Amid the continuing protests, Chile has backed out of hosting the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit that President Rodrigo Duterte was supposed to attend in mid-November.
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said he had taken the “painful” decision to cancel the summit, as well as the COP25 international gathering on climate change in December, to focus on restoring law and order in his country.
“As president to all Chileans, I must always put the problems and interests of Chileans, their needs, their desires, and their hopes, first,” he said in a statement.
His decision came amid violent street riots that gripped the South American nation and that left about 20 people dead.
Duterte was among the world leaders who were scheduled to meet on Nov. 16 to 17.
During the summit, US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping were also expected to sign an interim agreement to end the 15-month-old trade war that has affected the global economy.
Malacañang has yet to issue a statement on Chile’s decision to suspend the hosting of the APEC Summit and the COP25 climate summit on Dec. 2 and Dec. 13.
The APEC Summit is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific area. The 21 members of this group constitute half of the global trade and 60 percent of the world’s GDP.
Pinera’s move plunged the meeting into limbo, with no alternative venue in sight.
However, the APEC Secretariat expressed support to Chile’s decision to suspend the hosting of the summit.
“The safety and welfare of Chile and our member economies are APEC’s utmost priority. As such, the APEC Secretariat supports Chile’s decision to suspend the hosting of APEC Leaders Week, Executive Director Rebecca Fatima Sta. Maria said in a press statement.
“All APEC members will continue to advance this critical agenda of making sure that all communities across the Asia-Pacific reap the benefits of economic growth and integration.”
The pullout is seen as a blow to Chile’s tourism industry, and the Santiago stock exchange dropped 2.8 points while the peso fell to its lowest rate against the dollar since 2003.
“This has been a very difficult decision, a decision that has been deeply painful because we know exactly how important APEC and COP are for Chile and the world,” said Pinera.
“When a father has problems, he must always prioritize his family over other options. The same goes for a president. He must always put his own compatriots first, ahead of any other considerations.”
Chile is grappling with its worst social crisis in decades, one that shows little sign of abating despite Pinera announcing a raft of measures aimed at placating protesters.
Demonstrators have demanded that the 69-year-old right-wing leader”•whose personal fortune is estimated by Forbes at $2.8 billion”•step down.
They have been angered by low salaries and pensions, poor public health care and education, and a yawning gap between rich and poor.
Pinera announced last week an increase in the minimum wage and pensions as well as measures to alleviate sky-high health care costs and a streamlining of public offices.
“I’m not rejecting any structural reform,” Pinera said Wednesday. “This is the time to listen to the people.”
On Monday, he reshuffled his cabinet for the third time since coming to power in March 2018, but the street movement continues.
Protests began on Oct. 18 and during the first few days there was widespread destruction, arson and looting.
Demonstrations have been largely calm over the last week but there were violent clashes between demonstrators and security services on Monday, when shops were looted and a building set on fire.
Huge numbers took to the streets on Wednesday, with the country semi-paralyzed as numerous shops and businesses remained closed.
Canceling the two major international events is more likely to backfire than to placate the demonstrators, University of Chile analyst Octavio Avendano told AFP.
He said it would be seen “as a sign of weakness and a sharpening of the conflict.”
Chilean prosecutors announced Wednesday night that they were conducting investigations into the deaths of 23 people during the crisis.
Sixteen of the dead were killed “during the alleged commission of so-called ‘common’ crimes,” five people “by actions of agents of the state” and two “under state custody,” prosecutors said on Twitter.
Previously, the official death toll had stood at 20.
A mission led by the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights Michelle Bachelet”•Chile’s former president”•is expected to open a probe later this week into allegations of police brutality.
Justice and Human Rights Minister Hernan Larrain admitted on Tuesday that the government recognized that some incidents involving law enforcement during the protests “appear to be human rights violations.”
Amnesty International has expressed concern about claims of “sexual torture,” reports of eye injuries and situations in which police or military action directly led to a death. With AFP
READ: Over 1M demand Chile prexy to quit