SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ASCENDANT EXPLORATION...
Sunday, May 29, 2005
SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ASCENDANT EXPLORATION, THE MOTHER COMPANY-ASCENDANT HOLDINGS LIMITED, AND THEIR OFFSPRING, ASCENDANT COPPER CORPORATION... And some of the main characters involved in running them. • Quito-based Ascendant Exploration, created in 1997, was purchased by Ascendant Holdings Ltd. in 2000. Ascendant Holdings is based in the British Turks and Caicos Island, off the Cuban coast. Ascendant Exploration's president and founder, Paul Grist, is 28 years old. His father, was involved in a shady operation in Ecuador's Amazon region a while back. In the Hampton Court Resources 1997 Annual Report, Stan Grist was listed as one of two Corporate Advisers and as the Corporate Liaison in the companies Quito Office. On February 19, 2004, trading in the shares of Hampton Court Resources was suspended by the Toronto Venture Exchange pending a long overdue independent appraisal of the actual gold in the Napo River Project. This is same area where Ascendant now has many of its (gold) concessions. Ascendant Copper Corporation was created supposedly to mine Junín's copper, but if Mitsubishi was forced to abandon the mining project in 1997 due to strong community opposition, there is no chance Ascendant Copper will succeed. • CEO. In 1998 Ascendant CEO, Chris Werner was fined $117,000 by the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey for "making false public statements concerning the financial condition of a company he was an officer of, and for selling his own stock at inflated prices. The action was instigated by the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission. Werner had been an officer of Aqua Buoy Corporation at the time of the crime (UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 16084 \ March 11, 1999). • Ascendant's Representatives. Cesar Villacis Rueda is a retired Ecuadorian army general with deep connections to military intelligence, and was implicated in doing business with an arms dealer arrested in 2000 for selling armament from the Ecuadorian Army to Colombia's terrorist group, FARC (see Nuevo Herald article, October 6, 2003). Villacis also studied in the infamous "School of the Americas"- known for training some of Latin America's worse torturers. In July 1997 Ecuador's premier magazine, Vistazo, ran a series of articles titled "The General's Fall" in reference to Villacis's fall from grace after the disclosure of his attempt to, illegally, obtain special favors to benefit a US based petroleum company. General Villacis, amazingly enough, in charge of Ascendant's community relations. • In May of 2004 Ascendant Holdings claimed ownership of the Golden 1 and Golden 2 mining concessions in the Junín area of Intag, Ecuador (Cotacachi County). This is the area where Mitsubishi discovered a large copper ore deposit, and where, in 1997, surrounding communities forced an early end to the project by burning down the mining camp to protest the mining project. • Cotacachi County Mayor, Auki Tituaña, as well as the Municipal government and several legal firms in Ecuador, consider illegal the sale of the concession to Ascendant based on violation of Ecuadorian constitutional safeguards. Mayor Tituaña made his position clear regarding this illegality in a letter addressed to Ascendant's board members on January 2005 (see copy of letter). The main violation was to article 88, which requires the government to consult with communities potentially impacted by development projects before such activities are approved (exploration included). Since the government never consulted with communities before the concessions were granted, the concessions are plainly illegal. In order to force the Ecuadorian government to uphold their rights, the Junín community decided to take their case to the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights (based in Washington D.C). It's also important to keep in mind that until the Constitutional Tribunal rules on a request for clarification, the injunction is technically unresolved. • On May 12 of 2005, the Municipality of Cotacachi launched another lawsuit which challenges the legality of Ascendant's Golden 1 and Golden 2 mining concessions in Intag. The lawsuit was presented to Ecuador's Administrative court and alleges the Ministry of Energy and Mines violated laws and regulations in the granting of the concessions. If the court rules favorably, the concessions will revert back to the State. • Besides the constitutional safeguards protecting communities and the environment, in 2000, the Cotacachi County government enacted an Ecological Ordinance, which contain very stringent environmental regulations that effectively prohibits large mining project in the county. • To date, every single community most likely to be impacted by the project vehemently opposes it, a position shared by all but one community surrounding the site. The Municipality of Cotacachi, the majority of organizations in the county and some national organizations, also oppose the project. This includes powerful indigenous-campesino organizations (FENOCIN, UNORCAC, and others). Additionally, in May of 2005, a letter titled "IN A SINGLE VOICE", and signed by 1,100 citizens from Intag and nearby areas, asked Ascendant to leave Intag within 30 days. • May 16 2005 DECOIN, along with Friends of Earth Canada and Mining Watch Canada, presented a claim to the Canadian National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, alleging Ascendant is in violation of the guidelines. Canada is a signatory to this mechanism of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development meant to ensure proper corporate behaviour by transnational corporations and must implement the guidelines. • Ascendant Funny Business... To start off, Ascendant claims its Junín concession holds about 4 times more copper that what was confirmed by the Japanese, who actually drilled to get their 318 million ton ore estimate (at 0.7% metal content, it is only about 2.2 million tons of pure copper). Ascendant's inflated estimate of 1,300 million tons is questioned by several North American-based organizations, including the Center for Alternative Mining Policy, Rainforest Action Network, Miningwatch Canada and Earthworks. • When Ascendant bought the concession, they made a deal with the ex-owner that forces Ascendant to share some of the profits with him (this is conveniently ignored in their press releases). • Exploration? At one time in the overview section of their web page, Ascendant reported Junín was in an "advanced stage of exploration". The actual truth is that Ascendant has not, to date (May 2005) been able to go into the mining site to even do the environmental impact statement, as required by law before the start of exploratory activities, because of very stiff and determined opposition from the Junín community, who at one time, forcibly removed Ascendant employees from their community forests reserve. The 3,000 plus hectare community-owned reserve sits atop the copper ore, and is used by the community for their successful community ecological tourism project. Private landowners own the part of the concession not owned by the community and have consistently refused to sell to the company. • Perhaps recalling the Hampton Court disaster, in December 2004 the company removed all mention of the Junín mining project from its web site. If Junín was their equivalent of the jewel in the company's concession crown, why did they do it? To date, their web site does not mention Junín and no explanation has been offered by Ascendant (they reinserted in recently under Ascendant Copper's web page). • Opposition. Ascendant reports they have the backing of communities. This could not be further from the truth. The partial support they do have is from a few communities, most of which are not even adjacent to the mining area. Some of the signatures gathered in support for the project might have been given by parents of school kids to confirm receipt of candy given away by Ascendant during Christmas as part of their signature-gathering campaign. In addition, some signatures were given by people falsely representing their communities, and where no assemblies were ever held to vote on support for the mining project. As of February 2005, the overwhelming majority of newly elected local community and Parish government officials were clearly anti-mining. This widespread (and growing) rejection is in spite of the various community projects they've tried to carry out in the area- many of which have not materialized. • The Junín site. Ascendant also seems to be hiding the fact that the Japanese concluded a preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment in 1996 that predicts major environmental and social impacts to this unique site. The mining site encompasses primary cloud forests belonging to two of the world's 34 biological Hotspots, harboring not less than 28 species of mammals and birds threatened by extinction. These include: jaguars, spectacled bears, ocelots, two species of monkeys, mountain tapirs, and the plate-billed mountain toucan. Harvard's E.O. Wilson classifies these forests as some of the most biological diverse and threatened in the world, and calls for their protection against mining activities (personal letter to Decoin's president). Furthermore, the concession is adjacent to the Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve, arguably one of the world's most biodiverse protected area. The study foresees impacts to this reserve. The study also foresees cadmium, arsenic, lead and chromium contamination of rivers and streams hundreds of times higher than natural levels. • According to the same Japanese study, four communities and hundreds of families would have to be relocated to make room for the mine. Since these impacts were based on about 25% of the total ore discovered by Mitsubishi, the impacts will be much, much greater, and more widespread, impacting several other communities. The opposition, thus, can only be expected to expand correspondingly. • Ascendant Lies. Ascendant's web page (as of May 2, 2005) is impressively full of lies. They are claiming work done that, a) was done by other institutions years ago (the case of the García Moreno-Magnolia-Loma Negra Road which is over 15 years old!!!, or, b) by other institutions (the case of the three bridges), and c) are an absurd exaggeration (the 3 football "stadiums", that are no more than flatten dirt fields to kick around a football). They say the area is totally devastated by logging, yet the Japanese environmental impact statement for the project predicted "massive deforestation". Also, on one of their pages, there's a photo of the thickly forested Toisan Range, site of the mining project. They take a photo of another town (Chalguayacu Bajo) and claim it is Junín pointing that it is deforested- yet the site on the photo is their own "model" La Florida experimental farm! They fail to mention that most people do not live off logging, but from several other agricultural and ranching activities. They also claimed they've built "drinking water projects" but fail to name them because they just don't exist. The social, environmental and human rights issues involved in this project ensure that neither the World Bank, banks signatory of the Equator Principle, or any bank with minimum concern for ethical issues will go near this project, and that it will generate widespread opposition from human rights and environmental organizations around the world. DECOIN-Defensa y Conservación Ecológica de Intag PO BOX 144 OTAVALO, IMBABURA ECUADOR www.decoin.org
INTAG UPDATE
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Parish Government Decides to Reject MiningAscendant's EIA company comes to visitJunin says: Nice to meet you, but please leave!DECOIN meets Whistler; at last!Canada trip and the OECD complaint against Ascendant Copper CorporationDocumentary CompletedMunicipality Launches Another Legal Challenge to the Mining Concessions in IntagLegal Defense in the USAWhat next?It's been a busy month. And one not so great for Ascendant Copper Corporation or any of the Ascendant clones. Parish Government Decides to Reject Mining28 May: Just got off the phone talking to friends from Cuellaje Parish Township who told me the Parish Assembly took a resolution to not allow mining in their Parish (Ascendant has a concession in this Parish). According to my friend who was there, about 350 people from all the communities in the township government, in addition to representatives from different organizations, showed up to this very important and annual event. He said that about 98% of the people voted for the anti-mining resolution! One thing he noted, however, was that some of Ascendant's followers tried unsuccessfully to derail the discussion and resolution, and were carrying out the same old repetitive anti-Decoin smear campaign, openly criticizing DECOIN for not doing anything in Intag and of stealing funds (Codegam and some Ascendant followers have been doing this since Ascendant's coming to Intag). Funny no one questioned what Ascendant or Codegam has done with the stockholders investments during the past 12 months in Intag! Andrade, CODEGAM's president has, meanwhile, been on a non-stop mission to badmouth Decoin and our Mayor very chance he gets, including on several Otavalo and Ibarra radio stations, and newspaper (it's clear that they feel they have to destroy us to achieve their aim; boy are they totally wrong!. In any case, we see Cuellaje's resolution as yet another, big, nail in Ascendant's coffin. Ascendant's EIA company comes to visit26 May: Representatives from Junín meet with two representatives from Whistler, the company hired by Ascendant to do the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) for the exploration. About 40 members of the community met them at a community road control and told them a few things. One, that since the community had never been consulted, they consider the mining concession illegal, thus no environmental impact study would be allowed by the community. Two, they reiterated that the community was totally and firmly opposed to mining. And three, to please go away. They did warn them that if community members found Whistler employees in the Junín reserve, they would be forcefully "relocated". Given that these two same individuals met with DECOIN and community representatives in Apuela a few days earlier and pledged to not go into communities unless they were welcomed, we can safely say that no EIA will take place. Ever. (The EIA is legally required before exploration activities can take place). It would be a unforgivable mistake for them to go back on their word when it was publicly given to dozens of community representatives. Junin says: Nice to meet you, but please leave!That same day, Ascendant's new Intag representative rolled into Chalguayacu Bajo to talk to Polibio Perez (community activist living close to Junín), and sat and talked for quite a while. He told Polibio a few things which give the impression that the Ascendant mining company is starting to realize the gross mismanagement their employees and representatives have involved in Intag. This representative claimed he was replacing General Cesar Villacis and that another of Ascendant's representative in Intag would likewise be replace. We have not confirmed this to date. He said he would be firing or finding new work for all guards at their "model farm" in Chalguayacu Bajo"; that there would be no more bodyguards and that all contracts and agreements made by Villacis would be revised and some probably cancelled. He seemed to be shocked at what few social projects Ascendant had really developed in Intag. He also was, or pretended to be, frank about the real mining employment potential of the mine and stated no more than 500 people would ever be employed, in comparison to the 2,000 Villacis was managing. According to Polibio, he could hardly believe at all the instances of death threats, intimidation and physical and verbal violence Ascendant or Codegam's employees had been involved in, and offered the aggressive tactics would end immediately. He also said that if the communities genuinely were opposed to the project, they would not forcefully continue. However, we also believe there is a power struggle going on within Ascendant and anything could happen regarding Villaces. We hope this new person and attitude is sincere. But as we say here in Ecuador, it could be the same drunk with a new suit. Time will tell. DECOIN meets Whistler; at last!Apuela 22 May: When the two aforementioned Whistler representatives approached DECOIN for a meeting this past Sunday at 9:30 am, by 10 am we had a room full of folks, including the representatives from 8 different communities- seven of them from near the mining area-, the Parish Government Association president, and several organizations (about 30 people in all). They explained what they were doing and that they were really working for Ascendant, since this is where the $$ came from. They wanted to know people's position on the mining issue, and it seemed obvious that they were very interested to know how strong DECOIN really was (all present supported DECOIN and identified themselves as members). One of Whistler's representative was a Mexican living in Canada and working for a company doing similar work as Whistler (he supposedly was an expert in conflict resolution). It was a very, very interesting meeting where all eight community presidents, including three of the four communities slated for relocation, told them that they were opposed to the mining project. The Whistler people publicly stated that they would only go into the area if they were allowed to by the communities. If they respect this, it means no Environmental Impact Statement, thus no exploration and no mining will take place. Some people took the opportunity to denounce Ascendant and Codegam for all the violence and aggressiveness some of their representatives have been responsible for. Jose Garzon, president of the Association of Parish Governments of Cotacachi County denounced the latest violence by, apparently, one of Ronald Andrade's bodyguards against a resident of Cuellaje, where Mr Garzon is from. According to eyewitness reports, he bodyguard hit an individual in the face and threatened him with a gun for protesting verbally Andrade's presence in the area. This had taken place a day or two before the Apuela meeting. It ended with people reiterating their opposition to mining, and the reasons why. When we asked which of the eight community presidents would want Whistler to go into their community, no one raised their hands. It would be fascinating to read the report that will reach Ascendant's chiefs. Canada trip and the OECD complaint against Ascendant Copper Corporation15-20 May: Carlos went to Canada for a few days to present an official claim against Ascendant to the Canadian National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, for breaching the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). Actually, Mayor Auki Tituana and Polibio Perez were also supposed to have accompanied Carlos, but they were unable to obtain a visa on time (even after we had a member of Parliament write a letter to the embassy in Quito asking to expedite it). DECOIN joined with Friends of Earth Canada and Mining Watch Canada in the 14 page claim which details the breeches of the guidelines we fell Ascendant Copper Corporation violated. At that meeting, we also met with the Foreign Relation representative, and he also received an earful of our grievances concerning Ascendant's actions in Intag and Cotacachi; including their funding the creation of a new local government, and human rights violations. Afterwards, we also visited with the representatives of the Ontario Securities Exchange to alert them of the possibility of Ascendant trying to list their company on the Toronto Stock Exchange. We gave the reps of the OSC a copy of the claim, and our Canadian colleagues agreed to keep monitoring the situation and keep presenting new documents if necessary. Later in the week we met with Nawdeep Singh Bains, parliamentarian from the liberal party of the Canadian federal government and head of the Human Rights commission. We shared the information on Ascendant and the claim we had presented, and asked for, and received his willingness to investigate the company's alleged human rights abuses in Intag. Sometime during the short stay I met with 3 newspaper reporters, interviewed live by a radio station (Spanish), plus a magazine editor (Corporate Knights). That I know of, two newspaper articles came of it (latino papers). This was in addition to at least four meetings with local latino groups living in Toronto and Ottawa; meeting with Sierra Legal Fund representatives, and CELA, another Canadian environmental legal organization, plus a couple of meetings with law students volunteering their time on this particular case- AND a documentary movie producer (maker of an excellent documentary on a Canadian petro company working in Ecuador titled: Entre Gallos y la Media Noche). Oh, also a 2 hour talk-discussion at Toronto University. I think it was very fruitful, and not a bit hectic:)! Documentary CompletedAlmost forgot to tell that I was able to take a 14 minute documentary put together at the last moment just for this trip by two international peace volunteers (Charlie and Rebecca), and Joel, which showed some great interviews of some of the community people opposed to the mine, and included shots of our Mayor and Polibio, plus some nice shots of the forests and rivers. It was great to have the movie, and definitely helped people understand what the struggle is about (it is subtitled in English, and available for $ 20.00 per DVD, and includes shipping. Profits will go for producing more documentaries). Friends of Earth Canada and Mining Watch Canada did an outstanding job of working for months on the claim and setting up all meetings with government and non-government groups and individuals. This important initiative would have been impossible without the help of an individual who truly believes in our struggle and who was responsible for funding all this work in Canada. The work, by the way continues, since several persons are currently employed in Ottawa, including a lawyer, to keep the heat on Ascendant, and continue with the follow up. Municipality Launches Another Legal Challenge to the Mining Concessions in IntagMeanwhile, 20 May, Ecuador holds its first Environmental Assembly to determine certain environmental policies the new government should embark on. Several folks from DECOIN and the affected communities were there, along with around 350 other people from all over Ecuador. Among the resolutions taken: Declare Ecuador in an Environmental Emergency, and certain other areas in particular, including, Intag, and Galapagos; declare a moratorium on new extractive industry concessions until the State guarantees a new model use of non-renewable natural resources; investigate mining, petroleum and other natural resources concession of the past 10 or so years (in all, excellent resolutions to protect communities and the environment) Legal Defense in the USAThe nice person at Environmental Defender Law Center, an organization that finds US law firms to donate time and energy to defending people or causes like ours, hooked us up with a international, and very prestigious, law firm, Heller Erhman. DECOIN has been in contact with four of its hundreds attorneys who are doing the pro-bono representing DECOIN! So far their work has been very important, though perhapst not as visible, as some of the other stuff we've been up to. Latest Legal process: Early May, CDES, based in Quito, together with the Cotacachi County government presented yet another legal challenge questioning the legality of Ascendant's mining concessions. The lawsuit was presented to the equivalent of an administrative court, which has jurisdiction over governmental administrative decisions. A ruling from the court if it finds irregularities or violations of legal procedures in the adjudication of Ascendant's mining concessions in Intag, will invalidate all of the company's concessions. There's actually more to report on, but we'll save for another end. I want to say that we just could never have gotten this far without all the fantastic people who so selflessly give up so much of their time. TO ALL OF YOU A BIG THANK YOU FROM THE COMMUNITIES AND DECOIN What next?We'll be working on a number of things, including another short documentary on the mining struggle, finding ways to expand the door-to-door visits to different communities by members of affected communities; looking to keep funding the Community Development Council's work; maybe looking into repeating the trip to Canada with the Mayor and Polibio; hiring Ecuadorian lawyers to work on the recent legal challenge, and instigate other legal initiatives (state secret for now)- this is a principal priority for us at the moment. And, well, hell, there a million other things that need to or should be done, not least of which is press work (we are falling behind); and more environmental education. It's pretty intimidating when I think about it, but at the same time, it all seems to be working: after 12 months of Ascendant's presence in Intag, the opposition is stronger and much more widespread than ever. Don't be shy if you want to continuing donating to the struggle. Get in touch.
International Investment Complaint Filed Against Canadian Mining Company
Sunday, May 22, 2005
DECOIN, along with Friends of Earth Canada and Miningwatch Canada filed a complaint with Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development this past Thursday. Click here for a copy of the release.
Yet Another Infamy by Ascendant
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
This past April 23rd in the town of Garcia Moreno an Assembly organized by Ascendant Copper Corporation's CODEGAM, an organization created by the company and supposedly for community development council, took some rather outrageous and aggressive resolutions. Included in the resolutions are direct attacks on DECOIN, and me personally, the Mayor of Cotacachi, three other foreigners, and two local community activists known for the anti-mining position. The resolution goes on to support the creation of a new county (municipal government), openly supports the mining company and activities (asking the company to continue it's environmental impact studies), and warns me to stop my smear campaign against Genearl Villacis (!!). In fact, the participants (many not even living in our County) call for deportation of the four foreigners (we are all identified by name). Here's the address for their web page http://www.ascendantcopper.com/Com_AreaMap/Codegam230405.htm Needles 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 is, in summary, one more outrageous attempt by the company to squash the opposition. In the meantime, the aggressive tactics by the company, CODEGAM and their followers continue. This past Saturday 30th April, roads were closed in three places by these followers to stop several communities and DECOIN from attending a meeting in Junín by communities affected by mining. Jose Serrano, the lawyer for the communities was nearly beaten in Garcia Moreno when he was identified as the “community’s lawyer”. We all met the day after in Apuela, and decided to step up the struggle, which continues to gain support from all sectors of this society. It would be good for you all to organize a protest letter to Ascendant, who are the ones really behind all this nasty, and increasingly 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 The people to write are below. For more details on the addresses scroll down Paul Grist President Ascendant Exploration info@ascendantexploration.com Personal email address: Chris Werner Ascendant Holdings, Ltd. cw@ascendantholdings.com Gary Davis Ascendant Copper's Director and CEO info@ascendantcopper.com Ascendant Copper Corporation incorporated in British Columbia in May 2004. The companys office is located at 999 West Hastings Street, Suite 1040, Vancouver, BC V6C 2W2. The company's website is www.ascendantcopper.com. Ascendant Copper's Director and CEO is Gary Davis. According to the companys website, Mr. Davis can be reached at: Gary Davis: 10920 W. Alameda Avenue, Suite 205 Lakewood, Colorado, 80226 United States Phone: (303) 292-1299 Fax: (303) 297-0538 Email: info@ascendantcopper.com Ascendant Holdings, Ascendant Exploration and Ascendant Copper have the same business address in Ecuador: N34-183 Republica Del Salvador Avenue, Suite 301 Quito, Ecuador Phone: 593-22-447-363 or 593-22-452-900 Ascendant Exploration Contact Paul Grist Phone: 593-22-447-363 593-22-452-900 Republica Del Salvador Y Portugal N34-183 Quito, Ecuador E-mail: info@ascendantexploration.com Ascendant Holdings, Ltd. Contact Christopher Werner Phone: 920-803-9910 P.O. BOX 216 Kohler, WI 53044 US E-mail: cw@ascendantholdings.com
April 23 Infamy by Codegam and Ascendant
This past April 23rd in the town of Garcia Moreno an Assembly organized by Ascendant Copper Corporation's CODEGAM, an organization created by the company and supposedly for community development council, took some rather outrageous and aggressive resolutions. Included in the resolutions are direct attacks on DECOIN, and me personally, the Mayor of Cotacachi, three other foreigners, and two local community activists known for the anti-mining position. The resolution goes on to support the creation of a new county (municipal government), openly supports the mining company and activities (asking the company to continue it's environmental impact studies), and warns me to stop my smear campaign against Genearl Villacis (!!). In fact, the participants (many not even living in our County) call for deportation of the four foreigners (we are all identified by name). Here's the address for their web page http://www.ascendantcopper.com/Com_AreaMap/Codegam230405.htm Needles 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 is, in summary, one more outrageous attempt by the company to squash the opposition. In the meantime, the aggressive tactics by the company, CODEGAM and their followers continue. This past Saturday 30th April, roads were closed in three places by these followers to stop several communities and DECOIN from attending a meeting in Junín by communities affected by mining. Jose Serrano, the lawyer for the communities was nearly beaten in Garcia Moreno when he was identified as the “community’s lawyer”. We all met the day after in Apuela, and decided to step up the struggle, which continues to gain support from all sectors of this society. It would be good for you all to organize a protest letter to Ascendant, who are the ones really behind all this nasty, and increasingly 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 The people to write are below. For more details on the addresses scroll down Paul Grist President Ascendant Exploration info@ascendantexploration.com Personal email address: Chris Werner Ascendant Holdings, Ltd. cw@ascendantholdings.com Gary Davis Ascendant Copper's Director and CEO info@ascendantcopper.com Ascendant Copper Corporation incorporated in British Columbia in May 2004. The companys office is located at 999 West Hastings Street, Suite 1040, Vancouver, BC V6C 2W2. The company's website is www.ascendantcopper.com. Ascendant Copper's Director and CEO is Gary Davis. According to the companys website, Mr. Davis can be reached at: Gary Davis: 10920 W. Alameda Avenue, Suite 205 Lakewood, Colorado, 80226 United States Phone: (303) 292-1299 Fax: (303) 297-0538 Email: info@ascendantcopper.com Ascendant Holdings, Ascendant Exploration and Ascendant Copper have the same business address in Ecuador: N34-183 Republica Del Salvador Avenue, Suite 301 Quito, Ecuador Phone: 593-22-447-363 or 593-22-452-900 Ascendant Exploration Contact Paul Grist Phone: 593-22-447-363 593-22-452-900 Republica Del Salvador Y Portugal N34-183 Quito, Ecuador E-mail: info@ascendantexploration.com Ascendant Holdings, Ltd. Contact Christopher Werner Phone: 920-803-9910 P.O. BOX 216 Kohler, WI 53044 US E-mail: cw@ascendantholdings.com
OTRA INFAMIA MAS: MINERIA EN INTAG
OTRA INFAMIA MÁS: LA MINERÍA EN INTAG El 23 de abril se realizó una asamblea muy importante en la Parroquia de García Moreno, Cantón Cotacachi, Ecuador. Importante no tanto por las agresivas y hasta violentas resoluciones tomadas en contra del Alcalde de Cotacachi y organizaciones e individuos que trabajan en Intag que no comparten la idea de desarrollo de la empresa, pero más bien este evento desenmascara lo que realmente es el poder de grandes empresas mineras, y lo que puede hacer y deshacer en países como el Ecuador. En resumen, la asamblea, decidió: 1) Desconocer al Alcalde de Cotacachi, el Economista Auki Tituaña; 2) Continuar con los trámites de creación de un nueva Municipalidad. 3) Pedir a la empresa minera que continúe con sus labores mineras en la zona de Intag. 4) Solicitar la expulsión del país de cuatro extranjeros conocidos por su oposición a la minería. 5) declarar a dos moradores del sector como personas no-gratas. 6) Atacar agresivamente, y falsamente acusar a varias organizaciones que trabajan en la zona de Intag, incluyendo a la DECOIN y Ayuda en Acción. Otra resolución de interés fue el apoyo por parte de la Asamblea hacia tres tenientes políticos por su “gran labor” y nombrados por el ex gobernador, que trabajan en Intag. No es coincidencia que resultan ser los mismos individuos que se han tomado el tiempo de abiertamente apoyar a la minería en la zona de Intag y de intimidar a campesinos para que asistan a dichas reuniones. Por otro lado ninguno de los presidentes de las comunidades más afectadas por el proyecto minero JUNÍN estuvieron presentes en este evento, y solo uno de los siete presidentes de las Parroquias de Intag firmó la resolución. Aunque aún se desconoce precisamente quienes de los presidentes firmaron sabemos que algunos son de comunidades muy lejanas al sector de Junín y otros de otros Cantones, y que no saben absolutamente nada del problema relacionado a la minería en Intag. Pensamos que es importante y revelador resaltar que la Asamblea fue concurrida por aproximadamente unas 500 personas, lo cual representa menos del 2% de la población del Cantón Cotacachi. Y lo que es más, según informes de algunos presentes, algunas de estas personas ni siquiera viven en el Cantón o la provincia, y la mayoría vinieron de comunidades lejanas al sitio del conflicto minero. Cabe igual mencionar que para algunos de estos eventos, incluyendo la violenta toma del Municipio de Cotacachi el 11 de abril, muchas personas han sido chantajeadas o engañadas para que concurran, con el cuento que si no asistían, no podrán beneficiarse de programas como Aliméntate Ecuador, o del Bono de la Vivienda. La DECOIN aprovecha este espacio para solicitar a las nuevas autoridades del país que se investiguen estas y otras irregularidades relacionadas al proyecto minero JUNIN, y en detalle, lo que la empresa Ascendant Exploration y Ascendant Copper Corporation, juntamente con CODEGAM, están haciendo en la zona de Intag. El evento del 23 fue llevado a cabo por la organización CODEGAM, una organización que no existía antes del intromisión en la Zona de Intag de la empresa minera Ascendant Exploration, y que hoy en día trabaja íntimamente con la empresa canadiense. Para la DECOIN y muchas otras organizaciones que trabajamos en la Zona de Intag, la CODEGAM es simple y llanamente parte de la empresa minera Ascendant Copper Corporation. La página Web de Ascendant Copper Corporation destina un espacio especial para la CODEGAM con varias páginas de información, y revela que la empresa asesora la organización y que le ayudó a estructurarse. Por otro lado, la CODEGAM, que nació de la noche a la mañana, ha financiado varias reuniones asistida por cientos de personas de varias comunidades dentro y fuera del Cantón, lo que significa fuertes gastos de transporte y alimentación, y logística. Solo para este rubro, y sin contar los jugosos salarios que se dice beneficia a su máximo dirigente, en los últimos 8 meses probablemente se ha invertido no menos de 10,000 dólares. Esto no incluye las supuestas “asistencias económicas” que según algunos participantes, han recibido. ¿Cuál es el origen de este dinero? ¿Quiénes realmente están detrás de la CODEGAM, y cuales son los objetivos que esta organización y la empresa minera Ascendant Copper Corporation persiguen? ¿Quién financia a CODEGAM si no es la empresa minera? El presidente de esta organización, el ex diputado por Pichincha Ronald Andrade, fue previamente investigado por el Congreso por corrupción y hoy en día se da el lujo de andar a todo lado y a toda hora con sus cuatro, o más, guardaespaldas bien armados. ¿Cómo es que el Señor Andrade puede sustentar estos lujos? Este es el mismo individuo que es dueño de varias propiedades en la provincia, según un informe especial del periódico Hoy, del año 2001. De igual manera, el involucramiento del General en retiro Cesar Villacís como parte del equipo de relaciones comunitarias de la empresa minera Ascendant Copper Corporation, de igual forma genera inquietudes. El general Villacís estuvo involucrado en trámites sospechosos con empresas petroleras en 1997, y en la compra de armas en el exterior, hechos denunciados en los últimos meses y años por la revista Vistazo, periódico El Comercio y periódico el Nuevo Herald. Deseamos respuestas a estas inquietudes, y una investigación a fondo de todos estos actores. El poderío económico de la gran minera no solo atentan contra nuestros bosques nativos, biodiversidad, recurso agua, aire, derechos humanos, culturas y comunidades. Representa, fundamentalmente, una infame amenaza a organizaciones y estructuras políticas estatales y sociales cuando éstas no comparten su visión del desarrollo. Si desean respaldar nuestra lucha, y expresar sus sentimientos, por favor ver la información más abajo. Gracias. DECOIN Defensa y Conservación Ecológica de Intag Casilla 144 Otavalo, Imbabura Ecuador decoin@hoy.net www.decoin.org Si desean expresar sus sentimientos sobre estos sucesos, a continuación compartimos las direcciones de los principales dirigentes de la empresa minera. Paul Grist Presidente Ascendant Exploration info@ascendantexploration.com Chris Werner Gary Davis Director/Gerente General Director y Gerente Ascendant Holdings, Ltd. info@ascendantcopper.com cw@ascendantholdings.com
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