American Indian Movement of Colorado Press Statement

Colorado AIM will stand in solidarity with indigenous peoples from around the globe on APRIL 25, 2006 at the Newmont International Headquarters, 1700 Lincoln St., Denver, CO, in a vigorous protest at Newmont’s annual shareholder’s meeting. Representatives from indigenous communities that have been adversely affected by Newmont will be arriving in Denver from Peru, Ghana, Western Shoshone, the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington State, and perhaps other locations.

Colorado AIM condemns the actions of Newmont that destroy the water, earth and air through its operations in places such as Peru, Nevada, Ghana and Indonesia, but also in the territories of indigenous peoples in Mexico, Canada, Australia, Bolivia and the Philippines.

Equally, we deplore and condemn the explorations and proposed operations of Newmont in the Black Hills of South Dakota, an area sacred to several indigenous nations of the Great Plains region. We also call on Newmont immediately to fulfill its responsibility to clean up radioactive uranium waste on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington State.

Indigenous peoples have been protecting their territories and water over the past several years, and they continue actively to confront the destructive practices of Newmont.

· Last week, in Sumbawa, Indonesia, community members expressed their opposition to Newmont’s operations by setting ablaze a number of pieces of Newmont’s machinery, forcing the corporation to close its Batu Hijau Copper Pit until further notice.

· Tens of thousand of indigenous people marched on Newmont’s operations at Yanacocha, Peru. These actions forced Newmont to cancel plans to expand its open pit mines to the sacred mountain of Quillish.

· The Western Shoshone Nation (Nevada) recently received a victory at the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The decision called for an end to the collusion between the United States government and corporations such as Newmont, in the theft of Western Shoshone resources in violation of the 1863 Ruby Valley.

The courage and integrity of native peoples around the world in resisting the eco-terrorism of Newmont is an inspiration to us in Colorado AIM. When representatives of these struggles come to Newmont’s international headquarters here in Denver, the source of the misery in their communities, we will welcome our relatives, and we will show them that they are not alone in their quests for environmental justice. We will call on local and state officials to demand responsibility from this corporate criminal in our midst.

We will stand shoulder to shoulder in support of our indigenous relatives, and any people who choose love of earth and love of life, over love greed and love of profits.

We intend to shine a bright light on Newmont and its destructive operations. We intend to hold Nemmont accountable for what it has done, and for what it continues to do.

Visit Stop Newmont to learn more