On February 27, 2002, OCP protestors were attacked by Ecuador's Millitary. Three children were killed by asphyxiation from tear gas and others were severly wounded. Demonstrators had been halting construction of the pipeline and bringing it to a standstill. On February 22, a strike was called by workers, residents, and even some of the government leaders demanding that they need funds for hospitals, roads, and clear water. Roadblocks were set up, people are 'living' in trees, and have moved into oil refinaries and oil wells to stop production.
The 'Pipeline' is a two hundred and ninety eight mile pipeline, that when completed, will deliver up to four hundred and fifty thousand barrels of crude oil per day from oil reserves. The pipeline is supposed to double Ecuador's oil production and bring in more profit but at the expense of destroying several forests in the process and making many people sick from all of the pollution that it will cause.
The government 'suspended' civil rights and gave maximum power to the military to break up all the demonstrations, including injurying and killing if necessary. The president himself said that he will bring war to any that stand in his way. All public meetings concerning the protestors have been halted and the government even took a radio station off the air that was broadcasting for the demonstrators.
For over thirty years, oil companies such as Texaco and Occidental Petroleum have used the area to draw oil from, while the farmers and townspeople have watched the area turn into complete ruin. The areas around the site have the highest cancer rate in the world. Contamination of their air, rivers, and soil cause devasting illness and early death. Even the bigggest towns don't have the right health facilities to handle the mess that the pipeline has caused.
All of the violence from the millitary and government has all of the other protestors scared. They are wondering what fate awaits them, yet they still stand for what they believe in and to try to protect the forests and the people around them.
Most of the oil that will come from the pipeline will be sent to the West Coast but are we really going to benefit from all of the blood shed that getting this oil has caused. If this act of totally senseless violence disgusts you, please visit this website: http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/citigro... and write in. We can make a difference and stop this before anymore innocent children are murdered.
The 'Pipeline' is a two hundred and ninety eight mile pipeline, that when completed, will deliver up to four hundred and fifty thousand barrels of crude oil per day from oil reserves. The pipeline is supposed to double Ecuador's oil production and bring in more profit but at the expense of destroying several forests in the process and making many people sick from all of the pollution that it will cause.
The government 'suspended' civil rights and gave maximum power to the military to break up all the demonstrations, including injurying and killing if necessary. The president himself said that he will bring war to any that stand in his way. All public meetings concerning the protestors have been halted and the government even took a radio station off the air that was broadcasting for the demonstrators.
For over thirty years, oil companies such as Texaco and Occidental Petroleum have used the area to draw oil from, while the farmers and townspeople have watched the area turn into complete ruin. The areas around the site have the highest cancer rate in the world. Contamination of their air, rivers, and soil cause devasting illness and early death. Even the bigggest towns don't have the right health facilities to handle the mess that the pipeline has caused.
All of the violence from the millitary and government has all of the other protestors scared. They are wondering what fate awaits them, yet they still stand for what they believe in and to try to protect the forests and the people around them.
Most of the oil that will come from the pipeline will be sent to the West Coast but are we really going to benefit from all of the blood shed that getting this oil has caused. If this act of totally senseless violence disgusts you, please visit this website: http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/citigro... and write in. We can make a difference and stop this before anymore innocent children are murdered.
Go To Page: 1
The copyright of the article OCP Attack in Deforestation is owned by . Permission to republish OCP Attack in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Jeanette Nelson's Deforestation topic, please visit the Discussions page.