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Stan Cox states that: "Everyone's heard about the human rights abuses in African gold and diamond mines. But when it comes to their ultra-cool, razor-thin cell phones, American consumers won't get the message. "
GENEVA (AFP) US actress and campaigner Mia Farrow slammed Western "apathy" over abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo, saying people cared more about the region's gorillas than their fellow humans.
"I think if the population in Nord-Kivu had been a population of gorillas, there would have been a solution long ago," Farrow told AFP in an interview, referring to the conflict-torn eastern region of DR Congo.
"They wouldn't have allowed this to continue if it had been gorillas. Or especially puppies."
I, Wemba-koy Okonda citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Director of OKONDA NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION plead to you on the behalf of my people. There are ONLY 6,000,000 Congolese dead so far from the war that you are supporting if you are a user of cell phone, computer, play station etc... I said "ONLY" because you were silent until now and remain silent as you are reading this. You are not standing up for my people.
So how many more do you want to be killed? Need I bring up that Hitler had 6,000,000 Jewish people killed? I was there when you stood up for the killing in Iraq, the killing in Mumbai, the killing in New York (9/11), the killing in France, the killing in Spain etc... but why can't you stand up for my people? I am crying right now with pain. What can I do? I am just a simple black man and a fellow Congolese without power. Because I am so weak, to consolate myself I am just crying for my people.
Everyday there is bad news from my home country. What have my people done to you that you cannot forgive????? That cellphone you are using has the blood of my people. It is a weapon against my people. Please, I am not asking you to throw away your technology, but I am asking you to stand up for my people. The 6,000,000 "ONLY" Congolese dead are enough. I can not afford one more death.
The population of the State of Washington (U.S.A.) is 6,395,798. Imagine 6,000,000 Congolese dead. If you took 6,395,798 - 6,000,000(deaths) you would be left with 395,798 people.
Below I have provided you with a lot information on how your cellphone has the blood of my people. Please share this information with others.
We all are the people of the world, but why are you excluding my people as citizens of the world? By the way, if your cellphone rings think about those that are dead because of "COLTAN", the source of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Now what can you do to stop the corporations' greed? The answer is simple. If you are in the United States of America or in any western countries, tell your government to stop supporting the government of Rwanda and its president, the dictator Paul Kagame, financially and militarily. If you read one of the links below, you will discover that Paul Kagame is a good friend of the United States of America despite his involvement in the human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Paul Kagame is being used by the international corporations to support the rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo so that they can get cheap COLTAN. Dictator Paul Kagame is protected by the powerful governments of the world. Why? Because those governments are getting financial campaign contributions from those corporations. It is pay and play. It is a cycle.
I will quote one article "Blood Cells" states that,
"Two former Canadian prime ministers have links to mining in the Congo. Brian Mulroney sits on the board of Barrick Gold. According to a 2005 Human Rights Watch report, Barrick operated a gold mine in the Congo's Haut Uele District until 1998. In the mid 1990s, Joe Clark was both leader of the Progressive Conservative Party and a special advisor on Africa for the mining company First Quantum Mineral, according to a 2007 report by The Dominion. First Quantum's website indicates the company is still doing business in the Congo.
"While former prime ministers have been active in the Congo, Canadian governments have been almost completely silent on the Congo and the impacts of Canadian mining companies operating in the country.
"This, despite several United Nations reports drawing attention to illegal corporate exploitation of the Congo's minerals.
"'Eighty per cent of the population in the Congo live on 30 cents a day or less, with billions of dollars going out the back door and into the pockets of mining companies,' says Maurice Carney, who works with the Washington-based Friends of the Congo.
"It was against this backdrop that Apple released its eagerly awaited 3G iPhone in July, selling more than one million units its first weekend out.
"Does the new iPhone use Congolese coltan? Several calls to Apple's corporate office failed to get an answer to that question.
"So what can people do who don't want to be indirectly fueling a war but aren't ready to stop using their phones? Carney suggests three things:
"1) Call their cell phone manufacturer and ask if their phones contain Congolese coltan.
"2) Do what they can to make sure their personal savings or pension money is not invested in companies doing business in the Congo.
"3) Support the Congolese people by raising awareness of the war.
"Carney also says that recycling cell phones can help by reducing overall demand for coltan. Cell phone recycling services are available in some Canadian cities. Switching phones less often also helps lessen demand.
"For manufacturers, Carney believes it's not about getting Congolese coltan out of their products. Rather, "they can use their enormous power to pressure their governments to take action on the Congo." Carney says his organization would like companies to urge governments and their suppliers to ensure that any coltan coming from the Congo is acquired legally and benefits the Congolese people.
"Congo's Angels states this:
"Major United States players include:
"Cabot Corporation, Boston, MA
"OM Group, Cleveland, Ohio
"AVX, Myrtle Beach, SC
"Eagle Wings Resources International, Ohio
"Trinitech International, Ohio
"Kemet Electronics Corporation, Greenville, SC
"Vishay Sprague. Malvern, PA
"Corporations from other countries have been a part of the coltan exploitation chain. These companies include but are not limited to Germany's HC Starc and EPCOS, China's Nigncxia, and Belgium's George Forrest International.
"Once the coltan is processed and converted to capacitors, it is then sold to companies such as Nokia, Motorola, Compaq, Alcatel, Dell, Hewlett-Packard , IBM, Lucent, Ericsson and Sony for use in a wide assortment of everyday products ranging from cell phones to computer chips and game consoles."
What about the United Nations? This is a joke organization. I can not believe a powerful organization such as U.N. can not handles crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are incidents such as United Nations peace keepers raping Congolese women or buying sex for a banana, some (peace keepers from India) are doing business with rebels buying gold or calling rebels their brothers despite their abuse. For them, war in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a lucrative business and why stop it?
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