U'WA DEFENSE WORKING GROUP
Media Advisory: February 17, 2000
Contacts: Atossa Soltani 310-317-7045 Steve Kretzmann 510-551-7953
Lauren Sullivan 415-398-4404 Martin Wagner 415-627-6700
ext. 216
General Strike in Effect in U'wa Region in Colombia
Dead Children Named, One Body Found
In Washington, OXY Admits Payments to Guerrillas
Responding to the recent use of force by the Colombian National
Police
against the peaceful U'wa, rural workers throughout the region
begun a
general strike on February 15. Scheduled to last three days, the
strike is
being observed in the districts of Araucanos de Fortul, Saravena
y
Arauquita, as well as Cubará where businesses remained
closed and public
transportation was suspended.
The Colombian newspaper, El Tiempo reported that the body of
one of the
victims of Friday's incident, four-month old Nury Bócota,
daughter of Pastor
and Gloria Bócota, was found. The names of two other children
believed dead
were also reported as 10 year-old Jorge Anicuta and 9 year-old
Maricio Diaz.
The two were from the Guahibo indigenous community of Geareros
(Tame) who
had joined protests in solidarity with the U'wa. Search for the
other bodies
is made difficult due to the terrain and the fast current of the
Cubojón
River. The U'wa also claim a fourth infant may have died in the
clash.
Families and friends of the four-month old victim conducted
a burial service
yesterday. The children allegedly drowned after the soldiers
and anti-riot
police used tear gas, bulldozers and riot sticks to charge the
blockade,
forcing the U'wa to jump into the fast flowing Cubujón
River. The National
Police had previously denied reports of deaths as a result of
the
confrontation.
The U'wa also released the names of four U'wa who were injured
and 11
additional people reported missing following the incident. The
injured are
reported as: Maria Antoineta Ihuanito, Chela Ihuanito, Patricia
Ihuanito,
and Luis Caballero. The missing are reported as: Eleanora Herrera,
Luz Elena
Herrera, Gustavo Delgado, Wilson Diaz, Antonio Delgado, Nelson
Diaz, Edgar
Diaz, Tonio Delgado, Freddy Diaz, Alfredo Diaz, Wilson Herrera.
Meanwhile in Washington this week, Larry Meriage, Occidental
Petroleum's
Vice President of Public Affairs admitted that Oxy regularly pays
off the
Colombian Guerrillas. Testifying before the Criminal Justice,
Drug Policy
and Human Resources Subcommittee of the House of Representatives
Meriage
stated that: "[our employees] are regularly shaken down by
both the FARC and
the ELN. They are required to pay a "war tax" to both
of the guerrilla
groups or they are not able to work."
"Meriage's admission that Oxy pays the guerrillas underscores
the absurdity
of looking for oil in the middle of a war zone." said Steve
Kretzmann of
Amazon Watch. "It also reinforces what the U'wa have always
said about this
project - that it will only bring more violence to their region.
The only
responsible course of action for Oxy and the Colombian Government
is an
immediate suspension of the Samoré project pending a negotiated
settlement
that all sides are party to."
Video footage taken by the U'wa of the February 11 incident
has aired on
Colombian Television stations. Copies of any of the aforementioned
documents are available upon request.
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