The three-day general strike in the Arequipa region of Peru against the Tia Maria copper mine, owned by Southern Copper Corporation, ended on Thursday, but protests continue to grow. Demonstrators charge that the US$1.4 billion mine will destroy the area environment and agricultural production, affecting the livelihood of thousands of campesinos. As protests have turned violent, with three demonstrators dead, President Ollanta Humala said he would keep the option of declaring a state of emergency open but would first seek to reestablish a dialogue. teleSUR