2008 – Page 45 – Upside Down World

The Last Rebels of the Caribbean: Garifuna Fighting for Their Lives in Honduras

March 27, 2008 Ramor Ryan 0

"We have hundreds of kilometers of beaches that aren’t developed, and it’s a waste,” said Honduran Tourism Secretary, Ana Abarca. These hundreds of kilometers of "waste" are home to 76 Garifuna villages. It is the Garifuna communities’ two most salient attributes – the beauty of their territory, and their vibrant culture – that pose a threat to their existence. The former coveted by the tourist industry, the latter commodified.

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Paraguay: Dirigente campesino imputado por hacer frente a la fumigación

March 27, 2008 Marco Castillo, Regina Kretschmer, Javiera Rulli, Gaby Schwartzmann 0

Fuente: www.lasojamata.org La criminalización de los movimientos sociales en el Paraguay se agrava con la reciente orden de detención del dirigente social y político, Tomas Zayas, un concejal municipal y 3 campesinos, imputados por “intento […]

Paraguay: Campesino Leader Charged For Confronting Crop Spraying

March 27, 2008 Marco Castillo, Regina Kretschmer, Javiera Rulli, Gaby Schwartzmann. Translated by April Howard. 0

Campesino Protest

The criminalization of social movements in Paraguay has worsened with the recent order to detain political and social leader Tomás Zayas, a municipal councilor and three campesinos, charged for “Homicidal intent and criminal association.” These accusations are due to the conflict that has developed over the last three years over intense crop spraying with pesticides. […]

Bolivia: Government, Opposition Clash in Cooking Oil War

March 26, 2008 Franz Chávez 0

(IPS) – The latest clash between the Bolivian government and conservative opposition forces is over a temporary government ban on exports of cooking oil, in response to domestic price hikes. In the last few months, […]

Globalization And Terror: Murder Inc. and Haiti

March 26, 2008 Toni Solo 0

Source: Haiti Analysis "Evidence is mounting that United Nations peacekeepers shot and killed unarmed civilians, including children, during a recent raid in Haiti…Independent witnesses say up to 23 people were killed during the raid and […]

Photo Essay – Bolivia: Coca Yes, Cocaine No

March 25, 2008 Roberto Guerra and Ruxandra Guidi 0

The United Nations’ International Narcotics Control Board recently made the announcement that Peru and Bolivia should, once and for all, outlaw the chewing of coca. Those are fighting words in Bolivia, where coca leaves have been grown and used in their natural form for thousands of years.

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Book Review: Behind Colombian Coal: Mining, Multinationals and Human Rights

March 25, 2008 Jeffery R. Webber 0

In the immediate aftermath of the Colombian state murders in Ecuador, massive demonstrations were held across Colombia and throughout the world on behalf of Colombians killed by state or paramilitary violence. One of the immediate consequences has been renewed paramilitary terror and threats against trade unionists and human-rights activists. All of this makes the publication of The People Behind Colombian Coal timely and important.

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UN: Mexico Violating Human Rights of Migrants

March 25, 2008 Cyril Mychalejko 0

Dr. Jorge Bustamante

Jorge Bustamante, the U.N.’s Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, said that there are "reports of rampant impunity for instances of corruption, including bribery and extortion, violence against women, and trafficking in children[and] that the impunity seems to be linked to abuses of power at the municipal, state and federal levels."

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Ecuador: Manta Air Base Tied to Colombian Raid on FARC Camp

March 24, 2008 Kintto Lucas 0

(IPS) – Military and diplomatic sources see a link between the Manta air base, operated by the United States in Ecuadorean territory, and this month’s bombing raid by Colombia on a FARC guerrilla camp in […]

Fruit Giant Chiquita Sued for Colombia Deaths

March 21, 2008 Democracy Now! 0

Source: Democracy Now! The spouses of five missionaries killed by FARC rebels are suing fruit giant Chiquita Brands International for its role in financing the paramilitary group in the 1990s. The victims were working along […]