Hyundai admits supporting right-wing deaths squads in Colombia
Hyundai Motor's distributor in Colombia has admitted giving taxis to
Colombia's ultra right-wing paramilitary army, responsible for thousands
of politically motivated killings.
The revelations were first made public by key paramilitary leader
Salvatore Mancuso on May 18th in public hearings. According to Mancuso,
former paramilitary leader Carlos Castaño met directly with Carlos
Mattos, representative of Hyundai in Colombia. Castaño first
demanded a helicopter from Mattos, and then accepted four vehicles a year
instead. Hyundai claims that the company only gave four taxis to the
paramilitary United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), rather than
four per year.
Since the early 1960s, a civil war has pitted left wing guerrilla groups
against the Colombian army. Beginning in the early 1980s, the army has
relied on right wing paramilitary groups to carry out their dirty work.
The paramilitaries have killed or tortured thousands of political
activists, unionists, farmers, and indigenous people. The U.S. government
indirectly supports paramilitary violence by giving millions of dollars a
year in military aid to the Colombian government.
When the paramilitary armies had outlived their usefulness to the
Colombian state, a “peace process” was launched in 2003. The real goal of
the supposed demobilization was to give the paramilitaries virtual
impunity for their crimes, without fully revealing the responsibility of
Colombian elites for paramilitary violence. But a series of scandals broke
the unspoken agreement between paramilitary leaders and the Colombian
government.
Paramilitary leader Mancuso responded by revealing at least some of the
vast support his army has received from Colombian politicians, military
commanders, and businesses. Mancuso has also described the financial
support given to the paramilitaries by the U.S. banana companies Dole, Del
Monte and Chiquita, as well as major Colombian businesses. Chiquita has
admitted paying almost 1.7 million dollars to the paramilitaries.
These companies, including Hyundai, have benefited from the bloody
tranquility that the paramilitaries enforce in regions under their
control. Colombia is one of the most dangerous places in the world to
participate in union activities. For example, since 1989, eight Coca-Cola
union activists have been killed, leading workers and supporters to call
for a boycott of Coke products (www.killercoke.org).
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