[IPSM] Underreported Struggles #40, July 2010

[willowtree at mts.net]

FYI: http://intercontinentalcry.org/underreported-struggles-40-july-2010/

In this month's Underreported Struggles: Botswana's High Court rules 
against the Kalahari Bushmen; Indigenous Peoples take over Task Force 
meeting in California; 20,000 Papuans demand their lawful right to 
self-determination; Barriere Lake Algonquins set up peaceful blockade on 
their territory

***

The Arara and 10 other Indigenous Peoples detained nearly 100 people in 
Mato Grosso, Brazil, after an energy company dynamited an Arara 
cemetery, without anyone's knowledge. "This was a big cemetery, with all 
our ancestors, many generations of our tribe.... It is a sacred place 
for us," said one Arara leader. Everyone that was detained has since 
been released, "but with so many dams proposed and under construction in 
the Amazon, the next confrontation is only a matter of time," notes 
International Rivers.

A Washington company is getting ready to ship 150,000 tons of garbage 
from Honolulu to a Washington landfill near the Columbia River. However, 
the Yakama Nation, which has treaty rights to fish in the Columbia 
River, is concerned that the garbage could contaminate the region. The 
Yakama also say that the federal government failed to consult them over 
the garbage plan.

More than 80 indigenous Yukpas held a protest vigil in front of the 
Venezuelan Supreme Court in Caracas on July 21. The protesters demanded 
a ruling on an appeal introduced last February to determine whether or 
not three arrested Yukpas can be judged under indigenous law instead of 
the national legal system.

On the same day of the Yukpa protest, more than 300 people from 50 
Indigenous Nations took control of the Marine Life Protection Act's 
(MLPA) Blue Ribbon Task Force meeting in California, USA. At the 
meeting, the Indigenous peoples explained that the MLPA will undermine 
their access to mussels, seaweed and other ocean resources for 
sustenance and ceremonial regalia. In effect, it "decimates our ability 
to be who we are," said Frankie Joe Myers, a Yurok citizen and organizer 
for the Coastal Justice Coalition.

Despite their promise to Indigenous peoples, the Palawan Provincial 
Government gave its endorsement to nickel mining operations "in one of 
the best conserved biocultural paradises found in the Philippines", the 
Palawan Biosphere Reserve. The controversial move, which violates 
several domestic and international laws, brings Palawan--the land and 
its Peoples--one step closer to the harsh realities of unsustainable 
development.

The Botswana High Court issued a shocking decision that the Kgeikani 
Kweni--more commonly known as the Kalahari Bushmen--do not have water 
rights in their ancestral lands. The Indigenous People have been 
struggling to gain access to a single waterhole on their territory, 
since their right of return was acknowledged in 2006. They now have to 
truck in water from the nearest settlement 300 miles away. Meanwhile, 
just a few miles away, a tourist resort and a diamond mine enjoys 
near-unlimited access to groundwater. An appeal is now underway.

A group of Barriere Lake Algonquins set up a peaceful blockade on the 
access road leading to their reserve, about 300 km north of Ottawa, in 
the Province of Quebec. The defensive action was aimed at stopping a 
government-appointed electoral officer from holding a nomination meeting 
on the reserve for the government's highly-controversial imposed Band 
Council Election.

The new Zealand government announced that it would no longer pursue 
mining in the country's conservation areas. ''This is a historic victory 
for the record number of New Zealanders who stood up to protect our most 
treasured places and for a vision of a truly sustainable and progressive 
21st century economy for New Zealand,'' said Greenpeace Senior Climate 
Campaigner Simon Boxer

Testimony collected from an indigenous Mayan-Qeqchi community in 
Guatemala has prompted a formal Human Rights Complaint against the 
Canadian company Hudbay Minerals. According to the testimony, collected 
by Rights Action and students from the University of Northern British 
Columbia (UNBC) in May 2010, the company is directly involved in serious 
Human Rights Violations including illegal forced evictions and the gang 
rape of several women from the community.

A group of 20 imprisoned Mapuche endured their first week of a hunger 
strike aimed at Chile's judicial system. According to the press, the 
Mapuche are protesting the States' implementation of the Antiterrorist 
Act on Mapuche activism. They are also condemning the government for 
applying military proceedings to their trials. A number of Mapuche 
representatives have also travelled to Geneva to file a lawsuit against 
the government before the UN Human Rights' Commission.

Pollution from a copper mine in China's southeastern Fujian province has 
severely contaminated a major waterway, leading to the poisoning of up 
to 1,890 tonnes of fish. More than 60,000 people depend on the waterway 
for their drinking water.

The ‘Unist'ot'en of the Wet'suwet'en Nation organized a rally in British 
Colombia to assert their title and rights on their ancient lands. The 
rally was joined by several supporters and grassroots allies, including 
the Tsilhqot'in, Lubicon, Athabasca Dene and Mikisew Cree. The 
‘Unis'to't'en also set a permanent camp on the Morice River to stop the 
construction of two major oil pipelines through their territory.

In the days leading up to the protest, a vital door was opened by the 
Ontario Superior Court of Justice that gives way for a possible class 
action lawsuit against the tar sands. On July 6, the Court handed down 
its decision on Smith v. Inco Ltd., the very first court decision of its 
kind in Canada. The Court found that Inco must pay $36,000,000 in 
damages for emitting nickel particles at their refinery for 80 years. 
"There was no proof that Inco ever operated illegally or negligently, or 
failed to comply with its provincial permits for air emissions", notes 
an Ontario Lawyer. However, Operating the refinery was, according to the 
court, a "non-natural" use of land. Tar Sands projects are, by all 
means, just as non-natural.

In Cambodia, roughly 256 families held a peaceful sit-down protest to 
stop a sugar company from clearing their farmland. According to one 
villager, the company wanted everyone within a 7 kilometre radius to 
simply 'clear out', so they can do business. "We did not allow them to 
begin clearing the land because they did not talk to us; they just want 
to take over our land and have us move on," the villager stated.

As many as 20,000 Papuans gathered in Jayapura to demand that Indonesia 
and the international community finally grant West Papua its lawful 
right to self-determination. The protesters peacefully occupied the 
parliament grounds on July 8, where they stayed until the military 
issued an ultimatum to leave voluntarily or face violence. Fortunately, 
before the protest ended, an agreement was drawn for a discussion about 
the failure of special autonomy, which will be followed by a special 
session in parliament. the session could conceivably end with an 
endorsement for independence.

A Tailings dam collapsed in central Peru, forcing nearly six million 
gallons of toxic waste into the Opamayo River. According to the Andean 
Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations (CAOI), the spill has affected 
more than 10 indigenous communities. A general strike was held one day 
after the collapse in order to expose the incident and call attention to 
the failure of environmental authorities to properly address the situation.

An Indian Member of Parliament (MP) called for the forced removal of all 
children from the Indigenous Jarawa People on Andaman Island, so that 
they can be indoctrinated into living and behaving like Indian citizens. 
The disturbing proposal, comparable to the aim of Canada's residential 
school system, has drawn criticism from Indigenous peoples around the world.

Videos

Voices in the Clouds - Voices in the Clouds is an intimate exploration 
of one man’s quest to understand his indigenous heritage. At the heart 
of the film lies the celebration of family and cultural preservation.

Maya Land Rights Affirmed in Belize - A celebration by the Maya of 
Southern Belize on June 28, 2010 in honor of the landmark judicial 
decision granting them full rights over their ancestral lands. The 
celebration includes the Cortez Dance at Indian Creek Village.

Where Are The Maya? - The Narco News School of Authentic Journalism 
presents "Where Are The Maya?" a new 15-minute documentary film that 
strikes at the heart of Mexico's tourism industry.