The Howard Settler Governments invasion of the Northern territory is land-grabbing racism nothing more. This invasion is part of the neo liberal structural adjustment programme of Intuitions such as the World, Bank, the IMF & APEC to diminish and extinguish Indigenous rights forever.
Latin America - Four Competing Blocks of Power
In reality there are four competing blocs of nations in Latin America, contrary to the highly simplistic dualism portrayed by the White House and most of the Left.
By James Petras
Paramilitaries still operate in large areas of Colombia despite claims by the Colombian regime that they no longer exist. Paramilitaries still operate in large areas of Colombia despite claims by the Colombian regime that they no longer exist.
On February 9th trade union activist Jose Giraldo Toro was forced to flee his home after having been detained and tortured by a paramilitary death squad for five days. In subsequent days 22 members of his extended family were also forced to flee. This is his story.
"Some time ago hundreds of soldiers from the 19th Brigade entered the municipality of Patia in Cauaca department where I live. Soon after them came heavily armed paramilitaries wearing 'Black Eagle' uniforms and carrying chainsaws. The paramilitaries arrived at the start of February and the soldiers simply allowed them into the area and did nothing.
"The paramilitaries set up three bases in the municipality. One on a farm outside of the community of Brisas where I think they killed Hernan who owned the farm. Another was on land owned by Ceferino Gomez and was in the Don Alonso area and the last was near the village of Zarzal on a farm owned by Alfredo Atoy.
"At about 5.30am on February 2nd I heard a horrendous banging on the door to our house, which is in Don Alonso, and I went to see what was happening. When I opened the door I was terrified to see a large group of 'Black Eagle' paramilitaries. They knocked me town and started to beat me. My 4-year-old and my 6-year-old were both screaming but the paramilitaries ignored them and tied my hands all the time kicking me and hitting me with their rifles.
"They dragged me to a field be the house and started really attacking me. They burnt me with cigarettes, smashed my face up and then forced my head into a mask so I couldn't see anything. All the time they were insulting me and beating me.
"I don't know how long it went on for but some time later a group of about 15 people from the community arrived and asked the paramilitaries to let me go. At that point the chief of the men who were attacking me held a gun to my chest and said, in front of everyone, that if I did not give them the information they wanted they would kill me. They told the other members of the community to go away.
"I was then forced into a blue car and driven away by the men but as I was blindfolded I couldn't see where we were going but when we arrived I could tell we were in the area near Zarzal. I later realised I was at one of the paramilitary camps. The paramilitaries tied me again and put me in a room and where they left me. All the time that I'd been with them they insulted me and said that I had to give them the information they wanted or I would die – they kept asking about the guerrillas even though I don't know anything about that.
"The next day, February 3rd, I was taken before the paramilitary commander, a man that they called 'El Cucho'. He said that he would kill me and my children and my mother if I did not tell him who was involved in the local guerrilla support networks. I said I didn't know and he sent me back to the room where they were holding me. I spent the next three nights locked in that room and every now and again they would come and threaten me.
"On February 7th just after lunchtime I was again taken before 'El Cucho'. He said that he would release me on the condition that I returned the following day with my family. He said that he had more to talk to me about and that he especially wanted to speak to my father who he knew was involved in human rights. This isn't even true. He told me that if we did not return he would ensure that my family were massacred. After this they released me on the outskirts of the village of El Zarzal.
"Immediately I knew that I would have to leave as I was not going to take my family to be killed by these thugs. I spoke to my union SINPEAGRIC and they suggested I go to the city of Popayan where they would be able to offer me some assistance. On February 9th I went to the town of Patia from where I took a bus here to Popayan. In the following days most of my family left. So far my mother, father, seven children and 13 grandchildren have all left the region.
"What I cannot understand is why the Army, who have hundreds of troops in the region, did nothing to stop the paramilitaries. Those men are still there terrorising people yet the soldiers just ignore it. I think that the 19th Brigade are working with the paramilitaries as the Army were told what had happened on the first day that they took me away. But for five days nothing happened even though everyone knows where the paramilitary camps are."
"We have lost everything and I don't know if we will be able to go back. I am very worried as it is not clear who will look after our house and land."
