[Onthebarricades] Indigenous protests, Aug-Sept 2008

[global resistance roundup]

* WEST PAPUA: Arrests for flag-raising
* WEST PAPUA: Protester shot during flag-raising
* WEST PAPUA: Explosions rock Freeport mine
* WEST PAPUA: Tribe questions govt over mining rights
* WEST PAPUA: Shooting at Indigenous People's Day in Wamena
* WEST PAPUA: March for independence in Jayapura
* PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Protest over Indonesian land grab
* WEST PAPUA: Guerrilla orders closure of Freeport
* VENEZUELA: Yukpa clash with ranchers, settlers
* PAKISTAN - NWFP: Soldiers murder protesters during protests over 
civilian deaths
* INDIA: Irula tribes demonstrate against land grab
* INDIA: Adivasi women make officials jittery
* ASSAM - INDIA: Seven injured during bandh
* INDIA: Hill tribe targets Vedanta mine
* US - DAKOTA: Indigenous protest over mining
* CANADA: Indigenous blockade in Caledonia over crap arrests
* CANADA: Quebec Algonquins protest state of schools
* CANADA: Protesters block highway in pipeline dispute, win interim 
agreement
* CANADA: Indigenous protesters disrupt Olympic train
* CANADA: Protest at school averted
* CANADA: Protests over school funding, child abuse




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Indonesia police arrest 18 for raising Papua
separatist flag

Agence France Presse - September 23, 2008

Timika -- Eighteen men have been arrested after an
outlawed separatist flag was raised in the Papua
province, Indonesian police said Tuesday.

Local police chief Jasim Hoda said several people
unfurled the "Free Papua" flag early Tuesday in
front of a house in Kwamki Baru village in the
Mimika district.

Police raided houses in the neighbourhood and found
weapons including dozens of bows and arrows and 10
air rifles.

"The 18 people arrested are all men. We still have
to conduct further investigations before naming
anyone we suspect of plotting against the state,"
Hoda told reporters.

Anyone convicted of displaying separatist symbols
faces life in prison in Indonesia, a sprawling
archipelago with a history of secessionist
rebellions.

Indonesia won sovereignty over Papua, a former
Dutch colony on the western half of New Guinea
island, in 1969 after a vote among a select group
of Papuans widely seen as a sham.

Papuans have long accused Indonesia's military of
violating human rights in the province and complain
that the bulk of earnings from its rich natural
resources flow to Jakarta.

---------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------

18 arrested in latest separatist flag incident

Jakarta Post - September 24, 2008

Markus Makur, Timika -- The police have arrested 18
individuals for allegedly hoisting the separatist
Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag Tuesday in
Mimika Baru district, Mimika regency, an act which
carries a maximum penalty of death under the
articles of sedition.

The flag was hoisted around 3:30 a.m. local time
(1:30 a.m. Jakarta time) in front of the Timika
office of the Papua Customary Council, said Mimika
police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Godhelp C. Mansnembra.

During the ceremony, around 60 villagers surrounded
the pole in a symbolic gesture of Papuan resistance
to and disappointment at the central government,
the police said.

"Police officers reached Kwamki Baru village some
30 minutes after the flag was raised," Godhelp told
reporters. "We have arrested and questioned 18
people in the case."

The police learned of the flag hoisting through a
tip provided by Timika residents, he said. "We have
investigated the reports and extended our patrols
in the Kwamki Baru area to about 3 a.m."

A flag, a pole, some bows and arrows and an air
rifle were confiscated from the hoisting site,
Godhelp said. The flag was made in Indonesia,
unlike those in previous incidents, which were
manufactured in the Netherlands, he added.

On Sept. 17, a separatist flag was hoisted in
Kwamki Lama subdistrict, with the police unable to
locate anyone involved.

The suspects in Tuesday's flag-hoisting will be
charged under the articles of sedition as well as
the emergency law.

"When we learn the identity of the leader behind
all this, we will make his name public," Godhelp
said, adding the motive behind the act was a desire
for independence.

"It was sedition against the Unitary State of the
Republic of Indonesia and an expression of
disappointment," he said.

Over the past year, police have received reports of
similar incidents occurring throughout Mimika
regency, Godhelp added.

"There is no reason for separatists to be
disappointed. The government has enacted policies
to help with development in Papua, including large
funds and block grants through state and regional
budgets."

When asked whether the flag-hoisting incident was
meant to distract police from their investigation
into a series of blasts in the PT Freeport
Indonesia concession area, Godhelp said the police
had anticipated such a move.

Separatists and civil liberties activists,
including former president Abdurrahman Wahid, have
urged the government not to criminalize the
hoisting of such flags, saying they are merely a
form of cultural expression.

The government banned the display of separatist
symbols and flags in 2007 through government
regulation no. 77/2007 on the use of regional
symbols.

---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------

DAP and MRP meet to discuss Wamena shooting
incident

Cenderawasih Post - September 4, 2008

The chairman of the MRP, Drs Agus Alua believes
that the flag-raising incident that resulted in the
shooting dead of Opinus Tabuni, a Papuan in Wamena
was handled in a way that was in violation of
presidential decree 77 (PP 77) about the use of
symbols. 'The intention of the President with PP77
was that it should be used persuasively,' he said.

With about ten incidents involving flag-raising
having occurred, problems have arisen relating to
PP77. 'None of the cases was handled in accordance
with the decree. This means that flag-raising will
continue to be a problem until a proper solution is
found.'

With reference to a meeting held the day before
between DAP and the MRP, DAP has sent a letter to
the police chief which states the conditions the
police should observe and hopes that the MRP will
support that position.

Agus Alua said that the shooting incident is quite
a separate matter from the flag-raising and the MRP
will call on the police to keep the issues quite
separate.

The chairman of the Dewan Adat, Forkorus
Yoboisembut together with other DAP members said
they reject the idea of the police continuing with
their investigations (into the flag-raising) until
they have revealed who was responsible for the
shooting incident. The shooting incident must be
dealt with first along with the motive for the
shooting. He said that raising a flag is not a
crime but murdering a man is certainly a crime.

He pointed out that on 7 July 2008, they were
commemorating World Indigenous People's Day, an
international event. The police should ensure that
during any investigations, two lawyers should be
present, one domestic and one from abroad, he said.

He said finally that once the police have told the
public who it was who murdered Tabuni, they would
ask people who it was who carried out the flag-
raising.

---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------

Two explosions near Freeport mine in Indonesia

Associated Press - September 12, 2008

Niniek Karmini, Jakarta -- Two small bombs exploded
early Friday on a road leading to a massive copper
and gold mine in eastern Indonesia and a third
unexploded mortar was found nearby, police said. No
one was injured and there was little damage.

The near-simultaneous explosions near the mine
operated by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.
targeted a bridge and a nearby security post 10
miles from the Grasberg mine in Papua province,
said PT Freeport Indonesia spokesman Mindo
Pangaribuan.

He refused to elaborate until a police
investigation was complete. "We can only say that
the incident did not disturb our operations," he
said. "Things are running normally."

Papua is home to separatist rebels who have long
denounced the mine as a symbol of Jakarta's rule
over the region and were blamed for a 2004 attack
on the same road that left two Americans dead.
Indonesian security forces hired by Freeport were
initially suspected of taking part in those
killings to extort higher protection payments from
the New Orleans-based company.

"An unidentified group was trying to attack
Freeport's facilities," said military Lt. Col. Tri
Suseno, as more than a dozen members of the
country's elite anti-terrorism unit arrived,
discovering a third unexploded mortar under a
bridge.

Police chief Maj. Gen. Bagus Ekodanto said a
little-known group calling itself the West Papua
National Army had circulated pamphlets in recent
days demanding the mine's closure, but that it was
not yet clear if the events were related. "We're
still investigating," he said.

The Grasberg mining complex is one of the world's
largest single producers of copper and gold, the
company says on its Web site. It says that open-pit
mining at the site began in 1990 and is expected to
continue until mid-2015.

The mine has seen violent worker protests in the
past, and environmental groups accuse the company
of alleged pollution and stripping the desperately
poor province of its natural resources.

Indonesia tightly controls journalists' access to
the province and Freeport routinely turns down
requests to visit the sprawling mine.

---------------------------------------------------

Gunshots heard before Freeport bomb

Jakarta Post - September 12, 2008

Repeated gunshots were heard seven hours before the
blasts on Thursday night at a road in Timika,
Papua, leading to a massive mine operated by
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., the police
said.

"There were repeated gunshots seven hours before
the bomb exploded, but the authorities never found
those who fired them, "said Insp. Gen. Abubakar
Nataprawira in a press conference in Jakarta on
Friday.

He said another round of gunshots were heard a
month before around the same area that leads to the
Grasberg mining complex, which is one of the
world's largest single producer of copper and gold.

Abubakar said the blast happened at about 1 p.m.
and that the type of explosive used was of an older
generation of mortar typically used during the war
in Papua. He did not specify which war.

"There were actually two mortars, placed on a
burning stove. Only one of those mortars exploded,"
he said explaining the mechanism used by the
perpetrator.

According to The Associated Press more than a dozen
members of the country's elite anti-terrorism unit
arrived at the scene. "An unidentified group was
trying to attack Freeport's facilities," said
military Lt. Col. Tri Suseno.

Papua is home to separatist rebels who have long
denounced the mine as a symbol of Jakarta's rule
over the region. Rebels were blamed for a 2004
attack on the same road that left two Americans
dead.

Indonesian security forces hired by Freeport to
guard the mine were initially suspected of taking
part in those killings to extort higher protection
payments from the New Orleans-based company.

The mine has seen violent worker protests in the
past, and environmental groups accuse the company
of pollution and stripping the desperately poor
province of its natural resources.

Indonesia tightly controls journalists' access to
the province and Freeport routinely turns down
requests to visit the sprawling mine.

---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------

Indonesia's Papua rebels seek closure of Freeport
mine

Reuters - September 15, 2008

Jakarta -- A separatist group in Indonesia's Papua
province claimed responsibility on Monday for a
series of bomb attacks in the area and called for
the closure of a controversial huge copper mine.

A small bomb exploded near the remote province's
Timika airport on Sunday after two blasts on Friday
near a mine operated by the local unit of US firm
Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.

No casualties were reported in the explosions and
Freeport's operations were not disrupted.

Freeport's Grasberg mine -- believed to have the
world's third-largest copper reserve -- has been a
frequent source of controversy over its
environmental impact and the share of revenue going
to Papuans.

Kelly Kwalik, chief of the Free Papua Movement
(OPM), issued a letter to members of the group
urging them to take action to push for the closure
of Freeport's mine. The letter was obtained by
Reuters on Monday.

"I as the highest commander of the OPM with a brave
heart issue this instruction for the closure of
Freeport's mine because the presence of the company
has been causing many problems leading to clashes
among Papuan people," Kwalik said in the letter.

He wants the Papuan independence issue to be
discussed during the United Nations General
Assembly meeting this month. Kwalik told Reuters
his group were responsible for the recent attacks.

Independence activists in Papua have waged a
campaign for nearly 40 years to break away from
Indonesia, while a low-level armed rebellion has
also simmered, often related to disputes over the
sharing of rich natural resources.

The Grasberg mine accounts for 40 percent of
Freeport's total copper reserves of 93 billion
pounds, according to the company's website.
Freeport is the world's largest publicly traded
copper miner. (Reporting by Telly Nathalia in
Jakarta and Oka Barta Daud in Jayapura; Editing by
Sugita Katyal)

---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------

Papuan tribe questions govt over issued mining
licenses

Jakarta Post - August 18, 2008

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura -- A traditional
tribal community in Waigeo, Raja Ampat regency, in
Papua, has questioned the government's decision to
authorize nine mining companies to operate in their
region.

Members of Maya, a traditional community of the
Kawei tribe, said the central government had
neglected their rights as traditional people as
stipulated under the law on regional autonomy by
failing to notify them of the issued mining
licenses.

"Their (the companies) presence is not benefiting
the traditional community," Christine Ayello of
Maya Kawei's women's group told journalists in
Jayapura on Saturday.

Christine said companies operating on Manoram
Island, for example, were only obliged to pay Rp
1,000 (10 US cents) for every ton of mined produce
they transported from the island.

"This is completely unfair," she said. "Papua has
been given a special autonomy, so why are our
rights as a traditional community ignored? Who
benefits from this special autonomy?"

Christine said her community was able to benefit
from the riches of the land without resorting to
industrial mining. "Just from fishing, we can earn
Rp 60,000 to Rp 100,000 a day. Our sea is very rich
in fish," Christine said.

The community feels that as they live in harmony
with their land, neither depleting its natural
resources or damaging the environment, that mining
companies should have no right to operate in the
area.

"So far no company has dared enter Kawei Island as
we take very good care of it," said Kawei Maya
traditional community leader Korinus Ayello.

Mining companies reportedly entered the traditional
region of Waigeo after acquiring licenses issued in
2003 by then Raja Ampat caretaker regent Marcus
Wanna.

However, Korinus urged the local administration to
review all mining licenses.

He also called on the administration to involve the
traditional community in issuing mining licenses,
citing that the body was obliged by law to take
into account the rights of traditional people.

He said it would be more prudent for the government
to develop Raja Ampat regency as a marine industry
rather than as a mining site, citing that a fishing
industry would benefit from the region's abundance
of fish and would not damage the local tourism
industry.

Chairman of Conservation International Indonesia
for Sorong region Albert Nebora said a marine-based
development concept could preserve the environment
and create more jobs in environmentally-friendly
industries.

"With a mining-based concept, on the other hand,
the regency could be rich within 20 years. But
after that, we would only be devastated by
environmental damages," he said.

Raja Ampat is famous for its natural beauty, and
especially its coral reefs, Albert said. "Seventy-
five percent of the world's coral reefs are located
in Papua, including in Raja Ampat," he said.

"Just come to Waigeo if you want to enjoy the most
complete collections of the world's coral reefs."

That is why, he said, his organization had been
providing the local administration with support and
input to promote environmentally-friendly
developments. "We do so for the sake of the
preservation of nature," he said.

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=================^==================================
I N D O L E F T - News service > >
=================^==================================

Papuans demand investigation into Wamena shooting,
democratic space

Detik.com - August 22, 2008

Didi Syafirdi, Jakarta -- Around 20 West Papuans
from the United West Papua Popular Struggle Front
(Pepera) held an action at the Hotel Indonesia
roundabout in Central Jakarta on Friday August 22.

They were demanding that the administration of
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice
President Jusuf Kalla hold a full and complete
investigation into the shooting of Opinus Tabuni
during a commemoration of the International Day of
the World's Indigenous People in Wamena, West Papua,
on August 9.

The protesters arrived at the Hotel Indonesia
roundabout at 11am in a Metro Mini bus. As soon as
they arrived, they began giving speeches and
unfurled to banners reading “Open up democratic
space for the West Papuan people”, “Uphold the UN
declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples” and
“Fully investigate the August 9 2008 incident in
Wamena West Papua”. A poster reading “Withdraw the
military from the West Papua region” was also
displayed.

“Fully investigate the shooting of the civilian in
Wamena, West Papua immediately. We are urging the
parties concerned to open up democratic space for
the Papuan people”, said action coordinator Viktor
Kogoya.

According to Kogoya, to this day Papuans have still
not been given guarantees of the freedom of
expression and to convey their views as regulated
under the 1945 Constitution. Papuans are still
deemed as separatists and violent methods are still
used frequently by the government against the Papuan
people. “We call for the military to leave Papua
immediately”, they demanded.

The action was quite brief with protesters
disbanding after half-an-hour of giving speeches.
The action caused no disruption whatsoever to
traffic in the vicinity of the Hotel Indonesia
roundabout, although scores of police could be seen
on guard during the action. (sho/nrl)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

****************************************************

http://www.unpo.org/content/view/8505/154/

West Papua: Fatal Shooting at UN Indigenous People Day in Wamena
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Demonstrators want to hold their stand until international intervention 
in West Papua is decided upon.


Below is an article published by Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human 
Rights:

Reports from Wamena this afternoon [10 August 2008] state that there has 
been a fatal shooting at an event to celebrate UN Indigenous Peoples 
Day. Reports say that rally event involves 20,000 local people.

The man who was shot is identified as Mr Opinus Tabuni, age 35. Mr 
Tabuni is said to have been shot in chest and killed after Indonesian 
security forces fired into the crowd at about 3.45 pm today [10 August 
2008].

Mr Tabuni is said to have been an organiser for the Tribal Council in 
the Wamena region (Lapago) and appears to have been coordianting the event.

The demonstrators have raised four flags. These are the United Nations 
flag, the Indonesian flag, the West Papuan Morning Star flag and the SOS 
emergency flag.

The demonstrators are said to be refusing to move from the site of the 
demonstration until there is now International intervention in West Papua.

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=a72964c40d44d5af7f80bfa9a4891eef

New Violence in Indonesia over Papuan Independence
New America Media, News Report, Bramantyo Prijosusilo, Posted: Aug 17, 2008
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Opinus Tabuni, 35, was shot dead during a peaceful 
rally in the city of Wamena in the picturesque Baliem valley in the 
Indonesian province of Papua on August 9th.

Yeremiah Pigay,19, an anthropology student, was amongst the participants 
of the rally. He said over the phone that thousands of tribes’ people, 
many armed with traditional bows and arrows and spears, had gathered in 
Baliem to mark the U.N.’s Indigenous Peoples Day. The rally began at 
around 11 A.M and ended in chaos at about 2.30 P.M when the police began 
to fire and some in the crowd responded by throwing stones. A bullet hit 
and killed Mr. Tabuni, who was an organizer of the rally. One soldier 
was reportedly injured.

Mr. Pigay said that the police fired single shots for approximately 15 
minutes to disperse the crowd after the organizers of the rally raised 
the Papuan Morning Star flag. The Morning Star was raised alongside the 
Indonesian national flag, a U.N. flag, and a white flag serving as a 
S.O.S signal.

The situation in Wamena is now tense and non Papuan Indonesians are 
reportedly seeking protection in the city because of rumors of possible 
attacks by angry mobs of indigenous people.

Not all Indonesians agree with the ban on the Morning Star. During the 
presidency of the blind cleric Abdurrahman Wahid (1999-2001) the people 
of Papua were allowed to express their political aspirations peacefully. 
Late last year Mr. Wahid, who is known for his liberal and democratic 
views, declared that the Morning Star flag is a cultural icon and the 
government is stupid to ban it. However, Papuans continue to receive 
harsh consequences for raising the Morning Star.

Indonesian Papua has seen a low-key military and political struggle for 
independence for several decades. During the repressive rule of the late 
General Suharto (1966-1998) the Indonesian government’s only response to 
independence aspirations was to send in the guns. Since democracy began 
to take root after the fall of Suharto the government has awarded 
autonomy to Papua, and divided the province in to two, Papua and West 
Papua, but the aspirations for independence have not abated. The land is 
rich in minerals and other natural resources but the majority of the 
indigenous tribes, some who have been living in Stone Age cultures for 
millennia, have yet to enjoy a share of the wealth of their land.

The US mining company Freeport Indonesia/Rio Tinto exploits the Grasberg 
mine, which contains the planet’s largest single copper and gold 
reserve. In the past, Freeport has been in conflict with the local 
population over several issues, namely the desecration of sacred areas, 
the exclusion of the local work force and massive environmental 
destruction. The Indonesian military has reportedly received large sums 
from Freeport to guarantee security of the mining operations that dumps 
over 220 thousand tones of tailings into the Ajkwa River every day, 
polluting massive areas of forest and waterways and ultimately sea.

The shooting in Wamena coincides with the receipt of a letter from 40 
USA members of Congress, requesting the Indonesian government to release 
two Papuan independence activists who are in prison.

Former government civil servant Filep Karma and student Yusak Pakage are 
currently serving 15 and 10 years in prison respectively for expressing 
hostility and hatred towards the state. The “hostility and hatred” 
relates to their participation in a ceremony in December 2004, when the 
Morning Star flag was raised. Amnesty International considers Filep 
Karma and Yusak Pakage to be prisoners of conscience detained for the 
peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression and has been 
calling for their immediate and unconditional release.

In Jakarta, several members of parliament, including speaker Hidayat Nur 
Wahid, military figures, and the anti-democratic Islamist party Hizb ut 
Tahrir, seized the news of the letter from the US members of Congress, 
as an opportunity to condemn what they described as “US intervention in 
Indonesian domestic affairs.” On Sunday (August 10, 2008) Hizb ut Tahrir 
attempted to stage a massive demonstration in down-town Jakarta 
rejecting US intervention in West Papua, but only managed to gather 
several score of supporters.

In a separate development, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda 
said that several Papuans who had sought asylum in Australia want to 
return home. Mr. Wirayuda was speaking in an exclusive interview with 
Melbourne’s The Age’s reporter in Jakarta ahead of talks with Australian 
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith. In 2006, 43 Papuan independence 
supporters fled to Australia by canoe and were granted asylum. Mr. 
Wirayuda said that the situation in Papua had improved and that the new 
Lombok Treaty, scheduled to come into force this year, committed 
Australia not to allow its territory to be used "as a staging point for 
separatist movements from Indonesia".

There is also the risk of religious conflict in Indonesian Papua, fueled 
partly by the rise of both Christian and Islamist fundamentalism and 
migration. As Indonesia continues to wield a heavy hand in West Papua, 
the independence movement will increase in strength. If this trend 
continues, more blood will flow, and ultimately, the non-Papuan, Muslim 
Indonesians there will suffer the most.

Bramantyo Prijosusilo is a contributing writer for NAM based in Indonesia.







http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/2084666

Papuans march for independence
Published: 11:34PM Wednesday September 17, 2008
Source: Reuters
• Read
About 1,000 people marched through the capital of Indonesia's eastern 
province of Papua to demand a referendum on Papuan independence, a 
witness said.

The march in Jayapura came days after a string of bomb blasts at an 
airport in Papua and near a copper mine run by the local unit of US 
mining firm Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.

A separatist group in Papua claimed responsibility for the blasts, 
saying it wanted the independence issue to be discussed during the UN 
General Assembly meeting this month.

In a separate incident in Timika, a town near the Freeport mine, 
separatists raised the Morning Star flag, the symbol of the Free Papua 
Movement (OPM), police said.

"Independence is our basic right as Papuans. So we hoisted the Morning 
Star in Timika and marched today for a referendum," Seblon Sambom, 
spokesman of the protesters, said.

Independence activists in Papua have waged a campaign for nearly 40 
years to break away from Indonesia, while a low-level armed rebellion 
has also simmered, often related to disputes over the sharing of rich 
natural resources.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has promised to end 
decades of conflict in Papua and speed up development but critics say 
rights abuses continue and little has been achieved under the 2001 
special autonomy agreement for Papua.

Indonesia has denied any systematic violations in Papua, although human 
rights groups have alleged that security services in the area have 
routinely abused their powers.






http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/2008/09/11/brk,20080911-134875,uk.html

Gunshots Reported in Papua
Thursday, 11 September, 2008 | 08:50 WIB
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta : Gunshots broke early on Thursday around 
Freeport Indonesia site in Kuala Kencana, Timika. The city police 
precinct said it received the report from the mining company's security 
guard saying the gunshots were heard at about 3 AM local time (5 AM 
Jakarta time).
Mimika Resort Police have confirmed the report, but the ressort police 
chief Senior Commissioner Aide Godhelp Cornelis Mansnembra said the 
perpetrators were not known yet adding that the Amole (a special unit 
from the police Mobile Brigade securing the Freeport area) and the 
military have checked the area but have not found anything. The police 
are investigating the incident.
The incident happened after rumors that the Organization of Free Papua 
planned to hoist the Morning Star flag as the information of the US 
ambassador to Indonesia visit to the province was circulating.
Tjahjono Ep






http://news.theage.com.au/national/group-protests-annexing-of-png-land-20080915-4gux.html

Group protests 'annexing' of PNG land
September 15, 2008
Papuan nationalists have protested in Canberra against what they say is 
an occupation of Papua New Guinea territory by the Indonesian military.
About a dozen demonstrators, some wearing indigenous costume, chanted 
slogans and sang songs outside the Indonesian embassy against the 
alleged incursion.
Independence group, the West Papua National Authority, accused the 
Indonesian army of occupying more than six kilometres of PNG territory 
across the border from Indonesia's Papua province.
"A so-called free-trade zone established between Indonesia and Papua New 
Guinea has been annexed by Indonesian soldiers," group foreign affairs 
coordinator Jacob Rumbiak said.
"This militarisation threatens West Papuan refugees living in PNG and 
West Papuans living in their own homes along the border.
"It is typical of what is happening across all of West Papua."






http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0809/S00347.htm

West Papuan Guerrilla Commander Shuts Down Mine
Thursday, 18 September 2008, 10:30 am
Press Release: Institute for Papuan Advocacy And Human Rights
Human Rights Report 16 September 2008
West Papuan guerrilla commander orders closure of Freeport mine
Orders issued by General Kelly Kwalik of the West Papuan Liberation Army 
(TPN) are confirmed to be the reason for a series of explosions and 
shots being fired around the Freeport mine in West Papua in the past week.
This information is based on communication with Kelly Kwalik's men in 
Timika and documentation supplied by Kelly Kwalik. Kelly Kwalik states 
the purpose of the guerrilla campaign is to 'Close Down Mining' and to 
bring international attention to the situation at Freeport and West Papua.
Vote Yes for Children in the 2009 referendum
Kelly Kwalik has reported he is taking these actions both as a 
traditional landowner of the Freeport mine area and as an Operational 
Commander of the West Papua Liberation Army.
Kwalik has stated the reasons for his action as the ongoing tribal 
conflicts caused by the mine, the ongoing abuses of the human rights of 
the indigenous peoples, the destruction and pollution of the environment 
associated with the mines operation and that the presence of this 
company has invited many kinds of problems especially among the people 
who are living in the surrounding of mining area.
Kwalik seeks also to address the problems in West Papua of lack of 
political rights for West Papuan indigenous people and to express their 
desire for political independence. Kwalik says, "The Closing of this 
mining will be done until there is an West Papua nation which has its 
own independence separated from NKRI (the unitary state of Indonesian 
Republic)".
Kwalik say he supports for international sponsored dialogue as the 
mechanism through which a negotiated settlement which can give benefits 
to the West Papua people and the landowners at Freeport.
Paula Makabory representing the Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human 
Rights said. "We are able to confirm that Kelly Kwalik orders are the 
reason why there has been gunshots and explosions around the Freeport 
mining concession."
'The reports indicate that the guerrillas are targeting mine facilities 
and infrastructure rather than civilians or security forces in this 
action. Kelly Kwalik has clearly ordered that the mine will be the 
target of guerrilla campaign until West Papua sovereignty issues are 
resolved."
Matthew Jamieson also from Institute for Papuan Advocacy and Human 
Rights said, "The commencement of this campaign has major implications 
for the security of West Papuans in the Freeport area, especially the 
traditional owners, because of the likelihood of reprisals by the 
Indonesian security forces. In the past there has been significant human 
rights abuse associated with the mine security and we expect that there 
will be a significant increase military activity because of these recent 
actions."
Matthew Jamieson went on to say, "Kelly Kwalik first attacked the mine 
in 1972, significantly disrupting mining operations. This lead to a 
sustained Indonesian military campaign and widespread reprisals, 
including bombing and strafing villages, both in the immediate area of 
the mine and elsewhere in the highlands where people had nothing to do 
with the mine. Many thousands of local people were reportedly killed at 
this time."
"Since then Kwalik group has been in the jungle operating outside 
Indonesian control. Kwalik's principal political actions have been 
maintaining a guerrilla force, evading capture by Indonesian security 
forces and undertaking flag raising events in areas mostly outside 
Indonesian military control."
"In 1995 the Indonesian military together with Freeport security were 
accused of the killings of a large number of traditional landowners 
including Kwalik's immediate relatives."






http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/09/22/editorial-shooting-flag-carrier.html

Editorial: Shooting flag carrier
Mon, 09/22/2008 12:43 PM | Opinion
A series of events unraveled in Papua over the past month, ranging from 
a peaceful rally to a flag-raising and a series of small bombings, all 
linked to what Jakarta perceives as acts of separatism.
Because Jakarta sees all these events as related to separatism, its 
response is all too expected: harsh and uncompromising. Just look at 
what happened in Wamena a month ago, and in Mimika in the past week or so.
What happened in Wamena on August 9 began as a peaceful rally to 
commemorate the United Nations' Indigenous Peoples Day. During the 
rally, a small number of people raised the Papuan Bintang Kejora 
(Morning Star) flag, but security personnel reacted quickly, shot and 
shot, killing one person, Opinus Tabuni.
Opinus Tabuni has now become a symbol of Jakarta's oppression of 
Papuans. People are regularly staging demonstrations in Jayapura and 
elsewhere demanding the authorities investigate and resolve the shooting 
case.
But why is there no response yet? Isn't it all too clear that one person 
has already become a victim of shooting -- why haven't the police 
launched an investigation? Do they really care?
While this shooting case remained unresolved, incidents played out in 
other parts of Papua, which security officials easily blamed on Papuan 
separatists.
In the past two weeks, a series of small bombings hit three different 
locations at the site of PT Freeport Indonesia, a copper and gold mining 
giant -- one near the Timika airport and two at the highway leading to 
Freeport's mining concessions. The bombings caused only minor damage.
The police said the explosions were from two small bombs and a mortar, 
made in the 1941-1943 period. They blamed rebels from the Free Papua 
Movement (OPM) for the bombings.
After these small bombings, as if to confirm the police's statements, a 
group of people raised the Morning Star flag at Kwamki Lama village, 
Mimika Baru subdistrict in Mimika, early last Wednesday.
A large number of policemen were deployed to the village to search for 
the unknown people who hoisted the flag. But the perpetrators left the 
scene before the police arrived. Mimika Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. 
Godhelp Mansnembra described the flag raising as an act of "sedition, 
organized by a separatist group working in Mimika regency".
 From such a series of incidents, we can see that the police seem to 
care more about catching people hoisting the Morning Star flag, rather 
than securing the rally in Wamena, for instance, or providing security 
for people in Mimika regency. As if flag raising is more dangerous than 
murder or bombings.
 From these incidents, the big questions arise: Do Papuans feel like a 
part of Indonesia, and does Indonesia care about Papuans? The answers to 
both questions, we are afraid, are "NO". And this needs serious 
attention, especially from politicians in Jakarta.
One of the problems actually stems from Jakarta's own decision in 2007 
to outlaw the raising of the Bintang Kejora flag, with those doing so 
facing imprisonment. This decision originates from Jakarta's perception 
that the Morning Star flag is a symbol of separatism in Papua.
This decision only creates problems on the ground, with people tempted 
to raise the forbidden flag, and the police trying their best to arrest 
and imprison them. And often, acts on the ground swerve to different 
directions, as happened in Wamena when one man was killed.
In reality, not all Papuans consider the Morning Star flag a symbol of 
separatism. They simply consider it a local symbol, just like any other 
provincial flag adopted by other provinces in Indonesia.
Thus the ban on the flag being raised creates more problems, and will 
not resolve the issue of separatism in Papua. Therefore, we welcome last 
week's statement from Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono that the raising 
of the Morning Star flag by Papuans should not be considered an act of 
separatism, but rather an attempt to seek attention from Jakarta.
Although Juwono was accompanied by Australian Defense Minister Joel 
Fitzgibbon when he made the statement, we believe Juwono was genuine in 
his statement and suggestions on how to resolve the problems affecting 
Papua, which we also share, saying "We should seek dialogue with them 
(Papuans) instead of punishing them."
We must stop punishing Papuans. The government must follow up on 
Juwono's statement and abolish the ban on the hoisting of the Morning 
Star flag. Otherwise, the police and the military will continue to hunt 
down, and even shoot, Papuans hoisting the flag they love.








http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43713

VENEZUELA: Yukpa Indians Clash with Ranchers and Soldiers
By Humberto Márquez

CARACAS, Aug 28 (IPS) - "The army's rifles should be used to protect 
Venezuela or its people, not to fire over our heads," Sabino Romero, the 
young deputy "cacique" (chief) of the Yukpa community of Chaktapa, 
complained to reporters, describing the behaviour of the armed forces in 
the northwestern mountains of Perijá, near the Colombian border.

His grandfather, 97-year-old José Manuel Romero, died on Jul. 22 of 
injuries inflicted by hired thugs who descended on the elderly man's 
community at a time when it had been left unguarded. They knocked him to 
the ground and kicked and beat him, according to Yukpa witnesses.

The thugs are presumed to be in the employ of local ranchers, in 
particular the Vargas family, which has connections with military 
commanders, according to activists from groups that support the 
indigenous people. Several estates owned by the Vargas family are 
claimed by the Yukpa as part of their ancestral lands, and have been 
occupied by the indigenous people.

The dispute was made known to the public by Romero and three other young 
Yukpa activists who travelled to Caracas. Underlying the conflict is the 
systematic theft of the ancestral territories of the Yukpa, Barí and 
Wayuu peoples, by cattle ranchers for their present use, and for future 
extraction of coal, phosphates and other minerals, anthropologist Lusbi 
Portillo told IPS.

"In fact, 28,000 hectares of Yukpa lands were given in concession to 
Corpozulia (the Zulia State Development Corporation) with a view to 
mining for phosphate," Portillo, the head of the environmental 
organisation Homo et Natura, told journalists in Caracas, alongside the 
indigenous delegation.

The Wayuu, the largest indigenous community in Venezuela, with 300,000 
members on the Venezuelan side of the border and another 200,000 in 
Colombia, together with the Yukpa and Barí peoples, have been battling 
coal mining and the extraction of other minerals in their territories 
for several years.

The Wayuu ancestral lands are located in the northern part of the Sierra 
de Perijá mountain range, while the Yukpa and Bari traditional 
territories are in the central and south-central areas of the Sierra.

The Perijá mountain chain runs roughly north to south between the 
Maracaibo basin to the east and the higher Sierra Nevada de Santa María 
mountains (in Colombia) to the west, which separate the Perijá range 
from the Caribbean sea. The Sierra de Perijá forms part of the 
Venezuela-Colombia border.

The entire length of the Perijá mountain range is rich in coal deposits, 
which are intensively mined on the Colombian side of the border at 
Cerrejón and elsewhere, producing more than 40 million tonnes of coal a 
year. On the Venezuelan side, three mines produce about 10 million 
tonnes a year.

"The core of our proposal is that the government should permanently 
cancel the mining concessions, or that parliament should revoke them. We 
want the indigenous territories to be demarcated, with the participation 
of the indigenous communities and their allies, and we want plots of 
land (owned by non-indigenous people) to be bought (by the government) 
as necessary, so that they can live in peace," Portillo said.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez addressed the issue last Sunday on his 
weekly talk show, Aló Presidente. "We stand with the indigenous people, 
with the Yukpa," he stated. "No one should have any doubt: between the 
landowners and the Yukpa, the revolutionary government is with the 
indigenous people."

The president instructed his ministers to find a solution, "and if 
necessary, we will compensate the (infrastructure) improvements made by 
the ranchers" in order to give the land back to the Yukpa, he said. 
Interior and Justice Minister Ramón Rodríguez was charged with 
investigating the death of the elderly José Manuel Romero.

A few years ago, groups of Yukpa, together with members of the Barí 
community, came down from the Sierra de Perijá mountains where they had 
been subsisting on unproductive land in miserable conditions for over 
half a century, to occupy idle land on cattle ranches on the plains 
between the mountain range and Lake Maracaibo.

"We are not invading the ranchers' lands, but recovering land that used 
to belong to our grandparents. We came down to farm on the plains, so 
that our children do not die in the mountains," said 23-year-old Daisy 
González, an activist from the Yukpa community of Guamo.

In the 20th century, prospecting for oil and the advance of the cattle 
ranching frontier drove local indigenous groups up into the mountains. 
The 1999 constitution provides for the demarcation of their territories, 
but although this has been done in other remote areas of the country, it 
has not yet happened in Zulia.

The Yukpa belong to the Carib language group, and number over 10,000, 
distributed in 164 communities. The people from some of these, like 
Chaktapa and Guamo, located on the banks of the Yaza river, 650 
kilometres west of Caracas, have laid claim to a dozen estates, and have 
occupied portions of several of them, leading to clashes with ranchers.

Government commissions have sought to mediate in the conflicts, and the 
National Guard was mobilised to prevent an escalation of the violence, 
while university students and activists of the National Association of 
Free, Alternative and Community Media (ANMCLA) are waging a campaign in 
favour of the indigenous peoples' land rights. The Yukpa's land 
occupations "threaten the country's territorial and food security," 
because the area produces 100,000 litres of milk a day, said Rubén 
Barboza, the head of the Maracaibo Lake Basin Ranchers' Federation 
(FEGALAGO). The plains to the west of Lake Maracaibo are a centre of 
meat and dairy production.

But attempts to reach an agreement have fallen flat. Some ranchers are 
demanding that the indigenous people be evicted before they will set 
down at the negotiating table, while the Yukpa from Chaktapa and Guamo 
complained that Indigenous Affairs Minister Nicia Maldonado, who belongs 
to a native group from the country's southern Amazon region, only met 
with them for 15 minutes but spent seven or eight hours with the ranchers.

The security forces threw up a security cordon around the Yukpa 
communities and are regulating access. On Aug. 23, dozens of students 
from the Bolivarian University and young activists from community media 
and the government radio station decided to break through the cordon to 
bring supplies of medicine and food to the indigenous people.

But the young people were stopped near Machiques, the nearest town, and 
prevented from going further. Tensions rose as heated discussions took 
place in the middle of the rural roadway, and Yukpa people arrived to 
demand that their allies be allowed through.

At that point, soldiers fired shots in the air and dispersed the people 
with tear gas. A young man from one of the solidarity groups was hit on 
the head, causing bleeding, and was arrested together with three young 
women who were giving him first aid.

Echoing Sabino Romero, Yukpa activist Mary Fernández complained "they 
cannot use weapons of war against us. The army's duty is to protect us, 
because we only want our land, so we can live in peace," she said.

Fernández also said that the four young indigenous people who travelled 
to Caracas to argue on behalf of the demands of their people "did so 
because the 'caciques,' our chiefs, have been threatened with death if 
they step outside of their communities, by the thugs hired by the 
ranchers; everyone in the Sierra de Perijá knows that."

Over the past few decades, there have been increasing numbers of 
contract kidnappings and murders in the state of Zulia, and especially 
in its capital, Maracaibo.

Activists like Portillo have received death threats, and he said there 
was collusion based on common interests between ranchers, military 
commanders, and "the strategist behind this whole policy aimed at 
favouring the long term interests of transnational mining companies: 
General Carlos Martínez, the head of Corpozulia."

Portillo said these interests are shared by local authorities of the 
National Land Institute - which is responsible for carrying out 
demarcations of indigenous land - and the regional military commander, 
General Gerardo Izquierdo. "The army in Machiques is divided into two 
factions: the revolutionaries (Chávez supporters), and those who are 
aligned with the paramilitaries," he said.

Minister Maldonado said the "demarcation of land for the 164 Yukpa 
communities is 70 percent complete," but Portillo and the four young 
Yukpa emissaries remain unconvinced. "The lines on the map drawn by the 
president in Caracas are one thing, but the result of negotiations 
between power factions when the lines are drawn on the ground in Perijá 
is quite another," said the activist. (END/2008)






http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7632114.stm

Tuesday, 23 September 2008 17:42 UK
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Pakistan police kill protesters

Protests have been going on in Mingora since Monday
Pakistani police say they have shot dead at least six people during 
protests against military operations in the north-western area of Swat.
More than a dozen others were injured when police opened fire on 
hundreds of protesters in the city of Mingora.
Police say they fired to prevent banks being looted. Locals are angry at 
army shelling which they say killed five people in the area earlier this 
week.
Troops have been fighting a rising tide of militancy in Swat since last 
year.

Police opened fire at the crowd to prevent them looting banks

Swat police official Bahadur Khan

Bush pledges to protect Pakistan
Owner vows Marriott will rise again

Elsewhere in the north-west the military says it has killed dozens of 
militants near the Afghan border.
US military officials say militants use safe havens in Pakistan to mount 
attacks in Afghanistan. Anger has been growing in Pakistan at US forces 
in Afghanistan violating Pakistani sovereignty.
On Tuesday, US President George Bush met his Pakistani counterpart Asif 
Ali Zardari for the first time, on the sidelines of the UN General 
Assembly in New York.
President Bush made no public reference to the controversial issue of 
unauthorised US strikes at insurgent targets in north-west Pakistan.
'Looting banks'
At least two government-owned banks are reported to have been damaged in 
the violence in Mingora, Swat's main city.


Police say a police station was also ransacked and other property 
attacked. Protesters burned tyres in the streets.
"Police opened fire at the crowd to prevent them looting banks," local 
police officer Bahadur Khan told the AFP news agency.
A curfew was imposed in the city to prevent a recurrence of 
demonstrations which broke out on Monday.
Locals took to the streets after the army shelled a house in the Chahar 
Bagh area of Swat earlier in the day. At least five people are reported 
to have died.
Correspondents say the security situation in Swat has been steadily 
deteriorating since the breakdown in the summer of a peace agreement 
between the government and pro-Taleban cleric Maulana Fazlullah.
The Swat valley, Pakistan's most famous tourist destination, has been 
the scene of an insurgency by his followers since 2007. They want to 
enforce his version of Islamic Sharia law in the region.
Fighting
In tribal areas in the north-west, the military says it has used 
helicopter gunships and heavy artillery guns to bomb suspected militant 
positions.

A number of people received bullet wounds in Swat
Military spokesman Maj Murad Khan said 50 militants had been killed in 
clashes since Monday in Dara Adam Khel, close to the city of Peshawar.
He said troops had retaken control of the Kohat tunnel, a key road 
leading out of Peshawar. One Pakistani soldier was also killed in the 
clashes.
The army says another 10 militants have been killed in clashes in Bajaur 
region near the Afghan border.
There is no independent confirmation of any of the army claims.
The Pakistani army is engaged in a fierce campaign against militants in 
Bajaur which has forced some 300,000 people to flee their homes.
Attempts by the government to negotiate with militants in areas along 
the border with Afghanistan appear to have failed for now, and there 
have been a spate of recent suicide bombings.
They include a devastating militant attack on the Islamabad Marriott 
hotel on Saturday which killed more than 50 people, most of them 
Pakistanis.
Aid appeal
The United Nations refugee agency says it has asked donors for more than 
$17m in aid to help about 250,000 people displaced by fighting and 
floods in north-western Pakistan.
"The numbers are fluid as people come and go from their villages, but we 
expect them to increase as the conflict intensifies," William Spindler, 
a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said in 
Geneva.
He said the money was needed to provide relief items like tents, 
blankets and plastic sheets.







http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2398398,00.html

Army kills 6 during protest
23/09/2008 16:46 - (SA)

Peshawar - Six people were killed on Tuesday when Pakistani security 
forces opened fire on a demonstration against civilian deaths in the 
ongoing military offensive in the restive north-west Swat valley, 
witnesses said.
The demonstration started on Monday after a mortar round hit a house in 
the Allah Abad area of Swat district in North West Frontier Province, 
killing one woman and her two children.
Residents transported the victims' bodies about 20km to Mangora city, 
where the army headquarters is located. More than 8 000 people joined 
them in the protest.
The protests gained pace on Tuesday when about 20 000 people violated 
the curfew and gathered in Mangora, chanting slogans against the 
military, which is carrying out an operation against the Taliban 
militants in the area.
"The government forces came here to end the militancy but the militancy 
has increased instead. Militants are doing well but the civilian 
population is suffering," a speaker named Mohammad Ali told the rally.
He claimed more than 600 000 people have been displaced and hundreds 
more have died because of the conflict and the population was facing 
shortages of food and medicines.
The angry demonstrators set fire to two commercial banks and pelted 
stones at the law enforcers, who responded with tear gas and gunshots, 
leaving six people dead and five injured.
Swat, once a popular tourist destination, has seen heavy fighting 
between government forces and Taliban militants since last October when 
Islamabad sent thousands of troops to quell the rebellion of the 
followers of radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah.
Fazlullah launched an armed campaign to enforce Taliban rule in the 
area. The new government in Islamabad initiated peace talks with 
militants immediately after it took over in March, but resumed the 
offensive a month later when the negotiations failed to bring peace to 
the region. - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA





http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/30/stories/2008093051990300.htm

Tamil Nadu

Irula tribes stage demonstration
Staff Reporter
Tiruvannamalai: Members of the Irula community staged a demonstration 
here on Monday protesting against the attempts to grab the land they 
live in for decades by some affluent sections and the apathetic attitude 
of the police officials on the complaints preferred by them. 
M.Harikrishnan, district organiser of Pazhangudi Irular Pathukappu 
Sangam (PIPS) led the protest held in front of taluk office. Human 
rights activist and co-ordinator of PIPS P.Kalvimani said that there are 
around 21 Irula families living in the government poromboke land 
situated behind circuit house in the Vettavalam road for about 50 years. 
But they were not able to get patta from the government. Since the 
market value of the land is soaring, owners of neighbouring lands make 
attempts to grab the land where the Irula tribes live. A law student 
from the community who questioned their attempts, was attacked. The 
victim, Harikrishnan, had to struggle to get his case registered with 
the police.




http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/13/stories/2008091358120300.htm

Other States - Orissa

Tribal women’s protest makes officials jittery
Staff Reporter
Kharif prospects bleak, police suspect the hand of an organisation
________________________________________
They have no work in hand since July 24
Women contribute more to paddy cultivation than men
________________________________________
— Photo: Lingaraj Panda

Restive: A group of women sport an uncertain look as prolonged curfew in 
the area had made life miserable, especially for women, at G. Udayagiri 
in Kandhamal district.
BERHAMPUR: Tribal women whose livelihood depended on paddy-based kharif 
agriculture are in distress in the communal violence-hit Kandhamal 
district which is still reeling under prolonged prohibitory orders of 
curfew and section 144.
The rising agitation by large number women who claimed to have lost 
their livelihood due to communal violence and prohibitory orders has 
become a headache for the administration. Women especially daily wagers 
are staging protests almost every day at different parts of the district 
demanding work, wages and relief. G Udayagiri, Raikia, Tikabali and 
Baliguda areas have witnessed continuous protests and gherao of local 
authorities by hundreds of women who demanded relief due to loss of 
livelihood. The State Revenue Minister Manmohan Samal had to run for 
cover when he was confronted by lathi wielding labour class women 
demanding relief or work at Tikabali on September 4.
Police officials alleged that these well organised systematic agitations 
exclusively by women from labour class must be backed by some 
organisations. But it is for sure these women daily wagers have no work 
in hand since July 24 after the sprouting of communal violence.
According to a study made by the National Research Centre for Women in 
Agriculture (NRCWA) tribal households in Kandhamal were heavily 
dependent on wage earning from Kharif paddy cultivation. The communal 
violence and prohibitory orders have destroyed the prospects of Kharif 
cultivation in the district affecting the livelihood source of the 
tribal families in which women are major livelihood earners.
The study by NRSWA indicated that tribal women of Kandhamal contribute 
more to paddy cultivation as labour force than men. A tribal woman got 
engaged for an average of 92 days a year in agriculture of which 64 days 
were in paddy cultivation during the Kharif season in the district. In 
comparison the figures for tribal men was 68 days of agricultural work 
with 39 days in paddy cultivation. Now these tribal women have started 
losing this valuable wage earning days of Kharif cultivation due to 
communal tension.
The study also found that 24 per cent of the tribal households were 
headed by women due to migration or unresponsive behaviour of male members.
The NRSWA also found that 22 per cent of the girls below 15 years from 
tribal families were involved either as wage labourers or in their own 
paddy fields. This large work force of tribal women is now out of work 
and an empty mind without work has made restoration work tricky for the 
administration.







http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200812271711.htm

Seven injured during Assam bandh
Tezpur (PTI): Seven people were injured when tribal outfit Birsa 
Commando Force set ablaze a bus in Sonitpur district during a state-wide 
bandhon Saturday.
The bus carrying 70 students and teachers on a three-day educational 
tour was waylaid by the BCF near Monabari tea estate on NH-52 around 
5:20 am and set on fire, official sources said.
The bus owned by the Assam State Transport Corporation was returning 
from Sibsagar district to Lakhimpur district.
The 24-hour bandh had been called by the BCF to protest the killing of 
three adivasi youths in neighbouring Udalguri district on December 21.
However, the bandh failed to make any impact in the state.






http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e4d3fc5c-6563-11dd-a352-0000779fd18c.html?nclick_check=1

Hill tribe protests at Indian mine site
By Joe Leahy in Mumbai and Rebecca Bream in London
Published: August 8 2008 23:12 | Last updated: August 8 2008 23:12
Activists representing an Indian hill tribe have pledged to continue 
their battle against efforts by Vedanta Resources to mine a mountain 
revered by the indigenous people as sacred, in spite of a court ruling 
on Friday that approved the project.
India’s Supreme Court overruled objections to the project by the Dongria 
Kondh tribe. The UK-listed Vedanta’s Indian unit, Sterlite Industries, 
intends to mine the Niyamgiri hills in eastern Orissa state for bauxite 
to supply an $800m alumina plant.
“We are going to continue to assert our rights within the democratic 
framework,” said Bratindi Jena, an activist from ActionAid, a 
non-governmental group representing the tribe. “We are going to explore 
[the] legal options, and we will continue mobilising people, [Vedanta] 
shareholders and civil society.”
The project is one of several large mining and steel projects that have 
been delayed by protests in eastern India, one of the country’s most 
resource-rich but least developed regions.
Orissa and other eastern states, such as Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, are 
home to large numbers of India’s “tribal” peoples, who trace their roots 
back to the country’s ancient indigenous forest dwellers.
In another development, the Supreme Court approved a proposal by South 
Korea’s Posco to use 3,000 acres of forest land to build a $12bn steel 
plant, in what would be India’s largest foreign direct investment to date.
That project has also been struggling to get off the ground because of 
fierce protests by local villagers.
The Dongria Kondh, about 8,000 people, last week staged a blockade of a 
road project to Sterlite’s mine site, according to Survival, another 
activist group.
None of the Dongria Kondh will be relocated to accommodate the mine but 
they are worried about the religious and environmental impact. “The 
mountain is sacred to them and they are also worried that huge amounts 
of forest will be destroyed and [about] rivers being polluted,” a 
Survival spokesperson said. The tribe could not appeal against Supreme 
Court decision but they would petition the court to consider the 
cultural and religious impact of the mine.






http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100457230300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Tribals stage protest
Staff Reporter
CHINTAPALLI: Leaders of various political parties and tribal 
associations expressed dismay at the manner in which the public hearing 
was conducted at Chintapalli on Friday. They wondered as to what purpose 
the whole exercise was meant when it was held away from the affected 
area and movement of public transport was curtailed.
After staging a protest at the meeting venue for sometime, they walked 
out soon after the meeting started and staged demonstrations outside the 
venue. Many of the tribals who walked long distances in the absence of 
public transport reached around noon. Later, an impressive rally was 
taken out opposing the mining project. MP Midium Babu Rao said that he 
had sought provision of transport to the tribals attending the meet as 
it was held outside the affected area. But, the authorities had failed 
to meet his demand.
He said that an all-party delegation would meet the District Collector 
on Saturday and submit a memorandum seeking cancellation of the EPH and 
the MoU with APMDC. CPI(M) leader Ch. aasinga Rao said that an RTC bus 
was stopped at Chintapalli and the presence of armed police personnel 
all along the route acted as a major deterrent to people from attending 
the meeting.
Jerrila sarpanch S. Venkata Ramana and Gudem sarpanch Korra Balaram 
wondered what was the point in organising the meet at Chintapalli when 
the majority of the affected tribals were from the Jerrila block.
ZPTC member from Araku Killo Surendra described the EPH as an eyewash. 
He called upon the tribals to be prepared to wield their bows and 
arrows, if the Government goes ahead with its plan.
MLA Chengala Venkata Rao, MLC M.V.S. Sarma, CPI leader J.V. 
Satyanarayana Murthy, Telugu Desam leaders Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy 
and M. Mani Kumari were among those who led the agitation.







http://www.startribune.com/local/27904984.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU7EaDiaMDCiUT

Conflict looms as Indians' protest permit expires today
Last update: September 5, 2008 - 9:08 AM
The permit that Dakota Indians protesting in Minneapolis were given -- 
but didn't ask for -- expires this afternoon.
The two dozen or so protesters erected two teepees and a couple of 
modern-day tents Tuesday in a bid to reclaim land for the Dakota. But 
the showdown on the abandoned federal land near Minnehaha Park was put 
off when federal officials issued a four-day permit.
That allowed the group to remain on the site for religious ceremonies. 
The site -- known as Coldwater Spring -- is sacred to the Dakota and 
housed the federal Bureau of Mines until 1996.
Organizers said they don't plan to leave after the permit expires at 3 
this afternoon, and that's when a confrontation could come. They said 
they will maintain the occupation until Dakota rights to the land are 
fully restored and the federal government cleans up toxic waste on the 
28 acres.
--PAUL WALSH





http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2008/09/01/6629816-cp.html

Protesters set up highway blockade in Caledonia
By THE CANADIAN PRESS

CALEDONIA, Ont, - Labour Day was a day of blockades in this divided 
southern Ontario community as aboriginals and residents both brought 
traffic to a halt.
The aboriginal protest began Monday morning - reports said in response 
to the arrest of a number of Six Nations youth in Brantford, Ont.
That blockade was taken down within a few hours, provincial police said.
However, residents of Caledonia began their own protest on a main street 
in the town, leading provincial police Commissioner Julian Fantino to 
call for them to re-open the road.
"We are now in dialogue with a group of local citizens protesting on 
Argyle Street in Caledonia," Fantino said in a release. "I am calling on 
all persons to act in a respectful manner and to build upon the 
relationships that have been developed within the communities."
A national news agency reported that the residents ended their protest 
by early evening.
Fantino stressed that the blockades were unlawful.
"Our priority is to preserve the peace and maintain order, not to 
resolve land claims issues," he added.
Tensions between Six Nations and Caledonia residents have been high 
since aboriginal protesters occupied a housing development.
The occupation of Douglas Creek Estates more than two years ago has 
sparked several blockades and led to arrests of both aboriginal and 
resident protesters.





http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/09/12/ot-algonquins-080912.html?ref=rss

Quebec Algonquins protest state of their schools
Last Updated: Friday, September 12, 2008 | 2:46 PM ET Comments19Recommend12
CBC News
About 150 protesters from Algonquin reserves in Quebec demonstrated 
outside the Gatineau offices of the Indian and Northern Affairs 
department on Friday to demand more funding for their schools.
They said they are hoping they will get some attention during the 
campaign leading to the Oct. 14 federal election.
"We have young people who are losing hope," said Gilbert Whiteduck, 
chief of the Kitigan Zibi reserve near Maniwaki in French.
"How can we all allow a child of five, six, seven years old to lose hope 
in the future… because the school cannot provide a quality education?"
Whiteduck was among demonstrators who travelled from Kitigan Zibi, 
Barriere Lake, Manawan and Wemotaci to protest the fact that the federal 
government hasn't reviewed funding formula for aboriginal education for 
20 years.
Young protester Sébastien Méquish said his community's schools have no 
money for technology such as computers, sports and recreation equipment, 
or preserving and teaching its language.
The protesters said they hope candidates running in the federal election 
will voice their position on the issue during the campaign.








http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2008/09/29/protests-pipeline.html?ref=rss

Aboriginal protesters block Trans-Canada near Regina in dispute over 
pipeline
First Nations say there wasn't sufficient consultation on Alberta 
Clipper, an expansion to existing Enbridge pipeline
Last Updated: Monday, September 29, 2008 | 3:50 PM CT Comments93Recommend32
CBC News
First Nations protesters on horseback blocked part of the Trans-Canada 
Highway east of Regina for about a half-hour on Sunday in a dispute over 
the construction of an oil pipeline.
First Nations in the area called it a peaceful protest to call attention 
to their concerns about a pipeline, currently under construction by 
Calgary-based Enbridge Inc., that runs through what they say are 
traditional Indian territories.
The pipeline, which received government approval in February, "run[s] 
through traditional and/or occupancy lands without due consultation," 
Solomon Cyr, special adviser and policy analyst for the File Hills 
Qu'Appelle Tribal Council, said in a news release.
The chiefs of five different tribal councils and the Federation of 
Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) supported the action, according to 
the news release.
After the action on the highway, which involved 15 riders, protesters 
set up six teepees outside a construction site associated with the 
pipeline project.
On Monday morning, workers who showed up at the site, in a community 
east of Regina called White City, were told to go home for the day.
The construction site is managed by Waschuk Pipelines under contract to 
the Enbridge.
No proper consultation with native groups, protesters say
Edmund Bellegarde, a spokesman for the aboriginal groups that endorsed 
the protests, told CBC News that the First Nations are upset the federal 
government granted Enbridge the right to construct pipelines on 
traditional aboriginal land without consultation. "We plan to have an 
occupation here as long as it takes to bring attention" to the issue of 
consultation, Bellegarde said.
"The issue is duty to consult," he added. "We feel that we haven't had 
the proper consultation in a meaningful way."
Bellegarde claimed the pipeline industry had broken promises with First 
Nations groups on such issues as economic development and employment 
opportunities associated with large projects.
Workers sent home with no pay
CBC News has been told that about 300 Waschuk employees, who were sent 
home, will not be paid for the day.
Jennifer Varey, a spokesperson for Enbridge, told CBC News that the 
company believed it had consulted with First Nations.
"We believe we have," she said Monday, adding "we are more than willing 
to sit down and talk to try and resolve these concerns and would be 
happy to do so."
Morley Watson, a vice-chief with the FSIN, told CBC News that First 
Nations people have not been benefiting as much as they had expected, 
when major pipeline projects are approved.
"You know there's vast resources in the province of Saskatchewan and 
that's how Saskatchewan got to be where it is today to be a have 
province," Watson said Monday.
"Unfortunately, we've been excluded from those resources and certainly 
believe that the chiefs and councils are saying that we have to be 
included, not only in job and opportunity but part of the resources."
June Draude, the provincial minister of First Nations and Métis 
Relations, said she is prepared to help the two sides meet and tried to 
make that happen earlier in the month.
"I, as minister, have offered to facilitate a meeting between the First 
Nations and Enbridge about 10 days ago. The meeting wasn't accepted by 
the First Nations at that time," Draude told CBC News.
"I've also told them that I'd be willing to meet with them — with the 
First Nations and with Enbridge — at any time they would like. And I've 
also offered to talk to the chiefs at any time to talk about the broad 
range of issues that are affecting First Nations."
The pipeline work at the heart of the protest is known as the Alberta 
Clipper expansion to an existing Enbridge pipeline.
When completed, the system will deliver an additional 450,000 barrels 
per day of Alberta crude oil to refineries in Eastern Canada and the 
United States.






http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2008/10/03/protests-ending.html?ref=rss

Pipeline protests end with interim agreement
Last Updated: Friday, October 3, 2008 | 7:15 PM CT Comments77Recommend11
CBC News
An interim agreement was reached Friday between several First Nations 
and the oil giant Enbridge, ending a five-day series of protests that 
disrupted pipeline construction sites in Saskatchewan.
A small group leads a procession away from the protest site, a 
construction storage yard for an Enbridge subcontractor, about 10 
kilometres east of Regina near the community of White City. (Jordan 
Jackle/CBC)
Talks between representatives of Treaty 4 and Treaty 6 First Nations 
took place Thursday in Saskatoon with officials from Enbridge Pipelines, 
ending later in the evening.
The negotiations were to address complaints by First Nations that two 
large pipeline projects were not benefiting aboriginal communities.
The First Nations said portions of the work traverse what they call 
"traditional" Indian territory and they should have been consulted about 
job opportunities and other issues related to the projects, such as 
environmental protection.
At the end of talks on Thursday, officials told CBC News that Enbridge 
had agreed to pay for training of First Nations people in central and 
southern Saskatchewan as crane operators, heavy equipment operators and 
pipe stringers, and guarantee those workers jobs on operating crews.
Enbridge vice-president Byron Neiles emerges from a tipi following a 
pipe ceremony with First Nations leaders to end protests over a pipeline 
project in Saskatchewan Friday. (Jordan Jackle/CBC)
Byron Neiles, a vice-president at Enbridge, said the company will also 
set aside a certain percentage of construction-related work for First 
Nations corporations.
On Friday afternoon First Nations leaders and officials from Enbridge 
participated in a pipe ceremony to formalize what was described by 
Solomon Cyr, special adviser to File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council, as 
a new "alliance."
Protests began on Sunday, with a brief blockade of the Trans-Canada 
Highway east of Regina, near a pipeline construction site.
The actions, which were described by First Nations as peaceful "days of 
action," continued through the week with teepees being erected at sites 
connected to pipeline work in different parts of the province.
One protest was discontinued prior to talks in what was described as a 
show of good faith.






http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=2ee2dfc3-9413-4c5f-b2df-2f4351a245d5

First Nations protesters get meeting over pipeline
Enbridge 'optimistic' about resolving issue
Jason Warick, Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Several First Nations protesting an oil pipeline project have secured a 
meeting Thursday in Saskatoon with representatives of the pipeline 
company and government officials.
"It's a good thing. We can get some dialogue going," said Red Pheasant 
First Nation Chief Sheldon Wuttunee.
The Saskatchewan natives say they have not been consulted. They're 
demanding a share of the revenues from the resources on their 
traditional lands.
View Larger Image
Red Pheasant Chief Sheldon Wuttunee, who with other native leaders has 
been protesting a Saskatchewan oil pipeline slated for their traditional 
land, says they have not been consulted and want a share of the revenues.
Richard Marjan, Canwest News Service

Gina Jordan, a spokeswoman for Enbridge Pipelines Inc., was also happy 
all sides agreed to meet.
She said senior Enbridge management will be on hand.
"We're very optimistic this can be resolved," Jordan said.
The meeting will involve Enbridge, officials from the federal and 
provincial governments, chiefs from the affected First Nations and the 
Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.
Band members from Red Pheasant and other First Nations have been staging 
peaceful protests at Enbridge facilities near Kerrobert, about 180 
kilometres west of Saskatoon.
Other First Nations have staged protests in the southern part of the 
province where the pipeline is expected to be built.
Employees at Kerrobert were sent home Tuesday morning after the 
protesters set up outside company headquarters.
"We've moved right up to the compound," Wuttunee said earlier in the day.
He said he and the other protesters met with RCMP officers to ensure 
they were not breaking the law.
They also met with contractors for Enbridge to inform them of the coming 
activity. Wuttunee said the employees told them to go home.
Jordan said the workers were told to go home "out of respect for the 
process."
She said the company is "optimistic" everything can be resolved soon. 
Until the meeting is completed, the workers will stay at home as a show 
of good faith.
The First Nations contend that the "duty to consult" and accommodate 
First Nations on such developments, established in a Supreme Court 
ruling, has not happened.
They say Enbridge has provided only token, low-skill labour 
opportunities to a small number of band members.
Enbridge maintains it has consulted with dozens of aboriginal groups, 
and that many of its employees are aboriginal.
Wuttunee said he hopes to make government officials aware of the urgency 
of the situation.
"That pipeline is going through our traditional territories right now."







http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/2103

September 21, 2008
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Protesters Disrupt "Spirit Train" Sendoff
Two arrested, festivities cancelled
by Dawn Paley

The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca
Protesters succeeded in canceling part of the send off ceremony for the 
"Spririt Train," which will be traveling across Canada for the next 
month. Photo: Dawn Paley
About 50 people showed up to protest the "Canada Pacific Spirit Train" 
event Sunday in the Vancouver suburb of Port Moody. Taking a position in 
front of the main stage, the group carried signs and placards, and a 
large banner that read “Resist 2010: No Olympics on Stolen Native Land.”
While demonstrators banged on pots and pans, Gord Hill, speaking on 
behalf of the Olympics Resistance Network, announced, "We want homes for 
the homeless, not corporate invasion on stolen native land."
Betty Krawczyk, an octogenarian mayoral candidate in Vancouver who was 
incarcerated in 2006 for attempting to defend a forest against the 
expansion of the Sea to Sky highway linking Vancouver and Whistler, 
said, "There is no spirit on that train; this is all about money."
Most attending the event seemed relatively blasé about the protest, 
which carried on noisily for over an hour. A woman identified only as 
Gina led two children directly into the crowd of demonstrators, yelling 
at Krawczyk and pushing other protesters' signs. The children began to cry.
Para-olympian Peter Rosen, who will be accompanying the train to 
Montréal, said that "these are Canada’s games, not Vancouver’s games... 
[The 2010 Olympics] are a great opportunity for Canada." When asked 
about the protests, Rosen stated, "Everybody is entitled to an opinion, 
but professional protestors get it wrong."
Many at the event stayed closer to tents that were erected for the 
Olympic sponsors including Rona, Yves' Veggie cuisine and GE 
Transportation.
"Spirit Train" tour manager and Canadian Pacific spokesperson Breanne 
Feigel told The Dominion that "the train will move the Olympic spirit 
across Canada," and that event organizers "respect everyone’s right to 
make a statement."
An estimated 40 tour staff will be traveling alongside the train in 
vehicles. It is unknown if anyone will actually be riding inside the 
train as it travels east. Organizers are planning to run a second 
"Spirit Train" in 2009.

A protester is arrested during a demonstration denouncing the 2010 
Olympics. Photo: Dawn Paley
Three separate police contingents provided uniformed and undercover 
officers for the event: the Canadian Pacific Police Service, the Port 
Moody Police, and the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police 
Service. In addition, a large group of private security guards from 
'Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security' was on-site.
Police stormed the protest at about 2:40pm, causing a ruckus and 
knocking over a number of participants. They arrested an unidentified 
young man, and three officers carried him to a waiting police van.
As members of the crowd watched, an undercover officer assisting with 
the arrest shoved an elder to the ground, and pushed her against the 
hood of a car. The officer told the woman that she was under arrest for 
assaulting a police officer. The officer the woman allegedly assaulted 
was undercover and did not reveal his identity to the media.
The woman was put in a squad car and taken to the Port Moody police 
department. "Spirit Train" organizers did not make a statement about the 
arrests.
In a press release put out before the event, the Olympics Resistance 
Network stated, "Canadian Pacific, the Vancouver Organizing Committee 
and the International Olympic Committee call the train an 'ambassador of 
goodwill.' A more careful read of history teaches us that the Canadian 
Pacific Railway Company has been a key instrument in the colonization of 
Canada and the genocide of indigenous peoples."
"With protestors nearly outnumbering spectators, the most spirited thing 
today was the spirit of resistance against the Olympics and the forced 
cancellation of the 'Spirit Train' launch ceremonies," said Hill. "We 
are confident that this same spirit will inspire others as the train 
travels across Canada."
Corporate media reports emphasized the crying children and unspecified 
"clashes" with police. Conservative MP James Moore told CTV news that 
"making kids cry to make a point is just a little bit over the line, and 
that's what we saw today."
The "Spirit Train" left Sunday from Port Moody and will be visiting 10 
cities across the country, ending up in Montréal on October 18.





http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2008/08/28/nb-school.html?ref=rss

First Nation protest at N.B. school averted
Last Updated: Thursday, August 28, 2008 | 3:18 PM AT
Students will be able to resume classes at an Edmundston, N.B., high 
school without disruption, says the chief of a First Nation that 
threatened to stage a protest at the school.
The Madawaska Maliseet First Nation threatened to prevent students from 
using part of the Cité des Jeunes school that is located on its land if 
the provincial government didn't sign a deal regarding highway access 
ramps in the area.
The First Nation owns about half of the land where the high school is 
located and the province's five-year lease on the property has run out.
Chief Joanna Bernard initially refused to sign a new lease and said if 
the government wanted a new lease it would have to build highway access 
ramps to another property owned by the First Nation.
The First Nation wants to develop land in the area and says it needs the 
access ramps constructed if it is to attract business.
Bernard met with four government ministers on Thursday morning to 
discuss the dispute.
A new agreement has not yet been signed but a verbal commitment was 
given that the school year, which begins on Sept. 2, will not be 
interrupted, said a government spokesperson.
"School will start no problem. There is no issue there," Bernard said.
Bernard said the First Nation will continue negotiating with the 
government regarding the Trans-Canada Highway ramps.
"We are negotiating now so the line of communication is open, so things 
are going to be OK," Bernard said.







http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2008/09/24/first-nation-education.html?ref=rss

Protesters denounce inequities in First Nations school funding
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 | 6:47 PM MT 
Comments28Recommend10
CBC News
Protesters from First Nations in Alberta marched through downtown 
Edmonton on Wednesday demanding more funding and support for aboriginal 
students. (CBC)
Hundreds of protesters from First Nations across Alberta held a 
lunchtime rally in downtown Edmonton on Wednesday to demand equal 
educational funding for aboriginal students.
Protesters said the federal government does not fund First Nations 
schools as well as other schools in Alberta, and that inequity violates 
promises made in their treaties.
Glenys Buffalo, principal of the school in Big Stone First Nation in 
Wabasca, Alta., said the federal government gives her school about half 
the amount of money that is given to provincially funded non-reserve 
schools.
"We're always behind the provincial system in terms of all our dollars, 
any kind of funding that we have, which includes the busing, 
post-secondary is a big one. Inequality for teachers' pay, salary ... 
every issue that you can imagine," she said.
Buffalo said she thinks the federal government is using an antiquated 
system for funding reserve schools. For example, she said funding for 
busing has not increased since 1980.
She said factors like teacher turnover, which she ties to lower 
salaries, mean students don't get a very good education and end up 
dropping out in frustration.
Buffalo's concerns were echoed by Rose Laboucan, chief of the Driftpile 
First Nation in northern Alberta.
"In Lesser Slave Lake, for example, the money that we are given hasn't 
risen since 1979, when it was first signed," Laboucan said about her 
master agreement. "How do we maintain integrity? How do we maintain that 
ability to be able to look after our people?
"We need to do something," she said. "We want to show this country the 
talent that we have. We have so much of it."
Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said 
aboriginal people are seeking fair treatment.
"First Nations education is in crisis. And we've been trying to convince 
the federal government to be fair to our students," Fontaine said. "
For example, there are at least 40 communities, First Nations 
communities, without education facilities. There's another 80 with 
schools in terrible state of disrepair. There are at least 100 
communities, First Nations communities, that operate under boil-water 
advisories.... This is not a safe health environment for our kids."
Fontaine said aboriginal people are concerned that First Nations issues 
have been largely ignored by the leaders in the federal election.







http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7012391836

Aborigines In Winnipeg Protest Child Abuse
AHN Staff
Winnipeg, Manitoba (AHN) - Some 100 people stormed to Odena Circle at 
The Forks to protest sexual exploitation of young children and to 
increase community awareness of the scope of the problem of child abuse 
in aboriginal communities.
Winnipeg Free Press reported that people marched from the Thunderbird 
House at 715 Main St. at around 10 a.m. and ended at the sacred Odena 
Circle at The Forks.
Kookum Gaa Na Da Ma Waad Abinoojiig Council - otherwise known as 
Grandmothers Protecting Our Children - led the protesters in their campaign.
A Sacred Fire was lit at the Odena Circle and was put into a glow until 
4 p.m.
The fire is a symbol signifying the role of grandmothers in the 
nurturing and education of the aboriginal culture.