This links through to an interesting article written by Carlos Zorrilla, one of the key figures in the protests in the Intag region of Ecuador that stopped the erstwhile Ascendant Copper in its rather dirty tracks. The article is anti-mining and as such well worth a read by all sides of the debate, because it sets out in clear terms what the anti-mining brigade in Ecuador see as happening on a national political scale and the grassroots opposition that is developing against the Correa government's stance on mining.
Go read it all (here's the link again), but to get your mood on here's paragraph one:
Ecuador is the only Andean nation without any large-scale metallic mines (such as gold and copper). This unique state of affairs is about to be tested in the next few weeks when the Correa government signs exploitation agreements with Chinese and Canadian transnational miners looking to exploit the country's copper and gold reserves. More importantly, the legitimacy of the nation's Constitution, which grants nature rights, will also be tested.
CONTINUES HERE