3/18: A mobilization is underway in Quito, Ecuador to protest two of the largest neo-liberal programs in the western hemisphere -- Plan Colombia and the proposed Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. From 3/14-20, people from more than 20 countries are converging for the International Permanent Camp for Social Justice and the Dignity of People. Organizers say the objective of the camp is to show the correlation between US championed free trade agreements like FTAA and Plan Columbia style military intervention. Protests and direct actions occured over the weekend at the US military base in Manta, which is a central point for Plan Colombia, and in Lago Agrio, where the oleoducto de crudos pesados oil pipeline is located. The camp also includes educational forums, workshops on building sustainable alternatives, networking between campesinas, indigenous, and international activists, and will conclude with a major demonstration in Quito on 3/19. Indymedia Colombia's coverage of the Camp | International Camp Website | Campesinos del Ecuador

More information on Plan Colombia- the massive military operation designed to secure US oil access, and further capitalist economic and political hegemony in the region: US Out of Colombia.org | IMC Colombia (es)| FARC (en) | Chomsky on Plan Colombia | Colombia Action Network | Colombia Support Network | ZNet's Colombia Watch | U'wa Defense Working Group | | Human Rights Watch