Chile Forum

Maybe you can prospect on undeveloped land, but you certainly cannot legally start extraction without doing a lot of paperwork first. And in the wake of the San José episode the government is tightening up on what pirquineros can do. So maybe you should get in touch with SERNAGEOMIN. If they are using explosives, the police may take an interest.

But at the end of the day, even if you get rid of them from one area , they will just pop up somewhere else. The current minerals prices make this kind of theft irresistible.

I wouldn´t bother with a lawyer; unless he specializes in mining law its a waste of time and money. And I would guess your caretaker is getting some benefit from the current arrangement.

This particular property is in Ocoa but the campana extends from Ocoa to Olmue. There is a very nice walk that takes you from Ocoa to Omue or vica-versa. Most likely it is one of the other owners doing the extracting. I saw some "device" used for explosives and big piles of rock. These "miners" even put a lock on the gate! However, I seem to be the only one angered by this event. I have spoken to two of the other owners and they just shrug their shoulders and say there is nothing we can do. I do not know if this is true or not. Often times I find people give up very easily so as to not be hasseled. Thanks for the information !!!

One more thought.....I went to this beautiful place because I was thinking about moving to Stgo. recently I have been receiving job offers (I am actually going to teach someone Spanish ) and needed to double check the sanity meter. A little investigating will surely bring to light the answers I am looking for. Also, I try to avoid lawyers at all cost. They tend to charge too much and do too little.

MercyMe wrote: I have spoken to two of the other owners and they just shrug their shoulders and say there is nothing we can do.

There is a lot of that "es lo que hay" attitude. It seems to be balanced by a similarly large opposing body of the hopelessly and dangerously Quixotic.

I understand your objections to visiting Chilean lawyers on the basis of their not doing very much, but for the little that I have had them do, they haven't charged me a great deal. It might be worth an introductory chat with someone who does that first 30 minutes of free consultation. I have also had a bit of luck talking to local political party offices (e.g., diputado/a). Some of them have a legal staff that provides a bit of assistance to constituents. You may even be lucky and find that a diputado/a takes up your cause and has his/her staff make some calls, though such an outcome is not to be counted on.

Px: Good Idea I did give some English lessons to Pancho Vargas´s wife and children and they can now say "beautiful" no problem. Politicians are always a hand full because they were once lawyers. I will see if it is really a "cause" I want, life is fully of meaingless causes which I should have never undertaken but alas.... here I am in Chile. You can be reasonable occassionaly.
Your reasonable voice is almost funnier than your grumpy one. Cheers!

MercyMe wrote:Px: .... You can be reasonable occassionaly.Your reasonable voice is almost funnier than your grumpy one. Cheers!

One of the nicer things about being schizophrenic.