Thanks to Chris Shaw for this link to a letter (English translation) in which Guatemalan communities asked for information regarding the PPP dam proposals. You can find it at theInternational Rivers Network website.

I'll also quote it completely below. It includes the list of people that the original letter was copied to (CC). But at the website, you can see the signatures of the community leaders.

Petén, Guatemala August 4, 2002

Mr. Raúl Edmundo Archila Serrano
Minister of Energy and Mines
Presidential Commissioner to the PPP
Guatemala City, Guatemala

Dear Minister,

On behalf of the communities of the Usumancinta, Pasión and Salinas rivers we bring you cordial greetings and good wishes.

According to information we received on the "Expo-Inversión 2002" which took place in Mérida, June 28, the Mexican and the Central American governments signed a memorandum of energy cooperation. We understand that this is the formal announcement for the beginning of the construction of hydrodams on the Higher Usumacinta, a project consisting of five dams from the Guatemalan border to Tabasco, Mexico.

In view of this situation, we wish to express our great concern about construction of these dams on the Usumacinta, Pasión and Salinas rivers. For decades we have been living on these lands and have already undergone great sacrifices. We think that these projects would impact our communities, our families and the natural and archaeological richness of this region.

We are also greatly concerned about the limited information which the Guatemalan and Mexican government have provided to us about these hydroelectric projects. That is why we are requesting that all information is released from your office - to allow citizens’ participation in the development processes of our Guatemala.

We, the concerned communities with all due respect, demand an urgent meeting with you so that we may become knowledgeable of details on the aforementioned hydroelectric projects. We propose to this effect that the meeting takes place on August 21 of this year at 9:00 AM in Sayaxché, Petén.

Awaiting your response, we ask that you contact Agustín Tebalán of the Cooperativa Los Laureles (tel.: 861-2877/78 or 8000503) or Faustino Calmo Chávez of La Cooperativa Bonanza (tel.: 861-2757/58/59).

Sincerely,

The undersigned representatives

(SIGNATURES)

c.c.

Pablo Schneider
Presidente Ejecutivo
Banco Centroamericano de Integración Económica – BCIE
Honduras
Fax: (504) 228-2183

Luis Fernando Andrade
Gerente Regional
Banco Centroamericano de Integración Económica – BCIE
Guatemala
Fax: 331-1457

Carlos Barbery
Representante,
Banco Inter-Americano de Desarrollo - INTAMBANC
Guatemala
Fax: 335-3319

Miguel E. Martínez
Manager, Regional Operations Department 2
Inter-American Development Bank
USA
Fax: (202) 623-3096

Eduardo Somenssatto
Presidente Representativo
Representación Banco Mundial
Guatemala
Fax: 502-366-1936/366-2033

Mr. Jaques Lecornu
Secretary General - Treasurer
The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD)
France
Fax +33 1 40 42 60 71
secretaire.general@icold-cigb.org

Richard Taylor, IHA Executive Director
International Hydropower Association (IHA)
UK
Fax: +44 20 8770 1744

Dr. Donal T. O'Leary
Secretary General
Hydro Equipment Association
Germany
Fax: +49.30.88.92.3200

Sr. José Antonio Ocampo
Secretario Ejecutivo
Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe - CEPAL
Chile
Fax: (56-2) 208-0252

Dr. Oscar Alfredo Santamaría
Secretario General
Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana - SICA
El Salvador
Fax: (503) 289-6124/25

Haroldo Rodas Melgar
Secretario General
Alfonso Pimentel Rodríguez
Director Ejecutivo
Sistema de Información de la Integración Económica de Centroamérica – SIECA
Guatemala
Fax: 368-1071 y 337-3750

Paola Rodríguez
Gerente del País – Guatemala
INCAE
Guatemala
Fax: 367-2001

Sra. Rebeca Grynspan
Directora
Sede Subregional de CEPAL en México
rgrynspan@un.org.mx

Rekha Thapa
Director
Fax: 1 (212) 906-5634
Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo – PNUD
USA
Fax: (212) 906-5364

Juan Pablo Corazzoli
Representante - Guatemala
Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo – PNUD
Guatemala
Fax: 337-0304; 337-3316

L. Enrique García
Presidente Ejecutivo
Corporación Andina de Fomento – CAF
Venezuela
Fax: (58212) 284-2880 or (58212) 209-2382

Lic. Florencio Salazar
Oficina del Plan Puebla Panamá de la República de México
México D.F.
Fax: (52-55) 5663-3881

Dr. Klaus Toepfer
Director Ejecutivo
Proyecto de Represas y Desarrollo – UNEP
South Africa
Fax: +27 (0) 21 426-0036

Dr. Julio Arango
Procurador de los Derechos Humanos
Procuraduría de Derechos Humanos – PDH
Guatemala

Lic. Flor de María Morales Dardón
Procuraduría de Derechos Humanos – PDH
Guatemala

Dr. Enrique J. Lahmann
Director Regional
Unión Mundial para la Naturaleza -
Oficina Regional para Mesoamérica (UICN/Mesoamérica)
Costa Rica
Fax: (506) 240-9934
Correo Electrónico: correo@iucn.org

WWF Central America Regional Office
Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza
Costa Rica
Fax: +506 556 14 21

Amy Gray
Director, Latin America Program
Bank Information Center
USA
Fax: (202) 624-0624
amy@bicusa.org

Rachel Farley
Program Officer for Central America
Washington Office on Latin America
USA
Fax: 202-797-2172
wola@wola.org

Vince McElhinny
Program Manager
InterAction
USA
fax: (202) 667-8236
vmcelhinny@interaction.org

Carleen Pickard
Mexico Program Coordinator
Global Exchange
USA
Fax (415) 255 7498
carleen@globalexchange.org

Monti Aguirre
International Rivers Network
USA
fax: 510-848-1008
monti@irn.org

Brendan O'Neill
ACERCA
USA
Fax: 802-864-8203
colombia@acerca.org

Guatemala News and Information Bureau, GNIB
USA
voice & fax: 415-826-3593,
gnib@igc.org

NISGUA
USA
fax: 202-223-8221
nisgua@igc.org