In response to community pressure and the efforts of organizations throughout the country, the government of El Salvador has refused to grant mining extraction permits to the Pacific Rim Mining Corporation. The government and civil society groups cite threats to public health, the environment, and the water supply posed by Pacific Rim's proposed gold mining projects in the Cabañas region of El Salvador. Rather than leave the country, Pacific Rim - based in Vancouver, B.C. - argues that El Salvador does not have the right to protect its own environment and the health of its own citizens. The company has filed a lawsuit against El Salvador for hundreds of millions of dollars under the provisions of the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

At the same time, three prominent anti-mining activists in Cabañas have been assassinated over the past year. Several other opponents of Pacific Rim's projects have received death threats and survived kidnapping and murder attempts. It is time for Pacific Rim to leave El Salvador and bring an end to the violence generated by its presence in the region. Pacific Rim must also respect the sovereign right of El Salvador's government to protect its environment and public health by denying mining permits. Pacific Rim: Drop the lawsuit and get out of El Salvador!