Venezuela: we denounce the forced delocation of indigenous

Venezuela: we denounce the forced delocation of indigenous

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March 14, 2007
 

Venezuela: we denounce the forced delocation of indigenous
by wayùu of the Perija Mountains
March 21, 2007

We, the indigenous Wayúu inhabitants of the Socuy, Mache and Cachirí river baisns in the Sierra de Perijá, in the western state of Zulia, in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, inform all women and men of the world that our humble community, just as the Yukpa and Barí communities, will be forcefully relocated by the national government so that it may hand over our territories to multi-national coal companies, because the innards of the imperial monster needs more cheap coal to continue plaguing the peoples of the world with death, misery, and hunger.

There cannot be a XXI Century Socialism in our country without us, the indigenous – and if there are no rights to autonomous territories, free of mines and large hereditary landholders, only some expressed in legal papers – but
as a nuisance to miners, oil people, gas people and large hereditary land holders, today they wish to eliminate us with their racist tale of sovereignty and national unity, as if we the indigenous are not also sons the god Maleiwua, Guaicaipuro, and Bolivar.

In these moments, the National Government, thru its Corporation of Development of the Zulia Region (Corpozulia), heads a final attack along with multi-national company operators against our humble indigenous families, to obligate us to sell them our lands, just as they imposed on us years ago during the opening of the Paso Diablo
Mine* and the North Mine in the Guasare river basin, and more recently in the Las Carmelitas Mine near the Los Tres Rios dam.

We denounce the genocide and ecocide that is deepening in the foothills of the Sierra de Perijá along the border region with Colombia on the western arm of the great Andean Mountain range by the hands of Corpozulia, Carbozuliam Anglo American Coal, Inter-American Coal, Peabody, Carbonífera Caño Seco represented by the former president of Telecom Eiram, Brendan Hynes from Ireland, Corporación Carbones del Perijá of Chile represented by María Victoria Quiroga M. and Álvaro Guell V., Energy Resources, among others.

Wayúu Indigenous Organization of the Socuy and Maché Maikiratasalii

Autonomous Indigenous Territories
Free of Mines and Large Landholders.

* Paso Diablo Mine is owned impart by Peabody Coal/Peabody Energy Corporation.
http://www.peabodyenergy.com/Operations/CoalOperations-Venezuela.asp
http://tierraylibertad.contrapoder.org.ve

(source)

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