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American Indian Movement of Colorado

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Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Stop Newmont Press Release

STOP NEWMONT MINING COALITION
www.stopnewmont.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWMONT MINING CAN RUN, BUT IT CAN'T HIDE
Change of Venue Won't Prevent Local and International Activists from Exposing Company's Shameful Practices

DENVER, April 17, 2006 - Less than two weeks before its scheduled annual stockholders meeting on Tuesday, April 25, Newmont Mining, the world's largest gold mining company, has announced that it is moving that meeting from its corporate headquarters at 1700 Lincoln Avenue in downtown Denver to the Inverness Hotel and Conference Center, 200 Inverness Drive West, Englewood, Arapahoe County. When asked the reason for the move, a Newmont representative said the company understands there will be protests of the meeting and that some building tenants at 1700 Lincoln had expressed some concern.

This will be the second time in less than a month that Newmont has changed this meeting to avoid public scrutiny, the first being the move from the Brown Palace Hotel to their headquarters and now this most recent move. The Stop Newmont Alliance understands why the tenants are concerned¡ªnot because of peaceful protests, but because of being associated with Newmont, whose mining operations around the world:
* contaminate water sources
* destroy sacred indigenous lands
* threaten entire ecosystems
* force indigenous people off their traditional lands, resulting in the loss of ancient ways of life and livelihood
* poison our air with arsenic admissions.

The Alliance believes Newmont has moved its meeting in the vain hope that this remote location will prevent the alliance from exposing Newmont's destructive practices. But the alliance still intends to shine a light on the environmental destruction and social devastation Newmont has caused. According to Glenn Morris of the American Indian Movement of Colorado and the Stop Newmont Alliance; Newmont can run, but it can't hide. We intend to be there to expose the truth about Newmont no matter where they go.

Indigenous spokespeople from Ghana, Peru and Western Shoshone territories (Newe Segobia) in the western U.S. are coming to speak at Newmont's annual meeting. These people have traveled from all corners of the World; this small move from Denver to Englewood will not stop them from having their message for Newmont shared with us all! These community spokespersons have suffered at the hands of Newmont in their homelands, where Newmont has attempted to intimidate critics. To ensure their safety at the AGM, and allow their voices to be heard, members of the alliance will provide a security detail for them from Newmont's headquarters at 1700 Lincoln to Inverness, and support them while they present their concerns to Newmont shareholders.

These indigenous delegates and members of the alliance will gather at 1700 Lincoln at 10 am on Tuesday, April 25 and proceed to Inverness. There, the indigenous delegates will hold a press conference at 12 noon, and then they will address the AGM. Members of the alliance will then escort them back to 1700 Lincoln, where protests will continue.

On Monday, April 24, the alliance will hold a conference, What Price Gold? in the Tivoli Student Union on the Auraria campus, to explore in depth the negatives impacts of gold mining on indigenous lands, people and our environment. Details of the conference are available at www.stopnewmont.org.

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