Tag Archive for 'land'Page 14 of 35

21
Sep

Communities in Peru vote against Río Blanco

A popular referendum was held in Peru on Sunday to vote on the future of the Río Blanco mining project. The project, which was up until recently owned by the London-based mining company Monterrico Metals, has already shown to have caused damages in the area of development. Local communities say it is a threat to the rivers which they depend on, and that the company itself has been operating illegally on their community-owned lands.

More than 31,000 people showed up to participate in the referendum. The outcome–reminiscent of another referendum held in 2002 about a mining operation owned by Canada’s Manhattan Minerals– on Sunday, 95% of the people voted a resounding NO to Río Blanco

The government is not satisfied or impressed. In fact, they’ve been trying to criminalize and altogether ignore this initiative.

Peasant organizations are demanding the government …

Published on
September 21, 2007
  0 Comments 719 views

19
Sep

Despite Peace, Indigenous People in Sudan Still Suffer

For 22 years the Government of Sudan (GOS) and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) fought one another, among several reasons, for control of the oil in the Southern Sudan.

In 2005 the fighting came to an end however, as both parties signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) - which promised not only peace, but also economic prosperity for the Dinka, Nuer and other indigenous people in the Southern Sudan who have suffered profoundly throughout the 22 years of violence - being subjected to summary killings, forced relocations, the theft of their land and property, as well as genocide.

The CPA promised a 50 percent share of oil revenues extracted in the South would be invested in the region.

This year’s revenues exceed US$4 billion—and yet, the Indigenous People today continue to languish in abject poverty. And despite …

Published on
September 19, 2007
  0 Comments 723 views

18
Sep

Judge suspends La Parota dam

Last week, a Judge in the state of Guerrero, Mexico ordered the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) to suspend any further construction of La Parota dam.

The order came as a response to an August 14 request by campesinos for an injunction pending resolution of a lawsuit they filed to stop La Parota altogether. The judge ruled that continuing the project may cause “irreparable damages” to the campesinos. See here for background news and information.

From WW4 Report - On Sept. 13 Mexican federal district judge Livia Lizbeth Larumbe Radilla, based in Acapulco in the southern state of Guerrero, ordered the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) to suspend further construction of La Parota hydroelectric dam across the Papagayo River. The judge’s order came in response to an Aug. 14 request by campesinos living in Guerrero’s Cacahuatepec municipality for …

Published on
September 18, 2007
  0 Comments 650 views

14
Sep

A National Indigenous Body has been born

Today, a National Political Body has been born for Indigenous People in Australia. It’s called the National Aboriginal Alliance (NAA), and it is the end result of a three-day gathering that took place in Alice Springs this week, which brought together about 100 Aboriginal People from around Australia.

Something like the NAA has been sorely absent for quite some time now. Indigenous People have been effectively trapped, unable to mobilize themselves and nowehere near a position to be heard or respected by the government.

That’s not to say they haven’t been speaking out or protesting, but the divisions and isolations of indigenous Australia has made it all too easy for the government to just ignore it altogether, as is the case with the intervention scheme.

But now a foundation has been layed which gives the people a means to come together …

Published on
September 14, 2007
  0 Comments 787 views

14
Sep

Six Nations to issue building permits

Traditional Chiefs at Six Nations have recently announced that anyone planning to build in the Grand River watershed must now secure a permit from the Confederacy.

The Confederacy stated that this is an assertion of their jurisdiction over lands within the Haldimand Tract, as well as an attempt to prevent environmental degradation caused by new developments.

Aaron Detlor, a Mohawk lawyer and spokesperson for the new planning agency says “We are saying specifically that you need to apply and be given a permit…” “If you do not have a permit and you proceed, it’s our position that you are doing so in an unlawful fashion.”

When asked about whether or not they would send “protesters” to challenge developers who do not obtain a permit, he said “that’s not part of the process that we envision whatsoever.” Also, “we’re not going to rely …

Published on
September 14, 2007
  0 Comments 869 views

11
Sep

Organized Youth, Strengthened Community

From August 31 to September 2, around 300 young people from the Tupinambá, Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãe, Pataxó and Tuxá (state of Bahia), Tupinikim (state of Espírito Santo) and Xukuru (state of Pernambuco) peoples gathered at the 3rd seminar of Tupinambá young people at Serra do Padeiro in the state of Bahia, Brazil.

The Tupinambá (also known as the Tupi) have recently begun strengthening their struggle, encouraging its young people to organize themselves.

Based on the theme “Organized Youth, Strengthened Community,” the youth naturally focused on matters of organization, aswell as topics like public policies and health issues.They also spent a great deal of time talking about the demarcation of indigenous Territory….

From Brazzil Mag - “The seminar was successful. Young people participated in it actively and contributed to discussions on topics related to the daily reality faced in the villages,” evaluated Magno Santos, …

Published on
September 11, 2007
  0 Comments 668 views

10
Sep

Ecuador - Leaders kidnapped, left for dead

At the end of August, two Indigenous Leaders in Puyo, Ecuador were attacked after months of receiving death threats for their efforts to protect the territory of the Zapara people in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Gloria Ushigua and Rosa Gualinga were beaten until unconscious, thrown in the trunk of a car, and later left for dead.

From Free Peltier Now - Both women are internationally known human rights defenders. Gloria Ushigua is a leader of the Zapara people. Rosa Gualinga is of the Andoas people and works closely with the Zapara. The Zapara are an indigenous people in danger of becoming extinct, with a current population in Peru and Ecuador of approximately 650. Gloria is an elected representative of Nacionalidad Zapara de la Amazonia Ecuatoriana (NAZAE), the official representative organization of the Zapara people in Ecuador, which works to …

Published on
September 10, 2007
  0 Comments 853 views

Video activism and the Chiapas Media Project

In the following presentation, Claudia Magallanes-Blanco from the University of Western Sydney talks about the role of video activism as a world-wide tool for empowerment and the Chiapas Media Project, a collaborative effort based in Mexico that provides indigenous Zapatistas in Chiapas and peasants in Guerrero with training and equipment to produce their own videos.

Since forming in 1998, CMP has distributed over 6000 videos, including: Zapata’s Garden, a film that looks at the society the Zapatista’s are building; …


I Am A Defender of the Rainforest

Known as ‘Soy defensor de la selva’ in Spanish, I am a Defender of the Rainforest is an award-winning documentary that was filmed, edited, and directed by members of the Sarayaku community in southern Ecuador.

The film shows how the …


Underreported Struggles #19, October 2008

In this month’s Underreported Struggles: 400,000 Guatemalans Reject Development Model, Philippines Indigenous People Unite for the Land, Riot Police Target Algonquin Blockade, Chagos Islanders Denied the Right of Return, and 17 other stories …


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