Channel 4: "War and money in Colombia"

PS added on June 6, 2007: Sadly, the link very soon led nowhere. Thanks, anonymous, for pointing this out to me -- I'd overlooked to pull the link. Am leaving the post standing, though..

Hiya again

Today I want to share with you a link and a short report from Channel 4, International Politics. Some of you may already have seen the programme, but those of you who have not may find it of interest.

Those of you who know me know that my interest in Colombia is passionate, personal but, I hope, objective. I find the article disturbing but, to my knowledge, the facts presented are accurate. The issue is a thorny one: how do you operate in a country that is so riven by conflict and whose government has completely failed the vast majority of its population? There are no easy solutions, but I know that paying protection money to criminals cannot be the way.

Below I'm quoting from the Channel 4 website between the **** (http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/international_politics/war%20and%20money%20in%20columbia/514547#fold)

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Last Modified: 16 May 2007
By: Channel 4 News

The global brands who stand accused of turning a blind eye - or even worse - when it comes to paramilitary murder.

Tens of thousands of people have died in Colombia's four-decade long civil war between left-wing guerrillas, the armed forces, and right-wing paramilitary groups.

In the last 15 years alone, paramilitaries have killed more than 10,000 people, according to the country's attorney general. Many of those were trade unionists and local activists.

And the unions and their supporters say that many of those died because they stood in the way of multinational companies, who are accused of profiting from the actions of the killers - and even of directly funding the paramilitaries.

Guillermo Galdós brings [his] special report from the Urabá region of Colombia.

BP and Chiquita Statements

We asked BP for an interview. They declined, but said in a statement:

"BP absolutely denies any suggestion of association with violence or the criminal activities of illegal armed groups in Casanare or Colombia. BP has never funded nor collaborated with paramilitary organisations in Colombia or elsewhere. Any suggestion to the contrary is completely untruthful.

"We have worked closely with regional and national authorities and civil society to promote the rule of law, human rights and peaceful conflict resolution. Private contractors and government security forces protecting our facilities ... are monitored regularly".

Chiquita, in its 2006 annual report, said that:

"In order to protect the lives and safety of its employees, its banana-producing subsidiary in Colombia had been forced to make protection payments to local right- and left-wing paramilitary groups ...

"Since disclosing this information four years ago, Chiquita has cooperated with the DOJ investigation, sold its Colombian operations and enhanced its compliance programs and procedures".
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