And now:LISN <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Subject: URGENT Life or Death for the U'wa! Oct 12 Take Action!
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 05:47:40 -0500
From: "Patrick Reinsborough" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
please circulate
############### U'WA DEFENSE WORKING GROUP ACTION ALERT! ###############
“We are seeking an explanation for this ‘progress’ that goes against
life.
We are demanding that this kind of progress stop, that oil exploitation
in
the heart of the Earth is halted, that the deliberate bleeding of the
Earth
stop...we ask that our brothers and sisters from other races and
cultures
unite
in the struggle that we are undertaking...we believe that this struggle
has
to become a global crusade to defend life.”
- Statement of the U’wa people, August, 1998
COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT OKS OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM PROJECT TO DRILL ON U'WA
LAND!
OCTOBER 12TH CELEBRATE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY WITH ACTION FOR THE U'WA
Contents :
1. Action Alert - Drilling on U'wa Land Imminent
2. Background information on the U’wa struggle
3. Sample Letters to Oxy and Colombian Government
#1.
On September 21st Colombia's Environment Minister Juan Mayr announced he
was granting a permit for Occidental Petroleum to begin exploratory
drilling
on the U'wa ancestral homelands. The U'wa have denounced the
government's
decision as cultural and environmental genocide. This permit removes the
final legal obstacle to Occidental's plans to drill and pushes the U'wa
one
step closer to their last resort pledge of committing mass suicide.
For several years now the U'wa have been an inspiring symbol of
ecological
sanity and indigenous resistance to the oil industry's relentless
invasion
of the final remote corners of the planet. The U'wa have maintained
their
stand despite harassment, intimidation, a brutal assault on their
spokesperson and the murder of three of their supporters. A worldwide
solidarity movement forced Royal Dutch Shell to withdraw from the
project
and has stalled the efforts of LA-based Occidental Petroleum to begin
drilling. Until now. With approval from the Colombian government
drilling
on U'wa land is imminent. A global solidarity movement is needed to
pressure
the Colombian government and Occidental to cancel the project.
In Colombia where a 30 year civil war has claimed the lives of 25,000
people this decade alone, oil and violence spread hand in hand. Oil
installations are popular targets for the guerillas and as such bring de
facto military occupations along with the inevitable ecological
devastation
from ongoing bombing. For the U'wa oil is the blood of Mother Earth and
therefore to drill is the ultimate desecration of their ancient
traditions
of living in peaceful balance with the Earth.
The U'wa remain strong in their determination to protect their culture
and
sacred homelands but they need your help.
HERE ARE WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET INVOLVED :
1)CONTACT OCCIDENTAL AND THE COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT (See sample letters
below)
Dr. Ray R. Irani, President and CEO
Occidental Petroleum
10889 Wilshire Blv.
LA, CA 90024
fax 310.443.6690
ph. 310.208.8800
email : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Presidente Andres Pastrana
Casa Presidencial
Bogota, Colombia
fax +571.334.1940 (direct) or 202.387.0176 (c/o Embassy in Washington
D.C.)
phone (Embassy in D.C.) 202-332-7476
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Environment Minister Juan Mayr can be reached at :
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
2) ORGANIZE IN YOUR COMMUNITY FOR OCTOBER 12
We need to show Occidental AND the Colombian government that activists
around the world will stand with the U'wa to prevent the destruction of
their culture and homeland . The best way to do this is to have a strong
presence at Colombian consulates and embassies around the world. If you
live near a consulate please call them up and ask for a meeting with the
consul. Organize a vigil, demonstration or direct action.
Colombian Consulates are in the following North American cities as well
as
many national capitals around the world :
Boston, Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, Houston, New Orleans, Chicago,
Miami, Washington D.C. Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto and San Juan, Puerto
Rico
If you are not in a city with a Colombian government office :
* Organize fax blasts, phone zaps, a letter writing table
* Screen the 10 minute documentary "The Thin Green Line" on the U'wa and
the murder last March of U'wa Defense Working Group founder Terry
Freitas.
* Organize a teach-in on the threat the U'wa face from fossil fuel
consumption
and U.S. sponsered militarism. Connect the issue to the struggles of
indigenous
people everywhere to defend their homelands from resource extraction.
* Reproduce U'wa communiqués (available upon request) the background
article
below
or publish your own article. Write letters to the editor. Announce
the issue at your local activist gathering. Do whatever you can to
spread
the story of the U'wa's inspiring resistance.
Fact sheets and other campaign materials are available on
the RAN website WWW.RAN.ORG <http://www.RAN.ORG>
Please call or email for hard copies, additional information and to
coordinate your local actions with other supporters. Contact
Patrick Reinsborough at [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or call us at
415-398-4404 or 1-800-989-RAIN
3) Come to Los Angeles and help staff campaign offices,
organize and plug into local mobilizations targeting Occidental.
Contact RAN's LA office - 310-392-7656 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
or Amazon Watch - 310-456-1340 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Please take action now.
It is nothing less than a matter of life or death for the U'wa.
###
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#2.
BACKGROUND ON THE U'WA PEOPLE AND THEIR CAMPAIGN
"We will in no way sell our Mother Earth, to do so would be to give up
our
work of collaborating with the spirits to protect the heart of the
world,
which sustains and gives life to the rest of the universe, it would be
to go
against our own origins, and those of all existence."
- Statement of the U'wa People, August 1998
The U’wa of the Colombian cloud forest are in a life-and-death struggle
to
protect their traditional culture and sacred homeland from an oil
project
slated to begin on their land at anytime. The U’wa are adamantly opposed
to
the drilling and warn that the project will lead to an increase in
violence
as seen in other oil regions of Colombia. Despite this, Los
Angeles-based
Occidental Petroleum and the Colombian government continue to move
forward
with plans to drill. The U’wa have made a call for international
support;
now is the time for us to answer.
The U’wa’s opposition to the oil project is so strong that they have
vowed
to commit collective suicide if Occidental Petroleum and the Colombian
government proceed with the project on their ancestral lands. The U’wa,
a traditional people some 5,000 members strong, explain they prefer a
death
by their own hand than the slow death to their environment and culture
that
oil production will bring. A core tenet of U’wa culture and spirituality
is
the belief that the land that has sustained them for centuries is
sacred.
They strongly believe that to permit oil exploration on these sacred
lands
would upset the balance of the world. In the words of the U’wa, “Oil is
the
blood of Mother Earth...to take the oil is, for us, worse than killing
your
own mother. If you kill the Earth, then no one will live.”
The U’wa people’s struggle exploded into the public arena last March
with
the
tragic murders in Colombia of three indigenous rights activists:
Terence Freitas, Ingrid Washinawatok and Lahe’ane’e Gay. Terence was one
of
the
founders of the U'wa Defense Working Group and had devoted
the last two years of his life to supporting the U’wa in their campaign
to
stop Occidental’s oil project, reclaim their ancestral homeland and
protect
their traditional culture. Ingrid and Lahe’ane’e were coordinating with
the
U’wa to launch an educational project designed to maintain and promote
the
U’wa’s traditional way-of-life.
These murders and the intimidation the U'wa have already persevered are
but
a harbinger of the wider physical violence the oil project will bring to
their people. Throughout Colombia, oil and violence are linked
inextricably.
Occidental’s Caño Limón pipeline, just north of U’wa territory, has been
attacked by leftist guerillas more than 600 times in its 13 years of
existence, spilling some 1.7 million barrels of crude oil into the soil
and
rivers. The Colombian government has militarized oil production and
pipeline
zones, often persecuting local populations the government assumes are
helping the guerrillas. Oil projects have already taken their toll on
many
other indigenous peoples of Colombia, including the Yarique, Kofan and
Secoya.
The current drilling plans threaten the survival of both the U’wa and
their
environment. The U’wa’s cloud forest homeland in the Sierra Nevada de
Cocuy
mountains near the Venezuelan border is one of the most delicate,
endangered
forest ecosystems on the planet. It is an area rich in plant and animal
life
unique to the region, and the U’wa depend on the balance and bounty of
the
forest for their survival. Where oil companies have operated in other
regions of the Amazon basin, cultural decay, toxic pollution, land
invasions
and massive deforestation have followed.
Occidental first received an exploration license for the 2 billion
barrels
oil field- the equivalent of three months of U.S. consumption -in 1992.
Since then, the U’wa have voiced their consistent opposition to the oil
project. They have taken a variety of actions to halt the project
including
the filing of lawsuits against the government in Colombia, petitioning
the
Organization of American States to intervene, appealing directly with
Occidental’s top executives, and reaching out to company shareholders.
Last April U'wa representatives came to Los Angeles to directly confront
Occidental. Along with several hundred supporters the U'wa marched on
Oxy's HQ and demanded a meeting with CEO Ray Irani. When they were
refused
entry activists occupied the street in front of the building and held an
inspirational rally on Oxy's front steps. Two days later on April 30th
while the U'wa spoke at Occidental's shareholder meeting there were
demonstrations at Colombian consulates and embassies around the world.
The U.S has very strong ties with Colombia. Not only does Colombia sell
most of its oil to the U.S. market but under the auspices of the "War on
Drugs" U.S. military aid to the repressive regime in Colombia continues
to
grow. This year Colombia received $289 million in aid making them the
third
largest recipient of U.S. military aid in the world after Israel and
Egypt.
The U.S already has hundreds of military advisors in Colombia and the
Clinton administration is proposing to give Colombia an additional $1.5
billion dollars.
In August the Colombian government expanded the U'wa legal reserve.
However
the expansion includes only a portion of the U'wa traditional territory
and
most significantly the new borders were drawn in such a way as to place
the
sight of Occidental's first drill site just outside of the reserve
boundaries. The Colombian government is cynically using this
bureaucratic
slight-of-hand to maintain that drilling will not happen on U'wa land.
With drilling imminent and in the face of mounting violence in the
region
the urgency of the U’wa’s struggle has never been so great. The U'wa
need
all of us to support them in their struggle. Spread the word. Tell their
story. Educate. Organize. Contact Occidental and the Colombian
government .
Demand they cancel the project now!
###
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#3.
SAMPLE LETTERS
Dr Ray Irani, President and CEO
Occidental Petroleum Corporation
10889 Wilshire Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90024
or Via fax: (310) 443 6922
Dear Dr. Irani,
I am writing to express my deep concern with Occidental Petroleum's
continued plans to drill for oil in the ancestral territory of the U'wa
people in Colombia. The U'wa have threatened to commit collective
suicide if
Occidental moves forward with drilling. For the sake of the lives and
land
of the U'wa people and of the peace process in Colombia, please
immediately
suspend all operations in the U'wa ancestral territory.
The U'wa people believe that oil is the blood of mother earth. They
have
repeatedly and adamantly explained to your company that they are utterly
opposed to your plans to drill for oil on their sacred territory. It is
time
that Oxy accept the full extent of U'wa traditional territory, as
defined by
the U'wa themselves and withdraw from all efforts to drill in the Samore
block. Oxy's continuing failure to suspend operations is in blatant
violation of the recommendations of the 1997 OAS/Harvard report. There
is
ample opportunity to support Colombia in building energy
self-sufficiency.
We encourage you to do so by canceling your plans to exploit the Samore
region and investing instead in renewable energy options.
The fate of an entire indigenous civilization is in your hands. The
U'wa
deserve to live free from the inevitable violence and ecological
devastation
that oil drilling will bring. I urge you to look to your heart and
cancel
the project. The world is watching and waiting for you to do the right
thing.
Sincerely,
[your name]
---------
LETTER TO PRESIDENT PASTRANA.
Presidente Andres Pastrana
Casa Presidencial
Bogota, Colombia
Dear Honorable President :
I am deeply troubled to learn that your government has granted
Occidental
Petroleum an environmental license for oil exploration at the Gibraltar
1
drill site which is in the traditional territory of the U'wa people. As
you
are aware, the U'wa are adamantly opposed to any oil activities within
their
homelands as it poses a serious threat to their physical and cultural
survival . I strongly urge you to reconsider your government's decision
to
grant this environmental license since allowing drilling will cause
irreparable harm to the U'wa people, culture and territory.
Granting a license for drilling on the U'wa's traditional territory -
particularly so close to their legally recognized reserve - constitutes
a
grave disregard for their deep spiritual and cultural ties to their
land.
Oil drilling will also threaten the U'wa by escalating conflict in the
region.
Oil facilities are a magnet for militarization and attacks by guerrilla
factions,
which has catastrophic environmental and social impacts for local
communities.
Oxy's Caño Limón pipeline has been bombed more than 600 times over the
last
13
years, with a new attack occurring on average once a week. You must
cancel
this
project before it leads to a significant increase in violence against
the
peaceful U'wa and other local peoples.
As one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world,
Colombia
has much to gain from reorienting current development plans towards
strategies
which foster ecological conservation rather than destruction. By
letting
the
U'wa continue to live undisturbed, you are making a priceless investment
in
cultural and biological diversity for Colombia's future. Now is your
opportunity
to take a regional leadership role in developing sustainable, renewable
energy
sources, rather than sacrificing ecologically and culturally sensitive
areas
to
new petroleum exploitation.
International civil society is carefully monitoring the U'wa case. Your
resolution of this delicate situation will either be a critical step
towards
promoting indigenous rights and environmental preservation or will be
forever seen as enabling one of the worst in a long line of human and
ecological tragedies. Your leadership in this important case is
anxiously
awaited.
Thank you for your concern and action on behalf of the U'wa people and
their
traditional territory. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
###
U’wa Defense Working Group Members:
Amazon Watch, Action Resource Center, Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund,
EarthWays Foundation, International Law Project for Human Environmental
&
Economic Defense, Project Underground, Rainforest Action Network, Sol
Communications
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