Ooh Aah...U’wa
The U’wa people are being killed. They are in engaged in a tense standoff with the Colombian Government and Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) to prevent oil drilling on their sacred ancestral lands. The U’wa tribe have been fighting against Oxy extracting oil from their land for a few years. Even Shell pulled out of the project citing human rights concerns. In Colombia oil brings militarisation and environmental destruction. The situation is urgent.
On Friday, February 11, combined Colombian military and police forces arrived in Canoas, approximately 4 kilometres from Gibraltar 1, site of the Oxy’s proposed oil well. At the site, approximately 450 people from the U'wa community, and their supporters were gathered. Without prior warning, soldiers and anti-riot police used tear gas, bulldozers and riot sticks to charge the crowd and the U’wa were forced to flee by leaping into the River Cubujon. As a result of these violent acts, three U’wa children died. Many adults were injured, and there are U'wa who are still missing.
Responding to the recent use of force by the Colombian National Police against the peaceful U’wa, rural workers throughout the region began a general strike on February 15. The U'wa resistance continues but to be successful the efforts of the U'wa in Colombia must be matched by global action!
Organize against Fidelity Investments - one of Oxy's largest shareholders who are willing to profit from the destruction of U’wa lands and culture. (Fidelity have hardly done their PR any favours by announcing that 'Our portfolio managers are not trained to make investment decisions in order to fulfil social or political objectives.')
Find your nearest Fidelity Investor centre at: http://personal400. fidelity.com/gen/centers/invstctr.html. tvsr
Get free phone numbers to call Fidelity from around the world at: http://www100.fidelity.com/about/ contact/inter.html
Write to fidelity's CEO Mr. Edward Johnson III, Fidelity Investments, 82 Devonshire Street, Boston, MA 02109.
More info at www.ran.org or www. amazonwatch.org