Just got this in my e-mail. Don't read Spanish but the Ecuadoran newspaper, elcomercio has a long story on the protests. Worth watching, though I'm doubtful this is the beginning of an insurrection as some are jumping to that conlusion based on a widely distributed e-mail of a about 4 days ago made some North American comrades believe breathlessly.
Michael Pugliese ...................................................................... http://www.elcomercio.com/ecuador/protestaecuador.html
............................................................................ ... ----- Original Message ----- From: el desaparecido <desaparecido at gmx.de> To: <caravan99 at list.free.de>; <pga_seattle99 at listbot.com>; <a-infos at tao.ca> Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2000 4:15 AM Subject: (en) [ecuador] beginnning of popular indigenous uprising 15.1
> ________________________________________________
> A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
> http://www.ainfos.ca/
> ________________________________________________
>
> (Editor Note: The said "National Parliament" is not a people direct
democracy
> assembly. Some comrades even pointed to extreme nationalist expressions
involved
> with it. Never the less, the uprising in Equador include in it enough
elements
> of indegeneous working people and industrial workers to make it worth
distribution
> Ilan
> worker of a-infos.]
>
>
> National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador
>
> Quito, January 15, 2000
> PRESS BULLETIN
>
> Mahuad must leave office in order to prevent a social convulsion
> BEGINING OF POPULAR-INDIGENOUS UPRISING
>
> The popular-indigenous uprising called by the National Parliament of
> the Peoples of Ecuador against the "dollarization," coruption,
> privitization, and the empoverishing of the country started at 0 hour
> today with the closing of roads in several provinces and the
> mobilization of thousands of indigenous people on an encounter with
> the peoples of Ecuador in Quito; Antonio Vargas, Parliament
> Presiden, insisted thet the only maner in to avoid a social convulsion is
> if Mahuad and his government give way to the desires of the peoples
> of Ecuador.
>
> While Mahuad reads his testament before a corrupt Parliament, of
> hunger, "dollarization," speculation and privitization, we the peoples
> of Ecuador have convened ourselves in this Parliament of solidarity, of
> many-nationalities, of a new Ecuador, democratic, economically
> productiveand with millenary ethical principles, that is the difference
> between our proposal and that of the the corrupt politicians, pointed
> out Vargas.
>
> On his part, Napoleón Saltos, spokesperson for the Coordinator of
> Social Movements (Coordinadora de Movimientos Sociales),
> emphasized the democratic character of this proposal and states being
> sure that men and women will join this movement for a new Ecuador,
> and with more reason when the cost of food products has increased
> about 60% to 80% in price as consequence of the "dollarization,"
> consequences which will be intolerable when the price of gas and food
> products become unfrozen. At the same time, he gave thanks to the
> Eclesiastical Community of the Religous (Comunidad Eclesiástica de
> Religiosos), whom in an unpublished event, manifested their total
> support with the peoples of Ecuador in this sovereign search for a just
> and democratic future.
>
> On their part, the oil workers iniciated their actions of protest with the
> paralization of La Libertad Refinery (Refinería La Libertad) and
> anounced that by January 17th it will add the rest of the areas of the
> oil-industry, progresively, until reaching a total halt. The
> CONFENIAE ( Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas de la
> Amazonía Ecuatoriana), the Confederacy for the Indigenous Nations
> of the Ecuadorian Amazons, the Amazon Defense Front and the oil
> workers declared that this decisions is undeclinable for no privitization
> of the oil and for the life of the Amazon.
>
> As part of the general uprising, major and smalll markets will close
> their doors next Monday Januray 17th. The Farmworker Social Health
> Centers (Seguro Social Campesino) on its behalf has already initiated
> measures in Manabí, Carchi and other provinces. Neighborhoods,
> communities, health workers, public and industry works electritians,
> students, christian communities and universities are ready to initiate
> marches all over the country, under the proposal convoked by the
> National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador .
>
> On Monday January 17th, in the presence of Monsigneur Alberto Luna Tobar,
> the amplified Parlament will be instated, while the Permanent Comission
> (Comisión Permanente) has remained in session without a rest since
> Tuesday January 11th, the day of its instalation. The aproved
> decrees refer to: state deragoutory for emergency; civil disobidience
> against the "dollarization"; judicial and civil indictments
> against Jamil Mahuad for treason; a total fight against corruption, who's
> power is delegated to the provincial parliaments and the National
> Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador
> .
>
> spanish original : www.amarc.org/pulsar
>
> Information for Latin America via Internet
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
> Ecuador: In a day of indigenous uprising, popular leaders and unionists
are
> oppressed by security forces.
> By Marlon Carrión C.
>
> __________________________________________________________________________
>
> QUITO, Ecuador. - In response to the uprising of the indigenous people of
> Ecuador, the government put into practice a National State of Emergency,
> which had been in fact declared several days ago.
>
> In the early morning hours three union and popular leaders were arrested
by
> masked policemen. The detentions were effected by members of public
> security who forcibly broke into the houses of Luis Villacís, Ciro Guzmán
y
> José Chávez. Doors and windows were smashed. The detainees say and their
> families say that the arms-brandishing agents hit them and threatened them
> with death.
>
> Since there is a State of Emergency, the detainees will be taken before a
> military tribunal instead of a civil court. They are being held on
charges
> of endangering the internal security of the State.
>
> For its part, the Conference of Indigenous Nations of Ecuador said that
its
> vice-president, Ricardo Ulcuango, had to be removed to an unknown location
> after having escaped government agents who had captured him.
>
> The same sort of situation is occuring with the leaders of the Coordinator
> of Social Movements, which in conjunction with the Conaie declared the
> popular and indigenous uprising for the overthrow of President Jamil
> Mahaud.
> Monsignor Albertos Luna Tobar, President of the National Parliament of the
> People of Ecuador, protested and rejected the actions of the police and
the
> military in detaining the union leaders. Other political leaders have
made
> similar protests.
>
> The Popular Parliament is a democratic forum composed of indigenous
natives,
> farmers and city people, that rejects the economic politics of Mahaud.
The
> Popular Parliament has called for civil disobedience.
>
> Repression by state security forces against the demonstrators is taking
> shape. The mountainous region of Ecuador, with its high indigenous
> population, is totally militarized, and clashes between indigenous people
> and the military have taken place, but the Ecuadoran press has suppressed
> the information.
>
> The Conaie and the other social movements asks that the international
> community maintains vigilance over the repression ordered by President
> Jamil Mahaud and carried out by the National Police and the military.
>
>
>
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