(Version espanol sigue al ingles.)

1- U'wa Communique, Cubara, April 3, 2000
2- ONIC -Call for Action- Indigenous Senators on Hunger Strike

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U'wa Communique
from the Traditional Authorities of the U'wa People
Cubara April 3, 2000

The Traditional Authories of the U'wa People, the Asssociation ASOU"WA and
the social organizations that have been mobilized for the last 43 days
exercising our constitutional rights to assembly and peaceful protest and
those of us who have blocked the road to Soberania in the Cubara Boyaca, in
defense of our thousand-year-old culture, the environment and national
sovereignty, inform public opinion of the following:

- That the only objective of the mobilization of the indigenous people and
the social organizations is to save our lives, the environment and the
national sovereignty and that this mobilization today becomes an act of
justice in view of the injunction in favor of the U'wa cause, granted by
the judge of the 11 circuit court of Bogota. As organized communities, we
celebrate the justice and fairness of this decision.

- We inform public opinion that the news of this decision strengthens our
mobilization and ratifies our determination to continue to mobilize until
we are informed of the final verdict of this legal process.

- The objectives of our mobilization are so important that we have achieved
the concern and support of the international community including the
European Parliament as well as environmental NGOs and human rights
organizations in Sweden, Canada, Germany, France, China, Spain, Belgium and
the Native Americans of the United States, all of whom have recommended and
demanded that the Colombian Government and Occidental Petroleum respect the
conventions signed by the Colombian government with the International Labor
Organization (Indigenous Legislation, Convention 169).

- We publicly denounce the attitude of Major Mauricio Perez Lobo Guerrero
and the troops under his command of the XVIII Brigade who have insulted the
mobilization just because we blocked his personal car and repressed us in
the following manners:

- Arbitrary seizures of lodging and encampments. - Detention of indigenous
persons because of lack of identification documents, even though according
to the constitution and indigenous culture, indigenous people are not
required to carry personal identification documents. - Detention of
civilians that assembly for more than two hours. - Verbal intimidation by
soldiers that said "walk in single file so with one shot we can kill
several of you ... and ... prepare yourselves for the night, that's when
we'll see if you can endure the military exercises that we're going to stage."

In view of these intimidations and repression by the security forces , we
demand the permanent presence of observers of the Ombudsman of the People
and the Attorney General of the Nation to assure our guaranteed rights and
the free exercise of our constitutional rights. At the same time, we
reaffirm the peaceful nature of our mobilization and our demonstrated
respect for the institutions, and manifest that we are not willing to
tolerate the arrogance of the security forces and persons intent on
sabotaging our mobilization.

POPULAR RESISTANCE FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE U'WA CULTURE AND NATIONAL
SOVEREIGNTY

Signed, U'wa Traditional Authorities: BOHUO TEGRIA ASRAYU BOKOTA KONIZO
COBARIA KUIRASIRU BARROSA For the social organizations: CUT (Unified
Federation of Workers) SubDirector of Arauca ADUC CRIA ASOJER ASOJUNTAS

------------- Espanol

Cubara, Abril 3 de 2000

COMUNICADO AL A OPINION PUBLICA

Las autoridades tradicionales del cabildo mayor U`WA, la Asociacion ASOU`WA
y las Organizaciones Sociales, que estamos movilizados hace 43 dias
ejerciendo el derecho constitucional a la movilizacion y la protesta
pacifica y quienes bloqueamos la ruta de la Soberania en el Municipio de
Cubara Boyaca, en defensa de la cultura milenaria, el medio ambiente y la
soberania nacional, nos permitimos manifestar a la opinion publica los
siguientes aspectos:

Que la movilizacion que realizamos indigenas y organizaciones sociales con
el unico objetivo de preservar la vida, el medio ambiente y la soberania
nacional se transforma hoy en un acto de justicia a traves del fallo de
tutela a favor de la causa U`WA, emitido por la juez 11 del circuito de
Bogota. Accion juridica de equidad que valoramos y resaltamos como
comunidades organizadas.

Manifestamos a la opinion publica que esta noticia fortalece nuestra
movilizacion y ratifica hoy mas que nunca nuestra posicion indeclinable de
mantenernos movilizados, hasta conocer el veredicto final dentro del
proceso juridico de las instancias.

Es de reconocer que los objetivos de nuestra movilizacion son tan
importantes que han logrado la sensibilizacion y apoyo internacional,
quienes se han pronunciado a favor de nuestra causa, entre ellos tenemos
Parlamento Europeo, al igual que ONGs ambientalistas y de derechos humanos
de paises como Suecia, Canada, Alemania, Francia, China, Espana, Belgica y
etnias de Estados Unidos; quienes han recomendado y exigido al gobierno
colombiano y a la multinacional el respeto por los convenios firmados por
el gobierno colombiano con la OIT (Legislacion Indigena, convenio 169).

Denunciamos publicamente la actitud del mayor Mauricio Perez Lobo Guerrero
y los hombres bajo su mando pertenecientes a la brigada XVIII, quienes
ultrajaron a la poblacion movilizada, solo por el hecho de no dejar pasar
un vehiculo particular a su servicio, tomando como represion las siguientes
medidas:

Requisas arbitrarias a los alojamientos y casinos.

Retencion de indigenas por falta de documentacion, cuando
constitucionalmente y por cultura no estan obligados a portar documentos
personales.

Retencion de personal civil movilizado por mas de dos horas.

Intimidaciones verbales, por parte de los soldados, que espresaron "...
caminen en fila porque con un solo tiro matamos a varios ... y ...
preparense para la noche, haber si son capaces de resistir el simulacro que
vamos a realizar".

Ante estas intimidaciones y represion por parte de la fuerza publica
exigimos la permanencia en nuestra movilizacion de veedores de la
Defensoria y Procuraduria General de la Nacion, que nos presten garantias y
el ejercicio de los derechos constitucionales. A la vez ratificamos el
caracter pacifico de nuestra movilizacion y el respeto demostrado a las
instituciones, pero no estamos dispuestos a tolerar la arrogancia por parte
de miembros de la fuerza publica y de personas que intenten sabotear
nuestra movilizacion.

POR LA PRESERVACION DE LA CULTURA U´WA Y SOBERANIA NACIONAL ... RESISTENCIA
POPULAR

AUTORIDADES TRADICIONALES U`WAS BOHUO TEGRIA ASRAYU BOKOTA KONIZO COBARIA
KUIRASIRU BARROSA POR LAS ORGANZIACIONES SOCIALES CUT Subdirectiva Arauca
ADUC CRIA ASOJER ASOJUNTAS

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Bogota, Colombia
April 5th, 2000

National Indigenous Organization of Colombia
ONIC

WE DEMAND THE URGENT FORMATION OF A GOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION OF THE HIGHEST
LEVEL SINCE THE LIVES OF FOUR INDIGENOUS MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ARE AT STAKE
DUE TO A HUNGER STRIKE THEY BEGAN YESTERDAY

Indigenous Senators and Members of Congress, JESUS PINACUE, FRANCISCO ROJAS
BIRRY, JHONY APARICIO and LEONARDO CAICEDO, finished their first day of a
hunger strike in the National Congress in response to the danger of
extinction of the U'wa and Embera Katio indigenous people affected by
actions of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of the Environment
and, in general, the policies of the National Government that disregard
the Fundamental Rights consecrated in the Political Constitution and by
Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization, ratified by Law 21
in 1991 that stipulates that the State must Consult the Indigneous People
about any administrative or legislative measures that affect them.

During the debate on the motion for impeachment of the Minister of the
Environment Juan Mayr, the minister justified his irregular actions and,
furthermore, announced the decision to appeal the decision of the Judge of
the 11th Circuit Court of Bogata that decided in favor of the fundamental
rights of the U'wa People. Given this situation, we have no other
alternative but to continue with the Peaceful Indigenous Uprising to
protect the life of the U'wa People and the Embera Katio.

The Peaceful Indigneous Uprising started on December 1, 1999 with the march
of the indigenous Embera Katio from their sacred territory to Bogota. The
Embera Katio arrived in the capital of the republic on December 14th, 1999
and installed a permanent protest outside the Ministry of the Environment .

This first step was complemented by the blockades of the roads from Cubará
to Pamplona by the U'was. This action was repressed by the security forces
and resulted in the death of one little girl and several disappeared
persons. Contrary to expectations, the indigenous continued the blockade
and persist in blocking the road now with the support of 3,000 farmers from
Arauca that converged in Cubará last week.

The third step was taken on April 28 with the demonstration in Armenia.
Since then protests have been more frequent and decisive. Yesterday the
peaceful occupation of the Plaza of Valle del Cauca and the blockade of the
Cali-Buenaventura road. Meanwhile the Wayuu People peacefully occupied
Mansure. The Indigenous People of the Colombia will continue with their
peaceful actions until they achieve the respect of the U'wa territory and
corresponding definitive cancelation of oil exploration and exploitation in
the Gibraltar I drill site located in the ancestral territory of the U'wa
people.

In the case of the Embera Katio, we demand that the Ministers of the
Interior, the Environment, Mines and Agriculture answer the requests of the
community so that the Embera Katio may return to their traditional land.

The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia - ONIC is committed to the
defense of life and the territorial integrity of the U'wa and Emberra People
and demands that the National Government create a Commission of the Highest
Level with the participation of the President of the Republic, or in his
place the Secretary General of the Office of the President, a High
Commisssioner of Governmental Afffairs, a High Commissioner for Peace, the
Minister of the Interior, the Minister of the Environment , Minister of
Agriculture, Minister of the Mines, Minister of National Planning and the
Minister of the Treasury to convene immmediately since the lives of the
indigenous members of Congress who are in hunger strike for the respect of
the livelihood and dignity of the indigenous peoples.

We request the monitoring and observation of the Ombudsman of the People,
the Attorney General, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the
High Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights in Colombia to
follow the development of the hunger strike and the Peaceful Indigneous
Uprising since the four members od Congress have been isolated by the
security forces, making it impossible for them to communicate with the
authorities and the indigenous organizations.

The only struggle that is lost is a struggle that is abandoned. This is why
we, the indigenous peoples, will continue in this peaceful uprising with
the dignity and respect that we deserve and that others wish to usurp.

THE INDIGNEOUS PEOPLES OF COLOMBIA ARE STRUGGLING FOR THE DEFENSE OF
INDIGNEOUS LIVES, DIGNITY AND TERRITORY

Spanish version is available by fax.

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Distribuido por: Distributed by:
'AMAZON ALLIANCE' FOR INDIGENOUS AND
TRADITIONAL PEOPLES OF THE AMAZON BASIN
1367 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036-1860
tel (202)785-3334
fax (202)785-3335
amazoncoal@igc.org
http://www.amazoncoalition.org

Disclaimer: All copyrights belong to original publisher.
The Amazon Alliance has not verified the accuracy of the forwarded message.
Forwarding this message does not necessarily connote agreement with the
positions stated there-in.

Todos los derechos de autor pertenecen al autor originario.
La Alianza Amazonica no ha verificado la veracidad de este
mensaje. Enviar este mensaje no necesariamente significa que
la Alianza Amazonica este de acuerdo con el contenido.

La Alianza Amazónica para los Pueblos Indígenas y Tradicionales de la
Cuenca Amazónica es una iniciativa nacida de la alianza entre los pueblos
indígenas y tradicionales de la Amazonía y grupos e individuos que
comparten sus preocupaciones por el futuro de la Amazonía y sus pueblos.
Las ochenta organizaciones del norte y del sur activas en la Alianza
Amazónica creen que el futuro de la Amazonía depende de sus pueblos y el
estado de su medio ambiente.

The Amazon Alliance for Indigenous and Traditional Peoples of the Amazon
Basin is an initiative born out of the partnership between indigenous and
traditional peoples of the Amazon and groups and individuals who share
their concerns for the future of the Amazon and its peoples. The eighty
non-governmental organizations from the North and South active in the
Alliance believe that the future of the Amazon depends on its peoples and
the state of their environment.
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