|
|
Ecuadorian
Indigenous Leaders Arrive in Bay Area to Urge ChevronTexaco
to Clean Up Toxic Waste in Amazon Region
|
|
|
“Our people are dying…”
Ecuadorian Indigenous Leaders
Arrive in Bay Area to Urge ChevronTexaco to Clean Up Toxic Waste
in Amazon Region
-- Indigenous Leaders Will
Provide Briefing on Their Historic Billion-Dollar Class Action
Suit Against the Petroleum Polluter That’s Killing Their People
--
Luis Ahua, Toribio
Aguinda and Luis Yanza, indigenous leaders from Ecuador, will hold
a press briefing on Monday, December 9 at 12:00 noon at the
offices of World Affairs Council at 312 Sutter Street, San
Francisco to discuss how ChevronTexaco left an environmental
disaster twice the size of the Exxon Valdez in the wake of the
company’s 21 years of operations in Ecuador. The dumping has
exacted a monumental human toll – nearly decimating the entire
Cofan tribe, which once numbered 15,000 and is now less than 300
in total.
On behalf of 30,000
Ecuadorians, the indigenous leaders have filed a groundbreaking
class action suit that charges ChevronTexaco with systematically
and knowingly dumping more than 16 million gallons of crude oil
and 20 billion gallons of highly toxic wastewater into one of the
most biologically fragile ecosystems on Earth. ChevronTexaco
blatantly ignored industry-wide standards throughout its 21 years
of oil drilling, resulting in the destruction of local food and
water supplies, and dramatically increased rates of cancer,
spontaneous abortions and respiratory infections among the
indigenous populations.
At last, these
indigenous leaders will have the opportunity to speak on behalf of
their people and culture and provide first-hand accounts of how
ChevronTexaco has decimated their land, their culture and their
lives.
For further
information, please visit Texacorainforest.com
B-roll/Video will be available at press briefing
WHO: LUIS AHUA,
Huarorani indigenous leader from the Amazon
TORIBIO AGUINDA, Cofan indigenous leader from the Amazon
LUIS YANZA, Frente de Defensa de la Amazonia, affected communities
spokesperson
WHEN: 12:00 Noon,
Monday, December 9, 2002
WHERE: World Affairs
Council, 312 Sutter Street (b/w Grant & Stockton), Suite #200,
San Francisco
|
