16/05/09

Mining – India 1
1. CIL to award contracts for seven underground mines in 6 months 1
2. EC clean chit to Orissa on Posco's PL recommendation 2
3. Four murders and a power plant Alok Kumar Gupta 3
Mining – International 5
4. Gov’t to report on bauxite mining 5
5. Deep mining production 'in line with expectations', says UK Coal 6
6. The alternative mining bill 6
7. Businesses hunting for gold with data mining 8
8. Riversdale signs contract for $800 mln coal project 10
9. Mozambique, Australia sign coal mining contract 10
10. Nigeria: Illegal Miners Invade Zamfara 11
11. 66 mining areas identifed for Artisanal miners 12
Other News – India 14
12. ‘Understand the plight of tribals’ 14
13. Climate change: The century's biggest health threat? 15
14. Illegal fishing, climate change real threats 17

Mining – India

CIL to award contracts for seven underground mines in 6 months
15 May 2009, 1717 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: State-run Coal India is likely to award the turnkey contracts for its Rs 2,500-crore project to develop seven underground mines with

an estimated reserve of 400 million tonnes in six months, a top company official said.

"The process to award contracts for the underground coal mines would be completed in six months," Coal India Ltd (CIL) Chairman Partha S Bhattacharyya told reporters over phone on Friday.

CIL has finalised the NIT (notice inviting tender) norms and would be floating a limited tender within a fortnight to invite bids from the nine-shortlisted companies, he added.

In all, 17 corporates had in June 2008 responded to the expression of interest floated by the country's largest coal producer for developing the seven underground mines spread across its five subsidiaries in West Bengal and Jharkhand.

Among the companies short-listed for the project include Reliance Infrastructure, Walter South East Asia, Anglo American, Essel Mining and Essar Mineral Resources.

Navratna PSU CIL plans to produce 100 million tonnes of coal from its underground operations by 2016-17. It intends to produce about 20 million tonnes of coal annually from the seven underground mines.

To ensure healthy participation of companies in the final tendering process, the coal major has relaxed its NIT norms.

Instead of seeking a bank guarantee for 15 years from the companies roped in for the project, CIL has decided to ask for an annual guarantee, which would reduce the upfront fees of contractors. The guarantee would be renewed annually.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Indl-Goods--Svs/Metals--Mining/CIL-to-award-contracts-for-seven-underground-mines-in-6-months/articleshow/4535454.cms


EC clean chit to Orissa on Posco's PL recommendation

BS Reporter / Kolkata/ Bhubaneswar May 16, 2009, 0:26 IST

The Election Commission of India (ECI) today made it clear that there was no violation of election code of conduct in the matters pertaining to recommendation of prospecting license (PL) in favour of Posco.
This was in response to allegations raised on the issue by the state unit of BJP.
“We have thoroughly examined the files and there was no case of violation of the code of conduct,” Alka Panda, chief electoral officer (CEO), Orissa told the media.
The CEO's statement vindicated the stand taken by the government that the chief minister's order on 19 April pertained to compliance of the High Court order and was no way pertained to grant of prospecting license (PL) to Posco for Khandadhar iron ore mines.
The BJP in a memorandum to the Chief Election Commission of India alleged violation of the model code of conduct by the state government.
It had urged the Election Commission to stay operations of the order of the chief minister on 19 April 2009, favouring Posco with Khandadhar iron ore mines.
However, this was refuted by the steel and mines minister Pradeep Amat, stating that the matter was sub-judice and the order of the chief minister was obtained to issue rejection letters to some applicants for the same property who had moved the court to know the status of their applications.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/ec-clean-chit-to-orissaposcos-pl-recommendation/358257/

Four murders and a power plant Alok Kumar Gupta


BIBHUTI NATH SINGH
The guards were killed near the temporary shelters at the plant site
Land purchase deals amid gunshots in Jharkhand village

investigations into the murder of four security guards at a proposed power plant in Jharkhand are revealing uncomfortable truths about industrialization in the state. The company that wants to buy land in Chakla village of Latehar district called the guards martyrs and held Maoist rebels responsible for the murders.

Sources in the police intelligence said the reason for the killings could be entirely different: the company may have been using a renegade Maoist faction to coerce the villagers to sell their land.
The police suspect the renegades turned on the company after being left out of the gravy train.

After midnight of April 5, unidentified gunmen came to the site where the Abhijeet Group aims to build a power plant and killed the four guards. Faisal Ahmed, one of the first in the village to reach the spot, said the bodies were ridden with bullets.
The victims’ hands were tied behind them with their belts. The killers left pamphlets claiming they were from Sanyukt Krantikari Committee, a Maoist outfit.

The Abhijeet Group, which owns the company building the plant, was quoted in the media as saying the violence resulted from its refusal to meet the Maoists’ extortion demand of Rs 20 lakh.
The company was to later deny having said this.

The incident had the company scurrying to the governor’s office for help. An emergency meeting was called at the Raj Bhawan where the governor’s advisor T P Sinha asked the director general of police to speed up investigations and identify and arrest the killers. Officials present at the meeting expressed concern that such incidents may drive investors away from the state.


Not Maoists

Investigations indicated land purchase deals for the 1,200 MW thermal plant led to the killings. A breakaway faction of a Maoist group, the Nageshwar gang, killed the guards, intelligence sources said. The police have arrested a member of the gang, Sanoj Lohra.

Lohra’s interrogation and the statements given by the villagers have given the police vital leads. “We are probing this case from the angle of a land deal gone sour,” said Shamim Ahmed Khan, the officer investigating the case.

Police intelligence sources revealed the guards were brokering land deals. In the initial days, the company apparently used the Nageshwar gang to strike land deals but later started using the guards they hired from among the villagers, to approach landowners. The Nageshwar gang members may have been angered at being sidelined and killed the guards, the sources said. The company’s project manager Rajeev Goyal denied having links with Maoists or any gang.


The murders have been committed by some gangs. The Maoists never disturb us and had nothing to do with our decision to sell land
— Iqbal Khan, brother of victim Intaaf
Bhado Oraon, whose 30-year-old son Vishnu was one of the victims, partially confirmed what intelligence sources said. He said his son was brokering land deals and had said he was being threatened. “My son had complained to the company but they took no action,” Oraon said. Other villagers including Iqbal Khan, brother of another victim, Intaaf, said the motive for the murders was land deals and revenge. They said it could not be Maoists, as they never target civilians.

Superintendent of police, Latehar, Hemant Toppo, who has since been transferred, said he was unaware of such intelligence inputs. He said there could be many disgruntled groups as Abhijeet Group was offering Rs five lakh an acre (0.4 ha) in Chakla against Rs 50,000 it offered in other villages. It is difficult to say who killed the guards, he said.

Abhijeet Group had initially tried to buy land in Chitrapur village where it has a lease for mining coal on 1400 acres. It was unsuccessful as the tribals there refused to sell land and beat up the company surveyors. Hempur was the second site choice. Here too there were strong protests from tribals so the company shifted base to Chakla, eight kilometres from Chitrapur.

Chakla has a mixed population and fewer tribal families. “Resistance was less as the scheduled caste and Muslim landowners were willing to sell land,” said Dari Mahto of Jharkhand Mines Area Coordination Committee who is fighting displacement of people due to mining activities and steel plants.

Once the company decided on the site, it could have approached the government to acquire the land. But it chose the tougher route of buying directly from villagers. This option is fraught with problems as the refusal by even one landowner to sell land, can stall the project. The company was also supposed to take permission from the gram sabha. The district administration helped out by organizing a gram sabha meeting which was inconclusive as the village comprising 500 families was divided. The Munda tribals, like the tribals in Chitrapur and Hempur, were not willing to sell their land. The scheduled caste and Muslim landowners were ready though they did not say so openly. After that the situation started going out of control, said villagers. Middlemen arrived on the scene and started luring landowners with high price offer of Rs five lakh an acre.

The company purchased 300 acres from the villagers of whom five were appointed security men to guard the site. “I could not prevent other villagers from selling land. Now almost the whole village is sold,” said Fuldev Munda, the gram pradhan. An advocate who helps the villagers with their land related cases, said all the land deals in the village are being struck through middlemen which is leading to chaos. Goyal, the company’s project manager, denied dealing through middlemen. “We are dealing with the villagers directly and offered jobs to those from whom we purchased land,” he said.


Money sans development

Abhijeet Group’s rival in the region, Essar, has proposed a 1,800 MW thermal plant near Chakla. After its surveyors were beaten up in Puratoli village, Essar said it is going slow and is trying to win the confidence of villagers by offering them alternative land in addition to compensation of Rs five lakh an acre.

The competition for land between the two companies has made many villagers rich overnight. The richest zamindar in the village who sold 20 acres of his land, now drives around in a Scorpio car. Thatched mud houses are giving way to pucca houses but villagers said the prosperity would not last. “We are rich but have no jobs as our lands are sold,” a villager said.

Oraon who lost his son said he is still waiting for full payment for his land and the Rs 2 lakh compensation he was promised on Vishnu’s death. A few other villagers like Faisal Ahmed who brokered land deals for the company now fear for their lives after what happened to the four security guards.
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20090531&filename=news&sec_id=4&sid=21

Mining – International

Gov’t to report on bauxite mining
A report on bauxite mining projects will be presented at the opening of the National Assembly session on May 20, said Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai on May 15.


Workers at the Tan Rai bauxite mining site.
The report will closely follow the Prime Minister’s proposals to continue exploration of bauxite reserves, plans for bauxite exploration, processing and use between 2007-2015, and production of alumina in the Central Highlands.
The Prime Minister has given the go-ahead to two mines in Tan Rai, Lam Dong Province, and Nhan Co, Dac Nong Province. They must maintain a good rate of progress and quality, and implement environmental protection laws and ensure minimum damage to farms and forests in the region.
At the concluding session of the National Assembly Standing Committee on May 14, Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong said the government should submit a special report about the planning of bauxite mining in Central Highland provinces.
http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/National/2009/5/70831/

Deep mining production 'in line with expectations', says UK Coal

Published Date: 15 May 2009

DEEP mining production by UK Coal is continuing broadly in line with expectation, the company announced today.

In an interim management statement, Britain's biggest coal producer said development work in its four deep mines is in with, or ahead of, targets.

But the Doncaster-based company said surface mine production has been affected by the weather and an increased focus on stripping material above the coal seam, although this production is expected to be recovered during the year.

UK Coal confirmed production in the first quarter was 1.7m tonnes.

UK Coal also confirmed that it has negotiated new or amended old long-term supply contracts with its electricity generator customers, Drax, EON and EDFE, and has added a new customer, Scottish and Southern Electricity.

The statement said: "These contracts have materially increased our long-term contracted coal prices and our short-term cash flows."

UK Coal's property business, Harworth Estates, continues to progress "as expected".

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/businessnews/Deep-mining-production-in-line.5270993.jp


The alternative mining bill
Last Wednesday, together with colleagues from the Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), representatives from the religious sector and community members and indigenous peoples (IP) from Zambales, Nueva Vizcaya, Ma¬cambol and Zamboanga, we motored to the DENR and then to the Batasan Pambansa for the filing of the Alternative Mining Bill (AMB). We were met at the North Gate of the Batasan by Representatives Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel and Walden Bello who are among the authors of the proposed policy. After some short speeches, we all headed for inside the Batasan where the bill was finally assigned a number—House Bill 6342—signa¬ling another phase of our advocacy.
The AMB aims to articulate the basic agreements reached by the Dapitan Initiative—a mass-based movement formed in 2002 to counteract the government’s creeping aggressive promotion of large-scale mining operations in the country. It is the result of extensive consultations with different mining-affected communities nationwide. The AMB is a proposed policy to scrap the Mining Act of 1995 and introduce a new mining law to regulate the rational exploration, development and utilization of mineral resources and ensure the equitable sharing of benefits for the State, indigenous peoples and local communities.
AMB covers ownership, management and governance of ore minerals onshore, as well as quarry resources, sand and gravel, guano and gemstones. It excludes offshore mining and other resources such as petroleum and coal, natural gas, radioactive materials and geothermal energy, as these are resources that require specific laws.
AMB is a tool to elevate mar¬gina¬lized and impoverished communities to the level of big businesses (in terms of political power) through the legal system to force government, transna¬tional corporations, international finance corporations and other countries to face communities, to address the loopholes of the Mining Act of 1995 and stop unjust mining practices in the country.
Salient features

What are the salient features of the AMB?
In economic terms, it seeks the imposition of royalties to be paid by contractors to national government and local governments. Thus, national government shall receive 10 percent of gross revenues (royalty fee) outside taxes while local government units shall be entitled to share of the net revenues from mining operations paid directly to the provincial treasurer, taking into consideration classification of local government, vulnerability and human development index, besides the local governments’ share from the internal revenue allotment. On the other hand, IPs are entitled to at least 10 percent of gross revenues as royalty, similar to government share.
The AMB seeks the introduction of a new mining industry process, requirements and policies such as the removal of the Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA), which allows 100-percent foreign land ownership. Thus, only Filipino citizens or corporations 60 percent of whose equity is owned or controlled by Filipinos is allowed to mine.
It introduces a new process of screening contractor applications, which provides for a more competitive form of application process that will maximize economic benefits from the industry.
It calls for the removal of the confidentiality provision under the Mining Act and mandates transparency and access to information by the public and prohibits the transfer and assignments of agreements to prevent corporations avoiding their obligations to the State and to the communities.
The AMB decreases the maximum areas to 500 hectares and terms to 15 years including the 5 years for rehabilitation for mining contractors.
It prohibits the use of paramilitary forces or to contract the services of the military for the private use of the corporation as well as the direct support by the State to the private security of the corporation.
It enumerates the following grounds for cancelation of the mineral agreement which is absent in the current Mining Act: a) human rights violations perpetrated by the contractor or any agent of the contractor; b) bribery, use of force, intimidation, threat of public officials and communities; c) vitiation of the first prior informed consent; d) failure to initiate mining operations in accordance with the work program within two years from the award of the mineral agreement whereby a ban of 10 years shall be imposed and the contractor forfeits the value of the improvements made upon the land.
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/may/16/yehey/opinion/20090516opi5.html

Businesses hunting for gold with data mining
Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go…
With businesses gathering more data than ever before, they are using increasingly sophisticated tools to make the right decisions using that information.
At predictive analytics company SPSS' annual European conference in Prague this week customers discussed how they have used data mining and modelling to improve their businesses.
Italian car manufacturer Fiat has been using the SPSS PASW Modeler technology (formerly called Clementine) since 2005 to improve the way it interacts with customers.
Giovanni Lux, customer intelligence manager for Fiat, told silicon.com the company has been able to retain more customers and reduce churn, and said customer retention has improved by "six or seven per cent" since the company started to use the technology, with 54 per cent of Fiat owners replacing their cars now buying another Fiat Group car.
Lux added: "The point is we need to show that through the use of predictive analytics we sell more cars."
The technology from SPSS allows the company to collect data and create models of how customers are likely to respond to the brand, the actions of dealers and the online part of the business.
The data is collected through questionnaires completed by existing customers when they interact with the company, as well as those considering buying a Fiat. The company also buys in data - such as how often people change their cars - from other public sources.
Once it has this data, Fiat can then use data mining techniques to work out how it can target customers better and how dealers can improve the services they provide existing customers.
The company also employs web analysis to generate leads and capture new customers. Lux said: "The main focus is how to be effective in managing the data and the brands. We analyse all the data coming from the web."
Insurance group RSA has also been using SPSS technology to better understand its customers.
RSA analytics manager, Simon Dudley, said the company needed to do more with data analytics because customers can easily change insurers - around two-thirds of customers going to price comparison websites whenever they renew insurance policies. Customer satisfaction is therefore a key part of the success of the business.
Speaking in Prague, Dudley said: "We bought into the whole vision of being a predictive enterprise."
Much of the customer data RSA obtains is through email questionnaires and once obtained can be used to improve processes and the way the company deals with key interactions - or "moments of truth" - such as policy amendments, cancellations, renewals and claims.
Related data that can be used to give a guide to how these are being carried out includes the proportion of interactions which are resolved in a single phone call. The more calls required, the less satisfied the customer will be.
Another area measured is how long associated maintenance work arising from claims takes to be completed. By measuring this, RSA can identify which of its suppliers aren't performing as well as they could.
In the future, RSA plans to expand the technology into product research and to further improve customer engagement.
Meanwhile, UK-based DIY retail chain B&Q is using the SPSS technology to cut down stock loss which has been created by internal and external theft and process errors.
Using data mining to find out the most vulnerable product lines to theft or damage means action can be taken to better protect them while they are moved between locations or stored.
The technology can also be used to flag up process issues that can lead to other kinds of fraud, such as an operator making excessive refunds on a till.
Richard Davies, national investigations manager at B&Q, said: "The deterrent value of presenting the data [to staff] is really high."
In the future, the team plans to link the SPSS technology to the shop CCTV systems while creating a library of fraud transactions is currently taking place to improve predictive modelling work.
http://www.silicon.com/financialservices/0,3800010322,39430897,00.htm

Riversdale signs contract for $800 mln coal project
Fri May 15, 2009 7:23am EDT
MAPUTO, May 15 (Reuters) - Australia's Riversdale Mining (RIV.AX) signed a contract with Mozambique's government for its $800 million Benga coal project in the southern African country, a government official said on Friday.
"Today Mozambique is officially signing a concession license for Riversdale ... Mineral Resources Minister Esperanca Bias is in Tete to sign the mining contract," the ministry's secretary Oracio Belengueze told Reuters.
The Benga project will include a hard coking and thermal coal mine, with an anticipated run of mine of 20 million tonnes per year.
Riversdale plans to start producing coal at Benga in 2010, and aims to export 2 million tonnes of the mineral each year, starting in the last quarter of 2010.
Riversdale holds a 65 percent stake in the project, and India's Tata Steel (TISC.BO) owns the rest.
Riversdale is also investing $3.1 billion in a thermal power project in Mozambique. (Reporting by Charles Mangwiro; editing by Sue Thomas)
(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: af.reuters.com)
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSLF94507420090515

Mozambique, Australia sign coal mining contract
Fri. May 15, 2009; Posted: 05:17 PM

MAPUTO, May 15, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- RFLMF | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- The Mozambican government and the Australian company Riversdale Mining on Friday signed a mining contract under which Riversdale will develop an open cast coal mine at Benga in Moatize district in the western province of Tete.
At the ceremony held at the Riversdale training center in Tete city, Minster of Mineral Resources Esperanca Bias also delivered the Benga Mining Concession Title to Riversdale Managing Director Steve Mallyon.
The government approved the concession and the contract at the beginning of this month.
Mallyon said Riverdale has so far invested 60 million U. S. dollars in preparatory work. The full investment in the mine is estimated at 800 million dollars.
He expected the production to begin in late 2010, with a yearly output of 20 million tons.
According to Mallyon, the output will include 30 percent of high quality coking coal, 30 percent thermal coal and 40 percent waste.
He expects mining to continue at Benga for at least 25.
"At Benga we are committed to building value for our shareholders in a way that impacts positively on the Tete community," Mallyon said, adding the mine would create 1,500 direct jobs and 4,500 indirect jobs.
Mallyon said Riversdale will take its social responsibilities to local communities seriously, pledging support for achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Riversdale has already set HIV and malaria prevention programs into motion, in addition to support for local schools and health units, he said.
Besides Benga, Riversdale has 22 mining exploration licences in other parts of Tete province, where further major coal discoveries are likely. Mallyon said the company will further explore possibilities.
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2331110/

Nigeria: Illegal Miners Invade Zamfara
Sadeeq Aliyu
14 May 2009
Foreigners are alleged to have engaged in illegal mining of mineral deposits in Maradun Local Government of Zamfara State
Our correspondent gathered that, the foreigners were said to have been brought to the area by an influential person in the area to carry out the illegal activities. Investigations further revealed that the illegal mining company had taken over a large area of farm land belonging to peasant farmers. According to Mallam Mohammadu Gurgawo who spoke on behalf of the people, he said the foreigners carried out their activities alone without involving the local people.
An official of the Zamfara State Ministry of Environment, Mines and Solid Minerals, confirmed that he had received complaints from the council chairman over the activities of the miners adding that it was only the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development that issued mining license.
When contacted, an officer of the Federal Ministry of Mines office in Gusau, Mr. I.O. Ojo said his office was not aware of the presence of the foreigners,he however admitted that his office had received complaint from the council chairman and some concerned people on the activities of the miners. Mr. Ojo maintained that his office would investigate the matter to find out who the collaborators were.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200905150082.html

66 mining areas identifed for Artisanal miners




The government has identified and designated 66 areas throughout the country to be licensed out to Artisanal Small Scale Mining operators (ASMs), as soon as geological investigations into its viability was completed.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda who announced this when he opened a three day international workshop on ASMs and mining companies at Elmina on Wednesday noted that inadequate viable areas for the sub-sector among others lead to haphazard mining with its attendant degradation and pollution of the environment and encroachment on concessions of large scale mines.
The workshop on the theme: “Mineral Led Sustainable Development: Effectively Harnessing the benefits of artisanal and Small Scale Mining In Africa” is being attended by Members of Parliament, chief executive officers, traditional rulers, members of the mining companies, non-governmental organizations and representatives of some of the affected communities of mining activities.
It was therefore imperative that the government supports that sector to facilitate improvement in their operations in order for the former to monitor and ensure that sanity was brought to the activities of the ASM sub-sector to change the negative perception of the public about them.
He underscored the importance of the contributions of the ASMs to the significant growth of the nation’s economy, adding that it was towards that direction that the government has disbursed a total amount of 700,000 Ghana cedis to the Konongo, Bolgatanga and Bibiani mining cooperatives to purchase mining and processing equipment to boost their operations.
According to him, the ASM sub-sector last year, contributed about 15 percent of the total gold produced and 100 percent of diamonds production, adding that about one million people are directly involved in that sector while the same figure also benefit from its activities.
Alhaji Dauda stressed that the government will not compromise its concerns for the environment, consequently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Minerals Commission were co-managing the activities of the ASMs to sustain the environment.
He said under the government and the European Union (EU) sponsored Mining Sector Support Program (MSSP), the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) has developed an alternative technology that does not involve the use of mercury to extract gold.
Alhaji Dauda expressed his pleasure that the ASM operators have embraced the new approach and hoped it will be replicated in areas where mercury pollution had generated a lot of conflicts among residents and the operators.
He advised all ASMs to return part of their proceeds to the host communities as a way of corporate social responsibility to develop those areas.
He urged the participants to deliberate on the issues and find practicable and sustainable solutions to the myriad of challenges facing the sector.
Ms Joyce Aryee, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines said even though the sub-sector economically supports about five percent of the population, its operations must be carried out under safe and regularized environment.
She reassured Ghanaians that government would continue to officer assistance to the sector to shape its activities to acceptable standards.
Dr Toni Aubynn of Goldfields and Chair of the International Council on Minerals and Metals (ICMM) said ASM which is the oldest form of mining was still gaining grounds worldwide in about 70 countries with 100 million people depending directly or indirectly on it for their livelihood.
He noted that mineral resources wealth could serve as an engine of growth and help reduce poverty when well harnessed and called for the workshop to come out with solutions while stakeholders take the appropriate action to help minimize the problems facing the sector.
http://gbcghana.com/news/26089detail.html

Other News – India

‘Understand the plight of tribals’
Express News Service
First Published : 15 May 2009 11:51:38 AM IST

BHUBANESWAR: Calling for a proper policy intervention through proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), safe drinking water and finances for grassroots development work in remote tribal pockets, Human Rights Forum (HRF) of Andhra Pradesh today urged the Orissa Government to treat Naxalism as a socio-economic issue and not just a law and order problem.
‘‘The police forces must be used only for the limited task of prevention and investigation of crime by lawful methods and not for oppression of the social aspirations of the people,’’ it said.
Addressing mediapersons here today, a fact-finding team which toured the Maoist-infested south Orissa districts for three days, said, ‘Extra-judicial killings’ by police and paramilitary forces in the name of Maoists must stop and a case of homicide under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) be booked in connection with Kotipalli, Talameting and Kutunigonga killings in border districts of Malkangiri and Gajapati districts.
Demanding a CBI probe into these killings, HRF members also cited the disappearance of Indra Madi of Tentuliguda and Akul Sarkar of MV 123 and said the CBI should probe the serious allegation that the CRPF personnel are running an ‘‘illegal detention camp at MV 44 village and involved in torturing innocent villagers.’’ ‘‘The land issues raised must be resolved by a process of public inspection of the revenue records villagewise so that the disputed land transfers can be identified and probed,’’ said HRF general secretary K Balagopal.
The delay, in implementing FRA, he said, is definitely making the issues more critical.
Protesting functioning of CRPF camps inside police stations, he said the concept ‘‘defeats the normal purpose for which police stations are intended and enhances the fear psychosis among the native tribals.’’ The Greyhounds of Andhra Pradesh should stop operating outside their state for which they have no legal power, HRF members also condemned killings by Maoists saying, ‘‘They must be told that whatever support they enjoy among the people, they cannot get away with arbitrary, one-sided and cruel actions.’’ On Maoists’ protests on development activities like roads and bridges, they, however, said, ‘‘In practice these big projects would only benefit the industrialists and contractors, but not the common people.’’ HRF president Burra Ramulu and secretary VS Krishna were among those present.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=%E2%80%98Understand+the+plight+of+tribals%E2%80%99&artid=wbw7NRg1Zfs=&SectionID=mvKkT3vj5ZA=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=nUFeEOBkuKw=&SEO=

Climate change: The century's biggest health threat?
New report warns that global warming is likely to turn out to be the biggest threat to human health this century, causing the spread of diseases, increased malnutrition and other severe medical problems
MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT
From Friday's Globe and Mail
May 15, 2009 at 9:22 AM EDT
Climate change is usually considered mainly an environmental calamity, with humans largely immune to its devastating effects.
But a new report warns that people won't escape unscathed from global warming, which will likely turn out to be the biggest threat to human health this century, causing the spread of diseases, increased malnutrition and other severe medical problems.
The assertion that global warming has the potential to become a major health disaster is being made jointly by two influential organizations, the Lancet, a major British-based medical journal, and University College London, whose researchers compiled the report.
"Climate change is a health issue affecting billions of people, not just an environmental issue about polar bears and deforestation," commented Anthony Costello. A pediatrician, Dr. Costello is the lead author of the report and co-director of the university's Institute for Global Health.
The report was based on a review of about 175 scientific studies that have investigated how a warmer world will influence such aspects of health as insect-borne disease patterns, water and food insecurity, threats to cities from rising sea levels, and harm from extreme climate events, like killer heat waves and floods. It even raised the possibility that mental health will be impacted by anxiety about the future and that climate change will cause large scale population movements and civil unrest.
Although the report didn't make a projection on the number of illnesses to be caused by global warming, it classified the likely impact as "immense" and expressed concern that the figure could reach tens of millions of premature deaths.
At a news conference in London this week, Dr. Costello said he has had a personal change of view about the health threat posed by global warming, initially viewing it as relatively unimportant before he began thinking about it in more detail.
"Eighteen months ago I would have said that climate change was perhaps an issue but it's warm Sunday afternoons and a bit about polar bears. There are more pressing issues for maternal and child health. I've now changed my view about that," he said, calling for medical doctors "to be in the forefront of arguments about carbon mitigation."
An obvious impact of global warming will be an increase in deadly heat waves. The one in Europe in 2003 claimed up to 70,000 lives, mainly due to heatstroke, and respiratory and cardiovascular ailments. But the report said future warm spells might be even more deadly and frequent, with summer temperatures projected to peak over 50 C in parts of Australia and northeast India and at over 40 C in southern Europe by 2100.
Climate change will also have a profound impact on the worldwide pattern of diseases. For parasites spread by insects, the frequency of bites, the reproduction of the pest that carries the disease and the development cycle of the parasite all generally speed up in warmer temperatures.
The report concluded that malaria, tick-borne encephalitis and dengue fever will become increasingly widespread. It said mosquitoes that cause the spread of malaria will be able to expand their range to new, higher elevation areas that are currently free of the disease, with anywhere from 260 million to 320 million more people affected by 2080.
The number of people at risk of contracting dengue fever - another tropical, mosquito-spread ailment noted for causing intense joint pain and severe headaches - could reach six billion, compared to only 3.5 billion if the climate didn't change. Another worry is that rising water temperatures will prompt more cholera, a severe intestinal disease caused by bacteria.
Given the current worry over swine and avian flu, the report said there is "no clear evidence" for a climate link to their spread.
Climate change also risks causing more malnourishment because higher temperatures and droughts will impair crop yields, particularly for such staples as rice and corn. One estimate cited in the report projected that half the world's population could face severe food shortages by the end of the century.
Although the report warned of the health impacts of global warming, it said the use of fossil fuels has had its benefits, particularly in advanced countries, by helping to contribute to a doubling of life expectancy and reduced poverty.
But reducing reliance on fossil fuels would now have health benefits. These might involve such steps as replacing car use, for instance, with more walking or bike riding. Dr. Costello said such a move, which he dubbed a low-carbon lifestyle, would offer health benefits of reducing obesity, heart disease and stress.
But Dr. Costello also termed climate change a "bad diagnosis" that he said will pose major health threats "for our children and grandchildren."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090515.wlclimate15art1631/BNStory/lifeMain/home


Illegal fishing, climate change real threats
Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , Manado | Sat, 05/16/2009 2:05 PM | World Ocean Conference
Heads of states of the six coral triangle countries expressed concern Friday over depleting marine and coastal resources caused by overfishing and illegal fishing, coupled with pollution and human-induced climate change.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said "unfriendly" fishing and shaky coastal management had depleted coastal and pelagic fish stocks in parts of the coral triangle area.
"It has caused massive losses of mangrove forests and vast degradation of coral reef systems. Now, many of our marine and coastal species are on the brink of extinction," he told the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) Summit.
"Scientists have warned us we have so much to lose if we don't pay attention to the fate of our reefs," he added.
"That's why we are here, to prevent the loss of that unique treasure and to enhance it for the sake of generations to come."
Malaysian Prime Minister Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Derek Sikua and Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta were also present at the summit.
Yudhoyono said protecting coral reefs and marine resources was also aimed at ensuring food security for humankind in the future.
"Our citizens and citizens of other nations rely on tuna, reef fish, shrimp, seaweed and marine-based tourism for their livelihoods," he said.
"We can and we must increase the productivity of these resources as demand and consumption grows with the growth in population."
Ramos Horta said illegal fishing was the most dangerous practice in depleting marine sources.
"Illegal unreported and unregulated *IUU* fishing is one of the most serious problems facing the management of marine fish stocks at present," he said.
He added developing countries had become the victims of illegal fishing activities that took jobs away from coastal regions and undermined viable market and state revenue.
"Timor-Leste is one of the world's poorest countries and developing nations, and has been a victim of IUU activity since its inception," he said.
For his part, Prime Minister Najib said marine countries needed to enhance their knowledge in managing marine environments.
"It is indeed unfortunate that knowledge of marine countries about oceans is still very limited, and that the development of marine countries often depends on the potential to exploit sustainably the marine resources," he said.
Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett, who pledged more than US$2 million, including to protect vulnerable marine species, said unsustainable and destructive fishing practices threatened the world's oceans and its communities.
"Our oceans and coasts are already under extreme pressure from climate change, expanding populations, coastal development, unsustainable and destructive fishing practices, marine invasive species, land runoff and marine pollution, and this declaration *CTI* is a call to governments to work together to face this threat," he said.
Activists previously said long-standing illegal fishing, dumping of tailings by mining companies into the sea and poor support for traditional fishermen were the three main problems in facing Indonesia's ocean sector.
The People's Coalition for Equal Fisheries (Kiara) warned of shaky commitments by marine countries to combat illegal fishing, including in Indonesian waters.
Kiara chairman Reza Damanik said Indonesia's fisheries potential had been slashed by 30 to 50 percent per year due to illegal fishing.
Data from the country's fisheries ministry shows the country's fisheries output reached 8.71 million tons last year, a slight drop from the 8.24 million tons recorded in the previous year.
Indonesia exported 895,000 tons of fisheries products in 2008, or a 4 percent increase from the 854,329 tons it exported in 2007.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/05/16/illegal-fishing-climate-change-real-threats.html