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See also the following sections of this website:

• Indigenous peoples
• Mining industry
• Oil, gas and coal companies
• Construction companies
• Logging & lumber industry

Websites:

International Rivers Network (IRN)

• IRN's China Campaigns - Three Gorges, Yangtze River (International Rivers Network)

www.floodwallstreet.org / The Three Gorges Action Coalition [human rights and environmental groups working to halt the flow of foreign capital to the Three Gorges Dam in China] 

Other materials:

2003:

{···français} Barrage des Trois Gorges (Chine): les violations des droits humains risquent de s'accentuer avec la mise en eau du réservoir (Sébastien Godinot, Les Amis de la Terre, 9 avril 2003)

Banks in drive for project principles - The drive by Citigroup and large European providers of project finance in emerging markets to obtain industry-wide adherence to the International Finance Corporation's social and environmental guidelines may increase pressure on export credit agencies to do the same..."In the past, the US Export-Import bank has taken the lead on environmental standards and issues of transparency," said John Sohn, an expert on export credit agencies at Friends of the Earth...The impetus behind the US lead was in part due to financing of the controversial Three Gorges dam in China in 1996. The US Export-Import bank decided not to finance the project...Non-US ECAs, such as Germany's Hermes and Export Development Canada, less constrained by environmental standards, provided some finance for the dam. In an attempt to create a level playing field, the US Export-Import Bank began promoting within the OECD the concept of common and transparent environmental standards but its moves have generally been met with resistance. (Demetri Sevastopulos, Financial Times, 9 Apr. 2003)

• Four banks adopt IFC agreement - At least four European and US banks plan to adopt the International Finance Corporation's social and environmental guidelines for project finance in emerging markets, a clear signal that banks are awakening to the risks of socially irresponsible investing. ABN Amro, Barclays, Citibank and WestLB, in collaboration with the IFC, the private-sector arm of the World Bank, have drafted an agreement called the "Equator Principles"...Under the agreement, the banks agree to adopt the IFC's social and environmental rules for sustainable development, which include guidelines on issues ranging from environmental assessment and natural habitats to indigenous peoples and child and forced labour. (Demetri Sevastopulo, Financial Times, 6 Apr. 2003)

• Four Banks Adopt Social and Environmental Guidelines for Developing World Projects (Business for Social Responsibility News Monitor summary of article in Financial Times, 7 Apr. 2003)

Group Opposing Mining of Titanium is Dissolved [Kenya] - A farmers' group formerly opposed to the titanium mining project in Kwale has been disbanded. The farmers said they would join hands with a committee elected last week to look into the project. The Maumba Nguluku Welfare Association chairman, Mr Frank Mutua, said they took the decision because the government had shown the willingness to address their grievances. (Jonathan Manyindo, The Nation [Kenya], 7 Apr. 2003)

NGOs Decry Human Rights Crisis at Three Gorges Project as Reservoir Starts Filling - The reservoir of the controversial Three Gorges Dam in China’s Yangtze Valley will start filling on April 10, aggravating already serious human rights problems in the resettlement areas. A new report documents that the resettlement problems of this publicly funded dam have not been resolved, and that project construction is linked to systematic human rights violations. (International Rivers Network and Friends of the Earth International, 3 Apr. 2003)

• Human Rights Abuses in China and the Responsibility of Western Governments: The Case of the Three Gorges Project -...People affected by the Three Gorges Project must be resettled, compensated and rehabilitated in line with acknowledged international resettlement and human rights standards...The people who have been imprisoned for protesting peacefully against the problems of the project in the past should be released...As long as the problems of resettlement have not been resolved in line with international standards, the submergence of the reservoir area should be suspended...Export Credit Agencies should carry out human rights and social impact assessments before taking decisions on credits and guarantees...The World Commission on Dams (WCD) has proposed a framework that integrates human rights into the planning and decision-making processes of water and energy projects. (statement delivered to U.N. Commission on Human Rights by Peter Bosshard, Policy Director of International Rivers Network, 31 Mar. 2003)

• Eyewitness Report Documents Serious Human Rights Abuses in Three Gorges Project - International Rivers Network released today an eyewitness report on the resettlement and human rights problems of the Three Gorges Dam in China. More than 640,000 people have been evicted to make way for the giant dam... Resettlers have not been compensated according to international standards. The resettlement process is fraught with corruption and human rights abuses. Protests are widespread, and the police has used excessive force to quell these protests. (International Rivers Network, 20 Jan. 2003)

• full report: Human Rights Dammed Off at Three Gorges - An investigation of resettlement and human rights problems in the Three Gorges Dam project [scroll to bottom of page to download] (International Rivers Network, Jan. 2003)

More Indonesians to sue Japan over aid-funded dam - More than 4,000 Indonesians will join a lawsuit against the Japanese government, demanding compensation for a dam funded by aid from Tokyo [Kotopanjang Dam in Sumatra] and which they say has destroyed their livelihood, supporters said yesterday...Also named in the original suit were the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), a semi-governmental bank that provides loans to foreign countries and overseas projects, and Tokyo Electric Power Services Co, an affiliate of Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), Japan's largest utility. (Reuters, 27 Mar. 2003)

Water - an essential human right -... Amnesty International stressed the need to focus on the human rights dimension regarding the issue of access to water...Disputes over water must then be resolved in ways that guarantee access, and do not, for example, make it conditional on one's relative wealth, social status, or nationality. Further, speaking of a right to water makes it clear that governments have duties to fulfil that right. Whatever arrangements are put in place regarding private sector investment and ownership in delivering water, governments cannot sub-contract this responsibility...Recent experiences have shown that several large development projects intended to provide access to water have ended up causing human rights violations, either through mass displacement of people (as in the Narmada project in western India) or by increasing charges for access to water drastically and using force against peaceful protestors (as in Cochabamba, Bolivia). (Amnesty International, 22 Mar. 2003)

Suit Alleging Firm Aided Genocide Proceeds - A Southern District of New York federal judge has refused to dismiss claims that a Canadian oil company abetted genocide by the government of Sudan against its own people. Talisman Energy Inc. had asked Judge Allen G. Schwartz to dismiss the case brought by plaintiffs who said the company was complicit in a campaign of kidnapping, rape, murder and land confiscation conducted by the government against non-Muslim residents who lived within a 50-mile radius of oil fields and transport systems. (Mark Hamblett, New York Law Journal, in New York Lawyer, 20 Mar. 2003)

press release: Morgan Stanley Exposed Over Controversial Asian Projects - Share Value Threat From Growing Consumer Concerns - Human rights and environmental campaigners will highlight the growing threat to investment bank Morgan Stanley's shareholder value at the company's annual general meeting in London today (19th March). Efforts to pressure Morgan Stanley are being led by Friends of the Earth, the International Rivers Network, Students for a Free Tibet and Free Tibet Campaign. The groups are all engaged in campaigns targeting Morgan Stanley for its lack of environmental and social risk management policies, which have led the company to underwrite some of the most controversial projects in Asia. These include the Three Gorges Dam in China, resource extraction projects in Tibet and rainforest destruction in Indonesia. (Friends of the Earth, International Rivers Network, Free Tibet Campaign, Students for a Free Tibet, 19 March 2002)

• full report: Rogue Traders: A Report on Morgan Stanley's Financing of Socially and Environmentally Controversial Projects in Asia (A joint report by Friends of the Earth UK, Free Tibet Campaign, Students for a Free Tibet, and International Rivers Network, 19 Mar. 2002)

• company website: Morgan Stanley (Morgan Stanley)

World Bank to call for more dams - More dams must be built in developing countries to meet future demands for water and electricity, the World Bank will tell an international water conference starting on Sunday in Kyoto, Japan. Although new dam projects must be socially and environmentally acceptable, the need for more hydropower must be accepted, Ian Johnston, the World Bank vice-president for sustainable development, told the Financial Times. (John Mason and Vanessa Houlder, Financial Times, 14 Mar. 2003)

Gana & Gwi Bushmen - Survival labelled 'terrorist' organisation [Botswana] - Survival has recently been labelled a 'terrorist' organisation by a senior figure in Debswana, De Beers's Botswana subsidiary...Mr Rafael Runco, Chairman of Survival International, said today, 'These remarks clearly show that, rather than addressing the huge international concern at the forced removal of the Bushmen, the Botswana government and Debswana are resorting to name-calling. The government ought to be allowing the Bushmen back on to their land, rather than criticising the messenger.' (Survival International, 13 Mar. 2003)

Awá - Amazon nomads celebrate land victory - Triumph for Brazil’s last hunter-gatherers after 20-year Survival campaign - Brazil’s last hunter-gatherer Indian tribe face the future with more confidence this week, after the demarcation – mapping out and marking on the ground – of the Awá Indians’ land was completed. This legal recognition of their territory, ordered by a judge, was the main objective of a 20-year Survival campaign. Much of the Awá’s rainforest has been invaded by ranchers, loggers and settlers, who killed many Indians...The EU- and World Bank-funded Carajás industrial project was responsible for much of the devastation. (Survival International, 11 Mar. 2003)

• Brazil Recognizes Land Rights of Amazon Hunter-Gatherers (Jim Lobe, OneWorld US, 12 Mar. 2003)

report: Development Disasters: Japanese-Funded Dam Projects in Asia - This report features case studies of six exisiting or proposed dam projects funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). JBIC-funded dam projects in Asia have been fraught with problems, which have led to serious and unmitigated social, environmental and economic impacts, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. [refers to dam projects in Indonesia (Koto Panjang Dam: refers to lawsuit by local people in Indonesia against Tokyo Electric Power Services Co., JBIC & Japanese govt.), Philippines (San Roque Multipurpose Project: refers to San Roque Power Corp., consisting of Marubeni, Kansai Electric & Sithe Energies), Thailand, China, Malaysia] (Rivers Watch East and Southeast Asia, International Rivers Network and Friends of the Earth, Mar. 2003)

briefing kit: Dammed rivers, damned lies: What the water establishment doesn’t want you to know - Over 45,000 large dams have been built to meet the world’s water, energy and flood management needs. However, dams have failed to live up to expectations and have devastated communities and ecosystems. This briefing kit exposes the myths behind large dams and promotes equitable and sustainable solutions for meeting the world’s needs. [also available in Japanese] (Friends of the Earth Japan and International Rivers Network, 28 Feb. 2003)

Central Kalahari Game Reserve carved up for diamonds [Botswana] - Government maps show diamonds rush on 'Bushmen's' ancestral land - Maps from the Botswana Government's own Department of Geological Survey show a massive increase in diamonds exploration concessions on the ancestral land of the Gana and Gwi Bushmen and Bakgalagadi, just months after the government evicted them from the region. (Survival International, 20 Feb. 2003)

100,000 Petition Botswana to Protect Bushmen -...They and their advocates claim that the government--one of the wealthiest in Africa due to Botswana's small population and its huge diamond industry--wants to remove the Bushmen to increase tourism to the Reserve and exploit recently discovered diamond fields. (Jim Lobe, OneWorld US, 16 Feb. 2003)

Scrapping Mining Dependence [This study, chapter 6 in Worldwatch Institute’s annual report State of the World 2003, assesses the impacts of global mining activities, and presents alternative ways in which the world can meet its demand for minerals.  Many major mining companies are referred to in the text] -...Mines have uprooted tens of thousands of people from their homelands and have exposed many more to toxic chemicals and pollution.  And mining is the world's most deadly occupation: on average 40 mine workers are killed on the job each day, and many more are injured. (Payal Sampat, Senior Fellow with the Worldwatch Institute and International Campaign Director at the Mineral Policy Center, 7 Feb. 2003)

Swiss Aid Group Keeps Watchful Eye on Chad Pipeline -...human rights groups say it is already having a negative impact on ordinary people...Human rights groups have criticised the project, saying it is damaging water supplies and depriving farmers of their land...Ron Royal, the general manager of Esso Chad, says the criticisms are unjustified [refers to Exxon Mobil, Petronas and Chevron] (NZZ, 4 Feb. 2003)

Ashulia: An environmental time bomb in the making [Bangladesh] - Dhaka continues to expand haphazardly as real estate developers are filling up the wetlands in and around the capital for construction. At least half a dozen small and large developers are engaged in filling up the vast low-lying lands around Ashulia...Water experts at the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre warn that filling up of this flood-flow zone will threaten the Uttara dam, thus entailing an environmental disaster by endangering the entire ecosystem of the area. [refers to threat of flooding to villages and city] (ASM Nurunnabi, Daily Star [Bangladesh], 1 Feb. 2003)

Rio Tinto: practise what you preach! [Indonesia] - The efforts of UK-based mining company Rio Tinto to convince the world of its commitment to human rights have suffered another blow. According to media reports, in December, the family of human rights defender and poet Wiji Thukul rejected a human rights award funded by the company...The family said they refused the award because Rio Tinto was involved in several human rights violations at its mining operations in Indonesia and was responsible for the 1992 arrest of demonstrators who were demanding proper compensation for the use of their land. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2003)

Villagers and PT PLN in Riam Kanan dam dispute [Indonesia] - Local people in South Kalimantan whose land was taken for a dam project over thirty years ago, threatened to cut electricity supplies if the state electricity company continued to deny them proper compensation. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2003)

press release: Indonesia: Paper Industry Threatens Human Rights - Indonesian police and company security forces are responsible for persistent human rights abuses against indigenous communities involved in the massive pulp and paper industry in Sumatra, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. (Human Rights Watch, 7 Jan. 2003)

• full report: Without Remedy: Human Rights Abuse and Indonesia's Pulp and Paper Industry (Human Rights Watch, Jan. 2003)

• Paper industry blamed for abuse - Indonesia's booming paper industry is responsible for widespread attacks on indigenous communities in Sumatra, a Human Rights Watch report has claimed. (Agence France-Presse, 7 Jan. 2003)

2002:

Greenpeace slams Canadian gold project in Romania - Greenpeace urged Romania this week to pull the plug on a controversial Canadian gold mining project in the Carpathians which it said would seriously damage the environment...As part of the project, it [Gabriel Resources, a Canadian company] plans to relocate the 900 families of Rosia Montana, a poor mining town 500 km (310 miles) west of Bucharest, and has promised them money and new homes. (Adrian Dascalu, Reuters, 6 Dec. 2002)

No Graceful Exit: Talisman may be leaving Sudan, but critics of the company’s contentious operations in the war-torn East-African country aren’t planning to forgive and forget (Byron Christopher, Our Times, 5 Nov. 2002)

• Sudan: Talisman sells controversial oil stake -...Canadian oil company Talisman Energy on Wednesday announced the sale of its Sudanese oil interests...to ONGC Videsh Ltd, a subsidiary of India's national oil company...Talisman has come under fire from human rights groups, which have argued that the company's four-year involvement served to support the forced displacement of people to make way for oil exploration, and that oil revenues have been used by the Sudanese government for arms purchases. (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 31 Oct. 2002)

Bushmen relocation 'undemocratic': Diamonds behind rights violations say Botswana opposition -...It [statement by The Youth League of the Botswana National Front] continues, 'The real reason why Basarwa are forcefully removed from their ancestral lands is to pave way for Debswana [De Beers's joint mining venture with the Botswana Government] to mine Diamonds.' (Survival International, 17 Oct. 2002)

NATURAL RESOURCES: Consumer Demand Still Fueling Wars, NGO Says - A new report released today by the nongovernmental Worldwatch Institute urges better monitoring of trade in natural resources taken from conflict zones, saying that such imports fuel brutal conflicts in the developing world..."Brutal wars over natural resources like coltan -- a mineral that keeps cell phones and other electronic equipment functioning -- diamonds, tropical woods and other rare materials have killed or displaced more than 20 million people and are raising at least $12 billion a year for rebels, warlords, repressive government and other predatory groups around the world," the institute says...Opium, gems, oil, timber, natural gas, precious metals, coffee and cocoa are among the resources cited as helping to pay for wars over the past 50 years. (UN Wire, 17 Oct. 2002)

• FROM WAR ZONES TO SHOPPING MALLS: New study reveals deadly link between consumer demand and third world resource wars -...Child and slave labor is used to extract the resources...Renner [Michael Renner, author of The Anatomy of Resource Wars] calls for the following actions:...Develop corporate codes of conduct in resource extraction industries, support NGO campaigns that "name and shame" companies into doing business in more responsible ways, and increase corporate transparency and accountability (for instance, by requiring companies to disclose all taxes, fees, royalties, and other payments they make to host governments...). [refers to Afghanistan, Angola, Burma, Cambodia, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, Liberia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone] (Worldwatch Insititute, 17 Oct. 2002)

Pehuenches Indians mobilise against construction of new hydroelectric plant [Chile] - The national Chilean Electric Company (ENDESA) has projected the construction of a new hydroelectric plant...The project foresees the flooding of 22-thousand hectares of land of the Indian communities of Pehuenches de Quepuca-Ralco and Ralco Lepoy and the demobilisation of some 500 people. (Missionary Service News Agency, 4 Oct. 2002)

Ayoreo [Paraguay] - Uncontacted tribe in danger: Illegal roads bulldozed through isolated Indians' land - The last uncontacted Indians south of the Amazon basin face death from diseases as their land is being invaded by companies and settlers. (Survival International, 3 Oct. 2002)

ECUADOR: New Report Could Kill Pipeline Project Funding - A report by former World Bank environment chief Robert Goodland could derail plans for an internationally backed oil pipeline project in Ecuador, Inter Press Service reported yesterday. The 27-page report -- commissioned by Amazon Watch, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace and other environmental groups and released Friday -- indicates the 500-kilometer crude oil pipeline violates the World Bank's policies on environmental assessment, natural habitats, involuntary resettlement and indigenous peoples. [refers to German bank WestLB, which leads a consortium providing $900 million in loans for the project] (UN Wire, 17 Sep. 2002)

• ENVIRONMENT-ECUADOR - Bank Expert Says Pipeline Violates Polices - In a major blow against a controversial oil pipeline project in Ecuador, the former head of the World Bank's environment department has found that the project fails to comply with the Bank's social and environmental policies. (Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service, 13 Sep. 2002)

• {···español} AMBIENTE-ECUADOR Nuevo revés para polémico oleoducto - El Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados (OCP) de Ecuador viola los criterios ambientales y sociales del Banco Mundial, advirtió este viernes el ex jefe del Departamento Ambiental de la institución financiera internacional, Robert Goodland. (Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service, 13 septiembre 2002)

Giant dam could cause geological disasters - China - A 600-km (365-mile) reservoir that will start filling behind China's giant Three Gorges dam next year could cause geological disasters in the surrounding area, state media said yesterday...The 185-metre (607-foot) dam, the largest water control project in the world, has been plagued by reports of shoddy construction, rampant corruption and criticism from environmental experts and human rights groups. (Reuters, 12 Sep. 2002)

Malaysia names builders for controversial mega-dam - Malaysia appointed builders last week for its long-delayed $2.4 billion Bakun dam, awarding the deal to a consortium led by a unit of local conglomerate Sime Darby, together with a Chinese infrastructure firm. The hydro-electric power project in Malaysia's eastern Sarawak state on Borneo island has enraged environmentalists as it involves flooding a tract of tropical rainforest the size of Singapore and will displace thousands of indigenous people. (Reuters, 26 Aug. 2002)

Canadian cash lures Romanians in gold mining town [Romania] - Gabriel Resources plans to relocate some 300 households as part of the $420 million project aimed at extracting 300 tonnes of gold and 1,700 tonnes of silver over 15 years. (Adrian Dascalu, Reuters, 20 Aug. 2002)

Spotlight on corporates reveals need for global rules - Some corporations continue to abuse the rights of people, destroy the livelihoods of communities, and pollute water and forest resources for future generations, according to a new report by Friends of the Earth International published today. The report graphically illustrates the need for governments to agree to introduce tighter rules for multinationals at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg. (Friends of the Earth, 16 Aug. 2002)

• Call for 'global enviro rules' - The environmental group, Friends of the Earth, on Friday called on world leaders meeting at the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg to introduce global rules for business....In the report the environmental group mentions the mining giant, Rio Tinto that is prospecting for gold in the Poboya protected forest in Indonesia despite opposition from local people. South Africa's chemical company Sasol also comes under fire. (South African Press Association, 16 Aug. 2002)

• full report: Clashes with Corporate Giants: 22 campaigns for biodiversity and community (Friends of the Earth, Aug. 2002) 

includes section entitled "Towards binding corporate accountability"

also includes the following case studies:

1. Peru: Manhattan Minerals (Tambogrande gold mine)
2. Malaysia: Malaysian timber companies (logging in Sarawak - affecting indigenous peoples)
3. South Africa: Sasol, Total, Dow Chemicals (pollution of poor communities)
4. Russia/Lithuania: Lukoil (Baltic sea drilling)
5. Papua New Guinea: BHP Billiton (OK Tedi mine)
6. Chad/Cameroon: ExxonMobil, Chevron, Petronas (Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline)
7. Ecuador: AGIP, Alberta Energy, Occidental Petroleum, Perez Companc, Repsol-YPF, Techint (oil pipeline, affecting indigenous peoples)
8. Czech Republic: Ford, Nemak (car plant on agricultural land)
9. Nigeria: Shell (environmental justice issues in Niger Delta)
10. Chile: Noranda (aluminium plant)
11. Worldwide: Aventis, Monsanto (genetically modified food)
12. Colombia: Occidental Petroleum (oil extraction on land of U'wa people)
13. Australia: Barrick Gold (gold mine, affecting indigenous peoples)
14. Brazil: Petrobas, El Paso Energy (gas pipeline, affecting indigenous peoples)
15. Indonesia: Asia Pulp & Paper (logging of rainforests)
16. Chile: Nutreco (salmon farms)
17. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey: BP (Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline)
18. Malta: Ax Holdings, Carlson Companies, Regent Hotels (golf course on agricultural land)
19. Australia: Nihon Unipac (clearcutting Goolengook Forest)
20. Norway: Bayer, Monsanto, Kanegafuchi (Norwegian sea pollution)
21. Indonesia: Rio Tinto (gold mine, affecting indigenous peoples)
22. UK: Scott's Company (peat extraction for compost)

Sinking Pacific states slam US over sea levels - Pacific island nations [Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu], most at risk of sinking beneath rising sea levels, chided the United States yesterday for not signing the Kyoto Protocol and urged big aid donor Australia to do more to cut greenhouse gas emissions. (Paul Tait, Reuters, 16 Aug. 2002)

Indigenous peoples' permanent sovereignty over natural resources - Working paper by Erica-Irene A. Daes, former Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations (Erica-Irene A. Daes, document for U.N. Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, 30 July 2002)

China migrants held for Three Gorges protest - group - Police in eastern China detained 40 people who had demanded to be sent back to their homes in the southwest which they were forced to leave to make way for the giant Three Gorges dam, a rights group said on the weekend. (Reuters, 23 July 2002)

Lampung people threaten to take over palm plantation [Indonesia] - Following a violent clash with security personnel on Thursday, hundreds of striking workers from a PT Budi Dharma Godam Perkasa (BDGP)-owned oil palm plantation in North Lampung have threatened to take over the 2000-hectare plantation because of the management's failure to end a prolonged land dispute...The communal land was appropriated by force by the former military-style New Order regime and handed over to a Jakarta businessman for the oil plantation. (Jakarta Post, 22 July 2002)

[Botswana] Bushmen protests hit USA and Switzerland - Two key diamond markets targeted - The rolling campaign of protests at the illegal eviction of Bushmen from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve has spread to two of the most important countries for the diamond industry – the USA and Switzerland. (Survival International, 19 July 2002)

Myanmar [Burma]: Forced labour, extortion, displacement and land confiscation - the rural life...Forced labour, extortion and land confiscation by the tatmadaw (Myanmar military) are continuing to have a grave impact on the lives of civilians, Amnesty International said today. (Amnesty International, 17 July 2002)

• {···español} Amnistía Internacional denuncia trabajos forzados, extorsión y desplazamientos de población en Myanmar (Amnistía Internacional, 17 julio 2002)

OMV studying human rights situation in Sudan - Austrian oil and gas group OMV said on Thursday it was awaiting the results of a independent study of the human rights situation in potentially oil-rich areas of Sudan, racked by 19 years of civil war...OMV suspended its activities in Sudan in January 2002 after violence escalated and has said it needed assurances that reports the government was using violence to depopulate villages in block 5A in Western Upper Nile and other areas were not true. "We are awaiting the results of our impact study, and on the basis of that we will decide how to proceed," Chief Executive Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer told Reuters in an interview. "For us, it is important that human rights are respected and this is very much in the foreground," he added. (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters, 11 July 2002)

Peru peasants march to Lima, protest mining damage - After a week of marching from villages across Peru, some 1,000 peasants arrived in Lima this week to demand government action against what they say is the contamination or seizure of land by big mining companies [refers to Manhattan Minerals Corp., Southern Peru Copper Corp. - a unit of Grupo Mexico] (Teresa Cespedes, Reuters, 10 July 2002)

Development Aggression: Observations on Human Rights Conditions in the PT Freeport Indonesia Contract of Work Areas With Recommendations [West Papua, Indonesia] - This paper is a presentation of observations, conclusions, and recommendations regarding human rights conditions in the PT Freeport Indonesia [majority owned and controlled by US-based mining company Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc] Contract of Work areas in Papua, Indonesia...The presentation below has been circumscribed by Freeport's lack of cooperation and other interference with the assessment process...Some of these violations - such as those caused by environmental destruction - are the direct by-products of Freeport's mining operations. Others - such as physical attacks - are the result of the illegal, indiscriminate, and/or disproportionate use of force against civilians by the Indonesian military and police providing security for and funded by Freeport. (Abigail Abrash, consultant for the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, July 2002)

• company website: Freeport in Papua (Freeport-McMoRan)

• company website: Fast Fact: Human Rights (Freeport-McMoRan)

• company website: Fast Fact: Benefits for the Papuan People (Freeport-McMoRan)

A Guide to Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in the International Labour Organization - Indigenous peoples throughout the world continue to suffer serious abuses of their human rights. In particular, they are experiencing heavy pressure on their lands from logging, mining, roads, conservation activities, dams, agribusiness and colonization...This Briefing paper provides guidance on how to file a complaint with the ILO Committee of Experts. [refers to ILO Convention 169 cases relating to: logging concessions which overlapped indigenous territories in the Bolivian Amazon; Arco & Berlington Resources Ecuador Ltd. project in Ecuador affecting the Shuar People; Occidental project in Colombia affecting the U’wa indigenous community] (Fergus MacKay, Forest Peoples Programme, July 2002)

Activists Oppose Financing for Peruvian Gas Project - Environmental activists are lobbying hard at the United States Export-Import Bank (Exim) and the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington against loans for a controversial gas and pipeline project in Peru that they say threatens isolated groups of indigenous people and their Amazonian homeland. The project is led by Pluspetrol and Techint, two Argentinian energy companies, Texas-based HuntOil, and includes several other energy companies, including SK Corporation of South Korea, Sonatrach of Algeria, and Peru's own Grana y Montero. Citigroup...has acted as the consortium's chief financial adviser for the project. (Jim Lobe, OneWorld US, 24 June 2002)

• EXIM Bank Urged to Deny Government Loan to Egregious Energy Project in the Amazon - Peru's Uncontacted Indigenous Peoples Threatened by Massive Camisea Gas Project (Amazon Watch, 20 June 2002)

Uganda's Museveni blasts power dam critics - President Yoweri Museveni said in remarks published yesterday a controversial $550 million Ugandan power project [Bujagali dam] would go ahead whether environmentalist critics liked it or not...The consortium building the dam for AES, which will be the owner and operator of the project, is made up of Sweden's Skanska AB, Veidekke of Norway, Swedish-Swiss engineering firm ABB, U.S. General Electric and France's Alstom SA. (Reuters, 21 June 2002)

Water, water everywhere, but...[Brazil] - The shortage of fresh water in the developing world is reaching critical levels. And a new dam in Brazil only serves to highlight the environmental problem...In many respects, the Castanhão dam exemplifies how a dam should be built. It involved detailed planning, and extensive consultation with the people whose homes in the nearby city of Jaguaribara were to be flooded. The planning also involved an assessment of the dam's environmental impact...As important as dams have been in the past, planners and politicians are now having to think of other ways to meet the problem of water shortages. (Steve Connor, Independent [UK], 17 June 2002)

• BRAZIL: Johannesburg Summit May Look To Dam, Newspaper Reports - The London Independent reported this week on Brazil's Castanhao Dam project, which it called a "testament to the growing worldwide crisis in the supply of freshwater" as identified by the U.N. Environment Program. (UN Wire, 19 June 2002)

Pulp Fiction – Credit Suisse and the destruction of the Indonesian rainforest -... The Indonesian pulp and paper corporation Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) is responsible for the destruction of large parts of the Indonesian rainforest, one of the world’s richest in the diversity of its species, and for the expulsion of its inhabitants. Credit Suisse plays a special role among the over 300 Indonesian and international banks that finance APP. (Berne Declaration and ACTARES [Shareholders for a Sustainable Development], 31 May 2002)

• {···français} Pulp Fiction - Credit Suisse et la destruction des forêts tropicales (Déclaration de Berne & ACTARES [Actionnariat pour une économie durable], 31 mai 2002)

• {···deutsch} Pulp Fiction - Credit Suisse und die Zerstörung von Regenwald (Erklärung von Bern und ACTARES [AktionärInnen für nachhaltiges Wirtschaften], 31 Mai 2002)

Sudan govt unable to defeat rebels in oil areas: think tank - Sudan's military has failed to make headway into oil-rich southern areas under rebel control despite having acquired modern weaponry with revenue from petroleum exports, a representative of an international research organisation [International Crisis Group] said here Wednesday...Sudan's government had failed in its objective of "depopulating much of the area south of Bentiu and secure them for oil exploitation", Prendergast told a media briefing after touring southern Sudan. (AFP, 30 May 2002)

In Khartoum's Oil Pipelines flow Blood [Sudan] - Two documents on the Sudan released almost simultaneously last week expose the complexities and contradictions inherent in the search for peace in that country's conflict that has lasted two decades, killed two million people, displaced 4.5 million others and burnt hundreds of billions of dollars. And nowhere is this more dramatic than in the reports' treatment of the role of oil in the war between the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and its allies, and the Government of Sudan [refers to Talisman Energy, Chinese National Petroleum Corporation, Petronas Carigali and Sudapet] (Peter Wanbali, The Nation [Kenya], 21 May 2002)

Last stand of the Kalahari's hunter-gatherers [Botswana] -...the state is helping to speed up the process by moving the desert-dwellers [Basarwa bushmen] off their ancestral lands and into permanent settlements...Although hotly denied by Debswana, the state's joint venture with mining company De Beers, and the Ministry of Minerals, non-government organisations also suspect there may be mineral rights issues involved. (James Lamont, Financial Times, 18 May 2002)

• Today, the Basarwa, who's next? [Botswana] - Mmegi's editorial (5 April) accuses the United Nations of discourtesy in its condemnation of Botswana's treatment of the Basarwa; it asks why these peoples should not be removed from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) when others in Botswana have been relocated to make way for diamond mines...If the government had been open about its desires in the first place, explained that it wanted to develop the area for mining, and negotiated calmly and honestly with the Basarwa and their representatives, then it seems likely that a fair agreement could have been reached. [refers to De Beers] (Survival International, in Mmegi, The Reporter in Botswana, 19-25 Apr. 2002)

• Editorial: UN is mistaken over Basarwa (Mmegi, The Reporter in Botswana, 5 Apr. 2002)

• UN condemns Botswana's 'dispossession' of bushmen (Mmegi, The Reporter in Botswana, 5 Apr. 2002)

Utility Buys Town It Choked, Lock, Stock and Blue Plume [USA] -...Two years after the Environmental Protection Agency accused the plant's owner, American Electric Power, of violating the Clean Air Act in this southeast Ohio hamlet, the company, which is contesting that accusation, is solving at least some of its problems by buying the town, for $20 million. Over the next few months, all 221 residents of Cheshire will pack up and leave. (Katharine Q. Seelye, New York Times, 8 May 2002)

The Promise of Gold: Tambogrande, Peru - A conflict is growing in Tambogrande about whether this mine [proposed open-pit mine, Canadian mining company Manhattan Minerals] should be established or not. Farmers and those dependant on agriculture are concerned that the mining operation will contaminate their irrigation system...Roughly half the townspeople in Tambogrande will have to relocate (Oxfam America, 2 May 2002)

• company website: Tambo Grande Overview (Manhattan Minerals Corp.)

Talisman in talks with India over selling Sudan - The chief executive of Talisman... confirmed it is in talks with India's national oil company and a handful of others for a sale of its controversial Sudan interests...Dr. Buckee made the comments after the company's annual meeting, which was once again dominated by confrontation with human rights and religious organizations, as well as representatives of Southern Sudan... Some even suggested that Dr. Buckee should be indicted for war crimes. (Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post [Canada], 2 May 2002)

• Talisman confirms talks with India over Sudan property, but no deal yet -...Critics claim the operation is generating government royalties that are being used to fuel a vicious 40-year civil war. It is also said that villagers from southern Sudan have been forced off of oil-bearing lands. (James Stevenson, Canadian Press, 1 May 2002)

• Canada's silence on Sudan is a vote for oppression - Put simply, the question is: Are Canadians prepared to ignore the continuing corporate complicity, indirect or otherwise, of Calgary's Talisman Energy in the oil-driven destruction of southern Sudan? (Gary Kenny, Africa human-rights researcher/policy advocate for KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, a partnership of 10 national churches and church organizations, in Globe and Mail [Canada], 1 May 2002)

• Churches Press Talisman to Halt Sudan Oil Output - A coalition of Canadian churches called on Talisman Energy Inc. on Tuesday to end its "partnership of blood" in Sudan and suspend oil production at the lucrative African concession. (Reuters, 30 Apr. 2002)

Brazil: nomads face extinction - One of the last nomadic hunter-gatherer tribes in Brazil faces extinction. Surrounded by massive cattle ranches, loggers and hundreds of illegal settlers, the Awá Indians of Maranhão state are being squeezed off their land, while ranchers' hired gunmen kill those they find. But an imminent court case about Awá land could make all the difference. (Survival International, May 2002)

Huaneng to invest in China's Three Gorges Dam: China's largest independent power producer, Huaneng Power International Inc, says it will invest 253.57 million yuan (US$30.62 million) in China's controversial Three Gorges Dam project...The project has been criticised at home and abroad for its environmental impact and displacement of well over a million people. (Carrie Lee, Reuters, 29 Apr. 2002)

SUDAN: "War raging" around southern oilfields -...The SPLA has said fighting in the area began in February when the government tried to force residents and the rebel movement from the area in order to secure it for oil production. On Thursday, it deplored the alleged forcible displacement of the indigenous population from the villages of Wang Kai and Rier "to make these areas safe for the foreign multinational oil companies to operate". [refers to Lundin Oil, Talisman Energy] (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 19 Apr. 2002)

What Really Happened at the Barrick Gold Mine in Tanzania? An international NGO fact-finding mission is calling on the Canadian government to support its call for a full and independent public inquiry into the alleged 1996 forced evictions and burial of miners at the Canadian-owned Bulyanhulu gold mine in Tanzania. (Rights & Democracy, 16 Apr. 2002)

• full report: Report of the International NGO Fact-finding Mission to Tanzania - 23 to 31 March 2002 - to Investigate Alleged Forced Evictions and Deaths in Bulyanhulu in 1996 (Rights & Democracy, Apr. 2002)

• {···français} Que s'est-il vraiment passé à la mine d'or de Barrick en Tanzanie? Une mission d'enquête internationale composée d'ONG demande au gouvernement canadien de soutenir sa demande pour la tenue d'une enquête publique sur les allégations à l'effet que des mineurs auraient été enterrés vivants lors d'évictions forcées en 1996, à la mine d'or de Bulyanhulu en Tanzanie. (Droits et Démocratie, 16 avril 2002)

•  {···français} Rapport de la mission internationale d'enquête en Tanzanie - 23 au 31 mars 2002 - sur les allégations de déplacement forcé de population et de massacre à Bulyanhulu en 1996 (Droits et Démocratie, avril 2002)

The key to peace: Unlocking the human potential of Sudan - Interagency briefing paper -...The extraction of oil is fuelling war and allowing increased military expenditure to occur. Conflict in the oil fields is escalating as warring parties reposition and shift allegiances. The recent attack in the remote town of Bieh, which killed at least 24 people, was a tragic reminder that civilians are paying the cost of oil extraction. (Christian Aid, CARE-International, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tear Fund, Apr. 2002)

Hiding between the streams - the war on civilians in the oil regions of southern Sudan (Christian Aid and Dan Church Aid, Apr. 2002)

Report of an Investigation into Forced Displacement in the Town of Mankien, Western Upper Nile, Sudan (Gary W. Kenny, Researcher/Policy Advocate - Human Rights Africa, KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, Apr. 2002)

Talisman questions memo on Sudan ethnic cleansing: Talisman Energy Inc. said on Monday it does not know the origin of a memo that human rights groups say shows the Canadian oil producer asked Sudan's army in 1999 to remove villages near its oil facilities in the war-torn African country...Human rights groups have filed the document as evidence in U.S. federal court in a lawsuit alleging Talisman has conspired with the Sudanese government in ethnic cleansing that killed or removed non-Muslim civilians living in proximity to Sudan's oil production regions. (Reuters, 25 Mar. 2002)

• Canadian oil group asked Sudan army to 'remove' villagers, document alleges: Talisman Energy faces lawsuit over army's 'cleaning-up operations' in oilfields (Edward Alden, Financial Times, 22 Mar. 2002)

Campaigners Hail Company Pull-out from Turkish Dam: A range of environmental and rights groups have welcomed the decision by a major British construction firm Wednesday to withdraw from a controversial hydroelectric dam project on Turkey's Coruh river. Campaigners from Friends of the Earth and the Kurdish Human Rights Project, among others, said the future of the Yusufeli dam, in northeast Turkey, is uncertain following AMEC's pull out from a consortium of companies involved in the multi-million dollar scheme. (Daniel Nelson, OneWorld UK, 14 Mar. 2002)

Construction giant drops controversial Turkish dam plan: One of Britain's leading construction companies pulled out of the planned Yusufeli dam in Turkey yesterday after environmentalists said it would be the target for protests. The move by Amec avoids a big embarrassment for the Government, which has been asked to underwrite the firm's involvement in the £590m scheme...Critics say the new dam would displace 30,000 people by flooding the area around Yusufeli in north-east Turkey. (Saeed Shah, Independent [UK], 14 Mar. 2002)

Romanian villagers oppose Canadian gold mine at Rosia Montana: A new citizens' organization called Alburnus Major has been organized in Romania to oppose an open pit gold mine being promoted by Canadian company Gabriel Resources...Gabriel intends to relocate their town and build a gigantic open pit gold mine on the site. (MiningWatch Canada-Mines Alerte, 11 Mar. 2002)

• company website: Rosia Montana (Gabriel Resources Ltd.)

Indians take dam protest to Chilean president: Angry at a Spanish-owned company's [Endesa Chile, majority owned by Spain's Endesa] plans to build a dam that would destroy Indian homes, Chilean indigenous activists took their protest to the presidential palace on Friday (Reuters, 8 Mar. 2002)

Indian court sends author Roy to jail: India's highest court has found Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy guilty of contempt of court over a campaign to halt the building of a controversial dam [on the Narmada River]...Critics say that the dam, India's biggest hydroelectric project, will mean large-scale flooding, cause huge environmental damage and result in the displacement of millions of people. (Amanda Cooper, Reuters, 7 Mar. 2002)

World Bank to investigate miners' deaths [Tanzania]: The World Bank has promised to investigate allegations that more than 50 small-scale gold miners were buried alive because police wanted to evict them from land to make way for a foreign company, operating with an investment guarantee from the bank. (Christine Otien, BBC News, 6 Mar. 2002)

Talisman seeks 'clear-cut, unencumbered' price for Sudan oil property:...Critics charge that oil money is fuelling the war and displacing people from energy-producing lands. Talisman argues that its presence is helping the impoverished African country develop a peace plan and build vital infrastructure...Analysts have long argued that the cash-rich, well-diversified company's shares are discounted because of its Sudan involvement (James Stevenson, Canadian Press, 6 Mar. 2002)

Lawsuits may be next weapon in climate change fight: Lawsuits may become the next weapon against climate change as impotent, tiny islands, sinking beneath the waves, seek revenge on the rich polluting nations and multinational concerns they accuse of wiping them out...Australia and the United States could possibly be challenged in the International Court of Justice for not ratifying Kyoto...An alternative avenue might be the U.S. alien tort claims act, which could allow Pacific islands to sue car makers, power station operators or oil firms for pollution. (Michael Christie, Reuters, 6 Mar. 2002)

• US says Kyoto no help to sinking isles (Paul Tait, Reuters, 6 Mar. 2002) 

The Human Cost of Global Warming: Global warming is not just facts, figures and future forecasts. Meet the people whose lives are already being affected by it. [refers to countries including Honduras, Venezuela, India, Mozambique, Indonesia, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, France, Nigeria, Canada, Tuvalu, Peru, Somalia] (The Ecologist, Mar. 2002)

Swiss bank UBS quits Turkish Ilisu dam project: Switzerland's largest bank UBS said yesterday it was pulling out of its mandate to advise on the financing of a controversial Turkish dam because of fears about the plan's social and environmental impact (Reuters, 28 Feb. 2002) 

Comment - They're all dammed: Britain [Export Credits Guarantee Department] is again trying to fund a Turkish project to flood thousands of Kurdish homes - The consortium hoping to build the Yusufeli dam is led by the French company Spie Batignolle, 41% of which is owned by the British firm Amec (George Monbiot, Guardian [UK], 26 Feb. 2002)

• full text: Business & Human Rights: A geography of corporate risk - Amnesty International and The Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) have collaborated to produce a series of seven detailed world maps, which depict where human rights abuses and violations exist and where leading North American and European multinational companies are at risk of being associated with them. The suite of maps covers the extractive, food and beverages, pharmaceutical and chemical, infrastructure and utilities, heavy manufacturing and defence, and IT Hardware and telecommunications sectors. (Amnesty International UK, and Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum, Feb. 2002)

• Atlas pinpoints countries where investment flows despite abuses: A world atlas of countries where multinationals co-exist with regimes inflicting human rights abuse was presented yesterday at the launch of a campaign for ethical investment...The study, the first of its kind, will be used by Amnesty International and the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum to press companies to take account of human rights when making commercial decisions. (Kim Sengupta, Independent [UK], 13 Feb. 2002)

• Atlas warns firms of rights abuses: Campaigners have drawn up a world atlas of human rights violations to alert multinational corporations to the damage that can be caused to their business and reputations by being associated with human rights abuses in countries in which they operate (Guardian [UK], 13 Feb. 2002)

Britain Faces Fresh Protests Over Turkish Dam Project: The British government will be the target of stinging criticism Tuesday for considering backing a new dam project in Turkey which threatens to uproot thousands from their homes and destroy sites of historical and environmental interest..."The government's Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECDG) is facing a decision about whether to support Yusufeli without any policies to ensure that public money isn't spent on yet another potentially destructive project," said Hannah Griffiths of Friends of the Earth...British engineering firm Amec first requested ECGD backing for the Yusufeli dam in 1998. The firm is part of an international consortium--led by the French company Spie Batignolle (Sebastian Naidoo, OneWorld UK, 22 Jan. 2002)

Nomadic folk can wander no more [regarding the Agta indigenous group in Philippines]: “There came a time when we couldn’t wander anymore,” said David, 50, in fluent Tagalog. “There simply were no boars and deer to hunt. Life had become hard for us.”...The real culprit was corporate logging. (Maurice Malanes, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 9 Jan. 2002)

Nowhere to Run, Nowhere To Hide [Philippines]: The Agtas, peace-loving dwellers and guardians of Sierra Madre's forests, are slowly and painfully being erased from the Philippine anthropological picture, by oppression, exploitation and modernization..."Fifty summers ago, we were a proud race of people. Then the Ilokanos came, Ifugaos, Itnegs bringing along logging and mining. Our lives were never the same again."...In Salak's tribe, five women were raped by gold prospectors and loggers. (Michael A. Bengwayan, Fellow of the New York-based Echoing Green Foundation, 8 Jan. 2002)

Honduras looks to develop northern coast; Garifuna fight to keep beaches (Traci Carl, Associated Press, Environmental News Network website, 2 Jan. 2002)

2001:

Creating poverty: Flaws in economic logic of The World Bank’s revised involuntary resettlement policy (Theodore E. Downing, 15 Dec. 2001)

SUDAN: Khartoum against UN draft on human rights - The Sudanese government has expressed its opposition to a draft resolution on human rights adopted by the UN General Assembly's Third Committee last week, saying the text was biased in favour of the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A)...The draft text highlighted the occurrence of extrajudicial and arbitrary executions, the use of civilian premises for military purposes and the forced displacement of populations living around the oilfields. (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network, 6 Dec. 2001)

Thirsty China to divert the mighty Yangtze: China has unveiled plans for the largest water water-diversion in its history and possibly one of the world's most expensive at $60.4 billion. The project will channel water from the country's longest river, the Yangtze, to three rivers in the north, the Yellow, Huai and Hai, whose basins are running dry...Environmental experts say the new project could cause widespread corruption, human hardship and environmental damage, and could dry up the Yangtze in 30 years...The potential benefits of the project outweigh the downside environmentalists fear, Zhang told Reuters...China is also playing down the burden facing several hundred thousand people due to be moved for the 1,246 km (780-mile) middle route. (CNN, 15 Nov. 2001)

Rising Sea Level Forcing Evacuation of Island Country: The leaders of Tuvalu--a tiny island country in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia--have conceded defeat in their battle with the rising sea, announcing that they will abandon their homeland. (Lester R. Brown, Earth Policy Institute, 15 Nov. 2001)

British Engineering Company Withdraws from Ilisu Dam Project [Turkey]: Balfour Beatty, the international engineering, construction and services group, has decided to pull out of the controversial Ilisu Dam project in Turkey. The decision follows a thorough and extensive evaluation of the commercial, environmental and social issues inherent in the project, the company said in a statement Tuesday. (Environment News Service, 14 Nov. 2001)

SUDAN: IRIN Focus on human rights - The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan, Gerhart Baum, last week presented his latest report to the UN General Assembly...Baum told the General Assembly that internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sudan, now living in camps, had fled from oil regions of the country, yet did not benefit from oil revenues...Relevant sources agreed that the exploitation of oil reserves had led to "a worsening of the conflict, which has also turned into a war for oil", he added. No matter what oil companies did in terms of providing social services in the areas in which they operated, they would continue to face international criticism by doing business in Sudan until military warfare ended there, he said. (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network,14 Nov. 2001)

Reducing Greenhouse Gases by Making Fizz: An innovative venture enables a Shell subsidiary to sell excess carbon dioxide for soft drink manufacturing, but social investors should know that the company is still miles away from being socially responsible...Royal Dutch Shell's dealings with the people of Norco, Louisiana and its real contribution to global CO2 production were partly behind CorpWatch's decision to give the company a "Greenwash Award" last year. According to CorpWatch, the award was in recognition of the company's deceptive advertising in its "Profits or Principles" campaign. (Mark Thomsen, SocialFunds.com, 1 Nov. 2001)

• company website: (Royal Dutch/Shell)
  • Our Values
  • Issues and Dilemmas
  • Impact & performance

• company website: Our Policies & Principles (Shell in the United States)

Coastal communities hit hard by fishing industry [Indonesia]: Communities who depend upon coastal resources for their livelihoods are being pushed aside - sometimes by violent means - as entrepreneurs rush to maximise profits from the seas. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Nov. 2001)

The shrimp industry [Indonesia]: The shrimp industry, with its use of antibiotics and high levels of chemicals, has proven particularly harmful to coastal communities in many countries, including Indonesia...Coastal land rights held by local communities have been swept aside (Down to Earth Newsletter, Nov. 2001)

Dam Affected People Occupy Tractebel Headquarters in Rio [Brazil]:...MAB [Brazilian Movement of Dam-Affected People] charges that Tractebel [a Belgian transnational company building controversial dams in Brazil] has failed to address outstanding resettlement and compensation issues with 200 families whose problems are as yet unresolved at Ita despite the fact that the dam is now fully operational. (Environment News Service, 30 Oct. 2001)

Indigenous groups seek self-determination: Indigenous groups are organizing to demand control over their lands and resources. (Barbara J. Fraser, Inter Press Service, 30 Oct. 2001) 

New battle over Ogiek land: The Kenyan government has announced that it will go ahead and collect more than 170,000 acres of public forest for private use. Among the targeted forests is the one inhabited by the Ogiek indigenous community who may finally lose their cultural land. (John Kamau and Jennifer Wanjiru, Rights Features Service, 29 Oct. 2001)

Oil companies linked with counterinsurgency: International oil companies in Sudan are "knowingly or unknowingly" involved in a government counterinsurgency strategy in the country, according to the report of an independent fact-finding mission released this week. (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 19 Oct. 2001)

• full report: Report of an Investigation into Oil Development, Conflict and Displacement in Western Upper Nile, Sudan (Georgette Gagnon and John Ryle, commissioned by Canadian & British NGOs, 16 Oct. 2001)

Norsk Hydro: Global Compact Violator: In the sixth article in our series on Global Compact companies, Indian journalist Nityanand Jayaraman looks at the Oslo-based corporation Norsk Hydro, a partner in the Utkal bauxite mine and alumina smelter in Orissa State. He provides evidence that the corporation has violated human rights Principles 1 and 2 of the UN Compact. Nor has the company withdrawn plans for a project that would violate Principle 9 which promotes eco-friendly practices. While the company has put the project on hold for the moment, officials indicate that violations of these principles could resume at any time. (Nityanand Jayaraman, special to CorpWatch, 18 Oct. 2001) 

• company website: Norsk Hydro

SUDAN: USAID chief criticises Khartoum over poor humanitarian access: The chief administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Andrew Natsios, on 12 October pledged that the US would respect the "neutrality of humanitarian assistance" in Sudan, but criticised the Khartoum administration for using relief aid as a tool in the country's 18-year civil war...According to Natsios, the discovery of oil in Sudan had changed the character of the war. He said that although oil revenue could be a major source of funding for development in Sudan, "it has only helped fuel tension, bitterness and war". Forced displacement from around the oil pipeline linking the oilfields in the south to Port Sudan had increased internal displacement and destroyed people's lives. (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, 16 Oct. 2001)

Pacific islanders flee rising seas: The Pacific nation of Tuvalu has secured New Zealand's agreement to accept an annual quota of its citizens as refugees. They want to leave Tuvalu because they say rising sea levels are driving them out. Tuvalu says the cause of the rise is climate change, which it blames for other environmental problems. (Alex Kirby, BBC News, 9 Oct. 2001)

International Court Rules in Favor of Indigenous Community Land Rights: The Inter-American Court on Human Rights, in a precedent-setting ruling, recognized the property rights of indigenous community traditional lands which were threatened by illegal commercial timber harvesting. The international court, located in San José Costa Rica and the American hemisphere’s most important human right tribunal, declared that the state of Nicaragua violated the human rights of the Mayagna Sumo Indigenous Community (the Awas Tingni) and ordered the state of Nicaragua to recognize and protect the legal rights of the community with respect to its traditional lands, natural resources, and environment. (Center for Human Rights and the Environment, CEDHA, 9 Oct. 2001)

Ottawa won't ask EDC to pull insurance for Tanzanian mine: The Canadian government will not ask the Export Development Corporation to withdraw its US$117-million insurance for a Tanzanian gold mine operated by Barrick Gold in light of a video released yesterday that alleges local miners were killed during an eviction at the site...A national coalition made the requests after releasing footage from a police videotape, photographs of corpses, family testimony and eyewitness accounts, alleging that mass killings took place in August, 1996, as part of an operation to remove thousands of local miners from a site owned by Kahama Mining Corporation, a subsidiary of Sutton Resources of Vancouver. Barrick Gold acquired Sutton's assets in March, 1999. As part of its due diligence, the company probed the three-year-old allegations and found they were unfounded, said Patrick Garver, executive vice-president and general counsel. (Sarah Schmidt, National Post [Canada], 28 Sep. 2001)

Group calls on Canada to study mine murder claims [Tanzania]: A group of international human rights activists called on the Canadian government on Thursday to look into allegations of mass murder and forced relocations at a Tanzanian mine now owned by Barrick Gold Corp. But the Canadian gold miner, which acquired the Bulyanhulu project as part of its 1999 acquisition of Sutton Resources Ltd., said the accusations are nothing more than ``a rehash of old allegations.'' The Lawyers' Environmental Action Team, based in Tanzania, said it has new evidence to support claims that thousands of small-scale miners were cleared from the gold-rich site and another group of 52 were buried alive in August 1996. (Scott Anderson, Reuters, 27 Sep. 2001) 

Unearthing the truth: Disputed video footage allegedly showing evidence of deaths related to an eviction at a Tanzanian gold mine owned by a Canadian company is to be released today, reigniting a long-standing contention that about 50 miners were buried alive in the operation. The footage, shot over a period of a few days in August, 1996, was taken by a member of a police investigating team brought in to probe allegations that dozens of artisanal miners were buried alive days earlier by bulldozers operated by a subsidiary of a Canadian company filling in the pits to clear the land...Yesterday, an Amnesty International spokesman reiterated his organization's call for an "international and impartial investigation into the allegations." (Sarah Schmidt, National Post [Canada], 27 Sep. 2001)

New evidence links Canada to death of Tanzanian miners - Citing dramatic new evidence uncovered by Tanzanian investigators, the Council of Canadians, Mining Watch Canada and the NGO Working Group on the Export Development Corporation joined today with environmental and human rights groups in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Tanzania to call for an independent investigation into allegations of mass killings and forced relocation of small scale miners at the Bulyanhulu gold mine in Tanzania in 1996. Eyewitness accounts, family testimony, photos and police videotape recently uncovered by the Lawyer's Environmental Action Team (LEAT) of Tanzania corroborate long-standing allegations that employees of the Canadian owned Kahama Mining Corporation, LTD (KMCL) in conjunction with the Tanzanian police, buried over fifty artisanal miners by bulldozing over the entrances to the shafts in which they worked. LEAT has also compiled significant evidence that tens of thousands of small-scale miners and their families were forcibly evicted from the area without any compensation to enable the Canadian mining company to take over the property. (Council of Canadians, 27 Sep. 2001)

• {···français} De nouvelles preuves établissent un lien entre le Canada et la mort de mineurs tanzaniens

Sustainable development group aims to aid miners: Independent study group Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) aims to help miners to solve the paradox of how to supply the world's demand for minerals while addressing the social, environmental and community impact of mineral extraction. (Andy Blamey, Reuters, 21 Sep. 2001)

An Alternative Look at a Proposed Mine In Tambogrande, Peru:...The town of Tambogrande... sits directly atop a major gold, zinc and copper deposit that Manhattan Minerals, a small Canadian mining multinational, is seeking to develop into an open-pit mine...Concerned by the proposed relocation and by threats to their agriculturally based livelihoods, local populations have mounted significant resistance to the project. (Oxfam America, 15 Sep. 2001)

• {···español} Una Mirada Alternativa a la Propuesta de Mineria en Tambogrande, Peru: El proyecto minero propuesto Tambo Grande, en el norte del Peru, ofrece una ilustracion completa de los problemas asociados con las operaciones mineras a gran escala en una era de desregulacion y globalizacion. (Oxfam America, 15 agosto 2001)

Traditional Spirits Block a $500 Million Dam Plan in Uganda: AES Corp., an Arlington, Va.-based company that has grown into the world's largest independent power producer, has struck a $500 million deal with the Ugandan government to build a massive dam near Bujagali that would greatly expand power capacity for the country, where fewer than 5 percent of the 22 million residents have electricity. While constructing a 100-foot-high wall of concrete across the Nile is certainly a technical feat, the business deal is encountering even bigger cultural and environmental challenges. (Marc Lacey, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2001) 

A Tribal Struggle to Preserve What's Left of a Borneo Forest [Malaysia]: What once was rain forest owned by a local community has been destroyed in the name of development. Rumah Nor, 60 kilometers (about 40 miles) southeast of Bintulu, site of the world's largest natural gas complex, is the scene in a land rights struggle in which Sarawak's indigenous people are fighting government and industrial powers. Lani, 33, was one of four plaintiffs in a legal battle that conservationists say has produced a major victory. His Iban tribal longhouse community of 70 families successfully sued to regain 672 hectares (1,660 acres) of land. The court decided the land had been illegally acquired by Borneo Pulp and Paper and the Sarawak state government, which turned forest into a huge acacia plantation. (Paul Spencer Sochaczewski, International Herald Tribune, 12 Sep. 2001)

Forest Peoples Seek Compensation: Forest dwellers from seven African countries this week appealed for compensation for livelihoods compromised by government activities, and for vindication of their human rights, AFP news agency reported. Meeting in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, from 3-6 September, representatives of the Twa of Rwanda, the DRC and Uganda; the Ogieks of Kenya, the Maasai of Tanzania; the Bushmen of South Africa; and the Baka Bagyeli of Cameroon, paid particular attention to the plight of indigenous peoples living in, or displaced from, protected areas in their countries. (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 8 Sep. 2001)

Rebels Warn Against 'Blood Oil': Sudanese rebels have warned that African countries such as Zimbabwe that are contemplating buying cheap fuel from Khartoum will be buying "blood oil" which has been drilled from areas where villagers have been driven out by bombs. (Financial Gazette [Zimbabwe], 6 Sep. 2001)

Rural Activists Killed in New Wave of Violence [Brazil]: Freitas da Silva's murder is part of a new wave of violence against a backdrop of conflicts over the expansion of soy bean farming...``leading to the displacement of riverside and peasant communities, and the consequent conflicts...'' (Mario Osava, Inter Press Service, 3 Sep. 2001)

Laos: Planned Nam Theun 2 dam leads to increased logging:...The [World] Bank's guidelines on forestry, for example, state that "Bank involvement in the forestry sector aims to reduce deforestation, enhance the environmental contribution of forested areas, promote afforestation, reduce poverty, and encourage economic development." In the case of the Nam Theun 2 project, a Lao military-run logging company has logged much of the proposed 470 square kilometre reservoir area and at the same time has logged in forest areas outside the reservoir. The project has already led to increased poverty, as villager's lose their forests to loggers, and are excluded from remaining areas of forest to preserve biodiversity. (WRM Bulletin, World Rainforest Movement, Sep. 2001)

Brazil: the rights of Aracruz and the rights of the people - The growing consolidation of land by Aracruz Celulose in Espirito Santo and in the extreme south of Bahia, followed by plantation of eucalyptus monocrops, is generating increasing opposition...But monocrop tree plantations implemented by transnational companies not only cause environmental impacts; they also cause social ones, as a result of the increasing consolidation of lands in a context in which thousands of peasants are demanding land. (WRM Bulletin, World Rainforest Movement, Sep. 2001)

• company website: Aracruz

MAB, IDB Agree On Review Of Cana Brava Dam Compensation [Brazil]: Following an often contentious eight-hour meeting on Monday, August 13th at the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) country office in Brasília, officials of the bank's Private Sector Department (PRI) and the Movement of Dam-Affected People reached an agreement whereby the PRI will carry out a review of compensation and resettlement terms being offered to populations affected by the Cana Brava dam project, which has received US$160.2 million in loans from the bank. (International Rivers Network, 14 Aug. 2001)

The Violence of Development: [M]ost large forced dislocations of people do not occur in conditions of armed conflict or genocide but in routine, everyday evictions to make way for development projects. A recent report by the World Commission on Dams estimates that 40 million to 80 million people have been physically displaced by dams worldwide, a disproportionate number of them being indigenous peoples. (Balakrishnan Rajagopal [Professor of Law and Development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and director of MIT's Program on Human Rights and Justice], Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2001)

Inco protest [Indonesia]: Protests against the Canadian-owned mining company, PT Inco Indonesia have highlighted the continuing injustices suffered by villagers whose lives have been affected by the company's nickel mining operations...Villagers from One Putih Jaya - a former transmigration site - are refusing to relocate to fit in with Inco's mining plans. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Aug. 2001)

• company website (Inco): 
  • Social Responsibility: PT Inco, Sorowako, Indonesia (Inco)
  • Health and Environment (Inco)

Pacific's Tuvalu looks for help as it slowly sinks: Tiny Tuvalu, which could be submerged by a rising Pacific Ocean within 50 years, has reached out for help to save its people but so far has had little luck with regional heavyweight Australia. (Paul Tait, Reuters, 20 July 2001)

Protest Violence Against Embera Katio in Colombia! Following is an action alert issued by Amnesty Int'l on the recent murder of an indigenous activist fighting against the Urra Dam in Colombia. The Embera Katio community has faced kidnappings and attacks for its resistance to the project. (International Rivers Network, 6 July 2001)

Letter to President of Inter-American Development Bank from International Rivers Network [about people affected by Cana Brava dam project in Brazil]: We are writing concerning the ongoing tense situation facing the populations affected by Cana Brava dam, on the Tocantins River, in Brazil, a project for which the CEM company (subsidiary of the Belgian company Tractebel) received US$160 million in loans from the IDB. At this moment, approximately 1,000 dam-affected people have mobilized in Minaçu (Goiás state) to denounce what they term intransigence on the part of CEM, which refuses to negotiate resettlement and compensation terms in good faith and in an open and transparent manner with those who will lose their homes, businesses, and jobs as a result of the dam. (International Rivers Network, 21 June 2001)

Activists Warn Investors about Banks of the Yangtze: Continuing with their effort to block financing of China's Three Gorges Dam, environmentalists are warning investors that bonds to be sold soon will indirectly finance the mammoth hydropower project that critics say will be a social and environmental disaster. Major investment banks, including, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas and Barclays Capital, are currently pricing approximately 1.75 billion dollars in bonds for the People's Republic of China. (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, 31 May 2001)

Dam the Dayaks dread: Project has displaced thousands of Borneo's indigenous people - About 10,000 of Borneo's 200,000 indigenous peoples have already been forced off their ancestral lands so the Malaysian government can build a massive dam, scheduled to open in four years. The $5 billion Bakun Dam on the Balui River will flood a rain forest area the size of Singapore and is expected to generate 2,400 megawatts of electricity, making it the biggest hydroelectric dam in southeastern Asia. Government officials maintain that the dam will help bring new industry and much-needed economic development to Sarawak's 2 million inhabitants. But critics say the dam will destroy the habitat of more than 100 endangered species, produce far more electric power than needed and unnecessarily displace tribal minorities, including the Kenyah, Ukit, Kayan and Penan tribes. (Reese Erlich, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 May 2001)

The Long March:...This second City Life programme tells the story of how one provincial capital - Chengdu, in South West China - has reversed appalling environmental pollution and improved the lives of some of its poorest inhabitants...A thousand businesses and as many as 100,000 residents had to be relocated..."We as a developing country need to develop our economy, but we absolutely at the same time must do this environmentally, says Secretary General Zhang [Zhang Jihai, Secretary General of the Chengdu Communist Party]. "I think that polluting first and then cleaning-up is an extremely uneconomic and irresponsible way of doing things." (Lifeonline: A multimedia initiative about the impact of globalization, 19 Apr. 2001)

• full transcript of "The Long March"

Arrests, Intimidation confirm human rights abuses at Three Gorges Dam: U.S. firm Morgan Stanley urged to cease financing of Yangtze mega project - A recent report by Chinese journalist Wang Yusheng details how five representatives from a town slated to be submerged by Three Gorges Dam have been arrested for organizing petitions protesting corruption in the resettlement program. IRN has written to Wall Street firm Morgan Stanley insisting that their funding of the dam makes them complicit in these human rights abuses and urging the firm to cease their support of the dam. (International Rivers Network, 28 Mar. 2001)

The Amungme, Kamoro & Freeport [West Papua] : How Indigenous Papuans Have Resisted the World's Largest Gold and Copper Mine - The story of the Amungme and Kamoro peoples and U.S. mining corporation Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold1 ("Freeport") offers one of the best-documented examples of how local communities have experienced and resisted the seizure of their traditional lands by government-backed multinational mining enterprises. (Abigail Abrash, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

Oil firms stoke up Sudan war (Victoria Brittain and Terry Macalister, Guardian, 15 Mar. 2001)

The scorched earth: oil and war in Sudan - An eyewitness report by Christian Aid (Christian Aid, 13 Mar. 2001)

SUDAN: WFP [World Food Programme] confirms displacement in oil drilling areas [U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 26 Feb. 2001)

2000:

Indigenous miners evicted [Indonesia]: There has been further conflict at indigenous mining lands inside the PT Indo Muro Kencana gold concession operated by Australia's Aurora Gold in Central Kalimantan. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Nov. 2000)

• company's website: Environmental and Community Development [includes section on Mt Muro, Indonesia] (Aurora Gold)

Displaced villagers win back land [Indonesia]: Villagers in South Sumatra have successfully regained some of their forest which the government had allocated as a plantation concession to PT Musi Hutan Persada (PT MHP). The Department of Forestry and Plantations has agreed to hand 12,050 ha back to the former inhabitants of 12 villages in the sub-district of Rambang Lubai. (Down to Earth Newsletter, May 2000)

1999:

Dayaks reoccupy traditional mines in Aurora Gold concession [Indonesia]: After many years of peaceful process and unsuccessful negotiations, Dayaks communities in Central Kalimantan have moved back on to their traditional mining sites. This direct action was taken as a last resort to defend rights consistently denied by the Indonesian government and by the mining company which took over their lands. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Nov. 1999)

• company website: Environmental and Community Development [includes section on Mt Muro, Indonesia] (Aurora Gold)