Bolivian People need help to gather information and support

international | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis Saturday April 25, 2009 14:59 by Amancay - Bolivia Solidarity Campaign boliviasc at gmail dot com

Lets join forces, SHELL and other multinationals want to stop the changes in Bolivia

Oil multinationals might be behind the mercenaries killed in Bolivia. Let's share information and support each other.

Dear Irish sisters and brothers,

I am writing with two requests one is that you help us with information regarding Michael Martin Dwyer and the other is to send letters of support to the process of change in Bolivia.

Bolivia and Ireland have many things in common. Unfortunately both countries have suffered the consequences of colonization.

Bolivia has just recently started to walk on its own two feet. We are very proud the changes that are happening in Bolivia. Everything started in 2000 with the struggle of the Water War. This was about the water privitization by a Briish-American company. A young bos was murdered by a sniper in that struggle and many wounded. but we won, the water was nationalized under a right wing government.

In 2005 we had another big struggle called the gas war and this time was against big oil multinationals BP, Repsol, SHELL, and the likes. We also won that battle, but 67 people were murdered and 400 people were wounded. The president Goni, had sent the army against the civilians. Goni right now is hiding in the US, where has refugee status.

Our new president was elected in December 2005, he is the first president who listens to the people. He is there because people voted for him, 54%, was a historic victory. He is very popular because he listens to the people and that is totally new in Bolivia. We call this a "process of change". We are slolwly claiming back everything that was privitized. Our lives are getting better slowly. Oil multinationals however are furious, because before under Goni they paid little or no tax. Evo Morales has nationalized the oil companies (it is still private 49%) and the taxes from 18% they have to pay now 35% to 82%. Do we have more money? Yes, for the first time we have money to spend on education, healthcare and development. The economy is doing better than ever before. The multinationals do not know how to stop this 'socialist agenda'.

There is a separatist group in Santa Cruz, of rich landowners. Funding supporting 'democratic organizations' and training started to flow towards Bolivia, and at least 80 million dollars are still unacountable.

We believe that Michael Dwyer and Eduardo Rozsa, and other mercenaries were hired by a group or organization. Somebody paid them a lot of money to create a civil unrest in Bolivia, very similar to what happened in Yugoslavia.

Please let me know if you have any information.

Yours sincerely

Amancay Colque