Pacific Rubiales: Corporate Social Responsibility?
In the Colombian reality different companies are using the term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) so as to appear committed to society, the environment and economic growth.
Who is the target of the indefinite general strike that began on February 12th at 6:00 am?
The Political Mass Movement of Central-Eastern Colombia have publicly declared an indefinite general strike which began at 6am on February 12th, 2013.
Seventh day of pipeline blockade against multinational oil corporations in the Colombian region of Arauca
Since Monday January 21st, approximately 1 500 people belonging to different social organizations of Arauca, maintain an on-going permanent pipeline blockade against oil extractive transnational corporations in different sectors of the region. Their objective is to reactivate the pacific mobilization of their demands to transnational oil companies and to the Colombian state.
A mining park in Santurbán?
You can‟t help feeling indignant when you hear the Autonomous Regional Corporation for the Defense of the Bucaramanga Plateau (CDMB is the Spanish acronym.) call it a victory when the plateau will be declared a regional nature park (PNR is the Spanish acronym.) as is predicted for the coming December 17. It is a fallacy to say that with the scant 10,890 hectares left after several cutbacks, the Santurbán Nature Park will guarantee water in perpetuity for the Bucaramanga metropolitan area, while there are mining concessions of approximately 37,000 hectares in the area.
Canadian Organizations Request for information following the assassination of a USO member in Puerto Gaitan
On December 11, Milton Enrique Rivas Parra, an operator and electrician who worked for the company Termotécnica, which is a subcontractor for the Canadian corporation Pacific Rubiales, was assassinated by contract killers. On December 10, Mr. Rivas Parra received death threats because he was affiliated with the Unión Sindical Obrera (USO). Mr. Rivas Parra was a leader of the ongoing demonstrations being held in Puerto Gaitán in defense of workers’ rights.
HUMAN rights activists visited Scotland last week ...
...to describe the armed thugs driving hundreds of thousands of people from their homes as businesses hunt for precious minerals.
ARMED thugs are driving terrified families from their homes in Colombia as big businesses hunt for precious minerals, campaigners have warned.
Urgent Action: Stop river diversion and support communities around Cerrejon mine in Colombia
Joint urgent action request from Colombia Solidarity Campaign, London Mining Network and War on Want. London 6 November 2012
Lands and Conflict: Extractive Industries in Colombia
CED-INS (Corporación para el Desarrollo y la Investigación Popular – Instituto Nacional Sindical) have launched a newsletter Lands and Conflict: Extractive Industries in Colombia. This is in a context in which, over recent years, huge swathes of land have been handed over by the government to multinationals in the extractive industries sector.
The Divided Guajira
Alfredo Molano keeps track of the controversy over the Rancheria River diversion. The diversion would allow multinationals to exploit 600 million tons of coal that lie beneath its course.
For many centuries, the Guajira was considered a no man’s land: an unpopulated, deserted land where only the wind would blow. At one point there were pearls, but the Spaniards took them away. After, only cacti and loneliness remained. The indigenous people were classified as savages, therefore, it was lawful to kill them in order to defend trade and civilization. It was a wasteland.
Profiting from Repression: Canadian Investment in and Trade with Colombia
The report, commissioned by CUPW and authored by Asad Ismi, details the impact of Canada’s trade policies with and investment in Colombia. The author reports shocking human rights abuses linked to prominent Canadian companies. The report alleges that at least six Canadian owned companies are linked with military and paramilitary repression in Colombia and two companies in particular are linked to at least eight murders of trade unionists and human rights activists.