Set phasers to stun, Mr. Sulu (UPDATED)

In the Peru town of Celendín yesterday, one of the closest towns to the Conga project in Cajamarca, a group of anti-mining protesters attacked the local town hall basically because their mayor has come out as a supporter of the Conga project. In the ensuing ruckus, three protesters died.

Today Peru's Minister of the Interior Wilver Calle said that "...police officers used non-lethal arms in Celendín." Hey I dunno, maybe they just need a bit of recalibration.

UPDATE: this morning, one of the anti-mine protest leaders, priest and famous politico Father Marco Arana was arrested by police in Cajamarca square. He was arrested under State of Emergency laws passed last night that prohibit political demonstrations but the manner of his detention was heavy-handed to say the least. This video from a Cajamarca TV station sympathetic to the anti-mining cause (hence the choice of comments from the presenter) shows what happened:

There's some kind of message being sent out today from national government. My guess is that Humala is saying 'No more Mr Nice Guy'. I'll also hazard a guess that Prime Minister Valdés will be Ollanta's sacrificial lamb once the polemic about these images start. In other words, it's showtime folks.

UPDATE 2: Another protest death reported, now bringing it to four for the day in the Cajamarca region. This time in disturbances in the nearby town of Bambamarca. Those of you long Sulliden (SUE.to) will be able to find that one on a map quickly, won't you?