Miners Attack Us
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Resolutions taken against our Mayor, local organizations, and foreigners here in Intag on April 23rd. Seeing is believing, but this is just too much to believe: CODEGAM ResolutionsNeedles to say, not a single president from communities near to the mining area signed the resolution, and only one of 7 parish presidents did so. We have reports that the miners brought people from Pichincha, a province adjacent to Imbabura, and from communities very far away from the mining area. In other words, the resistance continues almost unchanged. It would be good for you all to organize a protest letter to Ascendant, who are the ones really behind all this nasty, and incresingly dangerous campaign aimed at neutralizing the opposition. The xenophobic tone is scary. A letter in support of the Mayor, DECOIN and the people being attacked would also be very positive. Thanks, Carlos
LAW FIRM QUESTIONS ASCENDANT'S ACTIONS
The prestigious, international law firm, Heller Ehrman, on behalf of DECOIN, today notified Chris Werner of Ascendant Holdings of improper activities in conjunction with the Junin mining project, which Ascendant, against firm and growing local, regional and international opposition, wants to carry out. ( PDF of the letter.) The letter opens by saying: "We are writing on behalf of our client, Defensa y Conservación Ecologica de Intag ("DECOIN") to call your attention to the highly improper activities of Ascendant Copper Corporation and/or the pro-mining Ascendant supporters in the area... in the Junin region of Ecuador. We request Ascendant's assistance in ensuring that the process of determining the future path of that region proceed in an ethically sound and legal manner" Heller Ehrman has 730 attorneys in 12 offices throughout the US and abroad, in 2004 dedicated 70,000 attorney hours to work on many areas of public interest law, including international civil rights and related litigation. The letter goes on to state, that "the firm has committed to advise and to represent DECOIN regarding its efforts to participate meaningfully and lawfully in the political, business, and regulatory processes related to potential mining in Junin". DECOIN would like to sincerely thank Heller Ehrman and its attorneys for their commitment to helping causes like ours. Their work, I think important to highlight, is entirely on a pro-bono basis. We believe it will make a definitive difference in the 10 year-old resistance to a mine we all know will destroy our communities, forests, streams and livelihood, and will seriously erode human and collective rights. I think today the communities slated for relocation, and all of the people opposing this monster, can sleep a bit more at peace, knowing they have this kind of support. Carlos Zorrilla DECOIN
Ascendent's New Claims are Misleading
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Dear All, I don't know what you can do about all the lies on Ascendant Corporation's new web page, but this is my first take on this one particular page. The information on their website is totally misleading. For starters, as I mentioned earlier, even the Japanese, in the 1996 report, counted 40 families in Junin (100 counting the rest of the communities) slated for relocation. This was based on 76 million tons of ore Bishimetals discovered. Ascendant says it has 1,300 million tons. So, how many more families would need relocation if they are right? CLAIM: A photo of a plowed field they claim is JuninThis photo is actually part of Ascendant Exploration's La Florida "model farm" with its newly plowed field (hard corn was planted). Junin is up river about a 2 hour walk, or on the road about 40 minutes further. Had they aimed their lens a little bit higher, they would have captured thickly forested Toisan Range. CLAIM: There are no indeginous tribes in the area. The region was settled by Colonos (Mestizo slash & burn farmers and loggers) in the 1950s and their presence has continued to expand ever since. As the largest county in the entire country The Garcia Mareno Parish is still sparsely populated with approx 5000 inhabitants.I believe this might be the only true statement in the whole thing - BUT they do manage to omit the archeological wealth of the area, which was reported by the Japanese. CLAIM: The only available resource for the locals to exploit for personal benefit has been and continues to be the surrounding forest, which every day the locals exploit. The exotic and highly economic species have practically disappeared and the region in general has been totally devastated by logging.FACT: THE JAPANESE EIA clearly foresees "massive deforestation" as one of the impacts of mining. I just wanted to check if there can be such deforestation without forests? I suppose so from their perspective. It would be nice to see if we can get a current SATELLITE PHOTO of the Toisan Range in the mining area to put up on our website and send in with the claim. ALSO, the main economic activity is NOT LOGGING, but Naranjilla, tree tomatoe, regular tomatoe production, and cattle raising. There is a small amount of logging going on, but on a irregular basis. Also, tourism (mainly Junin) is starting to grow. CLAIM: The company has also worked successfully with the Imbabura Provincial Government, Rural Integral Development (DRI-Cotacachi), and others in mayor infrastructure projects in the region.FACT: THEY SHOULD PROVE THIS BEFORE MAKING THIS FALSE STATEMENT. WE RECENTLY WERE TOLD BY BOTH DRI AND THE IMBABURA PROVINCIAL GOV HEADS THAT THEY HAVE NOT COLLABORATED ON BUILDING ANYTHING. WE COULD SOMEONE ASK FOR COPIES OF CONTRACTS BETWEEN THE INSTITUTIONS? CLAIM: One of the major benefits of the Junin project is financial resource generation that will enable the financing of many legitimate infrastructe, heath, social, educational and conservation efforts on a scale that has not been witnessed before in Ecuador. The Junin project is perhaps the only viable solution in saving the cloud forests and preserving what remains of the biodiversity.In the twisted and perverted Junin story, no greater ironic statement has ever been heard. CLAIM: CODEGAM is an independent community based development council that incorporates the participation of all townships and authorities in the area. Since the companies first visits to the Parish of García Moreno, the majority of the community leaders and citizens have been present in SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) seminars, held and directed by Ascendants independent consultants.FACT: CODEGAM is little known outside some communities in García Moreno, and obviously, part of the company. NOT A SINGLE Parish President holding power today, in fact, officially collaborates with CODEGAM, and most of them openly repudiate its practice of trying to represent their Parishes (they are circulating a letter right now stating this publicly). The only exception may be the García Moreon president, who is new, and is receiving threats to support CODEGAMs agenda. In the past they've paid people to attend their "meetings" and assemblies, and provide free transport and plenty of food at these events. Then they pass around a "assistance" sheet and use these to claim their supported by everyone. THE ONLY PEOPLE SO FAR GIVING THESE SEMINARS HAVE BEEN ASCENDANT EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING GENERAL VILLACIS AND POLANCO, PLUS RONALD ANDRADE. CLAIM: Possible economic contribution of the JUNIN project.
Potential Investment: Based on preliminary estimates the mine would require a capital investment of $975 million dollars including a 100 MW Hydro electric plant.
Local and National Benefits:
a) New Roads
b) Schools
c) Regional Hospital
d) Housing
e) New and enhanced Utilities
f) Long-Term Local & Regional development assistance
g) The generation of employment for well over 30 years
h) More than 2,000 high paying direct jobs
i) More than 6,000 indirect jobs
j) Annual usage of millions of dollars in Ecuadorian goods and services
k) Annual Corporate income Tax (25%) greater than $100,000,000
l) Mine life span: 30+ years FOR THIS SECTION WE COULD USE SOME EXPERT ADVISE -- I'M TALKING ABOUT ANALYSING THE 400 MILLON DOLLAR ANNUAL PROFIT FROM THE MINE (based on their estimate below of income tax revenues) -- how realistic is this? Given a reserve of 318 million tons ore deposit (at 0.7% Cu), and a wishful thinking 1,300 million ton ore deposit (at, best, 0.4% copper). How many years of exploitation given an usual extraction rate for a mine this big? CLAIM: The construction of the García Moreno Magnolia Loma Negra road.This road was built by the national government probably a decade or more ago, and has until recently been maintained by the Provincial government CLAIM: With the road machinery available three soccer fields are being constructed which include access roads. The García Moreno soccer field has been under construction for 6 months, and all it entails is the levelling of ground enough to play soccer - don't know about access roads, but usually implies 50-100 meters of road building to access the, now flatten field. Also, in the photograph caption they mention two soccer fields. CLAIM: The assistance in bridge building: Río Chalguayacu, Río Chontal and Río Magdalena. These bridges have been built by the provincial government and or DRI, a Spanish NGO. What they mean by assistance might be providing rum or some food for the workers. CLAIM: Other projects they are taking credit for, include:
· Repair of the García Mareno Church roof. (It might be, we'll find out details) · Conversion of the dirt entrance of Garcia Mareno to concrete (the last few hundred meters of the "entrance to García Moreno has been cobble stone for probably close to a decade, possibly two. · Assistance with potable water infrastructure (They should name the towns and specific projects; we are not aware of any) · Assistance with the Chontal School playground (we don't know about this, but necessary to find out what they did) Assistance with government applications for funding of:· Electrical grid expansion (boy is this a lie. The Municipality has been in charge of 100% of the electrification of Intag) · Communal buildings (Again, they should specify so we could prove either way. We are not aware of any communal building they have built- but they might have helped the community of Chalguayacu Alto solicit a school building ) · Road Maintenance (yes, they have maintained a bit of the García Moreno-Magnolia road, but many people are upset at the poor quality and the slowness of the work) · General infrastructure projects (They should specify)
ASCENDANT'S New Lies
Thursday, April 21, 2005
UPDATE 21 APRIL 2005 ASCENDANT'S New Lies
The Government's fall
Attempted Password Theft
Call for Intag's Militarization Lucio Gutierrez, (until yesterday) Ecuador's president, fell wednesday. YEAH!! The majority in Congress declared he had abandoned the presidency, and, in effect ousted him, the president of congress and other high level politicians, and the Vice president took over. But most people in Quito, who protested for a straight week and who really were the ones responsible for the overthrow, still demand a complete overhaul of the political scene, and are asking for all congressmen resign. There's no clear indication of what will happen in the next few days. The main reasons for his fall was his illegal re-structuring of the Supreme Court and Constitutional Tribunal, which paved the way for the return of 2 exiled ex-presidents and one vice presidents accused of corruption. For us it's very, VERY good news. Not only because the ex-president was dictatorial, among other things, but also because his military friends in Ascdendant will be left out in the cold regarding the national government. Local government agents here in Intag will also lose their power and following, which means even less support for the mining. All the ministers of state will be replaced, including the Minster of Energy and Mines, hopefully with a rational one. What is going on here in Intag? I reported on April 11th's chaos at the Cotacachi Municipality created by Ascendant and CODEGAM. The balance of that ridiculous action was that the Municipal government's position against mining is now more deeply entrenched than ever. Many of the people who were there brought by the mining interests were lied to as to the real objective of the trip (it was supposed to be a trip to the Congress to pressure for the creation of a new Municipality- one of the main objectives Ascendant is pursuing and supporting). It, in other words, backfired. THEFT ATTEMPT.Yesterday someone (20 April) tried to steal my password to our blogging site by contacting the Blogger's original author. Luckily she contacted me first to confirm if I had requested a new password. CALL FOR INTAG'S MILITARIZATION. We recently discovered a letter dated April 4th and signed by the Garcia Moreno parish president and Ronald Andrade, from Ascendant's Codegam organization, asking the head of the armed forces in Ecuador to militarize the Intag area due to the suppossedly high level of insecurity. We were able to confirm that the request was really for a specific area in Intag close to the border with Pichincha, but the wording of the letter left it wide open to militarize any area in Intag. It would not have surprised me in the least if this was Villacis' plan to bring in his military buddies to protect Ascendant while they did their Environmental Studies. With the deep changes in the presidency and in Ecuador as a whole takine place, we are totally convinced this petition will now be thrown in the thrash, where it belongs. ASCENDANT'S NEW LIES. Ascendant Copper Corporation's new web page, ascendantcopper.com, is up and running. It is also impressively full of lies and wildly misleading information. For example, they have a photo of Ascendant's Exploration's "model farm" in Chalguayacu Bajo, and claim that is is JUNIN. They point to the deforested condition of the area, yet focus their telephoto lens exclusively on their own newly plowed field that was later planed in corn. Plowed by Ascendant Exploration. Had they aimed their camera a little bit higher, they would have included the heavily forested Toisan Range. Junin is a few kilometers up river from Chalguayacu Bajo. They also claim to have built roads and bridges. The road they refer to was built about 10 years ago by the government, and the bridges were built by a Spanish NGO and the provincial government. They also mislead people to believe all everyone does in the Junin area is to log for a living, not mentioning that most people have farms producing all kinds of agricultural products, and specially, cattle raising. And on and on. If you are interested in the details of the approximately 15 lies or distortion of the truth I've been so far able to uncover, let me know and I'll send. Their email http://www.ascendantcopper.com/Com_AreaMap/Community.htm (see below for some details on the lies) On another page (CODEGAM), they reproduce a document where this company-created organizations claim they represent all of the Parish township governments and communities in Intag. This is not only totally absurd, of course, but it has also generated great opposition by community and Parish presidents, who will soon publicly denounce CODEGAM and Ascendant. Their map fail to list all the communities that are against the mining project, and claim all Parish governments on the map are in favor of mining, when in fact, this is just the opposite. Not a single current Parish government is in favor of mining. We'll publish the letters congtradicting CODEGAM's claim on our web page as soon they are all signed. We'll soon make public the IN A SINGLE VOICE, a document signed by close to 900 persons reject mining in Intgag and calling for ASCENDANT to leave. Next week, news on a couple of very interesting developments taking shape in Canada. Carlos
In a Single Voice: NO TO MINING
The following statement rejecting Ascendant's presence in Intag and asking them to leave within 30 days has been signed by approximately 700 members of the Cotacachi community, including Cotacachi's Mayor and Municipal Council members.Cotacachi, March 27 2005 The citizens, legitimate representatives of communities, organizations, and public entities of Cotacachi County, Imbabura Province, Ecuador, who subscribe the present document, do so with the aim of letting the whole world know, and in particular national and transnational mining companies, of our unyielding decision to NOT ALLOW MINING in Cotacachi County. To the mining companies who aim to plunder our natural resources, destroy our communities, violate our rights, disturb our social peace and destroy our environment, know that we will always support the communities of Intag in their rejection of mining activities. Organized civil society, along with Intag and Cotacachi's authorities have definitely opted for sustainable development characterized by solidarity, reciprocity, democratic principles and citizen participation, respecting human, as well as individual and collective rights, and the right of communities to create and enjoy their own type of development, and to say NO to projects that threaten their natural and socio-cultural well-being. Therefore, we ask Ascendant Exploration S.A., Ascendant Holdings Limited, and their subsidiaries and representatives, to leave, within 30 days, our County. Ascendant Exploration has never consulted or received previous consent from the communities potentially impacted by the mining project in order to develop its projects. In addition, it has not consulted, or even minimally informed the Cotacachi Municipality of its plans and activities, or asked for the necessary municipal authorization. What it has created is a menacing environment ruled by violation of our rights, measures to divide us, threats, intimidations and lawsuits of all kinds against local community residents and a community newspaper. In order to put an end to these types of problems, we request the Central Government, through the Ministry of Energy and Mines, to: · Respect the independence and autonomy of the local governments of Cotacachi County. · Desist from violating human rights protected by the Constitution of Ecuador, and specifically those that guarantee the right to be prior consultation in relation to the exploitation of non-renewable natural resources, and which could affect our natural and social environments. · Respect the citizen's rights to live in an ecologically balanced environment, free of contamination, as guaranteed by article 86 of the Constitution. · Definitely abstain from granting concessions within Cotacachi County, and revoke those that do not have the authorization of the Municipality of Cotacachi and the consent of the communities that would be affected by mining activities, including exploration. With our voices, hearts and minds united: "No to MINING AND YES TO LIFE"
Follow up to 11 April
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Dear all, Follow up to the mail I sent on the night of 11 April and the siege of the Municipality of Cotacachi. Finally, around 10pm, the Mayor was able to meet only with Ascendant Copper Corporation, and they were able to present their presentation to the Mayor and the six council members of the Cotacachi Municipal government (not very impressive presentation, we hear). Our colleagues were kept trapped in a small room by the angry "pro mining" crowd for about six and a half hours. The crowd brought to Cotacachi by the mining company were not permitted into the room, but later in the night they violently broke the doors to the main glass door to the Municipality and another door to another main room where the meeting was to take place. One thing that is especially worrying us is the comment a friend overheard in the pro-mining crowd to the effect that "if Polbio was out of the way, the problem would be resolved". The person who heard this is totally reliable, and while he does not know who Cesar Villacis is, his description matches Villacis' physique and age. DECOIN has already been in conversation with other community leaders to see if between us all we can increase security for Polibio. The person now representing Ascendant Copper Corporation is Geovanny Rosanía, an ex employee from the Ministry of Energy and Mines, who we had problems with during the Mitsubishi resistance back in 1995-97. For example, he made it all but impossible for us to obtain the Environmental Impact Study, among other things, and was vehemently against "ecologists". When we finally got the study, it contained only about 20% of it. One of his comments during his presentation was that he was aghast that there could be opposition in both of Ecudaor's great copper mining areas- in the Cordillera del Condor, by the Shuar indigenous, and in Intag! Apparently his presentation focused on the wonders of "modern technology", however, when they had problems with the In Focus system, our Mayor, Auki Tituana made references to the fallibility of such technology!! After the presentation, and only after mining company left Cotacachi with their people (see article below), the 19 representatives from the communities and organizations from Intag opposed to mining finally were able to leave the room they were trapped in, nearly at midnight and met with the Mayor and the council members. They were assured the municipality had not altered their position on mining. One thing agreed on, was that a much bigger forum would be called in Cotacachi to discuss the problem, and that both sides would be invited (no date set). We hope to facilitate the transport for hundreds of people for the event. See below for the translated text of a very important article on the siege that came out yesterday and in which the Mayor makes some very important statements on Ascendant Exploration, and his position on mining. The article was posted too late on monday night to be posted on the paper's web page (lahoraecuador.com), but I'll try to post a JPG image of the article on our web as soon as possible. Carlos Zorrilla Quotes from La Hora's 12 April article on the siege in Cotacachi. Unfortunately, the story did not make it on the paper's web page because the reporter filed the story very late in the evening, and La Hora'ss page (lahoraecuador.com) had already been posted. We'll have copies available (jpg image) to whomever solicits it. PRO MINERS USE FORCE TO BREAK IN "The Mayor is dead" some of the demonstrators from Intag who entered the Municipality yelled, to demand that the Mayor hear Ascendant Exploration's presentation. The Municipal government had met, and the meeting with Ascendant was scheduled in the meetings agenda, however, at night the meeting turned violent, provoked by those who were waiting outside. The 'pro miners' destroyed the door to the Salon Maximo and went to the meeting by force. At 23:30 Tituaña left the Municipal Salon. "All of what the Ascendant Exploration's people did, the home office of the company will know about in Canada." Lots of rumors were circulating that the people who came out in support of mining where there because of a supposed cheap housing plan. "Well have our own houses" some people from Intag yelled, who were in Cotacachi and who caused the problem. A FLAWED LEGAL PROCESS "If everything is constitutionally in order, and they have the law on their side, they should go ahead and start exploiting", said Auki Tituana, Cotacachis Mayor, who pointed out that fortunately there are conscientious, strong, and courageous people who chose their own path of sustainable development "In spite of those who are in favor of mining due to personal interests, and that certain consciences were bought, and have a certain amount of support, the great majorities will have the final say", said Tituana. Tituaña believed it incredible that there was no outlay from the big landowners and weapons -buying- ex military personnel, as he characterized those who lead, what to Ronald Andrade, president of the García Moreno Development Corporation (CODEGAM), is a manifestation of a people are tired and who want development. In spite of the fact that they did not leave the Municipality, they did make room for the Mayor to access the Salon Maximo where Geovanny Rosanía, Ascendant Explorations CEO waited for him to present his company's project. Tituaña, after making sure his condition was met, that is, guarantees, went to hear what the miners had to say, even though before this he stated his position as being firm and his rejection to exploitation in Intag was categorical. "It's time for the Mayor to listen to the other side and stop being in favor of only one sector" said Andrade, while at the same time Polivio Pérez, president of the Council for Community Development, the organization that opposes the exploitation, threatened to radicalize protest measures. "This is not the way to begin a dialog".
Mining companies pay for siege of Cotacachi Municipality
Monday, April 11, 2005
As I write this, a group of nineteen community leaders, Parish township governments, and representatives from different Intag organizations, are trapped inside the Cotacachi Municipal building, by a few dozen pro-mining people brought by Ascendant Copper Corporation to Cotacachi. The small group is being protected by members of the national police. The trapped group includes the presidents of the communities of Junin, Zero Pelado, Barcelona, three of the four communities slated for relocation to make room for the copper mine. Also present are two DECOIN members, Polibio Perez, head of the community development council, as well as the presidents of Parish governments of Apuela, Plaza Gustier, Cellar and Fracas Gain, and the president of AACRI (the coffee association). They have been there since 5pm, and have been warned not to leave (it is now after 8pm). Since the start DECOIN members and Polibio Perez were especially targeted for a barrage of insulting and threatening remarks. The group is kept from leaving by several dozen pro-mining people brought out in buses that were, according to a driver of one of the buses, hired by Ascendant Copper Corporation (a company recently created by Ascendant Exploration). The company was in Cotacachi in the first place because they had accepted an invitation from the Municipality of Cotacachi to do a presentation on the mining project. However, even before the meeting began, the pro-mining faction aggressively went into and took over the Municipality and demanded to see the Mayor. Mayor Auki Tituaña refused to meet with anyone until the place was vacated by the aggressors. No one was expecting this aggressive turn of events. About an hour ago, it was agreed the presentation would take place, but only between representatives of the Municipal authorities and Ascendant Copper Corporation. As I write this, the meeting is still in session, and our colleagues are still unable to leave the municipal building. Many employees from Ascendant Exploration were mixing with the anti-mining crowd, including General Caesar Villains. We believe he now works for Ascendant Copper Corporation. This corporation was recently created with the sole objective to mine Junin's copper. Also present is the ubiquitous Ronald Abrade, who is leading a initiative to create a new County, and is deeply undermining the Mayor's authorities. He presents himself as the president CODE GAM, a community development organization based in the Parish of García Moreno, that was created by, and works closely with Ascendant Exploration What we are witnessing is an outrageous abuse of power by a transnational corporation to try to aggressively impose a mining project most do not want, nor are they going to accept. This rejection includes the Municipal government of Cotacachi. If you would like to voice your support for the government of Cotacachi and the brave community leaders and everyday citizens of Intag who are saying no to this gross injustice, and risking their lives in so doing, please write a letter to Cotacachi government officials and community and Parish government representatives, to: Alcalde Auki Tituaña, Consejales y Consejales de Cotacachi, y Representantes de comunidades y Parroquias Afectadas por la Minería Municipio de Cotacachi Cotacachi, Imbabura Ecuador email: alcaldia@cotacachi.gov.ecIf you want to contact the people behind Ascendant Copper do so at: Paul Grist President, Ascendant Exploration E-mail: info@ascendantexploration.comPhone: 593-22-447-363 593-22-452-900 Republica Del Salvador Y Portugal N34-183 Quito, Ecuador
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