[04/24/06] Gunmen attack MST encampment, shoot 3-year-old child

[04/24/06] Gunmen attack MST encampment, shoot 3-year-old child

11:00pm, April 23rd - Six heavily armed gunmen attacked an MST encampment located on Taquaral Farm, also known as the ‘Farm of the Mexicans’. The property is located in the municipality of Occidental City, in the Federal District.

The 250 MST families who currently occupy the site were violently attacked. All of their belongings were also set ablaze during the attack, which lasted 30 minutes. During the incident, a 3-year-old child was wounded by gunfire. The child is currently in critical condition.

The property, which was completely abandoned before being occupied, consists of 800 unused hectares. The supposed owner of the land holds no documents demonstrating legal ownership, and there is speculation that the lands are public lands held fraudulently.

On April 20th, the night the land was occupied, gunmen fired at the families for over 40 minutes. As a result, the walls of buildings on the site are riddled with bullet holes.

In Portuguese -
The above article is available in its original form by visiting:
http://www.mst.org.br/informativos/minforma/ultimas1858.htm