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We say NO to international fascist terrorism! |
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We say NO to international fascist terrorism and the intention of splitting our country apart! The First Republic of Bolivia has been founded in 1825 following the discussions of a tiny ‘enlightened’ minority, descendants from the Spaniard Conquistadores and the emerging local oligarchy. The state thusly created followed norms and principles of feudal Spain and resulted in an Apartheid-like state, reflecting 333 years of Colonial rule. It is not surprising, then, that the state inherited by the current administration finds excruciating opposition from those desperately holding to the three classical powers of liberal democracy.
In spite of this ever-increasing violent resistance, the Bolivian people, organized in grassroots social organizations and movements has decided to re-found a democratic and plurinational state in which all citizens will fully enjoy their rights.
The democratic vocation and tenacity of the Bolivian people is being nowadays assaulted by an international network of fascist mercenaries. These hired guns have already shown their destructive capacity in the now sadly war of balkanizing Yugoslavia. Their violent means of destruction is being now used to destroy and balkanize one of the poorest countries of the Western hemisphere (yet, incredible rich in natural resources): Bolivia.
This small country has shown over and over again to the world that it is not willing to get back to an odious past where a tiny minority plundered the state coffers and governed dictated by foreign interests. The recently approved new constitution of Bolivia is unique in the history of mankind by making wars illegal. This should suffice to show to the world the pacific nature of Bolivian people.
We make an appeal to all those that keep their spirits attuned to justice, to honouring our Mother Earth, to respecting our future generations, accompany and stand for our true democratic vocation in Bolivia. Vis-à-vis these violent forces, our democracy could be very fragile and brittle. This is so when we take into account the recurrent terrorist attacks in the Eastern part of our country. This past April 16th we were astonished to learn the dismantling of a terrorist cell already operating in the country led by the Bolivian-Hungarian-Croatian Eduardo Rózsa Flores, the Irish Michael Dwyer Martin and the Hungarian-Rumanian Magyarosi Arpak, who where killed in a confrontation with police forces in a downtown hotel in Santa Cruz. Two others were captured alive from the intense exchange of fire: Bolivian-Croatian Mario Tadik and Hungarian Elot Tóasó.
At the same time we want to forcefully condemn the cover-up of this terrorist mission by the Hungarian journalist Andras Kepes who interviewed the leader of the terrorist cell Rózsa Flores a few days he departed to Bolivia, announcing his intentions of dividing Bolivia. You, the reader of this letter, are a key part of defending the process by which Bolivians are recuperating their voices and are proudly marching towards their history. Share this letter with your friends, acquaintances and networks. You can also ask your local political representatives in your local community and in your home country. If you can think of any other institutions / organizations that could show their solidarity with the determination of the Bolivian people to live in democracy, let them know that this effort is against the reign of terrorism, cover-up and injustice.
Consejo Pro Bolivia en la Union Europea |
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G20 Leaving ‘Sheep’ in ‘Wolf’ Care, Says Morales |
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(PressTV) Bolivian President Evo Morales has slammed the G20 summit’s decision to inject USD 750 billion to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Morales said that countries at the root of the crisis cannot solve the problem, or in his words: “the wolf cannot keep the flock,” a reference to the injection of more than 1,000 billion dollars through the IMF and the World Bank to fight the global crisis. “It’s like giving money to the wolves, or to entrust the care of the flock: the wolf is not going to keep the sheep, it will devour them,” Morales told the foreign press in La Paz, commenting on the decisions G20 in London to tackle the crisis. “It is not possible that the countries of capitalism, which has caused the financial crisis, are now the same from where comes the solution,” said the Socialist leader, adding that few countries are at the origin of this financial crisis, but ‘180 (Countries) must cope’. “As long as we do not touch the structural points of capitalism, it will be difficult to resolve the financial crisis,” said Morales about the G20. “If we want to solve economic problems, we must first end the free market, then the speculative capitalism.” |
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March 14, 2009 Op-Ed Contributor Let Me Chew My Coca Leaves By EVO MORALES AYMA
La Paz, Bolivia
This week in Vienna, a meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs took place that will help shape international antidrug efforts for the next 10 years. I attended the meeting to reaffirm Bolivia’s commitment to this struggle but also to call for the reversal of a mistake made 48 years ago.
In 1961, the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs placed the coca leaf in the same category with cocaine — thus promoting the false notion that the coca leaf is a narcotic — and ordered that “coca leaf chewing must be abolished within 25 years from the coming into force of this convention.” Bolivia signed the convention in 1976, during the brutal dictatorship of Col. Hugo Banzer, and the 25-year deadline expired in 2001.
So for the past eight years, the millions of us who maintain the traditional practice of chewing coca have been, according to the convention, criminals who violate international law. This is an unacceptable and absurd state of affairs for Bolivians and other Andean peoples.
Many plants have small quantities of various chemical compounds called alkaloids. One common alkaloid is caffeine, which is found in more than 50 varieties of plants, from coffee to cacao, and even in the flowers of orange and lemon trees. Excessive use of caffeine can cause nervousness, elevated pulse, insomnia and other unwanted effects.
Another common alkaloid is nicotine, found in the tobacco plant. Its consumption can lead to addiction, high blood pressure and cancer; smoking causes one in five deaths in the United States. Some alkaloids have important medicinal qualities. Quinine, for example, the first known treatment for malaria, was discovered by the Quechua Indians of Peru in the bark of the cinchona tree.
The coca leaf also has alkaloids; the one that concerns antidrug officials is the cocaine alkaloid, which amounts to less than one-tenth of a percent of the leaf. But as the above examples show, that a plant, leaf or flower contains a minimal amount of alkaloids does not make it a narcotic. To be made into a narcotic, alkaloids must typically be extracted, concentrated and in many cases processed chemically. What is absurd about the 1961 convention is that it considers the coca leaf in its natural, unaltered state to be a narcotic. The paste or the concentrate that is extracted from the coca leaf, commonly known as cocaine, is indeed a narcotic, but the plant itself is not.
Why is Bolivia so concerned with the coca leaf? Because it is an important symbol of the history and identity of the indigenous cultures of the Andes.
The custom of chewing coca leaves has existed in the Andean region of South America since at least 3000 B.C. It helps mitigate the sensation of hunger, offers energy during long days of labor and helps counter altitude sickness. Unlike nicotine or caffeine, it causes no harm to human health nor addiction or altered state, and it is effective in the struggle against obesity, a major problem in many modern societies.
Today, millions of people chew coca in Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and northern Argentina and Chile. The coca leaf continues to have ritual, religious and cultural significance that transcends indigenous cultures and encompasses the mestizo population.
Mistakes are an unavoidable part of human history, but sometimes we have the opportunity to correct them. It is time for the international community to reverse its misguided policy toward the coca leaf.
Evo Morales Ayma is the president of Bolivia. |
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Victory in Bolivia & Ten Years of the Venezuelan |
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Joint Meeting London – Victory in Bolivia & Ten Years of the Venezuelan By William Roche Thursday, 12 February 2009 Around 40 peopled gathered together at Bolivar Hall London last night to attend a meeting, organised by Hands Off Venezuela and the Bolivia Solidarity Campaign, to celebrate and discuss the recent constitutional victory in Bolivia, and the ten-year anniversary of the Venezuelan revolution.  The new Bolivian constitution is a big step forward for the revolution. It is the first constitution to have been formed by a peoples’ assembly, and gives Bolivians new democratic powers. Amancay Colque, Secretary of the Bolivia Solidarity Campaign, described how the State now has constitutional powers to take control of the country’s natural resources, including hydrocarbons, which have been plundered by foreign multinationals for decades. Amancay also outlined the new rights for indigenous peoples. They now have the right to political representation at all levels. They are also entitled to autonomy should they wish it. This is of course a key issue in a country where over half the population are indigenous. 
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Bolivia Ends Neocolonial Past |
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La Paz, Feb 7 (Prensa Latina) Bolivian President Evo Morales promulgates today the new Bolivia Constitution, approved by 61.4 percent during the January 25 referendum. According to the leader, the Magna Carta marks the beginning of the transition from a neocolonial State to one that is plurinational with equal rights for all citizens. He stressed it also represents a historic document, the first decision consulted with the peoples, after 16 Supreme Decrees and two modifications. The historic signing ceremony will take place in El Alto city, in presence of a massive number of people. Nearly a million people including farmer leaders, workers and natives will witness the official signing ceremony. Statistics revealed Friday a total of 2,064,417 citizens in support of Bolivia’s new Constitution, while 1,296,175 were opposed. nm/gdb wmr mf PL-17 |
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Bolivia cuts Israel ties over Gaza |
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|  | | Hundreds of civilians have died in Gaza since the Israeli offensive began on December 27 [Reuters | | Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, says he is breaking off ties with Israel in protest against its war in Gaza, which has left more than 1,000 Palestinians dead. Morales said on Wednesday that he would seek to get top Israeli officials, including Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, charged with "genocide" in the International Criminal Court. The Bolivian president also dismissed the United Nations and its "Insecurity Council" for its "lukewarm" response to the crisis and said the general assembly should hold an emergency session to condemn the invasion. "Considering these grave attacks against ... humanity, Bolivia will stop having diplomatic relations with Israel," Morales told diplomats in the Bolivian capital, La Paz. He also said that Shimon Peres, the Israeli president, should be stripped of
his Nobel Peace Prize for failing to stop the invasion. Palestinian 'holocaust' Morales's move follows the decision by his ally Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, to expel Israel's ambassador and embassy staff last week because of the offensive, calling it a "holocaust". On Wednesday, Venezuela's foreign ministry said it had broken off diplomatic relations with Israel over the Gaza offensive. Venezuela "has decided to break off diplomatic relations with the state of Israel given the inhumane persecution of the Palestinian people", the foreign ministry said. More than 1,000 Palestinians have now died in Israel's offensive in Gaza, around 40 per cent of whom were civilians, aid agencies and Palestinian medics say. Thirteen Israelis have also died, four from rocket fire from Gaza. english.aljazeera.net |
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50 YEARS OF REVOLUTION IN CUBA |
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When: Saturday 17 January 2009
11am–6pm Where: Bolivar Hall, Venezuelan Embassy,
54 Grafton Way, London W1T 5DL (see map) Description:
Rock around the Blockade invites you to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. We will discuss five decades of socialist development in Cuba and the islandʼs links with revolutionary movements in Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador. - Confirmed speakers:
- ● Dr Helen Yaffe, (UCL/Rock around the Blockade): on Cuban political economy
● Luis Marron, political officer of the Cuban embassy
● Felix Plasencia, minister counsellor of the Venezuelan embassy
● Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT Union
● Hannah Caller on Cuba's health and education system
● Diego Almeida, (Movement of Ecuadorians in the UK)
● Ruben Vidaurre, counsellor of the Bolivian Embassy
● Jeremy Dear, general secretary of the NUJ union and chair of Justice for Colombia campaign
●Representative of the Revolutionary Communist Group
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Nov 19, 2008By Amy Goodman Evo Morales knows about “change you can believe in.” He also knows what happens when a powerful elite is forced to make changes it doesn’t want. Morales is the first indigenous president of Bolivia, the poorest country in South America. He was inaugurated in January 2006. Against tremendous internal opposition, he nationalized Bolivia’s natural-gas fields, transforming the country’s economic stability and, interestingly, enriching the very elite that originally criticized the move. Yet last September, the backlash came to a peak. In an interview in New York this week, Morales told me: “The opposition, the right-wing parties ... decided to do a violent coup. ... They couldn’t do it.” In response, presidents from South American nations met in Chile for an emergency summit, led by the two women presidents, Michelle Bachelet of Chile and Cristina Kirchner of Argentina. The group issued a statement condemning the violence and supporting Morales. |
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Dignity and Defiance: Stories from Bolivia's Challenge to Globalization |
Democracy Center Book Launch in London!Join us for the presentation of the book on Wednesday 10 of December 6 to 8.30pm
UNITE - 128 Theobald's Road, London WC1X 8TN 
Dignity and Defiance is the story of one country, Bolivia, but it is representative of many countries around the world. The book tells the story of Bolivia's famous Water Revolt against Bechtel, and its aftermath. It travels to jungles and jails to trace the human impact of the U.S. war on drugs. It pedals by bike across the Bolivian highlands to document the disaster left behind by an Enron/Shell oil spill. It digs deep to trace how IMF economic policies led to bloodshed on the steps of the Bolivian Presidential Palace.
Dignity and Defiance also tells the story, from the ground up, of how people have fought courageously to keep globalization from swallowing their lives and to make it work to their benefit – as activists, workers, and immigrants. Ultimately the book is a story of inspiration, and it goes to the heart of what has drawn so much global attention to Bolivia.
Dignity and Defiance offers a powerful mix of story telling and analysis by a collection of writers who have made Bolivia their home and who have worked closely with Bolivian colleagues to get the story right. Bolivia's recent history, like Latin America's and the world's, is about people demanding justice and self- determination in a world of new global forces. By looking up close at what this means for one nation, readers will have an opportunity to deepen their grasp of issues and trends that are universal and that are likely to shape all our lives for decades more to come. |
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www.newstatesman.com
South America Emma Felber Published 14 November 2008 The plot of the Quantum of Solace makes reference to a real struggle carried out by the social movements of Bolivia - but it wasn't an action hero that secured changes, it was ordinary people  Has Evo Morales found a new comrade in 007? A rusty pipe hangs from an improvised water tower, and drips miserably into the desert air. A crowd of simple-looking people in traditional Andean clothes, their dark faces furrowed with worry, surround it with empty buckets and containers, waiting for the water to come gushing out, but the pipe has run dry. They turn away in dismayed resignation. |
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Evo highlights Obama’s victory election... |
Evo highlights Obama’s victory election and looks forward to building new relations with USA
La Paz, November 05, (ABI).- President Evo Morales showed his approval this Wednesday for the electoral victory of the democrat 47 years old Barack Obama and hopes from the new Chief of this country, the bilateral relations should take another course.
"The Government of Bolivia congratulates to Ms. Obama for a historic victory because he is a man that comes from discriminated sectors, who comes from slaved sectors, certainly historic. I am sure he is going to keep on doing history " Evo morales said.
This way, he refers to the victory of Obama, who turned into the first African American president in the history of the United States.
Obama was born in Hawai his parents are Barack Obama Sr. from Kenia and his mother Ann Dunham an American.They married when both were studying in the University of Hawai.
The Bolivian president expressed his enthusiasm to the journalists because he considers from the new American Chief the deteriorated relations between both countries could be improved.
Weeks ago, he said that in spite of whoever would be the Chief of the USA the Bolivian Government will seek to improve the relations with the American Government.
He also expressed his desire that the new President of the USA raises the economic blockade to Cuba and withdraw the troops of some countries.
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