DAVAO CITY – A teenager was injured after shots were fired Sunday at meeting by farmers who are opposed to mining operations in Compostela Valley province in southern Philippines.
The attack targeted members of the Compostela Farmers Association headed by Bello Tindasan in the village of Ngan in Compostela town. The meeting was being held near an army detachment of the 66th Infantry Battalion.
The farmers were protesting the entry of Agusan Petroleum and Mineral Corporation (AgPet) which is being protected by army soldiers. AgPet’s mining exploration covers nearly 12,500 hectares of ancestral lands.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the strafing, but farmers believed soldiers were behind the attack in an effort to scare them away and break the meeting.
Troops previously dispersed farmers protesting peacefully against AgPet in the area. It was not immediately known if the attack was reported by the farmers to the police. (Mindanao Examiner)
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