"Plan Colombia ... Plan of Death"
Photos by Linda Panetta - - Please ask permission to reproduce any photos. Thanks! (215) 473-2162

The clouds cover a now desolate region of the rainforests.

As we approach the Putumayo region, the encroachment into the rainforest becomes blatently obvious. We were told by the military that all the visible plots were coca crops -- but following a ground tour of the region, it became clear that many food crops were planted adjacent to coca crops.

As one plot is destroyed by the spraying, additional rainforests are leveled for new crops.

The aquatic life in the rivers have also been decimated by the chemicals which enter the waterways as runoff and fallout from the sprayings. Additionally, the indigenous people who rely on the rivers for cooking and bathing, are being poisoned on a daily basis by the toxic waters.

Despite the devestation to the region, the plots which surrounded large estates and
military bases were quite plush!

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