Gunmen kill 3 at Chinese-owned mining camp in Peru

Armed men kill 2 guards, administrator in attack on Chinese-owned mining camp in northern Peru

• On 11:27 pm EST, Monday November 2, 2009

LIMA, Peru (AP) -- Up to 20 armed men attacked a Chinese-owned mining camp in northern Peru, killing the Peruvian administrator and two security guards and burning down the controversial facility, the company said Monday.

The attack began when the men, armed with pistols and rifles, burst into the copper exploration project Sunday morning, killing two security guards and setting fire to the camp, said General Manager Wu Jian of Rio Blanco Copper, which is a subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group Co.

The administrator was initially listed as missing, but his body was found later, Wu told Canal N television. Another security guard listed as missing was found alive.

"This is an act of terror that we condemn energetically," Wu said.

The Rio Blanco copper project has been a source of conflict in the region, with some local residents opposing it for fear of contamination and depleted water supplies. Human rights groups accuse police and private guards of torturing protesters at the camp in 2005 when it had different ownership.

Wu said he didn't believe mine opponents were behind the attack, saying the company has good relations with the local community. Interior Minister Octavio Salazar said a helicopter was ferrying police to the remote mining camp to investigate.

Peruvian President Alan Garcia, who is pushing to attract foreign investment to the mineral-exporting Andean nation, attributed the attack to unidentified "agitators" seeking to stop projects and investments through violence.

The Front for the Sustainable Development of Peru's Northern Frontier, which groups together community and activist groups opposed to mining in the region, denied responsibility for the attack.

Rio Blanco is located in Piura department, 520 miles (840 kilometers) north of Peru's capital, Lima.

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