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RE: The Case Against DynCorp - Part II: Colombia's attempts for justice
Don't forget Dyncorp's coca eradication and fumigation programs along the Columbian/Ecuadorian border.
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07QUITO1553_a.html
Counsel for Plaintiffs in Dyncorp Case Draws Crowd
- (U) In a related development, the American lawyer representing 1,600 Ecuadorians and the provincial governments of Esmeraldas, Carchi, and Sucumbios in the case against Dyncorp (the aerial fumigation contractor in the border region), Jeff Frazier, participated in a symposium hosted by the GOE's Northern Border Development Unit (UDENOR) on June 28-29 in Quito. Frazier said that Colombia's aerial eradication program had contaminated the environment, caused severe health problems, and had harmed the local economy. He argued that Dyncorp had been hired to fumigate in Colombian territory, not Ecuador, and since they had proof that glyphosate had drifted across the border and caused damage, the company failed to fulfill its contractual obligations and is therefore liable. ForMin Espinosa has expressed the GOE's support for the civil case against Dyncorp, but has stressed it is private matter not directly involving the GOE.
- (U) Human rights activist Rafael Jaque, who is affiliated with the Latin American Human Rights Organization (ALDHU) and has worked with Frazier on the case, was also on the panel. Jaque said that Colombia's aerial spraying program had caused genetic disorders, hair loss, skin disease, cancer, and raised infant mortality rates. He expressed satisfaction over the decision of the U.S. federal judge to deny Dyncorp protection as a contractor, and said that there are plans to possibly go after Monsanto for using Roundup Ultra in fumigations, which he said was illegal in the US. Embassy Quito paid for the participation of an EPA expert in border issues to inject some positive and balanced perspective at the conference, not on the glyphosate issue but on other panel topics where positive USG contributions to border zone air, water and sanitation quality could be stressed.