Bolivia--villagers attack polluting multinational

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Ciudad de Oruro, Bolivia, June 15, 2000

Villagers from Chuquiqa were teargassed today as they protested against
oil leaking from a pipeline owned by Transredes (a Bolivian subsidiary of
Enron-Shell). The oil leakage is destroying their land and polluting a
nearby river.

Because of the company's negligence, on May 31, the pipeline ruptured,
causing a large amount of oil to spill into  an irrigation channel. The
spill spread to 200 kilometers of rivers and irrigation canals used for
watering crops. The resulting contamination affected water used for
drinking and irrigation by more than 127 rural farming communities. The
multinational said it  would compensate the communities for the damage
done. But, it refused to dig water wells or make up for the destruction of
forage for the animals. The company's position was supported by the
corrupt Banzer government.

The rural people from the Altiplano brought their dead sheep to the city
of Oruro as proof of the seriousness of the contamination. When the police
attacked the demonstrators, they  threw sticks, rocks and fetuses from the
sheep that had died from the contamination. Later on, they went to the
offices of the multinational Enron-Shell, where they broke windows, threw
molotov cocktails and stones. They tried to force open the building's
entrance with poles and crowbars.

Then, the police ordered them to disperse, and attacked them with gas, but
the villagers had water to help them withstand it. They threw themselves
on the ground, and it took some time for the police to move them. There
have been many meetings between the multinational representatives and the
rural people, who are demanding forage for their animals and water for
drinking. But, up until now, nothing has been done to meet their demands.

The villagers have been demonstrating outside the offices of the oil
pipeline company with signs reading: "Death to Transredes, end the
contamination." In reprisal, the company has announced that it would
suspend it's services in the region.

Juventudes Libertarias (Libertarian Youth), June 16, 2000
juventudes_libertarias@latinmail.com