First paragraph (Teaser):

From Ecuador, scene of a genocidal war, we send you greetings in solidarity from the Permanent International Camp for Social Justice and the Dignity of the Peoples. We are writing to update you about our emergency situation, both political and financial, as the potential for our crucial actions planned against the FTAA and Plan Colombia unfold amidst increased military repression. As always, our commitment and struggle are permanent in the face of the cruel stupidity of our government to involve us in this interventionist war against our land and peoples.

Rest of the text:

An urgent message to all international organizations and networks for your assistance in our collective effort to STOP PLAN COLOMBIA and the FTAA.

Comrades,

From Ecuador, scene of a genocidal war, we send you greetings in solidarity from the Permanent International Camp for Social Justice and the Dignity of the Peoples. We are writing to update you about our emergency situation, both political and financial, as the potential for our crucial actions planned against the FTAA and Plan Colombia unfold amidst increased military repression. As always, our commitment and struggle are permanent in the face of the cruel stupidity of our government to involve us in this interventionist war against our land and peoples.

Today, more than ever, we must insist: Our cry will be heard!

In the urgent push to realize the potential of our actions planned for less than two weeks away... We feel it is important to alert you of the dire financial situation that could prevent the mobilization of over two thousand campesinos that are prepared to participate in this week of collaborative direct action. To finance buses going to the locations that the encampments will be taking place,we need to raise at least 5000 u.s. dollars. We regret to announce that for this crucial and diverse gathering of resistance we do not have the financial capabilities to ensure a strong movilization against the US military base in Manta.

This convergence will happen no matter, but the potential to mobilize all that wish to be heard is hanging by a thread. We expect a small amount of funds to come from the many international participants that will be attending, but there are literally a couple thousand of potential participants that do not have the ability to pay. We ask that you please consider the effectiveness of a major action in the Andean region against American imperialism in at this point in time, and assist us in our struggle to patch together funds to bring this potential to reality.At the moment, we are expecting about 1000 participants in Quito and possibly many more in Manta, sight of the US military base and Lago Agrio, on the border with Colombia. As of yesterday, over 300

international participants from Peru, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela, Mexico, United States, Canada, Irland, England, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Sweden and Finland have signed up to participate. The majority of the international participants are from Colombia who are making great sacrificies to make the journey to Quito in order to articulate our resistences and alternatives.

Moreover, this is a crucial step that must be taken in order for there to be a strong resistence to the FTAA meeting that will take place in Quito at the beginning of November.

For more information about this international encampment please visit our

website at

www.camp-ecuador.de.vu/

To make a contribution to this effort please contact us though our email

camp...@ecuanex.net.ec

The political context in which we are developing the Camp continues to gain complexity. In the face of this we are working to ensure that the camps are a functional and safe space for the enrichment of international, regional and

local movements as well as the construction of alternatives to the plans of death that Plan Colombia and ALCA represent for our peoples.

As of last week, the Amazon provinces of Sucumbios (where the Camp is planned to take place) and Orellana were on strike. Their demands have been that their power company not be privatized and reparations for the damages caused by the

construction of the OCP crude oil pipeline. OCP continues to not comply with their own minimal commitmant of infrastructural assistance, meanwhile leaving behind grave ecological damage.

The Ecuadoran goverment declared a state of military emergency and imposed curfew and martial law in these provinces. At first, the media claimed that this was because of the intensification of the conflict in Colombia. Two days

later, they admitted that it was because of the strike. At the same time the minister of the interior Marcelo Merlo, declared that this strike is the work of subversive terrorists. The situation is tense and there have been several deaths. The comrades from Sucumbios y Orellana simply want to bring their issues to the table to find a solution.

Less than a month ago, small farmers from Shushufindi were violently repressed for protesting the damages caused by the consorsium that built the new OCP crude oil pipeline. This is not the first scandal caused by this company. OCP

only pays its workers less than $3 per day. Recently when laborers protested their inhumane working conditions and their less than subsistance wages the response from this multi-national was to fire 160 people.

It is also important to note that Occidental Petroleum can be found in the consorsium of this multi-national corporation. In Colombia, this same comapany tried to erase the dignified struggle of the U´wa indigenous community.OXY is also one of the principle benefactors of US intervention in Colombia.

The US government has commited almost one hundred million dollars to protect the Caño-Limon-Coveñas pipeline. It is important to add that in Ecuador we are also on the verge of another indigenous and popular uprising due to the insistence of the government to privatize the electric sector. If the

governments´ actions are as we expect them to be, as shown by the violent reaction to last year´s uprising and the martial implaced last january as well as during the strike in Sucumbios and Orellana, then the repression we are to face is great.

The increasing difficult situation in Colombia and the increasing levels of state supported violence only make us more committed to continuing our struggle. Nevertheless, we hope that we will not be left alone.

Please keep us in your thoughts and wish us luck as the events of the next few weeks continue to unfold. If at all possible, please let us know by Wednesday if any help will be possible, as we are going to have to make major decisions regarding our activities based on the number of people we are able to movilize.

Our Cry Will Be Heard!