Thursday, June 9, 2011

underreported struggles 50

Ahni at Intercontinental Cry has some very important underreported struggles this month.
The Philippines government, in a surprise move, cancelled its Financial and Technical Assistance Agreements (FTAAs) for several mining concessions in Palawan. However, the Indigenous People of Palawan are not quite ready to celebrate, given recent moves by the MacroAsia Corporation, not to mention the Health Departments near-portrayal of Indigenous People as "dirty animals".

The Goa government ordered the closure of an illegal open cast iron mine after a sustained protest by Indigenous villagers. The villagers, concerned about a mining company's takeover of a hill vital to their beliefs, wisely set up a protest camp outside the private home of Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, an official who had the authority to shut down the mine.The Minister conceded to the villagers after just one day.

Hundreds of Maasai, Sukuma, Barbaig and Taturu pastoralists refused to leave the Maswa Game Reserve because of their historical ties to the land. The Tanzania government wants the pastoralists out of the reserve, which borders the world-famous Serengeti National Park, because of an all-too-familiar claim: "environmental degradation concerns".

TVI Resource Development, Inc. (TVIRDI), after years of violating the human rights and customary laws of the Subanon People, admitted its wrongdoings in a cleansing Ceremony led by the Subanon's traditional judicial authority. During the ceremony, the company acknowledged that Mount Canatuan is indeed a sacred site and that they were wrong for desecrating it. They also agreed to pay the fines as stipulated by the traditional authority.

Owners of the Arizona Snowbowl ski area began construction of a wastewater pipeline on the San Francisco Peaks, a sacred site to more than 13 Indigenous Nations. Local environmental justice organizations, Tribal representatives, and members of Flagstaff community are currently preparing a course of action to defend the Peaks.

And many more - please visit Intercontinental Cry and read about these struggles.

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