Chavez Kicking out U.S. Christian Missionaries
The other day he was quoting the bible, but his actions have always proved otherwise. The target now christians, right out of the communist playbook(Chavez received his copy from Castro):
BY IAN JAMES Associated Press
BARRANCO YOPAL, Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez threatened to kick some Christian U.S. missionaries out of the country Wednesday, as he presented property titles to indigenous groups who he said had been robbed of their ancient homelands.
Hundreds of people from various indigenous groups gathered in this small village in southern Apure state for a ceremony recognizing their ownership of thousands of hectares of land.
''We are doing justice,'' said Chávez, dressed in military fatigues and a red beret. ``We can now start to say that there is a homeland for the Indians.''
Chávez said that he was also ordering the expulsion of a group of Christian missionaries working with indigenous groups, called the New Tribes Mission, accusing the Sanford, Florida-based religious organization of cultural imperialism.
''The New Tribes are leaving Venezuela. This is an irreversible decision that I have made,'' said Chávez. ``We don't want the New Tribes here. Enough colonialism!''
The New Tribes Mission specializes in evangelism among the 3,000 indigenous groups in the world's remotest tracts, places that remain isolated from the outside world.
It has assembled one of the largest missionary forces with 3,200 workers and operations in 17 nations across Latin America, Southeast Asia and West Africa.
Chávez accused the group of sharing ''sensitive, strategic'' information about Venezuela with the CIA, without elaborating. He also accused the missionaries of constructing luxurious camps next to impoverished Indian villages and circumventing Venezuelan customs authorities as they freely flew in and out on private planes.
''These violations of our national sovereignty has to stop,'' he said.
Chávez indicated the group would not be expelled immediately, but given time to leave.
Nita Zelenak, a New Tribes representative reached by telephone, declined to comment on Venezuela's decision or say how many missionaries were based here.
Chavez held the ceremony on the holiday known to many as Columbus Day, marking the arrival of European explorers in the present-day Bahamas on Oct. 12, 1492. Chávez's government renamed the holiday ''Day of Indigenous Resistance'' three years ago.
Chávez, a nationalist who says he is leading a ''revolution'' for the poor, often praises Indian chiefs who stood up to their Spanish conquerors in the centuries after Christopher Columbus reached Venezuela in 1498.
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