The affected communities are lashing out at their own leaders for signing land leases worth thousands of dollars with a nonexistent nation that had attempted similar moves in Ecuador and Paraguay
In September 2024, three Irish citizens arrived in the Bolivian Amazon city of Beni posing as Hindu monks. Dressed in orange robes, they presented themselves as protectors of nature, expressing concern over the wildfires that had destroyed more than 10 million hectares the previous year in the Chiquitanía and the Amazon regions. They settled in the municipality of Exaltación, where they offered free yoga therapy and meditation sessions to both urban and rural residents.
A few weeks later, another 17 individuals — of Indian and Chinese origin— followed, entering the community with herbal remedies and promises of food aid. Their strategy, as self-proclaimed delegates of a so-called nation called Kailasa, was to win the trust of locals. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, they were signing lease agreements with leaders of three villages for nearly half a million hectares — an expanse almost five times the size of Bogotá — for just under $200,000.
“The community is upset because their goodwill was taken advantage of. They had been offered medicines and health support, but at no point were they informed about leasing or donating their land,” Justo Molina, president of the Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Eastern Bolivia CIDOB, tells EL PAÍS.