[ecuador] beginnning of popular indigenous uprising 15.1 Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 03:02:19 +0100 National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador Quito, January 15, 2000 PRESS BULLETIN Mahuad must leave office in order to prevent a social convulsion BEGINING OF POPULAR-INDIGENOUS UPRISING The popular-indigenous uprising called by the National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador against the "dollarization," coruption, privitization, and the empoverishing of the country started at 0 hour today with the closing of roads in several provinces and the mobilization of thousands of indigenous people on an encounter with the peoples of Ecuador in Quito; Antonio Vargas, Parliament Presiden, insisted thet the only maner in to avoid a social convulsion is if Mahuad and his government give way to the desires of the peoples of Ecuador. While Mahuad reads his testament before a corrupt Parliament, of hunger, "dollarization," speculation and privitization, we the peoples of Ecuador have convened ourselves in this Parliament of solidarity, of many-nationalities, of a new Ecuador, democratic, economically productiveand with millenary ethical principles, that is the difference between our proposal and that of the the corrupt politicians, pointed out Vargas. On his part, Napoleón Saltos, spokesperson for the Coordinator of Social Movements (Coordinadora de Movimientos Sociales), emphasized the democratic character of this proposal and states being sure that men and women will join this movement for a new Ecuador, and with more reason when the cost of food products has increased about 60% to 80% in price as consequence of the "dollarization," consequences which will be intolerable when the price of gas and food products become unfrozen. At the same time, he gave thanks to the Eclesiastical Community of the Religous (Comunidad Eclesiástica de Religiosos), whom in an unpublished event, manifested their total support with the peoples of Ecuador in this sovereign search for a just and democratic future. On their part, the oil workers iniciated their actions of protest with the paralization of La Libertad Refinery (Refinería La Libertad) and anounced that by January 17th it will add the rest of the areas of the oil-industry, progresively, until reaching a total halt. The CONFENIAE ( Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas de la Amazonía Ecuatoriana), the Confederacy for the Indigenous Nations of the Ecuadorian Amazons, the Amazon Defense Front and the oil workers declared that this decisions is undeclinable for no privitization of the oil and for the life of the Amazon. As part of the general uprising, major and smalll markets will close their doors next Monday Januray 17th. The Farmworker Social Health Centers (Seguro Social Campesino) on its behalf has already initiated measures in Manabí, Carchi and other provinces. Neighborhoods, communities, health workers, public and industry works electritians, students, christian communities and universities are ready to initiate marches all over the country, under the proposal convoked by the National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador . On Monday January 17th, in the presence of Monsigneur Alberto Luna Tobar, the amplified Parlament will be instated, while the Permanent Comission (Comisión Permanente) has remained in session without a rest since Tuesday January 11th, the day of its instalation. The aproved decrees refer to: state deragoutory for emergency; civil disobidience against the "dollarization"; judicial and civil indictments against Jamil Mahuad for treason; a total fight against corruption, who's power is delegated to the provincial parliaments and the National Parliament of the Peoples of Ecuador.