[Imc-uk-features] colombia repression startpage-special on uk

[yossarian]

Hi,

Over the last few hours we've been getting reports direct from Colombia
regarding a land occupation of 500 people, mostly poor indigenous
families, who are currently surrounded by 2000 riot police and elements
of the Colombian army.  Over the past few days, the land occupations in
Colombia have had dozens of people injured, been badly tear-gassed, and
at least one person, a 16-year old boy named Belisario Camayo Huetoto
has been killed by police bullets.  Since they are calling for
solidarity emails fast as this is happening on the ground right now and
we are in relatively direct contact with them, I am going to be a little
bit disobeddienti and put up a small startpage-special linking to a
solidarity call in the newswire.  If anyone has a problem with this
please take it down.  The text I'm going to use is below, if anyone
wants to find out more, look on the global indy site and feel free to
work this into a feature.  I propose to take this down by, say, tomorrow
afternoon sometime if nobody does it before that.

This could potentially serve as the basis for a slightly longer feature
as well if anybody wants to take it and run with it.   I noticed a bunch
of stuff in our own newswire (
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/10/325563.html for example) but
don't have time to do a full feature on it.  There's also quite a bit of
stuff linked from the global site and some English-language articles on
http://colombia.indymedia.org  Anyone wanting direct contact with what
is going on in Colombia can jump into irc channel #brasil , where they
are coordinating coverage.

Sorry to jump process, going for it anyway,
Yossarian

*****************

 Indymedia UK are currently getting reports of 2000 riot police and an
unspecified army presence outside of a <a
href="http://colombia.indymedia.org/news/2005/11/33539.php">squat held
by 500 people</a>, mostly poor indigenous families, in Cauca, Colombia. 
Over the past few days, 1 person has been killed and 37 people have been
injured by police beatings and bullets. The situation is tense and they
are calling for <a href="mailto:yako at indymedia.org">solidarity
emails</a>, letter-writing and publicity because they are worried that
without this the police and army will attack.
<p />
Guambianos, Kokonuko and Nasa indigenous people, as well as thousands of
peasants that are demanding land, have occupied haciendas (a hacienda is
a huge piece of rural property) in several parts of Cauca since the 12th
of October.
<p />
They are protesting because the INCODER (Colombian Institute for Rural
Development) is not given funds or legal power to achieve rural reform,
in Cauca or in the rest of the country.
<p />
Despite being heavily tear-gassed and losing one boy (Belisario Camayo
Huetoto, 16) dead to police bullets, the families on the occupied land
are calling for letters, phone calls, emails, and faxes to the Colombian
Embassy to make it politically more difficult for the government to
allow the police and army to attack the settlement. 
<p />
Communications can be addressed to:
<p />
The Embassy of Colombia<br/>
3 Hans Crescent <br/>
London <br/>
Sw1x Olr <br/>
UK<br/>
<p />
Telephone: 009 44 171 5899177 <br/>
Fax: 009 44 171 5811529 <br/><br/>