[Onthebarricades] Protests, land grabs and land rights, December 2008
global resistance roundup
onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca
Sat Oct 24 17:08:03 PDT 2009
* SOUTH AFRICA: Macambini residents block roads, resist "apartheid"
state over land grab
* INDIA: Andhra Pradesh - Farmers in "war-like situation" in battle over
SEZ land grab
* INDONESIA: Police attack villagers in land grab protest
* BANGLADESH: Hundreds protest against road extension
* KENYA: Traders fight back over eviction
* BURMA: Land grab for dam sparks local protests
* DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Farmers protest militarisation of national park
* KENYA: Protest for cash for displaced people
* PHILIPPINES: Farmers demand land reform bill, occupy parliament
* MALAYSIA: Naked protest planned over social housing
* INDIA: Mumbai - Slum dwellers demand land
* INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Evictions spark protests
* INDIA: Kerala - Villagers protest land grab for industrial park
* INDIA: Andhra Pradesh - Vigil over plight of displaced people
* INDIA: Orissa - Protest over trader evictions
* INDIA: Andhra Pradesh - Landless Dalits protest for land
* INDONESIA: Navy land dispute continues
* INDONESIA: Flood plain residents demand eviction delay
* INDIA: Tiger reserve land grab protested
* INDIA: Karnataka - Evicted shopkeepers protest compensation delay
* INDIA: Kerala - Evicted residents protest delay in rehabilitation
* INDIA: Tamil Nadu - Residents protest land grab for collectorate building
* INDIA: Karnataka - KRRS besiege bank over foreclosures against farmers
* NEPAL: Maoists clash with locals in dispute over land rights
* US: Rhode Island - Activists protest against foreclosures
* IRELAND: Rally for social housing
* US: Massachusetts - Protest against foreclosures
* UK: Caravan dumped in homelessness protest
* IRELAND: Protests as residents fear depopulation in designated zone
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20081205110652344C943369
Police 'shoot' Macambini protesters
December 05 2008 at 11:47AM
By Mpume Madlala
Angry Macambini residents near Mandini on Thursday said they were
shocked at the brutality of the police, saying that the treatment meted
out to them smacked of the apartheid regime.
At least 10 people were arrested and several injured when a crowd of 3
000 people clashed with police.
The community is opposing a R44-billion Dubai development proposal by
the provincial government on their ancestral land - a move that will see
them relocated.
The crowd blockaded the N2, after Premier S'bu Ndebele did not respond
to the memorandum that they had given to him a week ago regarding their
grievances over the development.
Police spokeseperson Superintendent Vincent Mdunge denied that police
were brutal, saying the use of rubber bullets was necessary.
"These people placed burning tyres on the road and threw stones at
passing motorists and that, according to the Gatherings Act, is illegal.
Police asked them to disperse several times, but they refused and this
was the end result," he said.
Khayelihle Mathaba, the chief for the area, said he was angry about what
had happened because the police were there to protect the community and
not to harm them. He said that there was no difference between the
police of today and those of the apartheid era. "We just want our
premier to protect us by stopping the development because thousands of
people will lose their homes. I have been advised to sign with another
developer and that is what I will do."
Residents said they were still very shocked at the force used by police.
A 76-year-old woman could not contain her tears as she described how
police allegedly pulled her son down from a tractor, which he had been
driving just outside his home.
"They pulled him down and tied his hands behind his back before beating
him and shooting him with rubber bullets. What had he done to be treated
like that? They even went into my room and emptied my wardrobe and
turned my bed upside down. I was pushed to the floor when I tried to
protect him. I must say this has reminded me of the pain we went through
under the apartheid regime," she said.
Mthembiseni Dube, who was hit several times with rubber bullets, said he
was just standing on the side of the road when he was hit in the legs
and back. "It was so painful that I fell to the ground. I really don't
understand why we had to be shot at, because we were not abusing anyone.
What we are against is being moved off our land. I will never leave my
parents' graves here. This is where I come from and this is who I am,"
he said.
Resident Thulani Mathonsi said they were very angry that the premier had
not responded to their memorandum.
"Until he does, we will continue doing what we have started today. We
want him to understand we really are against moving. I have been living
here for 57 years. I am going nowhere," he said.
Logan Maistry, the premier's spokesperson, said they understood that
people were worried about their heritage in the area.
Maistry said they would only do what was in the best interests of the
people of Macambini, the people of KwaZulu-Natal and the people of South
Africa.
"The premier has responded to the people on numerous occasions by
consultation, which is what they had requested in their memorandum,"
Maistry said.
In a statement issued by the ANC on Thursday, the party expressed great
disappointment over what had happened, saying it was unfortunate and
unnecessary.
ANC provincial general secretary, Senzo Mchunu, said they would like to
assure the community that no-one would forcibly remove them from their
land.
They also called on the government to engage with the community so that
the present confusion was cleared.
Ablaze: A police officer tries to put out a burning tyre which was set
alight by angry Macambini residents in KwaZulu-Natal.
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/540448-arrests-injuries-at-protest-against-dubai-developer
Arrests, injuries at protest against Dubai developer's scheme
by Andy Sambidge on Friday, 05 December 2008
UGLY SCENE: Ruwaad's South African mega-project has sparked violent
demonstrations. (ITP Images)
Fifteen people were arrested and another 12 were seriously injured in
protests over a Dubai-based company's plan to build a $4 billion project
in South Africa.
Protests against Ruwaad's proposal to develop vast tracts of Macambini
land for Amazulu World, a 16,500 hectare-entertainment and destination
development turned ugly on Thursday.
Billed as the continent's largest development and located in the
northeast of South Africa, the project will target national, regional
and international visitors.
Thousands of demonstrators blocked the N2 freeway and pelted motorists
with stones. Fifteen people were arrested and 12 others seriously
injured, community leader Khanyisani Shandu told the local Sowetan
newspaper.
A police spokesman said about 3,000 people set up barricades at several
bridges along the N2 freeway and were “very violent”.
He added that the police initially used pepper spray to try to disperse
the protesters. When that failed they used rubber bullets.
The protesters threw stones at motorists and set up barricades of
burning tyres in a bid to get Ruwaad to withdraw their proposed Amazulu
World project.
Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Sibusiso Ndebele, last week was sent an
ultimatum by protesters giving him seven days to respond to their
demands to withdraw the Ruwaad project.
Ndebele is quoted by the Sowetan as saying: “I do do not understand why
the community is marching. There has been no agreement on the project.
It is just a proposal.
“We met the community and explained to them that this is a proposed
development with private investors.
“The process of consultation will continue and people have a right to
accept or reject the project.”
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/andhra-villagers-clash-with-police-over-land-acquisition-for-sez_100134439.html
Andhra villagers clash with police over land acquisition for SEZ
December 23rd, 2008 - 11:07 pm ICT by IANS -
Hyderabad, Dec 23 (IANS) Villagers protesting against Special Economic
Zone (SEZ) in Andhra Pradesh Tuesday clashed with the police as
authorities allegedly tried to forcibly acquire their lands.The clashes
took place in six villages of East Godavari district in coastal Andhra
Pradesh. A war-like situation prevailed in the villages as protesters,
including several farmers, fought pitched battles with the police.
The villages of Tondangi and Kuttapalli mandals witnessed tense
situation since early morning as officials with the support of the
police tried to acquire the lands for Kakinada SEZ. Local people
resisted their attempts, leading to clashes.
The protesters erected roadblocks in at least two villages to prevent
police officials from entering their villages to provide security to the
civil authorities engaged in land acquisition, eye-witnesses said.
A large number of policemen were mobilised by the authorities since
early morning for the land acquisition. The villagers, including women,
squatted on the road to resist acquisition of tehir lands.
The villagers also removed the stones and pillars fencing erected by
officials for SEZ. Raising slogans against the government, they refused
to part with their lands. “We will sacrifice our lives but will not
leave our land. This is our home and our livelihood,” said a farmer.
The villagers had last year foiled a similar attempt by the authorities
to forcibly acquire their lands for the SEZ. Some farmers had also
approached the state Human Rights Commission, which had directed the
state government not to use coercive methods to acquire the lands.
Some farmers also filed petitions in the high court, questioning the
procedure of land acquisition.
The SEZ is spread over 10,000 acres of land across 12 villages. The SEZ,
which is coming up five km away from the deep water port, will also have
Rs.60 billion refinery of Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC). Under
the first phase, Kakinada SEZ Private Limited, a special purpose vehicle
formed for the project, plans to acquire 4,146 acres of land.
This is the second incident where villagers have resisted the attempts
to acquire their lands for an SEZ. A similar protest was witnessed in
Polepalli in Mahabubnagar district recently as villagers refused to part
with their lands for pharma SEZ.
Following the controversies over Polepalli SEZ and the coastal corridor,
the Congress government had announced it would not acquire even an inch
of land without the consent of the local people.
The largest number of SEZs are coming up in Andhra Pradesh. Out of 250
SEZ notified in the entire country, 56 are being established in Andhra
Pradesh.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/24/stories/2008122453860400.htm
Andhra Pradesh
Villagers protest land acquisition
Staff Reporter
Agitators in no mood to part with their lands in East Godavari district
________________________________________
Police had to beat a hasty retreat at some places as villagers virtually
chased them
Officials incur people’s wrath and had to be escorted to safety by the
police
________________________________________
– Photo: S. Rambabu
Convincing act: DSP S. Surya Rao trying to pacify the protestors of
Kakinada SEZ at Vakadaripeta in Thondangi mandal of East Godavari
district on Tuesday.
Kakinada: Tension prevailed in U. Kotthapalli and Thondangi mandals on
Tuesday as attempts by officials to fence around nearly 2,000 acres
purportedly acquired for the development of Kakinada Special Economic
Zone (KSEZ), pitted a large number of people, against over 1,000 armed
policemen.
The people, mostly marginal farmers, were refusing to allow their lands
to be taken over for the purpose on the grouse that either the
compensation paid to some of them was paltry or lands of unwilling
farmers were also being usurped.
The agitators resolved not to part with their lands whether or not
higher compensation is offered or the terms of relief and rehabilitation
package are sought to be modified in their favour. Nearly 3,000 out of
6,000 acres acquired in those two mandals, were taken into possession
and the remaining land is to be fenced.
Verbal duels
Fresh trouble broke out on Monday night when a large posse of policeman
descended on the villages even as people entered into verbal duels with
them and demanded that they go back.
However, the policemen stuck to their positions till Tuesday morning.
Two leaders of All India Kisan Mazdoor Sangh N. Ramanna and B. Narayana
Swami were said to be taken into custody in the early hours of Tuesday.
After the break of dawn, the policemen tried to erect fencing at
Srirampuram, Moolapeta, Vakadaripeta, Thondangi, Perumallapuram and
Chodipallipeta and other villages in the presence of Revenue officials
but they faced stiff resistance from the villagers. At some places, the
police successfully erected fences but elsewhere they had to beat a
hasty retreat as the villagers virtually chased them. Scores of concrete
poles were destroyed by the agitators.
People at Vakadaripeta grilled the policemen and the latter maintained
restraint as per the orders of their superiors.
DSP stopped
The vehicle of Kakinada DSP S. Surya Rao was stopped at Srirampuram but
he managed to wriggle out of the situation with the help of constables.
He told mediapersons that the process of fencing would continue even if
the villagers obstruct them at a few places.
Fencing work was stopped in the afternoon as the villagers appeared to
be in no mood to relent but policemen were still posted in the KSEZ area.
Kakinada RDO G.C. Kishore Kumar visited the KSEZ affected villages and
monitored the situation. He also incurred the people’s wrath and was
escorted to safety by the police. The situation continues to be tense.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/stories/2008/12/24/1243863c4415
Protesting Indonesian villagers driven out
Updated at 8:56pm on 24 December 2008
Amnesty International has called on the Indonesian government to
investigate a crackdown on protesting Sumatran villagers that left two
children dead.
The people of Suluk Bongkal village in Riau province have been engaged
in a land dispute with a pulpwood supply company since Indonesia's
forestry ministry awarded the company rights to develop the area in 1996.
According to Amnesty, two children died and nearly 400 people fled into
the forest last week when police and other officials fired bullets and
teargas in an attempt to clear the village.
A two-year-old girl died after falling down a well in the attack, says
Amnesty campaigner Josef Benedict, while a two-month-old baby died from
burns. Two other people were injured by gunshots.
Two helicopters reportedly dropped what was thought to be a fire
accelerant, burning about 300 homes before bulldozers went in and
flattened the area.
A Riau police spokesman confirmed that an incident had occurred but
declined to respond to Amnesty's specific allegations, saying an
investigation was under way.
---------------------------------------------------
Amnesty calls for probe into fatal shooting
Jakarta Post - December 26, 2008
Jakarta -- Rights group Amnesty International urged
Indonesian police Wednesday to investigate a
crackdown on protesting villagers in which hundreds
of houses were destroyed in Riau.
Two children died following the violence and nearly
400 people were left homeless last week after
police and other officials fired bullets and tear
gas while evicting residents of Seluk Bongkal
village, Amnesty said in a statement.
"Hundreds of people are now living in the forest,
their homes destroyed, and two families are
grieving the loss of their children," campaigner
Josef Benedict said in the statement published on
its official website Wednesday.
The global rights group also called on police to
allow the National Commission on Human Rights and
the local government access to the area to ensure
the safety of the villagers.
Quoting local sources, Amnesty said a two-year-old
girl died after falling down a well during the
clash, while a two-month-old baby died from burns.
Two other people were injured from gunshots.
The villagers have been engaged in a land dispute
with pulpwood supplier PT Arara Abadi, a subsidiary
of Indah Kiat Pulp and Paper, since the forestry
ministry awarded the company rights to develop the
area in 1996.
Spokesman for the Riau police Adj. Sr. Comr.
Zulkifli said 79 members of the Riau Labor Union
(STR) had been detained for allegedly inciting the
unrest. Following the incident, a platoon of police
personnel stood guard at the disputed area, located
around 180 kilometers north of the provincial
capital of Pekanbaru.
Representatives from six local NGOs went to the
Riau police Wednesday to express their support for
an investigation into the individuals behind the
incident. "This support for a police investigation
suggests there are people who regret the actions of
the labor union," Zulkifli said.
The clash erupted after around 800 local residents,
all suspected members of the STR, resisted a police
order to leave a property they claimed ownership of
Thursday last week. Police opened fire when
residents wielded sharp weapons and threw stones at
the officers, police said.
General Manager of PT Arara, Nurul Huda, said the
eviction concluded 20 reports it had filed against
the residents, who he said had occupied the
company's land for years.
"The land belongs to the state, we only lease it,"
he said, dismissing allegations that the company
had brought in the police to evict the people.
[Rizal Harahap contributed to the story from
Pekanbaru.]
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=68525
Published On: 2008-12-24
Metropolitan
Protest against road project under DAP
Huge traffic jam on Dhaka-Ctg highway
Staff Correspondent
Several hundred people staged a demonstration on Dhaka-Chittagong
highway at Shanir Akhra in the city yesterday in protest against a road
extension project under the Detail Area Plan (DAP) of Dhaka metropolitan
city.
They also put up a barricade on the highway during their three-hour
protest from 8:30am, creating a huge gridlock from Sayedabad in the city
to Sonargaon at Rupganj.
Zakir Hossain, a demonstrator, said that several hundred houses inside
Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra (DND) embankment will have to be demolished if
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) extends roads in the area as per DAP.
Witnesses said local people led by Tajul Islam, convenor of a committee
formed to protest the road construction project, blocked the highway.
The protesters withdrew their barricade programme after the police
assured them of holding a meeting between local people and the Rajuk
authorities to settle the issue.
Tapan Kumar Nath, project director of Rajuk, said local people gave him
an application containing signatures of 1087 people who oppose the road
extension project.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/regional/-/1070/503602/-/705d0b/-/index.html
Hawkers protest over eviction
A security guard beats a man suspected of trying to loot from an
electronics shop on Moi Avenue while, right, a police officer chases
protesting hawkers in Mombasa on Wednesday. Photo/GIDEON MAUNDU
By ANTHONY KITIMO Posted Wednesday, December 17 2008 at 19:43
Hawkers paralysed Mombasa Town’s central business district on Wednesday,
for more than three hours as they protested against their eviction from
the streets.
At least three people were seriously injured and goods worth millions of
shillings stolen or destroyed by looters during the riots that started
around 11am.
One of protesters said the riots started after the Mombasa municipal
council officers arrested a hawker in the town centre.
A municipal vehicle was damaged after it was pelted with stones by the
hawkers who also tried to burn it before police intervened.
The vehicle’s driver was seriously injured after the hawkers smashed the
windscreen with stones.
Police, who were on normal patrol in the town, fired live bullets in the
air, and lobbed tear gas canisters to disperse rowdy hawkers at Msanifu
Kombo Street, where the protests started before spreading to other parts
of the town.
Last week, Mombasa Town Clerk Tubman Otieno ordered the relocation of
all hawkers in the town to the new bus stage at Buxton in the outskirts
of town, but the hawkers refused to obey the order.
A hawker Salim Bakari told the Nation that the place designated for them
was unfit for small-scale businesses.
“It’s unrealistic to move small-scale business people outside to a place
where there are few customers,” he said, adding, they should allocate a
street in town to carry out their businesses.
Another hawker on Kenyatta Avenue John Munga, claimed that the council
officers extorted money from them.
“The majority of hawkers who are allowed to operate in town centre
either have godfathers at the council or they pay Sh500 per week to
operate,” he said.
Mombasa businesspeople lost millions of shillings during the protests
after looters took advantage of the situation and broke into shops.
They blamed the police for failing to contain the situation.
“Very few policemen were on the ground to contain the situation when the
riot started,” said one of the businessmen who lost electronic goods to
looters.
Police called in from Makupa station to help to contain the situation
appeared overwhelmed after the hawkers took their protests to different
streets in town.
Beaten up
A group of businesspeople used their security guards and hired youths to
search for looted property within the town, and two people caught with
electronic goods were beaten up.
At the same time, tension was high yesterday at the new Malindi-Kilifi
bus stage at Buxton where the hawkers were supposed to be relocated
after a battle for the control of the terminus emerged between two
groups of touts.
http://www.burmanet.org/news/2008/12/02/mizzima-junta-begins-dam-construction-amid-protests-in-kachin-state-solomon/
Mizzima: Junta begins dam construction amid protests in Kachin state -
Solomon
Tue 2 Dec 2008
Filed under: News, Inside Burma
Despite protests by local residents and environmental groups regarding
the negative side effects that would befall the local community, Burma’s
military authorities and a Chinese corporation have begun constructing
dams on rivers in Burma’s northern Kachin state, sources said.
Led by the China Power Investment Cooperation (CPI), work has begun on
the construction of a small hydroelectric project on the Chiphwi River,
about 70 miles northeast of Kachin state’s capital of Myitkyina.
The dam, which is expected to produce approximately 980 kilowatts of
energy, will be used to supply electricity for the construction of other
hydroelectric projects including one at the confluence of the Nmai Hka
(May Kha) and Mali Hka Rivers, about 28 kilometers north of Myitkyina.
An official with Asia World Company Ltd. (AWC) who is working at the
construction site said, “This dam is a small one and is purposely being
built to produce electricity to be used in major dam construction along
the Nmai Hka and Mali Hka Rivers, including the Myintsone dam [at the
confluence of the two rivers].”
Burma’s military government, in collaboration with CPI and AWC, plan to
construct at least seven dams on the Mali Hka and Nmai Hka Rivers, in
addition to the one at the confluence of the two rivers, and will sell
the electricity generated from the dams to China.
Local Kachin in Myitkyina, as well as environmental groups including the
Kachin Development Network Group (KDNG), have strongly protested against
construction of the dams, saying there will be little benefit for the
local community while the devastation caused by the construction will
take a heavy toll on their livelihood.
According to the Thailand-based KDNG, the planned hydroelectric projects
would destroy at least 47 villages and threaten over 10,000 lives by
inundating about 766 square kilometers of farmland with water.
A local resident from Myitkyina told Mizzima that there is a lot of
concern among the people over dam construction, as they fear the dams
will threaten their homes and destroy their livelihood.
“People do not like the project. They have voiced their objection since
the beginning, but their voices fall on deaf ears,” he added.
According to the KDNG, the Burmese government’s Ministry of Electric
Power No.1 and CPI have agreed to generate at least 3,600 megawatts of
electricity from the hydroelectric projects in Kachin state.
http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2008/12/3/30285/Dominican-national-park-militarization-fuels-farmers-protest
Dominican national park militarization fuels farmers’ protest
A meeting where farmers were paid to leave the park.
Zoom Picture
MONTE PLATA.- 1,200 soldiers including six women cadets and Environment
Ministry (SEMARENA) rangers yesterday began the cleanup of illegal crops
in the heart of the Los Haitises National Park’s, fueling protest by
farmers who affirm the Government has stripped them of the only form of
subsistence.
The protected area’s different zones are militarized as part of
“Operation Hutía 2008,” aimed at bolstering the vigilance to reclaim the
park, considered a strategic reserve for water, flora and fauna.
Army Brigadier general Felipe Henríquez Molina said the command post for
two battalions will established at the town Pilancón.
The battalion’s women soldiers –from San Isidro’s military academy
Batalla de las Carreras- do the same activities as the men; carry their
own gear and sleep in pup tents, but don’t command platoons.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/regional/-/1070/505266/-/706nn9/-/index.html
Protests as cash for displaced people delayed
By NATION CorrespondentPosted Sunday, December 21 2008 at 19:25
Soldiers at the weekend shot in the air to disperse internal refugees
who had blocked a highway to protest at delayed payment of money for
their resettlement.
The protesters from Rironi farm barricaded the Nakuru-Eldoret highway,
causing a two-kilometre traffic jam. Kenya Army officers deployed in the
area learnt of the illegal assembly and tried to disperse the crowd.
However, the protest turned rowdy, prompting the officers to shoot
several times in the air to clear the road. The soldiers removed
roadblocks erected by the protesters and put out a bonfire.
The chairman of the camp for the refugees, Mr David Ndichu, said the
people decided to go to the streets after a dispute arose between them
and personnel from the district office over a list of people to be paid.
Mr Ndichu said the officers sent to disburse Sh10,000 in the Rironi camp
paid the money to imposters.
The group said the list of those to benefit from the funds was doctored
by the provincial administration and want the Government to write
another list.
But Molo district Commissioner Joseph Kavita said the protesters were
incited by politicians.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/12/17/worldupdates/2008-12-17T111442Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-370684-1&sec=Worldupdates
Wednesday December 17, 2008
Philippine farmers vacate House but protest continues
MANILA (Reuters) - Dozens of Philippine farmers vacated the session hall
of the lower house of Congress a few hours after taking it over, but
vowed on Wednesday to continue protests until lawmakers passed a new
land reform law.
They spent the night outside the legislature building as another group
of farmers continued a relay hunger strike for the 17th day.
The 238-member House of Representatives resumed its session on
Wednesday, promising to approve a measure extending by six months the
20-year-old law distributing 10.3 million hectares of public and private
lands to poor farmers.
"We don't want an extension, we demand a new and geniune land reform
law," Albert Corpus, leader of a left-wing farmers' group, told Reuters
as his group prepared to march to Congress.
"That old law was like a toothless tiger. It was created by landowners
to protect them from land reform."
Roman Catholic bishops have joined the protests, calling on lawmakers to
pass new land reform legislation. They said they were unhappy over the
proposal for a six-month extension of an existing law set to expire at
the end of the year.
Broderick Pabillo, Manila's auxiliary bishop, criticised the House of
Representatives for what appeared to be a lack of interest in pushing a
bill on land reform, skipping a session on Tuesday evening to attend a
party hosted by the president's husband.
"The law only has one more day," Pabillo told a television interview.
"If they say they're really serious about this, they should have worked
on it. But the session didn't push through. They're partying at the
first gentleman's house."
The session adjourned because of a lack of quorum and dozens of farmers
stormed into the building and staged a sit-in late on Tuesday night.
They left after they were persuaded the legislature would take up the
issue on Wednesday.
Lawmakers promised to extend the land reform law by six months before
they go on a holiday break this Friday, allowing them more time to
legislate a new law.
The Philippines enacted a land reform law in 1988 to help end a
communist insurgency in the countryside, distributing 10.3 million
hectares of public and private lands to poor farmers.
Two decades later, the government claims to have distributed 6.8 million
hectares, but farmers' groups say many wealthy landowners and
corporations have blocked the move by claiming exemptions.
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/139731/Protesters-pushing-for-CARP-reform-extension-get-visitors
Protesters pushing for CARP reform, extension get visitors
12/16/2008 | 10:13 PM
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MANILA, Philippines - The head of the Catholic Educational Association
of the Philippines and Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo visited 60 farmers
participating in a vigil Tuesday night at the House of Representatives.
An Akbayan press statement said that the visitors talked to farmers from
the Reform CARP Movement, UNORKA, TFM, Pakisama, Calatagan and PKSK.
CEAP chief, Msgr. Genaro Santos and Romulo, the statement said, talked
to the protesters who had decided to hold a sit-down protest inside the
session hall after the House adjourned without passing the CARP
extension with reforms bill.
The sit-down protest began shortly after the session was adjourned after
7 p.m.
Three of the protesters are on hunger strike.
The protest was also sparked by their frustration over the decision of
the House majority to push instead for a resolution extending Land
Acquisition Distribution (LAD) until June 2009.
The press statement also said that the group was also angered by an
amendment to the resolution that another congressman has put forward, a
proposal which lifts compulsory (land) acquisition while the resolution
is in place.
In short, landlords in Congress have watered down an already poor
substitute to a full and reformed agrarian reform program, Akbayan said.
Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros is still with the farmers inside the
session hall. PR/GMANews.TV
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/12/2/nation/2690386&sec=nation
Tuesday December 2, 2008
Eight to stalk Selangor MB in show of protest
By EDWARD RAJENDRA
SHAH ALAM: Eight members of Gerakan Reformasi Rakyat Malaysia (Reformis)
will stalk Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and strip naked when they
come face to face with him.
The men, aged 33 to 50, are from the movement’s Dare to be Nude Squad.
They have decided to go ahead to bare all in protest against the state
government’s decision to raise the rental of low-cost houses.
“Our struggle is to keep the rental rate for government low-cost houses
under the People’s Housing Scheme from going up.
“We wanted a police permit to strip in front of the State Secretariat as
a sign of protest but we were denied it, so, now we will stalk the
Mentri Besar and go butt naked when we get the chance,” said movement
president Ramlan Abu Bakar.
He said the movement could not accept the state executive council’s
decision in July to raise the rental from RM124 to RM250 a month for
about 6,200 homes.
“We will go naked to get the message across. Our act is to humiliate or
embarrass the Mentri Besar for not keeping to his general election
promises to help the low-income earners,” he said.
On Nov 29, Selangor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar had
said that the police would reject applications for permits of such nature.
Ramlan said the act of going naked was similar to pie throwing, where
pies are thrown at politicians or others as a means of protesting
against political beliefs or against a perceived arrogance in the person.
Yesterday, Ramlan, together with nine other members, lodged a police
report and also filed a report at the state Anti-Corruption Agency here
against Khalid for alleged misuse of funds in organising a Rakyat’s
dinner at the PKR national congress last week.
“We want Khalid to vacate his post while the investigations are going
on,” he said.
http://english.sina.com/world/2008/1222/206511.html
Malaysian NGO leader stripped of post for planning nude protest
2008-12-22 15:03:33 GMT2008-12-22 23:03:33 (Beijing Time) xinhuanet
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- A Malaysian non-government
organization (NGO) has sacked its leader and scrapped a plan to strip
naked to protest housing rental hike, local media reported on Monday.
Gerakan Reformasi Rakyat Malaysia (Reformis) has sacked its president
Ramlan Abu Bakar and scrapped his proposed plan to strip naked before
Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, the elected head of Malaysia's
Selangor State Government.
Reformis' acting president Badrul Hisham Mohd Hanafiah said that the
organization's executive council decided to sack Ramlan last Wednesday
for various wrongful acts he allegedly committed.
The issue of a nude squad stalking the Mentri Besar no longer arose and
the organization would at more civilized ways to achieve its objectives,
he told reporters on Monday at Shah Alam, capital of Malaysia's Selangor
State.
Ramlan had announced last month that the organization's members planned
to strip in protest against a state government decision in July to raise
rental for public housing projects.
Badrul Hisham said the decision to strip naked was never a unanimous one
by Reformis and was announced by Ramlan after manipulating the
signatures of the council members.
Yet, Ramlan reportedly denied the allegations against him and dismissed
them as lies.
http://www.andhranews.net/India/2008/September/24-Slum-dwellers-stage-65685.asp
Slum dwellers stage protest for land in Mumbai
Residents demanding 400-sq-ft tenements in Dharavi, often described as
Asias biggest slum, took to the streets on Tuesday against a decision to
restrict their dwellings to a space of 300-sq-ft.
Mumbai, Sept 24 : Residents demanding 400-sq-ft tenements in Dharavi,
often described as Asia's biggest slum, took to the streets on Tuesday
against a decision to restrict their dwellings to a space of 300-sq-ft.
The slum is the focus of a looming showdown as municipal authorities and
developers seek to raze it to the ground and replace it with office
towers, luxury apartments and shopping malls.
Families that can prove they have lived in Dharavi since 1995 would be
entitled to a free apartment in the same area, but the new dwellings
would be tiny, just 300 square feet, about the size of a living room.
The state's main opposition Shiv Sena party said they would continue
their protest till their demand is met.
"I read in newspaper that the officials, chief secretary, housing
secretary and head of the development authority have decided that the
land in access to 300 square feet cannot be allotted. So until our
demand of 400 feet (per house) land is not met, we will continue our
protests," said Manohar Joshi, a Shiv Sena leader.
The project to re-develop the roughly two-square-km warren of brick and
corrugated iron rooms into a high-rise housing and commercial complex is
expected to take at least seven years to complete and could eventually
be worth up to ten billion dollars in property sales.
Dharavi has about 5,000 single-room factories and hundreds of cottage
industries that together have a turnover of an estimated one billion
dollars.
ANI
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/21/stories/2008122159830300.htm
Tamil Nadu - Chennai
Ambattur residents protest eviction
Staff Reporter
CHENNAI: The Water Resources Department continued its drive to remove
encroachments on the Ambattur lakebed and the surplus course on Saturday
leading to protests by residents.
Tension prevailed in Sathya Nagar, Ambattur, when the department
officials bulldozed some structures with the help of the Revenue
Department and the police.
Sujata Mody, president, Women Workers’ Union, who participated in the
residents’ demonstration, complained that the eviction drive was carried
out without prior notice rendering hundreds of families homeless.
“Most of the evicted people were unorganised sector workers and living
in the area for over two decades. The dislocation will take a heavy toll
on their livelihood and children’s education,” she said.
Ms. Mody alleged that the residents who attempted to represent their
problem to the State government were told that if they stuck to their
agitation they run the risk of losing the compensation and alternative
land in Morai, Avadi.
The union representatives, including Ms. Mody, were detained by the
police for stopping the eviction and released later. Officials said that
the residents were given prior notice about the demolition. Of 1,500
structures identified in Ambattur lake, nearly 300 had been removed till
Saturday.
About 280 of the 330 encroached structures in Ayanampakkam lake were
also removed.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/10/stories/2008121058960300.htm
Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram
Protest against land acquisition plan
Special Correspondent
Kinfra plans industrial park at Koliyakode
________________________________________
Proposal to acquire 35o acres of land
Residents form Bhoomi Samrakshana Samiti
________________________________________
Thiruvananthapuram: Residents in the Koliyakode and Keezhthonnakkal
villages, near here, are growing increasingly restive over the
government move to acquire 350 acres of land for the proposed industrial
park to be set up by the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development
Corporation (Kinfra).
As many as 1,000 families in the two villages have mobilised themselves
under the banner of Bhoomi Samrakshana Samiti to resist the acquisition.
The samiti claims that 95 per cent of the families in the earmarked
areas are long-time residents who make a living by farming. “Apart from
crops like rubber, banana, coconut, tapioca, arecanut and pepper,
vegetables are also grown here. Almost 50 per cent of the people to be
displaced are workers who tap rubber.
They will lose their livelihood and their families will be left to
starve if the rubber estates are acquired,” says D. Gopakumaran Nair,
chairman of the samiti. A government order issued by the Industries
Department sanctioning the acquisition of 350 acres states that the
displaced persons would be resettled and rehabilitated in accordance
with a policy to be finalised by the Revenue Department.
According to samiti convenor K. Rajan, the land earmarked for
acquisition was marked by slanting terrain and streams, making it unfit
for setting up an industrial park.
The project, he pointed out, would lead to the destruction of water
bodies like streams, ponds and canals and make the whole area
water-stressed.
“The very government that exhorts people to preserve water bodies is
embarking on this venture,” he said.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/24/stories/2008122451800300.htm
Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati
Novel protest by displaced residents of Tirumala
Special Correspondent
TIRUPATI: The agitation by the displaced residents of Tirumala has on
Tuesday witnessed a novel protest as it entered the fourth day. The
residents who gathered at Alipiri, the foot of the hill did ‘anga
pradakshinam’—rolling on the road as if to seeking divine the
intervention. .
Amid chanting of ‘Govinda, Govinda’ the residents who lost their
dwellings long ago in the wake of implementation of master plan at
Tirumala prostrated before the massive Garuda statue and the mammoth
‘Seven Hills’ and prayed for ‘wiser counsel’ to prevail upon the powers
that be in the TTD to expedite relief and rehabilitation measures for
the ‘left-over’, displaced families.
The victims who convened at Alipiri after a trek through the town,
bemoaned that living in ramshackled sheds for the last several years at
Tirupati along with their families they were facing untold hardship.
They called upon the TTD management to end their travails by
implementing their relief and rehabilitation package without further any
more delay.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/24/stories/2008122460800700.htm
Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati
Displaced residents of Tirumala continue protest
Special Correspondent
Photo: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar
Seeking justice: Displaced residents of Tirumala doing ‘anga
pradakshinam’ at Alipiri, Tirupati, on Tuesday. —
TIRUPATI: The agitation by the displaced residents of Tirumala on
Tuesday witnessed a novel protest as it entered the fourth day. The
residents who gathered at Alipiri, the foot of the hill did ‘anga
pradakshinam’—rolling on the road..
Amid chanting of ‘Govinda, Govinda’ the residents who lost their
dwellings long ago in the wake of implementation of master plan at
Tirumala prostrated before the massive Garuda statue and the mammoth
‘Seven Hills’ and prayed for ‘wiser counsel’ to prevail upon the powers
that be in the TTD to expedite relief and rehabilitation measures.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/28/stories/2008122851510300.htm
Other States - Orissa
Demonstration held
BERHAMPUR: The vegetable vendors who were removed from the side of the
NH 217 near Gate Bazar area of the city demonstrated in front of the
office of the Berhampur Sub-Collector and demanded their rehabilitation.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/28/stories/2008122853260300.htm
Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool
Dalit women stage demonstration
Special Correspondent
KURNOOL: Landless women led by A.P. Dalita Samakhya staged a
demonstration here on Saturday urging the authorities to allot
cultivable land.
Samakhya president Kommupalem Srinivas, founder of the Samakhya K. Swami
Das, vice president Aswathamma and others met Collector Mukesh Kumar
Meena and presented a list of over 3,000 families from 81 villages in
Kurnool district who had no land.
In the absence of cultivable land or other income generating assets, the
families migrated to far off places in search work. At the new place,
the women and children had no dignity, proper food and security.
If the dalit families had to live with dignity, the only way was to give
cultivable land, inputs like seed, fertilisers and milch cattle.
Mr. Srinivas said only 711 acres was given to the poor, while 70 lakh
acres was under the illegal occupation of the ineligible families.
---------------------------------------------------
Navy, villagers dispute land again
Jakarta Post - December 13, 2008
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Malang -- The Navy's Eastern
Fleet has locked horns with villagers once again,
challenging them to either peacefully resolve a
dispute over land in South Malang, or take the case
to court.
Eastern Fleet spokesman Lt. Col. Tony Syaiful said
villagers occupying a section of the Marine Corps'
training field in Purboyo, South Malang, should
resolve the case legally or seek mediation through
the local land office, as both sides seek a
permanent solution to the dispute that first flared
up in 1965.
"If the villagers want, they can come here. I
assure them the Naval Base of the Surabaya Marine
Base is ready to welcome representatives from
Pagak, Bantur and Donomulyo villages who want a
peaceful solution to the dispute. We too want a
win-win solution," he told The Jakarta Post here
Thursday.
Tony admitted the land dispute was similar to that
in Alas Tlogo, in which four villagers were shot
dead in June 2006 after the government gave their
land to the Navy for use as a combat training area.
Thirteen marines were later convicted by a military
tribunal in Surabaya over the killings and given
four-year jail terms and dismissed the armed
forces.
In this latest case, residents claim they inherited
the 4,800 hectares of land from their ancestors,
while the Navy claims it has official documents
proving its ownership of the land, which was
appropriated by the government to build a combat
training center.
Part of the land is already documented, but the
rest still has no title deeds, Tony said, blaming
the National Land Agency (BPN) for the difficulties
in applying for the deeds.
On Wednesday, hundreds of villagers from Pagak and
Bantur districts protested at the Malang
administration's compound, demanding a thorough
investigation into the demolitions of their homes
on the disputed land, allegedly committed by
soldiers from the nearby Navy combat battalion.
Mahmud, a resident of Pagak village, said the
demolitions took place last month after villagers
failed to pay the soldiers fees of between Rp 1
million and Rp 3 million.
Rosidi, a resident of Karangsari village in Bantur
district, added villagers had been barred from
building new homes or communal facilities, or
connecting their homes to the power grid.
"Even collecting firewood for cooking is prohibited
in the ex-plantation area," he said.
Tony denied allegations the Navy ordered the
demolitions or extorted the villagers, adding the
construction of new homes had been banned pending
the resolution of the dispute.
"If the construction of new buildings continues,
the dispute will get more complicated, and neither
side wants that," he said.
Villagers still grow plants on the land. The
regency legislative council has on several
occasions attempted to mediate a solution to the
dispute, but to no avail.
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
Buaran residents call for eviction to be postponed
Jakarta -- On December 4 residents living in the
Buaran river flood plane demonstrated at the Jakarta
city hall against a planned eviction.
“We are demanding a six-month postponement of the
eviction so that school children can move up a grade
and finish school”, said a representative of the
residents, Dede Iskandar. The government is planning
to carry out the eviction on Saturday November 6.
Several weeks ago, Buaran residents also held a
protest action at the Jakarta Regional House of
Representatives (DPRD) in which they were received
by legislative members who promised to postpone the
eviction until there was a follow up decision in
writing.
It turned out, said Iskandar, that the contents of
the letter said that Buaran residents had to address
their complaints to the Jakarta provincial
government. “We feel like we are being ping-ponged
around”, said Iskandar. (Detik.com, 4/12/2008)
http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Villagers-protest-at--tiger.4833444.jp
Villagers protest at tiger reserve plan
Published Date: 31 December 2008
By Ethan McNern
MORE than 15,000 people in southern India protested against the
extension of a tiger reserve yesterday, despite official assurances that
they will not lose their homes to the sanctuary.
Representatives from all parties in Tamil Nadu state took part in the
third protest since November against the extension of the Mudumalai
wildlife sanctuary, police said.
The state government declared Mudumalai a tiger reserve earlier this
year as part of a federal government initiative, "Project Tiger", to
boost the country's dwindling numbers of big cats.
There were about 40,000 tigers in India a century ago. A government
census puts the present number at 1,411, largely due to dwindling
habitat and poaching.
A panel set up by the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, said in 2006 that
thousands of poor villagers in India's tiger reserves would have to be
relocated to protect the endangered animals.
Poachers and smugglers exploit the grinding poverty of forest villagers
to keep them on their side. Authorities have tried educating the
villagers and handing out cash incentivess.
Yesterday's demonstrators were not against the declaration of a 125
square mile core area but against the creation of a buffer zone, Rajeev
Srivastava, a field director for Project Tiger said.
Around 350 families in the core area have been given a million rupees
(£14,500), but those in the buffer areas fear they will be evicted. Mr
Srivastava said: "We have no intention to dislodge anyone from the
buffer zone. In fact, people in this zone will be involved in the
project as trackers and guides".
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/09/stories/2008120951680300.htm
Karnataka - Shimoga
Shopkeepers protest delay in payment of compensation
Special Correspondent
Their units were demolished for road-widening works
Seeking relief: Shop owners and shopkeepers staging a dharna in Shimoga
on Monday.
SHIMOGA: Shop owners and shopkeepers staged a dharna at the Ameer Ahmed
Circle here on Monday criticising the delay by the government in payment
of compensation for the loss they suffered following demolition of their
shops and other business establishments on B.H. Road for road-widening.
They alleged that the State Government and the district administration
had not cared to pay the compensation even after 60 days of the
demolition of their commercial buildings, which had ruined them financially.
They warned of intensifying the protest if the payment of the
compensation was not made immediately. They said that the district
administration should have paid suitable compensation immediately.
The demonstration was organised with the cooperation of the Shimoga
District Chamber of Commerce and Industry in which representatives of
various organisations participated.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/07/stories/2008120758680300.htm
Kerala - Kochi
Evictees protest delay in rehabilitation
Staff Reporter
KOCHI: The Coordination Committee for those evicted for development has
come out strongly against the delay in the rehabilitation of evictees
for the Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal.
A press release issued by Francis Kalathunkal, general convenor, said
political intervention is delaying the rehabilitation and scuttling the
package announced by the State government, even after forcing the
evictees to stay on the street. A protest meeting was convened to mark
the Moolampilly Day. The protest rally began from the High Court
junction and ended at Menaka Junction.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/26/stories/2008122658710300.htm
Kerala - Kochi
Protests, prayers mark Christmas in city
Staff Reporter
Vallarpadom evictees take out ‘hunger march’
________________________________________
March taken out in protest against the delay
in rehabilitation process
District administration making all efforts to speed up rehabilitation:
Collector
________________________________________
KOCHI: The ringing of the bells was not musical for all ears in the city
on Christmas day. While the rest of the city celebrated Christmas with
all traditional fervour, some were on a protest march. Nearly 70
persons, representing families displaced from Moolamppilly, Mulavukadu,
Cheranalloor and Eloor for the proposed Vallarpadom International
Container Transhipment Terminal, took out a ‘hunger march’ to the
residence of District Collector M. Beena.
The march was taken out in protest against the delay in the
rehabilitation process. Even though it was decided at a meeting chaired
by Minister for Fisheries and Registration S. Sarma that land would be
given to all those evicted for the terminal, the rehabilitation process
is getting delayed indefinitely.
Communist Party of India district council member P.J. Sebastian
inaugurated the march. The police stopped the march that began from
Menaka Junction near the Collector’s residence.
Francis Kalathungal, general convenor of the coordination committee for
those displaced by development projects, presided over the meeting,
which was addressed by Thomas Kandathil Cor Episcopa and representatives
of political parties and rights activists.
Representing the protestors, Rosily Antony and Agnes Antony presented a
cake to Dr. Beena.
The Collector told them that the district administration was making all
efforts to speed up the rehabilitation process. Dr. Beena also returned
the gesture by presenting them cakes.
Celebrations
The rest of the city celebrated the festival in the traditional manner,
with devotees attending midnight masses in churches.
Mar Thomas Chakiath, Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of
Ernakulam-Angamali, led the Holy Mass at St. Mary’s Basilica. Cardinal
Varkey Vithayathil delivered the Christmas message to the faithful.
Daniel Acharuparambil, Archbishop of Varappuzha, led the mass at St.
Francis Assisi Cathedral, Varappuzha.
Bishop Joseph Karikkassery led the mass at the historic Santa Cruz
Basilica at Fort Kochi.
Cultural programmes
Shopping and cultural programmes marked the celebrations, as traffic
along the city picked up during the afternoon. Even during the forenoon,
the shopping malls had a sizeable crowd who were out to feel the
Christmas mood.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/20/stories/2008122055590600.htm
Tamil Nadu
Residents protest against construction of Collectorate
Staff Reporter
Tirupur: Residents of Poompuhar Nagar lay siege to the office of the
special officer appointed for the formation of Tirupur district, C.
Samayamoorthy, here on Friday, to protest against the move to
construction of the Tirupur Collectorate in their locality.
In a memorandum submitted to Mr. Samayamoorthy, they urged him to drop
the construction of Collectorate at the proposed site since it would
result in the displacement of about 5,000 people belonging to 750
families lodged in the colony.
They pointed out to him that the Corporation had been levying property
tax from them and the houses were provided with electricity as well as
drinking water. “Dislocating those who have the legal right to the
property will cause enormous social and economical hardship to the
affected persons,” the residents pointed out.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/18/stories/2008121857150300.htm
Karnataka
Protest
CHAMARAJANAGAR: A large number of activists of the district unit of
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene laid siege to MDCC Bank
here on Wednesday to protest against move to auction farmers’ land to
recover their loan amount.
They also staged a demonstration in front of the bank. The bank has
served notices to farmers who have failed to pay their loan instalment.
The protesters urged the bank authorities to waive off loans taken by
those who were into jaggery production.
— Correspondent
http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/dec/dec12/news11.php
Maoists clash with locals in Bara
Following a clash between Maoist cadres and the local residents, Simara
area in Bara district has turned tense Friday afternoon.
According to reports, over a dozen people have been injured during the
clash.
The problem arose after Maoist cadres, who had captured land allegedly
owned by Ranga Shumsher Rana, tried distributing it to the 'landless'
people. However, local resident Pankaj Gupta said he has already bought
the land from Rana. The Maoist cadres, then, attacked Gupta and his
supporters.
In the clash that followed, three Maoist cadres were severely injured
and rushed to Narayani Regional Hospital for treatment while others
injured are receiving treatment in local hospitals.
The Maoist cadres, after the clash, closed down transportation along the
Birgunj-Pathlaiya highway and continue demonstrations. nepalnews.com ia
Dec 12 08
http://www.projo.com/news/content/FORECLOSURE_PROTEST_12-11-08_16CJK94_v10.3b9a1c7.html
Tenants protest eviction practices
01:00 AM EST on Thursday, December 11, 2008
By Felice J. Freyer
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE –– A new coalition of advocacy groups concerned with housing
foreclosures rallied noisily outside a bank-owned triple-decker on
Potters Avenue late yesterday, promising to “blockade” any efforts to
evict renters because the tenement is in foreclosure.
To bilingual chants of “Bail us out” and “We shall not move,” the Rhode
Island Bank Tenants and Homeowners Association, along with several other
community groups, decried the federal government’s decision to bail out
the banking industry –– but not the people who are losing their homes
through banks’ actions.
“We call for a people’s economic bailout!” Rosalina Collazo, of the
Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, shouted into a microphone.
The group also called for state legislation that would bar evictions
except for “just cause,” which would not include property sales.
When a rental property is foreclosed because the owner did not make
mortgage payments, banks routinely evict the tenants even if they are
paying their rent.
Yesterday’s rally, held under a driving rain in the late-afternoon
darkness, attracted about 50 activists to the sidewalk in front of 804
Potters Ave., a three-family house that was foreclosed on Oct. 27.
Tenants received letters early last month from a law firm representing
the unidentified bank that owns the house, offering them money to leave.
But at least two of the three families do not want to leave.
None has yet received an eviction order, according to Sara Mersha, of
DARE (Direct Action for Rights and Equality), one of the events’
sponsors. Speakers promised that the group would return and physically
block any efforts to force families out of this or any other foreclosed
home.
Pedro Rodriguez, one of the tenants at 804 Potters Ave., said he lived
with his mother and four children. His wife is still in the Dominican
Republic, which he left years ago. Speaking in Spanish with Mersha
translating, he told a Journal reporter that he has lived in the
apartment for 11 months and doesn’t want to leave because it would be
hard on his family.
Steve Fischbach, of Rhode Island Legal Services, said tenant evictions
because of foreclosures are happening regularly; one bank, he said,
issued 20 eviction notices in one day. “They think it’s good business
practice to clean out the house,” he said. But vacant houses are subject
to vandalism which lowers their value, he said.
The group called for a “Bill of Rights” for tenants and homeowners
giving tenants the right to know what is going on with their homes and
to stay there –– with utilities and maintenance continuing –– if they
pay rent.
According to the foreclosure notice published in The Journal and city
tax records, 804 Potters Ave. was purchased in 2006 by Miguel A. Campos
for $251,500. According to the coalition, when the house was sold in
2001, it went for only $85,500. The group said that the entire purchase
price in 2006 was financed with an adjustable-rate loan.
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhsnaumhojgb/rss2/
Dublin protest over social housing policies
Print Email+ Share+
13/12/2008 - 08:42:14
A rally is being held in Dublin today to protest against the
Government's policies on social housing.
The demonstration is being organised by People Before Profit and starts
at 2pm this afternoon.
The group wants the Government to start a new round of building for
affordable housing, which would also create jobs for the building sector.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/12/21/protesters_call_on_bank_of_america_to_curb_post_foreclosure_evictions/
Protesters call on Bank of America to curb post-foreclosure evictions
By John M. Guilfoil
Globe Correspondent / December 21, 2008
Some two dozen protesters braved subzero windchills yesterday in
Dorchester to send a message to Bank of America.
In front of the bank's Fields Corner branch, activists carried signs and
chanted "Housing is a human right" while calling on Bank of America and
its subsidiary Countrywide Financial to stop post-foreclosure evictions.
The protesters, led by Jamaica Plain-based advocacy group City Life/Vida
Urbana, are calling on banks to renegotiate bad mortgages or allow
foreclosed homeowners to pay rent to the bank to stay in their homes.
"It is time to mobilize the country behind programs that save the
livelihood and promotes the welfare of all of us, not just Wall Street
bankers," said Grace Ross of the Massachusetts Alliance Against
Predatory Lending, who supported the protest, in a statement. "A genuine
rescue plan does not allow massive layoffs. It does not allow evictions
of people who are doing their best to pay their mortgages or make their
rental payments. Rather, it invests in the lives of people as the
strategy to pull our country out of the hard times that are upon us."
The group has been advocating for Paula Taylor, who made news in
September when City Life protesters were arrested as she was being
evicted from her Roxbury home after a yearlong struggle with Bank of
America.
Steve Meacham, a City Life community organizer, said yesterday that more
protests at Bank of America branches are planned.
Bank of America spokeswoman Jumana Bauwens said that foreclosures are
costly for everyone involved, and that Bank of America takes them "very
seriously."
"Once Fannie Mae [releases its full list of changes], we will review our
policies and procedures," Bauwens said about the bank's policy on
post-foreclosure evictions.
City Life is lobbying Beacon Hill for a moratorium on so-called
"underwater foreclosures," in which the value of a home has sunk below
the amount owed on it.
At the end of the demonstration, protesters delivered a letter to the
bank branch manager detailing their demands.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/7800137.stm
Friday, 26 December 2008
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Caravan dumped in housing protest
The caravan was tipped over on Christmas night
A caravan dumped on the steps of Derby's Council House has been revealed
to be a protest over homelessness.
The derelict trailer - bearing the words "Seasons Greetings" and "Give
to homeless people. From Gordon Brown. Unhappy" - was left on Christmas
Eve.
It was turned over on Christmas night but cleared away early the next day.
The organiser, who asked not to be named, said he left the caravan to
highlight the plight of those who have no home during Christmas.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1222/1229728440912.html
Monday, December 22, 2008
Protests over Cork coastal designation
OLIVIA KELLEHER
PROTESTS ARE to be held in Cork this week amid claims that the proposed
designation of coastal areas around Castletownbere, Bantry and Schull as
scenic landscape areas could lead to the depopulation of the west of the
county.
Beara Chamber of Commerce chairman Michael O'Sullivan said the
designation would force young homeowners in Beara, Mizen Head and
Sheep's Head out of their rural communities and into towns and villages.
"They are trying to turn the Beara Peninsula, Sheep's Head and the Mizen
into Jurassic Park . . . It is absolutely disgraceful. They should be
encouraging people into the peninsula, not frightening them off. It is
for the up-and-coming generation that we are protesting. The proposals
would have serious and devastating consequences and would lead to
depopulation."
Mr O'Sullivan said the special designation could see children of
families in the area unable to get planning permission for houses later on.
The proposed designation of coastal areas around Castletownbere, Bantry
and Schull as scenic landscape areas is to be voted on in the next few
weeks by members of Cork Country Council.
The proposals were first put forward in August and are among a number of
amendments to the Cork County Development Plan.
Some 200 people from west Cork are due to protest outside Cork County
Hall today. However, supporters of the proposed measures claim scenic
coastal areas have to be protected.
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