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Reclusive tribe attacks loggers suspected of encroaching on their land in Peru's Amazon

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Reclusive tribe attacks loggers suspected of encroaching on their land in Peru's Amazon
News

News

Reclusive tribe attacks loggers suspected of encroaching on their land in Peru's Amazon

2024-08-06 06:44 Last Updated At:06:51

Peru’s reclusive Mashco Piro ethnic group recently used bows and arrows to attack loggers suspected of encroaching on their territory in the Amazon, according to a regional Indigenous organization.

FENAMAD, representing 39 Indigenous communities in the Cusco and Madre de Dios regions, said Monday that it believes illegal logging was taking place on Mashco Piro territory and that one logger was injured in the July 27 attack.

A few weeks ago, photos emerged of the uncontacted tribe searching for food on a beach in the Peruvian Amazon, which some experts say was evidence logging concessions are “dangerously close” to its territory.

“It is presumably illegal because the area where the incident occurred is a forestry concession that belonged to Wood Tropical Forest until November 2022, and we are not aware of a concession that has requested or granted enabling rights in the same area,” said a FENAMAD representative, speaking anonymously out of personal security concerns.

The organization says that a lack of protection measures by the Peruvian government and the increased activity of companies and illegal operators on the Mashco Piro territory could produce “devastating consequences,” such as the transmission of diseases and increased violence.

Two loggers were shot with arrows while fishing in 2022, one fatally, in an encounter with tribal members, and there have been several other previous reports of conflicts.

Peru’s Ministry of Culture, responsible for the protection of Indigenous peoples, did not immediately respond to a message Monday seeking comment on the attack and their protection efforts.

Survival International, an advocacy group for Indigenous peoples which closely follows the Mashco Piro’s issues, says it is pressuring the Peruvian government to move deeper into these areas of the Amazon to help control the situation.

“This is a permanent emergency. For the last month we have been seeing the Mascho Piro every two weeks at different points, and in all of them they are surrounded by loggers,” Teresa Mayo, a researcher at Survival International, said in a phone call.

“It’s truly a matter of life and death. And only the government can and has the duty to stop it,” Mayo said.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

FILE - This June 2024 photo provided by Survival International shows members of the Mashco Piro along Las Piedras River in the Amazon near the community of Monte Salvado, in Madre de Dios province, Peru. (Survival International via AP, File)

FILE - This June 2024 photo provided by Survival International shows members of the Mashco Piro along Las Piedras River in the Amazon near the community of Monte Salvado, in Madre de Dios province, Peru. (Survival International via AP, File)

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Japan's exports hit record high, but trade deficit continues

2025-01-23 13:16 Last Updated At:13:21

TOKYO (AP) — Japan saw record-high exports last year, as its annual trade deficit declined 44% from the previous year, the Finance Ministry reported Thursday.

The trade deficit, which measures the value of exports minus imports, totaled 5.3 trillion yen ($34 billion), according to government data, as imports ballooned on the back of rising energy costs and growing inflation around the world.

Exports from the world’s third-largest economy totaled 107.9 trillion yen ($691 billion), surpassing the 100 trillion yen mark for the second-straight year, and the biggest value on record for comparable data, which dates back to 1979, the ministry said.

Some companies may have sped up their exports in anticipation of potential tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump has said he expects to put 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting Feb. 1. During his campaign, he threatened to impose tariffs on imports from China, although details on that remain unclear.

For the month of December, exports gained a greater-than-expected 2.8% on-year, while imports rose 1.8%. Exports grew to Asian and European nations, while dipping slightly to the U.S.

Imports grew most from India, Hong Kong and Iran.

Demand was especially strong for Japan's vehicles, semiconductors and other machinery.

The weakening yen, another recent trend, has the effect of inflating the value of imports. The U.S. dollar has been hovering at 150-yen levels, sometimes surpassing 160 yen, over the past year, while a year ago it was often at 140-yen levels.

Japan has recorded a trade deficit for four straight years, but last year's deficit was considerably smaller than the 9.5 trillion yen deficit for 2023.

FILE - Cars for export are parked at a port in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on July 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)

FILE - Cars for export are parked at a port in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on July 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)

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