Honduras Coup Update from Rights Action in Honduras

Greetings folks,

Below is the latest urgent action alert from the independent human rights organization Rights Action in Honduras about the ongoing crisis in the country after the illegal coup that toppled the democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya almost two weeks ago. Tomorrow on WBAI's Wake UP Call, we will have an update on the crisis with several guests, including the co-director of Rights Action.

MAMA

HONDURAS COUP ALERT #19 – July 9, 2009

BELOW:

• URGENT ACTION: Father of boy, who was shot and killed by army during Sunday’s pro-democracy protest, has been detained by police!
• THINGS OF NOTE (from the streets of Honduras)
• CALLS TO ACTION for U.S. and Canadian citizens. Our governments must move from rhetoric to concrete measures

* * *

URGENT ACTION - Illegal Detention

This morning (July 9, 2009), Jose David Murillo Sanchez came to a leading human rights group COFADEH (Committee of Family Members of the Disappeared) to give testimony about the death of his 19 year old son, Isis Oved Murillo Mencilla, who was shot and killed by the Honduran army during the Sunday July 5th pro-democracy march, at the “Tocontin” airport.

In the COFADEH offices, he gave his testimony to the DGIC (Honduras police investigation unit). He left COFADEH at 1130am, to go home to Olancho. Witnesses came running to COFADEH soon after to say that police, in civilian clothes, detained Jose David Murillo Sanchez, put him in an unmarked car, and took him away.

COFADEH has confirmed that the DGIC detained him, for some trumped up charges from 2 years ago. Jose David Murillo Sanchez is a member of MAO, a campesino, environmental defense organization in Olancho. The DGIC seemingly agreed to take his testimony about the killing of his son as a trap, so as to detain him … part of an on-going crackdown in Honduras against members of the social movement.

Please denounce this terrible abuse, as part of your on-going activism related to the military coup in Honduras.

• More information in English: Sandra Cuffe, tel: [504] 9525-6778, lavagabunda27@yahoo.es
• More info en Espanol: ofadeh@sdnhon.org.hn, www.cofadeh.org, bertha.oliva@cofadeh.org, 8991-0259, 220-7147

* * *

THINGS OF NOTE

The pro-democracy marches continue daily. The movement is pacing itself. After the marches of 100,000 or more, last Friday, Saturday, Sunday, there have been daily marches of thousands in Tegucigalpa, Monday through Thursday. Smaller marches are occurring throughout the country. They are building towards more marches all around the country.

The pro-democracy movement has little faith in, but are respecting the "negotiations" in Costa Rica. This is not surprising. Inside Honduras, the rhetoric of the powerful pro-coup sectors (army, economic elites, hierarchy of the catholic church, most of the media (written, radio and TV) remains incredibly fixated on not giving in an inch. They have the wealth, the means of communication and the army and police. President Zelaya has stated publicly that he is "negotiating" only one thing - the date of his return, with all his powers and authority as President and with his entire government, and how the 'de facto' regime will cede power and how they will be dealt with.

Following on the decision of the U.S. government to take away recognition and diplomatic privileges of Roberto Flores Bermudez, Honduran ambassador to the United States who justified the military coup, the U.S. government has now suspended $16.5 million in military assistance programs to Honduras (according to the U.S. embassy in Tegucigalpa). From Reuters, the U.S. embassy in Honduras also said “a further $180 million in aid for Honduras could also be at risk as a result of the June 28 coup which toppled President Manuel Zelaya.”

* * *

CALL TO CONTINUE PRESSURING CANADIAN & U.S. GOVERNMENTS TO IMPLEMENT CONCRETE SANCTIONS

UNITED STATES Call to Action:

Support House Resolution on Honduras! Urge your Representative to become an original co sponsor of House Resolution demanding reinstatement of President Manuel Zelaya in Honduras!

[This action alert comes to you from the Alliance for Global Justice and its member projects, the Nicaragua Network, the Campaign for Labor Rights, the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, and the Respect for Democracy Campaign.]

Representatives James McGovern (D-MA) and Bill Delahunt (D-MA) have sent out a Dear Colleague letter to the other members of the House of Representatives asking them to sign on as original co- sponsors to a House resolution calling for the reinstatement of Manuel Zelaya as president of Honduras. See text of the letter and of the House resolution below. Call your Representative and ask him or her to sign on! The Capitol Switchboard number is: 202-224- 3121. All original co-sponsors need to be added before 5pm today. Here is some suggested language for your call:

"Please tell Representative _________________ that I urge him/her to be an original co-sponsor of the McGovern/Delahunt resolution to oppose the military led coup in Honduras. The resolution calls for the reinstatement of democracy in that country. Please contact Cliff Stammerman or Ben Dailey in Delahunt's office before close of business today as that will be the closing of original cosponsors."

= = =

Become an original co-sponsor of a resolution opposing the coup d'état in Honduras

Deadline is close of business Thursday, July 9, 2009

Dear Colleague:

We ask you to join us in co-sponsoring the resolution below condemning the coup d'état in Honduras, demanding that Honduran President Manuel Zelaya be returned to office, and welcoming the mediation efforts of Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. As you are no doubt aware, an internal political dispute in Honduras degenerated into a coup d'état on June 28, 2009, in which the democratically-elected President of Honduras was seized by the Honduran military and sent into exile. This move was swiftly condemned by the United
States, the Organization of American States, the European Union, and the United Nations, all of whom have demanded that President Zelaya be reinstated to office.

It is critical that Congress be crystal clear that coups are unacceptable. This is particularly important in Latin America, a region which has suffered greatly in the past from military interference in politics but over the last 30 years has generally moved towards democracy. To accept the overthrow of a democratically-elected government is to wipe away the progress that has been made - progress that has been supported by both Democratic and Republican Presidents and Congresses.

To sign on, please contact Cliff Stammerman or Ben Dailey in Congressman Delahunt's office at (202) 226- 6434 or at cliff.stammerman@mail.house.gov or ben.dailey@mail.house.gov.

Sincerely, Bill Delahunt, James P. McGovern

* * *

CANADA Call to Action:

CUT AID TO ILLEGAL HONDURAN GOVERNMENT
From: torontoboliviasolidarity@gmail.com

Call the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas), Peter Kent, to demand that the Canadian government immediately suspend aid to the de facto government of Honduras. Democratically elected Honduran president Manuel Zelaya was overthrown in a military coup on June 28th, and the de facto government has categorically refused to allow his return to power, threatening instead to arrest him if he sets foot on Honduran soil. Zelaya attempted to return to his country on Sunday, but his plane was unable to land after the Honduran military placed vehicles on the runways of the international airport. Meanwhile, at least two peaceful protestors have been killed and others injured, civil liberties have been suspended, and journalists have been harassed and detained by the current authorities.

The Canadian government has denounced the coup. However, its position remains ambiguous. Canada has not cut aid, including military aid, to the illegal government that assumed power following the early morning kidnapping of President Zelaya ten days ago. Honduras is the largest recipient of Canadian aid in the Central American region. The suspension of aid would further isolate the illegal regime that has taken power in Honduras.

Already, the United Nations, Organization of American States (OAS), European Union and others have condemned the coup and called for Zelaya's return. The OAS has expelled Honduras, European and Latin American nations have withdrawn their ambassadors, and multilateral financial institutions including the World Bank have frozen loan payments.

We stand in solidarity with the thousands of Hondurans risking their lives in the streets to demand that their voices and their votes be respected. We join the Honduran and other Latin American communities in Canada in demanding that the Canadian government move beyond words in this urgent situation and take strong action against the illegal government that has taken over in Honduras. Call Minister Kent today!

Take Action! Call, fax, or email Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas), Peter Kent at Tel: 613-992-0253, Fax: 613-992-0887, Email: Kent.P@parl.gc.ca. Use the call script below.

Call, fax, or email your MP (click here to contact your MP using your postal code) to demand that the Canadian government:

• unequivocally denounce the military coup
• refuse to recognise any ‘de facto’ government in Honduras
• insist on the unconditional reinstatement of the legitimate Honduran President, Manuel Zelaya
• cut aid to the illegal Honduran government
• demand respect for safety and human rights of all Hondurans
• demand justice and reparations for the illegal actions and rights violations committed during this illegal coup

SUGGEST PHONE CALL SCRIPT: I urge Canada to take strong action to reject the military coup in Honduras. In keeping with the Canadian government’s stated condemnation of the coup, please demand the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of legitimate Honduran President, Manuel Zelaya, as our European allies have already done.

I know that Honduras is the largest recipient of Canadian aid in the Central American region. Please also cut all Canadian assistance to the de facto government, including military aid. Canada must immediately back up its words with actions to further isolate the illegal government in Honduras.

For more information: http://www.barrionuevocanada.blogspot.com/

* * *

FOR INFORMATION FROM HONDURAS, CONTACT: Grahame Russell (Rights Action co-director): info@rightsaction.org, [504] 9630-9507 & 9507-3835

WHAT TO DO

FUNDS ARE NEEDED FOR THIS ON-GOING, ‘PRO-DEMOCRACY’, EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN HONDURAS

Rights Action staff in Honduras are providing emergency relief funds, every day, to community development, campesino, indigenous and human rights organizations for: food and shelter, transportation and communication costs, urgent action outreach and human rights accompaniment work.

Make tax deductible donations to Rights Action and mail to:
UNITED STATES: Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
CANADA: 552-351 Queen St. E, Toronto ON, M5A-1T8
CREDIT-CARD DONATIONS: http://rightsaction.org/contributions.htm

AMERICANS AND CANADIANS SHOULD CONTACT YOUR OWN MEDIA, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, SENATORS & MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, TO DEMAND:

• unequivocal denunciation of the military coup
• no recognition of this military coup and the ‘de facto’ government of Roberto Michelletti and the unconditional return of the constitutional government
• increasing economic and military sanctions against the coup regime
• respect for safety and human rights of all Hondurans
• the application of international and national justice the coup plotters, and
• reparations for the illegal actions and rights violations committed during this illegal coup

Greetings folks!

Just to let you know that we've completed our first two "barridos" in New York City with the ACIN's documentary on the 2008 Indigenous Minga, "A Country of People's Without Owners," - one at NYU on Monday night, and last night in Jackson Heights, Queens, in the intimate La Terraza 7 Train Café. These presentations of the film are designed as consciousness-raising events in the community, to draw interested people's attention to an extraordinary process of collective action and resistance.

In the spirit of the "barridos," or community sweeps, that the Communication Team of ACIN constantly do, we're trying to do the same in as many locations as possible in the New York metropolitan area. At NYU, close to 100 people packed the Labowitz auditorium to watch the film, and discuss the impact of the minga, not only on Colombia, but here in the U.S. The fact that President Obama met with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe that day, inspired the crowd to action, and raised considerable amounts of concern.

Then last night, we had a similar event in the small yet exciting Terraza Cafe in the heart of the Colombian community in Queens. The place was packed, and the people were clearly moved by the film itself, as well as the commentary by Tiokasin Ghosthorse (Lakota), and Jesus Avirama (Kokonuco; see photo, left).

People have come out, and seem to be committed to doing more to make visible the position of the minga here up north! I wanted to give a heartfelt thanks to all of you who participated, and for all your wonderful expressions of solidarity!

Next stop, Woodstock, where we'll be showing the film on Tuesday night in another community "barrido/fundraiser." Then in August and September, we are planning more screenings in New Jersey, Brooklyn, and Long Island, as well as some screenings with local trade unions in NYC! For those events, we're hoping we can bring up some of the people of ACIN's communication team to join us...this of course depends on the resources we can muster.


If you are interested in holding a community screening and fundraiser, or have ideas of how we can expand the reach of the barridos, please send me an email at marioradio@gmail.com. These events are serving two functions: one, to publicize the work of the minga, and two, to help raise some resources for the ACIN's Communication team. We don't have any false illusions that we're going to raise tons of funds, but considering how much incredible media and communication work my friends in the Tejido de Comunicación of ACIN are able to do with practically nothing, a little bit of financial support goes a very long way.

Oh, I almost forgot, check out the latest issue of NACLA's Report on the Americas, which focuses entirely on the paramilitary corruption in Colombia. The July-August 2009 issue also includes an article I wrote about the violence directed at indigenous communities in Cauca. Also, to get a real sense of the levels of violence being directed at the people in Cauca by right wing terror, check out ACIN's website, and read this important missive about the rise of the "Aguilas Negras," in the department, and the reign of terror they are waging. These are issues that most likely did not get raised in Monday's meeting between Obama and Uribe, but they must be on the agenda as they move forward and continue discussing ways to "strengthen their bilateral agenda." Human rights and social justice must not take a back seat to trade and military aid.


For now, I leave you with some pics from last night's event at La Terraza 7 Train Cafe, which includes Tiokasin and Chucho!

Cheers,

MAMA

Monday's Meeting Between Uribe and Obama: An overview from CIP

President Barack Obama and Colombian President Álvaro Uribe took a few questions from reporters after their meeting yesterday afternoon. The Washington Post has published the transcript. The record is mixed. A few quick observations.

1. President Obama should have made a clearer public statement of concern about human rights. Colombia’s community of human rights defenders feels increasingly intimidated by President Uribe and other members of his government, who regularly threaten their security with public statements alleging, without proof, that they are tied to guerrillas. They can derive little comfort from President Obama’s statement yesterday that “I commended President Uribe on the progress that has been made in human rights in Colombia and dealing with the killings of labor leaders there.”

Also confusing was President Obama’s reference to “steps that have already been made on issues like extrajudicial killings and illegal surveillance,” since President Uribe frequently makes statements seeking to minimize the extrajudicial killings problem and has said very little about the illegal surveillance carried out by the DAS, his presidential intelligence service.

It was good that President Obama voiced the concern “that it is important that Colombia pursue a path of rule of law and transparency,” but he then nullified the impact by adding, “I know that that is something that President Uribe is committed to doing.”

2. Human rights concerns were probably conveyed more strongly to President Uribe in private. We can infer that from President Uribe’s unprompted declaration that “We are very receptive to receive any advice, any suggestions, on how we are going to fulfill our goal of civil — civil violations of human rights in Colombia; about surveillance.”

3. The message on free trade is not new. Here is what President Obama said:

I have instructed Ambassador Kirk, our United States trade representative, to begin working closely with President Uribe’s team on how we can proceed on a free trade agreement.

There are obvious difficulties involved in the process, and there remains work to do. But I’m confident that ultimately we can strike a deal that is good for the people of Colombia and good for the people of the United States. …

I don’t have a strict timetable, because I’m going to have to consult with Congress, obviously, on this issue. We’ve got a lot on our plates, if you haven’t noticed.

And I think that the burden is not simply on Colombia. I think Colombia has done a lot of excellent work. It is a matter of getting both countries to a place where their legislatures can feel confident that it will be ultimately to the economic benefit of these countries.

I have noted a special concern that is bipartisan and shared both both by this administration and Congress that the human rights issues in Colombia get resolved.

Compare that with the statements of U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk after the Trinidad and Tobago Summit of the Americas more than two months ago, as reported by Reuters, and it’s clear that little has changed.

Kirk told reporters on Monday that Obama “is a great admirer of President Uribe and more significantly the very substantive work that he has done on issue of safety and protecting workers.”

“Having said that, the president has asked me now to follow up and take the lead in meeting with the Colombian ambassadors and others to map out a strategy to identify what remaining issues we have,” Kirk said.

4. The message on re-election was surprising, but welcome. Few observers expected President Obama to express an opinion on President Uribe’s possible pursuit of a third term in office. But his message, while qualified with “every country has to make decisions on their own,” was quite clear: two terms are enough.

We know that our experience in the United States is that two terms works for us and that after eight years usually the American people want a change.

You know, I related to President Uribe the fact that our most revered president, or at least one of our two most revered presidents, George Washington, part of what made him so great was not just being the founder of our country, but also the fact that at a time when he could have stayed president for life, he made a decision that after service he was able to step aside and return to civilian life. And that set a precedent then for the future.

But as I said, each country, I think, has to make these decisions on their own. And I think what’s ultimately most important is that the people feel a sense of legitimacy and ownership, and that this is not something imposed on them from the top, that it’s not — does not involve manipulations of the electorate or, you know, rigging of the electoral process or repression of opposition voices, but that whatever is determined is done in an open, transparent way so that people feel confident that whoever’s in power represents their voices and their interests.

Obama and Uribe Just Like Old Pals in Monday's Meeting

Pres. Obama Meets with Pres. Uribe of Colombia

President Obama met with President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia in the Oval Office to discuss U.S.-Colombia relations on Monday. It was their first meeting since Obama became President, and was a major about face from Obama's strong concerns voiced on the campaign trail about Colombia's human rights record. They covered a lot of issues in their meeting, including the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

We'll have more on this in the coming days, but here is a link to the C-Span video of the joint press briefing that took place on Monday. The president also responded to questions on the situation in Honduras surrounding the ousting of President Manuel Zelaya.

A Country of Peoples Without Owners: Jackson Heights Screening

WBAI’s Wake Up Call & First Voices Indigenous Radio, in collaboration with Momentos de Cine, present the Jackson Heights Premiere of the long anticipated documentary…

A Country of Peoples Without Owners: The Indigenous and Popular Minga of 2008

Wednesday, July 1st at 7:00pm La Terraza 7 Train Café, (40-19 Gleane Street, near 83rd St. & Roosevelt Ave.) in Jackson Heights, Queens

This documentary shows us what happens when the poorest and most marginal people confront, without weapons, the most powerful regime of Latin America. The response is apparent in the wisdom of the five-point agenda that provided the fuel for the Popular Minga.

The film “A Country of Peoples: Without Owners” was conceptualized, written, edited and produced by the Communication Team of the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca, ACIN. Proceeds from both events will be used to help get ACIN’s community radio station Radio Payumat, back on the air after it was sabotaged in late December.

The screening will also feature the documentary “HUMAN FACES BEHIND THE RAIN FOREST,” a film that gives direct testimony of the drama lived by the peasant and indigenous people in Colombia, as a result of the social crisis caused by the harvesting of the poppy crop, produced and directed by Colombian film maker and journalist Mady Samper, who will also be present.

The screening will be hosted by WBAI’s Mario Murillo, host of Friday Wake UP Call, and Tiokasin Ghosthorse, host of First Voices-Indigenous Radio on WBAI Radio, along with guest Mady Samper.

For more information, call (212) 209-2978 OR VISIT http://mamaradio.blogspot.com

Pedro Arenas, Mayor of San Jose, Guaviare, Attacked by FARC

Folks,
Earlier today I received disturbing news from a good friend of mine in Colmbia who apparently was the victim of an attack against him and his entourage by rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC.

I'm talking about long-time social justice activist, community organizer and independent politician, Pedro Arenas, the current mayor of the city of San Jose, in the southern department of Guaviare.

Pedro has been an outspoken critic of U.S.-led counter-drug policies in Latin America, and has risked his life on several occasions to expose the dangers of the aerial fumigation campaign that successive governments in Colombia have carried out in southern Colombia with the total support of Washington. He has marched with the peasantry in southern Colombia, and was involved in the 1997-1998 mobilizations against the fumigations that received national and international attention, as they denounced the toxic effect of the chemicals used in the eradication effort, the government's failure to provide alternative solutions to the problems facing the rural poor, and the role this all plays in the forced displacement in the countryside.

Arenas was a former city council member of San Jose, and later became a departmental assembly member, under the banner of the Independent Movement for Youth in Guaviare. With that organization, Pedro founded the sole community radio station in San Jose in 1998, Juventud Stereo, which I have had the honor of working alongside on a number of occasions over the years. They are the lone voice of unfiltered information for the many communities most affected by the political violence in the region, violence spearheaded by right wing paramilitaries, their allies in the security forces, and guerillas of the FARC.

As a result of this activism and organizing, Pedro was forced to leave Guaviare for some time in the late 1990s, which is when I first met him, when he came to NYC in 1997. His charisma and clarity on these issues impacted many people here as the debates began regarding the so-called Plan Colombia program, which since 1999 has funneled more than $5-billion to the Colombian regime, mostly in military and police assistance.

Arenas eventually was elected to the Colombian Congress, where he served a three year term, as an independent, aligning himself most often with the progressive wing of the legislature, taking strong stands, for example, against some of the counter-reform measures promoted by President Uribe, such as the Forestry Laws, measures designed to win the favor of Washington in its negotiations over the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

The FARC's 70th Front apparently carried out the latest attack on Arenas and his colleagues, claiming that the mayor has not "spoken out against the fumigations," an ironic, if not deliberately misleading statement given Arenas' long track record of denunciation and resistance. He has been invited to take that critical message to meetings, conferences and forums on four continents, and is seen as one of the foremost experts on the issue of counter-drug policy, militarization and development.

Now his biggest concern is the whereabouts of a campesino leader Marcos Baquero, who has not been seen since the attack this weekend.

As the President of Colombia meets with Barack Obama today, it is important that we recognize the dire situation facing human rights activists, independent opposition leaders, and the broader social movement in Colombia today. While this latest attack came at the hands of FARC, we cannot de-link their intransigence from the continued application of failed counter-drug approaches in places like Guaviare by the Uribe government, and their close friends in Washington.

Nevertheless, here is a link to a story which focuses on the government's condemnation of the attack against Arenas, posted in El Tiempo.

Here is a report from El Nuevo Herald, which focuses on the disappearance of Marcos, who had been accompanying Pedro Arenas during this work visit in the department.

Below is the message from Pedro, in Spanish, where he describes the attack that occurred, and their rsponse so far. I'll have more in the coming days as I find more information.

NOTE FROM PEDRO ARENAS, IN SPANISH

Ayer a las 11 am cuando me desplazaba desde San Jose hacia la Carpa (una inspeccion municipal ubicada a unos 50 kilometros de esta ciudad), fuimos objeto de un atentado con bombas y rafagas de fusil, yo alcance a salir en una camioneta blindada del sitio pero alli quedo herido un diputado -al que rescatamos dos horas mas tarde- y perdimos al presidente del concejo municipal, el compañero Marcos Baquero quien pertenece al Partido Verde.

Desde entonces no tenemos razon de Marcos y deseamos que aparezca bien. Guerrilleros del 7o frente de las farc cometieron el atentado, pues varios de ellos condujeron a nuestra secretaria de educacion y un periodista de la radio comunitaria durante casi media hora hasta el jefe del grupo quien se presentó con el alias de Jesus. Este le dijo al periodista que su ataque iba dirigido contra el Alcalde y que era un mensaje para demostrar que estaban vivos y que -segun ellos- "nadie habla contra las fumigaciones".

El periodista y la secretaria fueron liberados, el diputado esta fuera de peligro. En la Carpa estamos desarrollando una actividad como Alcaldia con el apoyo de varias entidades que nosotros llamamos "ferias de servicios", en el marco de una estrategia de prevencion del desplazamiento; llevamos salud, asistencia tecnica, sena, sisben, regimen subsidiado, deportes, cultura entre otras de caracter social, para asistir al campesino en sus lugares de origen. Yo sali de la Carpa en un helicoptero del ejercito, despues de hablarle a cerca de mil campesinos que se agolparon en el lugar.

Esta vez nos hemos salvado de una emboscada, pero tenemos desaparecido al concejal y les invito a pronunciarse por su regreso. Marcos es un campesino, lider de una asociacion de productores, estudiante de la ESAP, de nuestra misma colectividad politica, es su primera vez en la politica y representa justamente la region en la que ocurrieron los hechos.

No deja de ser curioso que este atentado lo hagan las farc contra mi persona, acusandonos de no decir nada contra las fumigaciones, cuando lo cierto es que hemos llevado una vida de compromiso con el campesinado y de denuncia por los daños que causan las aspersiones en la economia local y el medio ambiente. Tremenda equivocacion de una organizacion armada que nos ha atacado desconociendo el hecho de que, quizá la unica voz que se ha mantenido viva y en alto por los efectos de la fumigacion ha sido la nuestra.

Absurdo que pretendan acabar con nuestro proceso politico en el Guaviare y acallar estas, nuestras voces.

Pedro Arenas

HERE IS THE TRANSLATION OF PEDRO ARENAS'S STATEMENT:

Here is a translation of Pedro Arenas’s statement on what happened. The attack also received coverage in Colombia’s El Tiempo newspaper, and on the AP wire.

Yesterday [Sunday] at 11 AM, when I was going from San José to La Carpa (a town about 50 kilometers from the county seat), we were the object of an attack with bombs and gunshots. I managed to get out of the area in an armored truck, but a departmental legislator was wounded - we rescued him two hours later - and we lost the president of the municipal council, compañero Marcos Baquero, who belongs to the Green Party. Since then, we haven’t heard a thing from Marcos and we want him to reappear unharmed.

Guerrillas of the 7th Front of the FARC committed the attack. Several of them took our secretary of education and a reporter from the community radio for half an hour to the chief of their group, who presented himself with the alias of “Jesús.” He told the reporter that his attack was aimed at the mayor, and that it was a message to show that they were very much alive, and that - according to them - “nobody is speaking against the fumigations.” The reporter and the secretary were freed, the departmental legislator is out of danger.

In La Carpa we were carrying out an activity of the mayor’s office with the support of several government agencies, which we call “services fairs [ferias de servicios],” in the framework of a strategy of preventing displacement; we bring health, technical assistance, SENA [vocational training], SISBEN [central government assistance to municipalities], subsidized regime [central government health care], sports and culture among other social services, to help the campesinos in their places of origin. I left La Carpa in an army helicopter, after speaking to about 1,000 campesinos who gathered there. In the same helicopter were also five police who were in the caravan and who were “lost” for nearly 3 hours in the zone.

This time we have saved ourselves from an ambush, but our councilman has disappeared, and I ask you to raise your voice for his return. Marcos is a campesino, leader of an association of producers, student in the ESAP [national public administration school], and a member of our political movement. This is his first time in politics and he represents the very region in which the attack occurred.

It is quite curious that the FARC would carry out this attack against me, accusing us of saying nothing against fumigations, when the truth is that we have a lifetime of commitment with the campesinos and of denouncing the damages that the spraying causes to the local economy and the environment. For the past 15 years, every day we have asked for more commitment and investment in alternative development, in roads and productive projects to help the campesinos. I did it as a councilman, departmental legislator and representative in Congress, and now as mayor I have not lowered my guard on this issue. I am still working constantly to get decisionmakers to change this policy, and instead to carry out a program of integral rural development.

This is a tremendous error on the part of an armed organization that has attacked us, ignoring the fact that, perhaps the only voice that has remained alive and aloud about the damaging effects of the fumigations has been ours. It is absurd that they would try to do away with our political process in Guaviare and to silence our voices.

ECONOMY: More Democracy the Cure for Broken System, U.N. Says

By Henry Parr (For Inter-Press Service)

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 25 (IPS) - The United Nations General Assembly kicked off a three-day conference on the world financial crisis Wednesday with calls for a substantial overhaul of the decades-long model under which the world's richest countries set the terms of global fiscal and trade policy.

"At this critical moment, we must all join our efforts to prevent the global crisis, with its myriad faces, from turning into a social, environmental and humanitarian tragedy," General Assembly President Miguel D’Escoto told attendees.

"It is neither humane nor responsible to build a Noah's Ark only to save the existing economic system, leaving the vast majority of humanity to their fate and to suffer the negative effects of a system imposed by an irresponsible but powerful minority," D'Escoto said. "We must take decisions that affect us all collectively to the greatest extent possible."

The decision to hold a U.N. summit on the global economic crisis was taken by all 192 member states - by consensus - at an international conference on financing for development held in the Qatari capital of Doha last November.

The summit is considered by some observers to mark a key moment for the future of the United Nations, particularly in terms of its role in forging a new, more democratic roadmap for global financial and economic governance.

However, both World Bank President Robert Zoellick and IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn are skipping the conference, as are virtually all of the political leaders of Western nations, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany.

Participants in the Jun. 24-26 meet include two heads of state, four vice presidents, 10 heads of government, three deputy prime ministers and 32 ministers - an overwhelming majority of them from the developing world.

Overall, 142 countries have sent delegates. They are currently discussing a draft outcome document that includes references to preserving "hard-won economic and development gains...including progress toward the MDGs" (Millennium Development Goals), fostering a green and sustainable recovery, strengthening the role of the United Nations in responding to the crisis, and reforming key global institutions like the IMF and World Bank, "based on a fair and equitable representation of developing countries."

Endorsing the venue of the 192-member U.N. General Assembly to debate solutions to the financial crisis - a debate that thus far has been largely confined to groupings of the world's most powerful economies like the G8 and G20 - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underscored that the problem is "not a cause for any one person, nation or group of nations. It is a challenge for us all."

Ban called for approaches that widen access to education, promote environmentally sustainable growth, help subsistence farmers and increase resources to fight diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis.

"The world institutions, created generations ago, must be made more accountable, more representative and more effective," he said, conceding that the issue of reforming financial institutions like the IMF and World Bank has divided member states, and urging a "renewed multilateralism".

Parallel to the conference, side events are taking place on a variety of topics such as health care, migration and gender rights.

At the German Mission, the Freidrich Ebert Stiftung foundation held a panel discussion where economic experts discussed flaws in the current global economic architecture and how it could be changed.

"We do not have a system of global economic government," said Jomo Kwame Sundaram, the assistant secretary-general for economic development.

"What we’ve had since the end of 1971 is a non-system instead of a system," he said, referring to the demise of the gold standard (the elite World Economic Forum held annually in Davos, Switzerland was also founded that year).

Jomo acknowledged that "in the mid-1990s, a number of proposals did come out, especially for something called the World Financial Authority...none of which materialised."

He listed the myriad challenges that the global community now faces: heavy debt, a lack of accountability, and a "lack of coherence in the international multilateral system".

Roberto Bissio, the coordinator of Social Watch, said the current global economic structure favoured wealthier countries over poorer ones.

"When you start looking at the money and where it’s going, you find that the flow goes upstream, and it’s actually going from the south to the north, and that is a very well documented situation in which the financial architecture has vanished," he explained.

"This is nonsense, because those are the same countries where the majority of the world’s poor live, and they are spending all their money to subsidise the unsustainable highly invested rich countries," he added.

The best way to reform the current system would be to "enforce transparent methods" and a "rule-based system" that would equally discipline wealthy and poor nations and require the opinions of the South to be taken into account by the North, the panel concluded.

Many other civil society activists appear to agree with this assessment, and note that women's concerns have been largely sidelined as well.

"In failing to reform the conditionalities of institutions such as the IMF, which force governments to cut social spending and consequently place an even greater burden on women by forcing them to pick up the slack caused by the withdrawal of these services, rich countries betray their lack of willingness to address the gender dimension of this crisis," said Diana Aguiar of the International Gender and Trade Network in a statement.

Added John Foster from North-South Institute/Social Watch, "We remain deeply concerned that the Conference has failed to address reforms deep and wide enough not only to adequately relieve the horrendous impacts of the current crisis on so many, but to prevent further such crises."

"We will continue pressuring our governments to ensure that every paragraph of the declaration leads to concrete actions for a just and sustainable world," he commented.

(END/2009)