Chile Forum

well, guess we will see.

I don't see them being able to legally throw him out of the country just for being a political pain arse, but they can sure go back and examine all his paperwork. Tompkins is a big boy. He has lots and lots of lawyers and lots of political connections. I don't think Los rotos de Los Condes however are ready for the international bad press that would follow if they did, and how fast it would impact the Chilean economy and the World perception of Chile as just another corrupt Latin American country. They won't do it, even if they could.

Tompkins nailed them hard twice with the Salmon farming and the Dam project in the New York times in less than a month. Los Rotos being so stupid as to think they can simply let industry go wild in Southern Chile without regulation and no one will notice is not Tompkins fault, but the President's fault.

Bachelet is selling out the country. Just the fact that minister in her government would be allowed to make such ignorant statements publicly makes Chile look like Guatemala, El Salvador, or Panama where ignorant corruption is the norm. She is the one that should be thrown out of the country for undermining Chile's future.

Tompkins just happens to be pointing out the empress wares no clothes on a very public international stage that these people are not equipped to play on. They have been totally unable to get any traction at all around the World to counter those articles impact. Arguing on the side of environmental destruction is far from politically correct these days. Running a few articles in the local Chilean news papers does not have the economic and political clout of running articles in all those international papers.

Tompkin's was in the clothing industry for years. Most sport clothing is nothing but selling the perception that it is a superior product. Really what is the difference between Esprit and Nike, but the marketing campaign. He has been gearing up for this war for years, and they have been threatening to throw him out of the country for years.

Too bad there are not others to point out all the rest of the areas she is failing in such as Crime, infrastructure, jobs, eduction, tourism. and so on. I honestly believe she is actively trying to undermine the tourism industry because it also stands in the way of her anti-environmental plans. That dam project is not energy for Chileans, but energy for the mining industry. It will never make it to Santiago.

What ticket them off most recently was that Tompkins was asked by the financial news paper in Chile what he thought of Bachelet's environmental policy, and he said "what policy?". I totally agree.

Bachelet is no match for Tompkins. Come on? We are talking about a president who got her political rear end handed to her by a bunch of little kids in the first year of her presidency.

In her defense, however I would say that she is at best a Lame duck president. She lacked the political power herself to really implement any sort of policy, and had to align herself with all the devils to get any sort of control. It would be kind of like an independent being elected president, and trying to influence the U.S. congress without the backing of either party.

well those numbers and descriptions by the administration are mostly political B.S. Tompkins has very well structured and properly organized corporate entities including non-profit corporations that are in fully compliance (at least as far as I have heard and ones we have seen in practice) with the laws. This is not some tourist running a business under the table to avoid paying tax in Chile.

The government can not have it both ways. Just last year they where refusing to talk to Tompkins about the road through Pumalin park because he was no longer the owner of Pumalin park, but the nonprofit organization that he setup to manage was the real owner. Now, for political purposes they are making it sound like Tompkins is getting direct donations so he can go drinking or something.

I can not imaging his army of lawyers, law firms, and accountants with his political history allowing one little piece of paper or peso to slip by without proper handling including paying taxes. Pumalin (by the way there are thousands of more hectares of reserves under other companies and organizations in Chile) must employ an easy 1,000 or more people.

This would be like saying any international investor in any company in Chile, would need to apply for residency or anyone that donates to a none-profit organization that is working in Chile needs to apply for residency.

I might point out also, if the administration thinks they have the political backing, then they should go ahead and change the laws if they believe Tompkins is somehow taking advantage of them. They don't. I see there is already congressional opposition forming against the administrations actions.

By the way, they are not just targeting Tompkins but all the environmental groups. Many we have seen are little more than affiliations of concerned local citizens in the Patagonia. They are targeting Chileans also that are in opposition to the party line. Tompkins is just a high profile target. It is what they will do to the little grassroots organization without the big legal and financial backing that should be of real concern.

A lot of this has to do with Tompkins partner in the Marine reserve being Pinera. That is serious homegrown political backing and financial backing for Tompkins position. It is the administration trying to put the "evil foreigner" face on the issue.