Thursday, November 11, 2010

What US mining companies do in Colombia

Top EngLang source for all things Colombia, Colombia Reports, brings us the news of how US mining companies congratulate far right wing paramilitary terrorists when they go around assassinating people. Here's an excerpt:

U.S. coal giant Drummond congratulated members of paramilitary organization AUC on the murder of two labor rights activists working for the Colombian branch of the company, a paramilitary testified Wednesday.
Drummond is involved in a lawsuit filed by victims of paramilitary violence that accuse the coal company of having given money to paramilitary organization AUC between 1999 and 2005, during which 116 civilians were killed in the region where the firm operates.
According to Spanish press agency EFE, the lawyer of one of the bosses of the demobilized AUC, extradited Rodrigo "Jorge 40" Tuvar Pupo, told press that his client admits responsibility for the murder of the unionists in 2001.
A second paramilitary, "Samario," said in the hearing that two Drummond executives congratulated Jorge 40 and Oscar Jose Ospino, alias "Tolemaida" on the crime in a meeting that took place after the double homicide, Caracol Radio reported.
The two victims, Valmore Locarno Rodriguez and Victor Hugo Orcasita Amaya, were murdered in CONTINUES HERE