Dokument #1244175
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
The information that follows was provided
by the Tolima Departmental Delegation of the Electoral Directorate
of Colombia during a 12 August 1998 telephone interview.
The guerrillas prevented effective voting
in a number of rural localities (corregimientos) in
various districts (distritos) of the Department of Tolima
during the 26 October 1997 elections. Typically, the guerrillas
attacked or intercepted electoral officials, seized the voting
documents before or after the voting, and burned them.
The following is a list of districts and
the specific localities where such incidents took place (please
note that the spelling in some names might be imprecise):
Icononso: Paticuinde, Mundo Nuevo;
Ataco: Alcilla, Canoas;
Chaparral: La Marina, La Virginia, San Jose
de las Hermozas;
Ortega: La Balsa, Horizonte, Andes;
Purificacion: Villa Esperanza;
Rio Blanco: Gaitan;
Villa Hermoza: Platanillal.
In addition to the above, a female
temporary employee of the Electoral Directorate, a
supernumeraria, was abducted by guerrillas for
approximately one day in the rural corregimiento of
Malabar, in Venadillo municipality.
In addition to the above, one news report
states that two bombs were detonated at the Palo Cabildo
municipality in northern Tolima during the elections (Radio Cadena
Nacional 26 Oct. 1997)
This Response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is
not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any
particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Dirección Electoral de Colombia,
Delegación Departamental del Tolima. 12 August 1998.
Telephone interview with representative.
Radio Cadena Nacional [Bogota, in
Spanish]. 26 October 1997. "Colombia: Station Reporters Note
Electoral Situation in Departments." (FBIS-TOT-97-299 26 Oct.
1997/WNC)