In August of this year, I had a first hand look at the effects of American foreign policy on working people in Latin America. I was one of thirty Canadians who traveled to Colombia to chronicle the violation of human and trade union rights that have become commonplace in that country. What we saw and learned changed us in ways that we never could have imagined.

Quite simply, Colombia is a dangerous place to live, particularly if you happen to be a social activist - or a trade unionist. In the last few years there has been, on average, one trade union leader murdered every three days. Tens of thousands of others working for justice and peace have disappeared, been tortured or slain. As one Colombian Bishop put it, "they are killing the social conscience of the country." But who are they?

There are three principal "armed actors" in Colombia: The National Liberation Army of Colombia - the ELN; The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - the FARC; and the most feared group, the paramilitaries or paras. It is on them that I would like to focus some attention because it is the paras who have been linked with US multinational corporations.

The paramilitaries are unofficial allies of the state security forces - or armies - and have been important players in the US government’s "Plan Colombia." Plan Colombia is supposed to crack down on the illegal trafficking of drugs. In reality, it is a plan to remove small subsistence farmers from their land. Why? The US government and multinational corporations have three mega projects planned in Colombia: 1) Now that the US no longer has control of the Panama Canal, they are looking to dig a new passageway through Colombia; 2) There are plans for huge hydro-electric power stations on the country’s many river systems and 3) Oil - there are large unexploited reserves that US and Canadian companies would like to get their hands on.

So, how does Plan Colombia work? Well, the US has contributed $1.3 billion to the project. More than $800 million of that has been directed toward military spending, including training of the paramilitary forces. In this "war on drugs" the US has fumigated thousands and thousands of acres of land where the campesinos, or peasant farmers have lived for hundreds of years. Because this leaves the land barren, the farmers are then forced to move. Ironically, because the coca plant (the source of cocaine) is quite hardy, it is the only cash crop that can be grown.

Once the farmers are off the land, a campaign of fear keeps them away. In one village we visited, we were told that the paramilitaries marched into town and murdered 20 people - many of them community leaders. To remind the rest of the townspeople that they ought to "behave", the bodies were hung from the lamp posts in the town square.

Despite the danger, the threats of disappearance, torture or murder, the people we met in Colombia demonstrated incredible courage and dignity.

At every level of society there are people working for peace and equality with a quiet determination. They’re not looking for us to "save" them or to take pity on their misfortune. They simply ask that activists from around the world work with them - side by side and as equals - in their struggle for justice.

One last thought: One might think that Colombians would harbour resentment against the American people for all that their country has been through. But the following statement issued from an Afro-Colombian community who have been displaced by the actions of the paramilitaries exemplifies the generous spirit of most Columbians:

Brothers and Sisters in the United States:

A cordial greeting,

We would like to express our sincerest sympathy for the attacks made on your country.

We who have lived through similar events know what it means to loose children, parents, siblings and friends and our family and community way of life in a cruel and unjust war. We know that in these moments you are full of anxiety and pain. We hope that these events will not fill you with hate but rather that we will continue to struggle together for life.

We invite you to continue to struggle to defend human rights, life itself and a just society.

We are with all the people in the United States and especially with all of those who have lost loved ones.

We end with an "abrazo" (embrace) in solidarity,

Comunidades de Autodeterminacions, Vida Y Dignidad Del Cacarica

To find out more about Colombia or ways in which you can make a difference, please contact the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) office at 780-483-1812 or e-mail Mike Desautels at : mdesautels@clc-ctc.ca