Category: Wilderness Defence

Wilderness defence

Longest Tree Sit in Tasmanian History Stays Strong

19.2.12

TODAY marks the beginning of a global 24 hours of action in support of Miranda Gibson, who has now broken the Tasmanian record for the longest time spent at the top of a tree.

19.2.12

TODAY marks the beginning of a global 24 hours of action in support of Miranda Gibson, who has now broken the Tasmanian record for the longest time spent at the top of a tree.

Miranda has been on a platform 60m above the ground for 52 days and will remain there to highlight the ongoing destruction of Tasmania’s forests.

Her tree sit, known as The Observer Tree, has received international attention over the past 52 days as she uses solar power and internet access to bring Tasmania’s spectacular forests into people’s homes all around the world.

The Observer Tree is calling on the Japanese customers of logging corporation Ta Ann to cease purchasing wood coming from Tasmania’s high conservation value forests.

Yesterday the Bellingen Environment Centre initiated a rally in support of Miranda and also to raise awareness about the loss of habitat locally.

BEC spokeswoman Caroline Joseph said Bellingen Shire residents were increasingly worried about their own forests.

“The intensity of logging has increased locally as Forests NSW tries to keep up with its quotas,” Mrs Joseph said.

“People can see that increase and are feeling concerned about this dramatic loss of habitat, especially for koalas.”

She said another habitat threat was to tracts of land zoned for development under old legislation.

“This land is not covered by newer environmental protection laws and is highly desirable to developers.”

Massive Protests Block Pan-American Highway for Six Days, Leave Police Station in Ashes

18.2.12

18.2.12

As she stands among villagers in the highlands of western Panama, their chosen leader, Silvia Carrera, is an image of bucolic harmony. Then Carrera, elected chief or general cacique of the Ngäbe-Buglé community, gestures to a woman who hands her a bag of spent US riot-control equipment – rubber bullet casings, shotgun shells, sting-ball grenades, teargas canisters.

Panama national police, she explains, used these against her people only days earlier to break up a protest against government plans for a vast copper mine and hydroelectric schemes on their territory. Three young Ngäbe-Buglé men were killed, dozens were wounded and more than 100 detained.

What began with villagers at Ojo de Agua in Chiriquí province using trees and rocks to block the Pan-American highway earlier this month – trapping hundreds of lorries and busloads of tourists coming over the border from Costa Rica for six days – has now placed Panama at the forefront of the enduring and often violent clash between indigenous peoples and global demand for land, minerals and energy. Carrera is emerging as a pivotal figure in the conflict.

“Look how they treat us. What do we have to defend ourselves? We don’t have anything; we have only words,” Carrera protests. “We are defenceless. We don’t have weapons. We were attacked and it wasn’t just by land but by air too. Everything they do to us, to our land, to our companions who will not come back to life, hurts us.”

At the height of the protests, thousands of Ngäbe-Buglé came down from the hills to block the highway; in El Volcán and San Félix they briefly routed police and set fire to a police station. In Panama City, students and unions joined with indigenous protesters marching almost daily on the residence of President Ricardo Martinelli. Some daubed walls near the presidential palace with the words “Martinelli assassin”.

Carrera pulls from her satchel a hastily drawn-up agreement brokered by the Catholic church that obliges the Panamanian national assembly to discuss the issue. It did not guarantee that the projects would be halted. Neither she nor the Ngäbe-Buglé people expressed optimism that the government would keep its word on the mining issue.

“The village doesn’t believe it,” she says, “and it wouldn’t be the first time that the government threw around lies. They do not listen to the village. There was a similar massacre in 2010 and 2011, when there were deaths and injuries. Some were blinded, some of our companions lost limbs.” A cry goes up: “No to the miners! No to the hydroelectric!”

The Ngäbe-Buglé comarca, or territory, sits atop the huge Cerro Colorado copper deposit, the richest mineral deposit in Panama, possibly in all of central America. Pro-business Martinelli, a self-made supermarket tycoon, signed a deal with Canada’s Inmet Mining with a 20% Korean investment to extract as much as 270,000 tons of copper a year, along with gold and silver, over the 30-year lifespan of the proposed mine. Panama’s tribes form 10% of the population but, through a system of autonomous comarcas, they control 30% of the land, giving them greater leverage.

Martinelli could hardly have found a prouder adversary than Carrera who, at 42 and elected only in September, is the first woman to lead Panama’s largest indigenous tribe. “The land is our mother. It is because of her that we live,” she says simply. “The people will defend our mother.” Carrera holds Martinelli in scant regard. She accuses him of “mocking” indigenous people and considers his administration a government of businessmen who “use us to entertain themselves, saying one thing today and another tomorrow”.

Two days before the police cleared the roadblocks, the president invited her to the Palacio de las Garzas in Panamá City for a “good meal and a drink”. The Ngäbe-Buglé chief, who received education to secondary level, was unimpressed. The offer, she said, revealed “a lack of respect”.

In past mining disputes, the government blamed “foreign actors” and journalists for stirring up trouble. Last week it accused the Ngäbe-Buglé of “kidnapping” and “hostage-taking” when referring to the travellers delayed on the highway. By the time the smoke cleared, Panama’s foreign minister, Roberto Henríquez, conceded that his government was “only producing deeper wounds”.

Carrera gestures to women in the group she says have been injured. Over the previous 24 hours she had travelled between towns to ensure that all the protesters had been released, but some reports suggest that dozens are still missing. One woman holds up a bandaged hand, a wound that she says came from an army bullet.

With the dead – including Jerónimo Rodríguez Tugri, who had his jaw blown off, and Mauricio Méndez, a learning-disabled 16-year-old – still lying in the mortuary, Carrera’s anger is plain. “This is the struggle of the indigenous people. We are trying to make contact, asking our international brothers to join us in solidarity. We call for justice from the UN. The government doesn’t want other countries to know about this. That’s why they cut off our cellphone service. We couldn’t find each other. Nobody knew anything. They were trying to convince us to give up.”

Fearful of the environmental and political fallout, governments throughout central America are tightening mining controls. But Martinelli, who came to power with the campaign slogan “walking in the shoes of the people”, seems determined to find a way around legislation that protects indigenous mineral, water and environmental resources from exploitation.

The Martinelli government faces accusations of systematic cronyism in the allocation of more than $12bn in new construction projects, funded in part by increased revenue anticipated from a $5.25bn Panama canal expansion programme. Among the disputed projects is a $775m highway that will encircle Panama City’s old quarter of Casco Viejo, cutting it off from the sea and isolating a new Frank Gehry-designed museum celebrating Panama’s influence as a three-million-year-old land bridge between the Americas. Critics say the road is pointless and Unesco is threatening to withdraw its world heritage site designation if it proceeds.

Despite the region’s history of conflict and shady banking practices, Panama is aggressively positioning itself both as an economic haven (GDP growth is running at close to 7.5%) and a tourist and eco-tourist destination. New skyscrapers thrust up into the humidity like a mini-Dubai; chic restaurants and hotels are opening up .

Officials express concern that the Ngäbe-Buglé and other indigenous disputes may undo Panama’s carefully orchestrated PR push, spotlighting the disparity of wealth in a country where 40% of the population live in poverty. “The government says Good, Panama is growing its economy. Yet the economy is for a few bellaco [macho men],” Carrera says. “But progress should be for the majority and for this we will go into the street, and from frontier to frontier, to protest.”

The tourism Panama seeks is threatening their way of life, she says. Along the coast, private developments are beginning to restrict access to the sea. “We work and we own property, but the tourists take the land and the best property. Then we can’t go there.”

At the bottom of the hill the general cacique waits for a bus to take her and several dozen women to Panama City, 200km to the west, for another anti-government rally, where they will be joined by the Kuna and representatives of the Emberá and Wounaan peoples, who are opposing encroachment of farmers on their land in the eastern provinces. Carrera vows that the Ngäbe-Buglé campaign will continue. “We are not violent. We just want to reclaim our rights and justice. Above all, we want to live in peace and tranquility.”

Venezuelans Blockade Streets, Burn Tires After Oil Spill

15.2.12

15.2.12

Hundreds of protesters blocked streets and burned tires in eastern Venezuela on Wednesday to demand clean water after a recent oil spill polluted rivers and streams that supply local storage tanks.

“We have not had water for a week,” said Maria Rodriguez, an angry 26-year-old housewife who joined the protest in the city of Maturin. “We don’t have water to cook and bathe, and we don’t have the money needed to buy bottled water everyday.”

Crude oil began spilling from a ruptured pipeline on Feb. 4 near Maturin.

Monagas state Gov. Jose Gregorio Briceno declared a “state of emergency” following the spill, halting water distribution and closing schools in the state’s capital of Maturin, which is located approximately 255 miles (410 kilometers) northeast of Caracas

Representatives of Venezuela’s state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., or PDVSA, have not revealed how much oil leaked into the river.

City mayor Jose Vicente Maicavares said approximately 2,000 people, including PDVSA employees, trying to contain the spill that has fouled the Guarapiche River.

Maicavares called for calm, saying officials were doing everything possible to resolve the problem.

“We understand the irritation,” Maicavares told a news conference on Wednesday. “We can only be patient.”

None of the protesters have been arrested, he said.

Ramiro Ramirez, environmental director of state oil company, told the state-run Venezuelan News Agency last week that workers have been using absorbent barriers to block the crude in the river.

They have also shut off water intakes along the river, where a drinking water purification plant is located, Ramirez said.

State oil company officials said a pipe that transports crude to a processing plant ruptured.

Ramirez said officials were investigating what caused the accident.

 

Reclaim the Fields Spring Gathering 2012

The first Reclaim the Fields Gathering of the year will be taking place this March at the Wilderness Centre in the Forest of Dean.

The provisional timetable includes workshops on:

The first Reclaim the Fields Gathering of the year will be taking place this March at the Wilderness Centre in the Forest of Dean.

The provisional timetable includes workshops on:

*How to organise & maintain effective land occupations
*An introduction to land rights
*Composting gender
*Legal options for accessing land
*Learning from Peasant Struggles in the Global South
*Using the food sovereignty principles as a strategic framework

There will also be feedback from the European Reclaim the Field Gatherings & constellation as well as space for working group sessions around:

*Seed Sovereignty
*WWOLF (woofing with teeth) and Reclaim the Field Trips
*Planning for International Peasants Day of Struggle on April 17th

Some guerrilla-gardening type actions are also planned throughout. Saturday 10th is the Wilderness Centre's public open day so there will also be practical skills-sharing workshops.

When: Accommodation is available from the evening of Wednesday 7th. Otherwise the gathering is two full days Thursday & Friday 8-9th March. The Forest always welcomes visitors so arrange with them if you want to stay & help out before hand.
Where: Wilderness Centre, Forest of Dean. Directions are here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Protect-the-Wilderness-Centre-Forest-of-Dean/321890141176064
Who to contact for more information: use the RTF UK email list or email frankynecklace@yahoo.co.uk

What to bring: Sleeping bags, blankets, mats, own set of cutlery & bowl if possible. There is indoor sleeping space and room for tents outside. Any home grown food to share & also seeds to swap.

Food will be a minimum of £5 donation per day. Any other donations are welcome

More suggestions for workshops, sessions & other activities are always welcome, this is our constellation & gathering to make things happen.

About:

Reclaim the Fields is a constellation of people and collective projects willing to go back to the land and reassume the control over food production. We are determined to create alternatives to capitalism through cooperative, collective, autonomous, real needs oriented small scale production and initiatives, putting theory into practice and linking local practical action with global political struggles.
You can find more about us, our struggles & more resources such as downloadable zines here: www.reclaimthefields.org.uk

Action to re-occupy the ZAD

A reoccupation action is being planned in case of an eviction at the ZAD, near Notre-Dame-des-Landes in France: To re-plant and rebuild against the construction of the airport: Vinci get out! Not here, not Khimki, not anywhere! Meet on the 4th Saturday after the first eviction with your pitchforks, tools, beams and camping gear. Although we don't know when the troops will be sent in, we are launching this call-out now to be able to create a massive rapid reaction.

A reoccupation action is being planned in case of an eviction at Notre-Dame-des-Landes in France: To re-plant and rebuild against the construction of the airport: Vinci get out! Not here, not Khimki*, not anywhere!

This is a joint call out from occupants of the ZAD and the network Reclaim the Fields to meet on the 4th Saturday after the first eviction, near Notre-Dame-des-Landes.

To give an idea of some of the things that have happened:

On 7 May 2011, we were a thousand people on an action, pitchforks in hand, to clear and put to use an abandoned plot of agricultural land. This was to create a space to grow food to feed the struggle against the airport – and it's been thriving since the action! We'll be back to strive to protect this farm and other occupied places on the ZAD (Zone d'Amenagement Differé), or in other words, Zone About to be Destroyed).

On 24 June, Vinci started eviction procedures against eight squats, including Les Planchettes, our collective space of organising and hospitality.

On 10 July, during a gathering a few thousand people made a human banner saying "Vinci d égage!" (Vinci get out!)

On 23 August, the president of the region Pays de la Loire, Jacques Auxiette, asked the local authorities to clean out the radical occupiers of the ZAD. It was an unambiguous brutal call for repression, but this will not prevent us from resisting, re-occupying and re-growing.

To follow up on May 7, occupiers from the ZAD and Reclaim the Fields, a network of young activist peasants, are inviting you to be a part of a huge demonstration to re-occupy in case of an eviction, and urge all groups and collectives to support this action. If the police force does arrive to clean us out, we want to be back by the thousands to give shape to the cry "Vinci get out!" and to continue to occupy the zone and to stop construction works in their tracks.

For forty years, decision makers and construction managers have been pushing a new airport next to Nantes, at Notre-Dame-des-Landes, to make their dreams of massive economic expansion and a metropolis. The ZAD: it's 2000 hectares of cultivated and inhabited land that they want to annihilate under concrete. The resistance against this project is at the crossroads of many challenges on which to unite, to address issues of common strategies and thinking.

Through this struggle we are fighting industrial society and agriculture, its economic development policies, its climate change and its control of the land, the megalopolis and the normalisation of ways of life, the privatisation of the commons, the myth of endless growth and the illusion of democratic participation …

The decision-makers are constantly trying to sell their project and to give the impression that going backwards is unthinkable at this stage. So after forty years struggling, the preliminary construction work of the airport and its highway have started: drilling for soil analysis, environmental assessments, archaeological excavations and clearing works… all prerequisites for pouring concrete all over the area.

But its opponents are far from giving up and the actions intensify: blocking drillings, disturbing the environmental assessment work of Biotope*, distributing newspapers, occupying offices, construction sites, opening up Vinci's tollways, and much more..

In addition, for more than two and a half years, instead of the ZAD gradually emptying to the rhythm of blackmail and destruction, life and activity has been flourishing.

Many of the houses left abandoned were refurbished and occupied, new houses were constructed on the ground and in the trees, collectives occupied land to make vegetable gardens. Meeting spaces, guest accomodation, a bakery and a library were opened for one and all. There are more than a hundred people permanently occupying the ZAD, supported by many others, local and elsewhere, who meet and organise. The occupations are part of a movement that has many different forms. Among other things, they have a allowed rapid reactions to the first steps taken by Vinci towards construction work.

In June 2011, Vinci began eviction procedures in order to have the legal means to remove the occupiers of the ZAD who have "no right or title". Now they want to stop the growth of the movement and make a clean sweep to start the work: as well as evicting the occupiers, they are thinking about the tenants, owners and farmers. At the same time, those names who are pro-airport do everything they can: running a campaign to isolate the occupiers, attempting to divide the movement and break up solidarity, reinforce the daily police presence and repression of collective action.

Despite this context, we're keeping the memory of past victories in France against megalomanic projects, from nuclear to military, like at Carnet, Plogoff or Larzac, and we know that this airport can still be stopped. We look to the other side of the Alps, where opposition to the construction of the Lyon-Turin high-speed train line across a valley, where tens of thousands of people prevent work. We are preparing the same here: any attempt to concrete the place will cost them dearly.

This call for action signifies that evictions do not mean in any way the end of the struggle; it allows us to launch collective attacks after the potential evictions as well. It affirms that they cannot militarise or sterilise this place at all times and that whatever their efforts they won't stop us reoccupying it. It shows the common will to keep the occupations going to prevent the airport project. This event will allow, as necessary, the reconstruction of collective spaces for organising, housing, or again for growing food.

Although we don't know when the troops will be sent in, we are launching this call-out now to be able to create a massive rapid reaction. We propose to meet again on the fourth Saturday after the first eviction – bring your pitchforks, tools and beams – to reclaim the land and rebuild together.

In addition to this call for reoccupation, other initiatives are clearly welcome: solidarity actions wherever you are, presence at eviction time to hinder the police … And until then, efforts continue to prevent the airport, and life on the ZAD as well!

Practical Info:

– Check regularly  http://zad.nadir.org, especially in case of an eviction. The date and exact meeting location will be specified at the time.

– It will be possible to arrive on the eve of the event, for the final preparations and bringing everyone up to speed. Come prepared to camp.

– We invite you to stay here after the action to protect the re-occupied spaces and continue the construction.

*Extra explanation:
Vinci is the biggest construction company in the world and is responsible for building the airport at Notre-Dame-des-Landes. It is also engaged in building prisons, highways, nuclear power stations, detention centers for illegal immigrants, exploiting the uranium mines in Niger and destroying the forest of Khimki near Moscow.
Biotope: An entity responsible for ensuring, through environmental expert on the flora and fauna, the ecological sustainability of the airport … the new frontiers of green capitalism!

A call-out from occupiers on the ZAD and Reclaim the Fields

 reclaimthezad@riseup.net

zad@riseup.net
zad.nadir.org

Indigenous groups shut down Interamerican highway to protest Panama mining laws

An indigenous Ngobe protester was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest during confrontations with the police this morning, 5th February, in San Félix, Panama. It has been confirmed that three more people have been hurt with local residents insisting many more are injured. In flat contradiction, the Security Minister Jose Mulino has stated that his officers are not carrying guns. In retaliation to the death, Ngobe protestors have set light to a police station in San Félix.

Since 30th January, demonstrators have been positioned at various points along the international Interamerican highway using branches, pieces of wood, metal and rocks to block the road. They are protesting against the government's decision to remove a law that would provide environmental protection to their lands. The police continue to deny that there has been any violence, although on Thursday 2nd January there were reports of up to 7 people injured in attacks involving tear gas.

Early 2011 saw similar actions by thousands of Ngobe who protested the government's amendment of the national mining law 415, which would have allowed for the commission of mines and other projects in the region. In March 2011, after talks between government officials and Ngobe leaders, it was agreed that article 5, which will protect the entire Comarca from exploration and exploitation, would be written into the mining law 415.

Although the government has begun the exploration of other mines in Panama, the semi-autonomous Comarca holds an extremely considerable amount of mineral wealth. Not only is it home to Cerro Colorado – the second largest copper deposit in the world – but it hold several small but significant sites already under exploration by foreign mining companies.

Corriente Resources Inc. have reportedly been working in the area since 2009 with the assistance of the consultancy firm, Kokopelli, owned by Canadian Don Clarke. Kokopelli's role is, according to its own website, "to work directly with industry to build sustainable, respectful and responsible relationships with Indigenous communities."

Don Clarke was also Vice President of sustainable development for Ecuacorriente, a subsidiary of Corriente Resources Inc, a company which was allegedly at the centre of human rights abuses and social conflicts in Ecuador.

In early January, Hector Lopez, leader of the Association for the Rights and Social Development of the Ngäbe-Bugle People, stated at the National Assembly that he opposed article 5 as it would affect development in the region, and in his opinion, violate law 10, a founding law of the Comarca. Lopez is strongly in favor of mining in the region and believes the Ngobe should receive 50% of mining profits.

However, Celio Guerra, president of the traditional Ngabe Bugle Council also stated in January that "the people who protested last year in San Felix spoke loud and clear. We don't want mining in the Comarca."

As protests continue to swell on the highway, there are growing concerns over Panama's freedom of press. On 20th January, a Canadian journalist and fixer, Rosie Simms, was denied entry into the country. She had been working on behalf of the Canadian broadcaster CBS who were covering a story about Canadian mining companies in Latin America.

Many believe that this is symptomatic of a wider issue relating to freedom of press. A recent report by Reporters Without Borders revealed that Panama has dropped 58 places on the freedom of press index since 2010.

As the protests continue, other parts of the country have joined in solidarity. In Donoso district, Colón province, a group of Ngobe and campesinos have blocked a road to the Petaquilla mining project. In Bocas del Toro province, Banana plantation workers have announced that they will strike in 73 hours unless the government honors its agreements. Truckers, stuck in San Felix, have also pledged to strike. In the capital, many people have taken to streets in support of the Ngobe.

After five days of protests there is major disruption throughout Panama. Market sellers in the capital have reported losses of up to $10,000. In Bocas del Toro, Banana Companies have estimated a loss of $270,000 due to road closures. According to the Chamber of Commerce the economy could face a total loss of over 10 million dollars.

Meanwhile, the Costa Rican government has expressed concern that 270 of its citizens remain stuck in Panama due to the road closures. Pressure has been increasing for all sides to enter into talks.

UN representatives in Panama have urged both Ngobe leaders and the government to begin 'a peaceful dialogue' and 'to avoid violence.' Although President Martinelli has said the situation is 'reaching a limit,' he has refused to reach out to the Ngobe. He also continues to undermine the legitimacy of the protests by accusing opposition parties of 'manipulating' them.

In a continual distortion of the facts, the government has been using misleading rhetoric such as 'kidnapped' and 'hostages' when referring to travelers delayed on the highway.

Yesterday morning, 4th February, mobile phone coverage was suspended along a large stretch of the highway where the protesters are concentrated. Later in the afternoon, six teachers were arrested in the city of Santiago whilst protesting in solidarity.

The situation is extremely charged and tension is mounting across the country. As violence continues to unfold in San Félix, journalists and human rights organizations are being denied access to the area. The government continues to spread disinformation and there have been no attempts so far to reach out to the Ngobe and begin peaceful talks.

India police arrest dozens of villagers for protesting against new toxic dump

4th Feb 2012

A total of 47 indigenous people were arrested and another 5 needed hospital treatment after hundreds of Indian police and Vedanta security guards confronted a peaceful demonstration two weeks ago in the state of Orissa, India.

On January 21, a group of villagers came together to protest against a new toxic mine waste dump that threatens to disrupt their way of life.

4th Feb 2012

A total of 47 indigenous people were arrested and another 5 needed hospital treatment after hundreds of Indian police and Vedanta security guards confronted a peaceful demonstration two weeks ago in the state of Orissa, India.

On January 21, a group of villagers came together to protest against a new toxic mine waste dump that threatens to disrupt their way of life.

Despite the peaceful nature of the protesters, as seen in the following video by Amnesty International, the 47 villagers were subsequently charged with "attempted murder" and "rioting".

Amnesty International is calling for the obviously-false charges to be dropped. They're also urging the government to release the protesters; and to properly take their needs and rights into account before letting the company proceed with the new waste dump.

Just prior to the arrests, Amnesty alleged that the Uk-based mining giant hasn't done anything to clean up existing pollution at the site of its Lanjigarh aluminum refinery beside Niyamgiri mountain in Orissa.

Similarly, "The Indian authorities have remained silent on the issues of cleaning up the refinery and monitoring the health of local communities. They must act on this now," said Amnesty International's India researcher Ramesh Gopalakrishnan.

"The red mud pond, which collects toxic waste by-products from the refinery, covers an area of approximately 38 hectares. The pond is full to the brim and suffered serious leaks during last year’s monsoons," explains Amnesty.

Two weeks ago, the High Court of Orissa rejected the company's plan to expand the Lanjigarh refinery after finding that the project is in violation of India's environmental laws.

The welcomed decision is the latest in a long line of legal setbacks for the company.

Cascadia Forest Defense blockades the Governor’s Mansion in Oregon

On February 3 Cascadia Forest Defenders (CFD) blockaded the entrance to the Oregon Governor’s Mansion with a mound of christmas trees. Activists held banners, reading “Rally at the State Land Board Meeting Feb. 14” and “KITZHABER LIES, FOREST DIE!” One person was arrested.

On October 11th 2011, Governor John Kitzhaber approved a plan to almost double logging in the Elliott State Forest. Voters, expecting a green Governor, are outraged at the hypocrisy of his actions. “The old Elliott State Forest management plan already allowed an appalling amount of clearcutting,” says Erin Grady, a member of CFD, “The State Land Board made a 60 year commitment to this plan in 1995. And only sixteen years later, they just threw the whole plan in the trash!” If logging in the Elliott continues at the current rate, this forest will be gone within our lifetime.

In the past year, there has been widespread disappointment regarding Kitzhaber’s decisions towards the Elliott. Forest activist Echo Lively says, “If anyone was unsure about it before, we can now be sure that Kitzhaber is in the pocket of industry in Oregon.” Another forest advocate comments, “The only thing green about Kitzhaber is the money.” Kitzhaber has made many mistakes managing environmental issues in Oregon, but there is still time to save this crucial rainforest of the Pacific Northwest.

CFD invites any and all who are enraged with Kitzhaber and other members of the State Land Board to attend a rally at their next meeting on February 14th at 10:00am. It will be held outside the Department of State Lands located in Salem at 775 Summer St. NE. Come tell Kitzhaber that we won’t let our forests be destroyed without a fight.

–Cascadia Forest Defenders

Malaysia: Temiar Blockade and Indigenous Rights

29.1.12

Eight Temiar indigenous people (also known as Orang Asli) in Malaysia were arrested by the police for attempting to set up a blockade and prevent loggers from entering their village in Gua Musang, Kelantan.

29.1.12

Eight Temiar indigenous people (also known as Orang Asli) in Malaysia were arrested by the police for attempting to set up a blockade and prevent loggers from entering their village in Gua Musang, Kelantan.

The villagers are against the agricultural project of the local government which would require the cutting down of forest trees in their ancestral land. The blockade, their second attempt at doing so, was made after attempts to negotiate with the state government have failed.

The police also refused to negotiate who removed the barricades and arrested the community residents and their lawyer, Siti Kasim. They were released later that night.

More info and here