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Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation meets on 4 - 5 June 2004 in Pucon and Villarrica
 
Mapuches oppose this neo-colonialist summit in their territory!
   

 

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Invitation: Mapuche Nation and social organisations against APEC

Meetings, activities, forums: 2, 3, 4 and 5 June 2004

Outline

This year, 2004, Chile is the host country for the Forum for Economic Cooperation in the Asian-Pacific or APEC, one of the largest global organisations for business and economic ties between nation states.

These APEC meetings are held to establish and further commercial and economic political ties: treaties and accords are planned. One of the most important will be discussed on Mapuche territory, at a summit meeting which will take place on 4 and 5 June 2004 near Pucon and Villarica, in the heart of the Araucania region, attended by representatives of the 21 member states of APEC. Pucon and Villarica are located around 850 kilometres south of Santiago, on the shores of Lake Villarica and the slopes of the volcano which bears the same name. The following economies will send delegates to these meetings: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, People`s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Republic of the Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, Vietnam.

APEC represents the globalisation of the free market, the standardisation or homogenisation of productivity, the equalisation of global prices in unequal economies, where development programmes and technological progress are not in step with this projected "whole". This leads to various social sectors, amongst them Indigenous Peoples, becoming victims of abuse and misfortune, because of this form of large-scale economic model: these sectors include agricultural food production, the growth of privatisations to realise transnational capital, the homogenisation of production and mono-functional land use, which lead to terrible consequences in environmental deterioration and in the consolidation of an exploitative market economy. These plans seek to benefit transnational corporations, are conceived using a military, repressive perspective and strategy, in order to control and take away the voices of social and indigenous movements. Transgressions against the rights and cultures of indigenous peoples and civil movements, as well as the use of assimilation policies, corporate domination and transnational looting lead to environmental and social disaster.

In view of all this, we refute and question the authority of the governments of these States formed by colonialist assent, who take part in APEC and other multilateral associations, in order to affiliate themselves to international treaties over business or investment, in the light of their continued denial of the rights, titles and jurisdiction of indigenous peoples and nations. In the case of Chile (host to APEC 2004), the rights of the original inhabitants are violated and denied by discriminatory institutionalised racism through which cultural identity and collective rights are denied. This racism is legitimised by the politics of the state and perpetuated by absolute control from factional groups, such as companies and transnationals.
Hence, Mapuche organisations and regional groups have decided to convene a parallel series of forums and meetings during the APEC summit, on 2,3,4 & 5 June 2004. These will take place in Pucon, Lucan Rey, Temuco and Villarica, among other locations.

The objective of these meetings is to share cultural knowledge, share experience of common struggle, realities and methods of resistance from the Mapuche people`s own perspective, as well as to facilitate meetings with other social groups in order to develop analysis, discussion suggestions about the "globalisation" model of the free market and the role of the companies and transnationals without losing sight of injustices within these nation states.

We hope also to establish or strengthen links between social groups who work at local, continental or global level to understand, to develop discussion and to contest these issues.

Comisión organizadora Mapuche - Foro social y Pueblos originarios
Coordinación de organizaciones e identidades territoriales Mapuche foromapuche2004@yahoo.es http://www.mapuexpress.net/contraapec.htm

Translated by S.P.Maude