the new population. This resulted in the intervention of the armed forces. The situation in the area remains very tense. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 04/06/2014)
