DJ US Missionaries Leave Venezuela Rain Forest On Pres Order
So much for spreading the word of Jesus - maybe you can become a missionary Grace
CARACAS (AP)--U.S. missionaries accused by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez of espionage are abandoning their remote outposts among Indian tribes under a government order, some leaving after decades of evangelical work.
The New Tribes Mission, based in Sanford, Fla., was flying its last two missionaries out of the rain forest Thursday to regroup with others in the eastern city of Puerto Ordaz and decide what comes next: to leave the country or continue with a legal battle seeking to overturn the president's order.
Since late January, nearly 40 missionaries have pulled out and headed to the group's base in Puerto Ordaz ahead of a Sunday deadline set by the government for them to leave indigenous areas, said Marco Britto, a spokesman for the missionaries.
"They're all shattered, some of them depressed," Britto said, noting one woman has been working for more than 40 years with the remote Yanomami tribe in the Amazon rain forest.
"But it's not a complete disaster. We'll see what happens. Many are waiting to see what the court decides," he added.
The Supreme Court is set to consider a request by the group to annul the expulsion order, though Britto said that it was unclear when the case could be heard and or how long it could take for a decision.
In November, Chavez announced New Tribes missionaries would be expelled from the country. He accused the group of using its presence in remote, mineral-rich areas to spy for foreign mining and pharmaceutical interests and collect "strategic information" for the CIA.
New Tribes has denied the claims and offered to open up its jungle missions to government inspectors to dispel suspicions. Most of its missionaries are Americans.
New Tribes, a Protestant evangelical organization, specializes in working among 3,000 indigenous groups in the world's most remote areas. The group has been in Venezuela since 1946.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires |
