>Fra: Jessica Sundin [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] >Sendt: 4. august 2000 19:40 >Til: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Emne: [actioncolombia] Colombia news 8/4/00 > > _____ > >THE COLOMBIA ACTION NETWORK WELCOMES OUR NEWEST MEMBERS! >1. Freedom sought for Colombia police >2. SOA Watch activists arrested in Philadelphia during RNC >3. Colombian workers stage strike >4. Tight security for Colombia strike >5. Clashes in Colombia during general strike > _____ > >Wednesday, August 2, 2000, Associated Press >Freedom Sought For Colombia Police >By JARED KOTLER >BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- The transformation of Ana Maria Hernandez from >cosmetics saleswoman to peace activist began a year ago, the day her son was >captured during a firefight with Colombia' s leftist rebels. >Marched into the jungles on July 12, 1999, Heiver Hernandez joined the ranks >of the more than 500 police and soldiers taken captive by the rebel >Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in their long war with the >government. >The rebels say they will release their captives only in a prisoner exchange >with some 450 guerrillas held in government jails. President Andres Pastrana >has ruled out such a deal. >Increasingly the 15, 000-strong FARC has taken to attacking rural hamlets >without warning, pitting hundreds of rebels against usually no more than a >dozen or two officers, who are killed in the fight or executed afterward. >FARC is, apparently, no longer taking prisoners. >With a military rescue operation deemed too risky, frustration mounts daily >for the captives and their families. Escape is on their minds, but a failed >attempt can mean death. Last year, rebels tracked down and executed five >policemen and a soldier who tried to escape. >Some of the men have spent more than three years in captivity. Marriages >have unraveled. Babies are growing up fatherless. >But now, a protest movement led by wives and mothers of the captured >servicemen is putting pressure on both sides in the conflict. Taking a page >from mothers' movements that challenged dictatorships in Chile and >Argentina, the women appear in white T-shirts emblazoned with photos of >their missing loved ones. >They' ve picketed the presidency, occupied a Catholic church in Bogota and >traveled into the jungles to meet with the rebels. >At a recent round of peace talks, one woman stood for hours before a stage >crowded with government and rebel envoys. A strip of masking tape across her >mouth read simply: "Freedom." >Hernandez's odyssey began last year, when hundreds of FARC fighters overran >a small police post in the southern ranching town of Puerto Rico. The >garrison was one of dozens hit during a weekend rebel offensive in which as >many as 300 people died. >When Hernandez heard of the attack, she rushed to a police station that was >in radio contact with her son's besieged unit. >"It sounded horrible, as if it were the end of the world," she recalled. >"There was a huge explosion and the signal went dead." >A list of government fatalities was circulated days later, but her son's >name did not appear. One month later, at the FARC's invitation and expense, >Hernandez and 600 other family members of rebel captives traveled in buses >to the FARC-held town of San Vicente Caguan, where they received letters >from their loved ones in captivity. >It was then that Hernandez learned her son was alive. >The event -- complete with a barbecue lunch and rebel speeches demanding the >prisoner exchange -- was televised, triggering accusations that the rebels >were cruelly manipulating the families' feelings, and that the women were >getting too close the FARC. >Indeed, many of the mothers have lashed out at the government. They say >military commanders are incompetent and that an uncaring political elite has >sent men into battle without proper training, equipment or support. >"The police and soldiers are sons of peasants, humble people," Hernandez >says. "Pastrana doesn't care about them." >Having quit her cosmetics job, the 40-year-old Hernandez is now living off >her son's paycheck and loans from her sister, and has dedicated herself to >the liberation of her son and other captured government security forces. She >has made two more trips to San Vicente del Caguan and spoken personally with >the FARC commander holding Heiver somewhere in northern Colombia >But in an unusual step, she is also writing heartfelt letters to Manuel >"Sureshot" Marulanda, the FARC's 70-year-old founder and leader. >She tells Marulanda that her son is a good person who joined the police only >because he had no better opportunities. Violence is not the way, Hernandez >writes, but adds that Marulanda is correct to challenge Colombia's rampant >poverty and corruption. >Hernandez clings to hope that Marulanda will be moved by her words -- >although it is not clear if he has even read them -- and free the FARC >captives as a grand gesture that could catapult the peace process forward. >"If he reads my writings, I'm convinced he'll do something to show the world >he doesn't just destroy -- that he can do good things, too," Hernandez says >hopefully. >� Copyright 2000. All rights reserved. > _____ > > >SOA Watch E-mail Alert, August 3, 2000 >SOA Watch Activists Arrested in Philadelphia During the RNC >As the Republican National Convention converged on Philadelphia, School of >the Americas Watch (SOAW) activists were there to voice opposition to the >Congressional refusal to acknowledge the horrific crimes against humanity >that graduates of the SOA have perpetrated, and to declare shame on those >who voted against the closure of the SOA and the establishment of a Truth >Commission. >Monday, July 31st at 8:30 AM, in front of the Philadelphia City Hall, SOA >Watch activists enacted a massacre of Latin American Campesinos at the hands >of SOA graduates -- directed by Uncle Sam. As Father Roy Bourgeois spoke >about the atrocities committed in El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and >Colombia by SOA graduates (represented by 4 people wearing signs with the >countries around their neck), Bill Brown, donned as Uncle Sam, shrugged his >shoulders--initially denying any responsibility, but lost his patience and >directed the soldiers to begin killing the 4 campesinos. As directed, the >soldiers made an aggressive gesture towards the four, as if to shoot them, >covering them with the red paint . As the paint hit each of them, they fell >to the ground. The soldiers continued to spread this blood-like substance on >the victims, and outlined their bodies with the paint -- dramatically >representing a massacre. While many of the participants surrounding the >scenario began screaming and crying out, others solemnly sang "No Mas, No >More..." >All the while the police kept their distance... until the soldiers and Uncle >Sam began carrying the bodies into the intersection. One by one, the >peasants were laid out in the streets and outlined in chalk -- in the middle >of the bodies one of the soldiers inscribed "SOA." Hordes of Philadelphia >police then surrounded the protesters, approximately 30 were poised with >batons in hand, while the others, using their bikes, formed a tight >perimeter around the bodies -- 2 to 3 officers deep -- blocking the view of >the media and the observers and moved in to arrest the participants. >Those arrested included Darren Alexander, (24, from Virginia); Bill Brown, >(31, from Pennsylvania); Maureen Doyle, (47, from Missouri); Linda Panetta, >(34, from Pennsylvania); Sebastian Petsu, (20, from New Jersey); Alison >Styan, (17, from Pennsylvania); and Oberlin College students Becky Johnson, >(21, from Ohio) and Laurel Paget-Seekins, (20, from California). Although >Linda Panetta, director of SOAW North-East, was not directly involved as one >of the participants in the action, her arrest was ordered because of her >refusal to demand that the other participants clear the streets. >Additionally, towards the end of the action another participant, Bryn >Hammerstrong (PA), joined the action by sitting in the street--he was also >arrested. >The nine were taken to the Philadelphia Police holding station, processed >and released 11 hours later. They were charged with a range of two to five >misdemeanors: obstructing justice, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, >obstructing a highway and conspiracy to obstruct a highway. The court date >is scheduled for September 16th. >This action was the first with arrests during the Republican National >Convention and drew a tremendous amount of media attention from across the >US to the struggle to close the School of the Americas. In addition to >independent media coverage, other national television and radio coverage >included: CNN, "Democracy Now," NPR, the New York Post, USA Today, New York >Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Atlanta Constitution, >Philadelphia Daily News, the Columbus Ledger �Enquirer, and many other media >sources. >If there was coverage in your regional area, please let us know by sending >an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or by sending us a copy of the article to SOA >Watch/NE 6367 Overbrook Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19151. >We would like to especially thank the tremendous solidarity we received from >the Independent Media Center, the R2K Media Collective, as well as the R2K >Legal Team and the National Lawyers Guild. They did an incredible job of >supporting our action, offering assistance while we were being detained, and >directing media calls. > _____ > > >Thursday, August 3, 2000, Associated Press >Colombian Workers Stage Strike >BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- An estimated 600, 000 workers representing a >handful of unions took to Colombia' s streets on Thursday, striking to >protest what they view as the government' s inaction on combatting >skyrocketing unemployment. >Authorities in the capital, Bogota, said Thursday morning that the >demonstrating workers were " exceedingly peaceful" and that no arrests had >been reported. >Striking transportation workers caused traffic snarls in the capital' s >southern neighborhoods, while traffic moved smoothly in the wealthier >northern neighborhoods of the Andean city. >Outside the capital, strike-related inconveniences also appeared to be >minimal. >The day-long strikes, which began shortly after dawn, were to culminate with >downtown demonstrations, said Wilson Borja, the head of the National >Federation of Civil Servants. >The workers were protesting the state' s lack of effort to jump-start a >listless economy. Colombia' s unemployment has reached more than 20 percent >nationwide. >Copyright 2000 Associated Press. > _____ > >BBC, Thursday, 3 August, 2000 >Tight security for Colombia strike >Security forces are on full alert in Colombia where 700,000 public sector >employees and transport workers are staging a 24-hour national strike. The >unions are protesting against government austerity measures, and want a >freeze on petrol prices and an end to the privatisation of Colombia's state >banks. >Army and police units have set up checkpoints in the main cities to prevent >any outbreaks of violence. >The authorities have also restricted the carrying of weapons and have banned >the sale of alcohol. >"This strike is a protest strike and a political act... we're no longer >prepared to carry the weight of the rich on our shoulders," Wilson Borja, >union leader. >The Colombian Interior Minister, Humberto de la Calle Lombana, told the BBC >that the government respected the rights of employees to strike, but the >trade unions should also respect the rights of people who wanted to work. >Indian and peasant protesters have reportedly blockaded a road through the >central coffee-growing region, and suspected Marxist rebels bombed a high >voltage power pylon in Medellin. >--Disruption >Local media said demonstrators had also blocked a main route from Narino >province into neighbouring Ecuador, and tried to halt traffic on a highway >near the southwestern city of Cali. Throughout Colombia, there have been >reports of widespread disruption to public transport. In districts of >Bogota, the lack of transport forced many people to improvise, piling in >pick-up trucks and cycling or walking to get to work. >However, despite these sporadic incidents, protesters have seemingly failed >to disrupt key sectors of the economy. Most public schools were closed for >the day, but production at Colombia's oil fields and refineries was reported >to be running normally, as were telephone services. >Despite the Medellin pylon bomb, the threat from Marxist rebel factions to >mount a series of co-ordinated attacks has also seemingly failed to emerge. >--Unpopular policies >It was the sixth strike against President Andres Pastrana's unpopular >economic policies, which some critics blame for creating the highest >unemployment rate in Latin America. >The strike follows the announcement by Colombia's new Finance Minister Juan >Manuel Santos, that he would introduce a series of belt-tightening measures. >The minister has pledged a 2001 budget of "sweat and tears", cut 5,000 >public-sector jobs and frozen wage increases below the rate of inflation. >However Colombian unions believe the policy is designed to soften the impact >of recent economic problems on the country's middle class. >"This strike is a protest strike and a political act designed to send the >message to the government that we're no longer prepared to carry the weight >of the rich on our shoulders," said the leader of the main public sector >union, Wilson Borja. >--Economic slump >Colombia's traditionally buoyant economy shrank 4.5% last year, its worst >performance since records began in 1905. The economy grew in the first >quarter this year, but this was partly due to public spending cuts imposed >following a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). >The loan was intended to help Colombia introduce free market reforms and >modernise its economy. But unions say that Colombia's unemployment rate of >20.4% - the highest in Latin America - is proof that the government's >economic strategy is not working. > _____ > >August 3, 2000, CNN News >Clashes in Colombia during general strike >BOGOTA, Colombia -- A national 24-hour strike Thursday to protest Colombia's >unpopular austerity measures and record unemployment saw 700,000 workers >walk off their jobs, street battles with police, and a heavy presence of >riot police and tanks in Colombia's captial of Bogota. >Police confronted workers in four cities around the country, firing water >cannon and tear gas. One worker in the southwestern city of Cali suffered a >bullet wound, labor leaders said. Oil workers, teachers, medical staff, >telecommunications workers and government administrative workers were among >those backing the strike. >It was the sixth strike against President Andres Pastrana's deeply unpopular >economic policies, blamed by critics for causing the highest unemployment >rate in Latin America. >The strike also represented the first challenge for new Finance Minister >Juan Manuel Santos, who has pledged a 2001 budget of "sweat and tears," >including 5,000 public-sector job cuts and wage increases below the >inflation rate. >There were no reports that strikers had disrupted key economic sectors in >the war-torn nation, nor that warring Marxist rebel factions had timed >attacks to coincide with the strike, which militant Communist Party union >chiefs had organized. Interior Minister Humberto de la Calle downplayed the >strike's impact, saying daily activity was "close to what is normal" > Citizens of southern Bogota line up to wait for transportation on >Thursday after bus service shut down Most public schools were closed >for the day but production in Colombia's oil fields and refineries was >reported to be normal, as were telephone services. >Preparing for the worst, however, security forces were out in force in >Bogota, utilizing tanks and riot police to guard key routes. >In Colombia's central coffee-growing region, Indian and peasant protesters >blocked a highway, and Marxist rebels bombed a high-voltage power pylon in >the northwestern industrial hub of Medellin, a police spokesman said. >Wilson Borja, leader of the main public-sector union FENALTRASE said union >leaders were sending a message to President Pastrana that they were not >ready to let workers suffer the worst of Colombia's economic crisis. >Indefinite strike threatened "The government has been warned (with this >strike)," Borja said. "What's coming now is an indefinite, nationwide state >workers'strike." >Next week union leaders are likely to set a date for an indefinite strike, >Borja said. "We will not allow them to fire any more workers," he declared. >Colombia's traditionally buoyant economy shrank 4.5 percent in 1999 -- the >worst year since records began in 1905. >The economy grew in the first quarter this year thanks partly to sweeping >public spending cuts imposed as a result of a loan deal with the >Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF). But urban unemployment >was 20.4 percent, the highest in the hemisphere. >Tanks patrolling street In Bogota, the impact of Thursday's strike was most >visible in working-class neighborhoods in the south. In the southern Soacha >neighborhood, four tanks patrolled the main highway -- a key entry point to >the capital from the nearby mountain region of Sumapaz, a Marxist rebel >stronghold. >Public transportation ground to a halt, forcing citizens to pile aboard >pickup trucks, cycle or walk to work. >Some 15,000 workers marched through downtown Bogota and massed in the >central Plaza Bolivar square outside Congress waving banners and chanting >anti-government slogans. >The strike is the first since the Soviet-inspired Revolutionary Armed Forces >of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group launched its clandestine political >movement, the Bolivarian Movement For a New Colombia. >The movement, which military top brass has described as a "party for war," >is designed to forge closer ties between the armed revolutionary "vanguard" >and civilian mass organizations such as unions, student groups and >neighborhood committees. >There was no indication that the FARC, Latin America's largest surviving >rebel army, was helping coordinate Thursday's protest. Since the U.S. >Congress approved a record $1.3 billion package of mostly military aid to >help Colombia fight drugs and guerrillas, the FARC repeatedly has attacked >police outposts around the country. >The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. > > > > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------<e|- >Best friends, most artistic, class clown Find 'em here: >http://click.egroups.com/1/8014/3/_/22961/_/966380066/ >--------------------------------------------------------------------|e>- > >Knowledge is Power! >Elimination of the exploitation of man by man >http://www.egroups.com/group/pttp/ >POWER TO THE PEOPLE! > >Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Change Delivery Options: >http://www.egroups.com/mygroups > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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