U'Wa updates

In this Post :
#1 Report from NE leg of U'wa tour and April 26th Day of Solidarity
#2 Press Release April 26th U'wa President Visits Bernstein HQ
#3 Reuters story April 26th
#4 Press Release April 25th U'wa Leader Speaks at Arms Manufacturer's Shareholder Meeting

For background info and organizing resources on the U'wa struggle check out :
www.ran.org       www.amazonwatch.org       www.moles.org       www.uwacolombia.org

To get involved in local solidarity work for the U'wa contact Rainforest Action Network at 415-398-4404/1-800-989-RAIN or organize@ran.org

LATE BREAKING NEWS - Today April 30th over 500 people mostly U'wa and other indigenous peoples marched in Cubara the town nearest Oxy's drillsite to protest Plan Colombia and the exploitation of oil on indigenous lands. U'wa leaders say this is just the beginning of the mobilizations and that if the drilling and violence is not stopped then many more communities will be taking to the streets to demand peace and justice!
 

#1 U'WA TOUR OF NORTH EAST A HUGE SUCCESS!

U'wa President Roberto Perez has just completed a tour of 5 states in the Northeast. The tour organized by the Boston Earth Action Network and assisted by long time U'wa supporters like Rainforest Relief, The Activism Center at the Wetlands Preserve, the Colombia Media Project of NYC and dozens of community groups such as RI Jobs With Justice, Project Hope, RI Global Action Network, students at Brown University, Colombian Action Coalition of CT, NYU law students, High Mowing High School, MIT Social Justice Coalition, and Columbia's University's Center for Energy, Marine Transportation, and Public Policy The tour allowed Perez to educate thousands of people about the U'wa struggle and to put strategic pressure on a number of the corporations who are backing Plan Colombia and the drilling on U'wa land.

Senor Perez began his east coast tour with a speaking event at MIT where he was joined by ARMANDO VALBUENA, President of the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia and PROFESSOR NOAM CHOMSKY, world renowned intellectual and outspoken critic of American foreign policy. Professor Chomsky expressed his support for the U'wa and other indigenous communities in Colombia and vowed to highlight the U'wa struggle in his ongoing criticism of Plan Colombia - the $1.3 billion U.S. military aid package to Colombia.

Other stops on the tour included numerous educational events, media interviews, strategy meetings with activists and lawyers and direct confrontations with 3 of the US corporations most implicated in the ongoing human rights and environmental tragedy in Colombia. The tour visited the Sikorsky helicopter plant in Connecticut who received a contract to build 30 Blackhawk helicopters for Plan Colombia. There is currently another contract pending for 30 more helicopters. In addition to making connections with local organizers Perez recorded a statement for the workers of the plant urging them to realize that the helicopters they made would be used to kill indigenous peoples in Colombia.

Perez also attended the shareholder's meeting of the other major arms manufacturer providing weapons to Colombia - Textron Technologies maker of Bell Huey Helicopters. U'wa supporters joined with members of New England's Kurdish community and representatives from the Sisters of Mercy to call upon Textron to stop selling weapons to repressive regimes that violate basic human rights.

On April 26th Mr. Perez joined forces with a number of indigenous leaders including representatives from the Dineh people at Black Mesa Arizona, and indigenous communities in Peru and Ecuador to challenge the financial institutions that profit from the extraction of resources from native lands. Organized by NY based Rainforest Relief and The Activism Center at Wetlands, the day's action brought 50-60 protesters to the doors of Bernstein/Alliance Capital's offices to demand that they follow Fidelity?s lead and divest from Occidental Petroleum and Colombia?s Oil Wars. Activists carried a 12ft. tall Oxy monster puppet, placards, banners and drummed atop Oxy Oil drums while Senor Perez spoke to crowds who had gathered around the demonstration. Activists attempted to deliver a letter from the U?wa to Sanford Bernstein but were denied entrance. The company then sent a representative to meet with Mr. Perez who handed him the letter denouncing Oxy?s drilling and Bernstein?s financial backing of the project.

While this was happening at Bernstein/Alliance Capital headquarters in NY, solidarity actions were taking place in 8 cities across the country at various Bernstein and Alliance offices. (including Cleveland who pulled it together just in time!). A strong message was sent to Bernstein/Alliance Capital that the U'wa have friends in many places and that we are uniting our voices to stop the destruction of U'wa lands and culture. The message to Bernstein and all other companies who are willing to profit from genocide is that we hold them accountable for the safety of the U'wa people and that unless Oxy's drilling is stopped we will be back!

After the Bernstein demonstration Perez joined dozens of supporters for the Dineh people who are resisting Peabody Coal's strip mining on their ancestral lands in the 4 corners regions of the SW United States in marching on Lehman brothers, Peabody Coal's main financial backer. Solidarity speeches were made calling about Wall St. to recognize the true value of the land and respect the rights of indigenous peoples to protect their ancestral homelands from resource extraction.

On Saturday 28th, at one of the tour's final events, Senor Perez addressed thousands of environmentalists participating in EarthFest in Boston, making the links between the environment, human rights and Plan Colombia. Later that evening, Mr.Perez attended a Colombian event with guest speaker Senator McGovern, of Worcester, MA who has been aware of the U?wa?s situation.

Perez left the U.S. with messages of thanks to all those who have supported the U'wa people and with renewed hope that together our movements in Colombia, the U.S. and around the world can stop Plan Colombia and put an end to oil exploitation once and for all!

Much congratulations and thanks are in order to Kim Foster from BEAN (Boston Earth Action Network) for her tireless efforts to pull the tour together and to Cassandra Smithies who provided seamless translation for Senor Perez under various difficult circumstances.

* To get involved in ongoing work for the U?wa in the northeast - CT, RI, MA, NH, ME Contact Boston Earth Action Network - 617-623-2453 or email localseed@earthlink.net
* For New York actions contact Rainforest Relief - 212-966-4831 jer235@nyu.edu or Wetlands at 212-966-4831
* In Vermont contact ACERCA - 802-863-0571 colombia@acera.org

TO BECOME A LOCAL CONTACT FOR YOUR REGION EMAIL Patrick at organize@ran.org or call 415-398-4404/1-800-989-RAIN
 

#2 Press release from: The Activism Center at Wetlands Preserve, Amazon Watch, Rainforest Action Network, Rainforest Relief

For Immediate Release, April 26, 2001 Contacts: Adam Weissman (212) 966-4831; Kim Foster (617) 438-2326 Joan Roney (802) 233-6325; Patrick Reinsborough (415) 305-7246

U?WA LEADER AND ACTIVISTS TARGET OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM'S LARGEST INVESTOR

Protests in Eight Cities Call on Bernstein/Alliance Capital /AXA Financial to Divest from Occidental and the Deadly Oil Project in Colombian Cloudforest Region Following the demonstration U?wa leader Roberto Perez attempted to meet with Bernstein?s management after sending a written request earlier in the week, but was denied an audience. Instead he delivered a letter to company?s CEO expressing his tribe?s deep concern over their investment in OXY. In the letter he demands as the U?wa?s representative that the company uses its position as OXY?s largest investor to stop the drilling on the tribe?s sacred homeland.

Last year, OXY?s previous top investor, Fidelity Investments, divested more than half of its OXY stock following a hard-hitting public campaign targeting the mutual fund company over the U?wa controversy. Following the success with Fidelity, the U?wa and their supporters have now turned their attention to Bernstein/Alliance Capital and its majority owner AXA Financial as the central targets for activist pressure in the United States and Europe.

In the letter from December of 2000 addressed to Mr. Roger Hertog, Bernstein/Alliance Capital?s Vice Chairman, the U?wa leader stated, ?Occidental?s drilling in our ancestral territory runs the risk of destroying the ancient culture of our ancestors that we have carried on from generation to generation. The drilling creates social, economic, and cultural deterioration that has and continues to lead to violence in our territory. For that reason, we demand that you divest entirely from Occidental.?

The U?wa who believe ?oil is the blood of Mother Earth? are adamantly opposed to the oil project on their sacred land. They blame the project for escalating violence in the already conflict-torn region. In Colombia oil projects lead to tremendous environmental and cultural devastation resulting from oil spills from pipeline bombings and deforestation from new oil roads.

?We are urging Bernstein and other major Occidental Petroleum shareholders to follow Fidelity?s example and divest from OXY before they get dragged into the center of this controversy. Fidelity learned the hard way that being OXY?s business partner was a hazard to its image,? said Kim Foster of Boston Earth Action Network.

Bernstein/Alliance Capital has become the largest investor in OXY in recent months while Fidelity Investments has dropped some 18 million shares representing over $400 million following a campaign blitz earlier this year. That campaign included more than 75 protests at Fidelity offices worldwide and on-going demonstrations at the corporate headquarters in Boston. Last April, Bernstein?s Executive, Roger Hertog committed to the U'wa that he would seriously investigate the matter. Since then, his company has acquired an additional 10 million shares of Occidental stock.

The U?wa have also become a strong voice in opposition to Plan Colombia - the $1.3 billion US military aid package - and point out that one of the Plan?s major objectives is to protect oil interests. Just two days after the Plan was passed by US Congress, the U'wa homeland became heavily militarized and their peaceful blockade near OXY?s drill site was violently disrupted. Today, over a thousand soldiers guard the area. Meanwhile guerrilla bombings of Oxy?s Caño Limon pipeline have dramatically escalated since Plan Colombia took effect --to over sixty attacks so far this year. Fearing similar violence will further spread to the heart of their territory, the U'wa say that they will continue their uncompromising resistance.
 

 #3 Thursday April 26, 4:20 pm Eastern Time  Protests urge Sanford Bernstein divest in Occidental

NEW YORK, April 26 (Reuters) - Protesters on Thursday tried to meet with the management of investment group Sanford Bernstein/Alliance Capital to urge the company to divest its shares of oil company Occidental Corp. (NYSE:OXY - news), which they say is drilling on sacred indigenous lands in Colombia.

Activists from environmental groups Rainforest Action Network and Amazon Watch say Occidental is drilling on ancestral territory and risks destroying the culture of the traditional U'wa people.

The U'wa, a semi-nomadic tribe from northeastern Colombia, have in the past threatened mass suicide if Occidental does not cease drilling. They believe ``oil is the blood of mother earth,'' and have been fighting Occidental for eight years.

On Thursday, about 60 protesters drummed on oil barrels painted with Occidental logos and carried a 15-foot-tall puppet outside of Sanford Bernstein's Manhattan headquarters.

The protesters say the investment group is the single largest investor in Occidental, following Fidelity Investment's divestiture of 60 percent of its 18 million shares worth more than $500 million. Fidelity was the target of protests last year by U'wa supporters.

Company officials at Fidelity, Sanford Bernstein/Alliance Capital and Occidental did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Last week, Roberto Perez, a leader of the U'wa people, sent a letter requesting a meeting with Roger Hertog, a Sanford Bernstein vice chairman.

Adam Weissman, activist at the Wetlands Preserve in New York, said investment company management later refused Perez entrance to management offices, but a representative came down to meet with the U'wa leader.

Fidelity last year claimed that its divestment had nothing to do with the U'wa protests, although the action came just weeks after Perez visted their offices.
 

#4 Amazon Watch *Amnesty International Group 49 * Mercy Consolidated Assets Management *Rainforest Action Network *Rainforest Relief

For Immediate Release: April 25, 2001
Contacts: Kim Foster, (mobile) 617-438-2326, Patrick Reinsborough, (mobile) 415-305-7246 (for Colombia) Mehmet Akbas, 401-949-6853 (for Turkey)

Interviews, B-Roll and Photos Available! Interviews, B-Roll and Photos Available! Interviews, B-Roll and Photos Available!

Concern for Human Rights in Colombia and Turkey Wins Overwhelming Support from TEXTRON Shareholders

U?wa Leader & Sisters of Mercy Address Annual Meeting, Resolution gains 7.7%

Providence, RI~ Roberto Perez, President of the U?wa people of Colombia, and Sister Valerie Heinonen of Mercy Consolidated Assets Management won over an impressive 7.7% of shareholders today at the TEXTRON Annual Meetings in a plea for support of a Shareholder Resolution being introduced by nuns from Mercy Consolidated Assets Management. The resolution calls for TEXTRON to adopt a series of comprehensive moral and ethical criteria for all arms sales. Textron Technologies is a leading provider of US military aircraft to abusive regimes around the world, including Turkey, Indonesia, Burma and Colombia.

Perez, Heinonen and others addressed TEXTRON Board Members and investors inside the meeting, and the vote resulted in 7.7% of the shareholders, representing more than 8.2 million shares, voting in favor of the resolution. 3% of the vote is considered by most investor standards to be an influential act of ?shareholder activism?. ?The fact that 8.2 million shares voted in favor of the resolution shows that there is growing support among shareholders for human rights criteria for arms sales,? said Heinonen.

Perez addressed the shareholders, imploring the Board not to sell helicopters through Plan Colombia, warning investors that: ?Plan Colombia is a plan of violence. It is a plan of death. It is a plan for invading the land of indigenous peoples in Colombia, and I have come here to let people know that TEXTRON helicopters will be used to massacre in Colombia.?

Mehmet Akbas, member of the Kurdish of the Community of New England also addressed shareholders about the pending sale of 140 attack helicopters to Turkey. ?Turkish repression of Kurdish people living in Turkey has resulted in the destruction of more than 4000 villages, displacing more than 4 million people from their homes,? Akbas said. TEXTRON Board Members didn?t address the issues of human rights abuses in Turkey, but instead responded that they were looking forward to the sale, and that the helicopters would be build in Turkey, creating 1000 new jobs.

Each day countless innocent civilians are being displaced, terrorized, and assassinated throughout Colombia by armed groups, many with ties to paramilitaries and the Colombian Military. This military is being backed by powerful US interests: oil companies, weapons and helicopter manufacturers.

Mr. Perez is touring the US to foster growing awareness of the connection between oil, military contracts and Plan Colombia. A major component of Plan Colombia is securing access to the country?s oil reserves through protecting current oil production as well as "securing" the frontiers in order to tap unexplored reserves -- an objective that the U.S. Government is not publicly admitting. The U?wa people, a peaceful tribe of 5,000 who live in the cloud forests of northeastern Colombia, have captured headlines around the world for their crusade to halt Occidental Petroleum?s (OXY) exploratory oil drilling operations on land the tribe considers sacred. Just two days after Plan Colombia was passed by US congress, the U'wa homeland became heavily militarized and their peaceful blockade against OXY was violently disrupted. Today, thousands of armed soldiers guard the area surrounding the drill site. Meanwhile guerrilla bombings of OXY?s pipeline has dramatically escalated - over sixty attacks so far this year -- in retaliation to U.S. military aid. Fearing that this violence will further spread to the heart of their territory, the U'wa say that they will continue their uncompromising resistance.

Perez?s US tour will culminate in a National Day of Action against Bernstein/Alliance Capital, the largest shareholder of Occidental Petroleum. Demonstrations are expected at Bernstein/Alliance Capital offices in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Seattle, Dallas and San Antonio. Perez will present a statement from his tribe to the New York headquarters of the investment fund.