Sarayacu Community in Amazon Continues its struggle in DEFENSE OF ITS LIFE!!
ChevronTexaco and CGC, GET OUT!
Meetings are being held in Sarayacu Community this August 24, 25 & 26th.
On August 6, CGC-ChevronTexaco signed an agreement with the indigenous peoples organizations FENASH, FENAKIPA and AIEPRA, and with a few individuals from the Sarayacu community, regarding the seismic exploration of the Block 23. These organizations represent a minimal fraction of the population within the block. For a long time, the leaders of these organizations have received money from CGC-ChevronTexaco, so these leaders today are already bought up by CGC-ChevronTexaco and do not represent the grassroot people, they only represent the very same CGC-ChevronTexaco. The few individuals from Sarayacu who participated in the act do not represent anybody but themselves, and act contrary to the statutes of their own community.
From juridical, democratic and moral viewpoints, the agreement signed on August 6 has no validity whatsoever.
As a community, Sarayacu maintains its firm opposition against any petrol activities that may affect its territory. Meanwhile, death threats against the Sarayacu people start to circulate.
The behavior of CGC-ChevronTexaco is in radical contrast to the principles of ChevronTexaco itself regarding Social Responsibility and Human Rights.
Background
A consortium of ChevronTexaco (USA) and CGC(Argentina) have spent the last five years trying to start exploration for petrol in "Block 23", a concession granted by the Ecuadorian government. Most of the block is ancestral territory of Sarayacu, and the rest belongs to other Kichwa, Achuar and Shuar communities. The prime strategy of the petrol company in order to break our resistance is to bribe indigenous leaders to defraud their own people. Also, they spread calumnies & lies against those leaders who do not sell their conscience. Until recently, ChevronTexaco managed to keep its involvement in the concession secret from the local communities.
Two years ago, the representative of the petrol company publicly assured that the company would withdraw unless it got 100% support from the communities within the concession. Nevertheless, the company has not kept is word. Recently, facing Sarayacu's opposition, the petrol company has threatened to enter our territories by means of military intervention. The contract with the government is about to expire and the government intends to renew it, but according to the Ecuadorian constitution of 1998, the government must first consult Sarayacu and other communities affected.
The Northern Ecuadorian Amazon has suffered the consequences of 30 years of petrol exploitation, particularly by Texaco. For the indigenous communities this has meant pollution, hunger, poverty and death. The incidence of cancer is very high in the affected communities.
Ways that you can help:
1 - For more complete information, please link to: www.sarayacu.com/oil
2- It is urgently needed that a massive international opinion be raised in favour of Sarayacu and the defense of the Amazon due to increasingly aggressive actions of the company. You may send protest letters to: webmaster@cgc.com.ar & comment@chevrontexaco.com
If you receive any responses, please forward copies to respuestas@sarayacu.com
3-For those of you wishing to send donations for the anti-petroleum mobilizations, they may be sent by check to:
Tayja Saruta-Sarayacu P.O.Box 628 Woodstock, NY 12498
4- Please find a few moments for Sarayacu community & the land in your prayers, especially thoughout these determining days.
5- You may get in contact with us through sarayacuinfo2@yahoo.com if you have any information you feel would be useful.
6- Please forward this information to friends.
Sincerely, Karen Marrero Juan Gualinga Sarayacu International Representatives
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