July 29, 2016 by raajmanik

Fascist attack on peaceful march in Bangladesh, Solidarity from London and across the earth to save the Sunderbans

200 mangrove marchers brutally charged by police in Dhaka
16 unarmed protesters seriously injured
Six frontline defenders and NCBD leaders imprisoned
Cops foiled public statement to cancel dark deal over world’s largest mangrove

As you might have awaited update from Thursday’s public march against the destructive Rampal coal-power plant, we are in the process of doing a detailed and analytical report on the attack on peaceful marchers and the fascism of Bangladeshi police. For now, note that the Dhaka protest was attacked by state law enforcement force, and the Prime Minister shamefully denied to meet with the concerned citizens of Bangladesh who wanted to handover a statement to their Prime Minister.

Dhaka March to Save the Sunderbans on 28 July 2016. copy right @NCBD Dhaka

When the marchers walked towards the Prime Minister’s office to submit a statement to save the Sunderbans, police unleashed violence on peaceful marchers, threw tear shells over a march of 200 protesters who sought to handover a public statement against the dark Rampal deal that would destroy the world’s largest mangrove, the Sunderbans. Many of our activists, including the Member Secretary of NCBD, Professor Anu Muhammad, were severely injured as beaten up by fascist police force who acted on behalf of a fascist government. Students and women-environmentalists were beaten to such that several of them were taken to hospital in critical condition.

The leaders of National Committee and frontline organisers of the march were abused and six front-line protesters, including Anu Muhammad, were detained on arbitrary charges. Police did not only abuse and charge activists but also foiled the well-written public statement, which demanded the immediate cancellation of the destructive Rampal coal-fired plant, to symbolise that commons and citizens do not have the right to express opinion on natural and national resources in Bangladesh.

In a nutshell, we have seen a fascist face of the government of Bangladesh in the month of Mangrove Action. We have witnessed how a so called pro-independence government deployed fascist police to dismiss people’s urge to preserve national sovereignty. The state-law enforcement force had foiled demands to conserve the world’s largest mangrove forest just a day after the International Mangrove Action Day. This is shocking and sickening.

Dhaka March to PM office on 28 July 2016. Copyright @NCBD

Although media coverage of this heinous attack on peaceful marchers was poor, we have heard the sound of angers, condemnation and protests across the earth on Thursday. In London, the Bangladeshi community rallied under the banner of protect resources of Bangladesh, the UK branch, and unreservedly condemned the attacked on environmentalists and progressive activists in Dhaka.

London protest against destructive Rampal power plant on 28 July 2016. Photo credit: Shefa Ahmed and Rumana Hashem

Despite miserable weather and a week day afternoon, there was a great turn up of saddened Bengalese at Altab Ali Park at Aldgate East. Speakers include Bangladesh Socialist Party leader, Mostofa Kamal, European-Bangladesh Climate Change, Ansar Ahmed Ullah, Communist party leader, Dr Mohammad Ali Khan Jinnah, Photo journalist Peter Marshall, Worker’s party leader Ishaque Kajole, Dr Mokhlesur Rahman of NCBD UK , Dr Rumana Hashem of PSG and other community organisers. We were, of course, present at the rally from Phulbari Solidairty Group. But the question is: does the Bangladesh government care for what we think and say about our national environment and national resources?

We will be updating you on further development on this via twitter, blog and mailing lists.

What you can do to help us:

We would appreciate it if you can re-tweet our news and if you can tweet @PSG-BD
Please do your own outreach by using hashtag #Rampal and #SavetheSunderbans
We would appreciate it if you can avoid asking for money/donation from people for this mangrove action. Any sort of donation based campaign can undermine our cause and would let down the movement to save the Sunderbans.
If you need help, please do contact us for connecting on how to organise in your own locality and how to express solidarity with the protesters back home. You can email us: phulbarisolidaritygroup@gmail.com and rabbani.enpolicy@gmail.com

#SavetheSunderbans #StopRampalCoalFiredPlant

Further news:

Police foiled march: The daily Star report http://www.thedailystar.net/city/demo-sundarbans-foiled-10-held-1260748

July 22, 2016 by raajmanik

Protest against Destructive Rampal Power Plant this Thursday

By Rumana Hashem

Despite nationwide protests and international campaigns against the controversial coal power plant in Rampal, Bangladeshi government has approved India‘s NTPC proposed Rampal power plant which, if implemented, will destroy the world’s largest mangrove, the Sundarbans. Bangladeshi and Indian governments have signed a destructive deal in July, the month of International Mangrove Action, when the world is supposed to celebrate International Mangrove Day.

On 13 July, Bangladesh and India have signed an agreement which enables India’s state run Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd. to implement the Rampal thermal power plant. The proposed plant would be built in 14 kilometres to the Sundarbans, a treasured ecosystem along Bangladesh’s coast.

It is outrageous that the governments of the two neighbouring states, Bangladesh and India, have disregarded the global calls and conspired to abandon people’s urge to prevent the construction of disparaging coal-power plant in Rampal from happening. They let Bangladesh’s only mangrove forest, Sundarbans, to be destroyed for self-interests. This deal has been signed at a time when Bangladesh has been undergoing political turmoil and religious genocide. The nation was focused on Gulshan attack when the two governments have approved the destructive deal.

The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Port-Power and Mineral Resources in Bangladesh (NCBD) will march to the Prime Minister’s Office this Thursday, 28th July, to protest against the deal.

In solidarity with the protesters in Bangladesh, the UK branch of NCBD will rally against the destructive deal at 6.30pm on the same day at Altab Ali Park in East London.

Please join us along with your friends and raise your voice against this destructive project. Our outcry can protect the world’s largest mangrove forest, the local environment in Bangladesh, its ecology and species. #SavetheSundarbans

Read further news here:

A new power plant could devastate the world’s largest mangrove forest

Bangladesh, India sign Rampal power plant construction agreement

Additional information and news:

1.“Bangladesh Sticks With Coal Power Plant Project Despite Major Backlash,” Mongabay, February 16, 2016,
http://news.mongabay.com/2016/02/bangladesh-sticks-with-coal-power-plant-project-despite-major-backlash/

2. Anu Muhammad & Sheikh Muhammad Shaheedullah, “Manipulating Rampal,” Dhaka Tribune, March 31, 2016,
http://www.dhakatribune.com/op-ed/2016/mar/31/manipulating-rampal

Dr. Abdullah Harun Chowdhury, “Environmental Impact of Coal Based Power Plant of Rampal on the Sundarbans and Surrounding Areas,” Khulna University, http://bagerhatsociety.com/apanel/admin/download/tdwn2573136.pdf
“Ganges River Dolphin,” World Wildlife Foundation,http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/ganges-river-dolphin
“Orion Signs Deals for Generators for its 660MW Power Plant,” The Daily Star, May 11, 2014, http://www.thedailystar.net/orion-signs-deals-for-generators-for-its-660mw-power-plant-23556
Sönke Kreft, David Eckstein, Lukas Dorsch, and Livia Fischer, “Global Climate Risk Index 2016,” GermanWatch, November 2015, http://germanwatch.org/fr/download/13503.pdf

July 22, 2016 by raajmanik

It is time for Global Day of Action against Vedanta

Phulbari Solidarity Group extends unconditional solidarity with Foil Vedanta in their fight against notorious Vedanta. Foil Vedanta, a campaign group against extractive corporation, has produced invaluable reports on mining effected areas in India and Afrika, and global trade of metals by notorious multinational company, Vedanta. We will join Foil Vedanta on their annual Global Day of Action at Vedanta’s AGM again this year. Like previous years, we will join activists to bring the defiant energy of communities fighting and winning against Vedanta around the world to London on Friday, 5 August.

The main event will be held on Friday 5 August 2016, 14:00 – 16:00 at Ironmongers Hall, Barbican, EC2Y 8AA (nearest tube Barbican).

Foil Vedanta AGM 2016 poster. Source: Foil Vedanta campaign letter 6 July 2016

This year, pollution affected communities of Zambia won their nine years battle in their Supreme Court, and now won the right to have their case heard in Britain. In India, the Dongria Kond of Niyamgiri in Odisha are now demanding to dismantle Vedanta’s aluminium refinery in Lanjigarh, after winning their case in the Supreme Court of India.

Parallel demonstrations are already planned in Zambia and India on the 4th August and questions raised by the communities will be asked inside the AGM meeting.

We encourage our supporters and readers to join Foil Vedanta on Friday the 5th of August to tell Vedanta to stop its notorious activities overseas.
For more information please follow the link:
http://www.foilvedanta.org/actions/global-day-of-action-against-vedanta-5th-august/

May 22, 2016 by raajmanik

Mining is in Rapid Fall

People, climate change and future of the industry

By Raaj Manik

An international workshop on mining in South Asia was organised by Activists and Academia Network, called, the Centre for World Environmental History (CWEH) at University of Sussex in which Phulbari Solidarity Group made a robust contribution. On Wednesday 11 May 2016, a remarkable delegation of activists from the global South has shared their anti-mining community activism, and engaged with experienced colleagues in the global North working to expose the brutality of northern extractive companies in the South.

Speakers included Gladson Dungdung, who was offloaded from the Air India flight on his way to the workshop, was due to report on threats to Saranda Forest in Jharkhand, human rights abuses and the destruction of the environment by iron ore mining companies. Also front-line environmentalists and researchers from Bangladesh and India, including Malvika Gupta from University of Delhi, Rumana Hashem of Phulbari Solidarity Group, Roger Moody of Nostromo Research, and Miriam Rose of Foil Vedanta delivered insightful work and narratives of excellent grassroots struggles against mining and corporations.

Vedanta demo London 2015

Phulbari outburst on 26 August 2006.

PSG founder and eye-witness to Phulbari carnage in 2006, Rumana Hashem, has delivered a talk,titled “Translating Phulbari Resistance and anti-coal struggles in Bangladesh: A bottom up approach to social movement to protect environment and indigenous rights from corporate excess”. Hashem advocates for and showed how a bottom up, informal and non-bureaucratic approach to anti-mining and environmental movement have become tremendously powerful and successful in north-Bangladesh.

The drastic increase of privatisation and multinational corporations has not only caused environmental damage and energy injustice but also induced forced-displacement, destitution of indigenous people and farmers in southern countries, such as, Bangladesh. But resistance to extractive corporations and dodgy deals involving government sponsored companies across the South is in the rise. While Bangladesh has been taken hostage for oil, gas and coal by US, China, Indian, Russian and UK corporations, grassroots activism and people’s resistance across the country are remarkable, notes Hashem.

On 26 August in 2006, three people were shot dead at an anti-open cast coal mining outburst of 80, 000 people in northwest Bangladesh but locals were able to form powerful resistance to fight back the miners for decades. Hashem’s talk analyse anti-coal power struggles and social movements for environment and agriculture-based livelihood in Phulbari, and argued that a bottom up approach to environmental and anti-imperialist struggle has been successful in the northwest of Bangladesh.

Hashem illustrated a three-level socio-political movement, called the Phulbari Resistance, against an UK-listed company GCM Resources, formerly known as Asia Energy, that prevented the implementation of a massive open-cast coal mine in the town of Phulbari which would be destroyed by greedy corporate plans. If the mine is built, it would lead to forced-displacement of up to 230, 000 people over the course (30 years) of the project. It would increase poverty and crisis of food production in a country which struggled to provide food supply to nearly one third of its population in 2006-2010. The project would further cause water pollution and would plunder 94 percent of agricultural land in the region. It would leave devastating impact on environment.

Hashem’s talk revealed how local farmers and indigenous people formed powerful resistance in Phulbari under the umbrella of an open platform of left-environmentalists, called the National Committee of Bangladesh, and fought a dirty extractive company, GCM Resources, in Bangladesh. Her report exhibited that the impact of Phulbari resistance on grassroots mobilisation across Bangladesh is so that it led several other social and political movements including Save the Sundarbans, Bashkhali anti-coal plant outburst, and movement against onshore and offshore gas blocks.

Hashem insists that “it is possible to prevent forced-displacement and livelihood from increasing corporate excess only if we followed a bottom up approach to balance power at local, national and international levels, and only if a true solidarity and consensus between the northern and southern grassroots activism has been formed.”

The illuminating talk by Hashem was followed by a researcher and advocate for indigenous rights, Malvika Gupta from University of Delhi, who illustrated how indigenous kids are manipulated and re-colonised by the colonial language and English education in India. The narratives of oppression of indigenous communities by British corporation in India and Zambia were explored and discussed by Miriam Rose of Foil Vedanta, and Roger Moody of Mines and Communities and Nostromo Research, UK.

All speakers have robustly argued that mining is in rapid fall. Despite pernicious oppression and abuse by multinational corporations in the global south, extractive companies and mining across the world have been facing their downfall.

The day-long conference at the Centre for World Environmental History (CWEH) has ended with a hope that mining will continue to fall. The director of the centre, Dr Vinita Damodaran given a vote of thanks to the superb speakers and activists who brought in new hopes to the conference room that extractive companies are likely to be vanished in near future so long as we continue to fight consistently.

The event was facilitated by Zuky Serper, an Activist and Artist in Residence, and chaired by Dr Vinita Damodaran at CWEH at University of Sussex.

May 3, 2016 by raajmanik

Protesters blockade and shut down UK’s largest open-cast mine in Merthyr Tydfil

Report on Powerful Campaign Against Open-Pit Coal Mine at Ffos-y-fran in South Wales

By Paul Dudman (@PaulDudman)

A red line was drawn by the bodies and banners of passionate protesters through the existing mine to halt open-cast coal mining. Copyright: Reclaim the Power

Tuesday, the 3rd May, has witnessed the successful blockade of the UK’s largest open cast coal mine in Ffos-y-fran, by several hundred protestors as part of a climate change movement organised by the Reclaim the Power oragnisation to help showcase the damage caused by opencast coal extraction to the environment. This was the outcome of a week-long camping of passionate climate change action organised by the climate action network of Reclaim the Power to highlight issues surrounding the damage caused by mining companies using invasive techniques to harvest the last remaining coal reserves and the impact these procedures can have on the natural environment. The coal company in question, Miller Argent, are looking to significantly increase their coal mining production in this area of South Wales, which would have a devastative effect on the local environment and wildlife.

The aim of Tuesday’s action was to undertake a mass civil trespass at the existing Ffos-y-fran opencast mining complex, which began at 5:30am on Tuesday morning and has continued through the day.

This is how protesters have drawn a red-line on coal mine at Ffyos-y-fran #EndCoal. Copyright: Reclaim the Power.

A press release by the Reclaim the Power stated that this is “the largest ever action in a UK opencast mine” with activists traveling from all across Britain and internationally to peacefully occupy the mine and show solidarity and support. Having been fortunate enough to visit the site over the bank holiday weekend, the impact of the existing opencast mine is there for everyone to see and any expansion of this opencast method of coal extraction will have serious implications for the local area. Two huge mountains of waste slag have already been produced as a bye-product of the extraction process. Locals are concerned that the vague promises of this material being returned to the ground once mining is complete will be ignored in the face of the financial benefits of turning the large open-pit mine into a commercial rubbish tip once mining is complete.

Tuesdays protest has been successful in halting coal mining work at Ffos-y-fran. An activist Hannah Smith, on site stated that :

“Today we’ve shut down the UK’s largest coal mine because we must keep fossil fuels in the ground to stop catastrophic climate change [….] We are taking action in solidarity with the local community who have been battling Ffos-y-fran for nearly a decade, and now face the threat of a new mine next door.”

This action represents national and international support for a long-standing local campaign by the United

The Welsh Dragon standing firm in support of the blockade at Ffos-Y-fran and to protect environment. Copyright: Reclaim the Power.

Valleys Action Group, who have been opposing the further expansion of opencast mining at Ffos-y-fran and are now resisting a proposed mine at Nant Llesg. As highlighted in the official press release, “Caerphilly County Council rejected the application in August 2015 but the company Miller Argent is seeking to overturn this democratic decision.”

Indeed, the decision to look to expand the Ffos-y-fran opencast site seems irrational when you consider that the demand for coal itself is facing a downturn globally, especially with the growth in alternatives to coal within the clean energy sector. Equally, “the Aberthaw power station that uses 95% of the coal mined at Ffos-y-fran announced last week that it is scaling back operations” and many locals are vigorously opposed to expansion of opencast mining in the area hives the devastation that has been caused as a direct result of the mine in the surrounding area.

Tuesday’s protest also demonstrated the [assion and climax of Reclaim the Power’s ‘End Coal Now’ climate camp, situated on a hill side adjacent to the opencast mine. Activists from the UK and abroad have braved the wind and the rain to come together and to highlight the importance of fighting to preserve our natural environment and to reduce the impacts of climate change. Events have taken place for five days to help bring together local residents with UK and international climate change activists, unions, Councillors and Assembly candidates to discuss how to guard against the environmental destruction caused as a result of open-pit mining. Solidarity was expressed by many international organisations to Tuesday’s action to end coal in Wales and the UK. Phulbari Solidarity Group has expressed unconditional solidarity with the protesters who blockaded the open-cast mine at Ffos-Y-Fran in Merthyr Tydfil.

Dr. Rumana Hashem holds a red banner to end coal, presented by an activist from Germany at Ende Gelaende, as a form of expressing solidarity on Solidarity Sunday at the End Coal Now camp in Merthyr Tydfil. Copyright: Paul Dudman.

Rumana Hashem, founder of the Phulbari Solidarity Group and executive member of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Respurces, Power and Port in Bangladesh, joined the camp and spoke to a full tent of activists on Sunday evening. Rumana shared her decade-long experience in stopping an open-pit coalmine in northwest Bangladesh, highlighting the successful campaign against Global Goal Management (GCM), a London-based mining company, who wants to build an immense open-pit mine in the Phulbari region of Bangladesh. She discussed GCM’s attempts to obtain approval for Phulbari open-pit mine, which if constructed, would result in the forced displacement of 120,000 people and would cause extensive environmental degradation to prime agricultural land in Bangladesh. By illustrating her eye witness to the shooting on a demonstration of 80,000 people that left three people shot dead in spot and over 200 injured in 2006, Rumana emphasised that strong opposition and long-term constructive actions could stop any mining company and government from destroying our planet.

Rumana also discussed the campaigns against the building of new power stations in the port city of Chittagong, and in Khulna. In describing the threats posed by the to be constructed Rampal power plant close to the Sunderbans in Bangladesh, the world’s largest mangrove forest and a World Heritage site, she said that: “in Bangladesh, coal power plant does not only take away land but also kills people and rare animals.”

In conjunction with speakers discussing the impact of coal extraction on local communities in Germany, the USA and Russia, and the current concerns over the burning of fossil fuels and the impact of carbon emissions on climate change, the Sunday Solidarity panel was organised by the Coal Action Network and Reclaim the Power. The panel went to highlight the importance of environmental activism in order to bring these issues to public attention. There were many more interesting and action-based workshops which took place or four days prior to the action at the End Coal Now camp in Fochriw. Tuesday’s action has been an outstanding success of the organisers who were able to achieve wide media coverage and positive response in mainstream national media including BBC, the Guardian, the Daily Mail and many more who highlighted the action as a successful blockade at the UK’s largest open-cast coal mine.

Thanks to the many hundreds of activists who were able to contribute to the climate camp in Ffos-y-fran over the post few days. The public action at the coal face itself is an example of the amount of hard work and effort that many committed environmental activists are prepared to undertake in support of such an important cause. In addition to this, there has been a large amount of hard work undertaken behind the scenes in order to ensure that the “End Coal Now” camp has been a success. From organising free catering over several days, to inviting speakers from across the world and to the practicalities of arranging this type of open event on a large scale, demonstrate the passion, ability and commitment of the climate activists that they would continue to resist and halt the proposed open-cast mine in Nant Llesg. This has certainly been an inspirational event to many and we hope this will act as a spur to all of us to continue the fight to protect our environment.

Download the Reclaim the Power Press Statement – HUNDREDS SHUT DOWN UK’S LARGEST OPENCAST COAL MINE.

Follow @reclaimthepower on Twitter or on live blog: www.reclaimthepower/endcoalnow/live

The Guardian – The time has come to turn up the heat on those who are wrecking planet Earth

BBC News – Hundreds protest at Ffos-y-Fran opencast mine in Merthyr

BBC News – Ffos-y-Fran opencast mine in Merthyr Tydfil ‘unbearable’

ITV News – Hundreds gather to halt operations at Ffos-y-fran opencast mine

April 14, 2016 by raajmanik

Bashkhali Tragedy: Loopholes behind the story of Coal Shooting

FILED VISIT and REPORT BY A BANGLADESHI FEMINIST-ANTHROPOLOGIST AND FILM MAKER REPRODUCED FROM NewsBangladesh.com

By Nasrin Siraj

A team of 13 leaders and activists of Chittagong chapter of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Port visited, on April 6, Gondamara union under Bashkhali upazila in Chittagong district where four unarmed villagers were killed allegedly in police firing on April 4. I was a member of the team. A schoolteacher from Gondamara union was our guide during the visit.

Gondamara is a shoal area between Jolkodor canal and a seaside embankment. Salt, shrimp and rice are produced here. Crossing the bridge over the Jolkodor canal, we found a group of villagers of different ages sitting at small tea stalls. No sooner had we descended from our vehicles, they surrounded us and started talking altogether, narrating the harrowing details of the immediate past tragic killings.

From there, we started on foot for the nearby village. We met a huge crowd of villagers at a place where a live programme of Jamuna TV was being telecast. A teenage boy of 16/17 years joined us on the way, a scratched scar glowing on his cheek. This is his story:

“(Indicating at the motorcycle of one of our team members) they came by motorcycles like this, wearing helmets like this…those who shot us that day…the hired goons of S Alam…they were accompanied by police.”

Question: How did you know that they were S Alam’s hired goons?

The teenage boy: “They wore police uniform and covered their faces with masks…but we are the local people…don’t we know S Alam’s goons? They come here all the time.”

“(One standing beside him added) haven’t you seen the S Alam office on the way coming here? There are at least 2,000 police uniforms at that office. Wearing those uniforms, the goons came here on that day riding motorcycles. They came from that office.”

The teenage boy: “The local police station has only 20/25 policemen, but on that day about 200 policemen came here.” Another from the villagers, standing beside the boy, added: The OC, UNO, MP Sahib all are sold to them (to S Alam)…

The people surrounding us altogether were trying to describe the horrific incident that took place only two days ago. They were also inquiring about our identities and purpose of visit. Listening to their gory details, suddenly I remembered the first wounded person I met the previous day at Chittagong Medical College and Hospital, during a visit in search of Bashkhali victims. I asked, “Was not a shopkeeper shot here?”

All of them answered at a time, “Yes, yes…this is his shop…this Medina…shooting on his leg from point blank range, they took him to that bridge from here, dragging him all the way…he suffered severely and painfully, you see, the road is pitched…even the soldiers of Pakistani occupation army were not so brutal…we were not tortured so much even during the liberation war…”

We were still a little away from the spot where the shootings took place. Meanwhile, National Committee leaders and activists had completed their procession and rally, expressing solidarity with their movement. Someone then proposed that we should visit the wounded villagers. It may be mentioned here that the National Committee organised the visit without any prior preparations. The visit was organised all of a sudden. The leaders and activists of the committee are not well familiar with this locality and people. That’s why they did not have any particular plan. The villagers then took us to Moriom and Kulsum. Here is the story in short they told us:

“Police on that day not only killed four people firing indiscriminately, but also entered home to home and shot women. Kulsum was breastfeeding her child, and Moriom was peeping through the window to see what had been happening outside when the police entered their homes and shot them. The main problem regarding the bullet-wounded ones was to take them to hospitals as, after filing cases against 3,000 unnamed accused, police have been arresting all the wounded persons whoever had gone to any Chittagong hospitals from Godamara. So, apprehending detention, wounded people are not going to the CMCH, or concealing their names and addresses if anybody is going.”

Moriom showed us her terribly shaking bullet-ridden hand. With tearful eyes, she told us, “Kulsum conceived four months ago. She has five children also. Who will take care of them now? Who’ll take care of those motherless children?”

The women present there then oragnised Kulsum’s children and father so that we can take a family photo.

Kulsum’s children with their father

I asked Kulsum’s husband, “How is your patient now?”

Kulsum’s husband: “Being afraid of arrest, I didn’t accompany her to the hospital. Police is waiting there to arrest us if we come out on the street (meaning the road leading outside the village)…her brothers are there, they are taking care of everything.”

Mentionable, most of these villagers surrounding us are day labourers, involved either in farming or fishing, or in salt production. Some of them took us inside their homes to show the place where, under what situation, they were shot, to show us bullet scars on mud walls.

From there the team brought out a procession, accompanied by the guide as well as the villagers, and marched towards the school field where the shooting spree took place. Instead of taking part in the procession, I was loitering slowly. Kulsum’s husband and other 5/6 villagers accompanied me and there started a conversation.

I asked, “What happened here? Why police shot the villagers indiscriminately?”

Again I was bombarded by a bunch of answers delivered simultaneously. I am trying to tell the story in short what I understood from their answers:

“At the wee hours of April 3 (another interrupted to clarify that after 12pm, new date starts), police arrested some villagers who were sleeping on the seaside embankment. Protesting the arrests, we were holding a meeting presided by Liakat Chairman, president of Vumi Rokkha Committee, meaning land protection committee. Police reached the spot after the meeting started and without any warning started shooting us indiscriminately.”

Q: But why police arrested those villagers?

A: Someone or other vandalised a car of the power project. Not a single journalist writes the truth. Three to four journalists have come so far, but taking S Alam’s bribe they all published fake stories. They wrote about that car-vandalising, but forgot to mention that we don’t want any coal-based power plant in our locality.

Q: But what is your problem with setting up power plant?

A: Hey, coal-based plant has many problems…aren’t they trying to set up another coal-fired power plant at the Sunderbans? If it becomes reality, the trees and tigers will surely die…nothing will remain on the ground…the same will happen here. Our trees, our plantations nothing will remain in place. We will have to abandon our forefathers’ land. A rivalry has erupted and is going on centering the issue since many days. The rivalry reached its peak for the last 2/3 months.

“(Another one ads from aside) you are not being able to tell Apa anything. Listen, Apa, the whole clash erupted over sharing of the money. Just a few days ago, a clash took place between two groups of people of our locality over sharing of money at the home of the local MP Sahib. In between their rivalries these innocent four died. I am an Awami League activist for the last 40 years. None of the Awami Leaguers knew this new MP before he was nominated. This MP only knows money.”

The topic of the conversation then changed, and all of them started showing me bullet scars on walls and tins beside the village road. It is obvious that bullets were fired literally indiscriminately. Were the police afraid that they would be attacked by the villagers, I thought. Or else, why such indiscriminate firings? But before I could ask the question, we reached the school field where the National Committee had already started a spontaneous meeting. Villagers continued showing me bullet scars…

“look here”, “This way, come here…”

Again I tried to listen to their stories coming from all sides. I tried to understand—why the police started shooting on a visibly unarmed meeting. How many police personnel were there? How many rounds of bullet were shot at public on that day?

At one time I understood that the villagers were not at all aware that a Section 144 had been imposed. That’s why they were dumbfounded by the police action. Public interpretation of the incident is like this: “We were not armed at all (javelin or spear is household weaponry in this locality). We heard that a meeting had been called and we went to join the meeting. Had we joined the meeting readily, not a single police would be spared alive on that day.”

I noticed one thing; the villagers repeatedly alleged that on the fateful day of April 4, a number of hired goons wearing uniforms accompanied the police. They engaged in an argument right in front of me over the number of goons and police. Some said there were 200 police, some said 50 while a third group said 70 were real police and the rest were hired S Alam goons. “At first they fired at the sky. They fired at least 20 rounds of bullet per second and over all 1000 rounds of bullet were fired,” said these witnesses.

Mortuza nana was eating this bread at my tea stall. He could not finish it. They shot him on the chest from point blank range

“They wore masks (because they were firing tear shells)…they shot Murtaza and Ankur from point blank range just because they identified them…they (Murtaza, Ankur) tore up their masks…We are locals…we know them all…They started from the S Alam office riding motorcycles (I have heard the same allegation earlier from another one just a while ago)…they started from there. They live there.”

“Phew…those were all polices…UNO, OC all were present…

I said, “Maybe, they all were policemen…”

”They (police and local administration) are acting on behalf of Mafia Don S Alam…taking S Alam’s money police fired on the public…”

This is not the first time I am experiencing Bangladeshi people’s anger, rage, fury and lack of confidence on police. I had heard the same terrible allegations against police, administration and government while doing my research work with the activists of Phulbari anti-coalmine movement.

Meanwhile, National Committee had completed their rally. Liakot Chairman was present there, but, I think National Committee activists were not interested to talk to him, rather they were interested to meet the relatives of the deceased ones. So, we went to meet them.

Our motorcade started for the relatives of the deceased, stopping here and there to inquire about the direction. We had to stop at one place where a group of villagers wanted to talk to us. A number of women were present there beside the males. As I advanced towards the women, they altogether started talking expressing anger and fury and objection over and to the coal-fired power plant.

My two maternal uncles and one of my cousin’s husband have been killed. Let them kill us if they want, not even then will we agree to set up coal power plant. They are oppressing us like the Pakistani occupation army. Our fathers-mothers-brothers can’t stay at home to sleep apprehending detention, they sleep at fields. And in the name of arresting the accused they are entering our homes wearing police uniforms to snatch away our ornaments, valuables and mobile phone sets. We cannot sleep at night in fear.

This is the moment when I came to know that three of same family had been killed on that day. I understood that late Anowarul Islam and late Mortuza Ali were two siblings and late Zakir Hosain was the son-in-law of Mortuza Ali. With tears rolling down on their cheeks, the women were telling their plight and I was thinking, “So many deaths in a single family…how are the living members of the family bearing the grief…administration, government and businessmen are considering these people as a hindrance to development…we are recognising them as protestors, but are we at all identifying them as humans? If my father, mother, sister, brother, husband or son dies normally instead of being killed by police, won’t I grieve equally like them…at the end of the day we are all humans…all are same, and our capacity to face and tackle grief are also equal…”

Reaching late Anwarul Islam, Mortuza Ali and Zakir Hossain’s home, National Committee leaders-activists started talking to the male members of the family. Women of the family took me inside the home. In between the waves of sobbing and whimpering, the eldest daughter-in-law of the family asked me about all the members of my family, entertained me with juice, orange and biscuits. A teenage girl from the family refilled my water bottle as she noticed that it was empty. We were informed that in an attempt to save his father, Anwar’s son Arafat was also hit by spray bullets. His uncle would take him to doctor after our departure.

What is going on inside this youngster’s mind, my attempts to understand how he is surviving the trauma reminded me of my sister’s daughter…so much caring, so many insisting all through the day addressing ‘baba baba’…

Gondamara has 500 acres of land. S Alam Group already has bought 1700 kani of land (as I am weak in land measurement, I am not going into details). But the villagers repeatedly clarified me that the problem is not with land purchasing procedure, because S Alam Group has already finished purchasing land. Those who had sold their lands have already received their dues. Those who are protesting at present are not land owners or anything, almost all of them are day labourers. And their demand is very simple — entire population of Gondamara will not be able to continue living in the union due to the effect a coal-based power plant will make on its adjacent arable land, water and plantations. But where will they go? How will they live by? They don’t have anything else for survival save their own two hands.

My demand is very simple also—1) The allegation local people of Gondamara is raising that police killed innocent people must be investigated fairly and the criminals must be punished. 2) Were they really hired goons under police uniform? Is the administration really acting as a private force of S Alam Group? As a citizen I want this allegation to be investigated also, and if proved, I want the public servants acting as accomplices of criminals to be punished. 3) This harassment of the villagers, filing cases against unnamed 3000 and detaining the villagers indiscriminately, must be stopped.

I am ending this reportage citing a dialogue of the son of a killed one. The National Committee activists were trying to console and pacify him stressing on the necessity of law-abiding movement.

In reply to the consolations of the Committee activists, the boy said, “If my father had been taken to hospital, he might have survived. But the Police did not allow us to do so. We have shown enough respect to the law enforcers; no more.”

Translated by Tariq Al Banna from the Bangla version of the reportage.

newsbangladesh.com/tab

Read original report here: http://www.newsbangladesh.com/english/Banshkhali–Loopholes-behind-the-story/13361#.VwlPVOhvxs0.facebook

April 9, 2016 by raajmanik

Nationwide protests against Bashkhali Tragedy: Criminals for Coal-shooting Must be Prosecuted

Press statement by National Committee in Bangladesh has released the following statement on Bashkhali killing on 8th April 2016

“We demand exemplary punishment for the persons responsible for killing innocent people. We also demand to scrap projects with irregularities, corruption, and threat to human livelihoods and environment including coal fired power plants in Bashkhali and Rampal.”

“Being a close ally of present ruling party, S. Alam group, a Bangladeshi business house, has managed to acquire a permission from the government to set up a 1224 MW capacity coal plant in a populated location in coastal area, Bashkhali, Chittagong. The area is well known for its salt farming along with various fish and agro-cultivation.

“S. Alam group signed an agreement with two Chinese companies, SEPCOIII Electric Power and HTG to set up a coal based power plant back in 2013. On 16^th February, 2016, the government of Bangladesh approved the deal and set a price to purchase electricity from S. Alam Group at a rate of BDT 6.61 per unit. S. Alam group managed to showcase a total of 600 acres of land for this plant. As much as 75 percent of the investment is reported to be borne by Chinese lenders.

“It is important to note that, no environmental impact assessment(EIA) report has been prepared on this plant. In addition, incidents of fraudulence and lack of transparency was visible from the very beginning of the project. Along with 7 thousand households, the propsed landmass for the plant also includes around 70 mosques, grave yards, a technical education institution, around 20 cyclone shelter houses, 1 high school, 8 primary government schools, 2 Alia Madrassa, 5 kaomi Madrassa, 5 markets, and 1 government hospital. Despite of the existence of such intense locality, a total of only 150 households have been reported in the area by the local administration in order to be able to handover the land to S. Alam group.Massive level of illegal practices have also been observed on the dealings of land. A good number of people have been reported to be victimized by the fraudulence of the agents of S.Alam group.

“People of Gandamara Union have been protesting against the proposed plant along with range of illegal activities associated with land purchase/acquisition for long. Assaults and threats became common in the process. The local people had tried to negotiate over the choice of location of the plant, appealing to spare the heavily populated areas. On March 23^rd, a peaceful protest was organized in the area with the presence of the officials from the administration, in which around 30 thousand people participated. They demanded to spare the heavily populated segments of the area from the already chosen location for the plant. On 2^nd April, the local villagers attempted to obstruct the entry of the officials of the S.Alam group into the area, 7 locals were arrested based on the incidenton April 3^rd. On April 4^th, a protest was organized under the banner of “Boshot vita rokkha Committee” (committee to protect housholds) demanding the release of the arrested ones. Meanwhile, the paid locals of the company called for a counter program in the same location to spoil the event. Following the situation, a restriction was imposed by the local police administration. However, while the angry protestors continued to gather on the spot, around 30 to 40 goons hired by the company began to fire on the unarmed villagers. A large number of people were shot on the spot. At least 4 have been reported to be confirmed dead.

“We would like to ask, if the state chooses to call it ‘development’, then where is the Environmental Impact Assessment report? Why is this atrocity? How come there is no space for people’s opinion? Why is the government so afraid of protest? What sort of democracy is this in which the police administration and armed goons are consistently used to assault the people in protest? We have seen it in phulbari. Now witnessing the same in Rampal coal project near Sundarban, Ruppur nuclear power plant and in Moheshkhali in Cox’s bazar.

“As long as assault, land grabbing, evicting people, and threat continue in the name of development, discontent would prevail. If the interest and consent of people are not prioritized, people will reject every so called development project.

“We demand exemplary punishment for the persons responsible for killing innocent unarmed people. We also demand to scrap projects with irregularities, corruption, and threat to human livelihoods and environment including coal fired power plants in bashkhali and Rampal. We call for a protest rally in Dhaka and Chittagong on 5 april and call for nationwide protest on April 8^th, 2016 to express solidarity with the people in Bashkhali and to press the government to fulfill above demands.”

April 5, 2016 by raajmanik

Five killed at anti-China power plant protest in Bangladesh: Rally against Coal-Murders at Dhaka and Chittagong Press Club on Tuesday

By Raaj Manik

At least five innocent protesters were killed after police opened fire on a protest of 1500 villagers who were protesting against two China-backed power plants at Bashkhali in Chittagong, a location in southeastern Bangladesh on Monday, the 4^th April.

“This is a terrible tragedy and major news. It is the largest loss of life at an anti-coal protest in Bangladesh since the tragic deaths in the August 26, 2006 killings at Phulbari, Bangladesh, where three people were killed and 200 injured by paramilitaries. It is the worst overall loss of life in anti-coal protests worldwide since the killings of six people in Jharkhand, India, at two protests in April 2011” , noted Ted Nace, the editor of Coal Swarm.

Professor Anu Muhammd, the Member Secretary of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Port in Bangladesh, noted: “the villagers in Bashkhali have been loud against the destructive plans of S. Alam Group for months because the company wants to build two coal-fired power plants in the area by evicting thousands of villagers and land owners. The coal-businessmen of S. Alam Group, financed by two Chinese firms — SEPCOIII Electric Power and HTG, were fully aware of the strong opposition to the coal-power plant.”

The shooting on villagers started dramatically. Around 1500 villagers had gathered in Gandamara, a remote coastal town, to protest against the construction of two coal-fired power plants that they say will evict thousands from the area. Local authorities had banned the demonstration from taking place and the police opened fire on the crowd when the protesters needed support of police as they were demonstrating against a greedy company.

District police chief Hafiz Akter told AFP that ‘Four people died, including a pair of brothers’ while informal sources and witnesses said, at least five were dead. More than 100 were injured. The causality initiated by the state security forces caused injury of 11 policemen. One officer was shot in the head also.

The state administrators are fabricating information. M. Mesbahuddin, a government administrator in Chittagong district, told: “The clashes erupted when police came under attack by local villagers protesting against the move to install the power plant by S. Alam group with finance from China”. This statement has been challenged by the survivors and eye witnesses.

According to AFP, Abu Ahmed, a member of the village committee that staged the protest told: “Police opened fire as we brought out a procession against the power plants. They even chased the villagers to their homes”.

Abu Ahmed was shot in his leg. He said that the villagers had been holding peaceful protests for days after S. Alam, the local conglomerate behind the project, started purchasing land for the plants in the village, which lies on the edge of the Bay of Bengal. But government did not pay attention to the village-protests and the district administration remained silent for months. This led the villagers to stage a mass-protest which turned into the worst tragedy in the history of coal-killings in Bangladesh.

A Doctor at Chittagong Medical College Hospital, Saiful Islam, said that seven people, including four who were shot by live rounds, were brought to his clinic. The condition of each of them were critical.

Rumana Hashem, the founder of Phulbari Solidarity Group and an eye witness to Phulbari tragedy in 2006, noted in an email update:

“Only less than half of the information came out of the affected villages. Mainstream media is unwilling to cover the news of coal-murders in detail. This has always been the case in Bangladesh. I remember that night on 26 August in 2006, police acted as industrial security force and raided our house in Phulbari, broke into housewife’s bedroom and warned us (without written warrant) that they would arrest us all. Nobody had known how badly police were used by Asia Energy, a London-listed extractive company now known as the Global Coal Management Resources Plc. Only few media had covered the raiding in Phulbari. Likewise, there have been arbitrary raids and harassment of villagers by police in Gandamara about which common people are being kept in the dark. Very little news has come out of the villages. Many villages are under attack of coal-traders.”

Chittagong-based S. Alam Group, as the Bangladesh developer, plans to build two coal-fired power plants in the area, which will have the capacity to produce 1,224 megawatts of electricity. Two Chinese firms — SEPCOIII Electric Power and HTG — are financing $1.75 billion of the the plants’ estimated $2.4 billion cost. This attack in the port city has been a simultaneous attack by coal criminals when the nation has been protesting the coal-fired power plant in Rampal, a close vicinity of the country’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans.

The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Port in Bangladesh has extended its support and full solidarity with the protesters in Bashkhali, Gandamara in Chittagong. There are two solidarity demonstrations to be held, simultaneously, at Dhaka Press Club and Chittagong Press Club this afternoon.

Further news and updates:

Bangladesh coal plant protest continues after demonstrators killed: The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/06/bangladesh-coal-plant-protests-continue-after-demonstrators-killed

Bashkhali: loopholes behind the shooting: http://www.newsbangladesh.com/english/Banshkhali–Loopholes-behind-the-story/13361#.VwlPVOhvxs0.facebook

Of Deception and Development: article by Any Muhammad http://www.dhakatribune.com/op-ed/2016/apr/11/deception-and-development

Scrap deals of destruction: The Daily Star op-ed http://www.thedailystar.net/op-ed/politics/scrap-projects-destruction-1207177

Bashkhali Coal Power Plant: Propaganda and Reality: by Kallol Mostofa

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/news/asia/377197/four-killed-at-anti-china-power-plant-protest-in-bangladesh

http://www.breitbart.com/news/four-killed-at-anti-china-power-plant-protest-in-bangladesh/

March 15, 2016 by raajmanik

‘The Sundarbans Declaration 2016’ by the National Committee of Bangladesh

Translated By Tanmoy Karmokar

Following a three-day nationwide long march to the Sundarbans, held between 10^th to 13^th March, 2016 by demanding a capping of all breeds of devastative – mischeivious activities surrounding the Sundarbans, including the Rampal and Orion coal-based power projects, the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral resources, Port and Power in Bangladesh has declared the following ‘Sundarbans Declaration 2016’. The declaration is a demand for the enactment of 7-points programmes in order to resolve the country’s power crisis. The declaration was agreed by the protesters and marchers who joined the three-day long march to protest the coal based Rampal power plant. It was signed by the central leaders of National Committee and was read out at Kantakhali on 13^th March, 2016.

We, the people on the march, have reached Katakhali, adjacent to the Sundarbans, on 13^th March noon, by crossing 400 kilometers in 4 days after the long march has started on the 10^th March. Starting on 10th March, 2016 at the Press Club in Dhaka, we have marched to Katakhali via Manikganj, Rajbari, Faridpur, Magura, Jhinaidaha, Kaliganj, Jessore, Nowapara, Fultola, Doulatpur, Khulna and Bagherhat. Hundreds of thousands of community folks have expressed their solidarity with us in the course of progression of this long march and during the time of preparation focusing the 7-point demands and to protect the Sundarbans. People of Bangladesh from all walks of life have participated here. Some of the many organisations are: leftist progressive democratic political parties, farmers-day labours-women-students-youth-science organisations, music groups, theater groups, film organisations, study circle groups, little magazine groups and many more. Along with the political activists and leaders, there are participants from academics, school and college teachers, students, scientists, engineers, professionals, artists, writers, journalists, filmmakers, farmers, workers, housewives, and community women and men. During the long march, several solidarity demonstrations and public meetings were also held in London, Amsterdam and Paris.

During our long march in Bangladesh, we had been faced with administrative threats and harassment by Police when our long march tried to enter the district of Jessore. They attempted to downfall the long march by rescinding approval of a pre-scheduled demonstration in the final phase. Not only revocation but also had they tried to obstruct the program by menacing when entering Jessore and during our stay inside the city. But the Sundarbans long march had entered the district of Jessore by passing all the stumbling blocks, and successfully completed its journey by organising protest-rallies and processions. From today’s meeting, we, once again, strongly protest the odious conspiracy of the government and administration.

This long march has been organized with a view to voicing the ‘7-point demands’ to mitigate energy crisis, including immediate annulment of the Rampal and Orion power projects, and to avert destruction of the Sundarbans. While the government is leading the violent invasion of the profiteers on the Sundarbans by wreck, ravage and appropriation in the name of power generation and development, people at the same time by virtue of their sovereign rights are forming a domain of resistance. This long march is part of that long-term resistance.

The Sundarbans is not just some flora and faunas but a splendid mangrove forest that offers much more than one sees. It is the noble sum of myriad lives, a peerless ecosystem and natural safety net as an extraordinary resorvour of biodiversity and a renowned world heritage. This mangrove forest does not only provide the livelihood of millions of inhabitants but also saves the life and belongings of about 40 million people from natural catastrophes like Sidr and Aila. The vast coastline area alongside the country’s geographical border and outside the border is in effect allied with the existence of the Sundarbans.

The agreement signed between the National Thermal Power Corporation of India and the Power Development Board of Bangladesh is totally unequal, one-sided and against the national interest of Bangladesh. Likewise the Orion Company of Bangladesh- it was given permission to set up coal-based power plant by turning a blind eye to all kinds of laws and rules. Apart from the irreplaceable destruction of mankind and nature, Bangladesh will suffer from huge financial loss if this project is executed. Earlier land acquisition by abnegating the codes of environmental assessment, persecution and eviction of local inhabitants, rejection of the High Court ruling and late formulation of a self-contradictory, flawed, incomplete, and preposterous environmental assessment – all emphasised that the local and international groups are frenzied to establish these power plants. However, independent studies on and investigations about the Sundanbans implied that our forest will face a catastrophe once the power plants are established and the entire Bangladesh will be susceptible.

Long-term research by the environmental and climate scientists show that the Rampal coal-based power plant will annually generate 52 thousand tons of toxic Sulfur dioxide, 30 thousand tons of Nitrogen dioxide, 0.75 million tons of fly ash and 2 hundred thousands of bottom ash. Further, water withdrawal from the River of Pashur at a rate of 9150 cubic meter per hour, subsequent colossal discharge of the polluted water into the river, and temperature of the discharged water and various toxic elements dissolved in the water will damage the natural water flow of the river, its ability to carry sediment and the life cycle of fishes, plants and other living beings. Indeed, what we see is that ultimately aquatic ecology of the Sundarbans will be destroyed by those coal based projects. Coal transportation through the Sundarbans, liquid and solid toxic wastes from the ships, oil spillage, flood lights will be devastative for normal life cycle and biodiversity of the Sundarbans. In addition, the pollution will take on its worst form if the 565 MW Orion plant and another 1320 MW unit in Rampal will be established.

As it seems now all arrangements to assassin the Sundarbans are in full swing. The massive shelter of life by establishing Rampal and Orion power projects on the one hand, by ignoring all forms of protests from the people and rejecting expert opinions on the dire consequences, and on the other hand, various projects in the name of power plant are being undertaken for the interests of land-grabbers. The forest is getting damaged everyday by the aggression of the profiteers. Various commercial and illicit activities like shipyards, silos and cement factories are on the rise. While the country, especially the coastal areas, are facing climate change threats, many indiscreet projects along the coastal line, such as, Rampal and Madarbari are simply worsening the situation and posing new dangers to our climate and livelihood. A nuclear power plant in Rooppur is also under process of construction, posing grave threats to our environment and communities.

We want to declare firmly that sustainable solution to country’s power crisis can only be found in the implementation of the 7-point programmes of the National Committee. Sustainable development or solution to energy crisis cannot be found in destructive projects like Rampal, Rooppur or Moheshkhali power plants.

For the last one and a half decades, one of the leading issues that National Committee has been working on is how to ensure a sustainable system of constant power supply. We said:

If the primary fuel for energy production remains under national ownership,
if a ban on export of mineral resources can be legally adopted,
if the renewable and non-renewable fuel-based segments of power generation can be expanded,
if the growth of national capability can be prioritized in all these aspects, Bangladesh can very soon attain its level of self-dependency.
It is very much possible to deliver power in every household and a major change is agro-economy is also probable. But the power sector remains with crises and it has become increasingly expensive and aid-dependent for the government is engaged in nourishing the local and foreign plunderers instead of adopting the right path as per continuation of the previous governments. What the government has adopted in the name of energy-crisis mitigation is actually serving the local and international looters. Terrible burdens of aid along with newer threats of environmental dangers are being imposed upon people. This is why this public-march is strongly demanding the execution of the 7-point demands of the National Committee, including immediate annulment of PSC agreement, immediate cessation of handing of oil and gas resources of the Bay of Bengal over to the foreign companies without any tender process, and complete enactment of Phulbari agreement and legal ban on export of mineral resources.

We have been constantly illustrating examples that there are many choices for power generation, but there is no substitute to the Sundarbans. This mangrove forest along with the country is now bearing the bruises due to adoption of wrong governmental policies, corruptions and invasions slanted towards profits, over and over. We showed with evidence that the Rampal and Orion power plants will be the death blow. We will not let the Sundarbans, the part of our existence to be destroyed for the sake of span-less profit of some Indian Company. We will not let the local land grabbers go uninterrupted. We cannot allow our Bangladesh go in the hands of occupant pillagers – regardless of whether it is India, China, the USA or Russia. We cannot let our Bangladesh emerging from the freedom fight drag into some imperial ploy.

In order to save the Sundarbans, situated alongside both the borders of Bangladesh and India, and to prevent our existence from being destroyed by a coal-based project, this is a timely call to join our hands with our Indian activists and community people. We are demanding the Indian government to repeal this project and also urging the people of India to join the fight. It is also a juncture when we need to interconnect the fight of the people across the world. Many have already expressed their solidarity with us, whom we would like to thank and congratulate as timely comrades.

We demand the Bangladesh government to immediately stop all kinds of vindictive activities against the Sundarbans. We also demand an immediate constitution and implementation of ‘The Sundarbans Policy’ to help the forest develop in a healthy and regenerative way. We are demanding from the long march that, Rampal, Orion and all other harmful projects around the vicinity of the Sundanbans must be turned around within 15^th of May. If necessary, we urge the government to come to an open discussion or debate with us. And if the government fails to abandon this cataclysmic project within this time line, we with the rank and file of the country will be compelled to declare Dhaka going long march, sit-in, besiege, strike, blockade and other programs to trigger a larger movement.

We urge scientists, engineers, academics, writers, artists, day-workers, farmers, students, teachers and community women and men at all levels of the society to strengthen the national defense by collective and active participation. It is this Sundarbans that protected us from dangers in many ways. To protect these beautiful and kind forests is our national obligation. We all have to come forward with this obligation. We shall in no way let our noble and motherly icon Sundarbans be a victim to profits of the local and international extortionists.

Kantakhali. 13^th March, 2016

#SAVEtheSUNDARBANS #StopRAMPALPowerPlant #NOCOALbasedPOWERPLANT

March 8, 2016 by raajmanik

Homage paid to murdered indigenous Lenca leader and environmental activist, Berta Cáceres

By Rumana Hashem

On 3^rd March, 2016, armed individuals forcibly entered and assassinated Honduran activist Berta Cáceres, a great community organiser and the founder of COPINH, in her home in La Esperanza, department of Intibucá in southwestern Honduras. This is outrageous and intolerable.

Honduras has been the most dangerous place to protest against corporeal developments. This has been a scene of a widening crackdown on peaceful dissent since the coup in 2009. Communities and organizations opposing destructive projects, such as Berta and her comrades at COPINH – the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras – organisation co-founded by Berta in 2003, have been intimidated, persecuted and murdered. According to the community leaders, the government is aiding and abetting the theft and appropriation of the commons and peoples’ territories by large transnational corporations. Most often mining and damming projects are being rolled out with little or no consultation with the peoples affected.

On International Women’s Day, 8th March 2016, anti-mining activists and environmentalists at Friends of the Earth (FoEI) have paid homage to and raised voices in indignation at the brutal murder of Berta Cáceres. So did we. Berta was an indigenous Lenca leader, a community organiser, a grassroots feminist and an environmental- justice activist. Berta was murdered in the early morning of 3^rd March in her home at the side of Mexican activist Gustavo Castro Soto from Otros Mundos / FOE Mexico, who was badly hurt by the same gunmen.

Berta Cáceres was a leader who had inspired many of us for many years as an indigenous woman activist raising her voice in the defense of women’s bodies and community, land, water and the commons. Through her actions, she has strengthened the role of women in resisting destructive corporations and macro-level repressions, and in constructing alternatives based on aboriginal knowledge and collective practices. In recent interviews, she encouraged many to rise up in collective solidarity in the global South and North against the predatory capitalist and patriarchal society in order to save women’s lives, human lives and the planet.

Berta has shown us in practice that there is no environmental justice without an end to all forms of violence against women and to the exploitation of women’s reproductive and productive work. Violence is used as a tool to control women’s lives, bodies and work within the patriarchal and capitalist society, just as much as it is used to control community territories and the commons. Capital accumulation in a time of multiple crisis – economic, social, environmental – is made possible through the oppression and domination of both nature and women’s work: both are considered infinite, elastic resources, to be exploited according to the interests of elite groups.

In order to raise our concerns and to seek justice for Gustavo Castro Soto, the eye witness to Berta’s murder, we wrote letters to Sr. Presidente de Hoduras Juan Orlando Hernández (Twitter @PresidenciadeHN)
Sr. Embajador José Mariano Castillo -Embajador de Honduras en México <emhonmex@gmail.com>
Sra. Embajadora Dolores Jiménez Hernández -Embajadora de México en Honduras <embhonduras@sre.gob.mx>

If you wish to join the protest, you can write to the Embassy of Honduras in Mexico by clicking on here signing the petition below

Embassy of Honduras in Mexico
Mexican Consulate in Honduras
Inter American Commission on Human Rights

Early this morning, March 3, 2016, armed individuals forcibly entered and assassinated Honduran activist Berta Cáceres, founder of COPINH, in her home in La Esperanza, department of Intibucá in southwestern Honduras.

Our friend and colleague Gustavo Castro Soto was injured during the attack. Gustavo is Mexican and a member of the organization Otros Mundos Chiapas/Friends of the Earth-Mexico, the Mexican Network of Mining-Affected Peoples and the Mesoamerican Movement against the Extractive Mining Model (M4). Gustavo survived the attack and has become a key actor in the investigation into the murder of our friend Berta.

Berta and Gustavo are two people known for their role in international social and environmental struggles, evidence of their dedication to defending the rights of Indigenous and campesino peoples, who have accompanied processes of organized and peaceful resistance to prevent territories within Mesoamerica from being appropriated by regional governments at the service of the neoliberal project being implemented through extractivist projects, considered projects of death.

In the context of the terrible assassination of the much loved Berta Cáceres, we call on the government of Honduras to pay immediate attention, to intervene, and to follow up on this devastating moment for the Honduran people. We also call for all legal and political measures possible to guarantee the immediate protection of our friend and colleague Gustavo Castro so that, once he has given his testimony to the Honduran state, he can safely return to Mexico.

Right now, it is fundamentally important to guarantee the life of our colleague Gustavo Castro given the risk he faces a key witness to this horrible assassination.

The security of all of the members of the Coordinating Group of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) must also be guaranteed.

Phulbari Solidarity Blog

IN OPPOSITION TO COAL MINING, COAL POWER PLANTS AND LAND GRABBING

Author: raajmanik