The government has started deploying soldiers of its elite National Force to central-western Brazil where hundreds of Terena Indians are occupying ranches they claim are located on ancestral lands, AP reported. The Justice Ministry said in a statement posted online Wednesday that a 110-man-strong contingent has been dispatched to Mato Grosso do Sul state, which has recently seen growing tensions between Indians and ranchers. Police last week evicted about 200 Terena Indians from the Buriti ranch after a violent clash in which one Indian was shot dead. The Indians occupied the ranch again a day later. The Indians are also protesting a proposed amendment that would give Congress a say in the demarcation of indigenous territory. The demarcation of Indian lands is currently done by the country's federal indigenous affairs agency.
