Date: Wed, 05 Aug 1998 12:48:18 -0400 To: pen-l at galaxy.csuchico.edu, lbo-talk at lists.panix.com,
Resource Center of the Americas <rctamn at maroon.tc.umn.edu> From: Thomas Kruse <tkruse at albatros.cnb.net> Subject: War in Colombia Cc: rivarme at colomsat.net.co Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by dont.panix.com id MAA29531
Dear List Members:
I just got the following note from a colleague in Colombia. The translation is mine.
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Valued compaÒeros:
Since August 4th Colombia has been the site of various military actions, including an impressive show of force by the guerillas, principally the FARC [Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia]. The most serious case was in Miraflores, epicenter of coca growing in Guaviare. Completely destroyed were the anti-narcotics base, a military base and a navy base. The fate of 190 soldiers is not known. The figures on dead and wounded are still contradictory. An unspecified number of the civilian population tried to flee using boats found up river on the Rio Vapue, and along their escape route army helicopters armed with artillery strafed everyone on the boats. We don't know how many persons might have died. In the urban areas we know that there were two civilian casualties in the cross fire of bullets and bombs. The wounded have far surpassed the capacity of the local hospital, and they have not been attended to by the Red Cross. It occurs to me you could send messages to certain organizations such as the Red Cross, your Embassies, etc., to help prevent further harm to the civilian population. Miraflores is the most stigmatized town in Colombia, and it appears as if a paramilitary incursion of major proportions is being prepared against the area.
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Tom
Tom Kruse / Casilla 5812 / Cochabamba, Bolivia Tel/Fax: (591-4) 248242 Email: tkruse at albatros.cnb.net