Landless Paraguayan peasants have threatened to invade Brazilian-owned soya plantations in Paraguay as of Monday, according to information reaching here from Asuncion, capital of Paraguay.
"There has been no proof showing that Brazilian farmers had bought that land, therefore it belongs to the state of Paraguay," Antonio Cabrera, a leader of the peasants, said Monday.
"We have the legal right to recover our land," Cabrera said. Headded that he possessed official documents authorizing him to recover a number of ranches.
The documents were issued by the Paraguayan Institute of Rural and Land Development (Indert), proving that the presently Brazilian-owned properties legally belong to Paraguay.
"We have made it clear that we are not afraid of Brazilians. We urge our countrymen to join us in this defense of our territorial sovereignty," Cabrera said.
He further said that "with these papers nobody and nothing could stop us from taking back that land."
The mayor of the Paraguayan town of Lima, Julio Franco, expressed his concern about the situation, saying it is complex and dangerous.
"The dispute between Brazilian farmers and the landless Paraguayan peasants is growing into a violence conflict, he said.
Zacarias Ortiz, the Catholic bishop of Concepcion city, urged the country's president, Fernando Lugo Mendez, to begin the agricultural reform he promised during the presidential campaign.
Paraguayan authorities are worried that the land invasion could mar the country's bilateral relations with Brazil, especially when Brazilian army are performing a military exercise at the border with Paraguay.
Source:Xinhua
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