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.