The Bolivian government accepted to extend the term date so that Brazilians who live illegally on the borderland between the two countries leave the region. A bilateral agreement signed in 2005 established that, until December 2009, close to 400 families in this situation would have to come back to Brazil or be reestablished on Bolivia’s inland. The Bolivian government, however, still has not defined a new term date for the Brazilians to leave the borderland.

The founder of the Representative group Brasil-Bolívia Nilson Mourão (PT-AC), explains that those people do not have any interest in enter even more into Bolivian territory, distancing from Brazil. “That term date(December 2009)  was impracticable, because the population will return to Brazil. We need to acquire lands, to work out the resettlement and to rearrange the families. This schedule have to be extended until at least July of the coming year”, suggested the Representative.

The Bolivian constitution prohibits the foreign occupation of the borderland area. By the bilateral agreement, Brazil has donated roughly R$ 20 million to the International Organization for Migration to implement the resettlement of Brazilians. According to Nilson Mourão, the agency is already registering the families and next will do the rearrangement of those that wish to stay in Bolivia, possibly for an agricultural village in the interior of the country.

Deputy Raul Jungmann (PPS-PE) is the author of a Proposal to Legislative Decree that impedes the agreement between Brazil and Bolivia (1586/09). The proposal already has a favorable opinion in the Committee of Foreign Affairs.

For Jungmann, the Bolivian government it is not carrying out its part in the agreement on the regulation of the Brazilians living there. He reminds, however, that the Brazilian government already regulated the situation of at least 42 thousand of Bolivians in the country.

Reporting – Geórgia Moraes/ The Chamber's Radio Station
Edition – Natalia Doederlein
Translation - Grupo Solucion-SP Language/Edgar Casadei