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| 15 September 2006 00:01 EDT | Posted by nscolombia
Reply-To: Avi Chomsky
Date: Sep 15, 2006 7:07 PM
Subject: Union negotiations at the Cerrejon mine
I just received the following from Jaime Delúquez, president of the union at the Cerrejon mine. It is very important that we support the union in its courageous--and unprecedented--step in taking on the rights of communities like Tabaco and Tamaquito in its bargaining proposal. We can do this by letting Cerrejon know that THE WORLD IS WATCHING these negotiations, and that ITS REPUTATION IS AT STAKE.
One way to do this is by getting important people--union leaders, political figures, power plant owners--to write letters supporting the union and its demands. I will fax these letters to the three companies that own the mine, and we will carry them to the Guajira on November 1 and give them to the mine representatives when we meet with them.
(You might want to mention the Danish government's recent decision to ban coal imports from the Drummond mine because of human rights violations there. And our recent and upcoming delegations to the Guajira.)
I'm sure you can think of other, creative ways to support the union and the communities in this process. Now is the time!!
Avi
LETTER FROM JAIME DELUQUEZ, PRESIDENT OF SINTRACARBON:
The National Union of the Coal Industry "SINTRACARBON" is preparing to present a negotiating proposal to the corporation Carbones del Cerrejón. Carbones del Cerrejón is a joint venture by the multinationals Anglo-American, BHP Billiton, and Glencore (XStrata). The corporation's Cerrejón complex on the Guajira peninsula in Colombia is the largest open-pit coal mine in the world.
Our proposal contains some basic points for discussion including the health, education, and welfare of the communities in the mining region, the workers' lack of economic resources, and other issues.
Our union, SINTRACARBON, has maintained an important presence in the department of Guajira and in Colombia. We have participated in many social struggles in the region and in the country. We have participated in the struggle for the right to work of those who earn their living working in vehicles that come from Venezuela legally, in mobilizations by small business owners in Maicao, in the campaign for the right to work by gasoline merchants, in mobilizations for better public services, in the demands and demonstrations by the Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities for their rights, and others.
Our negotiations will begin in the month of November. We have high hopes of resolving the problems of the communities that have suffered the effects of coal mining and of the workers who have dedicated their working lives to the coal complex.
We thank all of the organizations that can lend us their support in this process.
Fraternally,
Jaime Delúquez
President, Sintracarbón
El Sindicato Nacional de la Industria del Carbon "SINTRACARBON", se apresta a presentar pliego de peticiones a la corporación Carbones del Cerrejón, conformada por las multinacionales Angloamerican, BHP Billiton y Glencore (Xtrata). Esta corporación explota la mina de carbón mas grande del mundo en el complejo carbonifero El Cerrejón en la Guajira colombiana.
El petitorio contiene puntos basicos para resolver como la Salud, Educación, Beneficio de las comunidades, iliquidez económica de los trabajadores y otros aspectos. SINTRACARBON es un sindicato con presencia importante en el departamento de la Guajira y en Colombia.
Este sindicato ha participado en muchas luchas sociales que se han librado en la región y el país, entre ellas hemos participado en la lucha por el derecho al trabajo de las personas que derivan su sustento laborando en vehiculos que vienen legalmente de la república de Venezuela, en las movilizaciones de los comerciantes de Maicao,en el reclamo por el derecho al trabajo de los expendedores de gasolina, en las movilizaciones por reclamar mejores servicios públicos,en las denuncias y movilizaciones de las comunidades indigenas y afrodescendientes por reclamar sus derechos, etc.
La negociación se iniciará en el mes de noviembre y existen grandes expectativas´por resolver problemas de las comunidades que han sufrido los efectos de la explotación carbonifera y por los trabajadores que han entregado su fuerza laborel a este complejo.
Agradecemos a todas las organizaciones hermanas, el apoyo que nos puedan brindar en este proceso.
Fraternalmente, Jaime Delúquez Presidente Sintracarbón.
------------------------------
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North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee: http://home.comcast.net/~nscolombia/
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| 15 September 2006 00:01 EDT | Posted by nscolombia
Reply-To: Avi Chomsky Date: Sep 15, 2006 11:10 AM
Subject: Colombian unionists on Denmark's decision
Below, a letter that was sent by union leaders from the Drummond mine to the
Jyllands Posten, in response to the newspaper's investigation and Denmark's
decision to suspend purchases of coal from Drummond until the court case
related to the 2001 union leader murders is resolved.
Avi
We would like to thank the Danish government for its sovereign and
honorable decision to stop importing coal from the Drummond mines until the
murder of
the three members of our union is solved. We understand that this decision
follows the articles by Danish journalists Kenneth Lund and Jonas Forsto in
the Jyllands Posten about the situation of unionists in the coal mines in
Colombia.
The 4,200 unionists who have been killed in the past 20 years, one every six
days during the time that Alvaro Uribe Velez has been president, and the 49
killed this year, are evidence of the tragedy that we have been
experiencing. As unionists we are trying to build a just future for our
country and for our
families. These murders of our members are a clear outcome of the policies
that the governments of Colombia and the United States, along with the
multinationals investing in our country, are imposing on our country.
Only a small number of foreign governments, including Denmark's, have taken
steps to support us. The Danish government's admirable decision to stop
importing coal until the unionists' murders are solved will let the
companies, and the Colombian government, know that they cannot go on killing
union leaders as a means of "protecting" their enormous profits, at the cost
of the lives and safety of people like us who are operating within our legal
rights that are guaranteed by national and
international law.
Repression against the workers at the Drummond mine has continued as a
result of the legal strike that we carried out last summer. Workers are
being subjected to disciplinary procedures, firings, persecution, death
threats, lawsuits, harassment on the job, etc. But we are sure that the
measure you have taken in support of our rights will help to force the
company to stop its illegal and repressive acts.
We call upon world opinion, in the name of all of the victims of this
genocide, to continue to press for our rights and lives to be respected. We
invite the governments of other countries to follow Denmark's example, and
to put an end to the crimes that have been committed against Colombian
unionists.
We thank you for your honorable and committed support.
Estivenson Avila Pertuz
President, El Paso Local
Sintramienergetica [Mining and Energy Workers Union]
Francisco Ramirez Cuellar
General Secretary, Funtraenergetica [Federation of Energy Workers]
----------------------------------------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee
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| 15 September 2006 00:01 EDT | Posted by nscolombia
Reply-To: Avi Chomsky
Date: Sep 15, 2006 7:07 PM
Subject: Union negotiations at the Cerrejon mine
I just received the following from Jaime Delúquez, president of the union at the Cerrejon mine. It is very important that we support the union in its courageous--and unprecedented--step in taking on the rights of communities like Tabaco and Tamaquito in its bargaining proposal. We can do this by letting Cerrejon know that THE WORLD IS WATCHING these negotiations, and that ITS REPUTATION IS AT STAKE.
One way to do this is by getting important people--union leaders, political figures, power plant owners--to write letters supporting the union and its demands. I will fax these letters to the three companies that own the mine, and we will carry them to the Guajira on November 1 and give them to the mine representatives when we meet with them.
(You might want to mention the Danish government's recent decision to ban coal imports from the Drummond mine because of human rights violations there. And our recent and upcoming delegations to the Guajira.)
I'm sure you can think of other, creative ways to support the union and the communities in this process. Now is the time!!
Avi
LETTER FROM JAIME DELUQUEZ, PRESIDENT OF SINTRACARBON:
The National Union of the Coal Industry "SINTRACARBON" is preparing to present a negotiating proposal to the corporation Carbones del Cerrejón. Carbones del Cerrejón is a joint venture by the multinationals Anglo-American, BHP Billiton, and Glencore (XStrata). The corporation's Cerrejón complex on the Guajira peninsula in Colombia is the largest open-pit coal mine in the world.
Our proposal contains some basic points for discussion including the health, education, and welfare of the communities in the mining region, the workers' lack of economic resources, and other issues.
Our union, SINTRACARBON, has maintained an important presence in the department of Guajira and in Colombia. We have participated in many social struggles in the region and in the country. We have participated in the struggle for the right to work of those who earn their living working in vehicles that come from Venezuela legally, in mobilizations by small business owners in Maicao, in the campaign for the right to work by gasoline merchants, in mobilizations for better public services, in the demands and demonstrations by the Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities for their rights, and others.
Our negotiations will begin in the month of November. We have high hopes of resolving the problems of the communities that have suffered the effects of coal mining and of the workers who have dedicated their working lives to the coal complex.
We thank all of the organizations that can lend us their support in this process.
Fraternally,
Jaime Delúquez
President, Sintracarbón
El Sindicato Nacional de la Industria del Carbon "SINTRACARBON", se apresta a presentar pliego de peticiones a la corporación Carbones del Cerrejón, conformada por las multinacionales Angloamerican, BHP Billiton y Glencore (Xtrata). Esta corporación explota la mina de carbón mas grande del mundo en el complejo carbonifero El Cerrejón en la Guajira colombiana.
El petitorio contiene puntos basicos para resolver como la Salud, Educación, Beneficio de las comunidades, iliquidez económica de los trabajadores y otros aspectos. SINTRACARBON es un sindicato con presencia importante en el departamento de la Guajira y en Colombia.
Este sindicato ha participado en muchas luchas sociales que se han librado en la región y el país, entre ellas hemos participado en la lucha por el derecho al trabajo de las personas que derivan su sustento laborando en vehiculos que vienen legalmente de la república de Venezuela, en las movilizaciones de los comerciantes de Maicao,en el reclamo por el derecho al trabajo de los expendedores de gasolina, en las movilizaciones por reclamar mejores servicios públicos,en las denuncias y movilizaciones de las comunidades indigenas y afrodescendientes por reclamar sus derechos, etc.
La negociación se iniciará en el mes de noviembre y existen grandes expectativas´por resolver problemas de las comunidades que han sufrido los efectos de la explotación carbonifera y por los trabajadores que han entregado su fuerza laborel a este complejo.
Agradecemos a todas las organizaciones hermanas, el apoyo que nos puedan brindar en este proceso.
Fraternalmente, Jaime Delúquez Presidente Sintracarbón.
------------------------------
----------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee: http://home.comcast.net/~nscolombia/
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| 15 September 2006 00:01 EDT | Posted by nscolombia Coal mines in Venezuela
Reply-To: Avi Chomsky
The Wayuu of Venezuela are facing some of the same issues as the Wayuu of Colombia. See below and please respond to the Urgent Action at the end!
Avi
Dear Members of Global Response’s “Quick Response Network:”
In late January at the World Social Forum in Caracas, Venezuelan indigenous leaders asked Global Response to support them in their struggle to stop construction of open-pit coal mines in their territories. I joined them in an all-day march through the streets of Caracas, carrying banners saying “No al Carbon!” (No to Coal). Later I visited the Wayuu, Yukpa and Bari communities in northwestern Venezuela, where villages, rivers, forests and farms would be directly affected by the coal mines. Everywhere there were signs that read “No al Carbon!” By foot, canoe and donkey-back, community leaders arrived to appeal for international support to stop the mines. We saw the concrete markers where the mining companies have staked out their concessions, encompassing forests, farmlands and villages. We walked to one of the rivers that would carry mine-polluted water into the reservoir that serves the city of Maracaibo, potentially affecting the health of 1.5 million people. In the cool tranquility along the river, it was impossible to imagine the enormous gray cavity that the miners plan to excavate, the blasting, the choking dust, the screeching of machinery and trucks. “The river is our mother,” said Lida Narva, a Yukpa community leader. “We cannot let them kill our mother.”
Most of the indigenous people and the poor throughout Venezuela enthusiastically support President Chavez, who is channeling millions of dollars of oil revenues into state programs for education, health care and job training. “We’re not against Chavez,” the indigenous people chanted as they marched in Caracas; “we’re against coal mines.”
In that spirit, we are launching this new Global Response campaign -- not against Chavez, but for sound environmental policy and indigenous peoples’ rights. Please join the Yukpa, Wayuu, Bari and Japreria peoples in this campaign. –Paula Palmer 
************************************
GLOBAL RESPONSE ACTION ALERT #1/06
Support Indigenous Peoples vs. Coal Mines / Venezuela
March 3, 2006
Also available at www.globalresponse.org
“We will not be removed from the lands where our ancestors are buried. We are defending the animals, the forests and the water. This planet can’t withstand any more contamination. What good is all this wealth from oil and coal if we are dying of diseases and misery? Several years ago they pushed out some of our people to make a coal mine. In that region the animals, the fish, the birds and the people are all sick. Now they want us to move again so they can make more mines, but there is nowhere to go. We will defend our lands and our heritage with our lives.”
– Jorge Montiel, Wayuu leader
“If the coal mining project continues, the ecological impact will be disastrous… Is it worth destroying our natural heritage and our water source for coal?”
--Herencia Gonzalez, Regional Manager of the Venezuelan Water Authority (Hidroven)
The Sierra de Perija is the northernmost range of the Andes mountains, reaching to the Caribbean along the Colombia-Venezuelan border. Rich in primary forests and biological diversity, the Sierra has become a battleground where the Venezuelan government must make a choice between indigenous rights and environmental protection on one hand, and exploiting the region’s massive coal deposits on the other.
Indigenous Peoples’ Rights -- The Sierra’s quarter million indigenous people have already experienced environmental devastation, disease and social upheaval since two enormous open pit coal mines began operations in 1987. They are united in opposing the construction of three new mines and the expansion of one existing mine within their territories. The projects, which would quadruple Venezuela’s coal production, would be joint ventures between the Venezuelan state and mining companies from the US, Ireland, Brazil, Australia, Chile, Japan and elsewhere.
For the Wayuu, Yukpa, Bari and Japreria peoples, the primary issue is securing their land rights, including the right to deny access to sub-surface mineral deposits. Venezuela’s new constitution requires demarcation of indigenous lands and awarding of collective land titles – a significant step forward for indigenous peoples’ rights. But the land titles can exclude existing mines and mining concessions as well as large cattle ranches within the indigenous territories. “We want collective title to all the ancestral lands that we have demarcated,” says Yukpa leader Leonardo Martinez – including the areas designated for the new coal mines.
Water Resources -- For the down-river population of Maracaibo, a city of 1.5 million people, the main issue is water. Deforestation at the mine sites would cause erosion and siltation of the rivers and reservoirs that supply the city’s drinking water, which is already in short supply. Open-pit mining uses huge quantities of water, competing with the needs of agriculture and urban areas. The mining operations would contaminate rivers with heavy metals, endangering the health of fish, wildlife, birds, livestock and humans. Acid mine drainage could continue to pollute the land and water for centuries to come.
Biological Diversity -- The three proposed new coal mines would destroy large tracts of ancient tropical
forests that provide habitat for hundreds of endangered species, including many that are endemic (found nowhere else on earth). During the last 50 years cattle ranchers invaded the Sierra’s lower altitudes, systematically destroying forests. As a result, jaguars, ocelots, Andean bear, giant anteaters, iguanas, macaws and spider monkeys already face extinction – and their demise would be accelerated by the coal mines. To export the coal, a new mega-port would be built on islands in the Caribbean, destroy-ing unique wildlife and bird habitat and fisheries, as well as the livelihoods of displaced fisher families.
President Chavez inspires the hope, gratitude and enthusiastic support of Venezuela’s poorest citizens by using oil profits to provide far-reaching education, health and employment programs that are transforming the society. But environmentalists, scientists and indigenous people fear that the social gains will be short-lived if the country’s forests, rivers, air and biological diversity are sacrificed for oil, gas and coal production. As Wayuu leader Angela Gonzales says, “We can live without coal. We can’t live without water.”
How Can We Help? Three times in the last year, the Wayuu, Yukpa, Bari and Japreria peoples have marched in the capital city under banners saying “No to Coal.” At the World Social Forum in late January, they appealed to world citizens to help them convince President Chavez to annul the coal concessions on their lands. They said, “We are not against Chavez. We are against coal mines!” Please support their struggle by writing to the President and the Minister of the Environment.
Requested Action: Please write a polite letter to President Chavez (a model letter is available here)
• Tell President Chavez that you applaud Venezuela’s constitution which provides for indigenous
peoples’ rights.
• Urge him to grant the request of Wayuu, Yukpa, Bari and Japreria leaders to have a personal meeting with him concerning the coal concessions within their territories.
• Tell him why you oppose new coals mines in the Sierra de Perija. Some good reasons: 1) The indigenous people who live there oppose the new mines; 2) The mines would destroy ancient tropical forests whose biological diversity is of incalculable value; 3) Coal mining would contaminate the water supply of the entire population of Maracaibo; 4) Worldwide, we must reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, especially on coal -- the dirtiest source of energy and the greatest contributor to global warming and climate change; 5) Venezuela doesn’t need this coal. The economic benefits would go primarily to multinational mining companies (otherwise, why do they want to mine there?), while Venezuela’s land, water, wildlife and people would suffer irreparable harm.
• Tell him what you are doing to reduce coal consumption and fossil fuel dependence in your country.
Addresses:
Sr. Hugo Chavez, Presidente
Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela
Palacio de Miraflores
Final Avenida Urdaneta, Esq. de Bolero
Caracas 1010, Venezuela
FAX: +58-212-806-8210
Please send copies of your letter to:
Ing. Jacqueline Faria, Ministra
Ministerio del Ambiente
Centro Simon Bolivar, Torre Sur, Piso 25
El Silencio, Caracas, Venezuela
FAX: +58 212 408 1024
Email Prof. Lusbi Portillo
Homo et Natura
Calle Carabobo No. 7-34
Maracaibo, Zulia
Venezuela
Email Postage from US to Venezuela: 84 cents
It would also be very helpful to send a copy of your letter to the Venezuelan ambassador in your country. Find the address. US Citizens should send copies of their letters to:
Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez
Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
1099 30th St. NW
Washington DC 20007
FAX: 202 342-6820
Email This Global Response Action was issued at the request of and with information provided by the Wayuu, Yukpa and Bari indigenous communities of Cachiri, Socuy and Mache, and the NGO Homo et Natura. For information on Venezuela, see http://www.embavenez-us.org/ and www.venezuelanalysis.com. For info on the environmental costs of coal, see www.uvduds.ot/vlrsn_energy/coalvswind/c01.html . Special thanks to critterzone.com for their photo of the endangered Variegated Spider Monkey, endemic to the Sierra de Perija.
*****************************
Paula Palmer, Executive Director
Global Response
PO Box 7490
Boulder CO 80306 USA
Tel +303/444-0306
Global Response organizes effective international letter-writing campaigns to protect the environment and the rights of indigenous peoples. See action alerts for adults, teens and children at www.globalresponse.org.
----------------------------------------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee
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| 12 September 2006 12:51 EDT | Posted by nscolombia
COLOMBIAN VICTIMS OF OUR ENERGY POLICIES HAVE ASKED FOR OUR HELP
A delegation of academics and labor/social justice activists recently participated in a Witness for Peace fact-finding trip to the coal-producing regions of Colombia.
Power plants in the United States and Canada are major importers of Colombian coal. Now we have the chance to give something back to the people and communities that are affected by the mines.
On Oct. 31, 2006 several participants will return to the remote region of
La Guajira with medical professionals to assess the health needs of the people
affected by the coal mine and to deliver desperately needed medical supplies.
HOW CAN YOU HELP????  The residents of La Guajira suffer from respiratory, eye and skin ailments caused by dry soil and coal dust. We are hoping to fill 2 duffel bags with basic first aid supplies.
Any of the following supplies would be greatly appreciated:
Eye drops, antihistamine (Benadryl),Pepto-Bismol tablets for children, Imodium tablets for adults, Tylenol for children and adults, decongestant liquids for children and adults, antibiotic ointment (Neosporin, Bacitracin, Polysporin), hydrocortisone cream, band-aids, soap, gauze pads, adhesive tape, cotton balls, rubbing alcohol
Collection boxes are located at:
Nona's Cafe
335 Lafayette St. (across from Salem State)
Salem, MA
The Bookstore of Gloucester
61 Main St.
Gloucester, MA
For more information contact:
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee at achomsky@salemstate.edu or 978-542-6389
or
Ellen Gabin at egabin@adelphia.net or 978-546-7230 ------------------------------
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| 6 September 2006 19:06 EDT | Posted by nscolombia
Date: Sep 6, 2006 2:07 PM Subject: [colombia] final press release from Canada
> For Immediate Release > > September 6, 2006 > > New Brunswick groups ask candidates to take a stand on NB Power's role in > human rights abuses and environmental degradation in Colombia > > Fredericton - Energy is emerging as one of the hot button issues in the > provincial election campaign, and a coalition of New Brunswick groups > hopes to get commitments from candidates on more than gas prices and home > heating fuel rebates. The groups that include social justice, labour, > environmental and faith-based organizations such as the Atlantic Regional > Solidarity Network, the Saint John Chapter of the Council of Canadians, > the Advocacy Collective, Citizens' Press, the Falls Brook Centre, the > Tantramar Environmental Alliance, the United Church World Outreach > Committee of Woolastook Presbytery, Development and Peace -Saint John > Diocesan Council, and the Atlantic offices of the Canadian Union of Postal > Workers and the Public Service Alliance of Canada want candidates to > commit to addressing the fact that part of New Brunswick's energy comes > from coal that is linked to documented human rights and environmental > abuses in Colombia. > > The election is not the first time this issue has been raised by concerned > New Brunswickers. In March of this year some of the groups involved in the > current campaign hosted a tour by Colombian community leader, Jose Julio > Perez. At great personal risk Perez travelled, for the first time, outside > of his native Colombia to tell the story of how his community was > destroyed to allow the expansion of the Cerrejon coal mine in 2001. Perez > was touring regions where coal from the mine is used to generate power > including New Brunswick. While in New Brunswick, Perez met with Energy > Minister Brenda Fowlie and NB Power executives, and made public > presentations in Fredericton, Hampton and Sackville. > > "Minister Fowlie and NB Power reps were visibly moved by Perez's story and > committed to looking into the situation further," comments Ramsey Hart of > Baie Verte, New Brunswick, one of the organizers of the tour. Since that > time, however, no concrete action or public statement has been made by > either NB Power or the Ministry of Energy. Attempts to follow up on the > meetings by the organisers of Perez's visit have been fruitless. This is > in contrast to other companies such as Dominion Energy and jurisdictions > such as Salem, Massachusetts that have made public statements denouncing > the human rights abuses and urging a just resolution for the displaced > communities. > > "One by one, small indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities that have > lived together, farmed, hunted, and fished for centuries, are being > destroyed. Company agents illegally wiped the village of Tabaco off the > map in 2001 to expand the mine and, on the expanding edge of the pit, the > villagers of Tamaquito are being asphyxiated by the dust. We learned first > hand from local villagers and the mine owners about the terrible human > impact of this mine," stated Debbie Kelly from Halifax who participated in > an international Witness for Peace delegation to the mining region in > August 2006. > > To ensure that NB Power is held accountable and the purchase of Colombian > blood coal deservedly becomes an election issue, the New Brunswick > coalition is calling on all New Brunswickers, individuals and > organizations, to contact the candidates in their riding with their > position and demand action on this important issue. > > -30- > > Contacts: > In Baie Verte: Ramsey Hart, 538-1066, typha@nb.sympatico.ca> In Fredericton: Tracy Glynn, 454-9527, tracy@jatam.org> > For more information, http://www.arsn.ca> ---------------------------------------- North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee: http://home.comcast.net/~nscolombia/
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| 5 September 2006 00:01 EDT | Posted by nscolombia
Date: Sep 5, 2006 8:38 PM Subject: [colombia] Witness for Peace Delegation: "Terror and Trade: Resisting Violence in Colombia"
Witness for Peace New England Delegation to ... Colombia
Terror and Trade: Resisting Violence in Colombia December 1-13, 2006 Economic violence and military violence in Colombia are closely linked. Countless small farmers have been forced off their land to make way for industrial farming, mining, logging, oil drilling, and hydro-electric dams. A new Free Trade Agreement between the U.S. and Colombia is likely to increase the economic pressures that drive Colombia's civil war by making it harder for small farmers to make a living and increasing the involvement of foreign corporations in exploiting the country's resources. The Uraba region which straddles the border of the departments of Antioquia and Choco have been hit especially hard. The expansion of palm oil plantations, mining, and hydroelectric projects have created strong economic pressures which have contributed to horrific violence and the displacement of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities that have called the region their home for centuries. But people have been resisting this violence, and peace communities have formed to try to present a sustainable, democratic, nonviolent alternative to the model of war and exploitation. The peace community of San Jose de Apartadó in Antioquía and the newly formed humanitarian zone in the Curvaradó river basin of the Choco department need our support as they confront continued economic and military violence. Both communities continue to develop and implement new strategies to reclaim their rights as civilian population in the war torn region, thus giving delegates the opportunity to witness and support local campesino initiatives. 2005 was a difficult year in the Urabá region for these communities with the assassination of multiple campesino leaders,including Luis Eduardo Guerra and Orlando Valencia and these communities need the solidarity of the international community to continue their struggle for truth, ignity,land rights and recognition as a legitimate nonviolent proposal. We will visit these communities to learn about their dreams and their struggles, and the competing visions for the future of Uraba and all of Colom bia. Cost: The price ofthe delegation is $1590 USD. The delegation fee covers all set-up, preparation, meals, lodging, interpreters, and transportation within Colombia, but does not include transportation to and from Colombia. The fee also covers extensive readingand activist tools both before and after the delegation Deadline: ASAP. Application with a non-refundable deposit of $150. Final payment due November 1. Contace: Sean Donahue, sean@pica.ws, 207-947-5631
Daphne Loring, daphneloring@hotmail.com, 207-266-5895 http://www.witnessforpeace.org/newengland/delegations/colombia122006.htm
Witness for Peace is a politically independent, grassroots organization. We are people committed to nonviolence and led by faith and conscience. Our mission is to support peace, justice, and sustainable economies in the Americas by changing U.S. policies and corporate practices that contribute to poverty and oppression in Latin America and the Caribbean. This page last updated: October 25, 2005 ------------------------------
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| 3 September 2006 14:37 EDT | Posted by nscolombia Canadian campaigns
To: North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee Date: Sep 3, 2006 1:27 PM Subject: [colombia] Canadian campaigns
Our New Brunswick companyeros are heating up their campaign to get candidates in their upcoming election, and the New Brunswick Power company, to speak out on human rights violations by Colombia's coal mines. The time seems really ripe for those of us in the Boston North Shore to up the pressure on Dominion, too. Note (in bold below) that the press release commends Salem and Dominion for the stands they've taken! Avi
> * Some of the coal used by NB Power and burned in Belledune is imported
> from Colombia. Much of this coal is mined in Colombia's poorest province,
> La Guajira. El Cerrejón is the world's largest open-pit coal mine. The
> mine's expansion has wiped communities off the map and brought poverty,
> sickness, environmental degradation, and hardship to local communities.
>
> * Below you will find a media statement on NB Power and its purchase of
> coal from Colombia that is associated with human rights and environmental
> abuses. It calls on the candidates in this NB election time to take a
> stand. It is seeking endorsements from New Brunswick groups. Please let me
> know if your group can endorse it. I have included the groups that have
> signed on so far in the statement below. Please forward to any groups in
> New Brunswick who may want to sign on like unions, human rights groups,
> environmental groups, etc. Because many are away on the long weekend, the
> deadline for endorsements is now Tuesday, September 5. Thank you to those
> who signed on and please note that I added a quote by Debbie Kelly who
> recently returned from Colombia. Thanks also to NDP candidates Pat Hanratty
> and Graham Cox who have already sent messages committing to act on this
> issue. To sign on, email tracy@jatam.org>
> * Chris Arseneault who has recently returned from Colombia has an article
> about his visit here: http://www.herenb.com/fredericton/index.html>
> * Debbie Kelly from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and
> Healthlink also recently returned from Colombia has this important message
> that our groups should consider supporting: "Healthlink wants to give back
> something to the communities that have suffered so much in providing energy
> for our homes and businesses. The women of Guajira have a long tradition of
> weaving. They have asked us to help their communities survive by bringing
> their products to Americans. We will be importing unique and colorful
> Columbian handbags just in time for Christmas and Channukah gift-giving.
> The money you pay for these bags goes directly to the women of Tabaco and
> Tamaquito whose lives, families, and villages are under siege from the
> impact of the gigantic Cerrejón coal mine....while this may be a short term
> solution at best, it will at least provide food for many who have little or
> no way for decent meals, especially for the children and the sick. Some
> community people only eat every 3 days and for the smiling little children,
> it is hard to take. Even though their little body is racked in open sores
> from contaminated water, they don't cry. It takes a little more than a week
> to hand weave these beautiful bags and the small price of $70 to $100
> dollars (med to large bags) still fall short of "Fair Labour costs", but it
> will help them so much. Most of us make more than $100.00 in less than a
> day, but to them, it will go a long way. If you can find it in your heart
> to reach out to help these incredible Afro-Colombia/ Wayuu/Indigenous
> peoples, you will be directly saving a life. I will be sending out a report
> with pictures (some have some now) so you can see some of the people
> (children) you will be helping. I will also be bringing two of the bags on
> my trips to Ottawa and NB. One thing we all can do, it to let our Power
> Company in NS and NB know we expect them to pressure the Cerrejon Mine
> officials that their horrible violations of basic human rights is not
> acceptable and that they must relocate the people of Tabaco and the other
> 4-5 affected communities." Attached is a photo of these bags.
>
> * Below the media statement for your endorsement, you will find a list of
> short term and long term needs put together by the indigenous community of
> Tamaquito II.
>
> * We will be meeting in September in Fredericton to discuss further action
> on this. If you haven't already, let me know if you are interested on
> working on this.
>
> --
>
> For Immediate Release
>
> September 5, 2006
>
> New Brunswick groups ask candidates to take a stand on NB Power's role in
> human rights abuses and environmental degradation in Colombia
>
> Fredericton - Energy is emerging as one of the hot button issues in the
> provincial election campaign, and a coalition of New Brunswick groups hopes
> to get commitments from candidates on more than gas prices and home
> heating fuel rebates. The groups that include social justice, labour,
> environmental and faith-based organizations such as the Atlantic Regional
> Solidarity Network, the Saint John Chapter of the Council of Canadians, the
> Advocacy Collective, Citizens' Press, the Tantramar Environmental Alliance,
> the United Church World Outreach Committee of Woolastook Presbytery, and
> the Atlantic offices of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and the Public
> Service Alliance want candidates to commit to addressing the fact that part
> of New Brunswick's energy comes from coal that is linked to documented
> human rights and environmental abuses in Colombia.
>
> The election is not the first time this issue has been raised by concerned
> New Brunswickers. In March of this year some of the groups involved in the
> current campaign hosted a tour by Colombian community leader, Jose Julio
> Perez. At great personal risk Perez travelled, for the first time, outside
> of his native Colombia to tell the story of how his community was destroyed
> to allow the expansion of the Cerrejon coal mine in 2001. Perez was touring
> regions where coal from the mine is used to generate power including New
> Brunswick. While in New Brunswick, Perez met with Energy Minister Brenda
> Fowlie and NB Power executives, and made public presentations in
> Fredericton, Hampton and Sackville.
>
> "Minister Fowlie and NB Power reps were visibly moved by Perez's story and
> committed to looking into the situation further," comments Ramsey Hart of
> Baie Verte, New Brunswick, one of the organizers of the tour. Since that
> time, however, no concrete action or public statement has been made by
> either NB Power or the Ministry of Energy. Attempts to follow up on the
> meetings by the organisers of Perez's visit have been fruitless. This is in
> contrast to other companies such as Dominion Energy and jurisdictions such
> as Salem, Massachusetts that have made public statements denouncing the
> human rights abuses and urging a just resolution for the displaced
> communities.
>
> "One by one, small indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities that have
> lived together, farmed, hunted, and fished for centuries, are being
> destroyed. Company agents illegally wiped the village of Tabaco off the map
> in 2001 to expand the mine and, on the expanding edge of the pit, the
> villagers of Tamaquito are being asphyxiated by the dust. We learned first
> hand from local villagers and the mine owners about the terrible human
> impact of this mine," stated Debbie Kelly from Halifax who participated in
> an international group of concerned citizens on a Witness for Peace
> delegation to Colombia to visit the mining region in August 2006.
>
> To ensure that NB Power is held accountable and the purchase of Colombian
> blood coal deservedly becomes an election issue, the New Brunswick
> coalition is calling on all New Brunswickers, individuals and
> organizations, to contact the candidates in their riding with their
> position and demand action on this important issue.
>
> -30-
>
> Contacts:
> In Baie Verte: Ramsey Hart, 538-1066, typha@nb.sympatico.ca> In Fredericton: Tracy Glynn, 454-9527, tracy@jatam.org>
> For more information, http://www.arsn.ca>
> --
>
> Short Term Needs
>
> Transportation
>
> Issues: Sometimes a person from the community becomes ill, and we have to
> carry them out in a hammock because we have no vehicle with which to take
> them to the town. We hope that you can help us with our transportation
> problem to be able to have a vehicle of our own, because we are
> incommunicado because we don't have one.
>
> Medical supplies
>
> Issues: If we had access to medical supplies we would be able to attend to
> people who became sick while we were waiting to be able to take them to the
> town.
>
> Food coupons
>
> Issues: The community, as you saw, has no source of work to be able to
> support our families. We ask for your help in enabling us to keep our
> families happy and healthy, and we have no place to cultivate our food.
>
> Artisanry
>
> Issues: We have no source of work to enable us to buy materials for our
> women to carry out their weaving. Note: Any financial help that you can
> provide us with, we would like to be sent directly to the community through
> the Committee of the Cabildo.
>
> Telephone numbers for the Cabildo: 315.672-7675; 315-663-9252;
> 315-655-9412. [Note: these are cell phone numbers so they do not require
> the provincial prefix if you are dialing from abroad. From the U.S., you
> would dial 011 for international access, then 57 for Colombia, then the
> number as written above.]
>
> Health
>
> We are getting sick because we no longer receive doctor's visits in our
> community, and we have no medicine. We need these because they took them
> away. We have no health program and the community has to sacrifice to be
> able to go to the doctor. We are the only community that does not receive
> visits from the medical brigade.
>
> Education
>
> The problem comes from the fact that when it rains the community loses its
> access to the town because the road is impassable. We need our own teacher
> in the community so that our children will not miss their classes. We hope
> that with your help we can get the provincial government of La Guajira to
> name a teacher for our community.
>
> THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY OF TAMAQUITO WILL BE VERY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR
> GESTURES OF GOOD FAITH AND IT WILL BE A SMALL STEP TOWARDS PEACE.
>
> Long term needs
>
> Indemnization and Relocation of the Community of Tamaquito II
>
> Issues: The community is becoming sick because of the contamination from
> the mine and they do not let us cultivate in their lands. We cannot raise
> animals because they also die. We cannot harvest our crops because of the
> burning of the coal.
>
>
| | |
| 3 September 2006 14:29 EDT | Posted by nscolombia Denmark boycotts Colombian coal
Reply-To: Avi Chomsky
Date: Sep 3, 2006 9:51 AM
I don't read Danish... but partly as a result of an amazing investigative
piece by Danish journalist Kenneth Lund in Denmark's largest-circulation
newspaer, Jyllands-Posten (the same one that sparked a controversy by
publishing the anti-Muslim cartoons), published in late July, the
part-state-owned Danish power company has just decided to stop buying coal
from Drummond!!
See the note from Kenneth, and the article announcing the decision, below.
It particularly talks about the Drummond case, and Cerrejon.
(I don't have an electronic version of the original article investigating
the Colombian mines, but I do have a hard copy if anyone wants to see it--in
Danish, of course.)
Avi
> And then I have some good news: DONG Energy (the Danish power company that
> buys
> the coal in Colombia) won't make any new contracts with Drummond as long
> as the
> trial against them is going on.
>
> DONG Energy is partly own by the Danish government and the Danish minister
> of
> finance, Thor Pedersen, has suspended any further negotiations with the
> colombian companies.
>
> Down under you can see the article in Danish - it was published Thursday.> Kulsag: Dong lægger kulselskab på is
>
> Jyllands-Posten 31. august 2006, erhverv og Økonomi, side 5
>
> Dong stopper foreløbig for nye kontrakter med leverandør af kul fra
> Colombia,
> der beskyldes for mord på fagforeningsledere.
>
> Dong Energy har stoppet indgåelsen af nye kontrakter med det amerikanske
> selskab
> Drummond, efter det er kommet frem, at selskabet står anklaget for mord på
> fagforeningsledere ved kulminer i Colombia.
> Det fremgår af den redegørelse finansminister Thor Pedersen (V) bestilte i
> kølvandet at sagen, som blev beskrevet i Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten i
> juli.
> Ifølge redegørelsen vil Dong afvente udfaldet af retssagen mod Drummond,
> inden
> der indgås nye kontrakter, og hvis Drummond ikke frifindes helt, vil Dong
> helt
> droppe amerikanerne som leverandør. Sidste år importerede Energi E2 og
> Elsam
> tilsammen over en mio. tons kul fra Colombia svarende til cirka en
> femtedel af
> den samlede danske kulimport.
> Men lokale fagforeninger anklager minerne for at stå bag drab,
> tvangsforflyttelser og massakrer på indfødte.
> I la Loma-minen i Colombia er tre fagforeningsledere blevet dræbt af
> paramilitære styrker. En retssag skal afgøre, om mordene var bestil af
> minens
> ejer Drummond.
>
> 12 døde
> I samme område ligger minen El Cerrejón Zona Norte, hvor en colombiansk
> fagforening beskylder mineselskabet CMC for at have beordret
> tvangsfjernelsen
> af et landsbysamfund og for at stå bag massakren på 12 indfødte.
> Begge selskaber bedyrer dog deres uskyld.
> »Dong Energy, der først for nylig har fået ansvaret for kulkontrakterne
> efter
> gennemførelsen af fusionen med Elsam A/S og Energi E2 A/S, har, efter at
> være
> blevet opmærksom på beskyldningerne, drøftet dem med de to berørte
> selskaber,
> Drummond og CMC. Ifølge Dong Energy A/S afviser Drummond, at der er hold i
> anklagerne, og oplyser, at fagforeningsfolkene blev dræbt af paramilitære
> styrker uden for Drummonds mineområde. Det fremgår endvidere af
> redegørelsen,
> at Drummond har oplyst, at selskabet gør en stor indsats for at hjælpe
> colombianske skoler, hospitaler m.v.,« oplyser finansminister Thor
> Pedersen.
> Dong arbejder mod at forbedre kontrollen med leverandører, og ind til den
> kontrol er på plads, vil selskabet indføje en klausul i alle kontrakter,
> hvor
> selskabet forbeholder sig ret til efterfølgende at stille krav med
> henvisning
> til virksomhedens samfundsmæssige ansvar. ----------------------------------------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee
| | |
| 2 September 2006 14:18 EDT | Posted by nscolombia
How can you help the victims of our energy policies?
Many people are surprised to learn that coal burned in the Salem power plant, and across the United States, is imported increasingly from Colombia. Low-sulphur coal is Colombia’s third largest export.
Much of this coal is mined in Colombia’s poorest province, La Guajira. Four times the size of Manhattan, El Cerrejón is the world’s largest open-pit coal mine. One by one, small indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities that have lived together, farmed, hunted, and fished for centuries, are being destroyed. Company agents illegally wiped the village of Tabaco off the map in 2001 to expand the mine and, on the expanding edge of the pit, the villagers of Tamaquito are being asphyxiated by the dust.
We learned first hand from local villagers and the mineowners about the terrible human impact of this mine when an international group of concerned citizens went on a Witness for Peace delegation to Colombia to visit the mining region in August, 2006.
Healthlink wants to give back something to the communities that have suffered so much in providing energy for our homes and businesses. The women of Guajira have a long tradition of weaving. They have asked us to help their communities survive by bringing their products to Americans.
We will be importing unique and colorful Columbian handbags just in time for Christmas and Channukah gift-giving. The money you pay for these bags goes directly to the women of Tabaco and Tamaquito whose lives, families, and villages are under siege from the impact of the gigantic Cerrejón coal mine.
For more information contact HealthLink at healthlink@verizon.net or 781-598-1115 or the North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee at achomsky@salemstate.edu or 978-542-6389. | | |
