[Onthebarricades] Land grab and land rights protests, August-September 2008

[global resistance roundup]

* UGANDA: Squatters protest forest clearance
* KENYA: Kisumu - Traders battle police over demolitions
* KENYA: Displaced persons protest fund delay
* NIGERIA: Refugees occupy Government House over camp closure
* SOUTH AFRICA: Squatters attempt to occupy land
* INDIA: Karnataka, Bellary - farmers protest ore seizure
* CAMBODIA: Protest plan over reclamation project, land grab
* VIETNAM: Catholics protest land grab, battle police
* PHILIPPINES: Quezon City - squatter colony residents march against 
eviction
* PHILIPPINES: Batangas - farmers travel to Manila to protest violent 
incursions
* INDIA: Hyderabad, Dindi - villagers protest coastal corridor land grab
* INDIA: Tamil Nadu - three land grab protests
* INDIA: Maharashtra - seven-day protest walk over coastal land grab
* INDIA: New Delhi - Sonia Gandhi rally hit by farmer compensation protest
* INDIA: Kerala - container port protest
* PHILIPPINES: Bacolod - Arroyo rally targeted by protesting farmers
* US: Davie - protest over mobile home eviction
* INDIA: Karnataka - protest against road widening
* PHILIPPINES: Protest camp against Calamba demolition
* INDIA: Karnataka - Dalits target airport over land grab
* INDONESIA: Residents demand compensation after volcano house losses
* DR CONGO: Protest for compensation after plane crash
* IRELAND: 200 protest for access to Ashford Castle
* US: Michigan, Lansing - hundreds in anti-eviction protest
* US: Pittsburgh - protest over housing director firing
* US: Irving - Protest over apartment closure
* UK: "Justice not crisis" protest against homelessness


http://allafrica.com/stories/200808250428.html

Uganda: NFA Plants Trees Amidst Protests From Encroachers
Gerald Tenywa
24 August 2008

Kampala — THE National Forestry authority (NFA) has continued with the 
restoration of Wambabya forest despite resistance from the local people 
in Hoima district.
In a recent clash outside the forest reserve, a group of local people 
armed with arrows and spears attacked policemen who were providing 
security to the NFA team. The Police is holding three suspects over the 
incident.
"At the time of the shooting, the team of forestry and district 
officials and the people contracted to plant the trees were inspecting 
the areas to be replanted," said David Mununuzi, a forestry official.
In an interview with The New Vision on Thursday, Mununuzi said the 
encroachers had taken over 2,000 hectares of the 9,000 hectares of the 
forest. They were growing cassava and tobacco in the forest and some of 
them had set up homes there, he said.
He added that the encroachers would be allowed to harvest their crops 
before leaving.
The forest is a catchment area for R. Wambabya on which a hydro-power 
dam is to be built. Because of the destruction of the forest, the river 
has been heavily silted.






http://allafrica.com/stories/200809090112.html

Uganda: Slum Dwellers Protest Eviction
Herbert Ssempogo
8 September 2008

Kampala — SLUM dwellers in Kampala have protested against investors who 
evict them, saying they are also able to develop their land.
"We are not against development. We call upon the Government to help us 
buy land through loans which we can pay back gradually," said Nsubuga 
Ganga, a member of the National Slum Dwellers Association of Uganda.
Some of the slums in Kampala include Bwaise, Nateete and Kalerwe.
Ganga said over 2,000 people in Kakajo zone were recently asked to leave 
after the land was bought by investors.
"The investors should participate in the search for areas where the 
evicted people could settle instead of asking them to leave 
immediately," said Ganga, who is also a resident of Kisenyi, a city slum.
He made the comments during a function at the offices of Actogether 
Uganda, an non-government organisation, that works towards enabling the 
poor acquire houses.
Jamilu Butanaziba, a resident of Kisenyi, said their group had saved 
sh40m for the construction of houses for its members.






http://allafrica.com/stories/200809080883.html

Kenya: Police, Traders Clash Over Demolitions
Dan Obiero
5 September 2008
Nairobi — Police in Kisumu fired in the air and used teargas to disperse 
traders protesting the demolition of stalls at the main bus terminus.
The two groups engaged in running battles for the better part of the day.
The demonstrators lit fires on the main road leading to the town as they 
chanted anti government slogans. Others could not hold back tears as 
they rummaged through the debris of their stalls.
Several cars were stoned in the early morning incident that caught most 
of the residents unawares. There was heavy police presence at the town 
hall after traders threatened to burn it down.
One man was seriously injured while others suffered cuts as the 
demonstrators pelted the police and motorists with stones.
The demolition of the stalls comes a day before a planned tour by Local 
Government Minister Musalia Mudavadi and top business leaders, who are 
expected to address the woes of local authorities in the country.
A prison bus ferrying inmates to the court was caught in the chaos 
forcing the wardens to fire in the air to clear the road.
The protesters accused the council of destroying their business 
structures without prior notice and demanded the immediate resignation 
of the Kisumu Mayor Sam Okello.
Property of unknown value was damaged at the Bus Park as the municipal 
bulldozers flattened hundreds of stalls in the early morning exercise.
Pamela Onyango, 44, who owned a boutique, said that she lost over 
Sh400,000 worth of stock in the operation and was uncertain of what to 
do next.
"I just acquired the new stock from Dubai on a bank loan and lost all in 
the demolition."
Friday's demolitions follow a similar one on Wednesday when the council 
conducted the operation opposite the Nyanza provincial general hospital.
Kisumu town clerk, Mr Joshua Kutekha, however defended the council 
saying the traders were notified in advance over the impending demolitions.
(Daily Nation)







http://allafrica.com/stories/200809040064.html

Kenya: Displaced Protest At Delay of Funds
George Sayagie And Wanjiru Macharia
3 September 2008
Nairobi — Internally displaced people at Muchorwe in Molo District 
blocked a high-powered Government delegation to the area as they 
protested against delays in the disbursement of resettlement funds.
The mob of about 1,000 people blocked the Molo-Olenguruone road on 
Tuesday evening and held the team that was going to launch the 
disbursement of the funds at Karirikania camp for about half an hour.
The delegation included Internal Security PS Francis Kimemia, 
Administration Police Commandant Kinuthia Mbugua, Rift Valley PC Hassan 
Noor Hassan and Molo MP Joseph Kiuna, among others.
Efforts by the PS and the PC to convince the demonstrators to let the 
team proceed failed as the protesters insisted that the entourage visit 
Muchorwe camp first and explain to uprooted families why they were yet 
to receive the Sh10,000 like the other victims.
"All the other victims received their money before leaving the main 
camps. Why haven't we been given ours?" posed one of the refugees.
Mr Kiuna had a rough time trying to calm the crowd. His bodyguard even 
had to draw his pistol to force the demonstrators away.
Finally, the team gave in to demands by the displaced people and went 
into the camp where the heard their grievances and addressed them.
Mr Kimemia called for calm, saying that the assistance had kicked off 
countrywide and that all the victims would receive their money in 10 days.
Mr Kimemia said Molo District had been allocated Sh51,220,000, adding 
that each family would receive an initial Sh10,000 to buy necessities 
and, thereafter, an additional Sh25,000 to buy building materials.
Mr Kimemia said that the Government had set aside Sh1.3 billion for the 
resettlement of internally displaced people, with the Rift Valley taking 
the lion's share.
He promised the residents that security would be enhanced in the area.
The team toured the area after Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta 
visited last week.
Mr Kenyatta was surprised to find out that the victims still lived in 
camps after a directive was issued that they be resettled.
Molo, which bore the brunt of post-election violence, saw more than 
56,000 people ejected from their homes. So far, only 48,200 people have 
moved into transitional camps close to their farms.







http://allafrica.com/stories/200809230507.html

Nigeria: Bakassi - Returnees Protest Ejection From Camp
Okon Bassey
23 September 2008
Lagos — Bakassi returnees yesterday invaded Akwa Ibom State Government 
House to protest a surprise directive purportedly issued by the state 
government for their ejection from their camp without any alternative 
arrangement for their accommodation and other needs.
The returnees numbering more than 1, 000 who appeared dejected and 
frustrated complained that a top government official from the office of 
the State Deputy Governor had come to their camp to distribute the sum 
of N5, 000 for some people thereafter saying the government wants them 
to vacate the camp .
In the seeming confusion that followed the directive, the Bakassi 
returnees yesterday packed their property from the camp at the 
Government Technical College, Ikot Ada Idem in Ibiono Ibom local 
government area of the state to the State Government House along Barrack 
road where they completely blocked the entrance to the Hilltop mansion.
The returnees also displayed different placards, some of which read: "We 
need our shelters, Empowerment, Health and Feeding; We are Bakassi 
Returnees, Please Help Us , Resettle us in our Communities; Akwa Ibom 
State government come and help, We are dying; Tears of Bakassi 
returnees, please come and help us we are dying; Our children need to go 
to School. "A spokesman for the returnees, Michael Etukudo, told THISDAY 
that he came to Government House to see the state Governor face to face 
and to hear from him why he passed such instruction without alternative 
means.
The returnees of the state origin said to have been handed over to the 
Akwa Ibom State government about 18 days ago by the Cross River State 
government and camped at the Government Technical College complained of 
abandonment without any medical care and hunger resulting to illnesses 
and subsequent deaths.
The State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, who addressed the returnees 
instructed that they should go back to the camp where lunch will be 
provided for them and promised that the state government was going to 
discuss with the leaders of the returnees on the best way to handle the 
problem.
"We won't let you suffer, I'm happy to see you back alive, Akwa Ibom is 
okay, " the Governor declared, urging them to remain calm and peaceful , 
saying the state government was deeply concerned about their plight.
The State Deputy Governor, Mr. Patrick Ekpotu , who had also spoken with 
them said that the state government had acquired a land to build a camp 
for the returnees, disclosing that the state government was discussing 
with the Federal Government on possible assistance due the state for the 
returnees.
He told them Akwa Ibom State was yet to receive any assistance from the 
appropriate authority to resettle the returnees despite the fact that 
some others states had got assistance to build camps equipped with 
hostels, clinics, fire station, police station and other facilities.
Ekpotu equally informed that the state government was making arrangement 
with the local government councils where the returnees belong so that 
they could be catered for effectively.






http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=vn20080814063458765C231911

Cops block occupation of state land
Patrick Hlahla
August 14 2008 at 03:26PM


Police have again prevented a group of residents from illegally 
occupying a piece of land on the northern side of Lotus Gardens.

The residents had planned to build shacks on the land which they say 
belongs to government and is earmarked for low-cost housing.

They expressed fears that the land could be sold to private developers 
who will build houses which they cannot afford.

The residents, who are members of the Mailagofengwa community, recently 
marched on the Department of Housing's offices in Sunnyside, where they 
handed over a memorandum of their grievances.

The memorandum was addressed to Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and 
Gauteng MEC for Housing Nomvula Mokonyane.

In June the group was prevented by the Pretoria West police from 
occupying the piece of land.

The residents said they were fed up with waiting for RDP houses and 
empty promises from the Tshwane Metro Council.

Joseph Ngoetjana, spokesperson for the residents on Wednesday said they 
were still awaiting a response from Sisulu's office.

Ngoetjana said officials at the department had indicated that the land 
was earmarked for low-cost housing.

"However, according to the officials, we have a right to apply for the 
piece of land," he said.

Ngoetjana said the residents were becoming impatient.

"This is the reason why they decided to illegally occupy the piece of land.

"But after negotiations with the police, they decided not to go ahead 
with the plan," he said.

He said the residents will decide within the coming few days whether to 
go ahead with their protest march planned for August 19, or not.

"This will depend on the response we get from the department before next 
Tuesday," Ngoetjana said.







http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/25/stories/2008082552420300.htm

Karnataka - Bellary

Farmland owners protest ore seizure
Staff Correspondent
Movement of traffic affected for some time
________________________________________
Farmers seek return of confiscated ore
Demand permission to dig lands
________________________________________
BELLARY: A torchlight procession was taken out in Hospet city on 
Saturday evening by farmers engaged in removing float ore from “patta” 
lands, in protest against the raids by the district administration 
against illegal mining. They also demanded that the Government accord 
them permission to extract ore from their lands.
A large number of farmers from various villages in the taluk, including 
Kallahalli, Rajapur, Venkatagiri, Kariganur, Sankapur, Vaddafrahalli and 
Jambunathahalli, participated in the rally organised under the aegis of 
the Raithara Hakku Badhyata Samiti. They raised slogans against District 
in-charge Minister Janardhan Reddy, MLA Anand Singh, and the district 
administration. The agitators also demanded that the ore seized by the 
district administration be returned to land owners.
The movement of vehicular traffic was affected for some time in the city 
on account of the procession. The district administration had, in 
accordance with instructions from Mr. Janardhan Reddy, raided several 
places in Hospet and Sandur taluks recently and seized over 3.5 lakh 
tonnes of float ore extracted by digging the land.
N. Chandrababu, president of the samiti, led the protest.





http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/component/option,com_jcs/Itemid,52/crestrictid,21441/task,add/

Protest threatened over lake
Written by Chhay Channyda
Friday, 29 August 2008
DISGRUNTLED Boeung Kak residents will march on City Hall next week to 
demand that the municipality halt a reclamation project that is driving 
them from their homes, one resident said Thursday as others began 
tearing down their homes and leaving the future construction site.
A developer on Tuesday began pumping sand and water into the lake, which 
will be filled in over the next year to make way for a 133-hectare 
residential and commercial complex.

Thousands of families will be affected by the development, which has 
been condemned as illegal by rights groups.

Noun Thol, who faces eviction, was collecting thumbprints from other 
affected residents and by Thursday afternoon had 40 other families on 
his petition.

"We are planning to take this case to court. We will also march from 
Boeung Kak to City Hall demanding that the government halt the pumping 
of sand into the lake. If we don't get a solution, we will seek help 
from Prime Minister Hun Sen," Noun Thoul said, explaining that he 
thought that more people would join his effort as anger over the 
development rose.

"The residents must demand compensation," Noun Thol said, adding that 
the water levels have risen since the pumping began as tonnes of sand 
settle onto the lake bottom.

Am Sam Ath, monitoring supervisor for Licadho, said that he has not 
heard of any Boeung Kak families being compensated for their lost homes. 
"Compensation should have been made before filling in of the lake 
began," he said. "The pumping of sand is an act of intimidation to get 
the residents to leave Boeung Kak while they have not yet agreed to the 
nature and amount of compensation."

But Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Mann Chhoeun said that many lake 
residents have already received compensation. "Municipal officials today 
are giving Boeung Kak residents houses and cash," he said.

He declined comment on how many residents had received compensation but 
said around 500 families have agreed to "deal" with the municipality.








http://khmernz.blogspot.com/2008/08/cambodia-lake-filling-must-not-lead-to.html

Thursday, August 28, 2008
Cambodia: Lake filling must not lead to forced evictions
Amnesty International UK

The filling of Boeung Kak Lake in central Phnom Penh should immediately 
stop until a proper process that ensures human rights protection is in 
place, said Amnesty International and the Centre on Housing Rights and 
Evictions (COHRE) today.

With work starting on the redevelopment of the lake, tens of thousands 
of Phnom Penh residents living in its immediate vicinity fear forced 
eviction. They were not notified the work was going to begin. Few 
details about the plans have been disclosed as to what will happen to 
the affected people - an estimated 3,000 to 4,200 families living on the 
shores of the lake and around the area.

Amnesty International and COHRE said the project process is in breach of 
both Cambodian and international law.

Brittis Edman, Amnesty International's Cambodia Researcher, said:

'In the absence of proper plans, compensation and adequate alternative 
housing for at least 3,000 affected families, the filling of the lake 
should be immediately halted. Otherwise, this may be the beginning of 
the biggest forced eviction in post-war Cambodia.'

Dan Nicholson, Coordinator of COHRE's Asia and Pacific Programme, added:

'If the government wishes to develop Boeung Kak, they should do so 
through a legal process, with the participation of communities that live 
around the lake.

'Affected communities need to be able to make informed decisions. The 
serious lack of clear information and accountability shows that 
preparations are just not in place.'

Background •

The development plans for Boeung Kak Lake emerged in 2007, after the 
Municipality of Phnom Penh had entered into a 99-year lease agreement, 
handing over management of 133 hectares of land, including 90 per cent 
of the lake, to a private developer, Shukaku Ltd. According to the 
Municipality, this company will turn the area into 'pleasant, trade, and 
service places for domestic and international tourists.'

As recently as two weeks ago, representatives of the Municipality 
conceded to journalists in Phnom Penh that they did not know how many 
people were affected, but estimated the number to be just 600 families. 
Local group surveys show the number to be far higher.

In breach of international law and standards the process leading up to 
the agreement between the company and the Municipality of Phnom Penh 
excluded affected communities from participation and genuine 
consultation. Information has been lacking throughout the process, and 
community members and housing rights advocates in Phnom Penh consider 
that offers of compensation and/or adequate alternative housing have not 
been systematic, while resettlement plans have been withheld from the 
public.

The agreement also appears to breach domestic law and implementing 
regulations in that no environmental impact assessment has been made 
public and no bidding procedure preceded the agreement. Moreover, 
according to the 2001 Land Law, the lake itself should be inalienable 
state land (so-called state public property), so its ownership cannot be 
transferred for longer than 15 years, during which time the function [of 
the property] must not change. Many of the affected families have strong 
legal claims to the land under the Land Law.









http://khmernz.blogspot.com/2008/08/lake-dwellers-fear-loss-of-homes.html

Thursday, August 28, 2008
Lake dwellers fear loss of homes
Boeung Kak lake is being filled in for a property development

By Guy Delauney
BBC News, Phnom Penh

Residents around the largest lake in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, are 
protesting against it being filled in.

Boeung Kak is home to thousands of families - many of whom own homes and 
thriving businesses serving tourists.

The local government has leased the land to a property developer - a 
move residents say is illegal.

Some argue the project is needed to help develop the city, but others 
say that compensation is too low and that rights have been ignored.

Disappearing lake

An enormous pipe is spewing a constant flow of sandy sludge into one of 
Phnom Penh's few open spaces.

By the time it is turned off, only a tiny part of the lake will remain.

The developers plan to build high-end shopping centres and housing on 
the new land.

But the project is a multiple blow for local residents. They stand to 
lose both their homes and their livelihoods.

The sunset over Boeung Kak is one of the most striking sights in the 
city and it attracts large numbers of overseas tourists.

Dozens of guest houses, restaurants and shops provide a good living for 
local families. There seems to be little chance of those businesses 
surviving.

Residents have been offered alternative housing on the outskirts of 
Phnom Penh - or a small amount of cash.

But many people living and working here rent their property - and face 
losing everything.

"We've been doing this business for 10 years - and suddenly we heard 
[about] the development.

So we're worried, we're all worried. We don't know where we're going to 
and what's going to happen," said a guest house owner.

Housing rights organisations say the deal between the city and the 
developers is an illegal use of state land.

But local government officials insist that partnerships between the 
public and private sectors are the best way to ensure much-needed 
development in Phnom Penh.








http://khmeroc.com/latest-cambodia-news/19-politic/755-boeung-kak-lake-protest-held.html

Boeung Kak lake protest held

HUNDREDS of Boeung Kak residents marched on City Hall Monday demanding 
the municipal government halt the filling in of the lake and provide 
market-value compensation for those losing their homes to the development.

Local developer Shukaku Inc started pumping sand into the lake August 26 
at the first stage of a controversial 133-hectare housing and commercial 
project that will see all but 10 percent of the lake reclaimed.

Protest leader Bun Navy said that three villagers were allowed to enter 
City Hall to submit thumbprints and a signed petition.

"We were told by an official at the administrative office that they 
would solve the problems for us within one week. If there is no 
solution, we will go to Prime Minister Hun Sen's house next week," he 
said. Protestor Keo Lon said the lake was being filled under a veil of 
secrecy. "I live near the most affected area, in Village 4, where the 
sand pipe has been installed. Villagers were not informed about the sand 
or told about the development until the work started last week," she said.

"I have lived here for 16 years, but didn't know anything about the new 
development until I saw it in the media."

She said that the lake's water level has risen one centimetre a day 
since filling began and will start flooding houses in five days if the 
pumping continues.

Bunn Rachana, a monitoring officer for the NGO coalition Housing Rights 
Task Force, said at the protest that "it is not acceptable that no 
compensation has yet been provided, but that the company has started 
filling the lake. It is not only affecting people living around the 
lake, but every Phnom Penh resident. It will cause floods in the city".

Bunn Rachana is also concerned that the Ministry of Environment has not 
yet made public its environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the 
project, which supposedly gave the green light last month.

Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Mann Chhoeun said: "City Hall [has] accepted 
the petition from the villagers and is now reviewing it." He declined to 
comment further.

Puth Sorithy, EIA department director at the Ministry of Environment, 
also declined to comment on the Boeung Kak EIA, referring reporters to 
Environment Minister Mok Mareth, who could not be reached Monday.











http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/232935,vietnamese-catholics-protest-as-government-clears-disputed-land.html

Vietnamese Catholics protest as government clears disputed land
Posted : Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:39:08 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Asia (World)

Hanoi - Hundreds of Catholics massed Friday in downtown Hanoi, singing 
and praying, after the government sent construction equipment to clear a 
disputed property next to the city's cathedral. Priests said 
construction crews arrived at 4 am Friday to break down walls and clear 
structures on the site of Hanoi's former papal nunciature, next to St 
Joseph's Cathedral in central Hanoi.
Parishioners and priests staged a months-long vigil on the site last 
winter to demand the land be returned to the church.
"At 4 in the morning, about 200 police and two construction machines 
appeared at the site," said Father Nguyen Van Khai, a priest from 
neighbouring Thai Ha parish who is staying at the cathedral. "At about 
4:30, they destroyed the wall and the other monuments on the site. They 
are blocking the whole neighbourhood. We cannot go out."
Since 8 am, several hundred parishioners have gathered in the street in 
front of the site, watched by a nearly equal number of uniformed and 
plainclothes police. A foreign journalist photographing the site was 
told to leave and threatened with detention.
Last December the city's archbishop led hundreds of parishioners in a 
vigil on the site of the nunciature that lasted several months. 
Parishioners built a shrine to the Virgin Mary and for a time erected a 
cross on the site, and parishioners camped there every night.
The vigil ended with an agreement between the Hanoi city government and 
the parish to negotiate a settlement. Priests said they had not been 
informed by the government in advance of this morning's moves.
A restaurant on the site's property, which the parish had asked be 
cleared, was being renovated Friday morning, and a new sign on the front 
declared it would become a local government community centre.
"We are fighting for peace and justice," said Khai. "We are ready to die."
Khai said he thought the government planned to turn the site into a park.
Vietnamese government officials were not available for comment on the 
incident.







http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/232991,vietnamese-catholics-protest-government-land-clearing--summary.html

Vietnamese Catholics protest government land clearing - Summary
Posted : Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:33:23 GMT
Author : DPA


Hanoi - Hundreds of Catholics massed Friday in downtown Hanoi, singing 
and praying, after the government sent police and earthmovers to clear a 
disputed piece of property and turn it into a public park. Priests said 
construction crews arrived at 4 am Friday to break down walls and clear 
structures on the site of Hanoi's former papal nunciature, next to St 
Joseph's Cathedral in central Hanoi.
Parishioners and priests staged a months-long vigil on the site last 
winter to demand the land be returned to the church.
"At 4 in the morning, about 200 police and two construction machines 
appeared at the site," said Father Nguyen Van Khai, a priest from nearby 
Thai Ha parish who is staying at the cathedral. "At about 4:30, they 
destroyed the wall and the other monuments on the site. They are 
blocking the whole neighbourhood. We cannot go out."
"We are clearing the land to build a library and a park, to serve the 
whole community," said Nguyen Thinh Thanh, chief of the secretariat of 
Hanoi's People's Committee. "We did not have to ask for the parish's 
permission, because that land belongs to the state."
Since 8 am, several hundred parishioners have gathered in the street in 
front of the site, watched by dozens of uniformed and plainclothes police.
"We are fighting for peace and justice," said Father Khai. "We are ready 
to die."
Police have closed streets to traffic in a one-block radius around the 
nunciature, but parishioners and students at the adjacent Catholic 
seminary were entering and exiting the area on foot.
Thanh said no punishment would be sought against Catholics who had 
gathered to pray at the site unless they took "extremist actions," in 
which case police would be asked to deal with them.
Last December the city's archbishop led hundreds of parishioners in a 
vigil on the site that lasted several months. Parishioners built a 
shrine to the Virgin Mary and for a time erected a cross on the site, 
and parishioners camped there every night.
The site, enclosed by a high fence, contains a grassy field and an 
elegant colonial building, the former nunciature, which housed the 
Vatican's representative in Hanoi before Vietnam became independent from 
France in 1954. The Communist government later took over the property, 
but the church says it still owns it.
The vigil ended with an agreement between the Hanoi city government and 
the parish to negotiate a settlement. Thanh said the government had 
informed the parish in advance of Friday morning's moves, but priests 
said they had no warning.
The conflict over the nunciature is one of two land disputes in Hanoi 
between the local government and the Catholic Church. The other is at 
Thai Ha church, where Khai is a pastor.
At Thai Ha, parishioners last November began breaking down walls and 
occupying a plot of land adjacent to the church which was expropriated 
by the government in the early 1960s. The land was assigned to three 
state-owned companies.
After one of those companies, the Chien Thang garment company, was 
privatized and moved to sell the land for a profit, the church objected. 
Prayer marches and vigils beginning August 14 led to the arrest of three 
parishioners on August 28 for destroying property and to an open 
conflict between a crowd of parishioners and police.
Police announced Wednesday they had arrested a Thai Ha parishioner, Pham 
Chi Nang, 50, accused of destroying property on the site. They issued an 
arrest warrant for another protestor, Nguyen Dac Hung, 31.
At a government press conference on August 29, Hanoi's People's 
Committee explained that a 2003 decree rules out reconsidering land 
disputes from before 1991 involving the old "socialist land management 
policies."
Catholicism is entrenched in Vietnam, having arrived in the 1600s, and 
at least 6 million Vietnamese (in a population of 85 million) identify 
themselves as Catholics. Hundreds of churches around the country had 
property confiscated by the government between 1954 and the country's 
turn to a free-market economy in the 1990s.
If the government accommodates the demands of the churches in Hanoi, 
other churches around the country could take it as a signal to reopen 
their old property claims.
The land disputes have soured the mood between the Vietnamese government 
and the Vatican, which had discussed normalizing relations in recent 
years. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited Pope Benedict 
in January 2007.







http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/228729,vietnam-police-clash-with-catholic-land-protesters.html

Vietnam police clash with Catholic land protesters
Posted : Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:32:24 GMT
Author : DPA

Hanoi - The Vietnamese government held an unusual press conference 
Friday to justify its actions in arresting up to six Catholic protestors 
over a land dispute at a church in Hanoi. The government presented an 
eight-minute video compiled from police surveillance footage, dozens of 
still photos and copies of documents dating back to 1963 to make its 
case against the land protests, which on Thursday led to the arrests and 
clashes between police and roughly 100 protesting parishioners outside a 
Hanoi police station.
The protests began in November but intensified on August 14 with 
protestors demolishing walls on the contested site, erecting tents and 
shrines, and organizing Masses and prayer vigils.
"From August 14, the priests and parishioners have ignored the law," 
said Hanoi People's Committee Deputy Chairman Vu Khong Khanh. "They are 
determined to occupy the land by all means."
The protests centre around Nam Dong Church in Hanoi's Thai Ha diocese, 
where several priests have led parishioners in a months-long campaign to 
regain title to an adjacent land plot nationalized by the Communist 
government decades ago.
"We bought the land in 1943 with the intention of building a new church, 
but due to the war, we couldn't build the church," said Father Vu Khoi 
Phung, head of Nam Dong Church.
The state took the land in the early 1960s, and the plot now belongs to 
two state-owned companies and a private garment factory. Since November, 
church members have destroyed several small buildings on the site, put 
up crosses and icons of the Virgin Mary, and held prayers there, 
ignoring government requests to leave.
The Hanoi People's Committee ruled June 30 that the church had no claim 
to the land.
On Thursday, police arrested two protestors who they said had been 
heavily involved in the demolitions of structures at the site and 
arrested another woman for disturbing public order by leading a 
procession of gong players.
Priests then led roughly a hundred protesters to the police station 
holding the trio, and subsequent clashes led to the arrests of three 
more protestors, Hanoi Chief of Police Nguyen Duc Nhanh said.
A Vietnamese Christian website affiliated with the demonstrators said 
police had beaten protestors with electric batons and showed video of a 
woman at the protest with blood on her shirt.
Asked at the press conference whether police had beaten protestors, 
Nhanh said the department had received no such complaints but did not 
deny that beatings had occurred.
Khanh said a deed handing over the land to the Vietnamese government had 
been signed by a priest from Thai Ha church in 1963. The government 
provided reporters with a copy of the deed.
Vietnam's economy today is increasingly capitalist, and most of the 
country's land is now in private hands, but the country had a strict, 
Soviet-style socialist economy from 1954 to the 1980s, and large tracts 
of land were taken over by the state.
A Vietnamese government decree issued in 2003 stated that land 
nationalized during the socialist period before 1991 is not subject to 
claims of restitution. Similar legal measures have been passed in many 
formerly Communist countries to avoid perpetual confusion over real 
estate ownership.









http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7625393.stm

Friday, 19 September 2008 13:56 UK
Bulldozers stoke Hanoi land clash
By Nga Pham
BBC News

Another land dispute is raging at the Thai Ha parish of Hanoi
Tensions are high in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, after the authorities 
began construction work on land claimed by the Catholic Church.
At dawn workers moved bulldozers past a police guard onto the disputed 
site at Nha Chung street.
Crowds of priests and believers soon gathered outside.
The site, which once served as the Vatican ambassador's residence, was 
at the centre of a month-long protest by Hanoi Catholics earlier this year.
They only learned that their claim to the land had been turned down the 
previous afternoon, when the authorities announced via the state media 
that it would become a park.
A witness told BBC that the police had sealed off the whole area to 
prevent people getting in.
"But we could see from outside that they have started digging the ground 
and clearing the front of the residence," she said.
Another witness said scores of riot policemen and sniffer dogs were 
mobilised and the whole scene looked "very chaotic".
January protest
Thousands of Catholics held prayers at the site for the whole of January 
as they pressed their claim to the land. They say the land was borrowed 
from the Apostolic delegation of the Hanoi Diocese and it is time to 
give it back.
The crowds only dispersed after the Archbishop of Hanoi told them that 
the government had promised to return the land.

Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet has personally petitioned the government
However, eight months on and the authorities have decided to transform 
the former residence into "a green tree park with flower beds and grass 
lawns", reports the Ha Noi Moi newspaper.
"The event today caught us totally off-guard," said Father Nguyen Van 
Khai, spokesman for Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet, adding that a protest has 
been quickly formed to "ask for justice".
The Archbishop himself has sent an urgent petition to the Vietnamese 
prime minister and president, asking them to intervene to stop 
"activities damaging to the Hanoi Diocese's assets".
Luu Van Dat, an official from the state-sponsored Fatherland Front, 
acknowledged that the ongoing dispute has escalated to a "serious" level.
He said: "The authorities should look into this matter. We have to be 
very careful in order to protect the rights [of citizens] but also to 
follow the law."
Meanwhile, the church has called on all believers to join in protests, 
as well as pray for the Catholic claim to more disputed land in Hanoi, 
this time at Thai Ha. This second land grievance has been going on for 
more than a month, attracting hundreds of believers for prayer and 
protest every day.
The Vietnamese government maintains that all land belongs to the state 
and land claims should be submitted to the law courts for consideration.










http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=5685045

Vietnam Denies Use of Stun Gun to Break Protest
Vietnam denies use of stun guns, force to break up Catholics' protest
HANOI, Vietnam August 29, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press

Vietnamese authorities denied Friday that they had used force or stun 
guns to break up a demonstration by Catholics who are demanding the 
return of land the Communist government took more than four decades ago.
Responding to accusations from protesters, including one who was 
bleeding, Hanoi's police chief told reporters Friday that officers had 
broken up the demonstration of about 300 people peacefully.
"Like police in other countries, we never use any kind of tools to beat 
unarmed people," Hanoi police Chief Nguyen Duc Nhanh told a news 
conference. "We just talked to them and the crowd dispersed."
Six people, including two priests, told The Associated Press that police 
had beaten and shocked church members who had gathered Thursday outside 
a police station to pray for the release of parishioners who were 
arrested earlier in the day.
Members of Thai Ha Church in Hanoi have been holding round-the-clock 
prayer vigils for nearly two weeks to demand the return of land next to 
their church that the government took in the early 1960s.


On Aug. 15, the day the vigils began, church members knocked down a 
section of a fence surrounding the property and placed several statues 
of the Virgin Mary inside.
Police say they arrested three people for damaging the fence. Church 
members, however, have said four were arrested in the fence incident and 
another seven following Thursday's demonstration.
One of the priests, Nguyen Ngoc Nam Phong, said Friday that police were 
lying about their actions.
"I was there and I saw them using stun guns to give electrical shocks to 
our church members," Phong said in an interview. "I could see the guns 
flare. They also beat people. Their denial once again shows that they 
never respect the truth."
Church leaders filed a complaint Friday protesting the conduct of police.
The Associated Press spoke to a parishioner shortly after the clash who 
had sought refuge inside the church, about 300 yards (meters) from the 
police station.
"They beat me on my face and used a stun gun to shock my daughter," said 
Nguyen Thi Phuc, who had blood on her face and shirt.
Hanoi authorities called the news conference Friday to address the land 
dispute and the charges of police violence.
Vu Hong Khanh, vice chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, said the 
church members had no legal basis to demand the return of the land.
"If they need more land for their religious practice they have to apply 
to authorities to be granted land in accordance with the law," Khanh said.
Parishioners are seeking a 172,000 square foot (16,000 square meter) 
parcel next to their church. The lot is now occupied by a state-owned 
textile company.
Although religious freedom has been growing in Vietnam recently, the 
state closely monitors religious organizations and only recognizes a 
half-dozen officially sanctioned faiths, including Catholicism.


Catholicism is Vietnam's second-largest faith — after Buddhism — with 
more than 6 million adherents.
In the years after Vietnam's Communist government took power in 1954, 
all private land was taken over by the government.
Although demonstrations of any kind are rare in Vietnam, church members 
have been asserting themselves more boldly in recent months.
Earlier this year, Catholic leaders organized prayer vigils at a parcel 
of land near Hanoi's main cathedral demanding the return of that site, 
which once housed the Vatican's embassy in Vietnam.








http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/vietnam/2008/10/03/177222/Vietnam-PM.htm

Vietnam PM warns Catholics to end protests
HANOI -- Vietnam’s prime minister has warned Catholic leaders that the 
communist state will not tolerate mass protests by followers demanding 
the return of seized church land, state media said Thursday.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung criticized Catholic mass gatherings held 
in two parishes of the capital Hanoi in recent months, in talks with 
Vietnam Episcopal Council leader Bishop Nguyen Van Nhon, the report said.
“It is absolutely unacceptable when someone regards the land laws as 
incomplete and twists them,” Dung was quoted as saying by the state run 
Vietnam News Agency (VNA) in the meeting in Hanoi Wednesday.
“If those activities do not come to an end, they will have an adverse 
impact on the good ties between the state and the church and the 
relationship between Vietnam and the Vatican, which has been progressing 
positively.”
Catholics started their prayer vigils late last year for the return of 
several properties seized after the communists took power from the 
French in North Vietnam in 1954, leading to tense standoffs with 
authorities.
Police have in recent weeks cracked down on the prayer vigils, arrested 
several protesters and locked down the disputed Hanoi properties, where 
the government is building public parks and a library.
Dung thanked Bishop Nhon for not encouraging the protests but charged 
that Hanoi Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet had instigated the gatherings and 
shown a “lack of respect and cooperation with the Hanoi administration,” 
VNA said.
The premier, who met with Catholic protesters last December, stressed 
that “Kiet’s words challenged the state (and) hurt the nation.”
State media did not quote the bishops’ responses, but a vietcatholic.net 
report called Dung’s comments “a slap in the face of the bishops and the 
Catholic Church” which contradicted state assurances to resolve the 
dispute.
Vietnam, a unified communist country since the war ended in 1975, has 
Southeast Asia’s largest Catholic community after the Philippines — at 
least six million out of a population of 86 million.









http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/09/21/2003423771

Hanoi Catholics protest over government land grab

AFP, HANOI
Sunday, Sep 21, 2008, Page 4
A row between Vietnam’s communist regime and the country’s Catholic 
community deepened on Friday when authorities began building a public 
park on land claimed by the Church.

The site in the heart of the capital Hanoi was the Vatican’s embassy 
before it was taken over by the city’s communist rulers following the 
departure of the French in the 1950s.

Police blocked the street next to the site on Friday and dozens of 
priests, nuns and monks looked on as work began. Bulldozers occupied the 
land and a fence had been knocked down.

The Archbishop of Hanoi said there had been speculation for some time 
that a park and a library would be built on the site — a plan confirmed 
on Thursday in the communist party daily, Nhan Dan.

Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet said that Catholics would “continue to 
protest” against the project.

Catholic clergy and parishioners began holding mass rallies at the end 
of last year demanding the return of the property near Hanoi’s St 
Joseph’s Cathedral.

The protests ended earlier this year when the government agreed to 
resolve the problem, but Catholics say nothing has changed.

Vietnam has Southeast Asia’s largest Catholic community after the 
Philippines — at least 6 million out of a population of 86 million.

All religion remains under state control, but Hanoi’s relations with the 
Catholic Church have improved in recent years, leading to Prime Minister 
Nguyen Tan Dung making a landmark visit to the Vatican last year.








http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20080920-161869/Vietnam-police-punched-US-journalist-covering-protest

GROUP SAYS
Vietnam police 'punched' US journalist covering protest

Agence France-Presse
First Posted 14:31:00 09/20/2008

Filed Under: Protest, Media
HANOI -- Media rights group Reporters without Borders has denounced the 
"arrest and mistreatment" of an American journalist covering a protest 
in Vietnam.
The Associated Press accused Vietnamese police of punching its Hanoi 
bureau chief Ben Stocking in the face as he tried to cover a 
demonstration in the capital Hanoi on Friday.
Police took his camera and, when he asked for it back, hit him on the 
head with it and punched him, the AP said in a report from Bangkok 
published on the Internet.
He then spent two and a half hours in a police station before being 
taken to a clinic where he had four stitches to his head.
"Reporters Without Borders condemns the arrest and mistreatment of 
Associated Press Hanoi bureau chief Ben Stocking by police while he was 
covering a peaceful demonstration by Vietnamese Catholics," the group 
said in a statement.
The AP has asked the Vietnamese authorities to apologize and return 
Stocking's camera, it said.
Vietnam denied the allegations. "Ben Stocking has violated Vietnam's 
laws by intentionally trying to take photos at prohibited areas," said 
foreign ministry spokesman Le Dung.
"It is totally untrue that Mr. Ben Stocking was beaten by Vietnamese 
security forces."
The US embassy in Vietnam said it had lodged a protest with the 
government over the incident, which took place during a protest by 
Catholic priests, monks and nuns against government construction work on 
land claimed by the Church.
"We strongly object to any aggressive actions being taken against any 
individuals American or otherwise who is observing or participating in a 
peaceful gathering," an embassy spokeswoman told Agence France-Presse.
"We have protested the incident to the government."









http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20080929-163547/QC-squatters-protest-eviction

QC squatters protest eviction
By Jeannette Andrade
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 11:42:00 09/29/2008

Filed Under: Housing & Urban Planning, Human Rights, Poverty, Conflicts 
(general)
MANILA, Philippines -- Some 50 residents of a squatter colony trooped 
Monday to the Commission on Human Rights compound to protest their 
impending eviction from a government lot in Quezon City.
The protesters, all clad in black, sought the intervention of CHR 
commissioner Leila de Lima as the local inter-agency committee, headed 
by the Quezon City police district, gave them until Saturday to stay on 
the 1,500-square meter property.
Pacita Quesada, 62, a resident of the area for 24 years, told the 
Philippine Daily Inquirer that a seven-day notice was given to at least 
75 families last Friday. "It is unfair to give us only seven days. We 
know that we settled on a property that we do not own and would 
voluntarily leave when asked, but they could at least give us more time 
to find means to move to new homes," she said.
She added that the QCPD was offering P3,000 to every family.
Inquirer learned that the QCPD was planning to build a model police 
station and fire station on the site.
The illegal residents also planned to troop to the Metropolitan Manila 
Development Authority, which would be implementing the demolition, to 
seek a moratorium on their scheduled eviction.







http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20080904-158721/Farmers-protest-incursions-into-Batangas-property

Farmers protest incursions into Batangas property
By TJ Burgonio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:21:00 09/04/2008

Filed Under: Protest, Agrarian Reform
MANILA, Philippines—Farmers picketed the Department of Agrarian Reform 
to protest violent "incursions'' into their property in Nasugbu, 
Batangas by a firm a developing a seaside resort there.
The farmers accused the SM Investment Corp. (SMIC) of employing armed 
guards to fence off portions of their farms in the village of Papaya 
inside Hacienda Looc and harass them if they resisted.
The guards beat up farmers who resisted the incursion, and even burned 
the home of one, they said.
We're not against development. But they should not use violence against 
us,'' Lerma Limboc, spokesperson for the farmers, said in an interview 
outside the DAR office.
The 8,600-hectare Hacienda Looc is owned by the Manila Southcoast 
Development Corp. (MSDC), which together with the SMIC is under the SM 
Group of Companies.
But the farmers claimed that the incursions into their property were 
unjustified because the Supreme Court had yet to rule on the land 
dispute after issuing a "status quo'' order in the late 1990s.
Besides, they held titles to their property, they added.
DAR granted a collective certificate of land ownership award (CLOA) and 
emancipation patents (EPs) to more than 100 farmers over a 2,700-hectare 
portion of Hacienda Looc in 1990.
It cancelled these five years later to give way to an ecotourism zone.
The farmers were offered a disturbance compensation, but the majority of 
them balked at the compensation, and filed a case that eventually 
reached the high court.
Hacienda Looc is a vast tract of valleys and mountains overlooking the 
South China Sea and straddling the villages of Looc, Papaya, Bulihan and 
Calayo.
The SMIC is developing a seaside resort in Papaya called Pico de Loro 
Cove, which is part of the 1,800-hectare land development project, 
Hamilo Coast.

"We traveled for hours to come here, and air our concern because nobody 
in Batangas is paying attention to us. We hope President Gloria 
Macapagal-Arroyo would listen to us,'' Limboc said.

The farmers appealed to the DAR to conduct an ocular inspection in the 
area to see for themselves the violation of the farmers' rights.
"As it is, the SMIC and MSDC are already selling membership shares in 
Hamilo Coast Resort Project and Pico de Loro,'' Armando Lemita, 
spokesperson of the farmers' group Ugnayan ng mga Magsasaka Laban sa 
Pangwawasak sa Kalupaan ng Hacienda Looc, said in an interview.







http://andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=36310

Dindi villagers protested coastal corridor
Updated: 09-09-2008 Email this Page

HYDERABAD : Over 1,000 Dindi villagers of Nizampatnam mandal on Monday 
expr-essed resentment over the proposed construction of coastal corridor 
by denying entry to the speical deputy collector, Srilatha, into their 
village. Sensing the mood, the police, along with the special duty 
collector and the police personnel left the village.

The villagers came to know that the special deputy collector was 
visiting Dindi village for discussion on land acquisition. The angry 
villagers squatted on the road near the bus stop on the outskirts of 
Dindi village located about 15 km from Nizampatnam.
The villagers blocked the road on the outskirts and obstructed the 
vehicle of the official who came to village for discussions on land 
acquisition. Disappointed with the unforeseen incidents, the official 
left the village even without entering it.
The villagers living in the coastal areas of Nizampatnam are reluctant 
to sell land to the government for the construction of the coastal 
corridor. The irate villagers chased the village revenue officer, 
Srinivas, with a motive to beat him. Luckily, he managed to escape with 
the help of the police.
Repalle circle-inspector, K. Nageswara Rao, rescued the VRO and took him 
to a safer place. The villagers alleged that the VRO was pro-government 
and was working against the wishes of the poor farmers.






http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/25/stories/2008082554950600.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

AIADMK plans demonstration
Special Correspondent
CHENNAI: The AIADMK will hold demonstration in Thiruvarur district on 
August 26 against the government’s attempt to acquire land for a Central 
university in Koradachery union. Party general secretary Jayalalithaa 
alleged that acquisition of 700 acres would deprive people in 
Perumpugalur, Neelakudi, Thiyagarapuram, Pommanatham, Karunakaranallur 
and Vandampalai of their livelihood.






http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/22/stories/2008082254671000.htm

Tamil Nadu

AIADMK activists stage demonstration
Special Correspondent
Photo: M. Sathyamoorthy

For a better deal: AIADMK activists staging a demonstration at 
Naduvattam near Gudalur on Thursday. —
Udhagamandalam: A demonstration was staged in front of the panchayat 
office at Naduvattam near Gudalur on Thursday, under the aegis of the 
AIADMK, in order to condemn what they termed as the anti people approach 
of the government.
The demonstrators condemned the steps that had been initiated by the 
forest department in order to evict farmers who had been cultivating 
crops in the area for about fifty years.
In addition to this, they also claimed that all the wards in Naduvattam 
panchayat lacked basic amenities and efforts to take up development 
activities were conspicuous by their absence in the whole region.
Besides this, they also condemned the government for its failure to 
fulfil its promise of giving free colour television sets to the people, 
liquefied petroleum gas connections, two acres of land and free house 
site pattas to all sections of the society.
The wages of the workers in the Manjushree Tea Plantations which have 
not been paid for the past six months should be settled immediately.






http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/19/stories/2008081950840300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Salem

Residents stage demonstration
Staff Reporter
— Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan

Voicing their woes: Residents of Angammal Colony staging a demonstration 
in Salem on Monday.
SALEM: Residents of the Angammal Colony staged a demonstration here on 
Monday urging the State government to allow them to resettle on their 
lands in the colony.
Evicted
They claimed that they were evicted from the colony, where they were 
living for the past several years. The government should take steps to 
resettle the residents in the colony, they said.
Court order
They also wanted the government to implement the Madras High Court order 
issued in this regard.
Protection
They appealed to the government to extend adequate protection to them. 
Revenue and police officials pacified the agitators.





http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081005/jsp/nation/story_9929646.jsp

Land protest in Maharashtra
SATISH NANDGAONKAR
Mumbai, Oct. 4: Like Mukesh Ambani, younger brother Anil too is facing 
opposition to a project in Maharashtra’s coastal Raigad, from where 
hundreds of farmers began a seven-day protest march to Mumbai yesterday.
Side by side, a power project by the Tatas — whom chief minister 
Vilasrao Deshmukh is wooing with land for the Nano plant — is also under 
fire.
Farmers are opposing the land acquisition process that started this week 
for two plants by the Anil Ambani-controlled Reliance Power, one based 
on coal and the other on gas. They will collectively generate 4,000MW at 
Shahapur in Raigad district’s Alibag tehsil, 110km from Mumbai.
Farmers in Pen tehsil of the district, 35km from Alibag, have already 
participated in a state-conducted referendum on Mukesh’s proposed 
special economic zone (SEZ) there, the outcome of which the government 
has not released.
Pen’s anti-SEZ farmers, protesting for two years, were furious today 
when Deshmukh did an about-turn and said a referendum could not be seen 
as state policy.
In Alibag, 500-odd farmers from 78 villages began their march from a 
temple last evening and are expected to reach Mumbai for a major protest 
on October 10.
They are protesting against Anil’s two plants as well as a 1,600MW 
thermal plant in the neighbourhood by Tata Power, for which a combined 
total of 4,000 acres are required.
Rajan Bhagat, member of the Alibag farmers’ committee that has been 
leading the protests along with the Peasants’ and Workers’ Party (PWP) 
since last year, said: “The land acquisition process has been initiated 
though the government knows the local people are against it.”
Bhagat said the project was likely to displace more than 50,000 people 
in 13 villages.
“The government has not been transparent… since the MoUs were signed 
with Reliance and Tata Power three years ago. Under the land acquisition 
law, a project report detailing the affected zone and explaining why so 
much land is required has to be submitted. That has not been done.”
He said that like the Pen villages where the Mukesh Ambani-promoted Maha 
Mumbai Special Economic Zone is to come up, the Alibag region too is a 
double-crop area.
Bhagat said Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, who is holding a 
conclave of his Nationalist Congress Party in Alibag, had turned down 
his request for an audience.
In Pen, Deshmukh had initiated the referendum to find out if acquisition 
of the 10,000 hectares would meet any opposition from the 5,900 
prospective landlosers.
Vaishali Patil, member of the Pen anti-SEZ committee, said the farmers 
would release the voting data they had collected during the September 21 
referendum in Pen on Monday.









http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1195530

Farmers protest at Sonia's rally
PTI
Saturday, October 04, 2008 19:01 IST


NEW DELHI: A group of farmers on Saturday disturbed the address of 
Congress President Sonia Gandhi during a rally here by raising slogans 
protesting poor compensation for farm land acquisition.
Around 30 farmers from Kanjawala village started raising slogans against 
Gandhi and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit when the Congress chief 
referred to the issue of farmers during her speech at the Chattrasal 
stadium.
However, unfazed by the protest, Gandhi continued with her address amid 
the din. The noisy protest drowned her speech and not much could be heard.
While the slogan shouting continued for over five minutes, angry 
Congress workers present at the venue clashed with the protesters 
consisting mostly elderly women.
Gandhi handed over certificates to 11 resident welfare associations for 
authorisation of regularised colonies at the programme.








http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/23/stories/2008092353790300.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Vizhinjam: protests gather momentum
Special Correspondent
Thiruvananthapuram: The public protest over the government notification 
on acquiring land for the proposed international deepwater container 
transhipment terminal at Vizhinjam gained momentum on Monday with 
hundreds of people blocking roads and staging dharnas at three places.
The agitation was organised by the Janakiya Prathirodha Samithi, an apex 
action council comprising the residents of Vizhinjam and neighbouring 
panchayats.
Participants in the dharna and road blockade, including a large number 
of women, shouted slogans and held placards demanding that the 
government cancel the notification and conduct a fresh survey. Action 
council convenor K. Satheeshkumar inaugurated the protest at the Kovalam 
junction. George Mercier, MLA, C.P. John, Communist Marxist Party 
leader, and representatives of various political parties and community 
organisations addressed the dharna. Similar protests took place at 
Kanjiramkulam and Mukkola. At Kanjiramkulam, a youth threatened to 
commit suicide by jumping from the parapet of a three-storey building. 
He was later dissuaded by his friends and escorted down the stairs of 
the building. A heavy police posse was deployed at the three places to 
prevent untoward incidents.







http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20081001-164058/Protest-mars-Arroyo-speech-in-Bacolod

Protest mars Arroyo speech in Bacolod
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 22:16:00 10/01/2008

Filed Under: Protest
MANILA, Philippines—A scuffle between policemen and leftwing activists 
marred President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's speech during the Masskara 
festival in Bacolod City on Wednesday.
Video footage aired on GMA-7 television showed policemen restraining the 
protesters, who were calling for genuine land reform.
The President was also seen pausing during her speech. It was not clear 
if she witnessed the commotion.







http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20081001-164020/6-nabbed-at-Bacolod-protest-vs-Arroyo

6 nabbed at Bacolod protest vs Arroyo
By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 17:12:00 10/01/2008

Filed Under: Protest, Agrarian Reform
MANILA, Philippines -- Six protesting farmers were arrested by police in 
Bacolod City on Wednesday after they held a protest rally just minutes 
away from where President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was attending the 
opening of the Negros Occidental capital’s Maskarra Festival.
Task Force Mapalad (TFM), a federation of agrarian reform beneficiaries, 
identified the six as Hermigildo Padilla, Romeo Pidoy, Everlito Alguna, 
Bonbon Alguna, Noel Estaris Jr., and Gerry Batalla, all workers of 
Hacienda Bacan, which is owned by the family of Arroyo’s husband, TFM 
president Jose Rodito Angeles.
The arrested farmers were allegedly “manhandled” by police as they were 
brought to the Bacolod City Police Station 1 to be charged with public 
scandal, Angeles said.
The farmers were protesting the delay in the distribution of the 
157-hectare sugarcane plantation that Angeles said had already been 
valuated by the Land Bank of the Philippines.
“Last July, the Department of Agrarian Reform [DAR] had ordered the Land 
Bank to issue a certificate of cash deposit in favor of Rivulet 
Agro-Industrial Corporation, which holds title to the hacienda, but the 
bank had not complied. DAR said it needed the certificate of deposit to 
generate and issue certificates of landownership award [CLoAs] to the 
farmer-beneficiaries,” Angeles added.
“All they wanted was to remind President Arroyo of her promise, declared 
publicly last May, that Hacienda Bacan would be distributed to the 
farmer-beneficiaries,” Angeles said, adding that their protest was 
“peaceful.”






http://cbs4.com/local/davie.mobile.home.2.810004.html

Sep 4, 2008 10:06 am US/Eastern
Davie Mobile Home Park Residents Protest Eviction
Residents Have Until February 28th To Move
Haga Clic Aquí Para Leer Este Titular En Español
DAVIE (CBS4) ―
Click to enlarge
Residents of Davie's largest mobile home park have until February 28th, 
2009 to move.
CBS

Some were angry, others fearful, all were frustrated. Wednesday night 
hundreds of residents of Davie's largest mobile home park marched on 
townhall to protest their eviction at a town council meeting.

More than 900 low income families call the Palma Nova mobile home park 
off Davie Road and I-595 their home. Last month, they received eviction 
notices from the park's owner and developer Austin Forman, one of 
Broward County's most politically influential businessmen, stating that 
they had until February 28, 2009 to move.

Wednesday evening they marched on to townhall to ask commissioners if 
there was something they could do to stop the eviction. They also want 
to know if they could stop paying rent before they move so they can save 
money.

"I've lived here for 19 years," Marion Grand said, as she cried. "I 
don't know what I'm gonna do, and I mean this is my home, and all of a 
sudden like they're just going to take my home away."

"What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?" wondered Karina Ramos.

Ramos and her young family saved and bought a mobile home in Palma Nova 
in July, 2008; a month before the eviction notices went out. Ramos told 
CBS4 reporter Carey Codd she feels betrayed.

"Why they did they do that to me," questioned Ramos. "They should have 
let me know, that way I don't buy this mobile home."

Most residents of Palma Nova are angry about the eviction notices. Not 
only will it require finding new schools for their children, they also 
know that it will be too expensive to move their mobile homes and nearly 
impossible to sell them if the home is old.

Families like the Ramos' will likely receive some money from the state, 
but not enough to cover what she's lost.

"Who's gonna give me my $6 thousand dollars back," demanded Ramos, 
"Nobody."

Council member Susan Starkey said she wants to know if there was any 
fraud involved by allowing people to move to the park recently if the 
owner already planned to sell.

Under state law, residents displaced from a single wide mobile home 
receive $1,375; from a doublewide $2,750. Resident who opt to move their 
mobile home are eligible for anywhere from $3, thousand to $6 thousand.

In accordance to the Town of Davie law, Palma Nova has provided 
residents with a list of affordable housing in the area. The park's 
owner has also hired a relocation company to help residents move. 
Another nearby mobile home park has said they are willing to take in 
some of the residents if they have newer mobile homes that can be moved.








http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/02/stories/2008090252430300.htm

Karnataka - Shimoga

Protest against road-widening work
Special Correspondent
SHIMOGA: Shopkeepers, vendors and residents of B.H. Road staged a 
protest on Monday against the proposed road-widening work here. Several 
shops remained closed for some time.
In a memorandum submitted to Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey, 
the protesters said that increasing the width of the road to 26 metres 
would cause a lot of hardship to shopkeepers, vendors and residents as 
they were likely to be uprooted.
The memorandum stated that earlier it was decided to increase the width 
of the road to 20 metres and so building owners had demolished the 
structures in accordance with that, incurring heavy expenditure. “Now 
that it has been decided to increase the width of the road to 26 metres, 
shopkeepers and business people will be hit hard,” it said.
The protesters appealed to the district administration to s



http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20080916-161042/Protest-camp-put-up-vs-demolition-in-Calamba

Protest camp put up vs demolition in Calamba
By Niña Catherine Calleja
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 17:38:00 09/16/2008

Filed Under: Protest
CALAMBA CITY, Philippines—Around 150 families residing in an urban poor 
community in Calamba City put up a protest camp on Tuesday after a 
Regional Trial Court issued a notice of demolition.
Judge Alberto Serrano of RTC in Calamba ordered last September 11, 2008 
the demolition of houses built in a three-hectare land of Sitio Kabute 
in the village of Real, Calamba City, which is now subject of a dispute 
as it was reportedly bought by Metrobank.

Melicia Almario, spokesperson of Samahan ng Maralita sa Sitio Kabute 
(SMSK) said through phone that they have been occupants in that land for 
over three decades.
"Who is Metrobank to take our lands? We have been staying here for a 
long time," she said in Filipino.
She said that some time in January 2008, armed policemen and security 
guards of Metrobank surprised residents and ordered a demolition even 
without presenting proper documents.
Out of fear and lack of knowledge in laws and due process, the residents 
demolished their own homes. But weeks later, with help from Bayan 
Muna-Southern Tagalog, the families reoccupied the lands.
The residents of Sitio Kabute staged a noise barrage in Crossing Calamba 
at around 12 noon to kick off their protest camp dubbed as "Kampong 
bayan laban sa demolisyon, dislokasyon at kahirapan (People’s camp vs 
demolition, dislocation, and poverty)."
Almario hit the city mayor for its incompetence in dealing with urban 
poor issues in Calamba.
"He allowed us to lose our homes without a sure relocation and 
livelihood," she added.
Meanwhile, Bayan-Muna staff Antonet Priscilla said that aside from Sitio 
Kabute, about 800 households from three other communities in Calamba are 
threatened with demolition.
On Monday, community leaders of Sitio Tibag and Sitio Kamkaman in 
Barangay 3, and Sitio Kabute held a dialogue with city officials on the 
issue of demolition.
According to Priscilla, the local government is offering the Community 
Mortgage Program (CMP), which to them is nothing but a "money-making 
business" of the Arroyo government.
"In CMP, the residents will just be burdened by debts because of the 
costly house rent. They will again be evicted ," Priscilla said.
Priscilla added that the government should instead focus on developing 
these communities and provide them with social services.
At 4 p.m., the residents will join other groups in a protest rally to be 
held in Crossing, Calamba. The rally is part of a week-long protest that 
will end on September 22 in Southern Tagalog to commemorate martial law.
Ernesto Aquino, executive assistant of Mayor Joaquin Chipeco, said they 
could no longer revoke the court order.
“But instead, what we can give is support to the residents who will be 
dislocated,” he said.
But, most of the residents in Sitio Kabute refused to accept the offer 
of relocation, he said.
In the CMP, Aquino said the residents were given opportunity to buy a 
house lot at a lower price.






http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/10/stories/2008091059880300.htm

Karnataka - Mangalore

DSS activists protest
Staff Correspondent
MANGALORE: Activists of the Dakshina Kannada unit of Karnataka Dalit 
Sangharsh Samiti staged a protest in front of the Bajpe Airport on 
Monday to urge the Government to fulfil various demands of people who 
were evicted for laying the second runway and new terminal building at 
the airport.
Manjappa Putran, district organising convenor, said that the State 
Government in 1989 had fixed a compensation of Rs. 250 a cent of land in 
Malavoor, Adyapady and Kenjar villages.










http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1426751.php/Victims_of_Indonesian_mud_volcano_protest_for_compensation

Victims of Indonesian mud volcano protest for compensation
Asia-Pacific News
Aug 25, 2008, 9:54 GMT
Jakarta - Hundreds of homeless residents from East Java province 
demanded compensation for their properties destroyed by a massive 
mudflow caused by an industrial accident.
More than 14,000 homes, 33 schools, 65 mosques and an orphanage have 
been buried since May 2006 when a 'mud volcano' began oozing to the 
surface following an oil-drilling accident in East Java district of 
Sidoardjo, an industrial suburb.
'Our two-year housing rents is running out, but so far we don't know yet 
when they would pay the remaining 80 per cent of compensation. Now, we 
have no place to stay,' said Heri Iswandi, one of the protest leaders, 
was quoted as saying by the state-run Antara news agency.
'This land still belong to us. We will continue to block the BPLS' works 
from continuing to built dams here until we get full payment of the 
compensation money,' Iswandi said.
BPLS is the government-sanctioned Sidoarjo Mud Mitigation Agency, which 
has been working to stem the flow with a network of dams and by 
channelling some of it into the sea, but with little success so far.
Gas leaks are increasingly common around the site as the weight of the 
mud causes the ground to sink and trapped gas makes its way to the surface.
The sludge also buried railway tracks and toll roads, causing serious 
traffic disruption.
The drilling operation, operated by the Indonesian company PT Lapindo 
Brantas, apparently hit an underground volcanic mud flow while drilling 
at a depth of 3,000 metres, allowing the sludge to spew to the surface.
Geologists, scientists, non-governmental organizations and many victims 
blame the company for irresponsible drilling. Lapindo is backed by two 
court rulings that said an earthquake near Yogyakarta, 250 kilometres 
away, triggered the mud volcano.
The government accepted responsibility last year for costs related to 
the disaster's social impact on people living outside swamped areas. But 
it ordered Lapindo to pay 3.8 trillion rupiah (425 million dollars) in 
partial compensation for the mud disaster.








http://www.koreanmovie.com/news/view/Protesters_demand_compensation_plane_338909/

Protesters demand compensation after plane crash in DR Congo
Posted 08 27 2008 5:34PM
GOMA, DRCongo (AFP) - More than a hundred people took to the streets in 
Democratic Republic of Congo Tuesday to demand compensation for the 
damage caused by a fatal plane crash in April.
Shop keepers and residents, whose stores and homes were destroyed when a 
DC-9 skidded off the runway while attempting to take off in the eastern 
city of Goma on April 15, said they had not yet received any compensation.
Dressed in black and carrying banners, the demonstrators marched over 
the site of the plane crash in Goma's financial and working-class 
district, Birere.
They then visited the headquarters of Hewa Bora, the private airline 
that chartered the DC-9 plane that crashed.
The shop owners value the damage at 900,000 dollars (610,000 euros) and 
say they have not received any compensation, despite Hewa Bora's promise.
The DC-9 plane suffered an engine problem after it skidded on water 
along the pothole-strewn runway in Goma, with the pilot first trying to 
continue his take-off then braking and losing control.
47 people died in the crash, which also left more than a hundred people 
injured and destroyed about a dozen homes and shops.
DRC's aviation sector, which is littered with ageing Soviet-era 
aircrafts, is generally viewed as being in a chronic state of disrepair.
All of DRC's 50-odd registered airlines have been placed on a European 
Union blacklist, with Hewa Bora having been added just a week before the 
fatal crash.







http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0906/ashford.html

Protest at Ashford Castle over access
Saturday, 6 September 2008 23:10
Over 200 people protested outside Ashford Castle this evening over 
disputed access rights to the grounds of the luxury hotel.
Local residents in the village of Cong say that since the castle changed 
hands in March, they have not been allowed into its woodlands.
The new owner, developer Gerry Barrett, has said that during 
renovations, some access to the garden area of the hotel had to be 
restricted for health and safety reasons.









http://www.workers.org/2008/us/lansing_0925/



Lansing, Mich., protest: ‘Moratorium now! No evictions!’
Published Sep 17, 2008 10:45 PM

WW photos: Cheryl LaBash and Alan Pollock

Streaming onto the state capitol grounds in Lansing on the morning of 
Sept. 17, hundreds from across the state of Michigan and beyond demanded 
passage of SB 1306, a bill that would enact a two-year moratorium on 
foreclosures. Demanding “Moratorium Now!” and “Bail out the people not 
the banks,” protesters held a spirited march, rally and people’s public 
hearing detailing both the devastation of foreclosures and the people’s 
will to keep fighting for a moratorium.

—Bryan G. Pfeifer
________________________________________
Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and 
distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without 
royalty provided this notice is preserved.








http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_590815.html?source=rss&feed=7

Northside council firing sparks protest
By Chris Togneri
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, September 30, 2008

On a day that the Central Northside Neighborhood Council announced 
progress on the Federal Hill housing and redevelopment project, about 25 
residents protested outside the council's board meeting, angered over 
the firing of its executive director.
The council fired executive director Michael Barber last week.
Shortly after 7 p.m., the protesters voiced their displeasure outside 
the Allegheny YMCA, where the council's board was holding a meeting. 
They carried signs and chanted, "Bring Michael back."

"Michael Barber has been in community development for over 20 years and 
is amazing at what he does," said one of the protesters, Jennifer 
Russell. She said she and others have demanded a meeting to discuss the 
moves, but the board has ignored their requests.
Council President Bill Buettin said he could not discuss the firing 
because of privacy concerns.
Reached at his home yesterday, Barber declined to comment.
In an e-mail to council members last night, Vice President Greg Spicer 
said the board discussed the firing at its meeting and that an 
announcement would follow "in the next few days."
"We should never lose sight of the fact that we're dealing with the 
livelihoods of two individuals who have a right to quietly get on with 
their lives," Spicer wrote.
During the protest, police officers told the group to move across the 
street because the YMCA felt the protesters were intimidating members 
and tenants. The group moved away from the entry doors and the police left.
The protest was the latest rift in a neighborhood that is deeply 
divided. Tensions in the Mexican War Streets spiked during a heated 
campaign leading up to board elections in the spring. A slate of 
candidates headed by Buettin swept the seven open seats.
Protester Myron Arnowitt said Buettin's group ran on a platform of 
openness and communication. Firing Barber without an explanation "seems 
completely contradictory to what they ran on," he said.
Meanwhile, the council announced that the city has agreed to maintain 
the curbs around the proposed planted medians on Federal Street.
Buettin said the medians will slow traffic and create a more 
pedestrian-friendly environment for the 23 town houses under 
construction in the area. Public Works initially opposed the idea, but 
now says it will build and maintain the medians. They should be built by 
spring, when the first town houses are completed.
"Getting the medians is huge," Buettin said. "We really wanted to give 
Federal Street more of a neighborhood feel."
The Central Northside Neighborhood Council is a nonprofit organization 
founded in 1970 to represent residents of the neighborhood. It offers 
resources to residents interested in jobs, home repair and improvement, 
and youth and social services, and oversees development projects.







http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/090508dnmetirvapartments.2065b18.html

Activist, residents clash with Irving on apartment closing
01:53 AM CDT on Friday, September 5, 2008
By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News
bformby at dallasnews.com
A Hispanic activist and a crowd of more than 40 Irving residents 
displaced during a recent abrupt apartment closing clashed with Irving 
police and city officials at an Irving City Council meeting Thursday.
Carlos Quintanilla tried to speak out about Irving's recent closing of 
the Vista Del Lago apartments during the citizens' forum portion of the 
meeting. But Mayor Herbert Gears abruptly adjourned the meeting without 
explanation after Mr. Quintanilla stood near the podium before his turn 
as another resident spoke about an unrelated matter.
"Carlos was attempting to disrupt the meeting," Mr. Gears said late 
Thursday. "It seemed like the best move to make."
But as City Council members left the chambers, angry former residents of 
the complex yelled and chanted in Spanish. Mr. Quintanilla rallied the 
crowd and vowed to protest at City Manager Tommy Gonzalez's home at 6 
p.m. today, despite an Irving police officer's warning to take any 
protests to City Hall.
The Vista Del Lago apartments were closed last month after city 
officials said they found dangerous conditions that threatened 
residents' safety, including raw sewage, exposed wiring and broken 
ceiling joints.
City officials have blamed the apartment owner for not taking care of 
his property despite collecting rent from residents. But Mr. Quintanilla 
said city officials should have given residents more time to move out. 
He also said officials should have told residents that city-tapped 
developer Delbert McDougal has a contract to buy the property.
Code Enforcement Director Teresa Adrian said the city was looking out 
for residents' safety. She said all properties receive the same scrutiny.
Mr. Quintanilla said the city is financially backing Mr. McDougal, but 
officials said the money Mr. McDougal uses to redevelop is loaned to him 
by Comerica Bank. The council approves Mr. McDougal's loan amounts 
because Irving has the option to take over any loan the developer 
defaults on, though it is not required to do so.
The council earlier in the evening was scheduled to vote on whether to 
raise Mr. McDougal's loan amount from $24 million to $40 million, but 
Mr. Gears said the item was postponed because of misconceptions about 
the financial arrangement. The city will have a public hearing before 
voting on the matter, he said.









http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/09/409666.html

Justice Not Crisis Homelessness Demonstration
NB | 29.09.2008 16:01 | Free Spaces | Social Struggles | Birmingham
*DEMO FOR THE HOMESLESS*

Campaign group JUSTICE NOT CRISIS are organising a demonstration to
highlight the issues of homelessness and other housing issues in 
Birmingham.

One of the main problems at present is the city councils refusal to sell
land to housing associations so they can bulid homes for socail rent. There
is £100MILLION of government grants allocateed for Birmingham that are not
being spent because of the councils policy. this money could build 2,000 
new
homes for rent.


*JOIN THE PROTEST*

We are squatting a piece of vacant council housing land on Thursday 30th
October and setting up the JOHN LINES HOMELESS VILLAGE. We are planning a
Halloween party for the Friday night to bring as much attention to the
issues as possible.

Come and join us. Bring a tent if you have one, or anything else that 
may be
useful.

The site of the demo wioll be made public during the afternoon of Thursday
30th October. Please visit the web site at:

www.justicenotcrisis.wordpress.com

email us at justice.not.crisis at googlemail.com

phone or text 07547 744 643
NB
e-mail: justice.not.crisis at googlemail.com
Homepage: http://www.justicenotcrisis.wordpress.com