U'WA LEADER SPEAKS AT OCCIDENTAL SHAREHOLDER'S MEETING

APRIL 26TH Day of Action! Phone Zap Bernstein/Alliance Capital

In This Post:
1. Update on U?wa Day of Action/Phone Zap
2. Press release from Occidental Shareholder?s Meeting
3. Los Angeles Times Article #1 on U?wa at OXY Shareholder?s Meeting 4. Los Angeles Times Article #2 on U?wa visit to Los Angeles

For background info or downloadable materials check out :
www.ran.org    www.amazonwatch.org    www.moles.org    www.uwacolombia.org

#1 April 26th TAKE ACTION!

April 26, 2001 is a national day of action for the U?wa people. On this day Roberto Perez, U?wa traditional authority leader will be again confronting representatives of Sanford Bernstein/Alliance Capital urging them to use their role as Oxy largest investor to either getting the drilling on U?wa land cancelled or divest from Occidental Petroleum.

Take action now! Contact a local organizer (listed below) to participate in actions and events at Sanford Bernstein or Alliance capital offices. There are actions planned at 10 out of 13 offices. Action is still needed at the Sanford Bernstein offices in Cleveland, Ohio, West Palm Beach Florida and White Plains, New York. Even a few people standing outside passing out flyers will send a message to Sanford Bernstein. Contact Heather at fern@riseup.net if you can organize at one of these offices.

Don?t have an office near you? No problem - organize a phone zap. Find the phone number of the Sanford Bernstein office nearest you by checking out there www.bernstein.com/>locations.htm locations.htm> , Have your friends, family, and coworkers call Sanford Bernstein and let them know you support the U?wa people and their campaign to non-violently resist the exploitation of their land and culture. Urge Bernstein/Alliance Capital to take action for the U?wa! The choice is simple get the drilling on U?wa land stopped or divest from Occidental Petroleum.

Contact Info for Organizers in Sanford Bernstein/Alliance Capital Cities-

Chicago- Jennifer Smith jmsmith@oddjob.uchicago.edu

New Jersey- Catherine Moon- Mooncat1@juno.com

Seattle- Aaron Jackson Aaron@forestethics.org

Texas- Dallas- Megan-boycottneimans@netzero.net Or Anne at- 214-893-3594

San Antonio- Carol-210-342-2210

Washington DC- Andrew Fandino andrewfandino@netscape.net

Los Angeles- Kevin-kevin@amazonwatch.org San Francisco Heather-fern@riseup.net

New York City- Adam adam@wetlandspreserve.org or Joan jer235@nyu.edu 212-966-4831
 

#2 PRESS RELEASE
Amazon Watch ¨ Action Resource Center ¨ Rainforest Action Network News Release: APRIL 20, 2001 -- UPDATED 6 pm PST

CONTACTS: Atossa Soltani, Amazon Watch 310 455-0617 Sharon Lungo, Action Resource Center, 310 396-3254

U'wa Tribal Chief Sends Message to Shareholders to Divest from Occidental Petroleum and Vows to Continue Resistance against Drilling in Colombia

-- Interviews, b-roll, images available upon request --

LOS ANGELES, CA - Roberto Perez, President of the U'wa Traditional Authority of Colombia once again took center stage at a lively demonstration on Friday at Occidental Petroleum's Annual Meeting in Santa Monica and delivered his people's message of resistance to supporters outside and shareholders inside the meeting. "We will continue resisting oil drilling, we will continue defending our sacred ancestral territory, we will continue to defend our culture and our sacred sites," said the U'wa chief.

The U'wa have captured headlines around the world for their crusade to halt Occidental's oil project in the Siriri block (formerly known as Samore) and have stated they are willing to die to stop it. Surrounded by scores of supporters from labor, human rights, and environmental organizations, Perez called on shareholders to divest. Actor Cary Elwes (Princess Bride, Shadow of a Vampire) made a passionate plea inside the meeting to the company to stop the Gibraltar 1 exploratory well located on the peaceful U'wa tribe's sacred lands and reminded shareholders that the money they stand to make from their Occidental Petroleum (OXY) stock is tainted with the blood and suffering of indigenous peoples.

The tribal chief was also joined by Michelle Weber from Witness for Peace-Southwest, and Dave Campbell from PACE International Union, and Dee Dominguez, a leader of the Kitanemuk Tribe of Tejon Indians from Elk Hills -- outside Bakersfield, California --whose tribe is fighting OXY to stop the desecration of 97 burial and cultural sites threatened by the company's operations.

Sister Laura Goedken, from the Sinsinawa Dominicans accompanied the U'wa chief inside the meeting to speak on behalf of a shareholder resolution calling for a report on the risks and liabilities associated with OXY's Colombia operations. The U'wa leader, then, attempted to present a prepared statment from his people to the board of directors but was cut short after 2 minutes by an impatient and disrespectful CEO Ray Irani who did not wait for a full translation of the statement. Irani instead interrupted the Chief saying that "we can't understand you speaking Spanish."

Other U'wa supporters asked management about the security costs of Oxy's operations in Northeast Colombia including the financial risks and liabilities of guerrilla bombings, resulting oil spill clean up costs as well as the effect of bad publicity on the company's image. OXY's management dodged these questions merely saying that they are a contractor for the Colombian Government and thus not responsible.

In retaliation to the U.S. government's $1.3 billion military aid to Colombia, attacks on Oxy's installations including bombings of its Caño Limon pipeline have dramatically escalated in recent months --over sixty attacks so far in 2001 -- forcing the company to declare "force majeure" twice in the past six months. Since 1986, the pipeline has been bombed more than 800 times, spilling more than 2.3 million barrels of crude oil into rivers, ecosystems, and farmlands. These spills are equivalent to 8 times the size of the Exxon Valdez spill. Believing that such violence and ecological disaster will spread to the heart of their territory, the U'wa say that they will continue their uncompromising resistance.

Following the meeting, U'wa supporters vowed to step up the divestment campaign against Oxy and its top shareholders. Activists claimed partial victory that after being hit with 75 protests across the US and Europe last year, Fidelity Investments, one of Oxy's largest shareholders and the world's largest mutual fund, dropped over $420 million or 60 percent of its Oxy holdings. The campaign will now be targeting Oxy's largest shareholder, Berstein / Alliance Capital, which is in the process of being acquired by AXA Financial. Groups are planning demonstrations on April 26 at the company's New York Headquarters as well as other Bernstein/Alliance Capital offices nationwide to urge divestment from Oxy. Robert Perez will be traveling to Boston, New York, Stratford, and Providence on a U.S. speaking tour through April 28.
 
 

#3 Los Angeles Times Business April 21, 2001

http://www.latimes.com/business/20010421/t000033617.html

Protesters Call for End to Occidental Drilling Project Energy: Activists at firm's annual meeting say test well is on sacred native land in Colombia.

By SARAH HALE, Times Staff Writer

Activists targeted Occidental Petroleum Corp.'s annual meeting Friday to press for an end to an oil-drilling project on what they say is sacred native land in Colombia, continuing what has become a noisy and angry tradition for the Los Angeles oil company. As shareholders arrived at Oxy's meeting in Santa Monica, they were met by about 100 protesters waving signs, beating drums and shouting disapproving chants in English and Spanish. For the last five years, U'wa tribe supporters have picketed the event in hopes of swaying shareholders to divest from Oxy.

The meeting is traditionally held to showcase the company's yearlong efforts to boost earnings and reduce debt. However, company directors fielded several questions about Oxy's potentially profitable interest in an oil-drilling project that sits on land claimed by the U'wa. Occidental, backed by the Colombian government, began drilling a long-delayed test well in the area late last year. All 5,000 members of the nature-worshiping U'wa tribe have threatened in the past to walk off a 1,400-foot cliff in the Andes in a mass suicide to protect the land they say has belonged to them for thousands of years. But Occidental continues to maintain that its test-well site is in a developed area outside the U'wa reservation.

The activists, some of whom own Occidental stock, also put forth a non-management resolution asking company directors to investigate the financial, environmental and cultural risks of the oil project. They say adverse effects on Oxy's public image, coupled with legal liabilities, could hurt the company's long-term profitability. About 6% of shareholders voted for the resolution.

Colombia is key to the firm's oil production in Latin America, Chairman and Chief Executive Ray R. Irani told shareholders. He said that the test well in northwest Colombia should be completed this year and that the company had worked with the U.S. and Colombian governments to ensure that the project can be completed without violence.

"Neither the U.S. government nor the government of Colombia recognize the allegation that we are drilling on U'wa sacred land," Irani said. The U'wa people, who say the land is their home and the sacred burial ground of their ancestors, are afraid their cultural identity will be forgotten, said Roberto Perez, the tribe's president. "For eight years, we have been fighting against Occidental for our land," Perez told supporters before the meeting. "We will continue to defend our ancestors, our culture and our sacred rights. . . . Several community members have been beaten, mistreated and arrested. We hold Occidental responsible." Despite lengthy, pointed questions from several stockholders and U'wa supporters in the audience, Irani tried to keep the focus on Occidental's recent performance and outlook for coming years. He noted that in 2000, the company posted the strongest financial performance in its 81 years of operation. Driven by oil and natural gas operations, Oxy reported net income, before special items, of $1.3 billion on sales of $13.6 billion.

Company directors vowed to use some of the record earnings to reduce Oxy's debt by $1 billion this year. Since December, the company has trimmed its debt to $6.1 billion. Oxy shares gained 35 cents to close at $27.42 on the New York Stock Exchange
 

#4 LA Time - Science & Environment 4/19/2001
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environ/20010419/tiv0013443.html

Event examines native peoples and colonialism Participants will explore issues ranging from the environment to racial identity.

By PAM NOLES, PAM.NOLES@LATIMES.COM, CLAREMONT -- Prominent activists from around the world will gather at Scripps College this weekend to explore the history and impact of colonialism on indigenous people. Among the participants will be the leader of a Colombian tribe that once threatened mass suicide over a planned oil project near its ancestral home.

"Natural Sources, Native Rights" begins today and runs through Saturday, part of a semester-long symposium sponsored by the Humanities Institute at Scripps. This weekend's events explore the myriad issues surrounding the often controversial issue -- from the environment to racial identity through talks and poetry readings. Participants, nearly all scholar-activists, are from the United States, Australia, Colombia and other regions.

Friday's speakers include Roberto Perez, president of the U'wa Traditional Authority, who begins a U.S. speaking tour at the conference. The battle between the 5,000 members of his tribe, which lives in the Andes mountains of Colombia, and Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum began in 1992 when Occidental and another oil company were granted exploration rights by the Colombian government on land within the tribe's ancestral territory, said Kevin Koenig, a campaigner for Amazon Watch.

For the U'wa, the fight to prevent the oil project and to protect their homeland and culture is a matter of life and death, Koenig said. "What they have stated is they are willing to die for this," he said.

Besides land issues, the tribe is concerned the oil project will trap members in the cross-fire of a civil war between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army, a Marxist-Leninist group that has been waging a revolutionary campaign for decades. This week, about 100 employees of the company were possibly kidnapped by the guerrillas. In the past, the group has used mass abductions and frequent bombings of pipelines to press the Colombian government for concessions in peace talks. "The key point that the U'wa have continued to make is if oil development comes anywhere near their territory, oil infrastructure becomes a strategic target in an ongoing civil war," Koenig said.

Another featured speaker is Haunai-Kay Trask, professor and founder of the Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. The poet and author, who is a key player in the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, said she will focus on the effect the military and tourism industries are having on the island's land and native culture.

Tourism accounts for $10.8 billion of Hawaii's economy. By contrast, pineapple and sugar together amount to about $269 million. The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau estimates that a $7.87 million advertising campaign it mounted resulted in 757,000 tourist trips to the island over a two-year period, $1.07 billion in visitor spending and $75.5 million earned in state and county taxes. Tourism fuels environmental damage, cultural oppression and a high cost of living, painful when tourism wages are low, Trask said. It brings development that wastes land and depletes water resources, a critical issue because "unlike California, we're not in a position to steal water from other states," she said. But stewardship of the land, turning it into an agricultural powerhouse, and exploration of environmentally friendly ways to develop the fishing industry could provide an economic alternative, she said.