State of emergency declared in 3 provinces

On 18 August 2008 the Peruvian government declared a state of emergency in three provinces where eight policemen and two indigenous people were injured in recent clashes. Indigenous groups are protesting a law that makes it easier for national and international companies to purchase land belonging to indigenous communities. As opposed to the past, when investors needed two-thirds of the community's support to buy or lease land, companies can now use the property with the approval of a simple majority. Indigenous protesters from more than 60 ethnic groups have shut down an oil pipeline in northern Peru owned by state-run company Petroperu, occupied the El Muyo hydroelectric power plant in the Amazonas region, overrun a great deal of Pluspetro, which sits in the Camisea natural gas field, and blocked major highways.