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Article: Chavez now aims for corporate-owned land; The Venezuelan leader speeds up land reform, sparking fresh concerns for investors.(WORLD)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- November 1, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 The Christian Science Publishing Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Jens Gould Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
SAN FELIPE, VENEZUELA -- Beyond the gates of his farm, Alfonso Puche sees sunburnt farmers slashing his young sugar-cane crop with machete blades. He hears the motor of his own tractor uprooting seedlings at nightfall to make way for new vegetable crops.
"There is no rule of law here," said Puche, who accuses state officials of encouraging land grabs by declaring his and dozens of other farms state land.
Takeovers like this are part of President Hugo Chavez's recently accelerated land redistribution campaign in which thousands of rural poor are being granted rights to till arable ...