CPTNet
September 23, 2005
COLOMBIA: U.S. "War on Drugs" is a War on Campesinos
On September 23, 2005, at the airport in Barrancabermeja, Colombia, a
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) delegation held a prayer service against
the U.S. funded "War on Drugs" policy of aerial fumigations. Because of this
policy, this civilian airport has been converted into a storage facility for
toxic chemicals, crop-dusting planes, and military escort helicopters.
Kneeling and praying near the aircraft, the group displayed a banner
reading, "Yes to development, self-determination and life; No to U.S.
dollars for weapons and fumigation." (See Pictures:
www.cpt.org/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album134=)
In a leaflet, the group explained that they do not support the drug trade,
but see fumigation as ineffective in reducing cocaine production, and
destructive to Colombia's rural poor and the environment. Furthermore, they
understand that farmers are small players in the drug trade as they only
receive two to three percent of total profits.
Over-spray from the coca crop spraying kills food crops, poisons livestock,
fish and water supplies, and damages human health. Once their fields are
fumigated, the farmers typically move into nearby rain forests, cutting down
and burning trees to clear land for more coca production. When asked, the
farmers express a desire for alternative cash crops. Ironically, newly
introduced cash crops, such as cacao (chocolate) trees funded by U.S.
agencies, are also being destroyed by fumigation.
Glyphosate, also known as the Monsanto product Round-Up, is commonly used in
these fumigations, but it is not recommended for aerial spraying in the U.S.
>From 2000 to 2003, over 8,000 complaints about over-spray damage to people
and crops had been filed with the U.S. embassy in Bogotá. By early 2004
compensation for spray damage had been paid in only five cases.
Delegate Thaddeus Hicks, a police officer from Marysville, Ohio, said, "I
heard it straight from people's mouths--fumigation doesn't work. It just
kills people." Rev. Dan Dale, a United Church of Christ pastor from Chicago,
IL, called on the U.S. Congress to end funding for fumigation programs in
Latin America. "We're not solving our drug problem. We're using it as an
excuse to kill the poorest of the poor."
Following the action, the delegation boarded the plane for Bogotá to meet
with a USA embassy official about the fumigation policy and other concerns
heard on the delegation. Both on the airplane, and inside the airport, the
delegation and CPT team members received words of thanks and support from
both Colombian and U.S. citizens for the action and its strong message.
The CPT delegation visited the Magdalena Medio region of northern Colombia
from September 17-23, meeting with subsistence farmers and with displaced
people who have fled the countryside because of constant civil war and
fumigation.
Other members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams delegation were Justin
Donner and Rosabelle McCullough of Philadelphia, PA; Julián Gutiérrez
Castaño of Pereira, Colombia; Esther Kern of London, Ontario; Stewart
Vriesinga of Lucknow, Ontario; and Nancy Long of Peoria, IL.
----------------------
To stop receiving messages from CPTNET on MennoLink, send a message with
only the word, "suspend," in the body to server@MennoLink.org.
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) seeks to enlist the whole church in
organized, nonviolent alternatives to war and places teams of trained,
peacemakers in regions of lethal conflict. Originally a violence-reduction
initiative of the historic peace churches (Mennonite, Church of the Brethren
and Quaker), CPT now enjoys support and membership from a wide range of
Christian denominations.
To receive news or discussion of CPT issues by e-mail, fill out the form
found on our WEB page at http://www.cpt.org/subscribe.php
Donate to CPT on-line with your credit card! Go to http://cpt.org/donate.php
and click the DONATE button to make a contribution through Network for Good,
a secure way to help support CPT.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Sep 27 2005 - 16:09:12 EDT