ELL: U'wa come to LA to confront Oxy shareholders!

Thu Apr 27 09:11:34 UTC 2000

IN THIS ALERT:
1) Call to join U'wa leaders at Oxy's annual meeting in Los Angeles on
April 28th, 2000.
2) Urgent alert to write/fax/call Colombian President Pastrana to take
positive action for the U'wa
---------------------------------------------------

JOIN ROBERTO PEREZ, PRESIDENT OF THE U'WA TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY, AND
BERITO KUWARU'WA, INTERNATIONAL SPOKESPERSON, IN THEIR STRUGGLE FOR
LIFE. TAKE A STAND FOR THE U'WA AND TELL OXY TO STAY OUT OF U'WA LAND.

The U'wa are adamantly opposed to Oxy drilling on their land. It is
predicted that the project will lead to increased violence and
environmental destruction as seen in other oil regions of Colombia. Oxy
has initiated their project and moved equipment into the area with the
help of the Colombian military. The U'wa have responded, by blockading
roads to the site. Last month, three indigenous children died as a
result of a military action intended to break up the blockade. The U'wa
are calling for increased international support and solidarity. We are
calling on Oxy investors to divest. In a major victory for the U'wa,
Colombian courts ordered Oxy to halt all operations on March 30th. Oxy
is appealing the decision, but the resistance continues. Let's keep Oxy
out of U'wa land for good!
-------------------------------------------------

SUPPORT THE U'WA PEOPLE IN THEIR STRGGLE FOR LIFE

DEMONSTRATION ON APRIL 28TH, 2000 AT OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM'S ANNUAL
MEETING

WHEN: 8:30AM - 12:30PM

WHERE: SANTA MONICA CIVIC AUDITORIUM, PICO AND MAIN IN SANTA MONICA

DRUM, CHANT, AND SING ALONG WITH HUNDREDS OF U'WA SUPPORTERS AS WE CALL
FOR A TOTAL
DIVESTMENT FROM OCCIDENTAL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------

URGENT ACTION ALERT! ---- URGENT ACTION ALERT!

 A Colombian court has issued an injunction prohibiting Occidental from
further work on its oil well until an administrative court can make a
permanent ruling on the legality of the drilling license. In issuing the
injunction, the judge stated that the U'wa's "fundamental rights" may be
violated if Oxy's project goes forward. If the appellate court overturns
the injunction, the U'wa will face an increasingly grave situation.
 The U'wa have suspended all negotiations with the government until the
government is willing to discuss revoking Oxy's drilling license.
 The U'wa are calling for increased international support, asking
activists to contact Colombian President Pastrana and urge him to
protect the U'wa's rights by permanently revoking Occidental's drilling
license.
 Roberto Perez, President of the U'wa people, wants to increase the
pressure on Oxy to cancel the project on U'wa ancestral territory.

Now is the time to show your support for the U'wa people by:
- Sending a fax to the Colombian Embassy TODAY!
- Attending the Occidental Shareholders Annual General Meeting (flyer on
reverse) and taking a stand for the U'wa!

For more info contact -
Lauren Sullivan, lsullivan at ran.org or
patrick reinsborough organize at ran.org
DOWNLOADABLE MATERIALS AT www.ran.org and www.amazonwatch.org

Addresses below, letter to follow:
 President Andres Pastrana, c/o Ambassador Luis Roberto Moreno, Embassy
of Colombia, 2118 Leroy Place, NW, Washington, D.C. 20008 USA, Phone
(202) 387 8338, Fax: (202) 232-8643, (202) 387-0176
 Juan Mayr Ministro del Medio Ambiente, Tel:+57-1-3361166,
+57-1-2886877, +57-1-2840363 Juan_Mayr_M at hotmail.com Jmayr at minamb.gov.co
 Madeleine K. Albright, State Department, 2201 C St. NW Washington, DC
20520, Fax: 202-261-8577
 Dr. Nstor Humberto Martnez Neira Ministro del Interior, Ministerio
del Interior Carrera 8 No.8-09 Piso 2, Santa Fe de Bogota, COLOMBIA,
Fax: (011) 571 286 8025, 281 5884, 342 3201
 Luis Fernando Ramirez Ministro de la Defensa, Ministerio de Defensa
Nacional, Avenida El Dorado con carrera 52 CAN, Santa Fe de Bogota,
Tel-fax (571 ) 222 18 74, Email de la Secretaria General:
infprotocol at mindefensa.gov.co
 US EMBASSY IN BOGOTA- Carrera 45 # 22D-45, Bogot, D.C. Colombia,
(571) 315-2197

Dear President Pastrana,
The injunction suspending Occidental Petroleum's project on U'wa
territory is a welcome demonstration of the Colombian judiciary's
independence and commitment to protecting human and cultural rights.
Moreover, it is a positive step towards decreasing the conflict in the
region. I urge you to demonstrate a similar commitment to fundamental
rights by nurturing a participatory and peaceful decision making
process, one which addresses and considers all possible outcomes to this
issue, including the revocation of Occidental's license, and
cancellation of the project. All options must be considered at the
negotiating table. President Pastrana, I believe that this issue is an
opportunity for you to demonstrate your stated commitment to improving
the human rights performance of your army and national police and to
uphold the constitutionally guaranteed rights of indigenous people to
shape development in their region. I respectfully urge you and your
administration to address serious ongoing human rights violations and to
ensure the individual and collective safety and rights of the U'wa.

In particular, I request that your administration:

1. Immediately remove its military presence from the U'wa territory.
2. Take special steps to ensure that any military troops in the area of
the U'wa territory fully respect the rights
of the U'wa community.
3. Ensure that the injunction handed down by the 11th Circuit Court of
Bogota on March 30, 2000 in favor of the temporary preventative
suspension of Occidental and Ecopetrol's project at Gibraltar 1 be
implemented at the construction site itself.
4. Engage in an on-going dialogue and consultation process directly with
the U'wa community to discuss the revocation of the project's
environmental license, ultimate cancellation of the project, and
alternatives to oil exploitation for economic, social, and cultural
development of the region.
5. Return to the U'wa community the Bella Vista and Santa Rita farms, to
which the community holds lawful title.

I thank you for your immediate attention to this critical issue.

Sincerely,

----------------------------------------------------------------
                       Nicholas   Ostler
                           President
              Foundation for Endangered Languages
                  Registered Charity 1070616

             Batheaston Villa,  172 Bailbrook Lane
             Bath           BA1 7AA        England
             +44-1225-85-2865 fax +44-1225-85-9258
                  nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk
       http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Philosophy/CTLL/FEL/

----
Endangered-Languages-L Forum: endangered-languages-l at carmen.murdoch.edu.au
Web pages http://carmen.murdoch.edu.au/lists/endangered-languages-l/
Subscribe/unsubscribe and other commands: majordomo at carmen.murdoch.edu.au
----