>Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 11:16:46 -0800 >From: Michael Pugliese <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > >> ________________________________________________ >> A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E >> http://www.ainfos.ca/ >> ________________________________________________ >> >> >> 18th January 2000 >> There are many news from alternative media informing of a revolt in >> Ecuador. Some of the news came through reliable collectives such as >> Usurpa ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) but many of them are only available in >> Spanish. The following is an attempt to summarize relevant facts in >> English. Please note that the information is at present very >> fragmentary, that not all the sources are reliable and that the >> writter of this has not a deep knowledge of Ecuador. >> >> Right now everything looks quite confusing with calls to >> civil desobedience and for a real direct democracy, on one hand, and >> other calls (from the so-called "National Parliament of the Peoples >> of Ecuador", see below) asking for a strong State, the collaboration >> of the Army, the Salvation of the Patria, the unity of the Patria, >> the set up of a "Governmet for the National Consolidation" and so >> for. Patria means the country but it has in Spanish an awful, >> strongly nationalist sense. It is a favorite word of fascists and >> stalinists; but in South America is essentially everywhere. >> >> The social base of the revolt seems to be chiefly the indigenous >> people through the CONAIE (Confederacion de Nacionalidades Indigenas >> de Ecuador- Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador). >> These are the ones calling for the indigenous and popular uprising >> together with the Coordinadora de Movimientos Sociales. There are >> also trade unions involved (at least the Union of oil workers of >> Petroecuador, the state-owned petrol company). The uprising is >> apparently supported by the catholic church. >> >> There is a so-call National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador, >> which is helding sessions since around a week. It claims to be a >> democratic assembly of grassroots organizations. The chair person >> seems to be Bishop Luna. It is from this organization from which I >> hear disgusting claims about the Patria (its Salvation and Unity) and >> about the need for a strong State. >> >> My friend from Ecuador updated me about the economic situation behind >> the uprising: >> >> -a ramplant inflation (100% according to some sources) >> >> -the dolarization process. In one year the price of the dollar has >> increased from 5000 sucres to 25000 sucres. Now the government of >> president Jamil Mahuad decreted the "dollarization", i.e., the >> replacement of the sucre by the dollar as the national currency. The >> decrete needs to be approved by the National Congress (official >> Parliament). >> >> -the basic salary is less than 25 $/month. >> >> -there was a decrete to block the bank accounts (something that >> probably doesn't matter for most of the people, but which could help >> in movilizing "middle class", if there is any). >> >> -there are also plans to start the privatization of the petrol fields >> and companies (some of them in the Amazonia). >> >> I guess the problems must be far more deep and there is a common call >> against neoliberalism and capitalism in the callings for upheaval. >> >> The population of Ecuador is around 40% indian, 40% mixed, 20% white. >> The power is held by the whites and there is a widespread corruption >> at all levels. According to my friend the indians are very well >> organized throughout the country and this is the fifth indian uprising >> in the last few years. They got what they wanted in the previous four >> movilizations. But what they really want now? >> >> Apparently, the main goals are the resign of President Mahuad, stop to >> the dollarization process and of the privatization of the oil fields >> and companies. There are also calls for a real democracy and for a >> strong decentralized State. Not very revolutionary and libertarian by >> now, but this could be just the start. >> >> My friend thinks there will be a lot of violence, since the military >> support the president. >> >> Concerning the actions, the indians were supposed to enter into >> Quito, the capital city, during this weekend. Quito was controlled by >> the military and the police. I heard nothing significant happened >> yet (but see below, at the end of this post). Other actions planned >> are the closing of roads (anytime, anywhere) and the seize of public >> buildings. Some organizations expect up to 1 million peasants >> participating in the movement. >> >> The petrol workers are on strike, they will not pump oil to >> the pipelines and will support the seizure of oil wells by the >> indians in the Amazonia. >> >> News about the students are confuse: some are on strike, some are >> claiming against violence. >> >> The government has declared the state of emergency. There have been >> at least three indigenous and/or popular leaders arrested, who >> will face a military trial. There were also more than one hundred >> demonstrators arrested in Quito. Most of them were children and old >> people, who have been liberated now. But there are 27 students and >> workers from the Universidad Central of Quito who remain in jail. >> Apparently the region of the Sierra (the mountains) is completely >> militarized and there are severe controls by the military in the main >> roads, checking for arms. >> >> I have read some news in the web (Diaro HOY, a mainstream newspaper, I >> guess. http://www.hoy.com.ec/). They talk about fragmentary >> movilizations with different intensity in different parts of the >> country. Most of them consist in the closing of roads, particularly >> the main one, the Panamerican road. In several parts of the country, >> included Quito (capital city) the military holds an strict control. >> >> In Cuenca a bomb destroyed the headquaters of Democracia Popular (the >> christianodemocrat party, supporter of the government of Mauhad) >> Nobody has claimed authorship. The party stated they are sure the >> indians are not responsible for the bombing. >> >> Finally, Blanca Chancoso (a leader of the CONAIE) >> have called the three indigenous representatives in the National >> Congress to leave this institution, given that the alternative >> National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador has denied authority to >> the "three powers" of the State. One of the indigenous representatives >> answered that now they should stay in the official Congress as >> representatives of the indians until the situation changes. >> >> Blanca also pointed to the singular character of this uprising which, >> in contrast to the previous ones, will be gradually increasing in >intensity. >> According to her organization there has been a significant movement of >> indians to Quito, where they will contact other social organizations. >> However, the strict control by the military may prevent a larger >> success: yesterday around 11 am the march of 400 indians coming >> from Chimborazo (180Km south of Quito) was not allowed to proceed to >> the capital city. There are informations of a severe repression >> there. (see http://www.amarc.org/pulsar/). >> >> All in all, I think we must keep alert about it since I doubt we will >> heard much on it from the mainstream media. Even with its >> contradictions (which maybe are the result of different faces inside >> the movement) this appear to be important news. >> >> >> ******** >> ****** The A-Infos News Service ****** >> News about and of interest to anarchists >> ****** >> COMMANDS: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> REPLIES: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> HELP: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> WWW: http://www.ainfos.ca/ >> INFO: http://www.ainfos.ca/org >> >> -To receive a-infos in one language only mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] the message: >> unsubscribe a-infos >> subscribe a-infos-X >> where X = en, ca, de, fr, etc. (i.e. the language code) > > > > > --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
