The Struggle Against Free Trade Continues (El Salvador)

Published on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 by Foreign Policy in Focus
The Struggle Against Free Trade Continues
by Gabriella Campos

On October 15th, La Mesa Nacional Frente a La Minería Metálica en El Salvador, also known as El Salvador's National Roundtable on Mining, won the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award awarded by the Institute for Policy Studies for their fight against mining in El Salvador.

As the international community's attention is fixed on the coup and crisis in Honduras, another Central American country fights the constraints and inequalities caused by flawed free trade agreements between the United States and the hemisphere. El Salvador currently battles a lawsuit issued by Canadian mining company Pacific Rim against the Salvadoran government, for prohibiting mining in their country, in fear of the repercussions it might have on its people and the environment. In the forefront of such a battle, a group of activists have stepped forward to attempt to permanently ban mining in El Salvador.

La Mesa Nacional Frente a la Minería Metálica is a coalition of environmental, faith-based, and community activists who have come together to successfully block permits for mining in El Salvador. Fighting against the devastating environmental effects that mining could have on their livelihood, La Mesa essentially strives for not only a national law banning mining but also a revision of the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) rules, which allow for multinational companies, such as Pacific Rim, to sue governments for violating investment rules.

Amidst their success and fight against mining in their small, over-populated country, La Mesa members have received violent threats against their lives in order to stop their activism. In fact, a leading La Mesa member, c, was found tortured and murdered after his disappearance. Furthermore, during a House of Representatives hearing on October 15th Francisco Pineda, a member of La Mesa, said that one of his farm assistants was offered $2,000 dollars if they agreed to poison Pineda's food.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/10/28-5



http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iYTeAGz8-zM/SlOiXvgAegI/AAAAAAAABKw/UJImiWY4YXY/s320/Foto+de+Miguel+en+manos+de+una+delegada.JPG

Good video:
The Mysterious Death of Marcelo Rivera
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvXm52BhSHQ

To the regular Latin America forum readers/posters, please take the time to check this video. It's 7 minutes, 35 seconds long. You may remember we discussed this murder around June this year.

Taken from this site:

has been lobbying for years for drilling rights under the mountain of El Dorado, an ironically named landmark in El Salvador containing over $1.3 billion worth of gold and precious metals. These resources come at a price however - severe environmental and human rights concerns have fueled a healthy resistance against the company and their mining practices.

This short film takes a close look at the recent death of activist Marcelo Rivera, the current class-action lawsuit against El Salvador’s government, and the connections between the two.

http://www.jamiemoffett.com/marcelorivera

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Clearly we do know scums who revile protection of the poor at the expense of corporate a$$holes. They have no business butting in here.