Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- The relatively small association -- grouping thousands of small growers of > coffee, rice, African palm, potatoes and bananas -- is demanding the > government ban farm imports and forgive farmers' debts. [Expect it to become a lot smaller, if not extinct, once Pastrana's goons go to work...] On 5 Aug 01, at 12:56, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK > --------------------------------------------- > > In a message dated 04/08/01 23:21:34 Eastern Daylight Time, Lahuelga writes: > > << ["For these events, we hold responsible President Andres Pastrana, who > went over the heads of governors and mayors and public opinion and gave an > order to crack down on the national farm strike," said the National > Association for Farm Salvation in a news release.] > > Two Colombian peasants killed in protest clash > > BOGOTA, Colombia, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Two peasant demonstrators were killed > and 24 were injured in clashes with police and soldiers trying to clear a > farm protest roadblock, protest leaders and police said on Friday. > > The police said the two protesters died on Thursday in cross-fire between > army units responding to leftist guerrillas who allegedly infiltrated the > roadblock on a stretch of highway between the towns of La Plata and Garzon in > the southwestern province of Huila. > > But leaders of the four-day-old nationwide protest -- started by peasant > farmers seeking government aid and cuts in food imports -- blamed the > authorities for the deaths. > > "For these events, we hold responsible President Andres Pastrana, who went > over the heads of governors and mayors and public opinion and gave an order > to crack down on the national farm strike," said the National Association for > Farm Salvation in a news release. > > The relatively small association -- grouping thousands of small growers of > coffee, rice, African palm, potatoes and bananas -- is demanding the > government ban farm imports and forgive farmers' debts. > > Thursday's clashes in Huila between security forces and about 10,000 peasant > demonstrators were the most violent so far in the protest. > > Police said the peasants wielded clubs and threw stones and Molotov > cocktails. They also accused leftist rebels of infiltrating the protest and > taking potshots at the security forces. > > The protest has pushed up prices of some foods in Colombia's cities, but > police action to remove roadblocks has meant that it has not affected the > country's vital exports of coffee. > > But the protest is another economic blow to Latin America's fifth-largest > economy, where growth has slipped this year due to the world slowdown and > redoubled attacks on oil pipelines by leftist rebels fighting a 37-year-old > war. > > Colombia's farm sector has been among the hardest hit by the government's > removal of trade barriers and subsidies since 1990. Protest organizers say > that food imports have grown tenfold to 7 million tonnes since 1990. > > 15:23 08-03-01 > >> > > > ------------------------------------------------- > This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has >been shut down > > > ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: archive@jab.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
