THREAT OF LEGALIZED MURDER
AGAINST THE TAOIST MONKS OF THE
TEMPLE VEGETAL SAKROAKUARIUS IN COLOMBIA
We inform the International Community that the Taoist Monks that inhabit
the “Templo Vegetal Sakroakuarius”, located between Duitama (Boyaca) and
Charala (Santander), are being again threatened with extermination. This
past July 13th, 2001, an anonymous phone call was received at the Temple
from an individual who made known the ominous intentions that are being prepared
against the Monks of the Temple: they are planning to perpetrate a massacre
of the Monks, also bringing along drugs (poppy plants, heroine, cocaine
) and weapons and leaving these elements inside the Temple so as to claim
later that they all belonged to the Monks; and after killing the Monks,
they would tie them to wooden posts so as to later claim that the corpses
belonged to people who were kidnapped by the Monks.
Unfortunately, this is but another threat against the Taoist Community,
that has been suffering for many years from a violent persecution that has
claimed the lives of many Taoists. What follows is a brief account of the
most recent events:
- In 1995 the Temple was fumigated with Glifosfato and other highly toxic
chemicals. These fumigations, that took place over the period of several
weeks, caused the death of many monks, among them citizens from the United
States and France, also provoking the abortion in a Monk, who was several
months into her pregnancy. These fumigations did not cease until the International
Community made a big complain for the rights of the Taoist Monks.
- In the month of October of 2000, there occurred the constant flyovers
of airplanes above the Temple, very late at night and at a very low altitude.
The planes were executing maneuvers that strengthened the suspicion that
another fumigation was being planned, or worse, a bombardment.. The Spiritual
Guides of the Taoist Community, were forced to leave the Temple with their
families in order to preserve their lives. At present, their exile has not
ended. These flyovers only ceased on January, 2001, again only after the
pressure exerted by the International Community.
- In June, 2001, the Contentious Administrative Court of Santander, following
an accommodated interpretation of Colombian laws, paved the way for the execution
of Resolution 483 of September 13th of 1995, in which, among other things,
calls for the eviction of all the Monks from the Temple Vegetal Sakro Akuarius,
the demolition of all the constructions in the area and the payment of a
considerable fine by the Monks.
- In June 2001, in the Department of Putumayo, a massacre was perpetrated
by paramilitary groups that left between 30 and 40 Taoists and their family
dead. The exact toll of this massacre as of yet not confirmed as there
are still corpses floating down the Mocoa river.
- On July 2nd , 2001, in Medellin, Antioquia, the lifeless body of another
Taoist was found. The body showed signs of torture, with hands tied behind
the back, and displaying signs of strangulation and with two gun shots
to the face.
- On July 6th , 2001, in the newspapers Vanguardia Liberal and El Tiempo
(this last one being the newspaper with the largest circulation in Colombia),
was published the false and inflammatory declarations of the mayor of Gambita,
Freddy Angel Santana Castellanos, who accused the Taoist Community of kidnapping
and mistreating him, amongst other abuses. This mayor has always shown
himself to be contrary to the presence of the Taoist Community in the Temple,
whose geographical extension is located on Taoist owned land, that is comprised
within the districts of Charala, Encino, Paipa, Gambita, Suaita and Oiba.
- On July 10th , 2001, a group of people native to the region of the
Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta were working in the district of San Jose,
further up from Minca. At 5:00 pm a group of paramilitaries arrived asking
for Edgar Niño, member of the Taoist Community of Santa Marta, and
without any explanation was removed from the farm and taken towards the
mountains. The other people present at the farm, amongst them a brother
of Edgar, heard several gunshots. Two and a half days later, he was found
in a hole with two gunshots in his body.
Everything that has been recounted, in addition to other chilling events,
along with recent threats, clearly illustrate the malicious persecution
whose target is a pacific Taoist Community, whose only “crime” is wanting
to live a healthier lifestyle, in equilibrium with nature, in peace with
their fellow man and in harmony with God. These new threats clearly demonstrate
that the strategy of the enemies of the Taoist Community, is to take their
dark and homicidal persecution from the cities and departments where there
are Taoists, directly to the Templo Vegetal Sakro Akuarius.
The Taoist Community vigorously clamors for and asks the International
Community to enter into contact with all of the offices of the Colombia
Government, International Human Rights Institutions and Foundations, the
media, and any company or person that wants to help prevent, with the help
of God, more assassinations and hostilities against the Taoist Community,
and ensure that their basic rights are respected, rights that all human beings
should be allowed to enjoy.
The transcript of the call on July 13th , 2001, is the following: These
are the words spoken in a very polite manner, in an arrogant tone of voice
with an eloquent intonation: “Tao Community: You are going to receive the
visit of the ones that in many years you have not allowed to enter and with
them we will send what you say you do not have. We are going to send you
the following gifts: Latex of poppy plants to demonstrate that you do have
it, we are going to bring cocaine to demonstrate that you do have it, we are
going to provide you with the best weapons to demonstrate that you do have
them, we are going to provide bound and gagged people in your Temple, to
demonstrate that you do have kidnapped people, and have good trip to the other
world…” And at this moment the communication ceased.
THE DIRTY CAMPAIGN OF THE MAYOR OF GAMBITA
AGAINST THE TAOISTS
Public officials of Mayor’s Office in Gambita, Santander, are visiting
the different small towns, communities, and localities in the vicinity
of the Templo Vegetal Sakro Akuarius constraining the habitants of the
zone to accuse the Taoists of crimes invented by the Mayor of Gambita,
crimes that the same inhabitants of the zone declared to have no knowledge
about, nor do they accept that Taoists committed these crimes due to the
honest behavior that the Taoist have shown since they arrived in the region.
These same inhabitants that provided this information to a member of
the International Press community, that was in the Temple, asked that their
names not be published because the public officials from the Mayor’s office,
under the command of the ex president of the “Junta de Accion Comunal” (Community
Action Group), Victor Gonzalez Torres, have threatened that if they do
not accuse the Taoists of the beastly and criminal lies invented by the
Mayor against the Taoists, the inhabitants of the zone will be obliged
to leave the region. If they do not do what they are told, declare these
genocidal lies that the Mayor is currently spreading through newspapers,
television, and radio, they will die in the same manner that the mayor
wants for the Taoists. Some of the inhabitants of the zone, due to the Mayor’s
threats, are feeling scared for their lives, honor and their possessions
and those of their families. Faced with this situation, some of them have
decided to abandon the zone in order to avoid being killed because they
are identified as Taoists. They were told that whatever would happen to
them upon their abandoning the zone due to having disobeyed orders, it would
be attributed to the Taoist’s and that they, meaning the Taoists, would pay
for the dislodgements and for the refugees and whatever else could happen
to them for disobeying these orders would be totally attributed to the Taoists.
