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WORLD NEWS Monday 13 June 2022

Pair's disappearance in Brazil's Amazon tied to 'fish mafia'

By FABIANO MAISONNAVE nearby cities, including Le-
ATALAIA DO NORTE, Brazil ticia, Colombia, Tabatinga,
(AP) — A main line of police Brazil, and Iquitos, Peru.
investigation into the disap- The only known suspect in
pearance of a British jour- the disappearances is fish-
nalist and an Indigenous of- erman Amarildo da Costa
ficial in the Amazon points de Oliveira, also known as
to an international network Pelado, who is under arrest.
that pays poor fishermen to According to accounts by
fish illegally in Brazil's sec- Indigenous people who
ond-largest Indigenous ter- were with Pereira and Phil-
ritory, authorities said. lips, he brandished a rifle at
Freelance journalist Dom them the day before the
Phillips and Indigenous offi- pair disappeared. He de-
cial Bruno Pereira were last nies any wrongdoing and
seen last Sunday morning said military police tortured
near the Javari Valley Indig- him to try to get a confes-
enous Territory, which sits in sion, his family told the As-
an area the size of Portugal sociated Press..
bordering Peru and Co- Pereira, who previously led
lombia. The two men were the local bureau of the
in the Sao Rafael commu- government's Indigenous
nity. They were returning by Army soldiers unload seized fish illegally caught in Atalaia do Norte, Amazonas state, Brazil, Sat- agency, known as FUNAI,
boat to the nearby city of urday, June 11, 2022. has taken part in several
Atalaia do Norte but never Associated Press operations against illegal
arrived. fishing. In such operations,
After a slow start, the army, said they were still analyz- The scheme is run by lo- is the world's largest fresh- as a rule the fishing gear is
the navy, civil defense, ing human matter found cal businessmen, who pay water fish with scales, the seized or destroyed, while
state police and Indige- the day before in the area fishermen to enter the Ja- arapaima. It weighs up to the fishermen are fined and
nous volunteers have been where they disappeared. vari Valley, catch fish, and 200 kilograms (440 pounds) briefly detained. Only the
mobilized in the search. On No more details were pro- deliver it to them. One of and can reach 3 meters Indigenous can legally fish
Saturday, federal police vided. the most valuable targets (10 feet). The fish is sold in in their territories.q

Venezuelan opposition leader attacked during national tour

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) American country seeking vision, did not immediately
— The leader of the U.S.- to unite and organize his respond.
backed opposition in Ven- party ahead of a planned Last week, Guaidó's sup-
ezuela was physically at- primary election. porters were met by a bar-
tacked Saturday during a In an Instagram video Sat- rage of flying plastic chairs
visit to a rural community, urday night, Guaidó char- and fisticuffs from allies of
according to members of acterized the attack as an President Nicolás Maduro
his parallel government, "ambush" at a plant nursery in the western city of Mara-
who accused a group of in San Carlos, a community caibo.
ruling party associates of about 168 miles (270 kilo- The U.S. and other nations
carrying out the assault. meters) southwest of Ca- recognize Guaidó as Ven-
A photo accompanying racas, the capital. But he ezuela's interim president.
the opposition statement added that it won't deter They withdrew recognition
shows Juan Guaidó be- him from continuing to be of Maduro after accusing Opposition leader Juan Guaido, center, speaks to supporters
ing held back as people "on the street." him of rigging his 2018 re- during a gathering to mark Youth Day, in Caracas, Venezuela,
gather around him and "Those who attacked to- election as president. Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022.
someone rips his shirt off. day, these members or At the time, Guaidó drew Associated Press
The parallel government leaders of the regime's par- enormous crowds of back-
said the group, which was ty," should accept respon- ers into the streets, but Brian Nichols, the U.S. assis- Guaidó.
associated with the United sibility for the incident, he much of the momentum tant secretary of state for "This egregious attack
Socialist Party of Venezue- said. has evaporated. His popu- Western Hemisphere affairs, risked lives; those respon-
la, known as PSUV, "hit and PSUV leaders, who tradi- larity has dropped from on Saturday condemned sible for the assault should
insulted" Guaidó, who is on tionally issue statements on about 60% three years ago what he described as an be brought to justice," he
a tour around the South social media or state tele- to under 15% in February. "unprovoked attack" on said.q