En Camino

Official reports called it a “comfortable” victory for President Alvaro Uribe. Of the 100 contested seats for the Colombian senate, Uribe’s supporters obtained 61 seats while those counted as opposition (Liberals and the leftist Polo Democratico Alternativo) obtained 29 seats, while “Independent” parties obtained the remaining 10 seats. At the Chamber of Representatives, the seats went 91 for Uribe, 45 for opposition and 30 for independents of the total 166 seats. In practical terms, this means that Uribe counts with an absolute majority for the upcoming legislative agenda which includes ratification of the recently signed Free Trade Agreement with the USA and a number of reforms that will facilitate corporate control over wealth, resources and territories, as well as savings, investments and cheap labor.

Naomi Klein wrote an article for the Nation on Manuel's case and Cauca more generally. It is archived at ZNet here.

It was also republished in Toronto's NOW Magazine. That link is here.

Here is a radio interview with Manuel - en espanol - by Radio Nizkor.

The Price of Our Struggle: Individuals and Groups, using threats and dirty war, seek to silence us

Action Alert

Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca (ACIN)

October 29, 2005

The Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca (ACIN) –CXAB WALA KIWE, announces the following to national and international public opinion.

1. In the past several days, a wave of threats has fallen over various of our community members, leaders, and authorities. To us this translates to a clear message that there are those who seek to destabilize the process of the indigenous communities in the northern zone of the department of Cauca.

Silence from the media is expected. But what of the silence from the 'left', while massacres are going on?

Anthony Fenton
March 15, 2004

One thing we didn’t have during the 1991-94 *original* Aristide coup years was the World Wide Web. Back then, leftists could [maybe] be forgiven for their ignorance toward Haitian realities. This time around, there is no excuse. Where between 91-94 there was a relative dearth of insight and analysis into the actualities of the coup and its aftermath, in the lead up to and following the recent coup, we have seen a boon of such articles. In general, alternative, independent media ought to be commended for this.

are well-researched and documented and put the journalists (who rarely answer him at all and when they do, answer wholly inadequately) he debates to shame. Because his letters are so frequent and so well done, we collect them here, as he writes them. We hope the letters, and the frequently outrageous responses from the journalists (as well as the much more frequent silences), are instructive.

Mar 11, 2004 to the Globe and Mail

Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 23:10:24 EST
To: egreenspon@globeandmail.ca
Subject: Associated Press on Haiti

Mr. Greenspon:

The AP is relentless in pushing the view that Aristide became unpopular. When will you stop spreading their lies?

September 6 , 2003

We present some notes collected on critical events during the summer in Central America.

Costa Rica [From the San Jose (Costa Rica) Daily, Nacion]

On July 14, some 15 Costa Rican police agents tried to arrest a group of about 80 campesinos on the Bambuzal estate, owned by Standard Fruit, the US banana company, in Rio Frio, Sarapiqui, Heredia. Just four days earlier, on July 10, authorities had evicted 166 families who had been occupying the Bambuzal estate since December 2001. The July 14 incident happened after water authorities cut off water to a nearby store where the campesinos had set up camp following the eviction. Violence erupted after the police arrived and chased the campesinos back onto the Bambuzal estate…

CONAIE

August 6 , 2003

In the face of the most recent declarations and actions of President Lucio Gutiérrez, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador, CONAIE) proclaims the following:

The government has betrayed the mandate given to it by the Ecuadorian people in the last elections. This mandate envisioned the defense of national sovereignty, of natural resources, the reactivation of the economy with an eye towards equity, and a commitment to peace. Instead, during these last six months, the government of Lucio Gutiérrez has maintained a position contrary to the national interest by signing a Letter of Intent with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in which he pledged: