Kamerat
17th November 2009, 22:33
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Intex Resources (Norwegian mining company) recently received a so-called environmental permission to start production of nickel on the island of Mindoro (Philippines),
from Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) main office in Quezon City.
A total of 11,200 hectares of land will be dug up, and local authorities said 20,000 people are affected. There are in fact between 100 and 120 million tonnes of nickel in the ground under the Mangyan people's villages in Mindoro. In the area where the nickel mine will be located there are also rivers that provide irrigation by 70 percent of agriculture in the region.
25 priests and indigenous peoples from Mangyanfolket have stationed themselves outside the offices of the Ministry of the Environment in the capital Manila in the Philippines. They say they will not eat food before the plans being shelved.
- All of us here, including the Catholic Church, protesting against the Mindoro Nickel Project. But in spite of our protests, we are not heard by the Environment Minister.
Instead the Environment Minister has chosen to support foreign companies, especially Intex Resources, said the Rev. Edwin Gariguez, which leads protests in Manila. The Norwegian financier Jens Ulltveit-Moe is the largest shareholder in Intex with just over 20 percent of the shares. Former Kvaerner manager Kjell Almskog is the company chairman, while former Secretary of State Erlend Grimstad is the company's president.
The company plans to dig up 11,000 hectares of land over the next 15-20 years, and the project has an estimated development cost of up to $ 2 billion. Intex Resources, which has changed its company name several times in recent years, received in 1999 a controversial exploration agreement with local indigenous groups in Mindoro. Many of those who signed the agreement, could not read and write.
When NRK(Norwegian Broad Casting) visited the island in 2007, many residents said that they felt cheated, and did not know what they had put their thumbs on. But many of the people who live in the mining area are strong opponents of the project, which they believe threatens the livelihoods of Mangyanerne and threatens their beliefs and lifestyles. For Mangyanerne is sacred soil, and belongs to the ancestors. Therefore, the project evokes strong emotions.
Also in Rome Mangyan people are on hunger strikes today, at the opening of the UN conference on food security.
- I am a youth leader and farmer from Quezon and I will follow my sambygdinger in sulltestreik as long as I'm here in Rome, says the team's leading bond ungdomsorganisajon Jonjon Sarmiento.
Jens Ulltveit-Moe says to NRK that the company has followed the guidelines for mining companies in the Philippines, and has the support of the Philippine government. He points out that the company has initiated local projects for schools and health care, and says a local poll shows that a majority of the residents on the island support the mining project.
Opponents of the project argues, however, that the company paid people money to vote yes to the project, arguing they have additional evidence taken under oath that would confirm this in a future trial. These claims are rejected by Ulltveit-Moe, which states that indigenous people will be forcibly removed if necessary for the progress of the mining project.
Short film and oirignal article (http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/utenriks/1.6869016)
Article from The Future In Our Hands (http://earthjedi.blogspot.com/2009/11/furious-about-environmental.html)
I hope the Mangyan people manage to the convince the government to revoke the environmental permission to start production of nickel on Mindoro with their hunger strike. Or better yet take over the government/create a autonomus government for Mindoro. But a better tactic then hunger strike has to be used. Don't see the reason why they want to inflict pain/hunger upon themselfs when they want others to change opinion. Better to inflict it upon the ones that you want to change opinion.
PS: Some years ago, the asshole Jens Ulltveit-Moe bought the company my dad worked in and said he was going to continue/increase activity in the company. A few weeks later all was fired.:laugh:
Fucking capitalism.
Intex Resources (Norwegian mining company) recently received a so-called environmental permission to start production of nickel on the island of Mindoro (Philippines),
from Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) main office in Quezon City.
A total of 11,200 hectares of land will be dug up, and local authorities said 20,000 people are affected. There are in fact between 100 and 120 million tonnes of nickel in the ground under the Mangyan people's villages in Mindoro. In the area where the nickel mine will be located there are also rivers that provide irrigation by 70 percent of agriculture in the region.
25 priests and indigenous peoples from Mangyanfolket have stationed themselves outside the offices of the Ministry of the Environment in the capital Manila in the Philippines. They say they will not eat food before the plans being shelved.
- All of us here, including the Catholic Church, protesting against the Mindoro Nickel Project. But in spite of our protests, we are not heard by the Environment Minister.
Instead the Environment Minister has chosen to support foreign companies, especially Intex Resources, said the Rev. Edwin Gariguez, which leads protests in Manila. The Norwegian financier Jens Ulltveit-Moe is the largest shareholder in Intex with just over 20 percent of the shares. Former Kvaerner manager Kjell Almskog is the company chairman, while former Secretary of State Erlend Grimstad is the company's president.
The company plans to dig up 11,000 hectares of land over the next 15-20 years, and the project has an estimated development cost of up to $ 2 billion. Intex Resources, which has changed its company name several times in recent years, received in 1999 a controversial exploration agreement with local indigenous groups in Mindoro. Many of those who signed the agreement, could not read and write.
When NRK(Norwegian Broad Casting) visited the island in 2007, many residents said that they felt cheated, and did not know what they had put their thumbs on. But many of the people who live in the mining area are strong opponents of the project, which they believe threatens the livelihoods of Mangyanerne and threatens their beliefs and lifestyles. For Mangyanerne is sacred soil, and belongs to the ancestors. Therefore, the project evokes strong emotions.
Also in Rome Mangyan people are on hunger strikes today, at the opening of the UN conference on food security.
- I am a youth leader and farmer from Quezon and I will follow my sambygdinger in sulltestreik as long as I'm here in Rome, says the team's leading bond ungdomsorganisajon Jonjon Sarmiento.
Jens Ulltveit-Moe says to NRK that the company has followed the guidelines for mining companies in the Philippines, and has the support of the Philippine government. He points out that the company has initiated local projects for schools and health care, and says a local poll shows that a majority of the residents on the island support the mining project.
Opponents of the project argues, however, that the company paid people money to vote yes to the project, arguing they have additional evidence taken under oath that would confirm this in a future trial. These claims are rejected by Ulltveit-Moe, which states that indigenous people will be forcibly removed if necessary for the progress of the mining project.
Short film and oirignal article (http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/utenriks/1.6869016)
Article from The Future In Our Hands (http://earthjedi.blogspot.com/2009/11/furious-about-environmental.html)
I hope the Mangyan people manage to the convince the government to revoke the environmental permission to start production of nickel on Mindoro with their hunger strike. Or better yet take over the government/create a autonomus government for Mindoro. But a better tactic then hunger strike has to be used. Don't see the reason why they want to inflict pain/hunger upon themselfs when they want others to change opinion. Better to inflict it upon the ones that you want to change opinion.
PS: Some years ago, the asshole Jens Ulltveit-Moe bought the company my dad worked in and said he was going to continue/increase activity in the company. A few weeks later all was fired.:laugh:
Fucking capitalism.