[ecuador] March on Quito

[Andrew.Bacelis@directory.reed.edu (Andrew Bacelis)]

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>Subject: (en) [ecuador] indigenas with surprising strength and tactic

see spanish version at
www.amarc.org/pulsar

19.1.2000
Ecuador: Indigenas and farmers with surpring strength and tactic 
by Marlon Carrion C.

			Agencia Informativa Pulsar
		Informacio'n para America Latina via Internet
_______________________________________________________

Quito, Ecuador - Thousands of police y military forces posted at all the 
entrances to the city of Quito, capital of Ecuador. They are confused at the 
arrival of 10.000 protesting indigenas to the City.

$E3The indigenas came down from the mountains and took Quito by surprise$E4, 
said a chief in uniform surveying the city and asked to remain unidentified.

What happened is that part of the indigenas provided a distraction of the 
military while most of their fellows were passing through mountain paths to 
make it to Quito which is at 2810 m above sea level. 

The indigena leaders y farmers said they were not in a hurry to make it to 
Quito and reaffirmed that another 40.000 are going to make it. They said that 
this effort of the poorest in the country won$E2t be stopped and will not allow 
another deceit by the government. They will only leave Quito once president 
Jamil Mahuad resigns and the congress and court of justice is dissolved.

In July 1999 thousands of indigenas had also marched down on Quito 
demanding Mahuad to change his economical policies and demanding more 
resources for the indigenas. The president compromised to implement 
changes which he never did, instead he worsened the economical crisis.

The Coordination of Social Movements informed that the Confederacio'n 
Unica Nacional de Afiliados al Seguro Social Campesino,  Coordinadora 
Nacional Campesina (both farmers unions), students and universities have 
joined the uprising.

It also said that that the provinces in the South, the Centre and the North of 
the country are nearly paralysed, same for the coast region and the 
ecuadorian Amazonas which are progressively paralysed by the oil industry 
on strike. 

OEWe have defeated the repression of Mahuad y will soon announce his 
resignation and the whole of his corrupt government$E2 said the indigenas. They 
called upon the progressive military, the small business and the people in 
general to join the protest.

Silverio Cocha, president of the indigena movement in Chimborazo, central 
Ecuador said that the military won$E2t be able to stop people that had enough 
of suffering hunger, deceit, repression. Silverio Cocha was being searched to 
be imprisoned in his province, he is now in the streets of Quito. In order to 
make it he had to walk around to Iliniza mountain which about 5260 m high.

In the meantime hundreds of demonstrators in Ecuadors large cities have 
been arrested and beaten up by the police. In Guayaquil, economical capital 
of the country, thousands of unemployed and ambulant sellers took to the 
streets in support of the indigenas uprising. In Cuenca and Loja the 
repression was dramatic in violence.

In Portoviejo, home of the UPOCAM, one the countries largest farmers union, 
the unionists joined the urban population protesting and fought the police 
back who left abundant quantities of tear gas behind. The military came in 
and the clashes went on until late into the night of Tuesday.

The request of some business leaders to exterminate the indigena uprising 
was not executed. This in part thanks to the international support for this not 
to happen. The Peoples Parliament of Ecuador asked human rights 
organisations and peoples organisations world wide to stay in alert because 
the protests will not end. (Ec/QR/Po-Pi/Cs-Pp/mc)