right to their own lifestyle and culture and that the myriad of different cultures in Ecuador should be preserved, the groups concerned had so far remained undisturbed. The Government had taken positive measures to help the Indians, both in the field of education and in respect of agrarian reform. Furthermore, an extensive bilingual intercultural teaching programme had been set up and a national bilingual education department, headed by a representative of the indigenous populations, was now managing 1,500 schools. The Government had considerably extended the territory of the indigenous people of the Amazon region as well as those in the Andes. Development programmes for the general welfare of the poorest indigenous areas had also been implemented, with priority given to irrigation projects. Sight to life 234. Referring to that issue, members of the Committee wished to know what measures had been taken to investigate cases of disappearances and extrajudicial executions, to punish those found guilty, to compensate victims and to prevent the recurrence of those acts. They requested information on the mandate and composition of the high-level inter-agency commission mentioned in the report as well as on the rate of violent crimes in Ecuador and measures taken to prevent them. They also asked what measures had been taken to prevent the spread of cholera and other lethal diseases. In addition, information was requested regarding the legislation and practice in Ecuador in respect of abortion and on the number of women punished for having an abortion. 235. In his reply, the representative of the State party referred to certain cases of disappearances and extrajudicial executions that had been brought to the attention of the authorities and explained that, in the coastal agricultural areas, groups of landowners were waging a murderous war over land occupancy. All such cases had been investigated and the culprits, when found, brought to justice. With regard to the disappearances for which the police forces were responsible, the Government had taken general measures, such as the aforementioned abolition of the Criminal Investigation Service. It had also taken specific measures after the case of the Sestrepo brothers, who had disappeared in 1988. In that particular case, the Government's concern had led it to set up on 13 July 1990 an international commission of inquiry to investigate the disappearance of the two children. In its report, the commission had concluded that the children had disappeared while in the hands of the police and that the senior police authorities had tried to hush up the case. It had therefore recommended that those guilty should be brought to justice, that action should be taken to prevent a recurrence of such incidents and that the family should be compensated. The Government had already taken steps in that direction, in particular by extending the mandate of the international commission, which had already received other complaints of disappearances and torture. 236. Turning to other questions, the representative said that abortion was considered a crime in Ecuador and that statistics were not available. Cholera had reached the country early in 1991 and the authorities and, in general, all sectors of the country, had combined their efforts to fight that scourge. -54-