The cacique Pio Cinta Larga, one of Reserva Roosevelt/*s principal leaders, is the new regional administrator of the National Foundation of the Indian (Funai) in Cacoal. He assumes the position provisional, in substitution to the old administrator, Trajano Fonseca Azevedo, discharged yesterday by the national president of Funai, Márcio Augusto Freitas de Meira. Besides Trajano other 15 employees that exercised positions of trust were discharged. It is the first time in Rondônia that an indian assumes the function.

The 16 employees were discharged because of the request of indigenous leaderships of the area. According to the president, all of them should be availed for the new administrator. He did not want to detail the reasons of the dismissals. He just said that is political decisions.

The president, that since Tuesday had been maintaining meetings in the area, with leaderships of the etnias Cinta Larga, Suruí, Apurinã and Mequéns, said that named the indian in the position due to the request of the Indians. According to Márcio Meira, the cacique will be assisted by the whole team of Funai. “It is a legitimate act and an important moment for the indigenous population", he said.

The president yesterday yet named the new coordinator of Força Task/*s Group Cinta Larga of the Reserva Roosevelt, João Batista Maglia, who worked in Funai in Brasília. As for the situation of the mine of diamonds, the president said that the seeking is paralyzed and that while there is no favorable legislation, the activity will be illegal.

With the reactivation of Force Task/*s Group, the president believes that the Indians Cinta Larga will have larger support to administer the situation in the reservation. “I was in the mine and the situation in the area today is calm ", he said.


Indians will be heard

The cacique José Itabira Suruí, general leader of the Povo Suruí, said that Pio Cinta Larga had a lot of courage in assuming the administrator/*s of Funai position and that he will have to have a lot of force and faith in God to do a good job. “It is a very difficult task for us Indian", he defined.

According to Itabira, the main strategy of Pio should be the dialogue with the other etnias. “He has to talk a lot with the relatives. I hope he can get what the white did not get ", he said.

Questioned on his goals, Pio said that first he will set up a trust team and later he will analyze the situation of Funai for later on put his projects in practice. He also promised to maintain constant dialogue with the Indians of all etnias.