From: Cabildo Mayor U'wa
Feb. 21, 2000

Association of Traditional U'wa Authorities
Communique to the General Public

As a result of the recent events that have occurred in U'wa territory, due
to the violent military and police intervention, that in past days took the
lives or three of our children and resulted in the disappearance of five
indigenous brothers, demonstrations of solidarity for our community have
continued to grow. This show of solidarity comes from all sectors of
national and international civil society, who without distinguishing race,
color, or politics, have joined in this unequal struggle against the
National Government, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Mines
and Energy and Occidental Petroleum of Colombia.

This time, support has come from groups in the farming communities of
Arauca, who have added approximately 4,000 people to the 1,200 members of
our indigenous community gathered near the Gibraltar well-site in Toledo,
Norte de Santander.

The purpose of the group gathered there is to vehemently reject the
measures taken by the National Government in favor of OXY, whose plan seeks
to subdue the U'wa culture by spearheading an oil exploration project on
our ancestral territory. Nevertheless and in spite of the many
demonstrations of support coming from all sectors of civil society, the
armed forces and police keep attempting to stop others from joining us in
solidarity to protest Occidental.

Not only have they stopped people from passing through, but they have also
thwarted the passage of vehicles that are transporting food, medicine and
other necessary resources crucial to the wellbeing of the people at the
Gibraltar site.

Because of the above mentioned facts:

1) We demand that the President of the Republic of Colombia and the
Ministry of Defense, immediately withdraw the army and the police that are
surrounding, abusing, and violating the rights of the U'wa community and
the rest of the civil population that have united with us in non-violent
protest.

2) We demand that Occidental Petroleum immediately stop all activity on
our ancestral territory, as their presence has unleashed violence against
our brothers, including the deaths of our children and of the American
indigenous rights activists Terence Frietas, Ingrid Washinawatok and Larry
Gay.

3) We demand that Occidental Petroleum and those in the media who have
called us guerrilla sympathizers, rectify these accusations immediately,
because they endanger the life of the U'wa community and of those that
support us. We fight to defend our cultural principles which benefit
society as a whole, and not those particular dark interests.

We ask that the national and international communities support our cause
which seeks to exercise the social rights of all Colombians.

Cabildo Mayor U'wa
Kuirasiru Barrosa (Traditional Authority)
Cubara, February 21, 2000

FOR LIFE, FOR MILLENNIAL RIGHTS AND FOR THE RESPECT OF NATIONAL
SOVEREIGNTY, THE U'WA OPPOSE THE MILITARY INTERVENTION IN OUR TERRITORY

____________________________

El Tiempo - February 22, 2000

2,500 People Blockade the Pamplona-Saravena Road
Blockade in Solidarity with the U'wa People

Arauca-

Some 2,500 citizens from the Sarare area occupied, since yesterday, the
small North Santander community of Gibraltar, in support of the U'wa
Indians protest against petroleum exploration in the region.

"They are maintaining the blockade of the road that leads to Pamplona
(Norte de Santander) and are taking shelter in the church, the schools and
other sites", said the mayor of the neighboring town of Boyaca, Cubara,
Cesar Hipolito Mora.

According to the public official, the people are sleeping in makeshift beds
made of sticks and plastic.

The secretary of the Association of Campesinos (ADUC), Reina Rojas, said
from Saravena (Arauca), that it is not a strike, but rather a mobilization
which involves representatives from the different guilds and unions.

"It's something undefined that will only end with a committment from the
Government to halt the petroleum exploration in the Samore Block. We ask
that the Ministers of the Environment, Juan Mayrs and of the Interior,
Nestor Humberto Martinez come and endorse this agreement", said the trade
unionist.

The Mayor of Cubara stated that the people have stored food and other
necessities which will allow them to remain there for a good period of time.

In the meantime, the mayor of Saravena (Arauca), Roberto Martin Vera,
indicated that each day that the blockade of the road between Norte de
Santander and Santander continues, the municipality sustains a loss of at
least 100 million pesos.

The conflict began the first of February when close to 450 U'wa blockaded
the same road at the Canoas and Chinita sites, after which they were
removed by the Army from the Cedeno site where the National Government
authorized petroleum exploration by the multinational Occidental.

The 11th of February, anti-riot agents dissolved the blockade of the access
road using tear gas. The indigenous people reported the deaths of three
children and the disappearance of another 11 natives during the procedure
in which two uniformed agents were injured, one of them by an arrow.
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>2.500 campesinos taponan via Pamplona-SaravenaBloqueo en solidaridad con
los u'waArauca
>
>Unos 2.500 campesinos de la zona del Sarare se tomaron desde ayer la
pequena poblacion nortesantandereana de
Gibraltar (Toledo) como apoyo a la protesta de los indigenas u'wa en contra
de la exploracion petrolera en la region.
> >"Mantienen bloqueada la via que conduce a Pamplona (Norte de Santander)
y estan refugiados en la iglesia, las escuelas
y en algunos otros sitios", dijo el alcalde de la vecina poblacion
boyacense de Cubara, Cesar Hipolito Mora.
> >Segun el funcionario, los campesinos estan durmiendo en cambuches hechos
con palos y plasticos.
> La secretaria de la Asociacion Departamental de Usuarios Campesinos
(Aduc), Reina Rojas, dijo desde Saravena
(Arauca), que no se trata de un paro, sino de una movilizacion en donde hay
personas representativas de los diferentes
gremios y sindicatos.
>>"Es algo indefinido que solo se levantara con un compromiso del Gobierno
para desistir de la exploracion petrolera en el
Bloque Samore. Que vengan los ministros del Medio Ambiente, Juan Mayrs y
del Interior, Nestor Humberto Martinez, a
suscribir ese acuerdo", dijo la sindicalista.
> El Alcalde de Cubara informo que los campesinos mantienen almacenados
alimentos y algunos otros elementos para
permanecer un buen tiempo en el lugar.
>Entretanto, el alcalde de Saravena (Arauca), Roberto Martin Vera, indico
que cada dia de bloqueo de la via que los
comunica con Norte de Santander y Santander, le reporta al municipio
perdidas de por lo menos 100 millones de pesos.
>El lio comenzo el primero de febrero cuando cerca de 450 indigenas u'wa
bloquearon esta misma via en los sitios Las
Canoas y La Chinita, luego de que fueran desalojados por el Ejercito del
sitio Cedeno en donde el Gobierno Nacional
autorizo la exploracion petrolera a la multinacional Occidental.
>El 11 de febrero, agentes antimotines disolvieron el bloqueo de la
carretera mediante el empleo de gases lacrimogenos. Los
indigenas denunciaron la muerte de tres menores y la desaparicion de otros
once nativos durante esa diligencia en la que
salieron heridos dos uniformados, uno de ellos con una flecha.

************************************************************
Distribuido por: Distributed by:
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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

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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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