Come bury the 2010 Lat-Am Mining Congress in Miami April 28-30!!!

Once again, for its sunny weather and its strategic position as the overly played out neo-liberal "Gateway to the Americas," this April the southern tip of the Florida peninsula will play host to a particular array of representatives from multinational companies, international development banks, investors, and ministers. This group is converging to discuss mining, seeking to promote and expand what has become one of the most environmentally devasting industries.

Mining is one of the most widely, popularly contested issues in Latin America; Barrick´s Pascua Lama mine in Chile & Argentina, GoldCorp activities in Guatemala, and Xstrata, who is a shareholder in the Cerrejon Coal mine in la Guajira, Colombia are just some of the companies that will be present at the conferance. These and many others are some of the examples of this industry pitting the survival of local communities against the economic interests of the States that encompass them, the companies they serve and the investers who make it possible.

Many of the people forcibly displaced from these projects have settled in South Florida, because of the proximity and likeness to home, and now the giants of mining are coming to taunt them.

Some of the more prominent earth destroyers to show their faces at the LatAm Mining Investment Congress in Coral Gables this spring include:

• Hernan Martinez Torres, Colombia Minister of Mining & Energy
• Salvador Garcia, VP Mexico, Goldcorp Inc.
• Abraham Morris Fox, Structured and Corporate Finance, Inter-American Development Bank
• John Price, Managing Director, Kroll
• Julian Rooney, V President, Public Policies & Governement Relations, South America, Xstrata
• William Bulmer, Sector Manager, Mining, World Bank
• Igor Gonzales, President South America, Barrick Gold Corp

To read about the conference from its own promoters, go to --> www.terrapinn.com/2010/latmining/

On all three days people will be distributing press packets and materials about the corporations present and what acts have they been responsble for.

On Thursday (4/29) @ 3:30p a large family friendly demonstration is being planned and there is an open call to all street puppeteers, theater groups, musical ensembles and orchestrators of cultural resistance who wish to call attention to the corporate criminals who are using our region as their platform for their assault on the piece of Earth now called Latin America.

Come spend April 28-30 in Miami’s luxurious Coral Gables neighborhood and let’s give back to the Earth by saving her very body!! Join folks from all over, bring musical instruments, partcipate in a mock panel or just bring a dump truck with soil and a shovel and let’s bury large scale, industrialized mining in Latin America from its lifeline here in Miami once and for all!!

For more information, please contact:
lynnejpurvis@gmail.com or otras.colombias.sofla@gmail.com
or call 561-588-9666 (press 3 at voicemail)

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Colombian Network Against Transnacional Mining

In the framework of the serious economic, political and social crisis suffered by Colombia, corporations continue to strengthen their mechanisms to accumulate wealth throughout the country, especially with the governmental policy “Vision 2019: Colombia, a mining country” to give our natural and mineral wealth to transnational corporations.

This process of concentration of wealth, which implies mainly the appropriation of territories that ensure sustainability for different Colombian populations, has caused numerous conflicts, with its subsequent militarization, violation of human rights, over-exploitation and impoverishment of communities and workers, degradation of the environment and generalized corruption, destroying participatory and decision-making processes built in the region.

According to official sources, by the end of last year the government had given approximately 5 million hectares to transnational mining companies, and many more are being requested, which are currently being used for agricultural purposes. While foreign investment in mining increased over 500 per cent between 2002 and 2009, job sources were reduced.

Today we introduce the creation of the COLOMBIAN NETWORK AGAINST TRANSNATIONAL MINING, which will be based on:

1. Struggle against transnational mining.

2. Struggle against eviction laws

3. Defense of life, territories and national sovereignty

Since this is a democratic, plural and popular initiative we invite all organizations and social groups being affected by trasnational mining in Colombia to join.

Asociación Agropecuaria de Caramanta - ASAP Caramanta
Asociación Campesina Bien Andantes- Sucre Cauca.
Asociación Consejo Regional del Pueblo Nasa del Putumayo Kwe’sx Ksxa’w
Asociación de Familias Campesinas - BIABUMA
Asociación Minga
CENSAT – Agua Viva
Centro de estudios del Carbón y la Gran Minería
Centro de Estudios del Trabajo CEDETRABAJO.
Centro de Estudios Jurídicos y Sociales -Tierra Digna
Colectivo de soberanía Recursos Naturales y Minero-Energéticos
Comisión de Seguimiento y Vigilancia del Páramo El Almorzadero
Comisión Intereclesial de Justicia Y Paz
Comité de Integración del Macizo Colombiano - CIMA
Comité de Integración Social del Catatumbo - CISCA
Comunidades Afrodescendientes de las zonas humanitarias y de Biodiversidad del Curvaradó y Jiguamiandó
Comunidades de Nuevo Cañaveral, Alto Guayabal, Urada, Departamento de Chocó
Corporación Aury Sará Marrugo
Corporación Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo
Corporación Colectivo de Abogados LUIS CARLOS PÉREZ
Corporación Compromiso
Corporación Observatorio Social y Ambiental del Tolima – Coalas
Corporación para la Educación, el Desarrollo y la Educación Popular – Instituto Nacional Sindical – CEDINS
Corporación Sembrar
Corporación Social para la Asesoría y Capacitación Comunitaria - COSPACC
Emprendedores por la Ecología y la Tierra – ECOSTIERRA
Federación Agrominera del Sur de Bolívar -FEDEAGROMISBOL
Federación de Mineros de Oro, Plata y Platino FEDORO
Federación de Mineros y Balasteros del Eje cafetero
Federación Santandereana de mineros FESAMIN
Federación Unitaria de Trabajadores Mineros, Enegéticos, Metalúrgicos, Químicos y de Industrias similares – FUNTRAENERGÉTICA
Indígenas Embera Katio
Mineros de Samaniego
Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia - ONIC
Proceso de Comunidades Negras – PCN
Pueblo Cofam
Red Antorcha
Red Colombiana de Acción Frente el Libre Comercio - RECALCA
Red de Hermandad y Solidaridad con Colombia – REDHER
Red Mateo Kramer
Resguardo de Chidima-Tolo
Resguardo de Urada- Jiguamiandó
Resguardo San Luis Alto Picudito del Municipio de Villagarzón, Resguardo Kwinas Çxamb (Alto Lorenzó) Municipio de Puerto Asís
Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Minería en Colombia - SINTRAMINERCOL
Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria del Carbón - SINTRACARBÓN