From: Colombian Labor Monitor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2001 21:16:22 -0500 (CDT)
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Indigenous Mobilize in Cauca-- Canada Colombia Minga Update August
20, 2001
Dear friends of Canada and Colombia
Here is today's update. The full document is at
www.zmag.org/crisescurevts/colombia/mingacm4.htm
The website for the Minga is
www.zmag.org/crisescurevts/colombia/ccscminga.htm
As always, we thank you for your attention.
Justin Podur, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Canada Colombia Solidarity Campaign
-------------
Seventeen Thousand Indigenous Mobilize in
Cauca to Address Violence and Displacement
"The President of Colombia promised he
would end poverty and he is doing it by
killing the poor"
August 20, 2001
SANTANDER DE QUILICHAO, CAUCA- Over the weekend the
Canada-Colombia Solidarity Campaign's 'Minga for
Life and Against Violence' had the honour of
participating in an indigenous mobilization of
thousands of people. Today around 17000 people
marched to the central park of Santander de
Quilichao in Cauca, from Toez, site of the
�Dignity in Resistance� Congress of the CRIC,
the Indigenous Regional Council of Cauca.
The Congress was convened by the indigenous
authorities of Cauca to address the increasing
violence and displacement of indigenous communities
of the region.
The thousands of participants were joined by
international delegations from Canada, the USA,
Spain, and other countries. The agenda of the
Congress included: Human Rights, Armed Conflict,
Social and Economic Development, the Peace Process,
and Life Projects. 'Life Projects' ('Planes de Vida')
are the democratically designed development projects
of indigenous communities.
The final march to the central park of Santander
de Quilichao gathered indigenous, international
and local participants to listen to the Final
Declaration, which rejects the abuses committed
by all armed actors against indigenous communities.
It reinforces the commitment of CRIC to autonomy,
peace and social justice together with all popular
movements and organizations in Colombia. The Congress
and this declaration are expressions of the growing
strength and organizational capacities of indigenous
communities who have established a Civil Guard of
unarmed community members who will protect their
people without weapons.
The international group, including delegations from
Spain and the United States as well as the Canadian
'Minga for Life and Against Violence', heard testimony
of severe human rights violations and learned about
the factors underlying the murders, terror, and
displacement. The patterns include:
1) multinational and national interests
in natural resources within indigenous territories
2) disputes over these by armed actors
3) US sponsored fumigation programs
4) the victimization of indigenous, black, and peasant
communities by armed actors and by fumigation of rural
people and their crops.
Several witnesses and indigenous authorities stated that
spraying and war are not intended to end drug production
or trade but to expel local communities from their land
and deny their rights. "The President of Colombia
promised he would end poverty and he is doing it by
killing the poor" said an indigenous woman.
Canada Colombia Solidarity Campaign
for the rest of this document:
www.zmag.org/crisescurevts/colombia/mingacm4.htm
for the Minga website:
www.zmag.org/crisescurevts/colombia/ccscminga.htm
________________________________________________________________
****************************************************************
* CLM-NEWS is brought to you by the COLOMBIAN LABOR MONITOR at *
* http://www.prairienet.org/clm *
* and the CHICAGO COLOMBIA COMMITTEE *
* Email us at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or *
* Dennis Grammenos at [EMAIL PROTECTED] *
* To subscribe send request to [EMAIL PROTECTED] *
* subscribe clm-news Your Name *
****************************************************************
_________________________________________________
KOMINFORM
P.O. Box 66
00841 Helsinki
Phone +358-40-7177941
Fax +358-9-7591081
http://www.kominf.pp.fi
General class struggle news:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Geopolitical news:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
__________________________________________________
