I recently heard about this article, and it was quite disturbing. I don't know what everybody's feelings are regarding America's "War on Drugs", but I thought this might interest some of you. I had no idea that things were this bad in Colombia.
Go to the link here, http://www.soaw-ne.org/Pccrops.html, since I don't think I can post the pictures on here. It's a bit long, and I apologize, but it's worth reading. I'm interested in your thoughts on this one....
"Plan Colombia ... Plan of Death"
Article and photos by Linda Panetta
Aerial Shots of Fumigated Rainforests
Fumigated Crops
Internally Displaced / Victims of US Foreign Policy...
(Additional photos will be posted soon!!!)
Links Within This Article:
General Montoya
I recently returned from a delegation to Colombia sponsored by the Colombia Support Network. The purpose of this trip was two-fold. First, to better understand and to see first-hand the effects of fumigation in the Putumayo region; second, to bear witness to the violence perpetrated by the Colombian military--of which more than 10,000 soldiers have been trained at the School of the Americas--and the paramilitary forces, which have been responsible for more than 70% of the massacres in Colombia over the past two years. The fumigations are part of the "anti-drug" campaign called "Plan Colombia," which is a multibillion dollar program purportedly developed by the government of Colombia to deal with the many conflicts of its country. To date, the US has pledged $1.3 billion in aid (which will primarily be paid to US weapons and chemical corporations) in the form of military training, helicopters, and fumigation related expenses. Additional funding has already been proposed.
During our time in Colombia, we met with community leaders, including tribal representatives from the indigenous people of the Putumayo region, religious leaders, Colombian officials, military leaders, the director of the UN High Commission on Human Rights, and the US Ambassador to Colombia.
Throughout our meetings and visits to the Putumayo it became vividly evident that due to the indiscriminate nature of the fumigation campaign not only were coca (the raw material of cocaine) crops being targeted, but food crops and medicinal plants were being eradicated, and water supplies were being contaminated. The herbicide, glyphosate (more commonly known as "Round-up"), is produced and manufactured by the US chemical corporation, Monsanto. In Colombia, this herbicide is used in a highly concentrated form and can obliterate a food crop with a single aerial application. The negligence associated with the fumigation campaign has not only had disastrous ecological and health consequences for the region, but it also has significantly increased the expansion of coca crops throughout Colombia.
Paradoxically, as coca was being eradicated in regions such as Peru and Bolivia, there was a nearly instantaneous surge in production and control in Colombia by the newly formed Medellin Cartel. Basic economics, and our own history, tell us that where there is a demand, especially of an illicit drug, there will always be those who find a way of not only providing the product, but of making a tremendous profit on it.
Between 1994 and 1998 approximately 45,500 hectares of coca were cultivated. In an attempt to eradicate these crops, more than 140,800 hectares of (food and coca) fields, and rainforests were fumigated. The US anti-narcotics department cited a mere 15% effective rate against the illicit crop, but repercussions extended well beyond their failure to destroy the coca. Not only did ecological devastation ensue, but the fumigations actually spurred the coca industry in Colombia at a rate of over 100%. By 1999 there were more than 101,000 hectares of coca being cultivated in Colombia. As the US spent millions of dollars collapsing the Medellin Cartel, what emerged was a redistribution of power among drug traffickers in Colombia. To build their ranks, influence, and assets, the paramilitary groups, taking full advantage of the collapse of the cartel, jumped directly into the drug trafficking market. By forging ties and collaborating with other drug traffickers, and receiving the support of the Colombian military, their numbers grew from 4,000 in 1995 to over 8,000 in 2001.
Coca is big business for many players. In addition to the paramilitary forces, who receive the majority of their funding from the coca industry, the various guerilla groups have also greatly profited from marketing coca. But, whereas many of the guerrilla groups work to promote social reforms which benefit the poor and marginalized (80% of the Colombian people live in near or absolute poverty), the paramilitaries support a system controlled by a wealthy minority whose interests are promoted, along with those of US and multinationals, in order to exploit and control the poor and the country's natural resources.
With millions of dollars being generated annually by the drug trade, drug traffickers are able to launder their money by buying up large expanses of territory which were primarily occupied by indigenous groups throughout the Amazon. Some of the resources are diverted to the lumber, cattle and oil industry, while other areas are simply plowed over to give birth to fledgling coca crops. This not only secures the flow of money, but it also serves to expand the network and power of the regional armed forces. Ultimately, it empowers them to intensify the violence against the poor, resulting in thousands of people being tortured, killed and otherwise driven from their land. Annually, approximately 300,000 people are forced to emigrate from their homes because of the violence.
Not only is the coca industry big business for in-country profiteers, it also provides US and multinational corporations the opportunity to make millions of dollars by exploiting the "War on Drugs." For example, of the $27 million spent on the 1994-98 eradication campaign, $20 million went directly to Monsanto. And because the campaign was so ineffective--the U.S. blamed the problem on the excessive rains in the regions--increased applications of glyphosate were introduced. Additionally, new research emerged into a more effective solution, such as biological agents (for example--a mutating fungus), which would have greater adherence to the vegetation. The effects of this new agent could potentially have a catastrophic impact on the overall ecology of the rainforests -- aquatic life, animals, and the people--who are already being bombarded with chemical toxins on a continuous basis. The ultimate result of the failed eradication campaign: a $1.3 billion aid package to Colombia, of which it is estimated, 70% will remain in the hands of US weapons and chemical corporations, as well as the US military. A mere 1% is earmarked for the peace process.
Corporations such as United Tech and Sikorsky will receive millions from the sale of Hueys and Blackhawk helicopters. Other companies, such as Rockwell will benefit from the sale of surveillance systems, and MPRI will send their mercenaries--the list goes on. These corporations, in collaboration with the US military, are vying to wage a biological and civilian-targeted warfare which will bring Colombia to its knees. They will continue bullying them into abject adversity until they scream out "Uncle." And there Sam will be to further exploit and decimate the people and the natural resources until, like so many other countries, there is no hope of restoring a balance--of acquiring peace.
A 1997 Pentagon document stated that the purpose of the US military is "to protect US interests and investments." A hidden agenda of US involvement in the "drug war" is acquiring and maintaining control of the plethora of resources in Colombia, such as gold, silver and copper, as well as the great expanses of oil (potentially over 260 billion barrels are in reserve). And as this pillage and uncontrolled rape of the land continues, Colombia, which has the greatest diversity of animal life in the world, is now losing both plant and animal species (to the point of extinction) at a calamitous rate.
As soon as I arrived in the Putumayo I was quickly taken aback by an eerie presence around me. It didn't stem from the numerous bunkers that I saw, or the stares we received from the countless armed soldiers who stood guard. No, probably the most haunting sound that I heard from the Putumayo--this majestic Amazon region which borders Peru and Ecuador--was the silence. There were certainly stray dogs roaming the streets, and horses pulling carts, but aside from these, the only animals I saw were a dead ox laying in a ravine, and two lone monkeys poised in a tree that bore little vegetation. In fact, the only place I saw birds flying overhead was at a military airstrip, while we awaited the arrival of our helicopter.
...to be continued....
Go to the link here, http://www.soaw-ne.org/Pccrops.html, since I don't think I can post the pictures on here. It's a bit long, and I apologize, but it's worth reading. I'm interested in your thoughts on this one....
"Plan Colombia ... Plan of Death"
Article and photos by Linda Panetta
Aerial Shots of Fumigated Rainforests
Fumigated Crops
Internally Displaced / Victims of US Foreign Policy...
(Additional photos will be posted soon!!!)
Links Within This Article:
General Montoya
I recently returned from a delegation to Colombia sponsored by the Colombia Support Network. The purpose of this trip was two-fold. First, to better understand and to see first-hand the effects of fumigation in the Putumayo region; second, to bear witness to the violence perpetrated by the Colombian military--of which more than 10,000 soldiers have been trained at the School of the Americas--and the paramilitary forces, which have been responsible for more than 70% of the massacres in Colombia over the past two years. The fumigations are part of the "anti-drug" campaign called "Plan Colombia," which is a multibillion dollar program purportedly developed by the government of Colombia to deal with the many conflicts of its country. To date, the US has pledged $1.3 billion in aid (which will primarily be paid to US weapons and chemical corporations) in the form of military training, helicopters, and fumigation related expenses. Additional funding has already been proposed.
During our time in Colombia, we met with community leaders, including tribal representatives from the indigenous people of the Putumayo region, religious leaders, Colombian officials, military leaders, the director of the UN High Commission on Human Rights, and the US Ambassador to Colombia.
Throughout our meetings and visits to the Putumayo it became vividly evident that due to the indiscriminate nature of the fumigation campaign not only were coca (the raw material of cocaine) crops being targeted, but food crops and medicinal plants were being eradicated, and water supplies were being contaminated. The herbicide, glyphosate (more commonly known as "Round-up"), is produced and manufactured by the US chemical corporation, Monsanto. In Colombia, this herbicide is used in a highly concentrated form and can obliterate a food crop with a single aerial application. The negligence associated with the fumigation campaign has not only had disastrous ecological and health consequences for the region, but it also has significantly increased the expansion of coca crops throughout Colombia.
Paradoxically, as coca was being eradicated in regions such as Peru and Bolivia, there was a nearly instantaneous surge in production and control in Colombia by the newly formed Medellin Cartel. Basic economics, and our own history, tell us that where there is a demand, especially of an illicit drug, there will always be those who find a way of not only providing the product, but of making a tremendous profit on it.
Between 1994 and 1998 approximately 45,500 hectares of coca were cultivated. In an attempt to eradicate these crops, more than 140,800 hectares of (food and coca) fields, and rainforests were fumigated. The US anti-narcotics department cited a mere 15% effective rate against the illicit crop, but repercussions extended well beyond their failure to destroy the coca. Not only did ecological devastation ensue, but the fumigations actually spurred the coca industry in Colombia at a rate of over 100%. By 1999 there were more than 101,000 hectares of coca being cultivated in Colombia. As the US spent millions of dollars collapsing the Medellin Cartel, what emerged was a redistribution of power among drug traffickers in Colombia. To build their ranks, influence, and assets, the paramilitary groups, taking full advantage of the collapse of the cartel, jumped directly into the drug trafficking market. By forging ties and collaborating with other drug traffickers, and receiving the support of the Colombian military, their numbers grew from 4,000 in 1995 to over 8,000 in 2001.
Coca is big business for many players. In addition to the paramilitary forces, who receive the majority of their funding from the coca industry, the various guerilla groups have also greatly profited from marketing coca. But, whereas many of the guerrilla groups work to promote social reforms which benefit the poor and marginalized (80% of the Colombian people live in near or absolute poverty), the paramilitaries support a system controlled by a wealthy minority whose interests are promoted, along with those of US and multinationals, in order to exploit and control the poor and the country's natural resources.
With millions of dollars being generated annually by the drug trade, drug traffickers are able to launder their money by buying up large expanses of territory which were primarily occupied by indigenous groups throughout the Amazon. Some of the resources are diverted to the lumber, cattle and oil industry, while other areas are simply plowed over to give birth to fledgling coca crops. This not only secures the flow of money, but it also serves to expand the network and power of the regional armed forces. Ultimately, it empowers them to intensify the violence against the poor, resulting in thousands of people being tortured, killed and otherwise driven from their land. Annually, approximately 300,000 people are forced to emigrate from their homes because of the violence.
Not only is the coca industry big business for in-country profiteers, it also provides US and multinational corporations the opportunity to make millions of dollars by exploiting the "War on Drugs." For example, of the $27 million spent on the 1994-98 eradication campaign, $20 million went directly to Monsanto. And because the campaign was so ineffective--the U.S. blamed the problem on the excessive rains in the regions--increased applications of glyphosate were introduced. Additionally, new research emerged into a more effective solution, such as biological agents (for example--a mutating fungus), which would have greater adherence to the vegetation. The effects of this new agent could potentially have a catastrophic impact on the overall ecology of the rainforests -- aquatic life, animals, and the people--who are already being bombarded with chemical toxins on a continuous basis. The ultimate result of the failed eradication campaign: a $1.3 billion aid package to Colombia, of which it is estimated, 70% will remain in the hands of US weapons and chemical corporations, as well as the US military. A mere 1% is earmarked for the peace process.
Corporations such as United Tech and Sikorsky will receive millions from the sale of Hueys and Blackhawk helicopters. Other companies, such as Rockwell will benefit from the sale of surveillance systems, and MPRI will send their mercenaries--the list goes on. These corporations, in collaboration with the US military, are vying to wage a biological and civilian-targeted warfare which will bring Colombia to its knees. They will continue bullying them into abject adversity until they scream out "Uncle." And there Sam will be to further exploit and decimate the people and the natural resources until, like so many other countries, there is no hope of restoring a balance--of acquiring peace.
A 1997 Pentagon document stated that the purpose of the US military is "to protect US interests and investments." A hidden agenda of US involvement in the "drug war" is acquiring and maintaining control of the plethora of resources in Colombia, such as gold, silver and copper, as well as the great expanses of oil (potentially over 260 billion barrels are in reserve). And as this pillage and uncontrolled rape of the land continues, Colombia, which has the greatest diversity of animal life in the world, is now losing both plant and animal species (to the point of extinction) at a calamitous rate.
As soon as I arrived in the Putumayo I was quickly taken aback by an eerie presence around me. It didn't stem from the numerous bunkers that I saw, or the stares we received from the countless armed soldiers who stood guard. No, probably the most haunting sound that I heard from the Putumayo--this majestic Amazon region which borders Peru and Ecuador--was the silence. There were certainly stray dogs roaming the streets, and horses pulling carts, but aside from these, the only animals I saw were a dead ox laying in a ravine, and two lone monkeys poised in a tree that bore little vegetation. In fact, the only place I saw birds flying overhead was at a military airstrip, while we awaited the arrival of our helicopter.
...to be continued....
...
