July 4, 2006
Santiago, Chile
More than 25 activists from the ocean conservation organizations Proplaya, Oceana and Save the Waves Coalition arrived at the downtown offices of the Angelini Group, owners of the forestry company Celco who is directly responsible for massive environmental pollution in the 8th region of southern coastal Chile. The activists brought stinkbombs, dressed in white toxic cleanup suits and face masks to protest Celco's newest mill in Nueva Aldea, ready to be opened soon. "Celco Your Business Stinks", "Celco the Ocean is not Your Dump", "We Bring You the Aroma of Pulp Mill", read some of the banners carried by activists; sulphur and other noxious fumes wafted through the front courtyard of Grupo Angelini as security guards scrambled to respond.
Clara Subercaseaux, Executive Director of Proplaya, spoke to the assembled crowd and reporters: "We are here because we wholeheartedly reject Celco's pollution of the Itata River and Chile's Pacific Ocean coastline. We represent the people of the region who will soon suffer the consequences of Celco's irresponsibility. As soon as the pulp mill begins releasing toxic effluent into the area's river, atmosphere and ocean, local agriculture, wineyards, fishermen and subsistence farmers will all have their source of work and health severely threatened.
"As surfers we want to protect the ocean and we find it totally unacceptable that the Pacific Ocean is seen as an enormous and bottomless dump for industry. The ocean is a great resource but not an infinite resource. The ocean and the river will not absorb Celco's toxic chemicals but rather will spread the pollution up and down the coast of Chile."
Celco plans on opening its new mill in the following two months but the company does not have a specific date due to technical difficulties in the construction.
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