The North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee Blog

http://www.canadaeast.com/dg/news/article.php?articleID=55936

Protesters decry use of 'blood coal'

By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
dgleg@nb.aibn.com
As published on page A3 on October 18, 2006

GLEANER/STEPHEN MACGILLIVRAY PHOTO
A group of protesters put on a play in front of the NB Power building on
King Street on Tuesday to depict what they claim is how Colombians are
being displaced for coal that is used to produce electricity for NB Power.
Above, protester Asaf Rashid, playing someone from the coal-mining company,
pretends to kick protester Graham Squires, playing a local land owner, out
of the company's way

Social activists demonstrating over the use of Colombia's so-called "blood
coal" protested in front of NB Power's headquarters in Fredericton on
Tuesday.

About 10 protesters held a large sign reading "Villages gone to turn our
lights on."

They also scattered coal on the sidewalk and performed a skit on the
sidewalk about how poor Colombians are driven out of their villages to make
way for a giant coal mine.

"A lot of people in New Brunswick have no idea where their coal comes from
or what happens along the way," said Asaf Rashid of the UNB/STU Social
Justice Society. "We want to expose this issue."

Rashid said that 16 per cent of the electricity generated by NB Power comes
from what he calls "blood coal" from Colombia.

"Paramilitary forces were used to remove the people from their villages,"
he said. "There was brutality. It was a bloody operation ... I think it is
fair to call it blood coal."

There were unconfirmed reports of some villagers being killed, he said.

If the group can get enough publicity, it will put pressure on NB Power to
act and demand that Colombia treat its workers properly and compensate the
villagers who were relocated, said Rashid. People could even delay paying
their power bill, he suggested.

While the demonstration played out on the sidewalk and protesters handed
out information pamphlets, other activists were meeting with NB Power
executives inside the building.

Brian Duplessis, NB Power vice-president of corporate communications, said
the meeting was informative.

"They presented to us what they saw as the social and economic situation in
Colombia," he said.

"They asked us to consider writing letters to the owners of the mine we do
buy coal from and several other parties ... They have not asked us to not
buy coal from Colombia."

He said the social-justice representatives were told NB Power officials
would discuss the situation and get back to them by the end of the month.

Duplessis said NB Power has been burning Colombian coal along with other
coal in its Belledune plant for about 15 years. The plant is designed to
burn that specific coal, he said.

That plant burns up to one million tonnes of coal a year, he said.

He confirmed that 10 to 16 per cent of electricity generated by NB Power
comes from the Colombia coal.

NB Power doesn't have a written policy on human rights at companies that
supply fuel, he said.

Tracy Glynn of the Fredericton Peace Coalition attended the meeting with NB
Power.

"There was no commitment made by NB Power but they seemed open to hear
everything we had to present to them," she said. "We want NB Power to
basically write a letter to the coal mining company and the Colombian
government to respect and uphold international labour rights and local
communities."

In November the mine workers' union in Colombia is negotiating with the
company for compensation for displaced villagers, said Glynn.

"We want NB Power to write this letter before the negotiations start," she
said.

Glynn said every letter has an impact and let's the company know the world
is watching.

She also said the coalition is collecting medical supplies to take to small
Colombian villages when a delegation travels there at the end of the month.
Donations can be dropped off at the Underground Café in Fredericton.