A Special Post...
In dedication of my grandma who turns 86 today and to honour el Día de Independencia de Colombia. Judging from what I see on the tv screen, today's been one of the most patriotic gatherings in Colombia's history, from Paris to Madrid to London to Bogotá to Miami. It's a huge step for people to show they care so they don't breed a lost cause.
The recently freed French-Colombian politician, Ingrid Betancourt, has urged her former captors, the Marxist Farc rebels, to release all hostages.
Ms Betancourt was leading a rally in the French capital, Paris - one in a series of global demonstrations calling for an end to kidnapping and for peace.
Colombia is preparing for what is expected to be one of the biggest protest marches in its history.
The Farc has waged a 44-year civil war there and still holds 700 captives.
In Paris, thousands gathered near the Eiffel Tower to hear Ms Betancourt, who was freed in a daring military rescue earlier this month after six years in captivity.
She read out a list of names of those still held by the Farc and called for their release.
"We want freedom for everyone," said Ms Betancourt, speaking in Spanish amid applause and chants from the crowd of "Libertad", or Freedom.
Her speech was also broadcast in Colombia, where marches are expected to take place in most of the country's more than 1,000 municipalities.
Pop star Shakira is to lead the biggest demonstration, in Bogota, where people will walk along six different routes around the capital.
But the BBC's Jeremy McDermott in Bogata says the question is whether the rebels of the Farc group are going to listen.
'Impervious'
A previous demonstration in February this year saw almost a million people take to the streets in Bogota alone.
Now, after the successful rescue of 15 hostages earlier this month from the Farc (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), the best-known of whom was Ms Betancourt, the turnout is expected to be even greater, with concerts and events being held in more than 40 countries.
Our correspondent says the Farc appear to be impervious to cries for an end to kidnapping, let alone an end to the 44-year civil conflict.
Earlier this week, they kidnapped 10 people travelling down the Atrato River in the western province of Choco.
While being badly hit by government offensives and a series of recent setbacks, there has been no softening of their position.
Yet even the Farc will have to pay attention to not just millions of Colombians but cries from around the world to end the kidnapping and violence, our correspondent says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7515939.stm
Pop star Shakira is to lead nationwide demonstrations in her native Colombia on Sunday demanding the liberation of hundreds of hostages held by rebels in the jungle for years.
Around 80 solidarity rallies are also planned in other cities around Latin America and the rest of the world, including one in Paris that will include recently freed Franco-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt.
"On July 20, I want to shout out, with you, for the independence and liberty of those who are still hostage of the FARC in Colombia," Betancourt told the French parliament early this month.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) continues to detain an estimated 700 hostages. Up to 2,000 more are believed to be held by the National Liberation Army, another leftist rebel group.
Sunday's rallies are calling for their immediate release, and those of prisoners held by other rebel groups.
Around five million people are expected to take part in demonstrations in some 1,000 towns and cities across Colombia.
The marches coincide with independence day celebrations in the southern town of Leticia, which are to be attended by President Alvaro Uribe and his guests, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Alan Garcia of Peru.
Shakira, Colombia's world-famous pop icon, is to sing Colombia's national anthem at the start of that commemoration before launching into a concert in support of the hostage liberation demonstration.
Juanes, another Colombian singer, and other high-profile musicians will also be lending their voices to the initiative, which will be the third national demonstration of its type in Colombia. The last one took place on February 4.
In the capital Bogota, more than 50,000 people dressed in white are expected to fill the central city square.
Some of the 14 other hostages who were freed with Betancourt through a Colombian military operation will be present here and in other cities.
Three US defense contractors liberated at the same time are back in the United States and will not be participating, however.
There are fears of a possible attack during the event. On Friday, Bogota authorities arrested two suspected FARC rebels, seizing from them about 30 kilograms of explosives which they allegedly planned to use during the march.
Olga Lucia Gomez, head of the Free Country Foundation working for the captives' release, said the rallies "are to demand not only the liberation of the rebels' hostages, but also all those being held against their will by whoever they may be."
Julio Roberto Gomez, president of a workers' union, told a media conference it was also an opportunity to shine the spotlight on the hundreds of hostages -- many of them poor rural residents -- who were not famous enough to generate individual public campaigns.
Politically, however, the Colombian peace process appears to be at an impasse.
Uribe's conservative government has vowed to seek direct contact with the FARC in an indication that it sees no future in mediation by France, Spain and Switzerland.
But the rebels have rejected direct talks and asked for mediation by leftist Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, which, in turn, has been rejected by Bogota.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5if4XgRratHfnw2JFaBGFBfcqTvIQ
The recently freed French-Colombian politician, Ingrid Betancourt, has urged her former captors, the Marxist Farc rebels, to release all hostages.
Ms Betancourt was leading a rally in the French capital, Paris - one in a series of global demonstrations calling for an end to kidnapping and for peace.
Colombia is preparing for what is expected to be one of the biggest protest marches in its history.
The Farc has waged a 44-year civil war there and still holds 700 captives.
In Paris, thousands gathered near the Eiffel Tower to hear Ms Betancourt, who was freed in a daring military rescue earlier this month after six years in captivity.
She read out a list of names of those still held by the Farc and called for their release.
"We want freedom for everyone," said Ms Betancourt, speaking in Spanish amid applause and chants from the crowd of "Libertad", or Freedom.
Her speech was also broadcast in Colombia, where marches are expected to take place in most of the country's more than 1,000 municipalities.
Pop star Shakira is to lead the biggest demonstration, in Bogota, where people will walk along six different routes around the capital.
But the BBC's Jeremy McDermott in Bogata says the question is whether the rebels of the Farc group are going to listen.
'Impervious'
A previous demonstration in February this year saw almost a million people take to the streets in Bogota alone.
Now, after the successful rescue of 15 hostages earlier this month from the Farc (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), the best-known of whom was Ms Betancourt, the turnout is expected to be even greater, with concerts and events being held in more than 40 countries.
Our correspondent says the Farc appear to be impervious to cries for an end to kidnapping, let alone an end to the 44-year civil conflict.
Earlier this week, they kidnapped 10 people travelling down the Atrato River in the western province of Choco.
While being badly hit by government offensives and a series of recent setbacks, there has been no softening of their position.
Yet even the Farc will have to pay attention to not just millions of Colombians but cries from around the world to end the kidnapping and violence, our correspondent says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7515939.stm
Pop star Shakira is to lead nationwide demonstrations in her native Colombia on Sunday demanding the liberation of hundreds of hostages held by rebels in the jungle for years.
Around 80 solidarity rallies are also planned in other cities around Latin America and the rest of the world, including one in Paris that will include recently freed Franco-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt.
"On July 20, I want to shout out, with you, for the independence and liberty of those who are still hostage of the FARC in Colombia," Betancourt told the French parliament early this month.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) continues to detain an estimated 700 hostages. Up to 2,000 more are believed to be held by the National Liberation Army, another leftist rebel group.
Sunday's rallies are calling for their immediate release, and those of prisoners held by other rebel groups.
Around five million people are expected to take part in demonstrations in some 1,000 towns and cities across Colombia.
The marches coincide with independence day celebrations in the southern town of Leticia, which are to be attended by President Alvaro Uribe and his guests, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Alan Garcia of Peru.
Shakira, Colombia's world-famous pop icon, is to sing Colombia's national anthem at the start of that commemoration before launching into a concert in support of the hostage liberation demonstration.
Juanes, another Colombian singer, and other high-profile musicians will also be lending their voices to the initiative, which will be the third national demonstration of its type in Colombia. The last one took place on February 4.
In the capital Bogota, more than 50,000 people dressed in white are expected to fill the central city square.
Some of the 14 other hostages who were freed with Betancourt through a Colombian military operation will be present here and in other cities.
Three US defense contractors liberated at the same time are back in the United States and will not be participating, however.
There are fears of a possible attack during the event. On Friday, Bogota authorities arrested two suspected FARC rebels, seizing from them about 30 kilograms of explosives which they allegedly planned to use during the march.
Olga Lucia Gomez, head of the Free Country Foundation working for the captives' release, said the rallies "are to demand not only the liberation of the rebels' hostages, but also all those being held against their will by whoever they may be."
Julio Roberto Gomez, president of a workers' union, told a media conference it was also an opportunity to shine the spotlight on the hundreds of hostages -- many of them poor rural residents -- who were not famous enough to generate individual public campaigns.
Politically, however, the Colombian peace process appears to be at an impasse.
Uribe's conservative government has vowed to seek direct contact with the FARC in an indication that it sees no future in mediation by France, Spain and Switzerland.
But the rebels have rejected direct talks and asked for mediation by leftist Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, which, in turn, has been rejected by Bogota.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5if4XgRratHfnw2JFaBGFBfcqTvIQ