International Call-in Day
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tell Pacific Rim Mining to drop its lawsuit against the Salvadoran government!
After community organizing efforts successfully persuaded the Salvadoran government to block Pacific Rim’s gold mining permits, the company filed a lawsuit against the government under the rules of CAFTA, the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement, seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Legal proceedings in the case are set to begin in the coming weeks.
El Salvador’s environmental movement has called for international pressure on Pacific Rim Mining, demanding that the company drop its lawsuit and respect the sovereign right of El Salvador to protect its own environment and public health by putting the brakes on metallic mining.
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TAKE ACTION TODAY!
Call Barbara Henderson, Vice President of Investor Relations at Pacific Rim Mining in Vancouver, Canada.
To call from the U.S., dial 1-888-775-7097, then press 1.
DEMAND THAT PACIFIC RIM DROP THE LAWSUIT. CALL SCRIPT IS BELOW.
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In addition to the financial threat Pacific Rim’s lawsuit poses to the Salvadoran people, the controversy surrounding the company’s continued presence in the country is provoking violent repression of those who oppose mining in the Department of Cabañas. 2009 was marked by a steady stream of attacks, death threats, attempted assassinations and kidnappings against community leaders and anti-mining activists. Just before the New Year, two more community leaders were murdered within a week, bringing the death toll of anti-mining activists in Cabañas to three in 2009:
- December 26: Dora “Alicia” Sorto Recinos was murdered by gunfire. She was eight months pregnant and carrying her two-year old child, who was also injured. Sorto Recinos was a member of the Environmental Committee of Cabañas.
- December 20: Ramiro Rivera, vice-president of the Environmental Committee of Cabañas, was gunned down in front of his daughter. His neighbor Felicíta Echeverría was also killed in the attack.
- June 30: Anti-mining and FMLN party activist Marcelo Rivera (no relation to Ramiro) was found tortured and murdered in an empty well in Cabañas after his disappearance eleven days prior.
This recent wave of violence has been specifically targeted at those who oppose Pacific Rim’s El Dorado mine. The community and the government have rejected the company’s plans as environmentally, socially and economically inviable. On Tuesday January 12, Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes stated “my government will not authorize any mining exploitation project.” Yet Pacific Rim remains in El Salvador – why?
It’s time for Pacific Rim to heed the message of the Salvadoran people and the international solidarity movement: Drop the lawsuit and withdraw from Cabañas!
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To call from the U.S., dial 1-888-775-7097, then press 1.
SAMPLE SCRIPT:
“Hello. I have been following Pacific Rim’s El Dorado mine and am extremely disturbed by the recent news of assassinated community members. These individuals were part of local organizations that have been actively opposing the El Dorado mine since 2004. I call on CEO and President Thomas Shrake and Pacific Rim’s board of directors to recognize the social conflict the mine is causing and to make the moral decision to:
- Immediately withdraw from Cabañas and cease all efforts to mine gold from the El Dorado site. The company applied for mining permits and was rejected by the Salvadoran people and government. Pacific Rim has no business remaining in Cabañas.
- Immediately withdraw its lawsuit against the government of El Salvador. It is absolutely disgraceful for a company to sue a poor nation like El Salvador, especially when the Salvadoran people and government have every right to prevent cyanide gold extraction from destroying their lands and their communities.
- Cooperate fully with the official investigations surrounding the murders of Alicia Sorto Recinos, Ramiro Rivera and Marcelo Rivera. Violence is tearing apart Cabañas, and Pacific Rim has every obligation to offer its full support to bring to justice the perpetrators of these murdered community members, all of whom have openly opposed the El Dorado mine.
Thank you.”
