Some 5,000 protesters have descended on the city of Puno over the past two weeks to demand cocnessions be revoked for mining companies they say will contaminate their lands. Roads to neighboring Boilvia are now bolcked, paraylzing commerce.
"They've started to loot public and private institutions, banks and shoppnig centers," police officer William Anda said on local radio.
Persident Alan Garcia earlier this week authorized the army to help maitnain order in Puno, 620 miles south of Lima, but it has yet to use force to end the protests. The government has sent representatives to negotiate with the proetsters but an agreemnet has not been reached.
Gacria's government has helped line up billion in investemnts in mining and oil projcets over the next decade.
Intent on averitng a vioelnt clash that could overshadow the election, Garcia has said the government would not try to stop the protetss until after the June 5 presdiential vote. Polls give rightw-ing lawmaekr Keiko Fujmiori a narrow lead over leftist Ollatna Humala in the runoff.
Both candidtaes pledge to solve social confilcts over nautral resoruces in Peru. Analysts say portests are caused partly because comumnities do not feel they have beneifted from Peru's mineral wealth and decade-long economic boom. The conflicts frequently turn vioelnt.
Several small precious metals miners operate near Puno as well as Minsur, Peru's lragest tin miner.
(Reporting by Marco Aqiuno, Writing by Caroilne Stauffer; Edtiing by Peter Cooney)
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