28 March 2007 15:54 EDT | Posted by nscolombia

new location for our blog

Please note the new location for our blog. The host for it is now blogger.com.

Older entries can still be found in this blog (but they will eventually be moved to the new blog's archives).

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/

Edit this Post | Delete this Post

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

Edit this Post | Delete this Post

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/

Edit this Post | Delete this Post

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

Edit this Post | Delete this Post

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

------------------------------

----------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee: http://home.comcast.net/~nscolombia/

Edit this Post | Delete this Post

6 September 2006 19:06 EDT | Posted by nscolombia

From: Avi Chomsky

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/

Edit this Post | Delete this Post

5 September 2006 00:01 EDT | Posted by nscolombia

Reply-To: Jon Aske

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

------------------------------
----------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee: http://home.comcast.net/~nscolombia/

Edit this Post | Delete this Post

3 September 2006 14:37 EDT | Posted by nscolombia

Canadian campaigns

Reply-To: Avi Chomsky

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.
>
>

------------------------------

----------
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee: http://home.comcast.net/~nscolombia/

Edit this Post | Delete this Post

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

Edit this Post | Delete this Post

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.

posted by Alan # 9:26 PM

New England Region

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE COAL

Witness for Peace New England Delegation to Colombia

August 3-13, 2007

Cost: The price of the 11-day delegation is $1350 USD. The delegation fee covers all set-up, preparation, meals, lodging, interpreters, transportation within Colombia. The fee also covers extensive reading and activist tools both before and after the delegation.

Fund-Raising: You can ask us for fund-raising materials or advice. Occasionally scholarship money becomes available.

Deadline: ASAP: Application with a non-refundable deposit of $150.

The delegation fee does not include airfare.

Colombia is the largest recipient of U.S. military aid in the hemisphere, and also the country with the highest levels of official and paramilitary violence, including forced displacement, killings of journalists, trade unionists, and human rights activists.

Foreign corporations are some of the major beneficiaries of this situation, and multinational corporations control Colombia's two largest exports, oil and coal, much of which comes back to U.S. markets. Most of the coal goes to supply power plants in Massachusetts and the southeastern U.S., including the Salem Harbor and Brayton Point power stations in Massachusetts.

Colombia's coal comes from two of the largest open-pit coal mines in the world: El Cerrejón, begun by Exxon in the 1980s and now owned by a consortium of European-based companies, and La Loma, owned by the Alabama-based Drummond Company. Both of these mines export large quantities of coal to the United States, and both have been accused of serious human rights violations.

This delegation will follow the trail of the coal that supplies power to New England, meeting with human rights activists, trade unionists, members of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities, and others affected by coal production in Colombia. We will explore how we as consumers can work in solidarity with communities and organizations in Colombia to hold corporations accountable for human rights.

For More Information
www.witnessforpeace.org/newengland/delegations.html

Avi Chomsky OR Ellen Gabin

------------------------------

North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

posted by Alan # 11:42 AM

3rd Yanama- Women & Territory (please forward) / 3 Yanama- Mujer y Territorio (por favor re-envie)

forwarded by: Avi Chomsky

----------

Dear Friends,

Here is the official itinerary for the Third Yanama in Bahia Portete.

Please let us know if you’re interested in coming with us—we’re planning on buying our tickets to Bogota ASAP, by early next week at the latest.

Some of you have already confirmed; for those who are still considering, it’s not too late!

Feel free to write back or call us here at the office (best hours: between 2 and 6pm, weekday afternoons) for more information.

Thanks,

Jimmy and Carol

BAB USA

Bridges Across Borders

P.O. Box 103

Graham, FL 32042

Tel: (352) 485-2594

Web: http://www.bridgesacrossborders.org

"Turn toward each other quietly and know that there are still bridges nations cannot overthrow." May Sarton

(español abajo)

THIRD YANAMA- WOMEN & TERRITORY

For the recuperation of our memories, because our wealth is our children, our families and our ancestors.

We will no longer be silenced; we demand respect and dignity for our territory and for the civil resistance of the Wayuu People.

On April 18th 2004, armed paramilitary groups massacred 12 people and displaced the Wayúu community of Bahía Portete, Guajira

The Third Yanama- Women & Territory is an international gathering in solidarity with the struggle of the Wayúu People of Alta Guajira.

The gathering is a continued attempt to obtain a safe right of return for the community to their territory with the guarantee that the previous history

does not repeat itself.

Dates

: April 14-21, 2007

International Cost: U$150.00

 National Cost

: however much can be collaborated we thank you.

 Cost Covers

: transportation from Riohacha to the host community as well as food and housing during the event.

 Flights

: Miami International Airport => Aeropuerto El Dorado (Bogotá) => Aeropuerto Almirante Padilla (Riohacha)

               -Flights from Miami => Bogotá

: Avianca, American Airlines, LanChile & Grupo Taca (arrive by April 13^th or prior)

-Flights from Bogotá => Riohacha : Avianca: leaves 10am April 14 , arrives 11:30am.

Cost: U$260.00. If you want us to reserve your seat on this flight, please notify us as soon as possible so that

we can send you the account number to wire the money to. We would need the wire by March 21.

What to Bring

-hot weather clothes (Guajira is desert on the Caribbean Sea)

-sheets/ sleeping bag

-sun screen (higher SPF the better)

-hat or cap

-swimsuit

-sweater and a pair of pants (for use in Bogotá and cold, windy nights in la Guajira)

-towel & toileries (soap, deodorant, tooth brush & paste, etc.)

-camera, video and/or audio recorder (please keep in mind for security and cultural reasons there will be people, events & ceremonies that can not be documented with this equipment)

Tentative Itinerary :

-04/14/07: Arrive in Riohacha around mid day. Register for the Yanama, meet and greet with the organizers and other delegates.

-04/15/07: Travel from Riohacha to Cabo de la Vela. Discussion regarding the impact of foreign tourism on the local communities and environment.

In the afternoon travel to the community of Media Luna for the commencement ritual of the Yanama.

-04/16/07: Discussion space for internacional & nacional delegates.

-04/17/07: The experience of indigenous communities in resistance.

-04/18/07: Anniversary of the Massacre of Bahia Portete. Accompany the survivors to return to their community to mourn their lost ones.

-04/19/07: Rest and beach time during the morning in Media Luna. In the afternoon a

discussion

 about what happened during the massacre as well as a presentation of photographs.

-04/20/07: Discussion in Media Luna regarding what the delegates can do to help the displaced community.

-04/21/07: Breakfast and See-You-Later. Return from Media Luna to Riohacha.

Interpretation: If you are able to help with interpretation (English & Spanish) please let us know so that we can better assist the delegates that only speak English.

Groups of Support: SINTRAMINERCOL, ONIC, Siempreviva, Ecate, Reiniciar, Beehive Design Collective, Bridges Across Borders, Centro Balducci,

Six Nations, South Florida Jobs with Justice, & Colombia Human Rights Network.

Contacts :

Debora (español): wayuumunsurat@yahoo.com y 300-277-3827

Oscar (español): joveneswayuu@gmail.com y 310-725-7606

Jonathan (english & español): aquamono@gmail.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TERCER YANAMA- MUJER Y TERRITORIO

Por la recuperación de la memoria, por que nuestro patrimonio son los hijos, los familiares, los ancestros no nos callen más,

exigimos respeto, dignidad por nuestro territorio, por la resistencia civil del pueblo Wayúu.

El 18 de abril del 2004, grupos armados paramilitares masacraron 12 personas y desplazaron la comunidad Wayúu de Bahía Portete, Guajira.

El Tercer Yanama- Mujer y Territorio, es un encuentro internacional de solidaridad con el pueblo Wayúu del Alta Guajira,

buscando que la comunidad puede volver nuevamente a su territorio con las garantías que no se repita la misma historia.

Fechas: 14-21 de abril 2007

 Costo Internacional

: U$ 150.00

Costo Nacional:

quien esta en condiciones para colaborar algo, le agradecimos.

 Costo Cubre

: transporte de Riohacha a la comunidad, comida y hospedaje durante el Yanama.

 Vuelos

: Miami Internacional Airport => Aeropuerto El Dorado (Bogotá) => Aeropuerto Almirante Padilla (Riohacha)

-Vuelos de Miami => Bogotá: Avianca, American Airlines, Lan Chile & Grupo Taca

(mejor llegar el 13 de abril o antes )

-Vuelos de Bogotá => Riohacha : Avianca: salida 10am 14 de abril, llega 11:30am.

Costo: U$260.00. Si quieres que nosotros reservemos su puesto en este vuelo por favor avisa nos con tiempo, para

mandar te el numero de cuenta. Necesitamos el envié antes del 21 de marzo .

Que Traer

-ropa de tierra caliente

-sabana/ bolsa sleeping

-protector solar

-sombrero/cachucha

-vestido de baño

-saco y pantalones (para Bogotá y las noches frías en la Guajira)

-toalla y necesidades personales (jabón, desodorante, cepillo y pasta dental, etc.)

-camera, grabadora de video o audio (por favor ten en cuenta que por razones de seguridad y culturales, van haber personas, eventos y ceremonias que no se pueden documentar de esta manera)

Itinerario Tentativa

-14/04/07: Llegar a Riohacha al medio día. Registró para el evento. Conocer los organizadores y otros delegados.

-15/04/07: Viajar de Riohacha al Cabo de la Vela.

Discusión sobre el impacto del turismo extranjero al las comunidades y medio ambiente de la región.

Por la tarde viajar hacia la comunidad de Media Luna para el ritual de  comienzo del Yanama.

-16/04/07: Un espacio de discusión para los delegados internacionales y nacionales.

-17/04/07: La experiencia de las comunidades indígenas en resistencia.

-18/04/07: Aniversario del Masacre de Bahia Portete. Acompañar la comunidad desplazada a regresar a su comunidad y pagar respetos a sus fallecidos.

-19/04/07: Durante la mañana descanso y playa en Media Luna. Por la tarde

discusión de lo que paso en el masacre y presentación de fotos.

-20/04/07:

Un espacio de discusión de que pueden hacer los delgados para ayudar a la comunidad desplazada.

-21/04/07: Desayuno y despedida de delegados. Regreso de Media Luna a Riohacha.

Interpretación: Si usted tiene capacidad de interpretación (español y ingles) por favor avísanos para que podemos mejor asistir a los delegados que solo hablan ingles.

Entidades de Apoyo

: SINTRAMINERCOL, ONIC, Siempreviva, Ecate, Reiniciar, El Colectivo de Diseño la Colmena, Bridges Across Borders, Centro Balducci, Six Nations,

Trabajos con Justicia y la Red de Derechos Humanos en Colombia.

Contactos :

Debora (español): wayuumunsurat@yahoo.com y 300-277-3827

Oscar (español): joveneswayuu@gmail.com y 310-725-7606

Jonathan (ingles & español): aquamono@gmail.com

------------------------------

North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

posted by Alan # 11:41 AM

New England Region

WFP New England Region's
Delegations

Cost:
Delegation fees cover all set-up, preparation, meals, lodging, interpreters, and transportation within Bolivia. The fee also covers extensive reading and activist tools both before and after the delegation.

Not Included:
International airfare, airport departure taxes, tips, and personal expenses are not in-cluded.

COLOMBIA

August 3-13, 2007
The People Behind the Coal

Cost: $1350 plus airfare

For More Information
www.witnessforpeace.org/newengland/delegations.html

Elen Gabin, 978-546-7230 ergabin@comcast.net
Avi Chomsky, achomsky@salemstate.ed

July 14-24, 2007
A People of Peace in a Country at War

Cost $1,195 plus airfare

For More Information
www.witnessforpeace.org

Annalise Romoser, 202-232-8090 anna@usofficeoncolombia.org
Martin Lepkowski, 401-783-2425 mlepkowski@netzero.com

June 30 -July 11,2007
The True Cost of Oil

Cost: $1400 plus airfare

For More Information
www.witnessforpeace.org

Mike Sutton, mike_sutton_1999@yahoo.com
Vera Leone, 410.979.4697, vera.leone@gmail.com

posted by Alan # 11:41 AM

Christian Science Monitor on coal plants

from: Avi Chomsky

from the March 22, 2007 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0322/p01s04-wogi.html

Global boom in coal power – and emissions

A Monitor analysis shows the potential for an extra 1.2 billion tons of carbon released into the atmosphere per year.

By Mark Clayton | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

Forget the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." Disregard rising public concern over global warming. Ignore the Kyoto Protocol.

The world certainly is – at least when it comes to building new electric-power plants. In the past five years, it has been on a coal-fired binge, bringing new generators online at a rate of better than two per week. That has added some 1 billion tons of new carbon-dioxide emissions that humans pump into the atmosphere each year. Coal-fired power now accounts for nearly a third of human-generated global CO2 emissions.

So what does the future hold? An acceleration of the buildup, according to a Monitor analysis of power-industry data. Despite Kyoto limits on greenhouse gases, the analysis shows that nations will add enough coal-fired capacity in the next five years to create an extra 1.2 billion tons of CO2 per year.

Those accelerating the buildup are not the usual suspects.

Take China, which is widely blamed for the rapid rise in greenhouse-gas emissions. Indeed, China accounted for two-thirds of the more than 560 coal-fired power units built in 26 nations between 2002 and 2006. The Chinese plants boosted annual world CO2 emissions by 740 million tons (see chart). But in the next five years, China is slated to slow its buildup by half, according to industry estimates, adding 333 million tons of new CO2 emissions every year. That's still the largest increase of any nation. But other nations appear intent on catching up.

"Really, it's been the story of what China is doing," says Steve Piper, managing director of power forecasting at Platts, the energy information division of McGraw-Hill that provided country-by-country power-plant data to the Monitor. "But it's also a story of unabated global growth in coal-fired power. We're seeing diversification away from pricier natural gas and crude oil. Coal looks cheap and attractive - and countries with coal resources see an opportunity that wasn't there before."

For example, the United States is accelerating its buildup dramatically. In the past five years it built 2.7 gigawatts of new coal-fired generating capacity. But in the next five years, it is slated to add 37.7 gigawatts of capacity, enough to produce 247.8 million tons of CO2 per year, according to Platts. That would vault the US to second place –just ahead of India – in adding new capacity.

Even nations that have pledged to reduce global warming under the Kyoto treat are slated to accelerate their buildup of coal-fired plants. For example, eight EU nations – Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic – plan to add nearly 13 gigawatts of new coal-fired capacity by 2012. That's up from about 2.5 gigawatts over the past five years.

New countries join coal-fired binge

In all, at least 37 nations plan to add coal-fired capacity in the next five years – up from the 26 nations that added capacity during the past five years. With Sri Lanka, Laos, and even oil-producing nations like Iran getting set to join the coal-power pack, the world faces the prospect five years from now of having 7,474 coal-fired power plants in 79 countries pumping out 9 billion tons of CO2 emissions annually – out of 31 billion tons from all sources in 2012.

"These numbers show how far in the wrong direction the world is poised to go and indicate a lot of private sector investors still don't get it in terms of global warming," says David Hawkins, climate center director of the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington. "This rapid building of global-warming machines – which is what coal-power plants are – should be a wakeup call to politicians that we're driving ever faster toward the edge of the cliff."

But the cliff can be avoided, some researchers say, without having to reduce the world's energy consumption.

If carbon dioxide gas could be captured at power plants and then pumped underground and permanently "sequestered" in layers of rock, then coal might continue to be used without damaging the climate, concluded a major report by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology released last week.

In that light, whether or not China decides to build power plants that sequester carbon dioxide underground will be a central question. Right now, based on those power plants that Platt's has been able to verify, overall construction growth could be tapering off. But none of them is expected to sequester emissions – and estimates of how many plants China expects to build vary widely.

So far there are 100 power plants with firm construction plans compared to 361 built in the previous five years, according to Platts. But other analysts, pointing to official government reports, say the total may be far higher.

Chinese government reports, for instance, tout coal-power plant building far in excess of what Platt's and others have been able to verify – about 170 gigawatts of new coal-power over the past three years, according to China expert Philip Andrews-Speed, director of the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy at the University of Dundee in Scotland.

"If the Chinese are right then it's a much worse problem than we might think," says Christopher Bergesen, a Platts expert who oversees power-plant data collection. He acknowledges Platts data may be a conservative base line for China. But until China reveals plant-specific data, not just aggregate numbers, he and other researchers can't be sure how fast China is building power plants that spur global warming.

That leaves climate scientists and policy experts wondering how to influence power-plant construction in China and India. A huge factor is whether the EU and the US are able to persuade the Chinese to build plants that capture and sequester CO2. Much depends on the US because China is unlikely to sequester its carbon dioxide if the US does not, analysts say.

"The Chinese won't be able to go forward by themselves," says Dr. Andrews-Speed. "They are going to need, EU, Japan, and US together to help them and set a good example."

Right now, the US is planning to build more than 150 coal-fired power plants that don't sequester their emissions, according to the US Department of Energy. Platts short list of those most likely to be built in five years lists 64 power plants – which would still vault the US into a virtual tie with India at 38,000 megawatts of new output.

If that happens, the US alone would add 250 million tons a year of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere - on top of the billions its power plants already emit. The recent decision by new owners of TXU not to build eight coal-fired power plants gives some reason for hope.

But if the US began building plants that stuff the CO2 underground, the picture could change dramatically, experts say. At least five bills now pending in Congress would effectively put a price on CO2, but just two of those push sequestration.

"The good news is the politicians have their hands on the steering wheel," Dr. Hawkins says. "If they would just turn the wheel toward sequestration, then we don't have to go over this cliff."

Impact on climate models

To date, many climate models have not fully accounted for the worldwide acceleration of coal-plant building, scientists say.

"The phenomenon ... would lead to greater CO2 emissions than most 'business as usual' forecasts project," says Robert Socolow, co-director of the Carbon Mitigation Initiative at Princeton University in an e-mail. "Fortunately the world has now begun to take CO2 seriously, and coal-power emissions will be target No. 1 worldwide over the next decade. The fact that the US is waking up at last will give us the opportunity to have a positive effect on CO2 policy in the rest of the world,"he adds.

------------------------------

North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

posted by Alan # 11:38 AM

Sintracarbon/communities update
from: Avi Chomsky

I just received the following from Jairo Quiroz, press secretary of the Sintracarbon union at the Cerrejon mine and one of the union members who accompanied our November delegation:

On Monday, March 12, Sintracarbon's national executive board voted to adopt a commitment to the rights of the communities affected by Cerrejon as an official policy of our organization. They decided that on April 3 and 4, the entire executive board (48 people) would visit the communities and meet with community members in order to map out their strategies for the coming months. Sintracarbon will carry out workshops in the communities on various topics inculding Negotiation Techniques, Human Rights, Cultural Heritage Perservation, and others.

Cerrejon has invited community representatives to meet with the company in Santa Marta. The communities have asked Sintracarbon to accompany them at this meeting, and we will be there.

Avi:

El dia lunes 12 de marzo, la junta directiva Nacional de SINTRACARBON, decidio adoptar la problematica de las comunidades como una politica de la organizacion, y acuerda que para los dias 3 y 4 de abril, todo el pleno de directivos de sintracarbon (48), hagamos presencia en las poblaciones aledañas, para reunirnos con las comunidaades, y diseñar las estrategias a seguir, estaremos realizando algunos talleres sobre diferentes temas, con la finalidad de ir dandole enseñanza a los lideres sobre algunas temas puntuales, como: Tecnicas de Negociacion, Derechos Humanos, Conservacion del Patrimonio Cultural y otros.

Cerrejon Llc para los proximos dias esta invitando a las comunidades a reunirse en la ciudada de santa marta, y ellos quieren que los acompañemos, tambien vamos a estar alli.

Fraterno Saludo

--
JAIRO QUIROZ DELGADO

------------------------------

North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

posted by Alan # 11:34 AM

from: Avi Chomsky
Drummond rejects charges of Colombian "para" links

22 Mar 2007 20:51:56 GMT

Source: Reuters

By Hugh Bronstein BOGOTA, March 22 (Reuters) - Alabama-based Drummond coal mining company on Thursday denied charges pending in U.S. federal court that it paid right-wing paramilitaries to kill three union leaders near its Colombian mine in 2001.

Earlier this month a judge said there was sufficient evidence for the families of the dead miners to sue Drummond for the killings of the three men, who were involved in a contract dispute over wages and workplace safety when they were pulled off buses near the northern Colombian mine and shot.

A Drummond lawyer in Bogota said the company was innocent.

"Drummond has not and will not make payments, agreements or transactions with illegal groups and emphatically denies that the company or any of its executives had any involvement with the murders," the lawyer told reporters.

The statement came three days after U.S. banana giant Chiquita Brands International Inc. pleaded guilty in the United States to paying $1.7 million in protection money to paramilitaries between 1997 and 2004.

The suit alleges that Drummond's top Colombian executive was seen handing a suitcase full of money to paramilitary thugs in exchange for murdering the men.

Drummond says it has filed slander charges against the witness, a former intelligence official in jail for links to the paramilitaries.

More than 4,000 Colombian union leaders have been assassinated since 1986, according to the U.S. State Department, accounting for most union murders in the world.

The Chiquita and Drummond cases are front page news in this Andean country as it begins to confront its paramilitary past.

The militias were formed in the 1980s to help business owners and cattle ranchers protect their property from leftist rebels. But they soon turned into death squads funded by the drug trade and extortion of the very businesses that first organized them.

President Alvaro Uribe is facing a scandal in which his former intelligence chief and eight allied lawmakers are in jail awaiting trial for colluding with paramilitary militias guilty of some of the worst atrocities of Colombia's four-decade-old guerrilla war.

"Considering the Chiquita decision and the attention that Colombian prosecutors are putting on these paramilitary-related cases, Drummond has got to be hearing footsteps," said Dan Kovalik, a lawyer for the Pittsburgh-based United Steelworkers union, which brought the civil suit against Drummond on behalf of the families of the dead miners.

Both the paramilitaries and the rebels are branded terrorists by Washington. Thousands are killed and displaced every year as they battle over lucrative drug-smuggling routes.

------------------------------

North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

posted by Alan # 11:26 AM

from: Avi Chomsky
Drummond denies colluding with far-right death squads to kill Colombia unionists

The Associated Press

Thursday, March 22, 2007

BOGOTA, Colombia: The U.S.-based coal company Drummond on Thursday denied any relationship with far-right death squads in Colombia and said it has no intention of settling a U.S. lawsuit that alleges its complicity in the murder of three labor leaders.

A federal judge in Alabama this month allowed a civil suit to go forward against Drummond Co. Inc. for allegedly paying a hit squad to kill three union leaders at one of its Colombian mines in 2001.

Colombia's chief prosecutor on Tuesday also announced a formal criminal investigation into allegations Drummond, based in Birmingham, Alabama, had ties with the paramilitaries.

"Drummond publicly states that it has not nor will it make any payments, agreements or transactions with illegal groups and emphatically denies that the company or any of its executives has had any involvement with the murder of three labor union leaders," the company said in a statement Thursday. "It will not settle with the plaintiffs."

Drummond's defense comes as another U.S. multinational, fruit giant Chiquita Brands, has acknowledged funneling US$1.7 million (€1.3 million) to far-right paramilitary militias in Colombia. Chiquita has agreed to a fine of US$25 million (€18.7 million) for funding the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, known as AUC for its Spanish initials and branded a "foreign terrorist organization" by the U.S. State Department.

Colombian authorities are investigating whether to bring criminal charges against Chiquita's executives and seek their extradition to stand trial here.

This nation is embroiled in its worst political scandal in decades as revelations continue to emerge tying the country's political class — many of them backers of President Alvaro Uribe — to the AUC, which has trafficked extensively in cocaine, committed massacres and stolen millions of hectares (acres) of land from peasants.

Paramilitary chiefs, most in jail under a peace process that has seen more than 31,000 fighters lay down their arms, say they got support from politicians and businesses. But they have stopped short of identifying their corporate sponsors.

Drummond mines coal along the Caribbean coast, a longtime paramilitary stronghold, and at Thursday's news conference, Jose Miguel Linares, a local Drummond vice president, acknowledged that one of the company's directors, Alfredo Araujo, is a cousin of Sen. Alvaro Araujo, who was jailed last month on charges of conspiring with the paramilitaries to kidnap a political rival.

Alvaro Araujo's father, a regional political power broker, is wanted on the same charge and has an international arrest warrant outstanding.

The scandal prompted Sen. Araujo's sister, Maria Consuelo, to step down as foreign minister.

Drummond said it has full confidence in Alfredo Araujo.

The company also appears to have been shaken by accusations from a former paramilitary collaborator, Rafael Garcia, who is serving a prison sentence for wiping clean the records of drug traffickers when he worked for the secret police.

Garcia says he was present when the president of Drummond Colombia, Augusto Jimenez, handed over "a suitcase full of money" in 2001 to a representative of regional paramilitary warlord Rodrigo Tovar Pupo, better known as "Jorge 40".

"Mr. Jimenez indicated at this meeting that this money was to be given to Rodrigo Tovar Pupo to assassinate specific union leaders at Drummond," Garcia said in a May 13, 2006, written statement to the lawyers of the three murdered union leaders. Garcia said later that the union members killed were the same as those mentioned in the meeting.

A Drummond lawyer, Hugo Palacios, said Thursday that the company "emphatically denies" such a meeting. "Civil and criminal charges for slander and defamation against Garcia have been filed and we are confident that it will be proven that Garcia's testimony is false," he said.

In October, President Uribe said in a radio interview that he had been told by executives of the coal company that Jimenez was not in Colombia at the time of the alleged meeting.

Drummond is Colombia's second-largest producer of coal, the nation's No. 2 legal export.

------------------------------

North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

posted by Alan # 11:19 AM

Hugo Chavez to George W. Bush: Gringo Go Home

Monday, March 12th, 2007

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/12/1425228

As President Bush tours Latin America, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez spoke before tens of thousands at an anti-imperialist rally in Argentina of Friday. We broadcast excerpts of Chavez's stinging attack on Bush who was in Uruguay, just thirty miles away across the River Plate. [includes rush transcript]

President Bush has arrived in Guatemala for the second-to-last stop of his five-nation tour of Latin America. He is meeting with Guatemalan President Oscar Berger for talks expected to be dominated by immigration and free trade issues.

Bush's visit to the region has been marked by mass protests and marches. In Brazil on Thursday, thirty thousand people took to the streets. The next day in Uruguay, some six thousand marched in the capital of Montevideo. In Bogota, police made one hundred twenty arrests when five thousand protesters marched just one mile from where Bush held talks with Colombian president Alvaro Uribe. Bush will travel to Mexico later today for the last leg of his tour.

While many analysts agree the president's trip is part of an effort to gain back influence in the region, the White House has sought to portray the tour as part of a humanitarian effort to address issues of poverty. Last week in Washington, President Bush spoke before the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

President Bush

President Bush speaking in Washington last week. In addition to the mass protests to his presence in the region, Bush has been dogged by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who is on a counter-tour of Latin America at the same time. In fact, Chavez has practically shadowed Bush since the beginning of his trip. When Bush was in Uruguay Friday, Chavez held a massive rally in neighboring Argentina. When Bush flew to Colombia, Chavez addressed thousands in Bolivia. While Bush is in Guatemala, Chavez is again close by in neighboring Nicaragua.

During a mass rally in Buenos Aires on Friday, the Venezuelan president launched a stinging attack on Bush who was in Uruguay, just thirty miles away across the River Plate.

Hugo Chavez

RUSH TRANSCRIPT

This transcript is available free of charge. However, donations help us provide closed captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing on our TV broadcast. Thank you for your generous contribution.
Donate - $25, $50, $100, more...

AMY GOODMAN: President Bush has arrived in Guatemala for the second-to-last stop of his five-nation tour of Latin America. He is meeting with Guatemalan President Oscar Berger for talks expected to be dominated by immigration and free trade.

Bush's visit to the region has been marked by mass protest and marches. In Brazil Thursday, 30,000 people took to the streets. The next day in Uruguay, some 6,000 marched in the capital of Montevideo. In Bogota, police made 120 arrests when 5,000 protesters marched just one mile from where Bush held talks with the Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Bush will travel to Mexico later today for the last leg of his tour.

While many analysts agree the President's trip is part of an effort to gain back influence in the region, the White House has sought to portray the tour as part of a humanitarian effort to address issues of poverty. Last week in Washington, President Bush spoke before the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: You know, not far from the White House, there’s a statue of the great liberator Simon Bolivar. He’s often compared to George Washington -- Jorge W. Like Washington, he was a general who fought for the right of his people to govern themselves. Like Washington, he succeeded in defeating a much stronger colonial power. And like Washington, he belongs to all of us who love liberty. One Latin American diplomat had put it this way: “Neither Washington nor Bolivar was destined to have children of their own, so that we Americans might call ourselves their children.”

We are the sons and daughters of this struggle, and it is our mission to complete the revolution they began on our two continents. The millions across our hemisphere who every day suffer the degradations of poverty and hunger have a right to be impatient. And I'm going to make them this pledge: The goal of this great country, the goal of a country full of generous people, is an Americas where the dignity of every person is respected, where all find room at the table, and where opportunity reaches into every village and every home. By extending the blessings of liberty to the least among us, we will fulfill the destiny of this new world and set a shining example for others. Que Dios les bendiga.

AMY GOODMAN: President Bush, speaking in Washington last week. In addition to the mass protests to his presence in the region, Bush has been dogged by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who’s on a counter-tour of Latin America at the same time. In fact, Chavez has practically shadowed Bush since the beginning of his trip. When Bush was in Uruguay on Friday, Chavez held a mass rally in neighboring Argentina. When Bush flew to Colombia, Chavez addressed thousands in Bolivia. When Bush was in Guatemala, Chavez is again close by in neighboring Nicaragua.

Today, we’re going to play an excerpt of one of Chavez's speeches, this at the mass really in Buenos Aires on Friday. The Venezuelan president launched a stinging attack on Bush, who was in Uruguay, just thirty miles away across the River Plate.

PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ: [translated] On the other side of the river, that is where that little gentleman of the North must be. Let's give him a big boo! Gringo, go home!

I am convinced that our friends in Brasilia and in Montevideo are not going to feel offended, because we would not want to hurt any of our brethren from Uruguay or Brazil. We recognize their sovereignty. We recognize that those governments have the sovereign right to invite the little gentleman of the North, if they so choose.

But Kirchner and I don't need to plan anything to sabotage this visit, because we are witnessing the true political cadaver. The President of the United States is a political cadaver. He doesn't even smell of sulfur anymore. He doesn't even smell of sulfur or brimstone, if you will. No longer. What you smell from him now is the stench of political death. And not long from now, he will turn to dust and disappear. So we don't need to put forth any effort to sabotage the visit of the President of the United States to some countries, sisters countries of Central and South America, of course. We don't need to do that. It's a simple coincidence, the visit of Nestor to Venezuela and our visit here to Buenos Aires.

Well, we nevertheless need to thank that little gentleman that's visiting us, because if he were not here in South America, perhaps this event would not be so well-attended. We have organized this event to say no to the presence of the chief of the empire here in the heroic lands of South America.

The imperial little gentleman that's visiting Latin America today said about seventy-two or forty-eight hours ago in one of his speeches, when he was announcing that he was leaving for Latin America, he compared Simon Bolivar to George Washington. In fact, he even said the ridiculous thing -- and I can't say it's hypocrisy, because it is simply ridiculous, the most ridiculous thing he could say. He said, today we are all children of Washington and Bolivar. That is, he thinks that he is a son of Bolivar. What he is is a son of a -- but I can't say that word here.

So he has said -- he has said -- and you should listen to what he said here -- he said that now is the time to finish the revolution that Washington and Bolivar commenced . How's that for heresy? That is heresy and ignorance, because we have to remember -- and I say this with all due respect to George Washington, who is historically one of the founding fathers of that country -- but we must also remember the differences and how different George Washington and Simon Bolivar were, are and will always be.

George Washington won a war to gain the independence of the North American economic elite from the English empire, and when Washington died, or, rather, after his independence and after having been the president of the United States, after ordering the massacre of the indigenous peoples of North America, after defending slavery, he ended up being a very rich owner of slaves and of a plantation. He was a great landowner. That was George Washington.

Simon Bolivar, however, was born with a silver spoon, and at eight years old his parents died and he inherited a large fortune, together with his brothers, and he inherited haciendas and slaves. Simon Bolivar, when history led him -- and as Karl Marx said, men can make history, but only as far as history allows us to do so -- when history took Bolivar and made him the leader of the independence process in Venezuela, he made that process revolutionary. Simon Bolivar turned over all of his land. He freed all of his slaves, and he turned them into soldiers, and he brought them here. He brought them to Peru and Carabobo, and he worked together with the troops of San Martin to liberate this continent. That is Simon Bolivar.

And Simon Bolivar, having been born with that silver spoon in his mouth, when he died on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, when he died on December 17 in 1830, he was dressed with a shirt of someone else, because he had no clothes. Simon Bolivar is the leader of the revolution of this land. He is the leader of the social revolution, the people's revolution, the historical revolution. George Washington has nothing -- nothing -- to do with this history.

It was in 1823 that James Monroe said, "America for the Americans." And when I say this tonight, I say it because I want to remind you, my brothers of Argentina, of Venezuela and of America, that the presence of the President of the United States in South America represents all of that. He represents that Monroe Doctrine of America for the Americans. Well, we will have to tell him: North America for the North Americans and South America for the South Americans. This is our America.

The President of the United States, that political cadaver -- and when I say political cadaver, he would like to see me as a real cadaver -- I want him to be a political cadaver, and he already is a political cadaver. The President of the United States has the lowest level of credibility and acceptance from his own people. He is the current president of the United States.

It would appear that he doesn't even dare mention my name, because he was asked in Brasilia today in a press conference -- I saw it, I watched it at the hotel -- and the journalist asked him, “It is said that you are here to stop Chavez's movement in South America.” And it looked like he almost had a heart attack when he heard "Chavez," because he actually stuttered a couple of times, and he actually changed the subject. He didn't answer the question. He didn't answer the question at all. So he doesn't even dare.

And I definitely dare to say his name. The President of the United States of North America, George W. Bush, the little gentleman of the North, the political cadaver that is visiting South America, that little gentleman is the president of all the history of the United States, and in the history of the United States, he has the lowest level of approval in his own country. And if we add that to the level of approval that he has in the world, I would think he's in the red now -- negative numbers.

AMY GOODMAN: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in Argentina on Friday, speaking before a mass rally of tens of thousands of people -- an excerpt of that address. When we come back, response to the Latin American trip with Greg Grandin, who is author of Empire’s Workshop, a professor in Latin American studies. We'll also speak with Steve Ellner, just back from Venezuela. Stay with us.

www.democracynow.org

posted by Alan # 11:38 AM

Bush Appearance Sparks Colombia Protests

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6473960,00.html

Monday March 12, 2007 2:16 AM

AP Photo BOG104

By TOBY MUSE

Associated Press Writer

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - About 150 protesters attacked riot police with rocks and metal barriers and ripped down lampposts in Colombia's capital on Sunday, just moments after President Bush landed for a six-hour visit.

Some 200 helmeted police in full body armor responded with water cannon and tear gas and reclaimed the street, about a mile from the presidential palace, banging their batons against riot shields as they marched forward.

Some of the rioters rampaged on Bogota's main avenue, breaking shop windows and ripping computers from bank offices. The rioters had broken away from a larger group of 2,000 protesters.

Four police officers were injured and 100 people were arrested, said Bogota police chief Gen. Daniel Castiblanco.

The country was otherwise unusually peaceful.

A small bomb exploded Sunday morning in the lawless Pacific port of Buenaventura, injuring two civilians. The police blamed the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which has been fighting the government for 42 years but which President Alvaro Uribe has put on the defensive.

Anti-Bush protesters say that $700 million in mostly military U.S. aid to Colombia fuels the country's 50-year conflict and encourages human rights abuses by this country's armed forces. The demonstrators also object to the U.S. war in Iraq.

Along Colombia's northeastern border with Venezuela, authorities closed a frontier bridge after some 200 people staged a protest on the Venezuelan side.

The main group of protesters in Bogota included students, trade unionists and members of the left-wing political opposition, who gathered about an hour before Bush's arrival, chanting ``Down with Bush!'' and burning American flags.

As Bush's convoy passed about 200 yards away on the way to meet Uribe at the presidential palace, the protesters chanted ``Bush go home!'' and ``Bush is a terrorist!''

Some 7,000 police and troops blocked off large parts of Bogota, while 14,000 reinforcements set up roadblocks, checking IDs and searching vehicles.

Also Sunday, in Tecpan, Guatemala, more than 100 Mayan Indians protested hours before Bush's expected arrival, holding signs that read: ``No more blood for oil.''

The group is angry that Bush will be visiting the sacred Iximche archaelogical site. After he leaves, Mayan priests plan a spiritual cleansing to get rid of the ``evil spirits'' they believe Bush will bring.

Iximche, 30 miles west of the capital of Guatemala City, was founded as the capital of the Kaqchiqueles kingdom before the Spanish conquest in 1524.

posted by Alan # 11:35 AM

Addicted to Failure
Origins and Implications of a U.S. Foreign Policy

Presented by Sanho Tree and Witness for Peace, NE

"For decades now we have waged an international war on drugs
that has produced very few positive results."

Schedule

Sunday, March 18
6pm Chili Dinner
Burlington, VT
wfpne@witnessforpeace.org

Monday, March 19
School for Int. Training
Brattleboro, VT
vera.leone@gmail.com

Tuesday, March 20
7pm Castleton State College
Castleton VT
Patricia.Vanderspuy@castleton.edu

Weddnesday, Mar. 21
6:00pm University of Vermont - Burlington, VT
halon@uvm.edu

Thurs. Mar. 22
7pm State Univ. NY
Plattsburgh, New York
simpsocr@plattsburgh.edu

Schedule updates

Quick Link

Have we reached the point where the drug war causes more harm than the drugs themselves?
f we know where drugs are comming from then why not erradicate the source?
What are the forces driving US drug policies
Connect the dots; Drug War to the Terror War
Plan innovative Grass Root Strategies

Sanho Tree is a Fellow and Director of the Drug Policy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC. The project works to end the domestic and international "War on Drugs" and replace it with policies that promote public health and safety as well as economic alternatives to the prohibition drug economy. The intersection of race and poverty in the drug war is at the heart of the project's work. In recent years the project has focused on the attendant "collateral damage" caused by the US exporting its drug war to Colombia, Bolivia and Afghanistan.

Establishing humane and sustainable alternatives to the drug war fits into the IPS mandate as one of the major contemporary social justice issues at home and abroad. He was featured in the ABC/John Stossel documentary on the drug war which aired in July 2002 and has also appeared on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.

More information:
www.witnessforpeace.org/newengland/Tours.html

Ranney Joanne
Witness For Peace, NE

wfpne@witnessforpeace.org

Powered by

Witness For Peace, NE | P.O. 147 | Richmond | VT | 05477

posted by Alan # 10:13 PM

The Venezuelan Elections Video is on TUESDAY,MARCH 6TH AT 8:00 PM
contact: Selene Acosta

Hello, I am back!

You are invited to view a modest video that I produced about the

“Presidential Elections in Venezuela. 12-03-07,

TV: BNN. Boston Neighborhood Network

Channel/canal: 9

Program: TU OPINIÓN CUENTA

DATE/Fecha: Tuesday March 6, 2007

TIME/Hora: 8:00 PM

It will be soon in VIA web page. I’ll let you know.

Pronto estará en la página Web de VIA. ¡Les aviso!

Un saludo,

Selene.

------------------------------

North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

posted by Alan # 11:56 AM

from www.killercoke.org

Colombian Foreign Minister Resigns in Scandal

"The resignation of Foreign Minister María Consuelo Araújo came days after Mr. Uribe expressed support for her. But fallout from the arrest last week of five politicians, including her brother, Senator Álvaro Araújo, on charges of working with paramilitary squads in a kidnapping case related to the scandal, made her presence in the cabinet untenable."(New York Times (2/20/07), And this is the government that The Coca-Cola Co. claims cleared the company in impartial investigations of SINALTRAINAL's allegations of labor and human rights abuses.

The New York Times, "Foreign Minister of Colombia Quits in Scandal," By Simon Romero, February 20, 2007
Read Article
Read Original New York Times Article by subscription.

A report from December 2006 shows links between the Colombian government and threats to SINALTRAINAL: "On 12 December [Colombian Vice President] Santos attacked the union's [SINALTRAINAL] fight for justice from notorious multinationals Coca-Cola, Nestlé and other private corporations, and contended that they are pushed by 'sectors of the extreme left, radicals infiltrated into trade union sectors that are generating absolutely absurd campaigns against the corporations'. In Colombia this is a green light for paramilitary attack and, following Santos prompt, two days later the 'Black Eagles' left a death threat inside the home of Barranquilla SINALTRAINAL activist EURIPIDES YANCE, also targeting his fellow Coca-Cola workers LIMBERTO CARRANZA, CAMPO QUINTERO and several local trade union, student and social movement leaders, as well as defenders of human rights. The Black Eagles gave their targets one week to leave, or else." (December 2006 Campaign Action Alert on this incident -- the first of the two threats after the Santos statement.)

Our Action Alert regarding a February 2007 threat -- the second of the two threats since the Santos statement -- against SINALTRAINAL leaders by the Black Eagles

posted by Alan # 11:49 AM

Urgent Action: DEATH THREATS AGAINST SINALTRAINAL

posted by Alan # 11:46 AM

The North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee Blog

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

archived from old blog

Monday, March 26, 2007

Global boom in coal power – and emissions

A Monitor analysis shows the potential for an extra 1.2 billion tons of carbon released into the atmosphere per year.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Hugo Chavez to George W. Bush: Gringo Go Home

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Monday, March 05, 2007

Archives