URGENT CALL TO SOLIDARITY ACTION by CONAIE
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000

           URGENT ACTION

The Confederation of Indigenas Nationalities of Ecuador CONAIE,
with other social organizations of the country, are summoning all the
organisms of solidarity, of human rights, to all the sister organizations 
of the Indigenous communities of the Continent, to develop actions that 
tend to restrain the repression levels, levelings, violation of human 
rights, and a system of discrimination and racial violence used by 
civil employees and public force of Ecuador, by order of the government 
of the Dr. Jamil Mahuad.

The fight of the People of Ecuador today is made of legitimate
actions, recognized in the same Constitution, which is recognized by the
sovereign power which resides in the People.

Towards the constitutional recognition mandate of the spirits of
our sacred mountains, rivers, waterfalls and seas, to maintain our
dignity at any cost, we, the people of Ecuador, undertake the Popular
Parliaments and the Great insurrection of the towns as forms of head of
resistance to neo-liberal, corrupt, anti-popular and anti-sovereign policies,
imposed by the bankers, groups of great economic power, the government
which represents them.

January 11th, after the organization of the parochial, cantonal, provincial
parliaments, we installed the National Parliament of the Communities, as an
alternate and sovereign form of power where the different social sectors
are discussing and generating government and Pluri-nacional State
proposals.

This Parliament has turned out several decrees, which are
attached.

The indigenous and popular insurrection, implies several actions
such as the closings of the channels, depriving cities of products, taking of
the great cities with mobilizations, has advanced from the field to the city.

In Indigenous communities there has been a high levels of
repression and coercion.
Military swarm the ways out of the communities in tanks.  All
supplies and food entering the communities have been confiscated, along
with the vehicles used to transport people and supplies.

The buses traveling between towns have received orders to
transfer " any thing, person, even animals, except Indians ".  Buses in the
military zones are stopped and all those who are dressed in Indian clothes or
appear Indian are forced off.

The Government uses " sold " Indians on the television to speak against the
national leaders, saying any calumny.  False documents with racist
expressions are spread by the Government to pit us against the non-
indigenous population. Agents of the government call the translators to say
the insurrection has been suspended, or the leaders have negotiated with the
government, and that it is necessary to take a rest, etc., with the purpose 
of demobilizing us.

But the Insurrection grows like a swelling waterfall.

We demanded the resignation of President Mahuad, for betraying
the interests of the country.  For having given $1.5bn of the resources of 
the State to a bank whose owners robbed their depositors and protecting 
these banks and their goods. In addition to that he has allowed to 
these same banks to speculate with the quotation of the currency of 
State together with of the United States of America, which in one year 
has fallen from 7,000 sucres a dollar to 25,000 sucres a dollar.

And as the grand prize, he has decreed the dolarización of
Ecuadorian economy. This means that while the pay is 40 dollars, the
shopping basket for a family of five is 250 dollars.  In the agricultural 
field, imputs are no longer within reach of indigenous and farmers.  
Will we have to leave the field ?
Cities offer single misery greater to us. The government, although it speaks 
of its great investments in health and education, practically eliminated 
free services.
Anyone able to obtain a medical diagnosis, cannot afford medical
prescriptions, the prices of medicines are near the black hole in space.

The Dr. Mahuad, who speaks of the right of the hope of and dream
of the Ecuadorians, responds to us with 35,000 members of the army and
10,000 police, and a state of mobilization and national emergency, as if
we were in war, and there were no longer citizen rights. They damage
homes. We cannot walk about on our own earth. They prohibit us from
meeting.  But we have defied with what little power we have left, with civil
disobedience.

For that reason we have advanced to the taking of Quito. The majority we
have passed like rain, fog, like wind, deceiving the military
controls. Now we are more than ten thousand Indigenous in Quito, making
ready to take other cities.

To be true we must be a single thought, a single heart, a single
voice and word, and a single fist.

We waited for any action in strength. We waited for its insurrection.

For any letter that You send them, we have listed the following
fax numbers:

PRESIDENCIA DE LA REPUBLICA
Dr Jamil Mahuad
FAX 593 - 2 - 583 950
580 751
580 735
TEL 593-2-210-300
Ministerio de Gobierno

FAX 593 - 2- 955 317
2- 580 067
TEL 593-2-517-481

Ministerio de Defensa Nacional

FAX 593 - 2 - 580 431
TEL 593-2-572-580

CONAIE

Antonio Vargas
PRESIDENTE

FAX 593 - 2 - 442 271

email conaie@ecuanex.net.ec

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ivonne A-BAKI
chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200
FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans,
New
York, Newark, Philadelphia, and San Francisco