HONDURAS: Urgent situation – Calls to politicians needed
BELOW: summary information, from the Quixote Center, about a tense situation in northern Honduras, where Honduran economic elites are partnering with 1000s of military, police and paramilitaries to forcibly evict poor campesino communities from their homes and communities.
Since the June 28, 2009 military coup, Rights Action has made a number of emergency support grants to MUCA, the main campesino organization supporting the campesino’s land and human rights.
Please call and/ or send this info to your own government officials and politicians, urging them to contact the Hondurans authorities to withdraw all army and police personnel from this conflict, to prevent paramilitaries to intervene, and to resolve this underlying land dispute peacefully.
NAMES & ADDRESSES: below
WHAT TO DO: below
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From: Tom Loudon [mailto:toml@quixote.org]
Dear Friend,
We are writing to ask you to call the U.S. State Department today regarding alarming developments in the Aguan region of Honduras where over 3,500 peasant families are currently at risk.
The peasant families are part of MUCA (the Unified Campesino Movement of the Aguan) who have suffered intense repression in the last months due to land disputes with wealthy businessmen.
In the last 24 hours, as many as 5000 troops, police and commando units have moved into the region. The military has taken total control of roads leading into the region and a curfew was announced by the Honduran Government. Honduran Human Rights Organizations have issued alerts to the international community fearing a potential massacre. Two cooperatives - Guadalupe Carney and El Remolino are particularly at risk.
We have also received disturbing reports of U.S. air support for this military operation in the Aguan. Otto Reich is currently in Honduras reported to be meeting with representatives of the extreme right wing of the Honduran power elite.
Please call Ambassador Craig Kelly at the U.S. State Department (202-647-6754) today and express your alarm about a potential for violent repression of peasant farmers in the Aguan and the participation of U.S. air support in this operation.
Check the Quixote Center web site for updates.
Jenny Atlee, Quixote Center, www.quixote.org
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WRITE YOUR POLITICIANS & MEDIA TO DENOUNCE CANADIAN & AMERICAN COMPLICITY WITH HONDURAN STATE REPRESSION:
US GOV'T OFFICES AND POLITICIANS
State Department Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs: (202) 647-0834, WHAAsstSecty@State.Gov
White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/ or 202-456-1111
US Congress / House of Representatives: go to http://www.house.gov/ to get contact info for your congress members. 202-224-3121
US Senate: go to http://www.senate.gov/ to get contact info for your Senator. 202-224-3121
CANADIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
Governor General of Canada Michaëlle Jean
Rideau Hall, 1 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1A-0A1
info@gg.ca, (613) 993-8200, 800 465-6890
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
harpes@parl.gc.ca
Minister of International Cooperation Bev Oda
509-S Centre Block, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6
Oda.B@parl.gc.ca
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon
509-S Centre Block, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6
cannol@parl.gc.ca
Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas) Peter Kent
125 Sussex Dr, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0G2, (613) 992-0253
kent.p@parl.gc.ca
Gilles Duceppe, leader, Bloc Quebecois
1200 Papineau Av, #350, Montreal, QC, H2K 4R5
ducepg@parl.gc.ca
Jack Layton, leader, New Democratic Party
221 Broadview Ave, Suite 100, Toronto, ON, MM 2G3
laytoj@parl.gc.ca
Elizabeth May, leader, Green Party
Saanich Gulf Islands EDA, PO Box 20076, Sidney, BC, V8L 5C9
emaytowin@greenparty.ca
Michael Ignatieff, leader, Liberal Party
656 The Queensway, Etobicoke, ON, M8Y 1K7
ignatm@parl.gc.ca
Bob Rae, liberal, Foreign Affairs Critic
(613) 992-5234, RaeB@parl.gc.ca
Francine Lalonde, Bloc Quebecois, Foreign Affairs Critic
(613) 995-6327, LalonF@parl.gc.ca
Paul Dewar, NDP, Foreign Affairs Critic
(613) 996-5322, DewarP@parl.gc.ca
Larry Bagnell, liberal, bagnell.l@parl.gc.ca
Stockwell Day, conservative, days@parl.gc.ca
Peter Julian, NDP, julian.p@parl.gc.ca
John McKay, liberal, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, (613) 992-1447, MckayJ@parl.gc.ca
Kevin Sorenson, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, (613) 947-4608, SorenK@parl.gc.ca
Alexandre Leveque, DFAIT, Caribbean, Central America & Regional Policy,
125 Sussex Dr, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0G2, 613-992-2971
Barbara Curran, CIDA Director, 200 Promenade du Portage, Gatineau, K1A 0G4, 819-994-4092, barbara.curran@acdi-cida.gc.ca
CONTACT YOUR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT:
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC
CANADIAN Embassy in Guatemala
Ambassador Leeann McKechnie
leeann.mckechnie@international.gc.ca
Karin Reinecke, Assistant to the Ambassador
karin.reinecke@international.gc.ca
13 Calle 8-44 Zone 10, Edificio Edyma Plaza, Ciudad de Guatemala
(502) 2363-4348, gtmla@international.gc.ca
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EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES & MATERIALS
DELEGATION TO GUATEMALA, APRIL 17-25: Mining companies *versus* Community development, environmental justice & human rights (For information: info@rightsaction.org)
SPEAKING TOURS, ONTARIO (CANADA) & EASTERN USA: “Re-founding the Honduran society & State” & “Community resistance to harmful mining in Guatemala & Honduras” (To host an event: info@rightsaction.org)
DELEGATION TO HONDURAS, JUNE 26-JULY 4: First anniversary of June 28, 2009 oligarchic-military coup against the elected government (For information: info@rightsaction.org)
NEW BOOK: “CODE Z59.5: There Is Only One People Here”, by Grahame Russell. Code Z59.5 is a series of diary excerpts (comments, facts, quotes, etc.) from the 1990s and 2000s, related to the author’s work in Central America, Mexico and North America, in defense of human rights. COST: US$10/ Cdn$11, plus shipping. TO ORDER or for more information: Grahame Russell, info@rightsaction.org, 860-352-2448
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MAKE TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS TO SUPPORT community development and environmental and human rights defense organizations in Honduras. Make checks payable to “Rights Action” and mail to:
UNITED STATES: Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
CANADA: 552 - 351 Queen St. E, Toronto ON, M5A-1T8
CREDIT-CARD DONATIONS: http://rightsaction.org/contributions.htm
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