OT: Medellmn, Colombia without electric 4 hours per day due to terrorism

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I just recieved this email from friends in Colombia. It is not about y2k or about electric. It says that 2 pastors were shot and a 3rd was kidnapped by the guerilla forces. IT also says that the guerillas are blowing up 250 electrical towers per day causing electrical shortages and outages.

It goes on to say the Medellmn is having power black-outs 4 hours daily and that electric rationing may be on the way due to terrorism.

this is not a government or new media press release. It was sent by missionary friends. It does not claim to be related to y2k or does it even mention y2k. Take it for what it is worth. And pray for Colombia!

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), January 24, 2000

Answers

By-the-way, I should probably paste in here the Spanish text of the email so that anyone who speaks Spanish can confirm my version of the email. I left out the part about the pastors being shot and kidnapped and only pasted the paragraph about the electric.

"Hoy, a las 8:00 pm. el pams apags sus luces de sus casas para decirle, pacmficamente a los violentos, que no sigan volando - atentando- las torres que conducen el fluido elictrico. Esye aqo han volado mas de 250 torres, con un costo de US 30.000 c/u. La ciudad de medellmn esta a oscuras 4 horas diarias por culpa de estos terroristas. Hay posibilidades de un racionamiento nacional, si continzan estos atentados. Oremos tambiin por nuestros hermanos y vecinos de la Repzblica democratica del Ecuador. Para que tambiin haya paz con justicia social. Alguien Ors y Dios le Respondis."

There was an article a while back in the Miami Herald that talked about the "high-tech" nature of the leftist guerillas in Colombia. IT specifically pointed out that they had been "y2k compliant" long before the Colombian government. They carry lap-tops in their backpacks in the jungle and log on through satelite phones. Do they know something we don't know? ARe they trying to help the process of infrastucture failures in Colombia?

Just questions for thought...

Hey! you gotta admit it is more interesting than Chemtrails (smile)

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), January 24, 2000.


hey, I guess I am talking to myself on this thread. However, we have been looking for some evidence of infrastructure failure in other countries and this MIGHT be significant. Remember all the talk about terrorism in the U.S right before the roll-over? Anyway, I found some links to confirm the email I recieved.

Published Wednesday, December 22, 1999, in the Miami Herald Colombia's rebels ready for Y2K Operation relies on computers BY CESAR GARCIA Associated Press

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), January 24, 2000.


Here is a selections from the January 17 article. THIS IS A MUST READ! I may call some friends who live in Colombia by phone to confirm this further.

************* BOGOTA (Reuters) - Marxist rebels blacked out a huge swath of war- torn northwest Colombia, including the third largest city and main industrial hub, Medellin, as they bombed 22 high-voltage power pylons on Monday, officials said. The power outage across parts of Antioquia, Choco and Cordoba provinces also caused a widespread cut in water supplies and phone services. The attacks by the Cuban-inspired National Liberation Army (ELN) were in protest at the government's planned privatization of state-run power generating company ISAGEN and the national power grid ISA -- a measure mandated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). ``Drastic'' rationing was imposed as intermittent energy was restored to some urban areas in the afternoon but rural regions were likely to remain without electricity for several weeks, said Ramiro Valencia, head of Medellin's municipal-owned utility EPM. If the damage is not repaired within three-weeks, the entire region, unable to receive power from other regions of the country via the national grid, could be totally paralyzed, Valencia said. ``A Drastic Rationing'' ``This has practically isolated Antioquia (province) from the national power grid. ... That means there will be a drastic rationing because we cannot be without energy and live in total darkness,'' Valencia told an afternoon news conference in Medellin, a city of 1.8 million people. The ELN, with about 5,000 combatants nationwide, has routinely attacked energy infrastructure during its three-decade uprising against the state but has rarely caused a blackout on this scale. The rebel force blew up about 200 power pylons during 1999 but never caused a blackout on this scale. Medellin and the nearby Valle de Aburra region, base for much of the country's manufacturing industry, was plunged into darkness by the predawn attacks. But about 80 percent of energy supplies were restored by mid-afternoon amid stringent rationing. But according to the state-owned Antioquia Energy Company (EADE) there was little chance of restoring power to rural areas of Antioquia and neighboring Choco and Cordoba provinces for several weeks. Most of the pylons downed Monday belonged to EPM and the remainder to the soon-to-be-privatized ISA.

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), January 24, 2000.


Darn Jose, a hold thread to yourself!

Just want you to know someone is listening. Good job!

Tommy

-- Tommy Rogers (Been there@Just a Thought.com), January 24, 2000.


How has the power outage in Columbia affected your life/ Did it cause your power to go out? Water supply failed?

The lousy quality of supermarket tomatoes is a far more serious problem.

-- get (get@a.life), January 24, 2000.



Thanks Tommy, I feel better now. The whole northern portion of South America is extremely unstable. Colombia and Ecuador have collapsing economies, Venezuela has had a major disaster and a leftwing, populist president (read dictator) who is friends with Fidel. Not to mention this whole Narco-communist guerilla problem in Colombia. I have a bad feeling...

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), January 24, 2000.

Get a life:

I live in Miami idiot. Most of my friends are from Colombia. Our economy depends on imports and exports to Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. Get a life!

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), January 24, 2000.


Damn, Jose, this takes me out of lurking mode. It's 2 pm here. I think some of the regulars are at work. ( 3 pm for you?)

-- Mr. Pinochle (pinochledd@aol.com), January 24, 2000.

Yup, it is now 4:13 pm. A lot of stuff happening today.

This Colombia business is really serious. If you add it to the coup in Ecuador and the upheaval and rise to power of the guy in Venezuela, we may have real destablization and a marxist threat in our own back yard like we had in the late 70's early 80's in central America, only worse.

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), January 24, 2000.


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