Paola Lucchesi on Fri, 21 Jan 2000 10:42:57 +0100 |
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Syndicate: Ecuador action (with addresses): circulate, pleas |
From: "Audro" <audro@exis.net> (Included at the bottom are addresses that you can use if you want to send letters of protest against the Ecuadorian government --Audro) Thursday, 20-Jan-2000 09:06:06 EST ________________________________________________ A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E http://www.ainfos.ca/ ________________________________________________ URGENT ACTION The Confederation of Indigenas Nationalities of Ecuador CONAIE, with other social organizations of the country, are summoning all the organs of solidarity, of human rights, to all the sister organizations of the Indigenous communities of the Continent, to develop actions that tend to restrain the repression levels, levelings, violation of human rights, and a system of discrimination and racial violence used by civil employees and public force of Ecuador, by order of the government of the Dr. Jamil Mahuad. The fight of the People of Ecuador today is made of legitimate actions, recognized in the same Constitution, which is recognized by the sovereign power which resides in the People. Towards the constitutional recognition mandate of the spirits of our sacred mountains, rivers, waterfalls and seas, to maintain our dignity at any cost, we, the people of Ecuador, undertake the Popular Parliaments and the Great insurrection of the towns as forms of head of resistance to neo-liberal, corrupt, anti-popular and anti-sovereign policies, imposed by the bankers, groups of great economic power, the government which represents them. January 11th, after the organization of the parochial, cantonal, provincial parliaments, we installed the National Parliament of the Communities, as an alternate and sovereign form of power where the different social sectors are discussing and generating government and Pluri-nacional State proposals. This Parliament has turned out several decrees, which are attached. The indigenous and popular insurrection, implies several actions such as the closings of the channels, depriving cities of products, taking of the great cities with mobilizations, has advanced from the field to the city. In Indigenous communities there has been a high levels of repression and coercion. Military swarm the ways out of the communities in tanks. All supplies and food entering the communities have been confiscated, along with the vehicles used to transport people and supplies. The buses traveling between towns have received orders to transfer " any thing, person, even animals, except Indians ". Buses in the military zones are stopped and all those who are dressed in Indian clothes or appear Indian are forced off. The Government uses " sold " Indians on the television to speak against the national leaders, saying any calumny. False documents with racist expressions are spread by the Government to pit us against the non- indigenous population. Agents of the government call the translators to say the insurrection has been suspended, or the leaders have negotiated with the government, and that it is necessary to take a rest, etc., with the purpose of demobilizing us. But the Insurrection grows like a swelling waterfall. We demanded the resignation of President Mahuad, for betraying the interests of the country. For having given $1.5bn of the resources of the State to a bank whose owners robbed their depositors and protecting these banks and their goods. In addition to that he has allowed to these same banks to speculate with the quotation of the currency of State together with of the United States of America, which in one year has fallen from 7,000 sucres to the dollar to 25,000 sucres to the dollar. And as the grand prize, he has decreed the dollarization of Ecuadorian economy. This means that while the pay is 40 dollars, the shopping basket for a family of five is 250 dollars. In the agricultural field, imputs are no longer within reach of indigenous and farmers. Will we have to leave the field ? Cities offer single misery greater to us. The government, although it speaks of its great investments in health and education, practically eliminated free services. Anyone able to obtain a medical diagnosis, cannot afford medical prescriptions, the prices of medicines are near the black hole in space. The Dr. Mahuad, who speaks of the right of the hope of and dream of the Ecuadorians, responds to us with 35,000 members of the army and 10,000 police, and a state of mobilization and national emergency, as if we were in war, and there were no longer citizen rights. They damage homes. We cannot walk about on our own earth. They prohibit us from meeting. But we have defied with what little power we have left, with civil disobedience. For that reason we have advanced to the taking of Quito. The majority we have passed like rain, fog, like wind, deceiving the military controls. Now we are more than ten thousand Indigenous in Quito, making ready to take other cities. To be true we must be a single thought, a single heart, a single voice and word, and a single fist. We waited for any action in strength. We waited for its insurrection. For any letter that you send them, we have listed the following fax numbers: PRESIDENCIA DE LA REPUBLICA Dr Jamil Mahuad FAX 593 - 2 - 583 950 580 751 580 735 TEL 593-2-210-300 Ministerio de Gobierno FAX 593 - 2- 955 317 2- 580 067 TEL 593-2-517-481 Ministerio de Defensa Nacional FAX 593 - 2 - 580 431 TEL 593-2-572-580 CONAIE Antonio Vargas PRESIDENTE FAX 593 - 2 - 442 271 email conaie@ecuanex.net.ec Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ivonne A-BAKI chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200 FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and San Francisco ------Syndicate mailinglist-------------------- Syndicate network for media culture and media art information and archive: http://www.v2.nl/syndicate to unsubscribe, write to <syndicate-request@aec.at> in the body of the msg: unsubscribe your@email.adress