| Panel #2: International Solidarity Topic #3: US Intervention in Colombia Speaker: Anh Pham - Antii-war committee (Twin Cities) I am a member of the Anti-war committee (AWC) in the Twin Cities. The AWC formed out of members of CISPES and other community organizers. Many who are were part of CISPES felt it was insufficient for current anti-intervention needs, such as with Iraq, Vieques, Cuba, Somalia, Colombia, etc. - where we were most needed in our community. The AWC is a small volunteer grassroots organization that started 4 years ago. We have organizing on Iraq and the sanctions. We decided to focus on Colombia because of the unique role we have of being in the US and with Plan Colombia just being proposed in congress. We chose this for a number of reasons, first of all there was no one doing work locally that focused on Colombia like we wanted to with an open space for a wide range of beliefs and for activists to educate and agitate. Secondly being in the US Colombian activist have told us that we would be most useful in trying to prevent Plan Colombia from passing. We also focus on other anti-war issues. US has taken away their freedom. Anytime they make headway, the US would put in more money for opposition. We have the opportunity to oppose Plan Colombia. Black hawk helicopters, US bought military equipment and troops are being used to train people to fight against themselves. The current situation with human rights is that Colombia is one of the most dangerous places to be a labor organizer. 3oo organizers assassinated since? Women's rights organizations are threatened. Land is difficult to farm on. One of the only crops that can grow is cocoa, and this becomes the only way to feed their families. The US plans to fumigate them. However, the lands go into the Amazon forests. The lungs of world the rainforest there produces 2% of the worlds ozone are thus being killed by fumigation. They are killing the plants, animals, and people there. It is a dire situation. 25% of the population consists of the Afro-Colombians. Seven untapped oil reserves have been found indigenous lands. The situation is like here where poor people are being pushed aside. We need to oppose Plan Colombia. We need to educate communities by talking about issues there and tying it to home. We've been able to tie it into our local struggles in Minneapolis with the "war on drugs" at home. Those of us in the cities know that this is just another way to put poor people and people of color in jail. There are over 2 Million blacks in jail. There is the same amount of black people in jail now as there were blacks in slavery in 1820. They are fighting a war on people not on drugs. As for geo-political significance, Colombia borders Panama, Venezuela, and Ecuador (where many revolutions have occurred in the past). It is an entryway to South America. If anyone wants to send an armed military in, that's where to send them through. Legislative. When we first started talking about the issue of Plan Colombia to the politicians in Minnesota we were told that it wasn't a question of whether the plan passed or not, it was how much money we were going to pass. When the bill finally came to a vote, due to the efforts of activists, in Minnesota only one senator voted for Plan Colombia. Plan Colombia has made Colombia the 3rd highest recipient of US aid. We have been putting on forums and talking to other communities. We are continuing our struggle after Plan Colombia and it's not the end. We have to ask ourselves, "Who was making the war machines?" "Who is benefiting from Plan Colombia?" and we must hold them accountable for every helicopter, every weapon that is sent into Colombia. In the post-9/11 period Bush has changed the war on drugs to war on terrorism. Every time the peace talks have moved forward, the US has given more money for war. Right now with the US��s help the peace talks have broken down entirely and the Colombian people are living in a situation of outright war. What's happened with the Peace process? The Colombian government has used the excuse of the plane that was hijacked carrying the Colombian senator. All passengers except the senator were released safely. What are the repercussions of the peace talks breaking down? There were over 100,000 civilians living in the demilitarized zone, this is not counting the Guerillas. Despite an agreement just a month earlier for a 48 hour notice, President Pastrana only gave them 3 hours to leave the demilitarized zone. This ended the peacetalks completely. We need to continue to talk about what's going on in Colombia. Who are the real terrorists here? Corporations that are hiring ex-military officers to protect them, paramilitary and military forces that are working in conjunction to eliminate any voices of dissent or the peasants that are just trying to survive by growing cocoa? The struggle of the Colombian people is not unlike the struggle of poor people everywhere. We want to encourage people to learn about Colombia and see how it connects to your countries in terms of housing, education and basic human rights. Pay attention to what this government is doing in your name and speak out against injustice. |
| Go to: - Index page - Panel #1: US �War on Terrorism� and Its Effects on Our Community Topic #1: Education & Militarization Topic #2: Racism & National Oppression - Panel #2: International Solidarity Topic #1: Military Intervention in the Phlippines Topic #2: Effects of War on Women |