Dams and Water

Brazil - Yudja indigenous people request consultation regarding Belo Sun

whit — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 19:39:44 +0100

Yudja indigenous people request consultation regarding Belo Sun, Canadian mining company that wants to mine gold on the Xingu River

The company proposes to undertake mining operations in precisely the area that will be most impacted by the Belo Monte hydroelectric project.

Ecuador: Girón advances toward a community plebiscite to stop mining in Kimsacocha

whit — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 10:52:13 +0100

Quito/Ottawa – Members of the Union of Community Water Systems in Girón County (UNAGUA-Girón) in the south-central province of Azuay, Ecuador are collecting signatures in order to undertake a community plebiscite to decide the future of the mining project “Loma Larga” owned by Canadian mining company INV Metals in the area of Kimsacocha.

In April 2012, a group of residents from Girón presented a request to the Provincial Office of the National Electoral Council (NEC).

Malaysia - Calls for CM Adenan and Sarawak Energy to be Accountable

whit — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 15:48:14 +0100

Malaysia: Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS) Calls on CM Adenan and Sarawak Energy to be Accountable to All Sarawakians

Miri – Jaringan Orang Asal Se Malaysia (JOAS), the Network of Indigenous Peoples of Malaysia, is dismayed that Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan is once again recorded in the Borneo Post as saying that the Baram Dam has the support of community leaders, while Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) CEO Datuk Torstein Dale Sjotveit is quoted as dismissing scientific studies that show Sarawak’s future energy demands could be met by relying on a mix of renewables as opposed to destr

Malaysia: Orang Asal want Parliament’s action on land rights

whit — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 08:57:46 +0100

Suhakam National Land Inquiry can be used to set up parliamentary select committee.

KUCHING: The Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS) has called for the establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), as part of its recommendations, following the findings of the Task Force on the SUHAKAM National Land Inquiry on the Land Rights of the Indigenous Peoples of Malaysia.

The Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS) is a national organization of 87 local community organizations and has been engaging with the UN system and other bodies for the promotion of the rights of indigenous pe

Guatemalans Are Taking Their Democracy Back

whit — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 10:13:05 +0100

Guatemalans are clamoring for change, pouring into the capital city’s central plaza on a weekly basis. From massive national mobilizations down to local consultations, defending territories from extractive industries, people all over Guatemala are taking action to take their country back from transnational corporations and the political, business and military elite.

The historic protests at the national level stem from a groundswell of outrage and indignation over revelations of widespread corruption within the highest levels of government.

Mongton Dam Consultations a ‘Rubber Stamp’: Community Groups

whit — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 10:50:10 +0100

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Civil society organizations in Shan State have called for an immediate halt to a planned hydroelectric dam on the Salween River, accusing an Australian company of helping to push the project ahead without proper public consultation.

For the last three months, area villagers have held protests against community consultation meetings organized by Australia’s Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC), which has been tasked with assessing the potential environmental and social impact of the Mongton dam.

In a statement on Tuesday, a group of 16 Shan civil s

Panama: Banks failed to comply with standards in financing the Barro Blanco dam

whit — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 10:24:52 +0100

Independent report finds Dutch and German development banks failed to comply with environmental and human rights standards in financing the Barro Blanco dam in Panama

Indigenous communities and civil society shocked by the banks’ inadequate response to the findings

Kiad, Panama/Amsterdam/Bogota – Last Friday, a long-awaited report by an independent panel found that FMO and DEG, the Dutch and German development banks, violated their own policies by failing to adequately assess the risks to indigenous rights and the environment before approving a US$50 million loan to GENISA, the dev

DRC - Inga Dam in the DRC to Result in the Resettlement of up to 20,000 People

whit — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 10:33:05 +0100

In March 2014, the World Bank Board of directors gave final approval for a grant of USD$73 million towards the construction of the Inga 3 Dam on the Congo River in the Bas Congo Province of the DRC.

Dust, TB and HIV: the ugly face of mining in South Africa

whit — Wed, 27 May 2015 09:57:57 +0100

The Wellcome Trust and Gates Foundation fund health centres in the country, but remain invested in fossil fuel companies whose mining operations, it is claimed, have a profound impact on the health of local communities

Worried that his eyes and urine were turning a deep yellow, Gednezar Dladla made his way to a local clinic and was referred to a district hospital, where he was x-rayed, diagnosed with gallstones, and admitted for the night.

Malaysia: Indigenous Landowners Assert Opposition to the Proposed Baram Dam

whit — Mon, 18 May 2015 14:21:30 +0100

Miri – Save Rivers and Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (Indigenous Peoples’ Network of Malaysia) assert the rights of local people to oppose the proposed Baram Dam and to self-determined development.

Uranium Contaminated Indigenous Australian Communities' Water

whit — Tue, 12 May 2015 14:50:27 +0100

Western Australia’s essential services program has failed safe drinking water tests in 80 percent of remote Indigenous communities.

Concentrations of uranium as high as “double” safe levels have contaminated drinking water in Aboriginal communities in Western Australia, according to a report released Wednesday.

Unsafe levels of uranium were found in the water supplies of four Indigenous communities during tests between 2012 and 2014, according to a report from the Office of the Auditor General Western Australia.

“Uranium leaches naturally from soils, rocks and natural deposits

Social licence: easy to grant, hard to revoke

whit — Fri, 08 May 2015 09:03:16 +0100

What happens to community social licence when resource projects get shelved?

When a new pipeline or mine is proposed, promises are often made to communities and First Nations to win community approval.

The social-licence agreements often go above and beyond what regulators require and can include increased environmental protection measures and deals to provide First Nations with job training and employment.

They can also include community amenities, such as the pledge by Kinder Morgan Inc.

Ghana - Chaos at Newmont Ahafo Mine

whit — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 10:53:24 +0100

Aggrieved residents at Damso and its environs, mining communities within the Ahafo catchment area of the Newmont Ghana Gold Limited, have threatened the lives of the expatriate workers, if the multi-national mining company failed to re-locate them.

The more than 500 residents at Botokrom, Agyamankrom, Hohorase, Asumikrom, Amadukrom and Krobeakrom, had therefore, given the mine a two-week ultimatum to do the re-settlement or face their anger.

According to the residents, a tailing dam constructed in the area by the mining company had poisoned the water system in the area, which had led t

India - Communities Sue World Bank Group in US for Destructive Coal-Fired Power Plant

whit — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 10:41:53 +0100

Washington D.C.- Today fishing communities and farmers from India represented by EarthRights International (ERI) filed suit against the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-lending arm of the World Bank Group, in federal court in Washington, D.C. The plaintiffs allege that the IFC caused the loss of their livelihoods, destroyed their lands and water, and created threats to their health by funding the Tata Mundra coal-fired power plant in Gujarat, India.

The 4,150 MW coal-fired power plant, owned by Tata Power, began operating at full capacity in 2013.

Canada - Xeni Gwet’in activist to be honoured with Goldman Prize in San Francisco

whit — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 10:03:33 +0100

VANCOUVER – When Marilyn Baptiste learned she was winning this year’s Goldman Environmental Prize, she didn’t want to go to San Francisco to accept it, doubting the value of a symbolic honour in the tough world where she fights for native rights.

“At first I was, ‘No, I’d rather not go there,’” the councillor with the Xeni Gwet’in band said of the $175,000 award given annually to grassroots environmental activists from six continents.

On reflection, she changed her mind, however, deciding to attend the awards ceremony Sunday at the San Francisco Opera House because the pr

Guatemalan mine manager jailed for alleged river fouling

whit — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 09:07:08 +0100

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The general manager of a Guatemalan mine has been jailed following a 2012 complaint about contamination of a river with mining residue.

General manager Carlos Roberto Morales was jailed on a judge’s order Monday, pending further investigation.

NGOs asks Centre to stop building mega dams

whit — Sun, 22 Mar 2015 21:08:05 +0000

IMPHAL – The North East Dialogue Forum (NEDF) has asked the Government of India to stop construction of the 2000 MW Lower Subansiri dam project, 2700 MW Lower Demwe HE project and the 1500 MW Tipaimukh dam.

Expressing strong disapproval over the Union Government’s decision and its initiation of building mega dams and various other multipurpose hydroelectric projects across the entire Northeastern States, NEDF, a conglomerate of different NE-based NGOs, has demanded revocation of all such policies including Manipur Hydro Power Policy 2012 in public interest.

This was conveyed to med

India: United stand against dam

whit — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 11:51:03 +0000

A dam that was built without the consent of the local villagers in Manipur seems to have posed a serious threat to a huge area. Experts believe that the days are not far when the Mapithel Dam would eclipse the Chadong Village in Ukhrul district.. Speakers after speakers at a public meeting in the district on Saturday pledged to go all out against the dam that has already submerged a huge area of agricultural areas.

Organised by several local organizations on the occasion of the International River Day, the people stood united in protest against Mapithel dam.

Mongolia: 'When I was herding I had a plentiful life

whit — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 09:43:23 +0000

... ‘Now I am working for another and have lost my independence’

A new report reveals the often devastating impact of big development projects on local communities. Sukhgerel Dugersuren interviewed the nomads in Mongolia being displaced by mines

In 2014 the International Accountability Project asked their global advocacy team to look at eight projects funded by the World Bank and other development banks around the world.

Malaysia: Orang Asal want ADB loan to Sarawak Energy cancelled

whit — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 09:26:57 +0000

40 organizations have issued a letter to ADB on the reputation and financial risks associated with the loan.

KUCHING: Orang Asal representatives from Sarawak are en-route to the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila to raise concerns about a US$45 million loan being proposed for Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) to build a high voltage transmission line.

At the ADB, the delegation will be submitting findings of the research conducted along the transmission line route and meeting with the Bank’s Executive Directors, the Office of Anti-Corruption and Integrity, and sen

World Bank whitewashes Ethiopia human rights scandal

whit — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 12:07:10 +0000

Bank absolves itself of responsibility and denies redress to victims

The World Bank has whitewashed damning evidence of widespread human rights abuses in connection with its flagship program in Ethiopia, Inclusive Development International said today. The evidence, obtained during the course of an internal investigation, appears to have been shelved in order to exonerate the bank and one of it biggest clients of responsibility for mass forcible population transfers that occurred between 2010-2013.

India: Nagas against Mapithel dam

whit — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 10:48:10 +0000

Imphal – Irate Nagas today resolved to oppose any projects in their areas that breach the community’s traditional laws and customs.

The declaration was taken under the aegis of the United Naga Council (UNC) after the State Government blocked a group of Nagas leaders at Chadong village in Ukhrul district from proceeding towards the construction site of the controversial Mapithel dam.

Against resuming construction of the dam, the Naga protesters were supposed to hold a peaceful and democratic protest there.

The dam construction undermines the concrete policy of resettlement and future s

Hundreds of mines around world at risk of catastrophic waste dam failure

whit — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 18:40:35 +0000

Communities, enviros call upon EPA, UN, to create independent expert panel to assess threats posed by tailings dams in existing & proposed mines in U.S. and globally

Washington, D.C., Dillingham, AK — In response to the findings of an investigation of the Mount Polley tailings dam failure in British Columbia, Canada, a coalition of environmental and community groups today called upon the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) to investigate threats posed by similar mine waste dams in the U.S.

Bruno Manser Fund demands a Royal Commission of Enquiry

whit — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 12:48:42 +0000

Taib family’s Cahya Mata Sarawak received over USD 1.4 billion in state contracts

Bruno Manser Fund demands a Royal Commission of Enquiry to investigate the takeover of Sarawak’s largest state enterprise by former Chief Minister’s family

(KUCHING, MALAYSIA) An explosive new research report by the Swiss Bruno Manser Fund discloses that Cahya Mata Sarawak (CMS), a Kuching-based infrastructure company, received over USD 1.4 billion (MYR 4.9 billion) in state contracts since its takeover by the relatives of Sarawak Governor and former Chief Minister, Abdul Taib Mahmud (“Taib”).

Cambodia: Human Rights Concerns Over Hydropower Development in Cambodia Brought to the UN

whit — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 10:51:24 +0000

Phnom Penh, Cambodia: International and Cambodian groups today issued a complaint to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Cambodia raising concerns over human rights violations resulting from the development of two hydropower dam projects in Cambodia. The complaint highlights the Lower Sesan 2 Dam, currently under construction in Stung Treng Province, and the Stung Cheay Areng Dam in Koh Kong Province, which is reportedly close to approval.

Brazilian Judge Sides With Tribe Over Land Threatened by Dams

whit — Sat, 08 Nov 2014 08:56:54 +0000

BRASILIA, Brazil – In a struggle between a Brazilian indigenous tribe and the federal government over two dams that would flood lands claimed by the tribe, a federal judge has ruled that the government must immediately publish its report delineating the tribe’s territory that has been withheld for more than a year.

Last week, in response to a lawsuit filed by the Federal Public Prosecutors’ Office, federal judge Rafael Leite Paulo issued a ruling that requires FUNAI, the federal agency responsible for indigenous people, to publish its report within 15 days and determine the final deci

India: Changes to environment, land acquisition laws jeopardise human rights

whit — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 11:50:56 +0000

New Delhi/ Bangalore – Recent changes made and proposed to India’s environment and land acquisition policies strike at the right of communities to be consulted on decisions affecting them, Amnesty International India said today.

India’s Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has in recent months weakened requirements for public consultation with communities affected by mining and other infrastructure projects, and sought to dilute provisions mandating the free, prior and informed consent of Adivasi (indigenous) communities.

The Ministry of Rural Development has

Cambodia’s Environment: Good News in Areng Valley?

whit — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 10:14:13 +0000

Can Cambodia’s nascent environmental movement save the pristine Areng Valley from a Chinese dam?

The unfolding story of local resistance in the Areng Valley starts with an all-too-familiar predicament: for the sake of “national development” and economic progress, the Cambodian government has steadfastly pursued plans – without prior public consultation – to build a Chinese-backed hydropower dam in an area known for its rich biodiversity and indigenous communities.

But contrary to how one might normally expect such a story to transpire, there is an important twist in this on

Sarawak villagers’ dam blockade removed again, as heavy machinery move in

whit — Sat, 01 Nov 2014 14:39:24 +0000

The year-long blockade by native villagers who are against the proposed Baram hydroelectric dam in Sarawak ended today with forestry officers, backed by armed policemen, removing the barricades in place.

This was the third time that the authorities have removed the logs and fencing which the anti-dam natives had put up across the road near Long Kesseh leading to the dam site.

No violence was reported and Peter Kallang, chairman of the non-governmental organisation Save Sarawak Rivers, said the forest concessionaire Autorich Sdn Bhd and its contractor M M Golden (M) Sdn Bhd have already m

Attempt to Expel Indigenous Peoples from Proposed Baram Dam Site Denounced By Human Rights Groups

whit — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 18:13:22 +0100

Government and Companies Complicit in Violating Freedom of Assembly and Land Rights

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian and international human rights organizations have united to publicly condemn the actions taken by authorities and logging company representatives to intimidate Indigenous Peoples in Sarawak at the proposed site of the Baram Dam.

Asian Development Bank Urged to Shelve Loan For Power Grid in Sarawak

whit — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 08:11:33 +0100

Manila, Philippines / Sarawak, Malaysia – Environmental and human rights groups from Malaysia and internationally are calling on the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to shelve a proposal to loan up to US$45 million for building the “Trans-Borneo Power Grid” (transmission lines) in Sarawak, Malaysia. This week, 40 organizations issued a letter to the President of the ADB, Mr.

Peru protests reviving at Cerro Verde, Tía María

whit — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 11:22:31 +0100

Peruvian social conflicts showed signs of reactivating at two of the country’s largest copper projects this week, after protests had appeared to ease across the country this year.

About 600 protesters clashed with police and blocked roads to Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold’s Cerro Verde mine in Arequipa region to protest traffic jams caused by Freeport work on a water treatment plant, in broadcast footage by local TV channel Canal N.

Freeport is building the US$452mn Enlozada water treatment plant, which will treat 2.4m3/s from the Chili river.

Large Dams Just Aren't Worth the Cost

whit — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 11:02:21 +0100

Thayer Scudder, the world’s leading authority on the impact of dams on poor people, has changed his mind about dams.

A frequent consultant on large dam projects, Mr. Scudder held out hope through most of his 58-year career that the poverty relief delivered by a properly constructed and managed dam would outweigh the social and environmental damage it caused. Now, at age 84, he has concluded that large dams not only aren’t worth their cost, but that many currently under construction “will have disastrous environmental and socio-economic consequences,” as he wrote in a recent email.

Mr.

Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Not Consent Malaysian Dam

whit — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 20:03:41 +0100

Respect Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Withhold Consent for Malaysian Dam, Says New Report

Fact-finding mission reports on fundamental human rights violations committed by Malaysian company Sarawak Energy at the proposed Baram Dam, while blockades of villagers against the dam reach day 300.

KUALA LUMPUR / BARAM, MALAYSIA – A newly released fact-finding report reveals systematic human rights violations are being committed against the indigenous peoples of Sarawak by the proponents of the proposed Baram Dam in Malaysia.

Baram villagers witness first hand proof of empty promises

whit — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 14:18:19 +0100

KUCHING: Reports that the Sarawak state government has unofficially given the “green light” for the construction of the controversial RM4 billion hydroelectric power (HEP) Baram Dam have not deterred villagers at the anti-dam blockade in Long Lama who are adamant at staying put.

The Long Lama blockade was set up by the Baram Protection Action Committee (BPAC) about nine months ago on Oct 23, 2013 as a sign that the villagers were against the HEP dam project to be sited between Long Naah and Long Kesseh some 200km inland from Miri City.

When strong rumours spread that Baram Dam had re

Statement of Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact on access to justice

whit — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 21:41:33 +0100

7th Session of the UN Expert Mechanism on Rights of Indigenous Peoples

United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

Agenda item 5: Continuation of the study on access to justice in the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples

Joint statement by prof. MongShanoo Chowdhury, Chittagong Hill Tracts Citizen’s Committee (CHT-CC), Center for Integrated Program & Development (CIPD), La Voix de Jummas (LJV), and Asia Caucus on the Indigenous peoples

Thank you, Mr.

World Bank email leaks reveal internal row over 'light touch' $50bn loans

whit — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 09:46:35 +0100

Environmentalists and human rights campaigners have sounded the alarm at radical plans to ease conditions for World Bank loans, enabling more than $50bn (£29bn) of public money a year to be made available for large power, mining, transport and farming projects.

Leaked emails seen by the Observer reveal that senior figures at the bank feared that light-touch regulation would lead to an increase in “problem projects”.

Protests escalate at Vale's nickel mine in New Caledonia

whit — Wed, 28 May 2014 10:01:48 +0100

SYDNEY – Rioters torched vehicles, equipment and buildings at Vale’s nickel mine in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia over the weekend, as anger boiled over about a chemical spill in a local river.

The $6 billion Vale plant at Goro in southern New Caledonia was closed earlier this month after some 100,000 litres of acid-tainted effluent leaked, killing about 1,000 fish and sparking renewed protests at the mine site.

The Vale plant has a production target of 60,000 tonnes of nickel at full capacity, compared with global supply of around 2 million tonnes.

Cambodian villagers fight Chinese developers to save ancestral home

whit — Sat, 03 May 2014 14:05:09 +0100

Virgin forest and centuries of tradition at stake in remote valley

Phnom Penh – CambodiaFor much of the past six weeks, a handful of guards have stood watch at the edge of the long, red dirt road leading into southwestern Cambodia’s remote Areng Valley.

Sixteen kilometers away, ethnic minority Chong villagers remain at home waiting for an alert.

Asia Regional Indigenous Peoples’ Workshop Declaration

whit — Mon, 05 May 2014 11:42:04 +0100

Advance the Right to Self Determined Development of Indigenous Peoples!

We, 68 participants of the ASIA REGIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ WORKSHOP ON EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES, ENERGY AND HUMAN RIGHTS, held in Sagada, Mountain Province, Philippines on April 20-22, 2014; representing 54 indigenous peoples organizations and advocate groups in Asia, Pacific, Africa, South America and USA; hereby declare our position in relation to the encroachment of extractive industries and energy projects in indigenous peoples’ territories.

We are concerned with the aggressive pursuance of neoliberal globaliz

Indigenous populations disproportionately hit in environmental conflicts

whit — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 14:04:23 +0100

In the EJOLT Atlas, www.ejatlas.org, which is such a success, we can trace whether indigenous populations are involved or not in the one thousand conflicts we have collected so far. We have two questions on this issue in the Database Form. One asks whether Ethnically Discriminated populations are implicated, the other asks whether Indigenous or Traditional Communities are implicated. The two questions are in an open list together with other, they are not mutually exclusive.

Malaysia disallows UN Special Rapporteur to visit, assess treatment of indigenous people

whit — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 11:09:42 +0000

Malaysia has rejected a suggestion at the United Nations that the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Rights should be allowed to visit the country and evaluate the treatment of the Orang Ulu.

This was one of many recommendations which Malaysia has rejected since its Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations in October. The UPR is a process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States.

Belo Monte Construction Intensifies Conflicts with Indigenous Peoples

whit — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 11:46:46 +0000

Requirements to mitigate impacts remain unmet; Indigenous peoples call for immediate suspension of construction

Altamira, Brazil – As the hurried construction of the controversial Belo Monte mega-dam nears 50% completion on the Amazon’s Xingu River, a new report revealed that more than 80% of legally required actions to mitigate project impacts on indigenous peoples and their territories are mired in noncompliance.

Communities Denounce Forced Labour near Goldcorp's Marlin Mine

whit — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 14:36:07 +0000

Casa Cervantes, Guatemala City – Article 4 of the political constitution of the Republic of Guatemala establishes that no person can be subjected to servitude or any other condition which undermines their dignity.

On January 8, 2014, five communities of San Miguel Ixtahuacán, department of San Marcos, where the Marlin Mine (Goldcorp Inc.) operates, presented a complaint against Ovidio Joel Domingo Bámaca, Mayor of San Miguel Ixtahuacán, for the crime of subjecting citizens to involuntary servitude according to article 202 of the criminal code.

Areva and Niger's uranium fight

whit — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 14:09:57 +0000

ARLIT, Niger/PARIS – When France began mining uranium ore in the desert of northern Niger in the early 1970s, Arlit was a cluster of miners’ huts stranded between the sun-blasted rocks of the Air mountains and the sands of the Sahara.

The 1973 OPEC oil embargo changed that.

U.S. Tightens Development Safeguards

whit — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 10:45:15 +0000

WASHINGTON – Development activists and rights watchdogs are applauding a surprise strengthening of environmental and human rights policies governing U.S.

‘Always fight’ for indigenous rights, Amazon tribe’s chief says in Toronto

whit — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 22:02:12 +0000

Grand Chief Megaron has faced down politicians and multi-billion-dollar corporations, but the cold of a Toronto winter is quite another thing. Even within the confines of a modern downtown office complex, he rubs his hands and covers himself with a Woolrich blanket.

“Frio. Muito frio,” he begins telling his translator, Barbara Zimmerman, in Portuguese, the language many of his Kayapo people have mastered to make the concerns of their Amazon rainforest tribe known to the outside world.

Chiapas: Localities declare ban against mining, hydroelectric development

whit — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 10:23:06 +0000

Eight municipalities in southern Mexico’s Chiapas state on Dec. 10 were declared territories free of mineral or hydro-electric development, asserting principles of local autonomy and prior consultation. The joint statement was issued by 56 communities, ejidos (communal agricultural settlements) and popular organizations in the municipalities of Tapachula, Motozintla, Huehuetán, Cacahoatán, Mazapa, Comalapa, Chicomuselo and Tuzantán.

The officially notarized statement directed to President Enrique Peña Nieto, Chiapas Gov.

Malaysia’s Indigenous People Intensify Anti-Dam Battle

whit — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 17:21:51 +0000

KUCHING, Sarawak, Malaysia – The strongest wave of indigenous protests since the 1990s is underway in Sarawak, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo.

Respect Indigenous Penan’s Native Customary Rights over the Murum Dam Project

whit — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 12:24:43 +0000

To:
YAB Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud
22nd Floor, Wisma Bapa Malaysia
Petra Jaya, 93502 Kuching
Sarawak, Malaysia

Mr. Torstein Dale Sjotveit
Chief Executive Officer,
Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB)
No.

Sarawak Energy defends Murum hydropower resettlement plan

whit — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 11:35:19 +0100

KUCHING, Malaysia – Sarawak Energy has issued a statement regarding the development of its 944-MW Murum hydropower plant following “the many statements, rumors and commentaries” made by a number of outlets about the project’s Resettlement Action Plan (RAP).

The company said some non-governmental organizations are exploiting the confusion and have “instigated the communities to lobby for additional compensation packages that are unrealistic, unachievable and in contradiction” to Murum’s development.

Sarawak Energy maintains that the offers made in the RAP are fair, noting they were design

Groups Protest World Bank Support for Destructive Dams and Fossil Fuels

whit — Sun, 13 Oct 2013 12:07:14 +0100

Civil Society Alliance Demands Clean Local Power for the Poor

Images available at www.flickr.com/photos/internationalrivers
Take action at http://org.salsalabs.com/o/2486/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=...!
More information available at www.internationalrivers.org/node/8091.

Washington DC – The World Bank should shift its energy lending away from dirty power plants toward clean local energy for the poor, a coalition of civil society organizations said today during a protest outside the Bank’s annual meeting.

Aglukkaq will have final say on controversial Fish Lake mine in B.C. Interior

whit — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 12:43:15 +0100

OTTAWA — In one of her first tests as Environment Minister, Leona Aglukkaq will give thumbs up or down to a proposed mine in British Columbia that is a new version of a plan tossed out as ecologically disastrous by a former Conservative minister.

Chiefs from Tsilhqot’in First Nations say they have no doubt that a federal environmental assessment panel, which is weeks away from delivering a verdict on the New Prosperity mine at Fish Lake in the B.C. Interior, will reject it out of hand.

They say the plan for the billion-dollar gold-and-copper pit that Taseko Mines Ltd.

Aboriginal elder loses bid to block $30bn Olympic Dam mine expansion

whit — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 08:41:15 +0100

AN Aboriginal elder has lost a protracted court bid to block the $30 billion expansion to the Olympic Dam copper, uranium and gold mine in South Australia.

Kevin Buzzacott first took his case to the Federal Court in early 2012, claiming then federal Environment Minister Tony Burke had not given enough consideration to several issues before granting approval.

Mr Buzzacott’s appeal to the full court of the Federal Court was prompted when a single judge dismissed an initial action.

But the full court also dismissed his appeal today, more than 12 months after he first argued his case

Peru 'washing its hands' of Newmont’s Conga mine issues: local authorities

whit — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 12:27:20 +0100

Despite Peru’s President Ollanta Humala’s recent public display of optimism, indicating that his government is set to restart several large mining projects stalled since last year, Newmont Mining’s $5bn Conga project continues to be the bone of contention.

Only last week, top authorities of the country’s gold-rich Cajamarca region, where the debated gold and copper project is being developed, said the majority of the population still rejects the project and that Newmont’s local partners —Buenaventura and Minera Yanacocha— have made no progress in gaining support from surroundi

A Mine, a Movement and a Town Divided

whit — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 19:23:58 +0100

In Mexico, local resistance to Canadian mining companies is growing as the industry booms.

Since Vancouver-based silver and gold mining company Fortuna set up shop in a small town in southern Mexico in 2005, violent attacks have left four local residents dead and many more wounded.

Fortuna has not been charged, nor is it the subject of any criminal investigation.

Peru: Conga protest camp fired on

whit — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 12:49:25 +0100

On Sept. 20, a group of workers and security guards from the Yanacocha mining company attacked the protest encampment established by local campesinos at the Conga site, where the company seeks to expand operations of Peru’s biggest open-pit gold mine. The tents and bivouacs were torn down and burned, and the protesters evicted from the site. Three days later, protesters returned to re-establish the encampment—some 500 strong, and headed by the movement’s most visible leaders, Jorge Rimarachín, Gregorio Santos and Marco Arana.

Environmental protection order for leaking Primrose oil sands project

whit — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 14:01:20 +0100

The Alberta government has served the Primrose oil sands project with an environmental protection order, the province announced on Tuesday.

Canadian Natural Resources, owner of the development, must drain a bitumen-affected water-body before it freezes.

The oil sands miner must also put in place permanent containment measures and undertake clean-up activities by spring 2014 so that the water can be restored.

This summer the company reported bitumen surfacing under an area of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range.

Indigenous leaders want government help to stop copper sulphide leaks at Redbank mine

whit — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 13:27:32 +0100

Traditional owners in the Gulf Country want to work with government and industry to clean up one of the Northern Territory’s most toxic legacy mines.

The old Redbank copper mine, south of Borroloola and about 40 kilometres from the Queensland border, closed in 1996 but still leaks copper sulphide into a nearby creek.

The tranquil pools that form at Hanrahan’s Creek look serene but the unnaturally bright green water and blue encrustations on its banks are telltale signs of high levels of pollution.

The copper sulphide concentration is so high in some sections of the creek that ther

Anglo American pulls out of Pebble copper project

whit — Mon, 16 Sep 2013 18:11:54 +0100

London – Mining group Anglo American has pulled out of the Pebble copper-gold project in Alaska, less than two months after pledging to halve a $17 billion pipeline of potential mines and bring down the cost of keeping future options open.

The decision, announced on Monday, leaves junior exploration company Northern Dynasty to push ahead alone with the plan to develop one of the largest copper-gold deposits in the world – but also a hugely environmentally challenging project that has already been studied for almost three decades.

Anglo’s decision is unlikely to come as a shock to investo

Alberta First Nation concerned about six leaks at oil sands project

whit — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 11:57:29 +0100

COLD LAKE, ALTA. – A First Nation says it is concerned about two other leaks at an oil sands project in northeastern Alberta, bringing the total in recent months to six.

Chief Bernice Martial of Cold Lake First Nation said Monday that she is worried about the safety of drinking water, animals and vegetation in her region.

In July, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.

Indigenous protest against Agua Zarca dam in Honduras criminalised

whit — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 21:30:14 +0100

Court case against indigenous leaders will not stop resistance against project

Tegucigalpa – On September 12, three leaders of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) must appear in court to face trumped up charges by the Honduran regime and DESA, a hydroelectric dam company.

Legal hurdles could hinder Canadian gold miner plans in Brazil’s Amazon

whit — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 10:57:45 +0100

Brazilian authorities are fine tuning details of a lawsuit aimed to prevent the largest gold mining project in Brazil’s history from happening, as they argue Canadian firm Belo Sun Mining Corp (TSX:BSX) has failed to study the impact on Amazon communities.

The prosecutors, reports Reuters, have asked the state government of Para, which is in charge of licensing for the project, to reject the permit until “a proper” impact study on local Indian groups is done.

But the miner, which is working on its feasibility study for the $750 million Volta Grande project, on the Xingu River,

Illegal gold mining exposing Peru's indigenous tribes to mercury poisoning

whit — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 12:03:09 +0100

Toxic levels of mercury dumped in Amazon rivers gets into food chain, posing serious health risk to children, study finds

Indigenous children in Peru’s south eastern Amazon, an area where tens of thousands of illegal gold miners operate, have unsafe mercury concentrations over three times the level of their non-native counterparts, a study has found.

The artisanal gold miners, who use mercury to extract the precious metal from river silt, dump more than 30 tons of the toxic metal in rivers and lakes in the Amazon region every year.

Native communities had levels of mercury roughly five

Dams, Gold, and Dissidence

whit — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 09:46:31 +0100

In the first few days of July I was dismayed to hear that the Peruvian national police force in Celendín, Cajamarca heavily beat citizens, injuring 9 people (including a 5 year old girl) who were apparently peacefully voicing their critique of the controversial Chadin II hydroelectric project currently at the stage of assessing feasibility.

First Nation discovers large petrochemical sheen on Athabasca River

whit — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 12:37:09 +0100

Alberta’s new energy regulator missing in action
shell
July 7, 2013, FORT MCMURRAY – The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is demanding answers and action from the Alberta government following reports of a large possibly petrochemical spill into the Athabasca River. The large visible peteochemical sheen may be from a previous spill that regulators failed to contain or from a new release.

Mongolian herders submit complaint to European public bank

whit — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 14:51:30 +0100

Ulaanbaatar – A group of Mongolian herders submitted today an official complaint to the Project Complaints Mechanism of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), hoping to initiate a process of evaluation of the adverse impacts on their health and livelihoods of two mining projects financed by the international public lender.

The mining boom in Mongolia has raised high expectations for lifting the country’s population out of poverty.

Peru peasant squads rally against $5bn Conga gold project

whit — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 10:53:57 +0100

Squads of Peruvian peasants are making a new push to demand that President Ollanta Humala scrap Newmont’s $5 billion gold mine.

CAJAMARCA, Peru – Forty years ago, peasants in rural Peru banded together as “ronderos” – Spanish for “people who make the rounds” – to curb cattle rustling.

Today, squads of these ronderos are working toward a different aim – thwarting an American mining company’s planned $5 billion gold mining project that they contend would spoil lakes vital to the local population high in the Andes.

Operating according to Andean customs, the squads act as a de facto j

Peru protesters push to stop $5bn Newmont mine

whit — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 10:09:26 +0100

PEROL LAKE, Peru – Thousands of opponents of a $5 billion gold project of Newmont Mining circled a lake high in the Andes on Monday, vowing to stop the company from eventually draining it to make way for Peru’s most expensive mine.

Lake Perol is one of several lakes that would eventually be displaced to mine ore from the Conga project. Water from the lakes would be transferred to four reservoirs that the U.S.

Guatemala: Judge Sets Precedent in Release of Rubén Herrera, Citing International Human Rights Standards

whit — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 14:45:38 +0100

After spending over two months in prison under charges of terrorism, Rubén Herrera, community leader and outspoken activist against the Hydro Santa Cruz dam in Barillas, Huehuetenango, was released on Thursday May 30th due to a lack of evidence to the charges against him.

“The decision from this court will set a good precedent for human rights defenders, and overall for the legitimacy of grassroots activism by Indigenous Peoples.

Stop construction of mega dams

whit — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:39:56 +0100

NE organizations appeal to India, China and Bangladesh

DIMAPUR: A group of 26 organizations from North East India under the banner of the North East Dialogue Forum have jointly written to leaders of India, China and Bangladesh expressing their concern over the issue of water, the adverse impacts of constructing mega dams and mining in the region.

The joint appeal known as the “Dimapur Declaration” was the outcome of a 2-day North East People’s Convention on water and dams held at Bethesda Youth Welfare Centre, Dimapur from May 17-18.

Goldcorp grilled in shareholder meeting, poor practices make “toxic zones” protestors say

whit — Sat, 04 May 2013 09:03:43 +0100

TORONTO – Goldcorp was drilled with questions inside their annual shareholder meeting about the poor environmental, human rights and health record throughout Latin America. Health researcher Susana Caxaj, who works with affected villages near Goldcorp’s Marlin Mine, was one of several concerned citizens asking hard questions of the company. “Communities are very concerned about their health, they are frustrated that their concerns are not being taken seriously,” she said.

Peru rolling back indigenous law in win for mining sector

whit — Wed, 01 May 2013 06:58:16 +0100

LIMA – Peru’s mining minister is winning a crucial cabinet battle by swaying President Ollanta Humala to water down a law that gives indigenous groups more say over new mines and oil projects – and a deputy minister will likely resign in protest.

According to half a dozen people with direct knowledge of the internal tug-of-war, Mines and Energy Minister Jorge Merino has prevailed in excluding Quechua-speaking communities in the mineral-rich Andes from being covered by the law.

Sources said he fears applying the law throughout the highlands – as the government once said it planned to

Honoring the River: How Hardrock Mining Impacts Tribal Communities

whit — Sat, 11 May 2013 18:06:18 +0100

“Access to clean drinking water, clean air, and healthy fish and game are inherent human rights that no lawmaker can give away.”

For more than a century, American Indian tribes and Alaska Natives have suffered the impacts of hardrock mining while enjoying few of its benefits.

A new National Wildlife Federation report, Honoring the River: How Hardrock Mining Impacts Tribal Communities tells the story of hardrock mining and tribes, from the checkered history of federal legislation allowing mining companies to lease minerals on tribal lands—often without tribal consent—to the m

Rio Tinto accused of environmental and human rights breaches

whit — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:16:21 +0100

Native Mongolian herders angry that copper and gold mine is threatening fresh water supply and ecology

Protesters from around the world attacked mining company Rio Tinto for a string for alleged environmental and human rights breaches during a fiery meeting with shareholders in London on Thursday.

Native Mongolian herders claimed that a $5bn (£3.3bn) expansion of the company’s Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine in the Gobi desert threatened the fresh water supply of hundreds of nomadic people and the area’s unique ecology.

Sukhgerel Dugersuren, executive director of Mongolian civil so

Press Statement: Asia Indigenous Peoples’ raise alarm on the worsening landgrabs and violation of their rights

whit — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:31:55 +0000

Indigenous peoples in Asia are raising alarm on the worsening violation of their collective rights. With Asia becoming the new economic hub for extractive industries and foreign investments, landgrabbing of indigenous lands is now becoming the order of the day such as in India, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia. The growing physical and economic displacement of indigenous peoples is being ignored inspite of the protests and objections of indigenous communities.

Colville Tribes Win Long-Running Environmental Lawsuit against Teck Metals

whit — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:59:38 +0000

NESPELEM, Washington — Today, a judge in the United States District Court in Yakima issued a ruling that Canadian mining and smelting giant Teck Metals, Ltd. is liable under United States environmental law for contaminating the Columbia River with millions of tons of smelting waste.

In finding Teck liable under the Comprehensive, Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, also known as Superfund), the Honorable Judge Lonny R.

New report shows World Bank tough talk on climate is just a mirage in Mongolia’s Gobi desert

whit — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:47:41 +0000

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia — Just one week after its grim warning during the UN climate talks in Doha that the world is on a path towards a four degree-rise in global temperatures, the World Bank is set to approve financing for yet another coal plant.

Guatemala's Chixoy dam: where development and terror intersect

whit — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:33:17 +0000

A 1982 massacre paved the way for a hydroelectric dam built with development bank funds. What lessons have been learned?

The development bank-funded Chixoy dam was built close to Rio Negro in the Guatemalan highlands.

Thirty years ago a massacre took place in the Guatemalan highlands that left 400 people dead. Countless more were displaced, tortured, raped or left starving.

Mining Saps a Thirsty Desert

whit — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 07:39:49 +0000

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (IPS) – The Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine in the southern Gobi desert in Mongolia has become a symbol of a looming crisis: a limited water supply that could be exhausted within a decade, seriously threatening the lives and livelihoods of the local population.

Oyu Tolgoi is one of the largest copper deposits in the world and has attracted major investors over the years, from Robert Friedland of Ivanhoe Capital Corporation, to the mining giant Rio Tinto, which now holds a majority stake in the investment, while the Mongolian government controls just 34 percent of the proje

Belo Sun Mining Sets Sights on Golden Opportunity in the Xingu

whit — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 10:23:25 +0100

A flock of vultures have landed on the banks of the mighty Xingu River deep in the Brazilian Amazon, and they’ve come to stay. Circling like scavengers over the river now condemned by the looming Belo Monte dam, international mining executives anxiously await the death of the Xingu to begin extracting the rich seams of gold that line its banks.

Namibia: UN expert calls for greater inclusion of indigenous peoples at all levels

whit — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 17:46:50 +0100

GENEVA – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya, said today that indigenous communities in Namibia are demanding greater inclusion in decision-making at levels, increased educational opportunities and full recognition of traditional authorities representing minority communities.

“Like many other countries around the world that have experienced European colonization and waves of migration, indigenous groups that are in the minority in Namibia have suffered injustices in the past that leave them disadvantaged, to varying degrees, in the pr

World Bank and Others Poised to Invest in Rio Tinto’s Flawed Mongolian Mining Project

whit — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:29:28 +0100

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia – The World Bank Board of Directors has announced plans to consider a copper and gold mining project in the Mongolian South Gobi desert even though the Bank itself acknowledges that there is not enough water in the region to support the life of the Project.

Community Maps Can Empower Indigenous Peoples to Assert Land Rights

whit — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 08:12:50 +0100

Bangkok, THAILAND, 19 September (Tebtebba Indigenous Information Service) – An Australian-Filipino mining company during a September 2011 public consultation mobilized its “experts.” Their goal: to persuade local officials and indigenous and local communities about the “safety, merits and sustainability” of the company’s US$5.8-billion project in southern Philippines.

The “experts” were armed with figures, graphs and pictures all showing the “benefits” of the proposed big mining project.

Peru may give environment ministry more power over new mines

whit — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 08:35:34 +0100

LIMA (Reuters) – President Ollanta Humala has sent a bill to Congress that would give the environment ministry more power to approve or reject new mines in Peru, an overhaul that critics say is long overdue.

Peru, a top global metals exporter, has a pipeline of new mining projects worth $50 billion.

Local communities who say new mines would cause pollution or hurt water supplies have complained for years that the existing model for approving mines was flawed: the mining ministry alone is tasked with both promoting mining investment and approving the environmental impact studies f

Central America: Verdict of the International People's Health Tribunal on Goldcorp

whit — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 09:57:45 +0100

The recent International People’s Health Tribunal, has been investigating health issues around Goldcorp’s mines in Guatemala, Honduras & Mexico.

Peru police detain Newmont opposition leader after violent protests

whit — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 06:29:55 +0100

One person was left dead on Wednesday as the protests against Newmont Mining’s $5 billion Conga gold mine turned violent and led to the detention of opposition leader Marco Arana.

LIMA – One person died and police detained one of the leaders of protests against Newmont’s $5 billion gold mine in Peru on Wednesday, the day after clashes between police and protesters left three people dead and 21 injured.

The second day of violence erupted in the northern region of Cajamarca as President Ollanta Humala came under criticism for suspending freedom of assembly in the area late on Tuesday.

Indigenous peoples threatened by resource exploitation

whit — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:26:45 +0100

A new report on minorities and indigenous people warns that the global ‘intensification’ in the exploitation of natural resources is leading to mounting conflicts for the world’s 370 million indigenous people.

The report for 2012 by the London-based human rights group, Minority Rights Group International (MRG), says indigenous peoples “in every region of the world” face the risk of being “driven from their land and natural resources.”

The land and resources are all “vital for their livelihoods, their culture and often their identity as a people,” Vital Bambanze, chair of the UN Exp

Tsilhqot'in Applaud Affirmation of Aboriginal Rights by BC Court of Appeal

whit — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 11:29:03 +0100

VANCOUVER – The Tsilhqot’in Nation has never ceded nor surrendered our title and rights and this point was proven today. Since before the time of contact we have protected and defended our lands, waters and territories.

“Taking our fight to the B.C. Court system is just one step in a much larger struggle that we share with First Nations across B.C.

Ecuadorian communities welcome IAMGOLD’s retreat and warn INV Metals that there’s no social license for Quimsacocha

whit — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 10:11:35 +0100

Community leaders in Ecuador welcomed the announcement that Canadian mining company IAMGOLD is selling its Quimsacocha project, located near the city of Cuenca in south-central Ecuador.

Toronto-based junior mining company, INV Metals, announced Thursday that it has reached a deal to acquire IAMGOLD’s Ecuadorian subsidiary.

Tsilhqot’in Vow to ‘Stand Ground’ Against New Prosperity Mine at Taseko AGM

whit — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 17:17:59 +0100

Behind doors closed even to media, Taseko Mines Ltd. boasted 2011 profits of $86.3 million Canadian [$83.1 million USD] at its annual general meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 1.

Peru uses emergency rules to end violent protests at Xstrata mine

whit — Tue, 29 May 2012 11:24:05 +0100

LIMA (Reuters) – Two people were killed and 50 were injured in protests against Xstrata’s Peruvian copper mine Tintaya on Monday, prompting the government to suspend freedom of assembly in a bid to break roadblocks isolating the mine.

At least 30 of the injured were police and one judicial official was detained by protesters in the mountainous southern region of Cusco, officials said.

President Ollanta Humala, a former military officer like Prime Minister Oscar Valdes, has urged mediation to avert violence, but critics say he has become impatient with intransigent protesters and too will

Basarwa lobby UN to force Botswana to recognise their land rights

whit — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:57:45 +0100

For the first time Basarwa have made their first-ever collective San presentation by San and for the San at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). The San caucus is made up of Basarwa from South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

Interestingly this presentation was made by Job Morris of Botswana, who lives in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) and works for the Kuru Trust, on behalf of the San of southern Africa.

Latin American indigenous groups join forces to fight dams

whit — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:38:10 +0100

When Brazilian indigenous leader Tashka Yawanawa saw the news on television that communities from Peru were campaigning to prevent the construction of dams close to their land, he had no doubt about how he could help.

He turned on his computer, and using Skype, he contacted indigenous movements involved in the protest to offer both his support and to publicise the cause in Brazil.

“Today, indigenous groups can no longer escape the white man’s technology,” says Mr Yawanawa.

“We have to update ourselves, and prepare to face this new world.”

He belongs to the Yawanawa people, who live

Penans write S'wak Energy's CEO to halt Baram Dam

whit — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:44:51 +0100

Six Penan communities have sent letters to Sarawak Energy Berhad’s (SEB) CEO demanding an immediate halt to the Baram Dam project on their ancestral land, said Bruno Manser Fund (BMF).

In a statement yesterday, the Swiss-based NGO said the residents of Long Lutin, Long Pakan, Long Lilim, Ba Abang, Long Kawi and Long Item have all sent letters to Torstein Dale Sjotveit, SEB’s CEO from Norway.

“My husband, my children and my brothers and sisters; we will not survive if they build the Baram dam.

“It is better to kill us with a knife right away than to build the dam”, BMF report

Namibia: Indigenous Coalition Opposed to New Dam

whit — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 14:58:03 +0000

If the Namibian government thought it had enough on its hands after indigenous Himba leaders issued a powerful statement listing a host of human rights violations and calling on the UN to intervene, it now has another campaign by indigenous groups to worry about – and a real fight on its hands over plans to build a new dam in the Baynes Mountains.

The Namibian government was forced to back down the last time it tried to construct a dam – the notorious Epupa hydroelectric dam – after widespread oppostion and a concerted campaign by indigenous groups, which helped to convince the World Bank a

Hundreds of Indigenous Protest Belo Monte Dam, Brazilian Government Boycotts Talks

whit — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:02:23 +0000

UPDATED, November 10, 2011: A Brazilian court on November 9, ruled that indigenous communities do not have the right to free, prior and informed consultation in regards to the Belo Monte Dam because the infrastructure and reservoirs will not be located on tribal lands.

The announcement about the dam that will flood some 40,000 hectares of rainforest, displace more than 10,000 people and block 80 percent of the Xingu river was immediately denounced by those who oppose the dam.

“Today’s decision by Judge Cardoso proves that there is no independent judicial system in our country,”

Landmark Vote Upholds Indigenous Rights on Belo Monte

whit — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:58:30 +0100

On Monday, federal judge Selene Maria de Almeida voted in a landmark opinion in Brazilian courts that the Belo Monte Dam licenses are illegal and must be cancelled due to what is now widely-accepted evidence that the Brazilian government did not hold proper consultations with indigenous tribes that would be affected by the project.

Ethiopia’s ‘bulldozer’ government arrests 100 tribal people over dam

whit — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:37:32 +0100

Survival has received reports that around one hundred Ethiopian tribespeople have been arrested and jailed for opposing Ethiopia’s controversial Gibe III dam.

Plans for the dam and irrigated land plantations nearby are gathering pace, along with rising repression and intimidation to any opposition.

A policeman reportedly told one indigenous community that the government was, ‘like a bulldozer, and anyone opposing its development projects will be crushed like a person standing in front of a bulldozer.’

Ethiopia is leasing out large tracts of tribal lands in the South Omo region t

Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Issues: A Note on his official mission to Costa Rica

whit — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 09:15:50 +0100

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (SRIP), James Anaya, has recently (24 to 27 April 2011) concluded an official mission to Costa Rica.