[IPSM] Underreported News of Struggle for September

[Ahni]

Here you go...A.


The struggles and events in September were no exception to those relayed in
previous months <http://intercontinentalcry.org/tags/underreported>, but
after a long and enduring summer of action for Indigenous People throughout
the world, the political climate seems to have shifted slightly in favor of
Indigenous People--or at least against irresponsible development.

On top of that, several important achievements were made this month; for
one, a National Indigenous body has been formed in Australia, which is
historically significant to say the least. In addition, following the lead
of Tambogrande (see the video "Worth More than Gold" below) and others in
recent history, a popular referendum was held in Peru that saw more than
12,000 people come together and give a resounding NO to the Rio Blanco
mining project.

Of course, some disappointing and tragic things happened as well, but rather
than allow themselves to be diminished, the people instead chose to come
together and continue working... What choice is there when change becomes a
matter of necessity, and when they only have each other to depend on? We
will see more of this in the coming months.

*Underreported News of Struggle for September*

originally posted on Intercontinentalcry.org<http://intercontinentalcry.org/>

*September 30*

Emergency Petition for
Burma<http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/h.php/?cl=20632943>
Please take a quick moment to sign this petition in support of the peaceful
protests in Burma. The petition will be given to Chinese President Hu Jintao
and the UN Security Council, urging them to "oppose a violent crackdown on
the demonstrators, and to support genuine reconciliation and democracy in
Burma. We pledge to hold you accountable for any further bloodshed." So far
there are 244, 753 signatures. See here for
background<http://intercontinentalcry.org/the-sky-turns-dark-in-burma/>
.

*September 29*
Protesters: we'll occupy Wellington
airport<http://www.stuff.co.nz/4218742a11.html>
Descendants of the original landowners of Paraparaumu Airport are
threatening demonstrations on the tarmac and injunctions to stop Air New
Zealand using the airport unless their land issues are resolved.
Hollow Water standoff, week
three<http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/special_report/story/4048633p-4655091c.html>
THE First Nations blockade near Hollow Water, now entering its third week
with no end in sight, threatens to throw plans for the east side of lake
Winnipeg into a shambles... Now, with negotiations stalled and the RCMP
unwilling to clear the roads, there's talk the blockade could escalate to
include a provincial highway and even the Bissett gold mine.
Peru's Indigenous Peoples arise in defense of Earth from mining
<http://narcosphere.narconews.com/story/2007/9/29/121911/090>Indigenous
Peoples from Peru say that while their country's leaders have endorsed the
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at the international level,
at home the federal government is preparing to forcibly claim Indigenous
lands for mining. Indigenous Peoples are now struggling to protect their
territories from a proposed law that would claim the right to appropriate
Indigenous territories based on the Peruvian government's claim that it is a
matter of "national interest."

*September 28*
Ascendant Copper Risks Losing Mining Project in Ecuador
<http://intercontinentalcry.org/ascendant-copper-risks-losing-mining-project-in-ecuador/>Earlier
this week, the Ecuadorian government held a press conference where it
announced that Canada's Ascendant Copper must suspend all its activities at
the controversial Junin project, an open pit copper mine located in the
Tropical Andes of Ecuador, for violating the country's mining laws. This is
the fourth stop work order since last December.

*September 27
*Tribunal charges World Bank with gross abuse of human rights
<http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/153596>The four-day Independent Peoples
Tribunal (IPT) on the World Bank in India concluded today, finding the World
Bank has seriously violated democracy, human rights, and sovereignty in
India. The World Bank was invited to participate in the Tribunal, but they
failed to show up.
The Kadar - removed but not effected
<http://intercontinentalcry.org/the-kadar-removed-but-not-effected/>The
Kadar, a people living in the Southern of region of India, found out a month
ago that the government of Kerala has decided to go ahead with a
controversial dam that will force the removal of Two Kadar
communities–permanently disjointing them from their cultural life.

*September 25
*11 Years of War Against the Zapotec
<http://elenemigocomun.net/1269>This is a message from the Indigenous
Political Prisoners and Prisoners of Conscience of the Loxicha Region, who
discuss the eleven year campaign of extermination, genocide, and ethnocide
against the Zapotec People--and also ask for "the democratic organizations
and honest, progressive people to take a stand and demand that the
corresponding authorities grant us our freedom and order the exit of the
army from our dear beloved town that witnessed our births." See here for
more <http://elenemigocomun.net/1266>
Rejuvenate, restore, protect: Australian Aboriginal cultural survival and
Web 2.0
<http://blog.web2fordev.net/2007/09/25/rejuvenate-restore-protect-australian-aboriginal-cultural-survival-and-web-20/>Discusses
the efforts of the Ngalia to preserve, rejuvenate, restore, study, protect,
and teach others about their heritage through the use of tools and Services
like Google Earth, Youtube, Myspace, and Wikipedia, among others.
Malaysia: Penan in conflict with logging company
<http://www.survival-international.org/news/2506>The Malaysian authorities
have told timber giant Samling that the company will lose its 'certificate
of sustainable management' unless it resolves its long-running conflict with
the Penan, stars of tonight's BBC television show 'Tribe'. Without the
certificate the company risks being unable to export wood to European and
other countries.

*September 24
*Brazilian Indians Launch Campaign "Guarani Are Great People"
<http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/8685/1/>A group of Brazilian Indians
has just kicked off a campaign called Guarani People, Great People. The
self-esteem-enhancer promotion was launched in the Tey' kue village, near
the municipality of Caarapó, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul in the
Brazilian Midwest. Resulting from a strengthened continental articulation of
the Guarani people, the campaign intends to show to society the value of
this people, and to intensify the fight for their rights, especially to life
and to a land of their own.

*September 21
*Communities in Peru vote against Rio Blanco
<http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/894/68/>A popular referendum
was held in Peru on Sunday to vote on the future of the Río Blanco mining
project. The project, which was up until recently owned by the London-based
mining company Monterrico Metals, has already shown to have caused damages
in the area of development. Local communities say it is a threat to the
rivers which they depend on, and that the company itself has been operating
illegally on their community-owned lands.

*September 19
*One language disappears every 14 days
<http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-language19sep19,1,7356321.story?coll=la-news-science&ctrack=1&cset=true>One
of the world's 7,000 distinct languages disappears every 14 days, an
extinction rate exceeding that of birds, mammals or plants, researchers said
Tuesday.

*September 18
*Judge suspends La Parota dam
<http://ww4report.com/node/4438>Last week, a Judge in the state of Guerrero,
Mexico ordered the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) to suspend any
further construction of La Parota dam. The order came as a response to an
August 14 request by campesinos for an injunction pending resolution of a
lawsuit they filed to stop La Parota altogether. The judge ruled that
continuing the project may cause "irreparable damages" to the campesinos.
Canadian Panel rejects mine, destruction of lake
<http://thetyee.ca/News/2007/09/18/AmazayLake/>A Joint Review Panel released
its report regarding the Kemess Copper-Gold Mine, recommending against it.
This is quite possibly the first time in Canadian history the government has
made a recommendation against development.

*September 14
*Norwegian Tamils protest against Sri Lanka Rights violations
<http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=23269>Around 200 Norwegian
Tamils of Norwegian Tamils Federation (NTF) gathered in front of Norway
Foreign Ministry in Oslo, urging Norway to exert pressure on the Government
of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to immediately stop the ethnic cleansing of Tamils in
Sri Lanka.
A National Indigenous Body has been born
<http://intercontinentalcry.org/a-national-indigenous-body-has-been-born/>Today,
a National Political Body was born for Indigenous People in Australia. The
National Aboriginal Alliance (NAA) is the end result of a three-day
gathering that took place in Alice Springs this week, which brought together
about 100 Aboriginal People from around Australia.

*September 13
*Signs of uncontacted Indians seen as forest is cleared around
them<http://www.survival-international.org/news/2500>
Signs of the last uncontacted Indians south of the Amazon basin have been
spotted by other members of their tribe in Paraguay. Footprints and a
still-burning campfire were seen by members of the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode
tribe last week in the western half of their territorial heartland.

*September 12
*Open letter concerning gold mining in Honduras
<http://intercontinentalcry.org/open-letter-concerning-gold-mining-in-honduras/>After
British and Canadian politicians visited Honduras to have a look at the
problems associated with Goldcorp in the region, the Siria Valley
Environmental Committee has authored the following open letter—discussing
the historical and ongoing damages caused by the open pit gold mine in the
Siria Valley (department of Francisco Morazan, Honduras)

*September 11
*Organized Youth, Strengthened Community
<http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/8637/1/>From August 31 to September
2, around 300 young people from the Tupinambá, Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãe, Pataxó and
Tuxá, Tupinikim and Xukuru peoples gathered at the 3rd seminar of Tupinambá
young people in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The Tupinambá (also known as the
Tupi) have recently begun strengthening their struggle, encouraging its
young people to organize themselves.

*September 9
*Nadleh Whut'en prepared for a blockade
<http://intercontinentalcry.org/nadleh-whuten-prepared-for-a-blockade/>On
Thursday, the Nadleh Whut'en posted signs warning non-native logging
contractors to leave the Vanderhoof District west of Prince George. They've
also begun positioning themselves for a blockade, which they originally
intended to set up on August 31st. At the time, Chief Martin Louie said they
don't really want to set up a blockade, but they're being left with no
choice, because the contractors just won't leave.

*September 7
*Coca-Cola's Raid on a Sacred Mountain
<http://www.counterpunch.org/ross09072007.html>Coca-Femsa has obtained a 20
year concession from the city of San Cristobal, which claims jurisdiction
over Huitepec water, to siphon off five liters a second of the precious
fluid for the next generation, for the manufacture of its noxious brew and
the commercialization of bottled water. San Cristobal's claim to ownership
of Huitepec water is contested by the Tzotzil Maya in neighboring
villages...

*September 6
*Kauai and Niihau: never conquered, never surrendered
<http://homepage.mac.com/juanwilson/islandbreath/%20Year%202007/14-hawaiianculture/0714-09SKingdomOfAtooi.html>Of
the several sovereignty movements in Hawaii, there is one that does not
focus on the entire state, but is instead only concerned with the islands of
Kauai and Niihau, which is 'a "Separate Kingdom", never conquered by
military force, even during the days of Kamehameha. The Polynesian Kingdom
of Atooi is the traditional Hawaiian name for the islands of Kauai and
Niihau.'

Mobilizing to defend the land in Argentina
<http://intercontinentalcry.org/mobilizing-to-defend-the-land-in-argentina/>Tired
of putting up with the Argentine Justice system's inaction, several
campesinos from the La Rinconada's community in Rio Seco, Cordoba recently
cut down 10 thousand meters of fence that was illegally placed on their
lands by an industrialist. Representatives from the community had talked
with the government about this matter on three separate occasions, pointing
out that it was a blatant theft which was restricting them and preventing
them from living.

*September 2
*Genocide in Chile: a monument is not enough
<http://intercontinentalcry.org/genocide-in-chile-a-monument-is-not-enough/>In
Chile, a bill has been proposed to officially recognize the extermination of
the Selk'nam and Aonikenk—as genocide. The bill also proposes to build a
monument and to 'enter the people into history.'

Videos for the month

Amazon: in the hands of a few
<http://intercontinentalcry.org/amazon-in-the-hands-of-a-few/>Greenpeace
recently went to Brazil to visit the Enawene-Nawe and document their ways of
life. But upon arriving, farmers and government officials threatened the
group, telling them the Enawene-Nawe are "theirs" and they they will not
allow them to meet.
Worth More than Gold
<http://intercontinentalcry.org/worth-more-than-gold/>This is a trailer to
the film Tambogrande (2003), the story of proud fruit growers from Peru's
northern coast who came together to defend their lands and culture from
foreign (Canadian) mining interests.
(The People of Tambogrande organized the world's first referendum on
mining.)
An Appeal for the Katkari
<http://intercontinentalcry.org/an-appeal-for-the-katkari/>The Katkari are a
people based in the Raigad and Thane Districts of Maharashtra, India. Never
formally recognized by the state, the Katkari have for years found
themselves in abject poverty, living as bonded laborers (slaves) on their
own land.
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