Kast inaugurates park in Arica, calls for support to clear Cerro Chuño settlement

President José Antonio Kast launched a new 17,000-square-meter park in Arica, a space for recreation, sports, and green areas. During the inauguration, he urged residents to support the government's initiative to clear the Cerro Chuño informal settlement.

The administration plans to demolish the settlement, citing severe contamination from polymetals and significant safety risks. The first phase of the sanitation plan, approved with over 3 billion pesos, involves dismantling structures and securing the perimeter. Hundreds of residents, including foreign nationals, will be evicted to reclaim the land and prevent future illegal occupation.

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We are going to start a total eviction of Cerro Chuño. It will not be easy, but we need the support of all neighbors: that no one defends someone who illegitimately occupied property that does not belong to them; that no one exposes children to polymetals, because we all agree on that.

"We are going to start a total eviction of Cerro Chuño. It will not be easy, but we need the support of all neighbors: that no one defends someone who illegitimately occupied property that does not belong to them; that no one exposes children to polymetals, because we all agree on that," Kast stated. He acknowledged the difficulty of rehousing everyone, adding that some individuals should not have been there in the first place.

Kast's three-day tour of northern Chile continues with a traditional ceremony at the Morro de Arica. He is scheduled to meet with the local mayor, Orlando Vargas, who plans to raise concerns about budget cuts, particularly in healthcare funding.

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it is complex to find a place for everyone, there are some who should not be there and should never have entered there.