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dam-l Fwd: Emergency Action - Protestors Murdered at Chilika Lake,Orissa



>Dear Members of Global Response's Quick Response Network:
>
>We've received this urgent Action Alert from the Mangrove Action Project
>(Alfredo Quarto <mangroveap@olympus.net>).  Please take a few minutes to
>learn about this issue, and send letters to the Indian authorities listed
>below.  Thanks for your help on this.
>
>Paula Palmer
>Global Response
>
>URGENT ACTION * URGENT ACTION * URGENT ACTION * URGENT ACTION * URGENT ACTION
>
>Chilika Lake Erupts in Violence
>
>The following report is quite disturbing because it sadly reveals just how
>short-lived our environmental and social justice victories can be, and how
>soon injustice can re-enter the picture threatening everything. Almost
>seven years ago, Banka Behary Das, the President of the Indian NGO, Orissa
>Krushak Mahasangh, had contacted Mangrove Action Project to help in the
>struggle of the local communities surrounding Chilika Lake. Our netwok's
>resulting involvement and support helped halt a large prawn farm venture
>there.
>
>Background:
>Chilika Lake is one of the largest inland brackish water bodies in Asia, of
>immense ecological importance for its unique and varied biodiversity,
>including dolphins and habitat for myriad of migratory birds. Though
>Chilika was declared by the Ramsar Convention to be a wetland of
>international importance, the shrimp aquaculture industry at that time
>threatened to establish itself there via the ambitious aims of the powerful
>Tata House which planned several industrial scale semi-intensive shrimp
>farms on the shores of Lake Chilika. Via a hard fought court injunction,
>Tata House was stopped, and its pond construction halted mid-course. This
>was hailed an important victory, but in reality the victory was
>short-lived, as smaller scale shrimp farms operated by less noteworthy
>investors were later quietly and illegally constructed. Over the years, the
>operation of these smaller shrimp farms has caused many problems for the
>local residents and environmental degradation for all of Chilika.
>
>The following report from India reveals the seriousness of the situation
>which has again reached a boiling point.
>
>Urgent action is needed by network members in response to a terrible
>tragedy at Chilika Lake. According to a report by the National Fishworkers
>Forum (India) and the World Forum of Fish-harvesters and Fishworkers four
>protestors have been killed and
>thirteen other people injured by rampaging police in Orissa State.
>The victims were part of a group of residents of fishing villages
>protesting against continued shrimp farming in the Chilika Lake region.
>Indian NGO leaders have called for an international response in protest to
>the Prime Minister of India, and to the State authorities in Orissa where
>the violence occurred.
>
> From:  "World Forum of Fish-harvesters and Fishworkers  WFF]"
>   <nff@md2.vsnl.net.in>
>
> Fishworkers Killed in Police Firing in India
> Fri, 11 Jun 1999
>
>Protest Against the killing of fishworkers in Orissa, India.
>
>Four fishworkers, including a women, were killed and 13 injured some of
>them seriously as police opened fire late at night against the fishworkers
>who were in their villages after participating in an anti
>prawn culture agitation organised by Chilika Matsyajibi Mahasangh.
>
>The problem in Chilika is going on for some time.  There was a strong
>movement in Chilika which was supported by the National Fishworkers Forum
>which had earlier resisted the industrial group of TATAS from conducting
>aquaculture there which destroys both the livelihood of fishworkers and the
>environment.
>
>The Chilika lake (which is the largest Brackish water lake in India) has
>been occupied by mafias for aquaculture with the support of local
>politicians and beaurocrats.  The Supreme Court of India by their
>historical judgement against aquaculture has said that there should be no
>shrimp farms within 1000 meters of the lake.
>
>The fishworker organisation had given a 24 hour ultimatum to demolish all
>prawn gheries which lapsed on May 29.  Fishworkers then destroyed about 11
>illegal prawn farms.
>
>Police raided the village on midnight after 10,000 villagers led by
>Chilika Matsyajibi Mahasangh destroyed the prawn farms.  Police then began
>to beat villagers mercilessly, threw tear gas shells and began shooting
>without provocation.  Banchhanidhi Behera died on the spot; Digambar
>Behrera and Prema Behra on the way to hospital (and another victim died
>later at the hospital.).
>
>The National Fishworkers Forum Chairperson Mr.Harekrishna Debnath has
>condemned the incident and strongly protested against the police action.
>He said that National Fishworkers Forum uphold the right of the fishermen
>to freely fish in the lake and asked the administration to evict all
>outsiders from the lake.  NFF is supporting the strike call of June 5th.
>NFF vows to intensify the struggle against
>industrial aquaculture and demands the withdrawal of the Aquaculture
>Authority  Bill.
>
>Thomas Kocherry Co-ordinator of World Forum Of FishHarvesters and
>Fishworkers  has also condemned the police firing and asked the
>guilty to be punished immediately.
>
>ORISSA BANDH OF 5TH JUNE.
>
>The police violence has resulted in a massive popular strike held on June
>5th called by the fishermen's union.
>
>On 5th June, due to the 12 hours Bandh called by Chilika
>MatsyajibiMahasangh, the railway and road connection with Easten coast of
>the country came into a standstill. This bandh was supported by two left
>groups and Janata Dal.  Fishworkers have blocked the railroad in many
>stations as a result of which trains were stranded in different stations.
>>From the morning fishworkers started sitting on the railway lines of
>Rambha, Khallikote, Bhusandapur and other stations.In Bhubaneswar station
>600 women carrying their children stopped the Chennai-Howrah Koromandal
>Express. Eight  trains including Puri-Talcher Passenger, Puri-Katak
>Passenger were
>cancelled.
>
>Apart from the communication system, in rest of the state the impact of the
>Bandh was partial. In capital Bhubaneswar it was totally successful, shops
>were closed. Thousands of fishworkers from Chilika and adjacent area have
>made human wall in the city and vehicles were totally stopped. Attendance
>in offices was very poor. Police arrested 2000 people including fishworkers
>and workers of different political groups.
>
>
>For more information, contact:
>Thomas Xavier Kocherry
>Co-ordinator,  World Forum of Fish-harvesters and Fishworkers  [WFF]
>Co-ordinator, National Alliance of Peoples Movements (India), [NAPM]
>Velankanny, Junction, Valiathura,  Thiruvananthapuram 695 008,  INDIA
>Phone & Fax: +91 - 471 - 50 1376;
>E-mail: nff@md2.vsnl.net.in   Website:
>http://www.south-asian-initiative.org/wff
>-----------------------------------------------------------
>
>ACTION ALERT!!!****
>
>Please send faxes and/or letters of protest to Prime Minister and Orissa
>Chief Minister at the following addresses:
>
>1)    Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
>        Prime Minister of India,
>       152, South Block
>       New Delhi- 110 011,
>       India.
>       Fax : (91) 11 3018 906
>
>2)    Chief Minister of Orissa,
>        Bhubaneswar,
>        Orissa
>        India.
>        91- 674- 401 007.
>
>Also, please send copies of your letters to your local Indian consulates.
>And, please include in your cc of any copeis of correspondence you may have
>sent out to embassies or Indian PM to the National Fisherworkers Forum
>(NFF) of India and to
>Harekrishna Debnath at:  srilekha@cal2.vsnl.net.in so that they can
>pass the word along to the people on the frontlines who, I'm sure,
>will receive a moral boost to know that the eyes of ISA Net are
>watching!
>
>SAMPLE LETTER
>
>Honourable Prime Minister Vajpayee,
>
>With this letter, I wish to express to your government
>condemnation and absolute repulsion over the lamentable events that have
>occurred in Orissa, India that resulted in the killing of four
>fisher people, and the wounding of 13 others, as a result of police actions
>taken against their protests over the construction of shrimp aquaculture
>facilities in Chilika Lake.
>
>Chilika lake has been occupied by the shrimp industry, with the
>support of the local politicians and bureaucrats, even though the
>Supreme Court of India has ruled in an historical decision  that
>shrimp farms were to be prohibited within 1,000 meters of  lake.
>
>In response to the illegal establishment of these shrimp farms,  the
>fishermen of Chilika, supported by the National Forum of
>Fisherworkers, were exercising their right to protest against these
>actions, and denounce them to the authorities.
>
>The Indian Government must initiate actions against the people
>responsible for the deaths of these citizens of Chilika, and to
>prosecute those who have installed or continue to operate shrimp
>farms, in violation of  the order of the Supreme Court of India.
>
>Yours sincerely,
>
>
>-       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -
>
>
>GLOBAL RESPONSE is an international letter-writing network of environmental
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>
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