[IPSM] Underreported Struggles #36, March 2010

[willowtree at mts.net]

FYI: Underreported Struggles #36, March 2010
http://intercontinentalcry.org/underreported-struggles-36-march-2010/

In this month's Underreported Struggles: Alaska Natives win battle 
against world's largest zinc mine; Mayan communities order halt to 
mining projects on their land; Indigenous Peoples of Guyana demand the 
right to consent; Colombia government signs accord with Indigenous 
People; Coastal First Nations bar tankers, pipeline from their territories.

***

Indigenous People bar proposed pipeline from their territories - A 
coalition of Indigenous Nations have issued a declaration barring the 
proposed Enbridge Northern gateway pipeline from transporting crude oil 
from the Alberta Tar Sands through their territories along Canada's west 
Coast. The coalition of nine First Nations say the project, regardless 
of any economic benefits it may hold, poses an imminent threat to the 
environment, as well as their territories, cultures and livelihoods.

Winnemem Bringing Salmon Home to McCloud River - Winnemem Wintu tribal 
members have embarked on an unusual and historic journey in an effort to 
bring Chinook salmon back to the McCloud River.

Court Halts Colombia's Biggest Copper Mining Venture - Colombia's 
Constitutional Court has ordered a halt to Colombia's largest copper 
mining project, citing a lack of consultation with nearby indigenous and 
Afro-Colombian communities regarding the environmental and cultural 
impact of the mine. A total of 12 communities belonging to the Embera 
ethnic group and two Afro-Colombian communities live in the area.

International moratorium called for new oil exploration in the Arctic - 
The Indigenous Environmental Network, the Council of Canadians, and the 
Alaska based REDOIL Network have issued an open letter calling for an 
international moratorium on all new exploration for fossil fuel 
resources in the Arctic region.

Alaska Natives win battle against Red Dog, world's largest zinc mine - 
Alaska Natives living in two villages have won a battle against the 
world's largest zinc mine over a permit they said would have polluted an 
important fish stream that provides food and drinking water. The mine 
has repeatedly topped the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory list, an annual 
compilation of toxic chemicals released by all industries in the U.S.

Guatemala must suspend mining operations on Mayan territory - Several 
Mayan communities and organizations have presented a Constitutional 
Petition to the government of Guatemala, calling for the immediate 
suspension of all mining activities taking place on Mayan land-including 
Goldcorp's Marlin Mine and HudBay Mineral's Fenix project.

Chinese project brought to a grinding halt in PNG - Indigenous 
landowners described as "ignorant" by lawyers acting for the Chinese 
Ramu nickel mine have pulled off an enormous victory by securing a 
temporary court injunction to stop work on the mine's submarine tailings 
disposal system.

Malaysian indigenous tribes protest land changes - Hundreds of 
indigenous tribal Malaysians staged a rare protest outside the prime 
minister's office Wednesday to denounce potential changes to a law that 
they fear will rob them of land.

Protect the Glen Cove Sacred Burial Site! - Yet another sacred site is 
facing destruction in the United States. The Greater Vallejo Recreation 
District (GVRD) and the City of Vallejo want to convert the Glen Cove 
Shellmound site in Vallejo, California, into a community park with its 
own trail, picnic tables, restroom facilities and parking lot. The 
15-acre Shellmound site, known to the Ohlone Peoples as "Sogorea Te" is 
the final resting place for thousands of Indigenous People dating back 
at least 3,500 years.

Indigenous Cambodians decry foreign land concessions - Indigenous 
Cambodians are urging the government to suspend hundreds of concessions 
awarded to foreign and local companies they say are operating on 
disputed land.

Protesting Against Operation Green Hunt: A Leaflet from Indigenous 
Villages - Kenddungri villagers in West Bengal have issued a statement 
against Operation Green Hunt, a military program aimed at "catching 
Maoists." The villagers are being indiscriminately terrorized by the 
questionable effort.

Brazilian Federal Police raids Native village and abducts Chief Babau - 
At around two o'clock in the morning on March 10th a group of 
unidentified armed people entered the Tupinambá Native American Village 
Serra do Padeiro in the South of the Brazilian state of Bahia and 
brutalized, threatened with murder, drugged and abducted the local Chief 
Babau.

Mexico: The Lacandona Rainforest is being cleared of its People - The 
Mexican government is moving ahead with an "ambitious new plan" to 
surround the Lacandona Forest in Chiapas, Mexico, with oil palm 
plantations; while disguising the forest around the plantations with 
various eco-tourism sites. In preparing for the two-faced project, the 
government—still in line with the old ambitious plan—with the help of 
various corporations, is clearing the Rainforest of its Indigenous People.

Legal blow for controversial Andaman tourist resort - Weeks after the 
last member of the Bo tribe died on the Andaman Islands, an Indian court 
has moved to protect the neighbouring Jarawa tribe by suspending the 
operation of a controversial tourist resort. India's Supreme Court 
ordered on Monday that the company, Barefoot India, must close its 
resort near the Jarawa's reserve, pending further deliberation by the court.

PERU: Suspension of Mining Operation Merely a Placebo - Although the 
Peruvian government reported that it had suspended the exploration 
activities of the Afrodita mining company in the country's northern 
Amazon jungle region to avoid further protests by local indigenous 
people, officials took no actual steps to bring the firm's work to a halt.

Indigenous Peoples of Guyana Demand Action on Land Rights, Consent 
Issues - Toshaos, Village leaders, regional leaders, district leaders, 
community leaders, and APA Executive members are demanding action from 
the Government of Guyana and the international community to advance the 
land rights of indigenous peoples and ensure that the principle of free, 
prior and informed consent (FPIC) is respected.

Malaysia: Pressure mounts on Sarawak natives - Sarawak is again in the 
news as the relentless pressure on the ‘native peoples' intensifies. 
Logging operations continue to push into the Dayak peoples' ancestral 
territories, extending deep into the lands of the Penan people, up into 
the Kelabit highlands and right up to the sources of the Rajang river. 
Logging tracks even extend over the border into Indonesia. Meanwhile on 
the coast and in the lower-lying parts of the State, extensive tracts of 
Dayak land are being converted to oil palm plantations.

Halalt First Nation holds blockade for the water - For more than a week, 
members of the Halalt First Nation, near the southeastern coast of 
Vancouver Island in British Columbia, have held onto a "protective 
blockade" in defense of the Chemainus River. The blockade officially 
came to an end on March 11.

Colombia signs accord with Indigenous People - In late 2009, Indigenous 
families began occupying police stations in Colombia, to demand 
negotiations with the government and bring an end to ongoing military 
and paramilitary harassment. The mobilization involved more than 6,000 
families. Fortunately, after 63 days, the government agreed to sign a 
45-point accord with the families.

New law to facilitate relocation of communities in mineral rich areas, 
Peru - Hundreds of Peruvian communities were displaced as they fled the 
1980-2000 civil war. Today the government is pushing for urgent passage 
of a law that would facilitate the relocation of entire villages or 
neighbourhoods in mineral or energy-rich areas.

Sioux Tribe settles tax debt with IRS, buys back land - The Crow Creek 
Sioux Tribe has settled its tax debt with the IRS and lined up a loan 
that will enable it to buy back the 11 square miles of land the IRS sold 
at auction in December, the tribal chairman said. A stipulation filed in 
court last week indicates the tribe will dismiss its lawsuit, which 
sought to prevent the IRS from selling the Hyde County land. That will 
cancel a May 4 trial.

Australia Gov't Pushing Ahead with Nuclear Dump on Indigenous Land - As 
long expected, the Rudd government has decided to push ahead with their 
plan to build a nuclear waste dump site on Warlmanpa land.
Videos

Wet'suwe'ten Blockade Against Logging - The Vancouver Media Co-op 
interviews Richard Sam, a member of the Wet'suwe'ten Nation and one of 
two people maintaining a road blockade against the Canadian logging 
company Canfor in central British Columbia

Amazonia For Sale - 35 minutes in length, Amazonia for Sale tells the 
story of the Awajun Peoples, who, like so many other Indigenous Peoples 
around the world, are struggling to preserve their land, protect their 
way of life, and defend their dignity and rights in the Peruvian Amazon.

Hope and Terror in the land of the Jumma - An eerie calm has returned to 
the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, where the military recently 
opened fire on the Indigenous Jumma People, killing 6 and injuring more 
than two dozen men, women and children. Sadly, painfully, it was not the 
first time the peaceful Jumma were put through such wretched violence, 
as we are reminded by this powerful clip from the documentary film, 
"Terrified voices."