Night blockade against uranium mining in Meghalaya

October 14th, 2009 - 3:45 pm ICT by IANS

Shillong, Oct 14 (IANS) The influential Khasi Students Union (KSU) has announced a two-night road blockade in Meghalaya beginning Wednesday to protest a proposed uranium mining project in the state.

The road blockade would affect vehicular movement, specially night passenger buses and goods laden trucks, on the national highways between Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura.

The blockade will be on from 7 p.m. till 5 a.m. Wednesday, and then again for the same duration Thursday.

“The KSU at a meeting Tuesday decided to intensify its stir… to protest the Meghalaya government’s decision to lease out land to the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL),” said KSU president Samuel B. Jyrwa.

“The KSU believes the uranium project would harm the environment and health of people living adjoining areas,” Jyrwa said.

The state government has tightened security across the Khasi and Jaintia Hills of southeastern Meghalaya.

“We are concerned that the proposed road blockades may affect other northeastern states too,” Meghalaya principal secretary (home) Barkos Warjri told reporters here.

Police heads of the four districts — East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Ri-Bhoi — have been asked to see that the traffic flow along the national and other highways are not disturbed due to the night blockade.

Chief Minister D.D. Lapang told reporters: “The uranium reserves are a national property and no one can stop the government from using them.”

“The government has waited for 20 long years to persuade the people to allow uranium mining at Domiasiat in West Khasi Hills district of southern Meghalaya.”

The KSU and local parties have been spearheading the movement against the Meghalaya government’s decision to allow the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) to carry out pre-project development programmes in 422 square hectares in the uranium-rich areas of West Khasi Hills.

A senior Meghalaya government official said the union ministry of environment and forests had already allowed UCIL to start uranium mining for the annual production of 375,000 tonnes of uranium ore and processing of 1,500 tonnes of the mineral ore per day in West Khasi Hills district.

The UCIL has proposed a Rs.1,046 crore open-cast uranium mining and processing plant at Domiasiat in the West Khasi Hills district. Meghalaya has an estimated 9.22 million tones of uranium ore deposits.

Read more: http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/night-blockade-against-uranium-mining-in-meghalaya_100260506.html#ixzz0TxkvI1Ih

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/night-blockade-against-uranium-mining-in-meghalaya_100260506.html

Meghalaya Govt. leases out land for uranium mining despite locals protest

AniSeptember 30th, 2009

SHILLONG - The Meghalaya government has decided to lease out 422 hectares of land in the West Khasi Hills region for 30 years to the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) for pre-project developmental works, a step which is agitating a number of locals.

According to locals, Meghalaya’s environment has been destroyed by the through unscientific mining of coal, limestone and other natural resources.

They claim that uranium mining will only add to environmental degradation of Meghalaya.

“First thing is the health-issue relating to uranium mining and the impact it will have in those areas where there will be uranium mining, and the second point is that the amount of royalty that the government will get,” said Michael Syiem, President, Mait Shaphrang Movement, an NGO spearheading the protest against uranium mining.

“Will it be just something which you see— peanuts are we really getting our worth from the wealth the God has given us?” said Syiem.

Apart from the Mait Shaphrang Movement, the Khasi Students Union (KSU), several other NGOs have joined the crusade against the prospecting of uranium.

They allege that pre-development works are only a precursor to the mining of radioactive mineral, which in turn could lead to serious environmental and health problems.

“We are opposed to this pre-project development activities on the ground that the government is misleading the people of the state and also the district that this pre project development activities is for the area and also for the whole of West Khasi district, which is in fact, not true and very misleading,” said Samuel Jrywa, President, Khasi Students Union (KSU), Meghalaya.

As per UCIL estimates, there could be 3, 75,000 tonnes of uranium deposits in Meghalaya.

While exploratory surveys were carried out in early 1990s, the mining project is yet to begin. By Hempi D.Henpilen (ANI)

http://blog.taragana.com/n/meghalaya-govt-leases-out-land-for-uranium-mining-despite-locals-protest-182801/

Protest against uranium mining project intensifies, KSU vows to stick to its stand

KSU activists take out a procession from their central body office at Jaiaw to the public rally venue at Motphran in protest against the MUA Cabinet's decision on uranium mining in city on Tuesday. (ST)

8 October 2009

Protest against uranium mining project intensifies, KSU vows to stick to its stand


SHILLONG, October 8, 2009: Intensifying its protests against the State Cabinet’s decision on pre-project development programmes of UCIL as well as the proposed mining of uranium, KSU has warned the Centre not to bulldoze its way through in implementing the project.

The KSU vowed that the anti-uranium groups would not budge from its stated position on the pre-project development package of UCIL and would continue to contest the government’s decision which they termed as “dreaded and against the voice of the majority.”

Addressing a public rally at Motphran attended by thousands of people, KSU president Samuel B Jyrwa said in the name of development the State government through its Cabinet attempted to fool the people and tried to cover up the ill effects of uranium mining and the impact of radiation by claiming that UCIL would start the first-phase Rs 209 crore pre-project development programmes within the areas of 422 sq hectare which has nothing to be linked with to actual mining of uranium.

Mr Jyrwa said the stand of the union to oppose the Cabinet decision on pre-project activities had been substantiated within no time as the Chief Minister DD Lapang himself had made it clear that under the first-phase project, UCIL would develop infrastructure only within the 422 sq hectares of the uranium rich areas around Mawthabah which would ultimately facilitate uranium mining in the second phase.

Terming Mr Lapang’s statement as ‘childish and irresponsible’ when he expressed his apprehension that the Centre might forcefully mine uranium from the State, the KSU leader cautioned the Centre to desist from applying force in order to materialise its plan to mine the ore from the State.

“India is a democratic country and the Centre cannot adopt such a policy. However if the Centre wishes to adopt forceful means to pave the way for uranium mining by jeopardizing the rights of the minority indigenous people here in the name of national interest, we will be forced to declare that the Hynniewtrep land is no longer part of India,” Mr Jyrwa asserted.

Mr Jyrwa said the Hynniewtrep land was tagged with India based on the Instrument of Accession.

Urging the public to extend support and jointly fight against uranium mining for the interests of the present and upcoming generations, Mr Jyrwa vowed that the KSU would not rest until it succeeded in its mission. The Union said it would meet in the coming days to decide its future course of action.

Other speakers who spoke in the rally include HSPDP leader Hoping Stone Lyngdoh, KSU general secretary Hamletson Dohling, Fenella L Nonglait, Langrin Youth Welfare Association (LYWA) president BS Lyngdoh and KWWADA general secretary Nebi Rapthap.

All the speakers slammed the government decision to roll out the Rs 209 crore pre-project development programmes to be implemented by UCIL saying that the pre-project would not mean development for the people of the area but only to facilitate mining of uranium by UCIL.

The HSPDP leader (Mr Lyngdoh) urged youth and the public to firmly stand in opposing the move of the government to allow UCIL to mine uranium from the State.

Speakers also cited the ill effects of uranium mining as witnessed in Jadugoda (Jharkhand) and other parts of the world and said that till now none of the scientists could guarantee that radiation emanating from uranium would not pose health hazards.

They also called upon the State and the Central government to respect the voice of the majority especially as expressed during the public hearing on uranium at Nongbah Jynrin on June 12, 2007 where 75 percent of the people residing around uranium areas of West Khasi Hills had strongly aired their voice to oppose uranium mining.

Speakers also appreciated Nongkrem MLA Ardent M Basaiawmoit for visiting villages close to the uranium-mining site of Jadugoda along with journalists from Shillong who exposed the negative impact of uranium mining.

Earlier before the rally, thousands of KSU activists took out a procession from KSU office, Jaiaw and culminated at the venue for the public rally.

The rally passed off peacefully amid tight security with police personnel deployed in various junctions of the city roads including the commercial areas of Motphran.

http://zolengthe.net/2009/10/08/protest-against-uranium-mining-project-intensifies-ksu-vows-to-stick-to-its-stand/

Thousands protest against France's oldest nuclear plant

Sat Oct 3, 4:49 pm ET

COLMAR, France (AFP) – Thousands of people demonstrated in eastern France on Saturday to demand the closure of the country's oldest nuclear power plant amid a huge police presence.

Organisers said more than 10,000 people, including from Spain, Italy and neighbouring Germany and Switzerland, rallied peacefully in Colmar while police said 3,500 took part in the protest against the Fessenheim nuclear plant.

"This is a success and the question of the closure of Fessenheim has now been clearly put forward," said Denis Vernet, of the anti-nuclear umbrella group SDN, which organised the protest with the German movement Bund.

A delegation handed a letter to the region's prefect Pierre-Andre Peyvel calling for the immediate closure of the plant.

Opponents say the plant, which opened in 1977 and is located near the German and Swiss borders, is dilapidated, but the government wants to keep it operational.

Authorities deployed 3,000 police officers, dozens of anti-riot police vehicles and trucks with water cannons to the demonstration in front of the city's train station, a municipal source said.

The organisers complained that the security apparatus was exaggerated and charged that German and Swiss border police had "blocked" some of the protesters heading to Colmar.

Local authorities denied that anyone was barred from passing the border, but acknowledged that travelers were asked for their papers.

"They want people to believe that the lack of security is because of the anti-nuclear activists. In reality, it is the nuclear industry and the political class that use intimidation and repression," Vernet said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091003/sc_afp/francenuclearenergyenvironmentdemo_20091003204911;_ylc=X3oDMTB0dGdiYnNqBF9TAzIxNTExMDUEZW1haWxJZAMxMjU0NjY4NjE4

Thousands decry nukes (Germany)

Thousands demonstrated here against Germany possibly reversing a decision to abandon nuclear power. -- PHOTO: AP

Comment: The people in Germany are against new Nuke Plants, they get it! Why is Virginia pushing the Nuke Bunch? It is the French Connection, they are telling our Virginia leaders lies about their success in the nuke cycle, and they want Virginia resources. Success in Nuke cycle, not really, France is buying power from Europe, Nuke plants are having trouble cooling their plants with hot river water. France is not nuke savvy, they are having problems.

Sep 5, 2009

BERLIN - MORE than 10,000 anti-nuclear protestors on Saturday demonstrated here against Germany possibly reversing a decision to abandon nuclear power.

The marchers, backed by 400 tractors, also called for the closure of a radioactive dump at Gorleben in eastern Germany.

The police refused to give an estimate of the crowd but organisers - ranging from the Greens to members of the Protestant church - said 10,000 people took part.

Germany decided in 2000 under former premier Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens - when current Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives were in opposition - to mothball its 17 reactors by about 2020.

The SPD is currently in coalition with Ms Merkel's CDU, but members of her party want to look at extending the life of some reactors, which produce around 30 per cent of German power.

This view is also shared by the party that Ms Merkel wants to govern with after the September 27 election, the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP).

Opinion polls indicate the parties will attract enough votes to form such a coalition.

'The end of nuclearisation has been promised since a long time but uptil now nothing has been done,' said Jochen Stay, a spokesman for the organisers.

Germany's stance on nuclear energy contrasts with its coming back in vogue in other countries because of high energy prices, to lower harmful carbon dioxide emissions and to reduce dependence on volatile oil and gas imports. -- AFP

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/World/Story/STIStory_425991.html

Havasupi organize protest of Grand Canyon uranium mining

Denison Mining is one Arizona air quality permit away from reopening its open pit uranium mine near the Grand Canyon's South Rim.

Comment: Comment: Wonder why the present administrations are allowing uranium mining throughout America? Maybe because of the Secretary of Energy? You judge!

July 19, 5:29 PM · Ann Garrison - SF Energy Policy Examiner

The Native American Havasupi tribe have invited the public to join them, on July 25th and 26th, to protest at Red Bluff, Arizona, a Havasupi sacred site threatened by Denison Mining's plan to reopen its open pit uranium mine, Arizona One, near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Most news sources were reporting, as of 07.19.2009, that Denison is only one Arizona air quality permit away from reopening the mine closed 20 years ago.

The Havasupi protest echoes indigenous, environmental, and anti-nuclear protest around the world, as global uranium demand increases, new nuclear power plants are constructed and proposed, and, the nuclear bomb mine---the supply of U-235, from nuclear weapons that the United States and the Soviet Union began deconstructing at the end of the Cold War----dwindles.

Uranium, including that in the dwlndling nuclear bomb mine, is a finite resource, in human time.

It is renewable only in the earth's geological time, which cannot begin to keep pace with the rate at which it is being burned in reactors.

Censored News writer/editor Brenda Norrell interviewed Havasupi and other environmental activists about the uranium mining threat and the gathering on BlogTalk Radio.

http://www.examiner.com/x-8257-SF-Energy-Policy-Examiner~y2009m7d19-Havasupi-organize-protest-of-Grand-Canyon-uranium-mining

Alice Springs says no uranium exploration at Angela Pamela

Comment: LEAVE IT IN THE GROUND!!! NO URANIUM MINING IN VIRGINIA!!!

Engage Media from Arid Lands Environment Centre in Alice Springsby Natalie Wasley — last modified 18 June 09

A community rally held three hours after the Northern Territory Government granted the exploration license for uranium exploration at Angela Pamela. The deposits are less than 25km from Alice Springs and situated within the water catchment boundary and water control district.
This film documents one snap action in Alice Springs, which is a snapshot of the vibrant community response to the Angela Pamela uranium proposal.

A Cameco-Paladin joint venture applied for a license to explore uranium at the Angela and Pamela deposits, 25kms south of Alice Springs, amidst a sharp increase in uranium exploration throughout Central Australia. This trend is strongly encouraged by the Northern Territory Government and Federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson, who last month asserted new uranium mines are likely to open in the Northern Territory.

The Alice Springs Angela Pamela (ASAP) Collective formed in opposition to the exploration application and has organised public meetings, rallies, petitions, actions, film nights and other events to raise awareness about and directly challenge the progress of the proposal.

The Angela and Pamela deposits are located within the boundaries of the Alice Springs water catchment area and water control district. Uranium mining operations consume large volumes of water and there is a risk of contaminating surface and ground water sources.

Exploration and mining pose a significant risk to public health and local ecosystems. Workers, nearby communities and the environment will all be exposed to radioactive materials.

The areas around and including the Angela and Pamela sites have been identified in the Draft NT Parks master plan as holding national biodiversity and conservation significance. These areas should be reserved for low impact development such as tourism and not opened up for high impact projects like uranium mining.

This film documents one snap action in Alice Springs, which is a snapshot of the vibrant community response to the Angela Pamela uranium proposal: LOCATED ON SIDE OF BLOG!

http://nuclearnewsaustralia.wordpress.com/2009/06/21/alice-springs-says-no-uranium-exploration-at-angela-pamela/

Students Protest Against Canadian Mining Company in Tibet

Comment: We do not want the Canadian uranium companies either!!

Published Mar 5, 2009 by ■ Chris V. Thangham

Canadian company Hunter Dickinson/Continental Minerals (HDI) is planning to set up large-scale mining operations in the Occupied Tibet area.

Many worry this will displace the local Tibetans and replace them with the mainland Chinese.

China has occupyed Tibet for more than 50 years, and it claims the territory belonged to them thousands of years ago. This month will mark the 50-year anniversary of the exile of the Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.

The Chinese are worried there will be more riots this year, similar to last year's protests. China has sent more troops to the troubled area. While there is no end in sight for local Tibetans, others like Hunter Dickinson/Continental Minerals (HDI) are trying to profit in a major way.

HDI plans to mine gold and copper in central Tibet. It will destroy the environment in that area and affect the local Tibetans. Soon, workers from mainland China will fill the mining area and displace the ethnic population in Tibet.

A group is now protesting HDI’s actions in Tibet. Seven pro-Tibet protesters from the “Students for a Free Tibet” group disrupted a Toronto mining convention earlier this week. It is shown in the video posted above.

Kunga Tsering, president of the Canadian-Tibetan Joint Action Committee, one of the protesters, said in a statement:

"It's unconscionable for a Canadian company to be operating inside Tibet when Tibetans are facing a brutal military clampdown and the most repressive conditions in three decades,"

Ron Thiessen, chair of Continental Minerals and a partner in the Hunter Dickinson (HDI) project responded and told The Star:

“We respect everyone’s right to make statements...We’re not mining yet (in Tibet), we hope to be.”

Other Canadian companies participating in Tibet are Bombardier, Power Corporation and Nortel, who are helping build a railway line between China and Tibet.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/268546

One useful thing

Comment: everyone is fighting uranium mining, maybe we need to protest May 21!!!

One useful thing May 7
by Emily

I’m still unemployed and one of the problems with been unemployed is that it is hard to feel very purposeful. I get to the end of each day and I wonder if I have contributed anything even slightly useful to the world. So you start digging. For example, today I cut up two very big pumpkins so that Sue could make pumpkin soup for the women’s retreat and I was like wow what a productive day I had. I have always believed that we are more than what we do. That our identity comes from something beyond what we do but in practice I am finding it hard to live that out.

However, yesterday I did something truly useful.

I attended a protest against uranium mining. 23km out of Alice Springs a mining company called Cameco, begun exploring further for uranium.

They have done this without consultation with the indigenous people of the land (despite saying that they had) and without the environmental impact statement been completed (not that I think that would be anything but crap, there is nothing environmental about mining).

We did invite representatives to come and talk to us further about it and perhaps explain how but they refused (what a suprise).

It is not good for the environment, it is not good for the indigenous people and it is not good for Alice Springs (we don’t even need the jobs).

Anyway, it was good to feel like I did one thing in my day that would have an impact. Well I hope so. It would be truly a tragedy if this mine went ahead.

http://emily.footboot.net/2009/05/07/one-useful-thing/

West Virginia Mountain Top Removal Coal Protests Heating Up

Coal River Vally, WV, has become home to a civil disobedience campaign against Massy Energy company in an attempt to halt their destructive mountaintop renewal coal mining practices.
Kay Sexton, with her regular run down of environmental protests, has been examining the “imperatives and complexities” of protests that are unique to the environmentalist movement. Here’s another data point to add into the discussion.

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t always think that the environmental movement benefits from protests. Channeling the Greenpeace mentality of chaining people to trees often seems to generate bad press more then it advances a cause. But, there are times when even my cynical take on the efficacy of protest has to be subverted by out-and-out necessity.

Obama Versus Coalbama
While Obama has been great for many issues near and dear to environmentalists, his stance on coal leaves a lot to be desired. Consider:

He keeps hitting the idea of “clean” coal, a fact that groups like ACCCE are using to their advantage. Every time he mentions coal on the list with other Alternative Energy sources, environmentalists wince. Even coal that burns cleaner then it does now has a tough road to walk to get to “clean” across the board.
His department of justice recently refused further consideration of a lower court ruling that would result in more closely regulated mountaintop removal, effectively negating the positive buzz generated by Ken Salazar’s reversal of a Bush strategy that allowed a particularly destructive type of mountain top removal mining.
While the EPA is set to review 150 to 200 permits for new or expanded surface mines (good news for regulation), legal action is still considered by many to be light years away from actually slowing destructive Mountain Top Removal policies. Ending it altogether is not on the board.
In short: Obama seems to be rational on the issue of the environment, but he has a blind spot when it comes to coal. The blind spot may be something that he could get around, but it’s not going to happen soon.

All Protests are not created equal
For those of you not familiar with mountaintop removal, the scale of the mining operations in West Virginia is pretty shocking. Over 1 Million acres of land have been flattened, but since those acres are at the tops of the Appalachians, the real effect of the damage is an order of magnitude larger.

So here is a situation where I am talking myself into protest by any means necessary. Public perception is turning against coal, especially the most draconian and damaging removal processes. A group called Climate Ground Zero has been gumming up the works for months now, and the mining company has now taken out a restraining order against them. Those already arrested are barred from any interference with Massy’s mining operations, and are being held in contempt of court for violating the temporary restraining order (TRO). Not content with that, however, the TRO goes one further, limiting anyone who has seen or heard of the order from protesting as well. (That’s right: as of reading that last sentence, I think you, dear reader, are legally barred from action against Massy.)

My feelings on protest tend to switch 180 degrees when civil disobedience is met with such sweeping legal action against the protesters. Attempts to silence protesters are, in many ways, playing right into the hands of civil disobedience, giving them the aura of legitimate wrongs. Massy has given up whatever high ground (mountain top pun intended) they had when they make this into a first amendment thing.

I am still concerned that protests (in general) provide the wrong public perception. Generally, the nature versus man debate comes down on the side of jobs and families for many Americans. However, when confronted with the harsh reality of peoples homes and lives being destroyed by coal run off, to go along with the complete decimation of entire mountain ranges, it seems more valuable to stop the process first and then hash out the next step. The debate of how we relate to nature can’t continue in good faith as millions of acres on the tops of watersheds are being knocked off. Good luck to all the Climate Ground Zero folks as they get bogged down in legalese instead of actual on the ground results. While they wait for the Obama administration to catch on about the process, I’d urge you to check out (and sign) their open letter here.

I’d also like to hear what people think about the results of protest. Are the actions that Kay is writing about having tangible results? I am curious to see how people react to this sort of civil disobedience when compared to something like this:

On 25 April, more than sixty climate campaigners ate their lunch in the check-in hall at Leeds Bradford Airport. Their picnic was a protest at the planned £28 million two-storey extension to the terminal building which they say will increase greenhouse gas emissions. Protesters ate cucumber sandwiches and gingerbread aeroplanes and said theirs was ‘… a very civil way to protest’ In reply, the airport authority claims it will ‘… improve and refine …method[s] of monitoring air quality in line with EU requirements and industry standards’.

Image: from flickr user ddimick

http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/03/west-virginia-mountain-top-removal-coal-protests-heating-up/