The Government is evaluating the removal of the head of defense in Arauco, Navy Rear Admiral Juan Pablo Zúñiga, given the limited presence of the institution in the province of Arauco, within the framework of the State of Exception that governs in that area.
According to La Tercera, that is not a final decision, since the Government is waiting for the reports of effectiveness that the Joint Chiefs of Staff evacuates to Interior and Defense.
Little presence
Members of the Mapuche Lafkenche Resistance perpetrated an armed and incendiary attack on Monday afternoon against the Grollmus Mill, located in the commune of Contulmo, Biobío region.
The crime left three injured: Hellmuth Grollmus Scherer (85), Cristián Grollmus Fritz (55) and Carlos Grollmus Thiele (79). The latter was shot in his left leg, which subsequently had to be amputated.
The attack began at about 6:05 p.m. and ended half an hour later. The nearest Navy personnel were an hour and a half from Contulmo. Carabineros personnel managed to reach the scene, but the attackers had already left.
The next day, the Undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve, traveled to Contulmo to meet with the mayor and the presidential delegations of Arauco and Biobío.
According to the aforementioned media, when Monsalve arrived in the municipality to hold the meeting, there were local authorities, representatives of the Carabineros and the PDI, but not of the Navy.
After the meeting, he said at a press point that “we are going to talk to the general chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the day the State of Emergency is evaluated (on Thursday) and, without a doubt, we will make contact with the head of national defense in charge of the forces in the province of Arauco.”
“We believe it is essential that the state of emergency fulfills the objective it has, which is to prevent, but also to respond in a timely manner, when there is a risk to people’s lives,” the undersecretary added.
The Government has also not liked the low visibility of the Navy on the most dangerous routes and in the farthest communes of Los Alamos, a commune where the operational base of the institution is located.
Another situation that has caused dissatisfaction in the Executive is that no representative of the Navy has moved to Contulmo after the arson attack against the Grollmus Mill.
“One day they decided not to come anymore. We haven’t seen them here for months, they left without explanation, or prior notice. It is regrettable, but that’s how we are,” they said from the mayor’s office, slogan La Tercera.
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