http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1337For many years Colombia has been under a state of siege, and in 1978 an additional “security statute” augmented the powers of police and troops. Amnesty International has added its voice to the growing demand within Colombia for an end to mass arrests, torture of political prisoners, repression of labor organizations and other violations of human rights. But even during the Carter administration, the U.S. paid little heed to such criticisms, lauding Colombia as a showcase of democracy. The Reagan administration sends more military aid to Colombia than to most other Latin American countries (El Salvador and Honduras are also among the top three).
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Colombian Coal Mines: The Pits of Exploitation
by C. Towers
“C. Towers” is a pseudonym of a writer whose identity must be concealed to protect his sources. This article appeared in the Christian Century September 1-8, 1982, p. 894. Copyright by the Christian Century Foundation and used by permission. Current articles and subscription information can be found at www.christiancentury.org. This material was prepared for Religion Online by Ted & Winnie Brock.
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In the past few years some huge cracks have developed in the façade of democracy and respect for human rights which the Colombian government has sought to create. Although Colombia is nominally under a civilian regime, the military forces are really in command -- not only lurking behind the civilian president and congress, but recently emerging into the open with the “militarization” of vast regions of the country. Aerial bombings of areas suspected of supporting the guerrilla movements have become common.
For many years Colombia has been under a state of siege, and in 1978 an additional “security statute” augmented the powers of police and troops. Amnesty International has added its voice to the growing demand within Colombia for an end to mass arrests, torture of political prisoners, repression of labor organizations and other violations of human rights. But even during the Carter administration, the U.S. paid little heed to such criticisms, lauding Colombia as a showcase of democracy. The Reagan administration sends more military aid to Colombia than to most other Latin American countries (El Salvador and Honduras are also among the top three).
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Such poverty and repression do not deter investment by multinational corporations. Exxon has reported to its shareholders that “what may become the world’s largest coal mine is being developed in Colombia and a new oil discovery is the biggest there in 18 years.” Exxon claims that Colombia is “fortunate” in that the oil giant is a participant in both projects. Many Colombians, however, have denounced the easy terms of the coal contract between the Turbay government and Exxon, complaining that the multinational corporation will seize the lion’s share of the profits.
In its magazine the Lamp, Exxon reports that “at least 15 million tons a year will be produced for 23 years” at the El Cerrejon coal mine, “after which the mine and all its facilities will revert to the Colombian government.” Colombian critics charge that during these years of intense production the country will reap meager benefits and that after 23 years of digging the coal may be completely depleted.
A multinational’s view of “development” is evident in the Exxon publication, which features a picture of the luxurious lobby of a new Hilton Hotel facing a picture of a fruit vendor carrying a large basket of bananas and grapes on her head. For Exxon, this contrast symbolizes “a nation in which ties with the past are preserved even as modern development proceeds apace.” Others paint the contrast in images of modern luxury and wealth vs. modern misery and exploitation, emphasizing the causal connection between the two. Colombia’s small upper class may enjoy the new Hilton, but the majority of its people eke out a bare subsistence through hard labor, while the nation loses resources and profits to foreign interests. And official repression ensures, at least temporarily, that coveted “safe climate for investment.”
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