U.S. wants pipeline protected

FROM THE ARCHIVE

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2002

The Bush administration is proposing to spend $98 million on aid to Colombia, part of which will be used to train soldiers to guard an oil pipeline operated by an American company whose efforts have been opposed by indigenous activists.

Occidental Petroleum's pipeline has been bombed 170 times in the last year alone by Colombian rebels. The company has been criticized for its exploitation of the traditional lands of the U'wa Nation and has been given the green light to drill on land located next to the U'wa Reserve.

Three American Indian activists were killed in Colombia on a trip to help U'wa oppose development. The American government blames the deaths of Terence Freitas, Ingrid Washinawatok and Lahneenae Gay on rebels, one of whom has been convicted in absentia.

Get the Story:
U.S. Plan Aims to Stem Pipeline's Flow of Trouble (The Los Angeles Times 2/6)
Administration Shifts Focus on Colombia Aid (The New York Times 2/6)
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Relevant Links:
Friends & Relatives of the People, Ingrid Washinawatok, Terence Freitas and Lahe'ena'e Gay - http://www.ienearth.org/colombia.html