COLOMBIA EVEN DEADLIER IN 2000

BOGOTA, Colombia -- One of the world's most dangerous countries became
even deadlier this year, with violent crime and a decades-old civil
war in Colombia claiming more than 70 lives a day, a police study said.

The study, issued Thursday, said 25,660 people were slain in the South
American nation of nearly 40 million inhabitants, up 5 percent over
last year.

Most of the deaths were a result of common crime, but a surge in war
violence also helped push up the annual figures.

Massacres of civilians -- the majority committed by right-wing
paramilitary groups against suspected guerrilla sympathizers --
claimed 1,226 victims, a third more than in 1999.

Fighting and atrocities in Colombia's 36-year conflict surged despite
peace talks aimed at ending the fighting.

Some in Colombia fear the bloodshed could worsen when U.S.-trained
counter-narcotics troops begin major operations in southern
cocaine-producing regions rife with guerrillas and paramilitary
groups. Those operations could begin as early as next month.

Colombia's war has spawned a booming kidnapping industry, which topped
its own world records this year. Guerrillas, paramilitary groups and
gangs of criminals abducted at least 3,029 people through November,
compared to 2,757 during 1999, according to the Pais Libre
anti-kidnapping foundation. Most abductions were committed by
guerrillas seeking ransoms to finance their operations.