To the People of Mexico
To the indigenous peoples of the CNI
To the Indigenous Council of Government
To the media.
We denounce that last June 4, around 5:00 in the afternoon, a roar shook the Totonaca community of Reforma Escolín in Papantla, Veracruz, a Pemex pipeline had exploded, which caused a fire in the bush of the locality.
We knew that this could happen at any moment, but Pemex and the environmental authorities such as the ASEA and Semarnat, are not interested in the fact that the hydrocarbon installations and pipelines are without adequate maintenance and surveillance, Pemex fields and wells used by organized crime, socio-environmental devastation by the wells, burners, spills, leaks, do not seem to matter to the authorities.
On one occasion a Pemex official in Totonacapan said, “we would rather relocate the community than remove the pipelines and burners”, which is why dozens of streams and water sources for community use have been contaminated with the complacent gaze of the environmental authorities of the State and the Federation.
We denounce that hectares of forest in the localities of Reforma Escolin, Cerro Grande, Escolin and Tres Flechas were set on fire due to the explosion of a pipeline on Saturday, June 4, and it is only today that brigades of community residents, Pemex and Sedena personnel were able to contain the fire. The warning issued by Pemex personnel on Monday to the residents of the community was threatening, “leave because there may be more explosions and we are not responsible for the lives of any of the residents”.
In the community there is a lot of fear, as they have already denounced several gas leaks that Pemex has never attended, the fire has already reached three locations, in Reforma it advanced until it almost reached the cemetery of the neighboring town of Cerro Grande Escolín, and at the same time two more fires were generated in Reforma and one in Tres Flechas where the community had to buy water pipes to try to face the fire, since in the site there are Pemex tanks and facilities.
The assembly is on permanent alert and denounces the omission of Pemex and its negligence that caused the explosion of the pipeline and the fires, demands the reparation of the damages caused and guarantees that it will not happen again.
We ask the peoples of Mexico for a prayer to mother earth, to the main spirits that take care of the mountain, because we have a great sadness in our hearts, the Totonaco grandparents say that the thick mountain is sacred, that the main spirits that give and take care of life live there, and today it has been violated.
Never again a Mexico without us.
COORDINATION AND FOLLOW-UP COMMISSION OF THE NATIONAL INDIGENOUS CONGRESS AND INDIGENOUS COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENT
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)