Highlights of the Statement from Toribio Aguinda, Cofan indigenous leader on whose people’s territory Texaco (now ChevronTexaco) carried out oil operations for more than 20 years.
Ø Greetings Mr. Chairman, shareholders and others present. My name is Toribio Aguinda and I represent the Cofan people and four other indegenous communities in the Amazon. I have come here to deliver a message.
Ø I want to describe to you what my community was like before the arrival of ChevronTexaco. Before the company arrived, we had clean air, clean water and enough foods. We had extensive lands. The forest was our market.
Ø When the company arrived things changed. We no longer had clean air and clean water. We no longer had clean earth.
Ø My people are on the brink of extiction. We are disappearing. I fear that in five years from now I too will disappear.
Ø I ask you Mr. Chairman, do you want the Cofan people to disappear, to become extinct?
Ø We want to live like you, we are human beings.
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Highlights of the statement by Rosa Moreno, a local nurse in the town of San Carlos where Texaco operated. She has lost 3 close family members in the town to cancer.
Ø I am a licensed nurse in the San Carlos community. I have worked as a nurse for over 20 years. In my community we do not have doctors and so I offer all the health care that the majority of the people receive.
Ø I have knowledge of the medical history of those who live in the community.
Ø As a nurse, I have examined hundreds of people.
Ø In the San Carlos community of 2,000, I know of 25 deaths specifically related to cancers caused by the toxic contamination of petroleum.
Ø We know of the cause of death of these people, but perhaps there are more. We do not have the resources to do thorough investigations as to the cause of death.
Ø We conducted an evaluation and found that 25% of the community is sick.
Ø When the people get sick, we are normally only able to give them pain medication, as we do not have the resources to give them anything else.
Ø Every year that passes, there are more and more deaths, as the effects are cumulative.
Ø The fundamental problem in my community is that we lack drinking water.
Ø I have lost three family members because of the contamination left behind by Texaco. I lost my father, my father-in-law and my aunt. My aunt was only 54 years old when she died. It’s terrible to lose a loved one.
Ø I invite you Mr. Chairman to my community in the Amazon so that you can see for yourself the damage left behind by your company.
