FREE GILBERTO TORRES!

At time of writing the life of our comrade GILBERTO TORRES, oilworkers union USO leader in Casanare, still hangs in the balance.

The Campaign held a picket of the Colombian Embassy in London last Friday, and a delegation went in for a meeting with Ambassador Victor Ricardo. Our delegation presented several letters urging the authorities to intervene directly with the paramilitaries to secure Gilberto's
release. The TUC and UNISON have also sent urgent letters to the Colombian government. The Ambassador showed us the letter he has sent on to Pastrana reflecting the concern for Gilberto's life.

The Colombian authorities know who Gilberto's captors are, and they could relatively easily locate his whereabouts. They have to act to save his life. If you have not already done so, please write urgently.


ELECTION SUCCESS

ALEXANDER LOPEZ MAYA was yesterday elected to Congress in Cauca Valley with 37,911 votes and WILSON ALFONSO BORJA DIAZ was elected to Congress in Bogota with 31,791 votes. CARLOS GAVIRIA was also elected on the progressive ticket.

ALEXANDER was leader of the SINTRAEMCALI occupation against
privatisation. WILSON was leader of the state sector workers union and narrowly escaped assassination in December 2000.

Overall there were very high abstention rates (more analysis in our next bulletin).


MINING MULTINATIONALS
 
Most of you will have received urgent action requests from me in the past concerning the activities of coal mining multinationals in Colombia. This is the latest news, and a further request for action.

The farming village of Tabaco (subject of previous urgent actions) has now been completely demolished by mining company Intercor so that its huge El Cerrejon Zona Norte mine can expand. The displaced community (overwhelmingly of African-Colombian and Indigenous descent) is still seeking compensation to enable them to find housing and continue farming elsewhere.
 
Until very recently, Intercor was 100% owned by massive US multinational ExxonMobil (also known as Esso). The final destruction of Tabaco was Exxon's last act before selling the company to a consortium of three other huge multinationals; Anglo-American (based in South Africa and
Britain), BHP-Billiton (based in Australia and Britain) and Glencore (based in Switzerland). These three companies already had a 50% stake in El Cerrejon Zona Norte but Intercor was the operating company. Now they control the whole mining operation and are totally responsible for all that is done there.
 
Intercor's President was Hernan Martinez. It was Martinez who was responsible for the destruction of Tabaco and the outrageous treatment of its inhabitants. Martinez has been confirmed in post by the new owners and will therefore continue to be responsible for operations at El Cerrejon Zona Norte. The legal representative for the community at
Tabaco, Armando Perez, asks that we protest strongly at this move and insist that Martinez be removed from his post as a sign that the consortium intends to pursue better human rights policies than its predecessors.
 
Please send protests to the following:
 
Matthew Taylor, Manager Sustainable Development (Europe),
BHP-Billiton plc, 1 - 3 Strand, London WC2N 5HA.
Tel: 020 7747 3804    Fax: 020 7747 3914
Email:  matthew.taylor@bhpbilliton.com
 
Edward Bickham,
Anglo-American plc, 20 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AN.
Tel: 020 7698 8888   Fax: 020 7698 8500
Email:  ebickham@cht20.co.uk
 
Matthew Taylor and Edward Bickham have met with Tabaco's lawyer Armando Perez and indigenous Wayuu leader Remedios Fajardo and have been the contacts with the companies in Britain on this issue.
 
If you have time, please copy any messages that you send, and any answers you receive, to:  richard.solly@talk21.com and  colombia_sc@hotmail.com.


CAMPAIGN CONFERENCE AND SPEAKING TOUR

We have received very positive feedback from the 23/24 conference in London. And the speaking tour of Berenice Celeyta (SINTRAEMCALI) and Hector Vaca (USO) has also been a great success, establishing the basis for a truly national campaign in solidarity with the Colombian people.

Between them Berenice and Hector have addressed the TUC General Council, the War on Want annual conference, the Scottish Socialist Party conference, public meetings variously organised by UNISON, Stop the War coalition, Globalise Resistance, Derry Trades Council and local campaign supporters, as well many bilateral meetings at all levels of the trade union movement including the FBU Womens Conference.

There are strong prospects for new campaign groups in Derry, Glasgow, Nottingham, Manchester and Liverpool as well as the existing local groups.

Time is against a full account now, we'll include it in the next campaign bulletin. Above all we thank Berenice and Hector for their enormous hard work, as well as their passion, clarity and comradeship which has motivated everyone who has heard them speak.


JOIN THE CAMPAIGN

Annual membership £5 unwaged, £10 waged and £20 organisations; includes bulletin subscription (next issue out early April).

Join us and help get things moving in your locality. More plans will be announced after our National Committee on 6 April.


Colombia Solidarity Campaign
PO Box 8446
LONDON N17 6NZ.