Fwd: [** MAOIST_REVOLUTION **] Indian government rejection of Vedanta bauxite mine a “landmark victory” for Indigenous rights

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From: john reed <reed2link@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 5:27 AM
Subject: [** MAOIST_REVOLUTION **] Indian government rejection of Vedanta bauxite mine a "landmark victory" for Indigenous rights
To: maoist_revolution <MAOIST_REVOLUTION@yahoogroups.com>


Indian government rejection of Vedanta bauxite mine a "landmark
victory" for Indigenous rights
24 August 2010

Amnesty International today described the Indian government's decision
to reject the bauxite mine project in Orissa's Niyamgiri Hills as a
landmark victory for the human rights of Indigenous communities.
India's Ministry of Environment and Forests today rejected the mine
project proposed by a subsidiary of UK-based Vedanta Resources and the
state-owned Orissa Mining Corporation, after finding that the project
already extensively violates forest and environmental laws and would
perpetrate abuses against the Dongria Kondh adivasi and other
communities on the Hills.
"The Dongria Kondh and other local communities have been struggling
for years for this decision, which is a very welcome one," said
Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Deputy Director, Madhu Malhotra.
"The companies and the Orissa government should now guarantee that
they will not attempt to simply move the project to another site
without ensuring adequate safeguards - they must ensure they will
respect the human rights of Indigenous and local communities wherever
the companies operate."
Amnesty International also welcomed the government's decision to
suspend the clearance process for the six-fold expansion of the
Lanjigarh refinery at the foothills of Niyamgiri, operated by Vedanta
subsidiary Vedanta Aluminium, after a government's expert committee
found it to be illegal.
"The authorities should order a clean-up of the Lanjigarh refinery,
which has caused air and water pollution, seriously affecting the
rights of neighbouring communities who are finding life there
unbearable", said Madhu Malhotra.
Amnesty International called on government authorities to establish a
clear and transparent process that seeks the free, prior and informed
consent of any Indigenous communities who may be affected by such
projects, and respect their decision, in accordance with national and
international law.
The Ministry-commissioned expert report that underpinned today's
decisions, documented the companies' legal violations and human rights
abuses. Its findings and the rejection of the project are consistent
with Amnesty International's extensive report published in February
2010, Don't Mine us out of Existence: Bauxite Mine and Refinery
Devastate Lives in India.
For eight years, the Dongria Kondh and other communities in Niyamgiri
have been protesting against bauxite mining plans by Vedanta Resources
subsidiary, Sterlite Industries India, and the Orissa Mining
Corporation.
The communities were concerned that the project, which would have been
situated on their traditional sacred lands and habitats, would result
in violations of their rights as Indigenous peoples to water, food,
health, work and other rights to protection of their culture and
identity.
"After years of struggle and visits by committees our voice has
finally reached Delhi," a Dongria Kondh leader today told Amnesty
International.

From http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/indian-government-rejection-vedanta-bauxite-mine-%E2%80%9Clandmark-victory%E2%80%9D-indigen


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