2016-2017 Verification Of Military Food, And Other Living: Fill & Download for Free

Q. How much is the 3 year tuition at Stanford Law?Cost of Attendance | Stanford Law SchoolTuition Top Law SchoolsPriciest Public Law SchoolsStanford Law School Financial Aid7 Ways to Figure If Going to Law School Is Worth It (Bankrate)Is Going to Law School Worth It? Depends on Where (Investopedia) - Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2015 had the top 10% of lawyers earning more than $187,200. All told, it is not uncommon for a law school graduate to enter the working world with a net worth of negative $250,000. Ideally, recent graduates should earn yearly salaries equal to or greater than their total student debt. This level of pay usually allows for paying off student loans within 10 years without materially affecting a person's lifestyle.Cost of Attendance | Stanford Law SchoolTuitionTuition for 2016-17 totals $56,079. Tuition is due in October, January, and April.Cost of LivingFor single students, room and board in university residences costs approximately $23,205 for the 2016-17school year. Required books, if purchased new, cost about $1,530 a year. Local costs for transportation, clothing, recreation, and the like tend to vary. Most single students find they need to budget a total of at least $88,169 for the school year.Laptop ComputersStudents are required to have laptop computers and are advised to have a printer and modem, as well. In addition to using the laptop to write papers and create spreadsheets, students will have the opportunity to take examinations on laptops and will receive administrative notices only via electronic mail. Students may purchase a laptop from the Stanford Bookstore through a special program with the law school. Students who must purchase a laptop to meet this requirement are eligible to have their financial aid budgets increased by as much as $3,300. Only specific computers meet the needs of the law school’s computing systems.Do the math!JD Financial Support | Stanford Law SchoolFinancial Aid Yellow Ribbon Program FormsLoan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP)CSS Profile ApplicationFree Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)Financial AidStanford Law offers financial aid is to assist students who would otherwise be unable to pursue a legal education at SLS. Approximately 78 percent of the student body receives a tuition fellowship or loan assistance, with the average fellowship portion per recipient totaling about $23,000 annually. Aid is awarded on the basis of demonstrated need and is provided through a combination of tuition fellowships, government guaranteed loans and private loans.To apply for financial aid, please complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CSS Profile application. The FAFSA should be completed as soon as possible after January 1. A service of the U.S. Department of Education, FAFSA is free to all applicants. Please note that the Title IV School Code for Stanford Law School is E00341 and our CSS Profile code is 7832. To receive an aid package prior to the May 1 admissions response deadline, you must complete both applications by March 15, 2017.In general, the financial award system operates as follows:Each year the school determines a standard budget to cover basic costs (tuition plus living expenses).Each student’s need is calculated by subtracting reported resources from the standard budget. These resources include one–third of reported assets; 57% of summer gross earnings over $6,000; assumed earnings of spouse (if married); and an imputed parental contribution (based on the CSS Profile analysis) if the student is dependent.Each student is then expected to borrow or otherwise raise a portion of this need, with the remainder being an outright grant, subject to a limit of full tuition.Financial aid is evaluated annually. Therefore, one cannot be guaranteed the same level of aid over three years of attendance.Stanford Law School uses an age-based test to determine the dependency percentage from your parent contribution. Unless you are 29 years of age as of September 1, financial resource information from your parents must be submitted on the CSS Profile application. Parental information is never required on the FAFSAfor graduate students.Under our policy guidelines, the following rules apply:If you are 25 or younger as of September 1, we will take into consideration the full extent of our calculated parental contribution when determining your eligibility for our need-based scholarship assistance.If you are 26 as of September 1, we will protect 25% of your calculated parental contribution and use only 75% of that contribution when determining your eligibility for our need-based scholarship assistance.If you are 27 as of September 1, we will protect 50% of your calculated parental contribution and use only 50% of that contribution when determining your eligibility for our need-based scholarship assistance.If you are 28 as of September 1, we will protect 75% of your calculated parental contribution and use only 25% of that contribution when determining your eligibility for our need-based scholarship assistance.If you are 29 as of September 1, no parental resources are considered when determining your eligibility for our need-based scholarship assistance. Therefore, you need not submit any parental financial information to CSS Profile.Loans available to law students come primarily from three governmental programs: Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, and Federal Direct Graduate Plus Loans. All graduate and professional students are independent for purposes of determining federal loan eligibility.Additional financial aid information is provided in the School’s Financial Aid Handbook.2016-17 FINANCIAL AID HANDBOOKYellow Ribbon ProgramThe Post-9/11 GI Bill, also known as Chapter 33, is the most commonly used VA educational benefits program at Stanford. This program provides funding for tuition, required fees, books, and housing. The level of a qualifying veteran’s Chapter 33 benefits is determined by the length of military service since 9/11/2001. For the 2016-17 academic year, the base benefit for tuition and fees is capped at $21,970.If you qualify for Chapter 33 benefits at the 100% level, you will receive additional funding through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Under this program, Stanford Law provides an annual contribution to supplement the Chapter 33 base tuition benefit. The VA matches Stanford’s Yellow Ribbon contribution. For the 2016-17 academic year, Stanford Law’s annual Yellow Ribbon contribution for students will be 50% of the remaining tuition and fees with the VA providing the other 50% — together covering the full costs of tuition and fees.Most VA educational benefit programs pay benefits directly to students on a monthly basis. However, under the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33), the VA sends tuition and fees benefits to Stanford, where the Central Financial Aid Office is responsible for applying the funds to the student account (university bill). Chapter 33 books and housing benefits are sent directly to students monthly. You may need to apply your housing benefits to the university bill to pay for on-campus room and board.FormsThe following forms will be provided by the Office of Financial Aid as necessary but are available here if additional copies are needed:Continuing Student Financial Aid Supplement Form 2016-17Loan Memo 2016-2017Loan Comparison Chart 2016-2017Loan Request Form 2016-2017Expense Budget 2016-17Due to the nature of federal, state, and institutional guidelines, this information is subject to change without notice.Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP)For graduates who take low-paying public interest jobs and have substantial educational debt, Stanford Law School offers the Miles and Nancy Rubin Loan Repayment Assistance Program — the most generous loan relief program in the country — along with a variety of other fellowships. Stanford Law was one of the first law schools in the country to launch such a program, setting the standard for schools that have followed our lead. Stanford Law makes loans to eligible applicants to help meet education loan payments. Loans made by Stanford through this program will be forgiven (up to 100 percent) depending on verification of participant income using federal tax returns. Visit the LRAP section of this site for additional information.7 Ways to Figure If Going to Law School Is Worth ItYour school's reputation"For the group of very select law schools at the top, the employment prospects are terrific," says Steven Harper, a former attorney and author of "The Lawyer Bubble: A Profession in Crisis." "Life can look awfully good, and it will be awfully good for the vast, vast majority of those people, but that's maybe 10 percent out of 200 law schools."There's a sharp discrepancy in job prospects between first- and lower-tier schools. When comparing U.S. News and World Report's top 20 law schools with institutions that landed in the 126-to-146 ranking range, students attending upper-echelon institutions were nearly twice as likely to hold full-time, long-term law jobs as their lower-tier counterparts. Students attending lower-tier schools were also about 2.5 times more likely to be underemployed.The Ivy League isn't the only ticket to a post-graduate job, says Kyle McEntee, executive director of Law School Transparency, an organization that helps students with the decision to attend law school, and provides employment and underemployment data on law institutions nationwide. Schools with a solid local reputation and strong ties to the community can be just as effective at finding work in that area.Your rankRegardless where you attend, your performance will be a factor for future employers. A study published last year in the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies shows that grades are "the most important predictor of career success," even more so than your school's reputation. The study, authored by law professors at UCLA and the University of Arizona, states that "... it is well known that judges care greatly about grades in choosing their clerks, professors care about grades in choosing their research assistants, and many employers insist on good grades in choosing new hires."Harper says that students who can stay above the bottom 25th percentile in GPA have the best shot at landing a job that pays enough to repay student loans."You have to be really honest and realistic with yourself about 'how well am I going to stack up against my peers?'" he says. "You have a very hard time convincing anybody, I think, who's entering law school that they'll ever wind up below the median, much less below the 25th percentile in anything, whether it's practicing law or something else, but guess what? That's just mathematics. There's an honest self-reflection that has to happen."Your specialtySome legal fields are hotter than others, which may explain why schools like New York University are changing their curricula to focus more on specializations. A study by Robert Half Legal of 200 attorneys in hiring positions revealed that litigation, business, commercial and health care law are expected to offer the greatest number of jobs.Leslie Levin, associate dean for academic affairs at the University of Connecticut School of Law, says that students can increase their marketability by having a clear idea of the law field they'd like to practice and by taking relevant courses and pursuing externship opportunities."Focusing on an area in which the student would like to practice and then positioning him or herself as somebody (who) is knowledgeable in that area will increase their employability," she says. "So, for example, if somebody gets a tax certificate, they are going to be more appealing if they want to go to a firm or the government and practice tax than somebody else."Summer associate gigs help, too. More than 90 percent of law students who held summer associate positions in 2012 were offered entry-level positions after graduation, reports the National Association for Law Placement.Your expectations"(Students) should think foremost on why they want to be a lawyer," says Andrew J. McClurg, author of "1L of a Ride: A Well-Traveled Professor's Roadmap to Success in the First Year of Law School." "If their only reason was to make a whole lot of money, that was never a good reason, even when the economy was great."Many students have unrealistic expectations about post-law school life and few have a clear picture of the daily lives of practicing attorneys, says Levin. Some don't know that they may not use their J.D. A survey by the NALP shows that 1 in 5 2012 graduates worked in a nonlegal profession or held jobs where a degree might have been an advantage or requirement, but passage of the bar was not required.The best way to understand what attorneys do is by observing them first-hand, she says."Even in college, people often will get part-time jobs in law firms. They can volunteer for organizations where lawyers are working and doing public interest work. They should talk to lawyers; if they know lawyers, they can shadow lawyers," she says. "The one thing they shouldn't do is assume that what they are seeing is the entire range of what lawyers do."Your connectionsGetting into a good school and acing your classes is only half the battle. The law grads who are getting jobs are the ones who have spent time hobnobbing with future employers, says McClurg."Joining student organizations and going to bar functions and putting yourself out there and making connections, other than your academic record, that's really one of the only things you can do" to increase your marketability, he says.That also means remembering that you may not be able to get a job in your first choice of legal field, says Blair Gould, a third-year law student at Wayne State University who's primarily interested in corporate and real estate law but is also gaining litigation experience."People need to continuously be diversifying their legal skill set," he says. "Take advantage of any kind of connections you can make and join any civic or social organization you can because all of those things will come into play eventually. You never know what's going to happen in the future."Your financial prospectsNearly 9 out of 10 third-year law students advise those considering law school to consider an institution's financial aid package before enrolling, reports Kaplan. That's because how much you borrow will largely determine where you work after graduation.Median starting salaries at law firms clock in at $90,000 per year -- a 28 percent drop since 2008 -- but not every lawyer is bringing home the big bucks. Median salaries at public interest organizations hovered at $44,600 annually, while judicial clerks and government employees earned $52,000. That's barely enough to cover the $558 monthly student loan payments public law students face if they borrow the average $76,000 in loans at an 8 percent interest rate over a 30-year period. On the flip side, the median salary at large firms is $160,000.The good news is that more than 100 law schools offer loan assistance and forgiveness incentives, reports Equal Justice Works, and public interest workers may be eligible for accelerated federal loan forgiveness. Scholarships also abound, but read the fine print, warns McEntee."Oftentimes scholarships come with stipulations, and stipulations are difficulties," he says.Your goalsIf working in the legal profession is what you want to do for all the right reasons, debt and employability statistics shouldn't derail you, but they should be a consideration, says Levin. To keep financial figures in check, Levin recommends that students consider lower-cost state schools or attend law school part time. They should also do some serious research to ensure they understand what attorneys do, the variety of contexts in which they work and whether they would be a good match for the legal profession."If (being an attorney) is really what makes you happy, it may take longer to pay off the debt, but that doesn't mean it's not worth it," she says. "(Whether law school pays off) really depends on what you hope to get out of your law degree and what you want to do with your life."Read more: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/college-finance/going-to-law-school-worth-it-1.aspx#ixzz4XVp2B6s2Follow us: @Bankrate on Twitter | Bankrate on FacebookIs Going to Law School Worth It? Depends on WhereBy Greg DePersio | Updated January 26, 2017 — 6:00 AM ESTA 2015 study by the Access Group Center for Research and Policy Analysis found that only one in five people who graduated from law school between 2010 and 2015 strongly agreed that obtaining a law degree was worth the cost. Perhaps more troubling, only 38% of law school graduates, down from 56% between 2000 and 2009, described themselves as having a good job after graduation.With four out of five recent law school graduates at least somewhat regretting their decision to attend – and six out of 10 failing to find a good job after graduating – it makes sense to examine whether going to law school is still worth it in 2017. Keeping in mind the high tuition costs, interest rates and potential salaries, another good metric to consider would be its ROI (return on investment), calculated as its salary-to-debt ratio in a new study by online lender SoFi.Law School CostsGoing to law school full-time requires a three-year commitment, and the average tuition and fees for just one of those years at an American Bar Association-accredited institution often exceeds $40,000. This cost does not include rent, food, transportation and other living expenses. As the law school workload does not permit most students to hold jobs, student loans represent the most common method of paying these costs. Consequently, the average law school graduate in 2015 took on over $140,000 in student debt to obtain his or her degree.For many students, student loan debt accumulates on top of debt they already carry from undergraduate school. Members of the class of 2016 graduated college with over $37,000 in student debt on average. While most lenders allow the deferment of undergraduate loan payments while attending law school, any unsubsidized portion of such debt continues to accrue interest. All told, it is not uncommon for a law school graduate to enter the working world with a net worth of negative $250,000.Expected SalaryTaking on such debt might be a smart investment if a law degree provided reasonable assurance of a high-paying job. Ideally, recent graduates should earn yearly salaries equal to or greater than their total student debt. This level of pay usually allows for paying off student loans within 10 years without materially affecting a person's lifestyle.Stories abound, however, of law school graduates struggling to find any sort of legal job, much less one that enables the repayment of student debt in a timely manner. The New York Times revealed in 2015 that more than 20% of graduates from the class of 2010 held jobs that did not require law degrees. Only 40% worked in law firms, compared to 60% from the class of 2000. The remainder operated solo practices, with varying degrees of success, or performed contract work.The SoFi study, which incorporates data from student-loan refinancing applications between Jan. 2014 and Dec. 2016, shows that some schools do better than others when it comes to both job placements and salaries. Looking at students three years out of law school, Cornell University, Columbia University and New York University take the top three spots in the SoFi study with average salary paid in excess of $177,000. Consider that the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2015 had the top 10% of lawyers earning more than $187,200.For the Class of 2015, Columbia University saw 401 out of its 413 graduates find full time jobs; at New York University the numbers were 474 of 485. In some cases, of course, students may choose to put off those high-money jobs for prestigious public service spots: In 2015, 99 of 199 Yale Law School graduates were employed in clerkships, which paid a median salary of $69,000 (Yale ranks 8th on the SoFi list for salaries).Graduates of second-tier programs often settle for work outside of top law firms, where the pay is much lower. The 2015 median pay for law school graduates across the board was only $64,800. Idealistic young attorneys who choose public service fare even worse financially. Entry-level district attorneys earn a median pay of $37,000; public defenders do slightly better at $40,000.Schools with the Best Salary-to-Debt RatioEven new lawyers who land good jobs rarely receive paychecks commensurate with their debt levels. The SoFi analysis also ranks law schools based on which offer the best value defined by their salary-to-debt ratio. That figure is an indication of how much more your potential salary could exceed your potential debt and help make a more informed decision about whether law school is worth it.Brigham Young University takes the number-one spot: With students expecting an average salary of $108,000 and holding an average debt just below $65,000, the school has an impressive 1.7x salary-to-debt ratio, making it a a good value-for-money bet. University of Texas at Austin, comes in second with the ratio at 1.4x on the back of lower debt burden thanks to its relatively cheaper tuition. Yale Law School ranks third – not just because of higher salaries graduates get compared to the top two on this list ($177,771; BYU is $64,873 and UT, $147,44), but also because of its generosity with financial aid.Opting for schools that fare poorly on this metric could cost you. Take for example, Florida Coastal School of Law, which ranked lowest on the SoFi ROI list, with a salary-to-debt ratio of 0.5x. Let's break down the numbers: The school's tuition, $44,000, is at par with some of the top schools in the country. Students graduate with $158,427 in debt (considerably higher than the $123,793 Yale grads have), but the average annual salary for graduates is only $84,664.Other ConsiderationsThe numbers do not consider the financial risk of being a law school dropout. The first-year law school attrition rate nationwide is nearly 7%. A handful of law schools lost over 30% of their first-year students in 2015. Enrolling in law school but failing to finish offers no greater marketability than a bachelor's degree. It does, however, substantially add to a person's debt load.All told, the decision to attend law school is one that should be approached with great consideration. Indeed, 1% of attorneys have successful, high-paying careers. Supply and demand dynamics, however, have changed considerably since the 1980s, with fewer high-paying, entry-level jobs and many more law school graduates chasing those jobs. Pile on tuition costs – which, for decades, have risen at three times the inflation rate – and going to law school is not the financial no-brainer that it once was. For more on the choice, see Career Advice: Accounting vs. Law and Career Advice: Investment Banking vs. Law.Read more: Is Going to Law School Worth It Anymore? | Investopedia http://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/082416/going-law-school-worth-it-anymore.asp#ixzz4XVq64gcoFollow us: Investopedia on Facebook

Some anti-China forces in the West, including the United States, have concocted and disseminated plenty of false information about China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.Xinjiang-related issues are not about human rights, ethnicity or religion at all, but about combating violent terrorism and separatism. The Chinese government has launched anti-terrorism and de-radicalization efforts in Xinjiang in accordance with the law to protect people's lives, which has garnered ardent support of people from all ethnic groups.People in the region continue to embrace peace and prosperity and Xinjiang society continues to develop steadily. These facts are the most powerful tool to debunk lies on Xinjiang.or you talking about thatABUSES AND TORTURES IN IRAK MUSLIMS JAIL BY AMERICANS SOLDIERSOn other occasions they sent the captured fighters on secret flights to Egypt or secret CIA detention centers in Eastern Europe so they could be tortured there, far from the light of the world. They engaged in various forms of sophistry to classify things like water boarding “enhanced interrogation” rather than tortureCNN summarized the types of abuse as follows:Punching, slapping and kicking detainees; jumping on their naked feet.Videotaping and photographing naked male and female detainees.Forcibly arranging detainees in various explicit positions for photographing.Forcing detainees to remove their clothing and keeping them naked for several days at a time.Forcing naked male detainees to wear women’s underwear.Photographing and videotaping groups of male detainees in humiliating acts.Arranging naked male detainees in a pile and then jumping on them.Positioning a naked detainee on a box, with a sandbag on his head, and attaching wires to his fingers, toes and other extremities to simulate electric torture.Writing “I am a Rapest (sic)” on the leg of a detainee accused of rape, and then photographing him naked.Placing a dog chain or strap around a naked detainee’s neck and having a female soldier pose for a picture.A male military police guard violating a female detainee.Using military working dogs (without muzzles) to intimidate and frighten detainees, and in at least one case biting and severely injuring a detainee.Taking photographs of dead Iraqi detainees.The evidence of the torture and humiliation of Iraqis swelled the ranks of militant groups and fueled the insurgency in the country. (Alamy Stock Photos)just in two photos no more your accusation falls apart, and yet it is photos in public image banks, we can not say that it is me who makes propagandaAND NOW WHAT REUTERS AND OTHERS MEDIAS SAIDTHIS IS A GENOCIDEJEWS HOMOSEXUAL GYPSIES IN NAZI CAMPSTERRIBLE PICTURES FOR RWANDA GENOCIDERWANDA 800,000DID YOU SEE ANY ONE PEOPLE IN THE XINJIANG ROAD TO ESCAPE????If now in the minute you show me, a single photo, a single shot of a satellite, of a spy drone, you know who can read license plates and other sophisticated modern spy systems, or even photos taken by a secret agent from these mass graves because 2 million would be seen such as the genocides of 800,000 Rwandans and more than 6 million homosexual gypsy JewsI would say yes you are right the Chinese are super bastardsBut as since AUGUST 2018 when REUTERS launched this global PROPAGANDA GENOCIDE IN XINJIANG campaign funded by the NED CIA the complacent NGOs the institutes bogus fake experts like Mr. Adrian ZENZ But since the time this propaganda has lasted NO ONE outside the digital world of millions of mobile phones in XINJIANG spy cameras and the like. NO ONE could show a single real proof NOTHING NADA and you want us to swallow this bullshit and lies it's just the daily reality in Xinjiang with respected Uighurs in traditional costumes walking quietly with trade signs written in Uighurs language and on your side again the lies and fabrications that the Western media and false experts like you make all the lazy sheep swallow who do not even look at the internet to verifyNOW SOME LIES VS FACTSFacts and truthfulness will eventually bust all lies. Please see the attachment for the full text. Enditemhttp://www.xinhuanet.com/english/download/2021-2-5/FactCheckLiesonXinjiang-relatedissuesversusthetruth.docFact Check: Lies on Xinjiang-related Issues Versus the TruthPrefaceNorthwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is a land of beauty, diversity and unity. Fifty-six ethnic groups are closely united as family members, just like pomegranate seeds that stick together, to build a beautiful homeland, maintain social stability, and realize economic development and prosperity, flourishing cultural heritage preservation, ethnic unity and harmony, and freedom of religious belief, with people of different ethnic groups living and working in peace and contentment.However, some anti-China forces in the West, including the United States, have concocted and disseminated plenty of false information about Xinjiang. They have smeared China's image, slandered its policies on Xinjiang, interfered in China's internal affairs, and attempted to deceive the international community and disrupt the stability and development of Xinjiang.Lies may mislead people for a while, but cannot win the trust of the world. Facts and truthfulness will eventually bust all lies.Xinjiang-related issues are not about human rights, ethnicity or religion at all, but about combating violent terrorism and separatism. The Chinese government has launched anti-terrorism and de-radicalization efforts in Xinjiang in accordance with the law to protect people's lives, which has garnered ardent support of people from all ethnic groups. People in the region continue to embrace peace and prosperity and Xinjiang society continues to develop steadily. These facts are the most powerful tool to debunk lies surrounding Xinjiang.We have chosen some typical Xinjiang-related rumors and lies fabricated by anti-China forces, and debunked them with facts to set the record straight.Lie No. 1: Mike Pompeo claimed that the Chinese government had committed "genocide" against Uygurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.Fact check: In recent years, the Uygur population in Xinjiang has been growing steadily. From 2010 to 2018, the Uygur population in Xinjiang rose from 10.17 million to 12.72 million, an increase of 2.55 million or 25.04 percent. The growth rate of the Uygur population is not only higher than that of Xinjiang's total population, which is 13.99 percent, but also higher than that of all ethnic minority groups, which is 22.14 percent, let alone the Han population's 2 percent.-- Xinjiang enjoys social stability, with the people living and working in peace and contentment. The region has made unprecedented achievements in economic and social development and improvement of people's livelihood. From 2014 to 2019, the GDP of Xinjiang increased from 919.59 billion yuan to 1.36 trillion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 7.2 percent. The per capita disposable income in Xinjiang increased by an average annual rate of 9.1 percent. Remarkable achievements have been made in poverty alleviation. All 3.09 million impoverished people in Xinjiang have been lifted out of poverty. The absolute poverty problem in Xinjiang has been resolved historically.-- The legitimate rights and interests of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang have been protected. All ethnic groups, regardless of their population, have the same legal status and enjoy various rights in accordance with the law, including participation in the management of state affairs, freedom of religious belief, receiving education, using their own languages, and preserving their traditional culture.Lie No. 2: Adrian Zenz released reports claiming Xinjiang has carried out "forced sterilization" on the Uygur women, resulting in a sharp decline in the Uygur population.Fact check: Adrian Zenz is not a so-called "expert on China studies," but a member of the far-right group "Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation" sponsored by the U.S. government. He is also a key figure in an anti-China organization set up by U.S. intelligence agencies and a notorious racist.-- Adrian Zenz's "reports" are full of fabrications and data manipulation. The so-called evidence of "forced sterilization" in the "reports" claims that 80 percent of the new intrauterine device (IUD) insertion procedures in China for 2018 were performed in Xinjiang and that the natural population growth rate in Hotan and Kashgar of Xinjiang in 2018 was only 2.58 per 1,000 people. The "evidence" is extremely inconsistent with the facts.-- According to data from China Health Statistics Yearbook 2019, published by the National Health Commission, the number of new IUD insertion procedures in Xinjiang in 2018 came in at 328,475, accounting for only 8.7 percent of China's total, which was 3,774,318.-- According to the 2019 Xinjiang statistical yearbook released by the statistics bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the natural population growth rates in Kashgar and Hotan were 6.93 per 1,000 people and 2.96 per 1,000 people, respectively, in 2018.Lie No. 3: BBC Newsnight once reported that Zumrat Dawut (Zamira Dawut) was "forced to go through sterilization" in a vocational education and training center.Fact check: Zamira Dawut has never studied in any vocational education and training center. Her elder brother Abduhelil Dawut has previously clarified that.-- She claimed that after "her release" from a center, she was forced to be sterilized and her uterus was removed because she has already had three children. In fact, in March 2013, when Zamira Dawut gave birth to her third child in Urumqi Maternal and Child Care Service Center, she signed a childbirth consent form voluntarily to have a cesarean section and tubal ligation, and then the center conducted the operation. She was never sterilized, not to mention uterus removal.-- She claimed that her aging father was repeatedly detained and investigated by Xinjiang authorities, and died not long ago from an unknown cause. In fact, her father had been living with his children until he died from heart disease on Oct. 12, 2019. He had never been investigated or placed in detention. Her brothers Abduhelil Dawut and Elkin Dawut have both substantiated the facts.-- She claimed that she was served with pork in a relative's home. In fact, the relative she referred to is her elder brother Abduhelil Dawut's pairing relative Zhao Qilin. In October 2017, Abduhelil was paired up with Zhao as "relatives," as part of an ethnic unity program. In January 2018, Abduhelil was invited to Zhao's home as a guest, in company with his younger sister Zamira Dawut. The meal was prepared by Zhao's mother, who herself is an ethnic Hui and a Muslim, and only eats halal food. It was impossible for her to provide a "pork meal."Lie No. 4: In interviews with foreign media, Mihrigul Tursun said that she was forced to take unknown medications in a vocational education and training center and was diagnosed as infertile by American doctors.Fact check: On April 21, 2017, Mihrigul Tursun was taken into custody by the public security bureau of Qiemo County on suspicion of inciting ethnic hatred and discrimination. During this period, she was found to have infectious diseases such as syphilis. Out of humanitarian consideration, the county public security bureau terminated the measures against her on May 10, 2017. Except the 20 days of criminal detention, Mihrigul was totally free while in China. She was never sentenced, nor did she study in any vocational education and training center, let alone being forced to take medications. There are no records of her undergoing a sterilization procedure in China.Lie No. 5: Xinjiang sets up "re-education camps" to detain millions of Uygur Muslims.Fact check: Xinjiang has never had any so-called "re-education camps."-- The vocational education and training centers established in Xinjiang in accordance with the law were education and training institutions in nature and were preventive counter-terrorism and deradicalization measures taken by Xinjiang. The aim was to eradicate the breeding ground for terrorism and extremism from the source. The relevant measures drew on the international community's experience in combating terrorism and deradicalization and implemented the idea of using development, education, and other resources to curb extremist ideologies, as advocated in the UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism. It fully complied with the principles and spirit of a series of international counter-terrorism resolutions, including the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Xinjiang's counter-terrorism and deradicalization measures have achieved positive results. There have been no violent terrorist cases for over four consecutive years in the region.-- The vocational education and training centers offered a curriculum that included standard spoken and written Chinese, understanding of the law and training in vocational skills to achieve the goal of deradicalization. By October 2019, all the trainees in such centers had completed their studies and graduated, and most of them have found stable jobs and lived a peaceful life.Lie No. 6: Xinjiang vocational education and training centers exercised "religious control," political indoctrination, intimidation and torture over the trainees.Fact check: The vocational education and training centers fully respected and protected trainees' freedom of religious belief, ethnic customs and habits, and the right to use their own ethnic spoken and written languages. The trainees could decide on their own whether to take part in legal religious activities when they got home; a variety of nutritious Muslim food was provided free of charge; and the regulations, curriculum, and menus at the centers all used local ethnic languages as well as standard Chinese.-- The vocational education and training centers fully guaranteed the trainees' personal freedom and dignity. The centers employed a residential education model which allowed trainees to go back home on a regular basis, ask for leave to attend to personal affairs, and enjoy the freedom of correspondence. The centers strictly prohibited any form of humiliation or mistreatment. There were no such things as "suppressing ethnic minorities" or "persecuting Muslims."-- The centers had well-equipped facilities. The dormitories were equipped with radio, TVs, air-conditioners or electric fans. Medical facilities, legal-counseling and mental-counseling rooms provided relevant services free of charge. The centers had sports venues for basketball, volleyball and table tennis, facilities for cultural activities, such as reading rooms, computer rooms and movie-screening rooms, as well as cultural and art performance venues, such as small auditoriums and open-air stages. Extra-curricular activities, such as folk songs and dances, sports competitions, etc., were held regularly to meet the various needs of trainees in study, life and entertainment to the maximum extent. All the trainees were covered in the public pension and medical insurance schemes, and were entitled to free health examinations.Lie No. 7: Some overseas Uygur people have been claiming "their relatives or friends in Xinjiang cannot be contacted and have gone missing" on overseas media and social media platforms.Fact check: Xinjiang protects the freedom of travel of people of all ethnic groups, including the Uygurs, and their communication with overseas relatives according to law.-- Verification with relevant departments shows that some allegedly "missing" people, mentioned by the "East Turkistan" separatists overseas, are living a normal life, while other "missing" incident reports are pure fabrications.-- The Australian Broadcasting Corporation once reported that Azmat Omar, a Chinese citizen living in Australia, claimed that he had lost contact with his family in Xinjiang. They included his father, stepmother, three brothers, two sisters, and over 20 other relatives. However, the fact is that all his relatives in China are living a normal life.-- During a UN Human Rights Council session in February 2020, the "World Uygur Congress" organized an activity outside the Palace of Nations in Geneva. They posted pictures of so-called "Uygurs persecuted by the Chinese government." These pictures were later discredited as disinformation. Those in the pictures are living normal lives. Separatist groups stole their photos and personal information.Lie No. 8: Xinjiang uses the coronavirus to wipe out Uygurs, with many tragic deaths after infection.Fact check: Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Xinjiang has resolutely fought against the virus and effectively contained the epidemic within a short period. With the support of the expert team from the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism, the local government made all-out efforts to treat patients. The regional government adopted a targeted prevention and control approach with differentiated, scientific measures. It also strengthened epidemic prevention and control in places such as crowded and key venues to minimize the risk of virus spread. The local government has also made every effort to ensure the production and supply of food and other daily necessities while maintaining their sufficiency, quality and stable prices. These measures were widely supported by people of different ethnic groups in Xinjiang. Thanks to concerted efforts, all 826 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Xinjiang have been discharged from hospital after treatment, without even a single death.Lie No. 9: China systematically transferred 80,000 Uygurs out of Xinjiang and assigned them as "forced labor" to factories in other provinces.Fact check: The government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region works with a strong sense of responsibility to promote employment. Southern Xinjiang was an underdeveloped area with a low degree of industrialization and urbanization, where many people suffered from poverty due to lack of job opportunities. Based on the realities, local governments at all levels have taken active measures to help those in need of secure employment. These measures included creating job opportunities nearby, facilitating work in other areas in Xinjiang, or transferring work forces to other provinces and cities paired up to assist Xinjiang. Such measures have helped residents rise above poverty through employment and lead fulfilling lives, while guaranteeing various ethnic groups' right to labor and employment.-- Since 2018, 151,000 people in poverty-stricken families in southern Xinjiang have secured jobs away from their homes. Most of them worked in other parts of Xinjiang, while about 14,700 worked outside the region with the help of fellow villagers and relatives, or through human resources agencies. Those who work outside Xinjiang have their rights to customs, language and culture, and religious belief fully guaranteed. Many earn an annual income of 45,000 yuan, several times higher than the income from farming or working in their hometowns.Lie No. 10: Xinjiang forced a large number of Uygurs to pick cotton, contaminating the global supply chain.Fact check: A few years ago, when cotton matured in autumn, many migrant workers from Henan, Sichuan and other places would take trains to Xinjiang to pick cotton. They were called "the cotton-picking forces." Migrant workers of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang would also go to pick cotton. They worked together, cared for each other and forged a deep friendship. These cotton pickers in and out of Xinjiang were all voluntary, and their incomes could reach over 10,000 yuan in just a month.-- In recent years, with the development of science and technology, cotton production has been highly mechanized in Xinjiang. Even in the busy cotton harvesting season, there is no need for a large number of cotton pickers. For example, since 2015, most of the cotton in the Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture of Bayingolin in Xinjiang has been harvested by machines.Lie No. 11: Xinjiang adopts an assimilation policy towards ethnic minorities in an attempt to systematically eliminate the Uygur culture.Fact check: All ethnic groups in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region enjoy full freedom to preserve or reform their own customs and habits. Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region strictly abides by the Constitution and laws, and attaches great importance to the protection and development of excellent traditional culture of all ethnic groups.-- The cultural heritage of all ethnic groups has been protected in Xinjiang. A batch of renowned architectural sites representing the preeminent historical and cultural heritage of the Uygur, Mongolian, Hui, Xibe and other ethnic minority groups have been properly renovated and preserved, including the Tomb of Afak Hoja in Kashgar, the Tomb of Tughluk Tumur in Huocheng, the Zhaosu Lamasery, the Former Residence of a Mongolian Prince in Hejing, and Chimtoghrak Manor.-- The excellent traditional culture of the ethnic groups has been passed on. Traditional cultural events, such as the Uygur's "Meshrep," the Kazak's "Aytes," the Kirgiz's "Kobuz Ballad Singing Fair," the Mongolian "Nadam Fair," the Xibe's "West Moving Festival" and the Han people's "Lantern Festival," have been widely carried out. A number of impressive dramas with rich ethnic and regional characteristics have been staged, such as the Uygur play "Gherip and Senem," the Kazak "Aytes," and the Kirgiz "Manaschi" ballad drama "Manas."-- The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has fully protected the customs and habits of all ethnic groups in the diets, festivals, weddings and funerals. Large and medium-sized cities and small towns with Muslim people in Xinjiang maintain a certain number of halal restaurants; "halal canteens" or "halal kitchen facilities" are set up in major traffic arteries and institutions with ethnic minority employees; beef and mutton supplied to Muslim people are slaughtered, processed, stored, transported and sold according to their customs. All ethnic groups enjoy statutory holidays during their traditional festivals, such as Corban Festival and Eid al-Fitr.-- Currently, people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang mainly use 10 spoken and written languages. Ethnic minority languages are widely applied in various sectors, including the judiciary, administration, education, press and publishing, radio and television, and the Internet. Xinjiang People's Broadcasting Station offers 12 radio channels in five languages: Mandarin, Uygur, Kazak, Mongolian and Kirgiz. Primary and secondary schools in Xinjiang offer courses in ethnic minority languages, such as Uygur, Kazak, Kirgiz, Mongolian and Xibe. Chinese RMB banknotes have five languages on them: Chinese, Tibetan, Uygur, Mongolian and Zhuang.Lie No. 12: Some places in Xinjiang destroyed graveyards of ethnic minority groups.Fact check: Xinjiang has always respected the funeral and burial customs of ethnic minority groups and formulated a series of regulations and policies to protect their basic funeral and burial rights. Measures, including allocating designated land and establishing special public cemeteries, are taken for some ethnic minority groups who traditionally bury their dead in the ground. Their traditional practices such as funeral pray, burial and holding Nazer (memorial activities), are preserved.-- With the economic and social development and the improvement of people's living standards in Xinjiang, governments at all levels have stepped up the planning and construction of public welfare cemeteries. Cemetery facilities and their environment are continuously improving. People of different ethnic groups in some places have relocated graveyards of their own free will.Lie No. 13: The Chinese government sends children of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang to boarding schools and "forces" them to be separated from their parents.Fact check: The Compulsory Education Law of the People's Republic of China stipulates: "Where necessary, the people’s government at the county level may set up boarding schools to ensure that school-age children and adolescents who are dwelling in scattered areas receive compulsory education." Xinjiang is a vast region with long distances between villages and towns, and it is not convenient for some students to go to school, making it hard to ensure their study quality. Parents have a heavy burden to transport their children to and from schools. To solve this problem, Xinjiang built 400 primary and secondary boarding schools in the 1980s. In recent years, Xinjiang, like the rest of the country, made scientific plans and reasonable arrangements for boarding school construction. They comply with the relevant construction standards of the state and the autonomous region to ensure sufficient learning and living facilities. Time has proved that boarding education has become an effective measure to accelerate education modernization and aid targeted poverty alleviation in Xinjiang. Parents of students of all ethnic groups support the boarding school model.-- The construction of boarding schools is an arrangement made by Xinjiang in light of the actual conditions of the autonomous region to alleviate poverty through education and improve the quality of compulsory education. It helps improve education modernization at primary and secondary schools of ethnic minorities and promote exchanges among different ethnic groups in Xinjiang. The practice here is not fundamentally different from that of other parts of China or the rest of the world.Lie No. 14: Schools in Xinjiang replace ethnic languages with Chinese to "brainwash" the students. Xinjiang has banned ethnic minority students from using their own languages and closed schools of the Uygur language.Fact check: The Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language stipulate that citizens have the right to learn and use the standard Chinese spoken and written language. The state provides them with related conditions. While promoting education in the Chinese language, Xinjiang also offers courses in the spoken and written languages of ethnic minority groups in accordance with the national curriculum plan for primary and secondary schools. This safeguards the right of students from ethnic minority groups to learn their own spoken and written languages. It also effectively promotes the inheritance and development of ethnic minority languages and cultures.-- Primary and secondary education in Xinjiang is conducted in seven languages. At present, preschools and primary and secondary schools across Xinjiang provide bilingual education in the national standard spoken and written language, as well as one ethnic language. Learning to use the national standard language can help people better integrate and adapt to modern society. It brings more convenience in studies, job hunting, communication, business, and work.Lie No. 15: Xinjiang suppresses ethnic minorities under the pretext of fighting terrorism.Fact check: Incomplete statistics show that from 1990 to 2016, ethnic separatists, religious extremists, and violent terrorists plotted and conducted several thousand violent terrorist acts. They killed many innocent civilians and several hundred police officers and caused immeasurable property losses. These terrorist activities inflicted untold suffering on the people of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang.-- In the face of a complicated counter-terrorism situation and the demands from people of all ethnic groups to stop terrorism, China's Xinjiang region has taken a series of active measures. Responding to the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and other counter-terrorism resolutions, Xinjiang has upheld the principle of not linking terrorism with any particular region, ethnic group, or religion. It acted within the law to crack down on violence and terrorist activities that violate human rights, endanger public security, undermine ethnic unity, and aim at separating the country. Since 2014, a total of 1,588 violent and terrorist groups have been taken out, 12,995 violent terrorists arrested, and 2,052 explosive devices seized. Such operations have effectively curbed the infiltration of extremism, significantly improved public security, and protected the right to life, right to health, right to development, and other basic rights of people of all ethnic groups. Xinjiang has reported no violent terrorist cases for more than four consecutive years.Lie No. 16: The "fanghuiju" campaign, in which civil servants are dispatched to grass-roots communities to offer help to people of various ethnic groups, as well as the "ethnic unity campaign" and solidarity activities among cadres and people of different ethnic groups, are all adopted by Xinjiang with the aim of intervening in and monitoring Uygur families.Fact check: Xinjiang has been carrying out the "ethnic unity campaign" and solidarity activities among cadres and people of different ethnic groups since 2016. More than 1.1 million cadres and workers of different ethnic groups have paired up with 1.6 million people of different ethnic groups as "relatives" and made friends with each other. Among them, Han cadres have paired up with ethnic groups, including the Uygur. Cadres of ethnic minority groups, including the Uygur, have also paired up with Han people.-- Based on mutual exchange, communication, integration, respect and help, cadres and workers of different ethnic groups have given full play to their own advantages, guiding the grass-roots residents to expand their approaches to prosperity, and helping them solve difficulties in healthcare, employment and education, and doing many good deeds that have won public support. According to the statistics, the cadres and workers participating in the "ethnic unity campaign" and solidarity activities among cadres and people of different ethnic groups have donated 940 million yuan and more than 49 million material items to the grass-roots people, accomplishing some 18 million deeds that benefit locals.Lie No. 17: Xinjiang monitors Uygur Muslims through ubiquitous cameras, mobile phone apps, the internet and other high-tech means.Fact check: In accordance with the law, Xinjiang has installed cameras in urban and rural public areas, major roads, transportation hubs and other public places in order to improve social governance and effectively prevent and crack down on crime. These measures have enhanced social security and won widespread support from people of all ethnic groups. The measures do not target any particular ethnic group.-- The use of modern scientific and technological products and big data to improve social governance is a common practice in the international community. According to the South China Morning Post, a new study found that Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands are among the top 10 countries in terms of the number of surveillance cameras in the world.Lie No. 18: Chinese embassies and consulates have refused to renew the passports of overseas Uygur people, forcing them to return home to face extrajudicial detention or imprisonment.Fact check: Chinese citizens' personal freedom and rights of exit and entry are protected by law. As long as they are Chinese nationals and admit themselves that they are Chinese citizens, and do not violate Chinese laws and regulations, they can apply to the Chinese embassy or consulate where they live for the renewal or replacement of passports.-- Chinese embassies and consulates conduct their services in accordance with the Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China, the Passport Law of the People's Republic of China and other laws and regulations to protect the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Chinese of different ethnic groups. Chinese citizens from Xinjiang who apply for the renewal or replacement of passports at Chinese embassies and consulates have been accepted and approved after being examined to comply with relevant laws.Lie No. 19: The Chinese government bans foreign journalists from going to Xinjiang for reporting.Fact check: Xinjiang is an open place. Foreign journalists are allowed to report in Xinjiang on condition that they abide by Chinese laws and go through relevant procedures, according to the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on News Coverage by Permanent Offices of Foreign Media Organizations and Foreign Journalists. There are no circumstances in which the Chinese government forbids foreign journalists to report in Xinjiang.-- Since the end of 2018, more than 1,200 people from over 100 countries and regions, including officials from international organizations, diplomats, journalists and religious leaders, have visited Xinjiang.-- From Sept. 3 to 7, 2019, NBC reporters went to Xinjiang for reporting.-- In December 2020, BBC reporters went to Kuqa County and other places in Xinjiang for reporting.Lie No. 20: The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights will be restricted from visiting Xinjiang.Fact check: China welcomes the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to visit China and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and has always maintained close communication with the United Nations.Lie No. 21: Xinjiang suppresses Islam and freedom of religious belief.Fact check: Respecting and protecting the freedom of religious belief is a basic long-term policy of the Chinese government. Article 36 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China stipulates that Chinese citizens have freedom of religious belief. The principle of religious freedom enshrined in the Constitution has been fully implemented in Xinjiang. Xinjiang citizens' right to freedom of religious belief has been fully guaranteed. The religious feelings, belief-based needs and customs of religious citizens have been fully respected, legal religious activities guaranteed by law, and religious and cultural heritage protected.-- Xinjiang has translated and published religious classics and books, such as the Koran and Selections from Al-Sahih Muhammad Ibn-Ismail al-Bukhari, in Mandarin Chinese, the Uygur, Kazak and Kirgiz languages, providing convenience for religious believers of all ethnic groups to acquire religious knowledge.-- Since 1996, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region government has organized local Muslims to take charter flights for a pilgrimage every year, except for the cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and has provided high-quality services in entry and exit, medical care, catering, etc., so as to ensure the safe and orderly pilgrimage activities and ensure that local Muslims of all ethnic groups successfully complete their pilgrimage.Lie No. 22: Xinjiang demolishes many mosques.Fact check: Mosques in Xinjiang meet the regular religious demands of followers in terms of quantity. Governments at various levels in Xinjiang have consistently improved the public services of mosques. The government has funded the introduction into mosques of running water, electricity, natural gas, roads, communication, radio and television, and libraries. Ablution facilities and flushing toilets have been installed. Mosques have also been equipped with medical services and electronic displays. They also have computers, electric fans or air conditioners, firefighting equipment, drinking water dispensers, shoe coverings or machines for shoe coverings, and lockers. These measures have been welcomed by religious personnel and believers.Lie No. 23: Xinjiang "persecutes" religious personnel.Fact check: The cultivation and training of clerical personnel have been strengthened in Xinjiang. The region has ten religious colleges and schools, including the Xinjiang Islamic Institute, its eight branches in places like Kashgar, Hotan and Ili, and the Xinjiang Islamic School. These colleges recruit a certain number of undergraduate, junior, and technical secondary school students every year, with student numbers exceeding 3,000.Lie No. 24: Xinjiang bans fasting of Muslims.Fact check: Muslims of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, in accordance with their teachings, canons, and traditional customs, practice regular religious activities such as fasting and Islamic festivals in mosques and their own homes. Such activities are totally of their own free will, without any interference or restriction.-- During Ramadan every year, it is an entirely personal choice for Muslims to fast or not fast. Governments at all levels in Xinjiang make every effort to ensure the market supply and security of religious activities of Eid al-Fitr and other festivals.

I live several months per year on the Colombia border with Venezuela.An estimated four million Venezuelans have emigrated, with hundred of thousands crossing the border with Colombia each month in search of a new home. Venezuela’s neighbours, once bystanders to its domestic tensions, face a catastrophe on their door steps.Asylum-seekers from Venezuela 2014-18 JSON / 282,180The health crisis in Colombia due to the arrival of thousands of Venezuelans with diseases eradicatedAny direct help should go to the directly to hospitals in Macao La Guajira & Cucuta Norte Santander. for urgent medical supplies.How you can helpAs the situation worsens, we are committed to helping vulnerable Venezuelan families who are unsure of what the future holds. Our response is only just beginning.Your help will allow us to do even more to support these families as they cope with the tragedy of losing their homes and livelihoods.Donate today. Every single contribution helps us provide even more food, water, shelter and support to Venezuelan families and families in crisis around the world.Tell your friends. Share this story or go to our Facebook page and spread the word about the millions who need us.Here are some border local hospital links: ( all known to me )1-Hospital Santa Rita de Cassia - Hospitals - Distracción - Other cities in la guajira - La Guajira - Colombia - Hospitalsworldguide2-Fundación soñar cúcuta/nuestras campañas3-Reports from Children Hospital of San Vicente Foundation4-https://www.mercycorps.org/articles/colombia/tales-desperation-venezuelans-fleeing-colombia5-FUNDACIÓN ALIMENTAR COLOMBIA6-Colombia - Tearfund7-ColombiaThere are now over (1,5 ) millions Venezuelans in Colombia as 250,000 last month entered Colombia legally plus the illegals. A recent census found that of the estimated 442,500 Venezuelan migrants living in Colombia illegally,In order to help anybody from Venazuela now in Colombia with any type of national or international or humanitarian organization you require to fully understand what is happening on the ground everyday. on the borders towns for a reality indicator ticket. As Venezuela’s economy continues to crumble, thousands of its citizens are trekking into Colombia every day — sometimes by walking hundreds of miles on foot through the Andes — to escape chronic shortages of food and medicine, frequent looting and rampant crime.Border Departamentos : Venezuela peoples :La Guajira, Magdalena, Cesar, Norte Santander, Apure, AraucaCurrently in Colombia the Catholic and other churches have a foot on the ground in most border towns. There are some international organisation,( Officially : only 282,190 Venezuelans are refugees in 2018 …out of the 4 + millions that left ; This represents only around 6% as refugees){18-Asylum-seekers from Venezuela 2014–2018 JSON /282,180 }As in Syria they are content with the little they can achieve, In some days over 55,000 Venezuelans arrive in Colombia for help of any format, You would require a ratio of about 5,500 employes to be capable to do something constructive with very desperate peoples. The latest one arriving have vety little or no money nor education, some elderley, some with family mothers with kids. Venezuela has the highest birth rate under 18 years old in all South America. Toilets for 55,000 peoples do not exist. In Cucuta Norte Santander Hospitals 60% of the patients are Venezuelans. some sick with sickness not seen in 45 years.The Colombia- Venezuela border is 2,219 Km / 1,378 miles long to control. There are very few land borders and thousands of un-guarded roads the illegals can use plus The Catatumbo Norte Santander illegal corridors where traficing is big business to cross Venezuelans illegally seaking to enter Colombia. Catatumbo, located in the Norte de Santander province, came close to becoming coca free in 2006, but has since almost annually seen its coca production rise. It reached record levels in 2016.A history without law Catatumbo has long been ruled by leftist guerrillas groups who use the porous border with Venezuela to escape Colombian security forces if necessary.The ELN has assumed almost absolute territorial control while the EPL reportedly took control over drug trafficking routes to Venezuela.The almost absolute control of illegal armed groups over the region and increasingly weak law enforcement in Venezuela have made the region even more important for the drug trade….now the largest traffic into Venezuela.The drug operations are primarily run by dissident guerrilla group EPL, the Rastrojos and the AGC. The ELN, which has taken over territorial control from the FARC in the region, protects the coca fields.Coca cultivation in Norte de SantanderThe guerrillas also protect drug trafficking routes from other parts of the country that cross Catatumbo on their way to Venezuela.The drug traffickers, with the exception of the EPL, try to avoid confrontations with authorities in the region.The EPL and ELN actively oppose all state activity in Catatumbo. Norte Santander.A way out?A way out for Catatumbo is almost impossible to imagine without the demobilization of the ELN, the group that effectively is the authority in the region.Without the ELN’s cooperation, the government is unable to carry out development projects and a coca crop substitution program.Forced eradication efforts are difficult because of both social opposition and the constant threat of guerrilla attacks on the men and women eradicating the plants.With the locals and the government in Bogota making opposite claims in regards to the forced eradication of coca, there is no saying how counter-narcotics efforts will continue in the region. This is the hot spotlight now involving Venezuela.Macao La Guajira / Paraguachon border Colombia / Venezuela Border.The 2,219-kilometre border between Colombia and Venezuela has long posed a serious challenge to the government in Bogotá. Along much of its length, illegal armed groups have held sway, with the state’s inability to control its own territory particularly evident in departments such as La Guajira, Cesar, Norte de Santander and Arauca. Trafficking of all kinds, extortion and contraband have been the order of the day, and disputes between rival groups over trafficking routes have frequently led to violence.Progress in border security and bilateral cooperation has been minimal, even following the rapprochement between Presidents Hugo Chávez (1999-2013) and Juan Manuel Santos (2010–2018 ) aimed at defusing the political and diplomatic conflict arising from former President Alvaro Uribe’s complaint that Colombian guerrillas had camps on the Venezuelan side of the border.Over 10,000 with dual or multi national heritage have been deported, while the rest fled for fear of Venezuelan security forces. This sudden influx has primarily affected two municipalities in the department of Norte de Santander – Cúcuta and Villa del Rosario – already facing serious difficulties in attending to thousands of people displaced by Colombia’s own armed conflict.The problem of border security is real, therefore, and will only be made worse by Venezuela’s unilateral sealing of the frontier and expulsion of Colombian citizens. In the past, Bogotá has mostly used cautious diplomacy to deal with such occasional border closures. On this occasion, the social and political impact on Colombia is of a magnitude that will be difficult to ignore.Several Latin American countries fear that the crisis in Venezuela will unleash a wave of refugees.( 282,180 as of 2018 ) Colombia wants to help, but it fears proposed border refugee camps could aggravate the problem more than alleviate it.The worst-case scenario would arise out of Venezuela declaring bankruptcy. "People in Venezuela are not only dying of starvation, they are also dying due to lack of medical drugs and the disastrous state of the country's healthcare system," said Venezuelan attorney Elenis Rodriguez, who is attempting to set up a humanitarian aid program while in Colombian exile. Several neighboring countries, among them Argentina, Chili , Bolivia, Peru , Ecuador, and Colombia, have already begun taking in Venezuelan permanent tourist and refugees. Others, such as Panama, have closed their borders, to all Venezuelans requiring a VISA as they have close to 400,000 currently in Panama under many pending status but not legal. ( 79,000 ) are in the visa processing system.Colombia's migration authority estimated in July 2018 that nearly half a million Venezuelans entered the country through a special program for which no passport is needed. The authority also thought between 100,000 and 140,000 Venezuelans entered through unauthorized means. The reality is more over 250,000 are now in 2018 new permanent tourist unauthorized RESiDENTS in Colombia.Yet the situation that Venezuelan refugees 282,180 find themselves in appears to be far more problematic than the Colombia director suggests.According to media reports, many are willing to work for much less than minimum wage. Prostitution is rampant every where .They often work for cash and without health insurance. Many cannot afford accommodations, so they sleep at the bus stations at which they arrived — in Bogota, Cali or as in Barranquilla…for monthsIllegal workers from Venezuela : ( spanish ){Es decir, con su cédula o carné de identidad colombiano, pero sin ningún documento legal Venezolano que los ampare en tanto mano de obra. Por otra parte, la adopción de tal régimen para el sector o para la ZIF-TNS en general, daría un estatus de trabajador transfronterizo a la mano de obra colombiana que se desplaza a Venezuela para trabajar. Dada esta condición, los trabajadores podrían conseguir un documento legal, sin muchos trámites, que les permitiría inscribirse en la seguridad social venezolana, lo que actualmente no pueden hacer. De otra parte, les daría un amparo jurídico real y efectivo ante las autoridades policiales, militares y dediverso tipo que operan en la Zona, también frente a sus patrones venezolanos. Para las autoridades de ambos países, el benefcio sería contar con una base de datos confable de los trabajadores trans-fronterizos que se desplazan de manera temporal por algunos municipios de la ZIF-TNS, obteniendo un mejor control del fujo migratorio; asimismo,poder elaborar estadísticas fiables y necesarias para la planifcación de políticas públicas. Finalmente, en cuanto al sector azúcar y los benefcios derivados de la concreción de la ZIF, está la empresa dueña del central azucarero, CAZTA, C.A., de capital Colombiano. Para ella, la disminución del papeleo en cuanto a licencias de importación y de certifcados de insufciencia de producción nacional signifca una importante reducción de costos, especialmente si se toma en cuenta que tales autorizaciones deben tramitarse y conseguirse en Caracas, a una hora de avión desde la zona. De otra parte, la disminución de restricciones para el traslado de trabajo incidiría en la reducción de los tiempos de traslado de la materia prima del central; también la menor con±ictividad gracias a la regulación legal de la mano de obra, redundaría en benefcios de diverso tipo para las empresas, lo que repercutiría en sus trabajadores }.Read more: Venezuelan refugees welcome in PeruMany new arrivals from Venezuela in Colombia have no place to stay hundreds staying at the bus terminals in shelters, for months.Implications for the Colombian peace processThe border between Colombia and Venezuela is 2,219 kilometers (1,370 miles) long. In La Guajira Macao is the main Atlantic legal border in Paraguachon, There are over 250 open illegal border crossings only in La Guajira Departamento. The Next Departamento is Cesar that also sees Venezuelans crossing the Andrean mountains into Valledupar.Catatumbo is the largest point of illegals entering Colombia without any papers. The ELN guerilla controls the drug trade into Venezuela and the Venezuelans immigrants looking to enter illegally in Colombia from a safe point.EventClashes between rival armed groups - the EPL (Ejército Popular de Liberación; a.k.a. Los Pelusos) and the ELN (Ejército de Liberación Nacional) - broke out in the restive Catatumbo region (Norte de Santander department) on Wednesday, July 11. Three civilians were injured in the crossfire, which broke out in the Vijagual area of Teorama municipality around 06:00 (local time).ContextThe ELN guerrilla group and the EPL crime organization have been engaged in a turf war since mid-March 2018 over Catatumbo and its lucrative coca-growing lands, which were recently vacated by the now-demobilized FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia). Numerous civilian casualties have been reported and some 16,000 have fled the area in recent months. In April, the Colombian government declared a humanitarian emergency for the region, followed shortly thereafter by a state of emergency declared by the Norte de Santander governor. Further violence, including armed clashes between the EPL and the ELN - as well as between the EPL or ELN and security forces - are to be expected in the Catatumbo region until further notice.Catatumbo is located in the northeast of Norte de Santander and comprises the following 11 municipalities: Ábrego, Convención, El Carmen, El Tarra, Hacarí, La Playa, Ocaña, San Calixto, Sardinata, Teorama, and Tibú.AdviceIndividuals in Colombia are advised to keep abreast of the situation and continue to postpone nonessential travel to the Catatumbo region until further notice. On a more general note, due to the presence of a number of armed groups, some Western governments advise against travel to various parts of the country, including much of Norte de Santander department and other areas along the Venezuelan border.In the event that the crisis in Venezuela gets worse and facing the threat of a major wave of refugees, Colombian officials are contemplating setting up seven refugee camps near the border. However, the move would also pose a dilemma."If you announce that you are setting up refugee camps, it could be interpreted as an invitation and eventually make the situation worse still," a government official told DW. Should that become the case, Colombia would be in desperate need of assistance from other countries as well as international aid organizations if it is to have any chance of mastering the humanitarian crisis, said Cajamarca Gomez.Read more: Brazil braced for influx of Venezuelan refugeesAlthough no party in Colombia is currently calling to close the border, President Santos' nightmare is not unfounded. "The more the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela escalates, the more ground the extreme right and opponents of the peace process will gain," Cajamarca Gomez finds.The president's nightmare is primarily political in nature. Nevertheless, the fate of people seeking to flee the chaos in Venezuela is an issue that is just as pressing. How to deal with that, it seems, is a question that no one in Latin America has any idea how to answer.'Migrate or die' - Venezuelans flood into Colombia despite crackdownJulia Symmes Cobb, Anggy PolancoMAICAO/CUCUTA, Colombia (Reuters) - The desert wind whipping their faces, hundreds of Venezuelan migrants lugging heavy suitcases and overstuffed backpacks trudge along the road to the Colombian border town of Maicao beneath the blazing sun.The broken line snakes back 8 miles (13 km) to the border crossing at Paraguachon, where more than a hundred Venezuelans wait in the heat outside the migration office.Money changers sit at tables stacked with wads of Venezuelan currency, made nearly worthless by hyperinflation under President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government.The remote outpost on the arid La Guajira peninsula on Colombia’s Caribbean coast marks a frontline in Latin America’s worst humanitarian crisis.The Venezuelans arrive hungry, thirsty and tired, often unsure where they will spend the night, but relieved to have escaped the calamitous situation in their homeland.They are among more than a million Venezuelans who have fled to Colombia, since 2017 ,many illegally, hoping to escape grinding poverty, rising violence and shortages of food and medicine in their once-prosperous, oil exporting nation.“It’s migrate and give it a try or die of hunger there. Those are the only two options,” said Yeraldine Murillo, 27, who left her six-year-old son behind in the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo, some 56 miles (90 km) across the border.Colombia continues to see an influx of Venezuelan refugees entering the country to avoid the ongoing crisis in Venezuela; over 200,000 people registered between April 8 and May 7 , 2018. The illegals are in the similar quantity.ContextAccording to humanitarian officials, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan refugees have fled the country since the beginning of the year, with a large percentage taking refuge in Colombia and Brazil. The migrant crisis is expected to worsen throughout 2018 as Venezuela's economy continues to falter. The IMF has estimated that in 2018 the Venezuelan economy will shrink by 15 percent and inflation in the country will reach 13,000 percent. Venezuelans face shortages of gasoline, food, medicine, and other basic necessities, as well as extreme rates of violent crime, social unrest, and an ongoing political crisis.AdviceIndividuals in Colombia are advised to monitor developments to the situation and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.Colombia: ELN-EPL clashes in Catatumbo region July 11 /update 15Clashes break out June 2-3 between the Colombian army and the EPL crime group in Catatumbo region (Norte de Santander); further violence likelyEventHeavy clashes broke out between the EPL crime group (Ejército Popular de Liberación; a.k.a. Los Pelusos) and members of the Colombian army in the violence-stricken Catatumbo region (Norte de Santander department) over the weekend June 2-3. The fighting occurred in Mesitas, a rural area of Hacarí municipality, during a verification mission being undertaken by ombudsman personnel. At least two civilians were wounded in the fighting, which occurred near an area where some 50 residents had taken refuge since March; they had fled another area of Catatumbo plagued by fighting between the EPL and the ELN guerrilla group (Ejército de Liberación Nacional).On a related note, two assassination attempts were reported in Catatumbo’s Ocaña municipality on June 2, which left one person dead and two wounded.Further violence, including armed clashes between the army, EPL, and/or the ELN, are to be expected in the Catatumbo region in the coming days and weeks.ContextThe ELN and EPL have been engaged in armed conflict in Catatumbo since mid-March 2018 over control of the area and its lucrative coca-growing lands, which were recently vacated by the now-demobilized FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia). The Colombian government declared a humanitarian emergency for the region on April 5 and the governor of Norte de Santander declared a general state of emergency in the region April 16. Thousands of civilians have fled the area.Catatumbo is located in the northeast of Norte de Santander and comprises the following 11 municipalities: Ábrego, Convención, El Carmen, El Tarra, Hacarí, La Playa, Ocaña, San Calixto, Sardinata, Teorama, and Tibú.AdviceIndividuals in Colombia are advised to keep abreast of the situation and continue to postpone nonessential travel to the Catatumbo region until further notice. On a more general note, due to the presence of a number of armed groups, some Western governments advise against travel to various parts of the country, including much of Norte de Santander department and other areas along the Venezuelan borderColombia says the number of Venezuelans fleeing a severe economic crisis to live in Colombia in 2018 has increased by 62% in the last six months.Migration officials say more than 1,550,000 Venezuelans are now living in Colombia, mostly illegally.The influx is putting pressure on the government especially in border areas to provide the migrants with food, shelter and medical care.The number of Venezuelans travelling through Colombia has doubled in 2018..Officials say a million Venezuelans have registered for a migration card that allows them to come and go across the border to buy food and other products scarce in their own country.On an average day in 2017, more than 30,000 Venezuelans used the card to enter and leave Colombia across a border where smugglers thrive selling increasingly unavailable but heavily subsidised Venezuelan products to Colombians.Of the Venezuelans living in Colombia, 126,000 have legal permission to stay including some 69,000 who have taken advantage of a humanitarian visa introduced in July. Counting the heads is impossible. with the illegals.Last week, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the UN was willing to send more aid to Colombia to help with the growing influx of migrants.EPL Urban Militia Sows Fear in Colombia-Venezuela Border CommunitiesANALYSISyMathew Charles / JUNE 25, 2018The demobilization of Colombia’s main guerrilla group, the FARC, has left a criminal power vacuum along the country’s eastern border with Venezuela, where a war for control is now playing out between two remaining rebel groups — with severe consequences for local citizens caught in the crossfire.In Filo de Gringo, a town in the eastern Colombian region of Catatumbo, a group of masked men patrol the streets. They wear black sweatpants, rubber boots, and red or sometimes white t-shirts. They carry pistols, which locals say they “wave around like toys.”They are the new urban militia of the Popular Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Popular – EPL).The urban militia serves as a link between the community and the insurgency. They ensure the rules and laws imposed by the guerrilla group are obeyed. Well-known and identifiable to the locals, but hidden from the view of security forces and most outsiders, they act as a substitute police force, providing the insurgents with intelligence and instilling a regime of fear and control.Andrés,* a social worker in Filo de Gringo, says the militia is trying to rid the village of anyone who works for the Colombian state so the guerrilla group can impose its own authority.“They told me to leave or they’d kill me. They don’t care I’m here to work with children. They see me as the enemy,” Andrés told InSight Crime.The militia emerged in Filo de Gringo in 2016 as the EPL began to summon local communities in Catatumbo to compulsory meetings. The resurgent guerrilla faction had new rules to convey.Curfews would be imposed. Social gatherings would be restricted. Thieves and drug users would be killed.“We’d heard most of this before,” Andrés said. “But somehow it was different. The tone was more aggressive.”Retaliation for crossing the EPL can be harsh. In the town of San Calixto, to the southwest of Filo de Gringo, cafe owner Nelly Amaya defied the guerrillas’ orders not to serve food to the security forces. As a result, she was shot dead.SEE ALSO: Coverage of the EPLAmaya, who belonged to the Catatumbo Small Farmers’ Association (Asociación Campesina del Catatumbo – ASCAMCAT), was the first of several social leaders to be killed in the region since the demobilization of the FARC.“It was a change of tactic,” Andrés said. “There were new guys in town and they meant business. They were sending a message.”It was a message that the communities of Catatumbo received loud and clear.In the nearby town of El Tarra, it was an EPL militiaman known as “Zanahoria,” or “Carrot,” whose reign terrorized locals until his arrest in April.“He’d break into our houses in the middle of the night,” one resident told InSight Crime. “They would give us paint and tell us to write EPL on our outside walls. They said they’d kill us if we refused.”Rapid ExpansionThe EPL used to be confined largely to Hacarí, La Playa and Ábrego — a cluster of towns roughly 100 kilometers west of the border with Venezuela. However, as the FARC retreated in 2016, the EPL began to expand beyond its traditional stronghold, and also became more active along the frontier.This expansion has not been a peaceful one, and has at times turned even Catatumbo’s playgrounds into battlegrounds.“The schools are caught in the crossfire. Teachers are powerless to protect their students,” said a local official from El Tarra. “In Filo de Gringo, the EPL has sometimes entered the classroom and taken over the teaching,”Charities working against forced recruitment estimate that last year in Catatumbo more than 150 young people were drafted by both the EPL and the much larger National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN).“They’re seduced with guns, money and motorbikes,” the local official said.Gabriel Quintero Prado, a former EPL commander, says the guerrillas have been forced to recruit more members to keep up the manpower necessary for their expansion. But Prado told InSight Crime the new recruits may be contributing to the high rates of violence.“The problem is they’re inexperienced. They’re trigger-happy and they’re out of control,” he said.While the EPL itself is raising the fears of local communities and contributing to bloodshed, so is the war between the guerrilla group and its larger cousin, the ELN. The ELN says clashes with the EPL have killed more than 100 fighters on both sides since March.Security forces believe the guerrilla factions are fighting for control of Catatumbo’s lucrative drug trade. According to the latest monitoring report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there has been an explosion in the amount of coca crops being grown in the region. And with the FARC out of the picture, the rules of the game are rapidly changing.“They would give us paint and tell us to write EPL on our outside walls. They said they’d kill us if we refused.”According to a senior ELN source, the EPL are working with the beleagured but still-powerful Urabeños crime network and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel to establish a new drug trafficking corridor. The source told InSight Crime that the Sinaloa Cartel has had a presence in the region since 2016.But according to Quintero Prado, the recent fighting is also about mining.“Catatumbo is sitting on Colombia’s richest source of coal. The EPL want to exploit that. They always have. But the ELN will want to stop them at all costs,” he said.Quintero Prado does not deny the EPL’s involvement in the illicit drug trade, but he insists the guerrilla group maintains its revolutionary origins.“The insurgency is grounded in the social problems of this region. They embody the struggle of the small farmers,” he says. “They have land, they have men and they have laws. They are a substitute for the state.”Catatumbo has traditionally tacitly supported the guerrillas. But according to Quintero Prado, leaders of the EPL’s political wing are finding their relationship with the armed revolutionaries increasingly difficult to manage.“There is a concern over the increasing number of alliances with the Urabeños. They worry that increasingly criminalized elements are eroding the political history and social base of the party and the guerrilla,” he said.Internal DivisionsThe EPL has suffered a crisis of leadership since October 2015, when security forces fatally shot Victor Ramon Navarro Cervano, alias “Megateo.” His successor, Guillermo León Aguirre, alias “David Léon,” was arrested in Medellín just two months later.The current commander goes by the aliases “Mauricio” and “Pacora.” His real name remains unknown, but he is apparently a disciple of Megateo and brings with him more than 30 years of guerrilla experience.His rival is Reinaldo Peñaranda Franco, alias “Pepe,” who was a close ally of Léon. He is said to have better organizational and political skills than Pacora, who has been credited for establishing a successful military strategy.More recently, however, a guerrilla using the alias “Manuel” is reported to be vying for influence. He is considered to be the most ruthless of the three, and according to the local police, has taken charge of recruitment.SEE ALSO: Colombia News and ProfilesThe recent end of the EPL’s armed strike, which for two weeks brought Catatumbo to a standstill and trapped thousands of residents in their homes, is a victory by the political and social base of the insurgency, which managed to persuade the guerrilla’s hardliners to back down. But while the group’s criminal elements continue to assert their control of Catatumbo’s marginalized communities, they will undoubtedly further damage their core base of support.What began as a struggle for the plight of the small farmer, has now become the chase for territorial gain. New recruits are no longer schooled in leftist ideology, but instead hired to ensure the EPL’s dominance of the post-FARC underworld. While the EPL’s political wing tries to assert and defend its ideological roots, it may continue to lose influence over these new radical elements, as the EPL’s campaign for social change morphs into a criminal and violent pursuit of profit.PANAMA PROFILEfor Illegal Venezuelans( This paragraph is in spanish ){ Tierra, Mar y Aire: Quizá antiguamente una buena opción y económica, era salir del país por la ciudad de Turbo, pero hoy por hoy ya no lo es tanto. Esta ciudad esta muy cerca de la frontera con Panama, y es el puerto de salida para mucha gente. Sin dudas una travesía larga y con mucha aventura, aquí les dejamos los pasos para realizar este cruce: Salir en bus a las 8pm desde Cartagena y llegar a Turbo a las 5am, en el medio se debe hacer trasbordo en Montería a las 2am. En Turbo salen lanchas a Capurgana a las 9am y demoran dos horas en llegar. En Capurgana deberán hacer la salida de Colombia y las lanchas a Puerto Obaldía (que ya es Panamá) por lo general salen todos los días a las 9am aprox. Se demora 1 hora en llegar, ahí se hace migración de Panama y luego pueden tomar la avioneta a Ciudad de Panama directo, en vuelos diarios a las 12 del mediodía. Toda esta travesía termina costando alrededor de US$250 por persona. )-Porque no puede hacerse el cruce por tierra, entre Colombia y Panama?En el medio de estos dos países se encuentra el famoso tapón de Darien, una zona aparentemente intransitable de selva y pantano, donde no hay puentes ni carreteras, convirtiéndose en el único corte de la ruta Panamericana. Es por eso que para hacer el paso de Sudamérica a Centroamérica debemos explorar nuevas opciones. )VenezuelaBUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS USA2016 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR)A. IntroductionVenezuela remained a major drug-transit country in 2015. Venezuela is one of the preferred trafficking routes for illegal drugs, predominately cocaine, from South America to the Caribbean region, Central America, the United States, Western Africa, and Europe, due to its porous western border with Colombia, weak judicial system, sporadic international counternarcotics cooperation, and permissive and corrupt environment.ONA reported the seizure of 65.76 metric tons (MT) of illegal drugs during the first eight months of 2015, a 132 percent increase compared to the same period in 2014. Cocaine (83 percent) and marijuana (16 percent) comprised the overwhelming majority of seizures, 78 percent of which occurred in Zulia state. ONA reported a nearly 9 percent decrease in detentions of traffickers during the same period, from 8,190 in 2014 to 7,479 in 2015. The Public Ministry reported investigations of 21,127 individuals for suspected drug crimes in 2015, leading to formal charges against 11,795.2. Supply from Venezuela ( cocaine )Venezuela remains a major transit country for cocaine shipments via aerial, terrestrial, and maritime routes. Most flights suspected of trafficking narcotics depart from Venezuelan states bordering Colombia. Trafficking by maritime conveyance includes the use of large cargo containers, fishing vessels, and “go-fast” boats.The vast majority of illicit narcotics that transited Venezuela in 2015 were destined for the Caribbean, Central America, the United States, West Africa, and Europe. Colombian drug-trafficking organizations – including multiple criminal bands, or “BACRIM” groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and the National Liberation Army (ELN) – facilitate the transshipment of narcotics through Venezuela. According to media reports, Mexican drug-trafficking organizations also operate in Venezuela, including the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas.The Venezuelan government occasionally reports drug seizures, arrests, and destruction of drugs and airstrips to the public. Venezuela is not a member of the Cooperative Situational Information Integration System through which countries predetermine some information to share automatically with the United States. Venezuelan authorities similarly did not share evidence about destruction of illicit drugs with U.S. officials.In October 2015, ONA President Irwin Jose Ascanio stated publicly that Venezuelan authorities had seized 69 MT of illegal drugs since January, nearly double the seizure rate from the same period last year. Ascanio claimed the August 2015 closure of the Venezuelan-Colombian border in Tachira and Zulia states resulted in the reduction of the flow of drugs across the border by 70 percent.Panama & the VenezuelansPanama's location connecting Central and South America has made it a key transit point for illicit trade, as well as a refuge and negotiating area for criminal organizations. Its favorable economy and the booming contraband market of the Colón Free Zone (CFZ) have long attracted international money launderers.WHERE THE ROAD ENDS, YOUR ADVENTURE BEGINSThe Darien Gap is a 100-mile stretch of undeveloped swamp and forest on the border of Panama and Colombia. The 19,000-mile Pan-American highway stretches from Alaska to Patagonia—with the exception of the Darien Gap. Because of the Darien Gap, you cannot drive from North to South America.That’s about to change.On this adventure, we will embark upon a group construction project that has eluded developers and nation-states for 100 years: we are going to build a road across the Darien Gap.The FARC ;The front handles the majority of the Iván Ríos Bloc’s drug trafficking movements into Panama, while moving arms into Colombia. The unit has also been implicated in coca cultivation and cocaine processing in the Darién region.In order to move drugs through the barely penetrable 60-mile stretch of jungle separating Colombia and Panama, the 57th Front uses the Darien Gap’s indigenous inhabitants of the Emberá and Wounaan tribes as drugs mules and guides. The illegal goods are transported by foot as well as by small boat. There are reports of indigenous locals being threatened and forced to collaborate with the guerrilla, while others are offered payments of up to $300 per drug load. Children are especially exploited for this use.The front also reportedly raids villages, steals supplies, assaults local women and sets up landmines. The guerrillas’ violence and clashes with authorities have prompted the displacement of many locals. The front is known to practice extortion and has retaliated violently against those who fail to pay.The front also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on weaponry such as grenades, rifles, shotguns, M79 grenade launchers and ammunition. Other expenses included legal costs for arrested members, payments for hit men, and the purchase of real estate to launder drug money.The front is politically active to an extent; the seized records showed that it spent hundreds of thousands of dollars financing the Marcha Patriótica, a left-wing political movement associated with the FARC.This faction’s numbers have been dropping over the past few years due to Panama’s continued security efforts and peace negotiations between the FARC organization and the Colombian government. In 2009, during its peak period, it was reported that the front was over a thousand strong. By 2015, the group’s membership had reportedly declined to 220 members.The 57th Front has been heavily targeted by authorities on both sides of the border. Panama’s border police and the Colombian Army announced in 2013 that they would build a joint base on the border to fight the FARC’s illicit activities in the region.Tactics used by Panamanian security officials have included attempting to squeeze the guerrillas out of the Darién region by blocking supplies and restricting transport in the area. However, this form of police enforcement also inhibits the movement of indigenous communities.Authorities have seized hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, firearms and explosives in raids on the 57th Front.LeadershipJosé David Suárez, alias “El Becerro,” was the head of the 57th Front until his death in March 2015 after allegedly being betrayed by people within his security detail. A member of the FARC’s Central General Staff, El Becerro oversaw the finances and weapon purchases for the Iván Ríos Bloc. He was believed to spend the majority of his time on the Panamanian side of the border and negotiated illicit business deals in Panama City. El Becerro allegedly worked with Panamanian traffickers to move drugs north using go-fast boats, and he reportedly maintained links to Honduran, Guatemalan, and Nicaraguan criminal groups.The guerrilla commander appears to have been highly influential in the FARC’s move into transnational drug trafficking. In the 1990s, El Becerro reportedly decided that the FARC should expand their activities from taxing coca farmers to controlling other stages of the drug trade.Virgilio Antonio Vidal Mora, alias “Silver,” one of the front’s commanders, played a key role in the group’s finances. According to some reports, he provided the main source of financial support for the entire FARC organization, and was an extravagant spender of the unit’s drug-based earnings. Vidal Mora was known to carry out drug trafficking and kidnapping activities in the region, and was believed to be responsible for 70 percent of disappearances in the Antioquia and Chocó departments of Colombia. After nearly 30 years with the 57th Front, Vidal Mora was killed in a bomb attack by Colombian air forces on August 25, 2013.Another of the front’s commanders is reportedly the Panamanian national José Luis Valencia Mosquera Asprilla, alias “El Pana,” who served as a police officer in Panama for two years before joining the Colombian rebels in 2001.GeographyThe front is mainly based along the Colombia-Panama border, where the dense jungle of the Darién Gap is located. In Colombia, it is present in the Chocó department’s Urabá region.Allies and EnemiesThe 57th Front has a long-standing agreement with Colombia’s most powerful drug trafficking organization, the Urabeños, which specifies territorial boundaries, drug movements and possibly the pooling of drug shipments. The Urabeños have reportedly helped defend the 57th Front from Colombian security forces.The front also supplies drugs directly to Mexican cartels. Emissaries of Mexico’s Sinaloa and Zetas cartels have been detected in the border region, obtaining coca base for trafficking to North America and Europe.ProspectsIn recent years, Panamanian security efforts and peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the FARC organization have reduced the threat posed by the 57th Front in Panama. Nevertheless, the strong criminal finances offered by the border region and the unit’s ties to international organized crime increase the likelihood of its members choosing to remain in the field should the FARC demobilize.This is the sad reality to fufill a mandate to assist and help Venezuelans currently in Colombia or anywhere else. by any international, National or humanitarian organisation to succeed in assisting Venezuelans in Colombia…on the ground in the Border Depatamentos, mostly Paraguachon, La Guajita & Cucuta and suburbs, Norte Santader.Darien Gap Colombia- Panama Venezuelans crossing into Panama,1-Colombia: Over 200,000 Venezuelans flee to Colombia in recent weeks2-'Migrate or die' - Venezuelans flood into Colombia despite crackdown3-Colombia: ELN-EPL clashes in Catatumbo region July 11 /update 154-'550,000' Venezuelans flee to Colombia5-EPL Urban Militia Sows Fear in Colombia-Venezuela Border Communities6-paraguchon colombia pictures - Google Search7-Capturan a sargento venezolano como contrabandista de autopartes en Paraguachón8-FARC 57th Front in Panama9-Venezuela’s Dangers Spill across the Colombian Border10-.Colombia’s frontlines of the drug war: Catatumbo11-http://viajesindestino.com/como-cruzar-a-panama-facil-facil-facil/12-El Tapón del Darién, un Mediterráneo sin pateras ni titulares14-Once-rich Venezuelans live as beggars in Colombia, but they don’t want to go back15-De Venezuela a Colombia en autobús, la travesía de miles de ciudadanos que cruzan la frontera16-Venezuela17-Kids fleeing Venezuela left hungry, sick and even abandoned18-Situation Venezuela Situation