ON EASTER ISLAND:

FIRE IN RANO RARAKU

FIRE AFFECTS 47 MOAIS ON EASTER ISLAND
A Forest fire struck at the crater of the volcano where the inhabitants left unfinished gigantic stone figures.

Important archaeological damage was suffered, on November 30, 1996, when a forest fire occurred in one of the interior craters of the volcano Rano Raraku. It destroyed one moai and affected 46 others which suffered damage from the heat and ashes.

The fire began around 4 p.m., and CONAF Park Guard Julio Haoa tried to extinguish it alone. He was not able to call for help since the CONAF personnel have no radio transmitter on the island which makes impossible effective communication across the island.

After four hours of working alone, the park guard finally went to Hangaroa to get help from his companions and advise the carabineros.

By 10 p.m. more people were combatting the fire but because of the inaccessibility of the place, they were only able to use some rubber sheeting to suffocate the flames since the small amount of water available was insufficient. Moreover, the Island Fire Company could not get to the area because of its location.

MOAIS AFFECTED

Park Administrator Jose Miguel Ramirez explained that the fire took place in an interior crater of the volcano where moais were made. About two hectares (4 acres) of grassland was burnt...all the southeast interior slope was affected where there are 97 unfinished moais still in their niches.

He added that fortunately, many of these island monuments were not damaged too badly. But 47 were affected by the heat, soot and smoke. He indicated that the damage is visible, especially on the head of one of them. Also there could be damage not visible, from the effects of the conglomeration of ashes and perhaps later, the erosion will be accelerated by when rain falls.

The stone used to make the statues is "Toba" (sic) which in reality is compacted ash, Ramirez explained. He added that to repair the damaged moais would be very difficult since "the treatment of consolidation with chemical products costs US$15,000 for each statue."

As a reference, the Administrator of "Rapa Nui" said that this year CONAF invested US$12,000 in this national park with regional funds "to maintain the paths to the crater for public use and to close off the area to cattle. Nevertheless, the fences were destroyed by the animals and the park guards had to drive off the cattle rather than attending to other more important duties."

Ramirez stated that worse than the problem of fires, is the lack of grazing land for the approximately 2500 animals which are privately owned by islanders who let their animals feed on Park territory.

PATRIMONY AFFECTED

Furthermore, Ramirez stated that the care and management of the island's nature would be made easier if the islanders had more land for their animals. "Two years ago a senate committee came to examine the problem; we are still waiting for their report."

The soil of Rapa Nui is such that each cow or bull needs three hectares (6 acres) of grassland for grazing. The islanders continue to increase the number of animals, and there is not enough grazing land for them, so they use park land. CONAF staffs 8 park rangers and three trainees on the island, who have no radio communication system.

- El Mercurio de Valparaiso, December 2, 1996

ISLAND COUNCILMAN DENOUNCES DISAPPEARANCE OF FUNDS

More than US$195,000 had been destined to finance the Tapati fiesta and no one knows how it was spent .

Councillor Alberto Hotus Paoa presented yesterday in the lower house of Congress a denunciation for the "abnormal" use of funds...and he asked that they form a commission to investigate. According to Hotus, more than US$195,000 destined for the fiesta never arrived. He suspects they were used for other works or else ended up in private accounts.

His accusation complements the "administrative irregularity" detected by the Regional Council: last April they approved US$58,000 from the National Fund for Regional Development (FNDR) to finance the Tapati. The payment was made to Manuel Federico Atan Atan, a functionary of the Municipality.

However, it happens that the Municipalidad had approved in 1995 a total of US$48,000 for the fiesta after Mayor Pedro Edmunds Paoa notified the City Council that he would not solicit the funds but that the Municipalidad would assume them.

Later Hotus asked the Mayor to account for the expenditures and asked if they had received extra funds, and the mayor repeatedly refused. This situation motivated the Councilman to turn to the Regional Controller so that they would investigated the situation. (This investigation is in progress.)

"I have the right to know", sustained Hotus who wishes the situation clarified before the new Council meets on Dec. 6. "I do not feel comfortable participating in a Council that does not have a clear understanding of the situation", he added, and announced that he would boycott the first Council meeting. ...

ABNORMAL PAYMENT

But there is another US$53,000 supposedly destined for the Fiesta Tapati. That quantity was paid by the Intendente last December to Arturo Alarcon for the cultural work of his folklore group.

That payment is irregular for another reason. Although it corresponded to only US$27,000, US$53,000 was paid to Arturo Alarcon for the concept of "expenses of intervention" and "diffusion of the cultural patrimony of Easter Island", according to voucher No. 707...

The payment was delivered by Rene Lues, Executive. Secretary of the Regional Council, to Juan Edmunds Paoa, regional councilman and brother of the mayor. Furthermore, he gave precise instructions -- in a latter dated 29 December -- to deposit on Tuesday, January 2, US$27,000 in the Banco del Estado in the account of Waldo Orellana Pacheco. Arturo Alarcon delivered the payment to Juan Edmunds Paoa by check No. 1458299 of the Banco del Estado.

In the same letter, Lues asked the regional councilman to send "a new receipt by rapid mail for the quantity of US$1,708 with the same previous data", but assigning it to the account of Project BIP No. 1213165-272, corresponding to the diffusion of the cultural patrimony of Easter Island.

US$ 195,000

A total of nearly US$160,000 is involved: US$58,000 paid by the Intendente for the fiesta, US$53,000 paid to the folklore group, and the US$48,000 appropriated by the Municipality...

And Councilman Alberto Hotus adds another US$36,000 that Digeder (Sports Dept..) of the Fifth Region had delivered to finance the prizes awarded during the same Tapati fiesta. Also, this sum was approved months after the celebration took place and never was put in the Municipal fund.

Hotus assured that this sum was unnecessary since the prizes were paid out of the US$48,000 appropriated by the Municipality. And there was no possibility that the total of US$195,000 was spent on construction. The only work was some temporary scenery inside the Island gymnasium.

Nevertheless, Alberto Hotus stated his worry of the possibility that these funds had been used to finance the political campaign of the reelected Mayor.

- El Mercurio de Valparaiso, November 30, 1996

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