Cablegate: Suspected Farc Militants Deported

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS QUITO 001643

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER CO EC
SUBJECT: SUSPECTED FARC MILITANTS DEPORTED

1. (U) Summary: Three suspected FARC militants, captured in
a Quito clinic on July 11, were deported to Colombia on July
12. President Palacio telephoned a grateful President Uribe
on July 12 to inform him of the capture. One of the suspects
is believed to have led the FARC attack on the Teteye
military base on June 25, near the Ecuadorian border, which
resulted in numerous casualties. End Summary.

2. (U) The Ecuadorian police captured three suspected FARC
militants on July 11 at DAME, a Quito clinic, where one of
the suspects, Juan Carlos Vera Cedeno, was being treated for
bullet wounds. The others were identified as Delio Tobar
Ortiz and Ana Anton Canchingue; all three claimed to be
agriculturists. Two Ecuadorians, Cristobal Colon Vera
Calderon and Efren Argemiro Barret Vera, were also detained
and are believed to have helped transport the Colombians to
Quito from Lago Agrio, near the Colombian border. The
Ecuadorian police continue to attempt to confirm the
detainees' actual identities. Police spokesman Juan Zapata
said the arrest was the result of an anonymous phone tip.

3. (U) President Palacio telephoned President Uribe in Spain
on July 12 to inform him of the detention of the suspected
FARC militants. Uribe, pleased by the news, claimed the
three participated in the June 25 attack on the Teteye
military base in Puerto Asis, Putumayo, on Ecuador's border.
This attack caused the largest loss of GOC troops in 2005; 19
soldiers and 3 civilians were reportedly killed.

4. (U) The director of the clinic, Narcisa Valdivieso, said
Vera arrived at the clinic on July 2 in a Lago Agrio Hospital
ambulance. Vera was admitted with bullet wounds to his leg
and arm. According to police, the clinic did not report
Vera's admission, in spite of Ecuadorian law stating that all
bullet wound victims must be reported to the judicial police.

5. (U) The three Colombians were deported on July 12 for not
having proper documents, violating migration laws. Police
took the detainees to Tulcan, on the Colombian border, in a
police helicopter the evening of July 12, and later
transferred them to the Ipiales airport, then to Bogota.

Comment
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6. (SBU) The GOE action and Palacio's telephone conversation
with Uribe is the strongest signal yet of the Palacio
government's resolve to oppose actively a FARC combatant
presence here.
HERBERT

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