[source: NativeNews; Wed, 13 Sep 2000 17:31:53 -0400] From: "Elsbeth Vocat" <evocat@nextron.ch> September 11, 2000 Dr. Andrés Pastrana Arango President of the Republic of Colombia Casa de Nariño Bogotá D.C. Dear Mr. President: We are profoundly concerned about recent news we have received from the U'wa community in Cubará (Boyacá, Colombia). We are aware that the anti-riot police arrived in the area on September 7. According to the U'wa , the police stated that they have an order direct from the Colombian Presidency to evict all civilians present in a 500 meter radius surrounding the exploratory well site of Gibraltar. According to the U'wa, a member of the anti-riot police said: "There must be no civilians inside a 500 meter radius of the well." Neither indigenous nor campesino leaders have yet received a written judicial or administrative eviction order. However, according to what the anti-riot police communicated to the U'wa, the purpose of the eviction is to bring in Occidental Petroleum's machinery from Saravena to the drill site. We believe that this eviction would constitute an open violation of the recent ruling of the honorable Superior Court of Norte de Santander, which authorized Occidental Petroleum's use of only the land previously set aside for such activity in a judicial order Additionally, we have learned that on September 11, the executive board of Incora created a Petroleum Reserve Zone around the the Gibaltar well site. This constitutes a new attempt to disregard the rights of the U'wa people to their traditional territory and to their communal ownership of farms to which they have legitimate, written, and duly registered titles. Considering: that Article 63 of the Colombian Constitution states that communal territory of ethnic groups is inalienable; that the land slated for petroleum exploration forms part of the immemorial patrimony of the U'wa people and of their traditional territory; and that the U'wa people were not consulted with regarding the work that is currently being carried out by Occidental Petroleum; We implore you to take action to protect the rights of the U'wa and to take action to prevent a turn of events like that which occurred on June 25th and 26th, on February 11th, and on January 25th of this year, when actions of the public forces against the U'wa resulted in the drownings of three indigenous children and caused multiple injuries to indigenous people and campesinos. We believe that the conflict between the U'wa and Occidental Petroleum must be resolved through nonviolent means, especially through consultation under the terms of Convention 169 of the International Labour Organization, which was signed and ratified by Colombia and through consideration of the terms of Article 330 and Articles 63 and 93 of the Colombian Constitution. Under no circumstances can we individuals and organizations actively defending human rights accept continued violence against the U'wa and against the people who are in solidarity with them. Sincerely: === [source: NativeNews; Thu, 14 Sep 2000 13:32:26 -0400] From: "Elsbeth Vocat" <evocat@nextron.ch> Solidarity for UWA people Please send letters, fax or email to: Dr. ANDRÉS PASTRANA, President of the Republic of Colombia, Palace of Nariño, Bogotá. Fax 00571 334 19 40. +57 1 5616580. mailto:pastrana@presidencia.gov.co -=<+>=- Tell them you support the U'was in their struggle to maintain the integrity of their ancestral lands against big oil compnay invasion and resource exploitation.. for background Search: http://ishgooda.nativeweb.org/natnews2.htm Search U'wa Ish