SACW - 26 Jan 2014 | Sri Lanka's Buddhist Mobs/ Bangladesh: State religion/ Pakistan: Polio Front; Musharraf Trial / India: AAP tracking 'Bangladeshi infiltrators'; Muzaffarnagar / South Africa: Mining vs farmlands/ "Spain must withdraw its draft anti-abortion bill" - Call from French Women Politicians

Harsh Kapoor aiindex at gmail.com
Sat Jan 25 19:51:39 EST 2014


South Asia Citizens Wire - 26 January 2014 - No. 2806 
[year 16]
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Contents:

1. Sri Lanka : Statement condemning continued attacks on places of worship of religious minorities by Buddhist extremist mobs
2. Bangladesh: Nirmul Committee for withdrawal of state religion
3. Musharraf’s trial and Pakistan | Beena Sarwar
4. Pakistan: Important legislation on Domestic Workers Rights Tabled 
5. Burma could be the site of the world’s next genocide | Graeme Wood
6. India: Despite findings by CBI, Army clean chit for men involved in Pathribal fake encounter case in Kashmir | Muzamil Jaleel 
7. India: The balance-sheet the day after, with some caveats | Praful Bidwai
8. India: Gains on women’s rights should not be sacrificed at the altar of the Aam Aadmi Party’s expediency | Farah Naqvi
9. India: Delhi’s law minister and AAP leadership bring disgrace upon themselves | Dilip Simeon
10. India: Open Letter from Womens' groups on Role of Delhi Law Minister
11. India: Violence and Vigilantism by AAP against Ugandan Women - Letter to Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal 
12. Stop the India-Japan Nuclear Agreement: Fukushima Survivor’s Open Letter to Both Prime Ministers | Yukiko Kameya
13. India: Report of fact finding and assessment – Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts | Aman Biradari
14. The Disappearing Left in the "Emerging" India | Daya Varma
15. India: The heated debate of 1981 over the BA history course in Delhi University - a 'letter to the editor' by the historian Dilip Simeon
16. Book Review of Chawla’s ’Wavell and the Dying Days of the Raj’
17. Selected Posts from Communalism Watch:
* India - Video: Hindu Sewa Parishad Moral Police at work in Jabalpur (a reportage from Sept 2013)
* India: Finally charges framed against Hindutva extremist Aseemanand, 3 bomb planters for their role in 2007 Samjhauta Express blasts case
* India: Aam Admi Party's Delhi govt. has apparently begun identification of 'Bangladeshi infiltrators' present in Delhi
* India: Of Tea and Dynasty | Badri Raina 
*  India: A documentation of reports re Communal Incidents in Coastal Karnataka in 2013 | Suresh Bhat
* India: NoMo Fekushima (cartoon by unknown)
* India: Appeal for Volunteers and Contributions for Survivors of Communal Violence in Muzaffarnagar 
FULL TEXT:
18. Bangladesh: A welcome HC rule on attacks on minorities - Editorial
19. Pakistan: Polio ‘front’ should be part of the anti-Fascist Front
20. India: Kangaroo Courts and Moral Policing
21. South Africa Update: Mineworkers / Mining vs Farmlands
22. "Spain must withdraw its draft anti-abortion bill" - Call from French Women Politicians 
23. Books:: Understanding European movements: new social movements, global justice struggles, anti-austerity protest (Cristina Flesher Fominaya and Laurence Cox)

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1. SRI LANKA : STATEMENT CONDEMNING CONTINUED ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP OF RELIGIOUS MINORITIES BY BUDDHIST EXTREMIST MOBS
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We the undersigned, strongly condemn the continuing attacks on places of worship by Buddhist extremist mobs, the inaction of the Police in the face of these violent attacks and their failure to take the assailants into custody, and the silence of the established religious institutions and mainstream media.
http://sacw.net/article7376.html

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2. BANGLADESH: NIRMUL COMMITTEE FOR WITHDRAWAL OF STATE RELIGION
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Ekattorer Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee has demanded annulment of the provision of “state religion” in the constitution so that political parties like the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami cannot do politics based on religion in the country.
http://sacw.net/article7340.html

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3. MUSHARRAF’S TRIAL AND PAKISTAN | BEENA SARWAR
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Below, my (un-populist) take on the Musharraf treason trial, in an opinion piece published in International Business Times, London, Jan 23, 2014. N.B. The recent attack on the bus in Mastung, Balochistan, that killed some 30 Hazara Shia Muslims, including women and children returning from pilgrimage in Iran is an example of the result of Musharraf’s policies of letting the home-grown ‘jihadis’ function. 
http://www.sacw.net/article7394.html

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4. PAKISTAN: IMPORTANT LEGISLATION ON DOMESTIC WORKERS RIGHTS TABLED [BUT WOULD ONLY APPLY TO THE FEDERAL CAPITAL]
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An important piece of legislation was passed in the Senate on January 20th, one that has the potential for far reaching effect if it is ever translated into affirmative action. The Domestic Workers (Employment Rights) Act 2013 is long overdue, and was, in part, the product of some determined prodding by the United Nations that Pakistan adopt a child protection policy.

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5. BURMA COULD BE THE SITE OF THE WORLD’S NEXT GENOCIDE | GRAEME WOOD
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With Suu Kyi silent, and the international community collectively golf-clapping as Burma edges toward freedom, the Rohingya are nearly friendless in their displaced-person camps and grim ghettos, with few real champions other than a handful of Muslim countries (Saudi Arabia, Malaysia) not known for their capacity to deal with humanitarian crises.
http://www.sacw.net/article7377.html

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6. INDIA: DESPITE FINDINGS BY CBI, ARMY CLEAN CHIT FOR MEN INVOLVED IN PATHRIBAL FAKE ENCOUNTER CASE IN KASHMIR | Muzamil Jaleel 
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The conclusion by the Army Court of Inquiry that the “evidence recorded could not establish a prima facie case against any of the accused” flies in the face of findings by the CBI, which accused five Rashtriya Rifles personnel of cold-blooded murder, and repeatedly stressed that the encounter was fake.
http://www.sacw.net/article7406.html

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7. INDIA: THE BALANCE-SHEET THE DAY AFTER, WITH SOME CAVEATS
by Praful Bidwai
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The Aam Aadmi Party’s maverick ways, especially its 36-hour-long Rail Bhavan dharna led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal himself, have drawn unprecedented flak from its political opponents, the middle class, and the media ... AAP’s supporters however see the dharna as an audacious means of citizen mobilisation ..
http://www.sacw.net/article7404.html

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8. INDIA: GAINS ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS SHOULD NOT BE SACRIFICED AT THE ALTAR OF THE AAM AADMI PARTY’S EXPEDIENCY | Farah Naqvi
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Protest dharnas in Delhi after 1989 became an oxymoron — agitations against the state in accordance with State-made rules. Contained within a half km-stretch at Jantar Mantar, inconveniencing nobody. So, ‘disruptive’ dharnas should be welcomed if we are serious about shaking up the status quo. It’s the rhetoric around the Aam Aadmi Party’s dharna that disturbs. One, it demands accountability of the Delhi Police to a Minister rather than to citizens. Two, it defends prejudice. And, it’s selling women’s rights short.
http://www.sacw.net/article7388.html

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9. INDIA: DELHI’S LAW MINISTER AND AAP LEADERSHIP BRING DISGRACE UPON THEMSELVES
by Dilip Simeon
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“The Indian high commission in Uganda is involved in sex trafficking, that’s why the Indian government is covering this up". Somnath Bharti
NB: For Delhi's Law Minister to say this, with no rebuttal from the Union Government, is scandalous. To use documentation in the way the AAP leaders have done is to deliberately mislead the public. It is difficult to believe this is the law minister speaking. 
http://www.sacw.net/article7387.html

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10. INDIA: OPEN LETTER FROM WOMENS' GROUPS ON ROLE OF DELHI LAW MINISTER
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It is with extreme dismay that we write to you regarding the horrific act of harassment and racial profiling of Ugandan and Nigerian women by a group led by Delhi Law Minister Shri Somnath Bharti, comprising amongst others members of Aam Admi Party. Such a targeting goes against the sense of security and human rights of all women in general, and of single and working women in particular. Television footage of the incident including Shri Somnath Bharti's own detailed statements, CCTV footage from AIIMS and the complaints by the women themselves, clearly indicate that Shri Somnath Bharti endangered the women and instigated the crowd to violate their human rights, by branding them as prostitutes and asking the crowd to catch them.
http://sacw.net/article7354.html

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11. INDIA: VIOLENCE AND VIGILANTISM BY AAP AGAINST UGANDAN WOMEN - LETTER TO DELHI CHIEF MINISTER KEJRIWAL
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Addressing the Chief Minister of Delhi, Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS), strongly condemned the racial profiling, sexual violence and vigilantism by AAP against the Ugandan women and have demanded Somnath Bharti's resignation; judicial probe to identify the perpetrators of the violence & punitive, lawful action against them; and compensation for the Ugandian women among other demands.
http://sacw.net/article7353.html
   
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12. STOP THE INDIA-JAPAN NUCLEAR AGREEMENT: FUKUSHIMA SURVIVOR’S OPEN LETTER TO BOTH PRIME MINISTERS | Yukiko Kameya
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I am an evacuee from Futaba-town, Fukushima prefecture and now living in Tokyo, a place that I have relatives and go to Nuclear-free demonstration every Friday. At this time, I would like to tell you, both countries’ Prime Ministers regarding India-Japan Nuclear Agreement.
http://www.sacw.net/article7386.html

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13. INDIA: REPORT OF FACT FINDING AND ASSESSMENT – MUZAFFARNAGAR AND SHAMLI DISTRICTS | Aman Biradari - Centre for Equity Studies
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http://www.sacw.net/article7397.html

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14. THE DISAPPEARING LEFT IN THE "EMERGING" INDIA | Daya Varma
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The article "The Emerging Left in the Emerging World" by Jayati Ghosh presents a frank and penetrating analysis of the present and the future of the left. However, Ghosh is an eminent Indian political economist and one could have expected her to deal in somewhat greater detail with the condition of "the emerging left" in India. Perhaps her reluctance to do so is because she belongs to the left fraternity and does not wish to confront what is most dear or of most concern to her.

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15. INDIA: THE HEATED DEBATE OF 1981 OVER THE BA HISTORY COURSE IN DELHI UNIVERSITY - a 'letter to the editor' by the historian Dilip Simeon [ SACW Archive] 
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Scans of newspaper reports and the original typescript of the letter to the Editor sent for publication by the historian Dilip Simeon from Ramjas college at Delhi University in June of 1981
http://sacw.net/article7384.html

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16. DESHPANDE'S BOOK REVIEW OF CHAWLA’S ’WAVELL AND THE DYING DAYS OF THE RAJ’
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This book is about the failure of Wavell, and thereby ultimately the whole of British policy, to keep India united in the wake of the Second World War. “Wavell thought of India as a single geographic unit and, therefore, wished to maintain its unity. This led him not only to denounce but even attempt to derail the demand for Pakistan.
http://www.sacw.net/article7393.html

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17. SELECTED POSTS FROM COMMUNALISM WATCH:
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* India - Video: Hindu Sewa Parishad Moral Police at work in Jabalpur (a reportage from Sept 2013)
http://communalism.blogspot.com/2014/01/india-video-hindu-sawa-parishad-moral.html
* India: Finally charges framed against Hindutva extremist Aseemanand, 3 bomb planters for their role in 2007 Samjhauta Express blasts case
http://communalism.blogspot.com/2014/01/india-finally-charges-framed-against.html
* India: Aam Admi Party's Delhi govt. has apparently begun identification of 'Bangladeshi infiltrators' present in Delhi; Are they in the footsteps of peddlers of anti immigrant sentiment?
http://communalism.blogspot.com/2014/01/india-aam-admi-partys-delhi-govt-has.html
* India: Of Tea and Dynasty | Badri Raina 
http://communalism.blogspot.com/2014/01/india-of-tea-and-dynasty-badri-raina.html
*  India: A documentation of reports re Communal Incidents in Coastal Karnataka in 2013 | Suresh Bhat
http://sacw.net/article7356.html
* India: NoMo Fekushima (cartoon by unknown)
http://communalism.blogspot.com/2014/01/india-nomo-fekushima-cartoon-by-unknown.html
* India: Appeal for Volunteers and Contributions for Survivors of Communal Violence in Muzaffarnagar 
http://communalism.blogspot.com/2014/01/india-appeal-for-volunteers-and.html


FULL TEXT:
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18. Bangladesh: A welcome HC rule on attacks on minorities - Editorial
New Age (Bangladesh), 24 January 2014
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THE rule the High Court issued suo moto on Wednesday, asking the government to submit on February 1 the report of a judicial inquiry into the attacks on minority communities that continued for about 15 months after the October 2001 general elections, highlights a crucial issue that the Awami League-led ruling elite have consistently and, one may add, craftily circumvented, apparently for a freehand to demonise their political opponents. According to a report published in Thursday, the court also asked the home secretary to explain why he should not be directed to make the commission’s report public.

It is worth noting that the three-member commission, constituted during the previous tenure of the AL-led government, submitted the 1,078-page report on April 24, 2011, held the ‘political ideology’ of the 2001-06 ‘Bangladesh Nationalist Party-Jamaat-e-Islami’ alliance government and administrative weakness of the Justice Latifur Rahman-led caretaker government responsible for the attacks that had taken place between October 1, 2001 and December 31, 2002. The commission also identified 26,352 people, including leaders of the BNP and Jamaat, behind the countrywide attacks minority communities.

Intriguingly, neither the report was made public nor any effective steps were initiated to probe, prosecute and punish those identified therein over the subsequent two years and a half of the previous AL-led government’s tenure. Given the hyperactivity of the ruling elite to heap the blame for the post-January 5 election attacks on national minority communities entirely on the BNP and Jamaat, although there were clear indication of the involvement of some ruling alliance leaders and activists as well, it may not be far-fetched to conclude that the failure is more by design than by default.

Attacks on ethnic and religious minority communities in this part of the world have sadly been a regular phenomenon since independence and even before, and have not always stemmed from ideological reasons. In fact, according to a survey done a few years back, these communities have been subjected to repression and displacement from their ancestral homes by different political parties of the ruling class—the Awami League, the BNP, the Jatiya Party and Jamaat alike—to varying degrees. Not only the post-January 5 attacks but also last year’s attacks on Buddhist temples and households also had involvement of leaders and activists of both ruling and opposition camps.

Sadly still, none of the governments, including the AL-led ones, has ever been forthcoming to have the perpetrators effectively probed, efficiently prosecuted, and exemplarily punished. Such failures have not only made the both the ethnic and religious minority communities ever more insecure and vulnerable but also injected a sense of impunity in the perpetrators.

It is such circumstances that make the High Court’s rule so significant, particularly because it seeks to redress the cause, and not the symptom, of the malaise. It is highly likely that the incumbents would use the High Court rule as a leverage to intensify persecution of the opposition leaders and activists in the name of prosecution for attacks on the minority communities, which must not be allowed to happen. The bottom line is that the process needs to begin and precedents set so that the minority communities do not have to continue to live in fear and mistrust, and their tormentors no longer feel that they have the licence to carry on with such monstrosities.

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19. PAKISTAN: POLIO ‘FRONT’ SHOULD BE PART OF THE ANTI-FASCIST FRONT
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EDITORIAL: THE TERRORIST ONSLAUGHT
Daily Times (Pakistan), January 24, 2014

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has embarked upon a concerted campaign of actions to weaken the state. Apart from attacks on the army, security forces and citizens, it has particularly focused on the anti-polio drive. One day after three anti-polio workers were killed in Karachi, the terrorists switched their attention to the security detail on its way to be deployed on protection of the polio vaccinators in Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. The toll of the bomb attack on their police van was six policemen and a child killed, 11 others injured. In Bhakkar district, Punjab, a polio vaccination team was attacked by militants. Fortunately no one was killed, although a lady health supervisor and her driver were injured. To understand why the anti-polio drive is attracting the unwanted attention of the terrorists of late, it is not enough to refer to the earlier explanations of the terrorists regarding the vaccination campaign as a cover for spying (the Dr Shakil Afridi affair should be kept in mind) or a western conspiracy to make Muslims infertile. As a tactical manoeuvre, it make sense to the terrorists to target the polio campaign since it helps highlight Pakistan’s dubious status as one of only three countries still polio-endemic (along with Nigeria and Afghanistan). The World Health Organisation has come out with a devastating report that describes Peshawar as the world’s largest reservoir of the poliovirus. The perception globally that militancy and terrorism are causing the Pakistani polio campaign to falter, if not fail, encourages the terrorists to redouble their efforts so that Pakistan is cast into a pariah status, implying travel bans and perhaps worse. The bad press Pakistan is accumulating on this score could vitally damage Pakistan’s image and bring on sanctions on health grounds that could have a crippling effect on Pakistan’s ability to function internationally. While Karachi bleeds and burns because of its plethora of terrorist, political and criminal militias engaged in targeted killings, the police raid in Qayumabad area of Karachi seeking the killers of the polio workers killed the other day evoked an outcry from residents since the sweep netted over a hundred people, most probably on suspicion rather than evidence. The police justify the action by arguing that the killers may have come from the area or definitely had local help in targeting the polio workers. However, the indiscriminate and wide scope of the dragnet suggests the police are shooting in the dark. Despite the announcement by the polio workers after the deaths of their colleagues that they would not work unless provided adequate security, the Sindh government has reiterated its commitment to continuing the anti-polio drive. Commendable as the statement is, the government must soberly examine the risks to polio workers and make proper arrangements to keep them safe. After all, the polio ‘front’ is now part of the anti-terrorist struggle.
While knowledgeable observers have been arguing since this government took office that the terrorists must be taken on without hesitation or delay while keeping the door for negotiations open, the opposite has been in evidence. The government still seems to be hoping against hope that its talks strategy will bear dividends, despite the lack of a partner to talk to or any sign of one emerging. Maulana Samiul Haq, charged with persuading the Taliban to come to the negotiation table, has used the excuse of the bombing in North Waziristan the other day that killed 40 terrorists including foreign fighters to announce his withdrawal from a mediatory role. The Maulana’s heart clearly bleeds for the terrorists killed in the bombing, but not for the victims of the terrorists. So much for such ‘mediators’. Even Imran Khan seems to have been compelled by developments and the criticism mounting against his party and KP government for its almost exclusive focus on talks as the only panacea to declare that the PTI will be with the army when the time comes to mount a military operation. Someone needs to inform Imran that that time has not just arrived, it is past due. In the same breath, Imran has scored points against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for not taking his party on board whether the talks strategy has failed and a military operation is impending. Again, someone needs to inform the PTI chief that the talks strategy never got off the ground and if a military operation is being contemplated, it needs to be kept secret, particularly from a party that has made no bones about its sympathies for the Taliban. Slowly, gradually, inexorably, circumstances are forcing all the ‘talkers’ to a recognititon that the terrorists only understand the language of force. Without employing it, the state will continue to appear supine and at the mercy of the butchers.  *

o o o

POLIO ATTACKS - EDITORIAL
The Express Tribune (Pakistan) - January 23, 2014

Anti-polio teams in three different parts of the country came under attack on January 21. In the first incident, two teams were attacked during the campaign in Qayyumabad, Karachi; secondly, a teenage health worker was gunned down while he was administering polio drops in Mansehra; and in the third incident in Balochistan’s Panjgur district, armed men hijacked an official vehicle, snatched mobile phones and polio vaccines from a polio team.

These were, unfortunately, not the first time that the anti-polio teams were attacked. In fact, the incident on January 21 was the eighth such attempt in Karachi alone.

Law enforcers have made some progress in catching the culprits, especially the ones in Karachi, but the progress has not been enough to prevent future attacks. The lack of faith in the police’s competence has forced health workers to openly blame the law enforcers for failing to provide adequate security. The colleagues of the victims of the January 21 attack in Karachi accused the police of not sending in personnel on time for the teams to start their campaign. On the other hand, the police insisted the teams ignored their requests and started working ahead of the schedule. In this blame-game, the men who carried out the attack were able to walk free.

The repercussions of such attacks are not only on crime levels in society but their consequences go much deeper than that. As a result of attacks on anti-polio teams, several parts of the country have not been covered in campaigns in recent years. Many children were deprived of this essential vaccination, due to which Pakistan has seen a significant rise in the number of polio cases.

According to Unicef, at least 91 cases were detected in Pakistan in 2013. Of these, around nine were reported in Sindh, seven in Punjab, 10 in K-P and 65 in Fata. At least four new polio cases have been confirmed within the first two weeks of 2014. Law-enforcement agencies must make efforts to apprehend those responsible so that no further attacks take place and Pakistan can finally eliminate polio.

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20. INDIA: KANGAROO COURTS AND MORAL POLICING
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Editorial: Stamp out kangaroo courts
The Hindu, 25 January 2014

The incident in Subalpur village in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, in which a 20-year-old tribal woman was gang-raped by a dozen men as punishment for alleged immoral conduct, is shocking in its unimaginable brutality and points to a larger malaise. The order by a kangaroo court led by a village headman is proof that a section of rural India is outside the pale of the country’s constitutional values and judicial system. Ill-informed men with medieval social attitudes and patriarchal prejudices are allowed to adjudicate on the conduct and morality of women and pass unconscionable forms of punishment, such as social ostracism, payment of arbitrary fines and, as in this case, sexual violence in lieu of monetary penalty. The Supreme Court and the National Commission for Women have taken suo motu cognisance of the incident, which has caused widespread outrage and revulsion. The West Bengal government, which has been sharply criticised in recent times for callousness and insensitivity towards crimes against women, has seen to it that the village headman and the 12 men who raped the hapless woman for a whole night have been arrested. And Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, upset that the police did not seek custody of the accused for questioning and allowed them to be sent to prison directly, has ordered the suspension of the Superintendent of Police. It is disturbing that the entire village, including women, backed the kangaroo court by whose verdict the man could get away with a fine, but the woman was punished for not having the means to do so.

Outposts of feudalism still thrive in vast swathes of rural India, ranging from khap panchayats in the north to caste-based gatherings of village elders in the south. In 2011, the Supreme Court wanted illegal khap panchayats that encourage ‘honour killings’ or other institutionalised atrocities to be stamped out ruthlessly. Over a year has elapsed since the country voiced its anger against sexual violence targeted at women and seemed to take a collective vow to ensure the protection of all women. The penal law on sexual violence and harassment has been strengthened significantly since then. Yet, India’s cities and villages continue to be unsafe for women. The locus of sexual violence is everywhere: in public spaces and private homes, under the cloak of darkness and in the open, and perpetrated by well-acquainted persons as also as by strangers. The Birbhum incident is a chilling reminder that legal processes, security measures and stringent laws are not enough. Social attitudes need to change, reflecting liberal and humane values, if the country is to ensure gender equality and protection for all its women. 

o o o

India: Moral policing in Bhopal spreads fear
by Pheroze L. Vincent
(The Hindu | BHOPAL, January 23, 2014)

The Bhopal Police’s Nirbhaya Women’s Patrol is under the scanner for moral policing. The team is named after the December 16 gang-rape victim’s pseudonym.

The six-member police unit consists of an SUV with a male driver and four women constables led by Sub-Inspector Namita Sahu, an officer who has previously dealt with crimes against women in Jabalpur.

Raised a month ago, the unit which reports directly to Bhopal’s Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), has become the city’s most feared law enforcement detachment. It is common to see youth flee on seeing the Nirbhaya vehicle arrive at colleges and tourist spots in the city.

In raids on bus stops, women’s colleges and tourist spots, for which local TV channels are invited; Sahu metes out instant justice to couples and even women unaccompanied by men.

They are forced to do sit-ups and are reported to their parents and educational institutions. Women with scarves covering their faces are compelled to take them off.

In a raid beside the city’s Upper Lake on Thursday, Sahu apprehended two women passing by and paraded them before camerapersons.

“Their faces were covered and they were wearing fashionable clothes, so we caught them and found college uniforms and make up kits in their two wheelers. They were students who were bunking class. We reported them to their parents and the college,” Sahu said.

A public servant said he saw the team assaulting a couple near Raisen Road on Sunday. “I was there with my family at around 3.30 p.m. in Sehatganj. Suddenly people started running saying that the Nirbhaya jeep has come. A couple sitting beside us was dragged to the jeep by three officers in plainclothes who repeatedly slapped the boy. The girl was also slapped twice.”

Speaking to The Hindu, DIG (Bhopal) D. Sreenivasa Varma said over zealousness and moral policing will not be tolerated. “We have also got a lot of positive feedback for action taken against molesters in buses and eve-teasers. Calling the media for children bunking class was wrong... They (Nirbhaya Team) need more sensitisation.”

Mr. Varma added that quarterly statistics on the team’s performance would be available in April. Recently, State Home Minister Babulal Gaur had held talks with the Chennai Police, where a woman’s policing initiative which includes counselling and legal aid has been implemented.

Mr. Varma said the Nirbhaya patrol was purely a policing operation which is under evaluation before any decision can be taken on a state-wide initiative.

Despite her tough measures, Ms. Sahu is a popular officer with almost 32,000 mostly male followers on Facebook. She regularly posts news of her operations and is considered media savvy. She could not be contacted for comments. 

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21. SOUTH AFRICA UPDATE:  on Marikana Mineworkers / Exxaro Killing a Wetland / Mining Vs Farmland etc.
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Press Release: Marikana Support Campaign

For Immediate Release

19th January 2014

A Police cover up at the Marikana Commission of Inquiry?

The decision to disperse and disarm the striking mineworkers was made at a meeting of the National Police Management Forum that took place on 15th August, 2012. The meeting was attended by Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega and Provincial Police Commissioners. The following day, during this approved operation, 34 miners were killed by SAPS. 

Requests for recordings of this meeting to be handed over to Evidence Leaders at the commission were made in September 2013. To date this potential evidence has not been handed over by SAPS. Other requests for written records from the same meeting have not been complied with.

On Friday 17th January, 2013, Judge Farlam stated that he would be calling the National Police Commissioner, Riah Phiyega, to attend the Commission unless this potential evidence is handed over by SAPS.

Why has the material from this meeting not been handed over by SAPS? Is there a cover up? What is on the ‘Phiyega Tapes’?

Contact:

Rehad Desai  - 083 997 9204

***

Marikana: Miners were not aware of cops

16 Jan 2014 20:52 Jonisayi Maromo [Mail and Guardian]

Dali Mpofu, representing wounded and arrested Marikana miners, says the protesters' view was obscured by the Nyalas before cops shot at them.
The Farlam commission has heard that protesters did not see the police before being shot at. (Madelene Cronje, M&G)

Miners running from a hill at Marikana on August 16 2012, did not know they were heading straight for a police line, the Farlam commission of inquiry heard on Thursday.

Dali Mpofu SC, representing wounded and arrested Marikana miners at the inquiry, put it to Brigadier Adriaan Calitz that his clients' view was obscured by Nyala police vehicles.

"My point is that the reason why the view between the approaching strikers and the tactical response team's line was obscured, is because of those Nyalas that were in front of them. The Nyalas subsequently made way," said Mpofu.

"The shooting happened almost immediately after one of the Nyalas cleared the way and the volley of bullets came. It's like there is a Nyala, and they [protesters] are coming. It opens the way, and they get shot."

Calitz said he did not understand Mpofu's assertion. Mpofu went on: "You have testified that the line was not there when the people were blocked by Nyala four. When they were going around the kraal, surely they did not know that the people [police] had run and formed the basic line."

The three-member commission's chairperson, retired judge Ian Farlam, intervened, urging Mpofu to move to another point in his cross-examination. "Please let us move on to matters that he can deal with effectively, which will enable you to get answers of value for you to argue with at the end of the case."

Mpofu insisted that Calitz take the questions. "With respect, chairperson, I can't see why any human being, whether it's this witness or another person cannot answer the questions."

No trouble

Farlam ordered Mpofu to move to another point of his cross-examination.

Earlier, Mpofu said that when the protesting mineworkers left the hill, they were not looking for trouble. They were simply going to the Nkaneng informal settlement when they were attacked by police, he said. "As far as using the path [to Nkaneng] is concerned, the only difference between the first group and the other group behind them, is that those who came first managed to go through, while those who followed were blocked," said Mpofu.

Calitz said protesters who were peaceful were permitted to go through, and that "militant groups" were intercepted by the police. "The peaceful groups moved, and the militant groups remained behind [at the hill]. It is not as if it was a coincidence that they [peaceful protesters] went past," said Calitz.

Mpofu said members of the militant group were not able to proceed to the informal settlement, because the path was blocked by a Nyala police vehicle.

Calitz disagreed: "That is not correct. They did not proceed because they chose to carry out an attack [on police officers]."

Calitz was the operational police commander during the protracted strike at Marikana, near Rustenburg.

The commission of inquiry is probing the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 44 people during labour-related unrest at Lonmin's platinum mining operations at Marikana, near Rustenburg, North West. On August 16 2012, 34 people, mostly striking miners, were shot dead and 78 people were wounded when the police fired on a group gathered at a hill near the mine while attempting to disperse and disarm them.

In the preceding week, 10 people, including two policemen and two security guards, were killed in unrest-related violence.

The public hearings resume on Friday. – Sapa

***

African Sentinel

http://www.africansentinel.net/Ways-to-Kill-a-Wetland.html

WAYS TO KILL A WETLAND

    Exxaro illegally mining in a wetland, claiming it has required permissions but failing to provide satisfactory proof.
    Operations were halted by Department Water Affairs through a stop order directive.
    Minister of Water Affairs confirmed in the National Parliamentary Assembly that mining this wetland is unauthorised.
    Appeal could not be heard since the Water Tribunal is disbanded.
    Exxaro appealed to the High Court, who set aside until reinstatement of the Water Tribunal.
    While awaiting reappointment of the Water Tribunal Exxaro recommenced mining of the wetland.

by Franz Fuls

In late June 2013, Exxaro, one of South Africa’s largest coal-mining companies with assets of R41.6-billion, commenced opencast mining at Weltevreden pan close to Delmas, in the mineral-rich province of Mpumalanga.

Or rather, re-commenced.

Just over a year before, in early June 2012, the national Department of Water Affairs had ordered the company to cease mining activities because it was operating without a water use licence at Weltevreden Farm — a prerequisite for obtaining legal mining permissions.

Though the facts remained unchanged, Exxaro successfully litigated the issue in the North Gauteng High Court, on the basis that the disbandment of the Water Tribunal left them without a legal channel of appeal, as required in the National Water Act.

The company denied that mining the wetland constituted an illegal environmental activity, but investigations show that Exxaro remained in violation of the requirements of the Act by mining without a valid water use licence at Weltevreden — a criminal offence, according to the legislation.

The wetland, about eight kilometres away from Delmas on the Mpumalanga Highveld, is a critical resource for agriculture and water birds.

“This was once productive dairy country, filled with many small producers,” said farmer Peet Bezuidenhout. “In those days, the mines did not know or care about the coal reserves below.

“Farmers sustainably relied on the natural springs, wetlands and pans for water for their livestock. The pan at Weltevreden farm was one of these important water sources.”
Laying dry the wetlands

Exploration in the area began in 1989 at nearby Leeuwpan. This wetland was heavily polluted when the first open cast mine was developed there in 1992.

Mining rights changed hands as the result of various mergers and acquisitions involving companies like Iscor, Kumba Resources and Eyesizwe Coal. In 2006, Exxaro emerged as the rights-holder of the mine — with 143-million tonnes of coal.

The company, which employs about 500 people at Leeuwpan and produces an average of three million tonnes of coal a year there, expanded its coal-mining operation on to neighbouring farms Kenbar, Moabsvelden, Witklip and Wolvenfontein.

Towards the end of 2011 local farmers noticed that Exxaro had dug a trench around the previously unspoilt Weltevreden Pan. The strategy, well known for laying dry a wetland in preparation for mining, led to the farmers laying official complaints with the Department of Water Affairs.

Building a trench around the Weltevreden Pan effectively prevents rainwater from entering the wetland, in preparation for mining activities. To do so, Exxaro required a water use licence from the department, as well as specific permission to “impede the flow of water” from a watercourse, under section 21c of the National Water Act. The same permissions would be required for actively mining inside the pan.

A water use licence should identify exact coordinates of the use of water from water resources, water storage facilities and changing the course of rivers, altering the bed or banks of rivers, wetlands, mine water dams, etc.

Failure to do so potentially results in criminal prosecution for unlawful water use, including fines or imprisonment of up to 10 years. A court may also order compensation for affected people, awarding damages and remedies.

Exxaro’s water use licence, a copy of which we have seen, excludes the relevant coordinates.
Mining legal trenches

Department officials performed a site inspection on May 16 2012 and issued a “stop order” in June 2012 — a directive demanding proof of authorisation to mine the pan, failing which mining activities had to cease. The order cited “unlawful mining activity in a watercourse on portion 7 of Weltevreden”, citing coordinates “S 26°07’53.3 E 28°46’0.1”

The directive stated, among others, that Exxaro must stop construction (preparation for mining) within the 100-year floodline and within a 500m radius of the boundary of the wetland.

Exxaro spokesperson Hilton Atkinson challenged the specific allegations, stating: “Exxaro reaffirms its contention that it has the authorisations to mine in the Weltevreden wetland area as part of the Leeuwpan mine’s water use licence.”

Linda Page, the department’s media officer, stated: “[The department] does not condone any activities that compromise our water resources [and] is bound to take action against any company or individual contravening the conditions of their licence and/or the provisions of the National Water Act.” She said the department was in the process of investigating the complaints.

Exxaro appealed to the Water Tribunal, a body established by the National Water Act and appointed by Minister of Water Affairs Edna Molewa.

In August 2012 the Water Tribunal was disbanded and Molewa failed to appoint new members to the tribunal, leaving the channel for appeal in a state of limbo. Page said the department had advertised for nominations, including that of the chairperson, to begin the process of re-appointing the tribunal.

The lack of a Water Tribunal, central to appeals as legislated in the NWA, led the DWA to pursue mediation instead.

This was rejected by Exxaro.

“Exxaro has been advised by its lawyers that this [mediation] directive does also not comply with the law and may result in further delays,” said Atkinson.

In response to inquiries from the Democratic Alliance in the national parliamentary assembly in August 2012, Molewa said mining at the Weltevreden pan had ceased and all equipment had been removed. She confirmed that the Department of Water Affairs had not authorised mining of the Weltevreden pan and wetland.

One month later, on September 28, our investigations showed the mining company had started up operations at the pan. Soon after we sent images to a local newspaper, which forwarded them to the department, Exxaro once again ceased operations.

The company opted for litigation, proceeding with an urgent application at the High Court in late November 2012, with the intention of setting aside the “stop order” directive. The company said the department had “acted outside the law by suspending the operations of the Water Tribunal... Exxaro has no independent body to appeal the directive issued against its Weltevreden operations.”

Exxaro won the case and the directive was set aside.

In spite of this success, the company did not immediately advance further into Weltevreden pan.

The department applied for leave to appeal the court ruling, and the case was set down for March 19 2013. But at the hearing the department withdrew its application.

On June 24 Exxaro recommenced mining operations at Weltevreden. Atkinson commented: “Exxaro’s stance is that it has the required water licence authorisation to mine the area. The mining is authorised.”
Future waste lands

By its own admission, Exxaro agrees that opencast mining at Weltevreden and Moabsvelden (Block OWM) will destroy the wetlands.

On its website, under a section titled “Sustainability”, the company says in the integrated water and waste management plan that accompanied its licence application, Exxaro specifically stated that: “Probable impacts on the wetland within the boundaries of Block OWM include the total removal of the soil and vegetation, and thus the permanent destruction of the existing wetlands and the associated habitats for fauna and flora. If the wetlands are removed, the likelihood of successfully rehabilitating and restoring the wetlands subsequent to mining is very low; thus, the impact would be permanent.

“Destruction of the wetlands will take place due to opencast mining activities.”

Exxaro will comply with the rehabilitation conditions set out in the licence, the statement reads: “Exxaro is required to embark on a systematic long-term programme to restore natural watercourses to environmentally acceptable and sustainable conditions after conclusion of the mining operations.”

Multiple attempts were made by Oxpeckers to confirm that Exxaro does indeed have a valid water use licence for Weltevreden, including official requests under the Promotion of Access to Information Act. But the company failed to provide evidence that the farm and wetland called Weltevreden are accounted for in the Leeuwpan water use licence that Exxaro has produced as proof of their legal occupation and mining at Weltevreden.

And, contrary to the company’s statements, the directive by the Department of Water Affairs’ compliance monitoring and enforcement division still stands that Exxaro’s operations at Weltervreden pan are not in legal accordance.

Environmental organisation groundWorks said it appeared Exxaro was destroying a wetland in defiance of South Africa’s legislation. “The wilful destruction of a wetland displays a level of moral turpitude which is all too typical of the mining industry.

“Exxaro clearly believes that if you pay enough lawyers, you get legal impunity. It is disturbing that the courts seem predisposed to let them get away with it.”
Back to square one?

In late November 2013 Beeld newspaper reported that High Court judges Niel Tuchten and Margaret Victor had directed the Water Tribunal to review the complaints of three non-governmental organisations about non-compliance with the National Water Act by three mining companies — including Exxaro.

The Escarpment Environmental Protection Group, the Wonderfontein Community Association and the Langkloof Environmental Committee brought a case against the Department of Water Affairs and the three mining companies.

To comply with the judgment, the department will have to reinstate the Water Tribunal. Exxaro will then have the opportunity to appeal to the Water Tribunal, and the “stop order” directive against mining operations at Weltevreden may again become enforceable.

Monday 30 December 2013
Footnotes

Franz Fuls is a researcher collaborating with the Centre for Civil Society, a partner of Environmental Justice Organizations, Liabilities and Trade, based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Research for this article was funded by the Forum for African Investigative Reporter

***

South Africa: Pembani Coal — Misdirected Benefit?

    Mining company is destroying productive farmland
    Security of tenure of farm workers in jeopardy
    Village houses fell over due to blasting, mining company selectively compensating for damages
    Unemployment is rife since mining replaced commercial farming
    Traditional grazing land allocated to farm workers revoked for mining
    Village borehole fallen in due to mine blasting, villagers now reliant on insufficient water supply from municipal trucks.
    Mining company denies any wrong doing, insisting that they are making a positive contribution.

by Franz Fuls

About 115 kilometers South-East of Witbank lies the sleepy town of Carolina. The villagers of Ebuhleni, just outside the town (previously known as MaFour), are farmworkers. They have always been. That was until Pembani Coal realised that there are profitable coal seams to be exploited under the farm where the village is located. The villagers have worked on this farm for many decades and according to the locals they were also allowed to graze their own cattle on the farm for the past forty years. But that’s all over now.

“Before the mine there was a lot of space here, there was a large pasture. When the mine came they divided that pasture in half. One side they dug for coal. The people are suffering a lot, and they don’t care how the people make a living. They just do whatever they like,” said Lesley Nkosi, a retrenched dairy foreman.

Pembani Coal’s operation outside Carolina started in 2004. At the current mining rate of 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum, they expect a life of mine of twelve years. They claim that they consulted with interested and affected parties. They acknowledge that people living within a 500 metre radius of their operation are immediately affected and must have preference.

But since opencast coal mining started on this farm, the lives of the villagers have gradually deteriorated. The mine replaced the previous agricultural business that employed them and today unemployment is rife. A villager explained that only one person in the village is full time employed, but by another coal mine East of Pembani’s operation. Yet the company claims to employ local residents first, stating that two individuals from Ebuhleni are employed by them. The villagers deny that this is the case.

Opencast coal mining operations in the Mpumalanga Highveld are destroying the livelihood of farmworkers, leaving them destitute in an unfamiliar environment where they become unemployable due to their specialised agricultural skill sets. Mining companies’ lack of obtaining consent in community engagement is leading to destitution and frustration in the communities closest to them.

Once upon a time

Lesley Nkosi used to be a dairy foreman on the farm and is now one of the unemployed. According to him, blasting damaged the brick houses that the villagers lived in. The houses deteriorated to a point where they became structurally unsafe. At that point Pembani Coal (who caused the damage in the first place) intervened by building them new houses. These houses were built on the exact same place as the old settlement, with active mining operations in close proximity. But the new houses are starting to show signs of damage from blasting. At least the villagers have one improvement: they now have electricity. It is unclear whether they can afford the luxury of electricity in their current economic crisis.

Bheki Khumalo, director of Pembani Coal explains: “The company’s policy regarding communities is embedded in the Safety, Health, Environment and Community policy... The houses that Pembani Coal built are of an improved quality... We don’t foresee any damage from our future blasting, however, we do blasting monitoring for every blast to ensure that they are not affected.”

Lesley says the villagers cannot graze their cattle anymore, since Pembani requires them to contain all their assets within their yards. Pembani denies this.

The pasture that used to sustain their cattle is now partly a huge hole. The windmill that ensured a good clean water supply has caved in, allegedly because of Pembani’s blasting activities.

Lack of water for cattle is one thing, but the broken windmill means that nobody has water. The municipality of nearby Carolina town tries to supply them with drinking water on a weekly basis, but they cannot keep up. The villagers experience frequent water shortages. Pembani claims that the windmill was already broken on their arrival, and that they stopped repairing it after failed attempts. According to them the water yield of this windmill is not enough to sustain the community anyhow. They continue to explain that they intend sinking a hand operated borehole in future, but until then the villagers are reliant on municipal water trucks.

In a furore of desperation, Lesley complains that new houses are now being built. Nobody in the village has been informed. Construction workers just arrived with their machines and started working. The rumour is that Pembani is relocating farm workers from other farms where they want to mine. Lesley comments: “So I went and asked them: why are you bringing more people here, where must the cattle graze? They said someone that stays here shall keep his cattle inside his yard.”

Pembani Coal’s Bekhi Khumalo disagrees, stating that villagers are still grazing cattle on the property. He explains that farm workers residing on other parts of the farm are being relocated to Ebuhleni.

“The people of Ebuhleni are always given a first preference in the employment process at Pembani Coal Processing Plant because it is permanently based in their vicinity.” Yet Pembani appoints external contractors to run their operations, who are not bound by this commitment. As Mr. Khumalo explains that the contractor operates on more than one farm currently being mined by Pembani this cannot be enforced.

And since the village is on land leased by the mine from a land owner, Pembani has limited control over permissible activities.

It happened here

The villagers of Ebuhleni are not the only people affected by the Pembani operation.A small subsistence farming collective also borders Pembani’s colliery. According to a resident they were allocated land by government as part of South Africa’s land reform projects. Mama Deliwe is one of these beneficiaries. Sitting on a bench outside her traditional clay house she raises her concerns: “the mine never consulted us, they just came in and started mining... It’s a problem because when they blast while you are inside [the house], the roof and the crockery are shaking. We are in danger because when they blast the house can fall on us: the cupboards can fall over the children while they sleep!”

Mama Deliwe’s house is in close proximity to Pembani’s mine dumps, and mining trucks offloading material on the dump are clearly visible. The dumps are bordering the property of these emerging farmers, and it seems that their dreams and aspirations of economic independence are all but destroyed. We received news that Mama Deliwe has been relocated to Ebuhleni village in the past few weeks. She will now have electricity, but may share Lesley’s concerns on farming opportunities.

Dan Maseko, 50, was born on the farm mined by Pembani faces an uncertain future. He also live close to Pembani’s colliery, who has previously caused some damage to his house from blasting.

On the evening of 18 December he woke up to the sound of his wall falling in.

According to Maseko, Pembani performed blasting operations at night while the Maseko family were asleep in their house and did not evacuate the family before blasting.

A wall inside Maseko’s traditional clay house fell down, destroying his couch and some household furniture to an estimated the value of R10,000 — a small fortune for him. Fortunately nobody was hurt, but the family is in distress.

Maseko reported the damage to Pembani on the following day. A delegate was instructed to inspect the alleged damages, but since the delegate was busy relocating other people, Maseko was asked to wait until the other relocations were complete before Pembani could assess the damage to his house.

Khumalo explains that Maseko “... kept on requesting the mine to relocate him to the Ebuhleni families but the mine insisted on its policy and international standards.”

Responding on a previous complaint from Maseko, Pembani performed an inspection, prior to the wall falling in. Khumalo says “it was hard to believe that any cracks were caused by Pembani blasting.” because his house is 1.8 kilometers away from the blasting site. Pembani does however claim that they evacuate the Maseko family every time they blast and that the mining operation may not be the cause of the wall falling, but rather by lack of maintenance and high rainfall.

“It is unfortunate that the mine cannot afford to build new houses for all people especially if they are not within the affected area. It would be unfair to put blame on Pembani Coal for any damage on the houses that are outside of the affected radius of 500 metres from the operations.”

In the meantime the Maseko family will have to move in with neighbours or risk living in a structurally unsafe house over the festive season while mining companies in South Africa close down for the holidays.
That’s what they said

In the statement Mr. Khumalo elaborates on the community benefits:

“We are always conscious about the security of tenure for the affected families and we avoid relocating them from the original farm where they have security of tenure.”

Through a staggering amount of programmes, Pembani claim that the people of Carolina have benefitted just under R20 million of investment, into agriculture initiatives, bursaries, training, construction, socIal welfare and other initiatives.

It is clear that Pembani coal is investing into the local economy, but many of the initiatives seem to be aimed at the greater Carolina area, while the immediate people who were previously employed in sustainable agriculture became unemployed as a direct result of the mine.

In conclusion the statement from Mr. Khumalu explains: “It is however extremely difficult and almost impossible to satisfy all quarters of the community around our operation. Ebuhleni community is one of the communities that have benefited from Pembani Coal’s operation however there are some individuals within the community that believe that they are more entitled to benefit from the company.”

Only a third of coal produced by Pembani Coal is applied to alleviate South Africa’s energy crisis. The balance is sold to international traders.

=========================================
22. "SPAIN MUST WITHDRAW ITS DRAFT ANTI-ABORTION BILL" - CALL FROM FRENCH WOMEN POLITICIANS 
=========================================
[Partial Translation of French article: 
In Solidarity with the Spanish women, we women French politicians, call on the Spanish government to withdraw its bill on abortion. We ask all women, regardless of their political affiliation, to mobilize for this fundamental struggle for our society]
see Original call in French

"L'Espagne doit retirer son projet de loi anti-avortement"
Le Monde.fr | 25.01.2014
http://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2014/01/25/l-espagne-doit-retirer-son-projet-de-loi-anti-avortement_4354192_3232.html

Solidaires des femmes espagnoles, nous, femmes politiques françaises, appelons le gouvernement espagnol à retirer son projet de loi sur l'avortement. Nous demandons à toutes les femmes, quelle que soit leur appartenance politique, de se mobiliser pour ce combat fondamental pour notre société.

Nous demandons au gouvernement espagnol d'écouter les femmes et les hommes de son pays qui depuis plusieurs semaines se mobilisent. Ce projet, qui n'autoriserait l'avortement que dans des cas extrêmes (danger pour la santé de la femme ou suite à un viol), marquerait un retour en arrière dangereux dans un pays où les droits des femmes ont été au cœur des débats politiques ces dernières années. Une véritable régression !

Nous le savons bien : c'est l'Espagne qui a montré à l'Europe la voie en matière de lutte contre les violences sexistes et sexuelles. C'est l'Espagne qui a inspiré la loi française de 2010 instaurant l'ordonnance de protection et créant le téléphone grand danger pour les femmes victimes de violence. L'Espagne ne peut être aujourd'hui le pays du grand retour en arrière.

LE SIGNE PRINCIPAL DE L'ÉMANCIPATION DES FEMMES

Le droit des femmes à disposer de leur corps n'est pas un supplément d'âme dans une société qui se targue de construire l'égalité. Il s'agit d'un droit fondamental, c'est le socle de l'égalité. C'est le signe principal de l'émancipation des femmes dans la société.

La liberté des femmes de choisir d'avoir ou non un enfant est la clé d'entrée pour l'ensemble des autres droits. Sans liberté de disposer de son corps, il n'est pas possible d'imaginer l'égalité dans le couple ou la famille, l'égalité dans l'entreprise ou dans la sphère publique.

En France, dès 1975, Simone Veil, figure de la politique nationale et européenne, apportait cette avancée démocratique essentielle pour les femmes, soutenue par les familles politiques de droite et de gauche, car ce sujet appelle au dépassement des clivages traditionnels.

Aujourd'hui dans le monde, une femme meurt toutes les neuf minutes des suites d'un avortement clandestin. Refuser ce droit fondamental aux femmes espagnoles aura des conséquences graves en termes de santé publique. Même dans des pays où les autorités accompagnent une information sur la contraception, l'avortement est un droit fondamental.

Nous sommes solidaires des femmes espagnoles, c'est pour cela qu'à travers cet appel, nous nous mêlons de ce qui nous regarde, toutes et tous, au-delà des frontières nationales.

Ont co-signé ce texte Anne Hidalgo (première adjointe au maire de Paris), Clémentine Autain (féministe, directrice d'édition), Roselyne Bachelot (ancienne ministre de la santé), Michèle Barzach (ancienne ministre de la santé), Martine Billard (ancienne députée), Jeannette Bougrab (ancienne ministre), Marie-George Buffet (députée des Hauts-de-Seine), Caroline de Haas (féministe), Catherine Coutelle (députée, présidente de la délégation nationale des droits des femmes), Michèle Sabban (vice présidente de la région Ile-de-France), Yvette Roudy (ancienne ministre du droit des femmes et ancienne parlementaire), Dominique Voynet (maire de Montreuil) et Rama Yade (ancienne secrétaire d'Etat chargée des affaires étrangères et des droits de l'homme).

=========================================
23. UNDERSTANDING EUROPEAN MOVEMENTS: NEW SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, GLOBAL JUSTICE STRUGGLES, ANTI-AUSTERITY PROTEST
Cristina Flesher Fominaya and Laurence Cox (eds.)
=========================================
Routledge 2013, 268 pp.
Paperback: £24.95, ISBN 978-1-13-802546-2
Hardback: £80.00, ISBN 978-0-415-63879-1
E-books and inspection copies also available: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781138025462/

Due to the high levels of interest, Routledge have given Understanding European Movements an accelerated paperback release, just 6 months after the hardback edition. This has happened faster than reviews could be published (to date only one review is available, in German): the book has sold widely on word of mouth alone and the importance of its subject matter.

European social movements have been central to European history, politics, society and culture, and have had a global reach and impact. Today, six years into a new cycle of movements which have shaken Europe from Iceland to Greece and from Spain to the Ukraine, the need for an adequate understanding of social movements in Europe is greater than ever. Yet the English-language literature has rarely theorised European movements on their own terms, instead treating them rather with concepts reflecting the US experience.

Understanding European movements draws on the the ethnographic and historical research of a new generation of scholars participating in the Council for European Studies' network on social movements to offer a comprehensive, interdisciplinary overview of the key dimensions of European movements over the past forty years. The book's editors are co-founders of the open-access social movements journal Interface and well known in the field. Cristina Flesher Fominaya is also an editor of the journal Social Movement Studies and author of Social movements and globalization: how protests, occupations and uprisings are changing the world (Palgrave) while Laurence Cox is co-editor of Marxism and social movements (Brill) and director of the MA in Community Education, Equality and Social Activism at the National University of Ireland Maynooth.

Understanding European movements is a richly-textured book, with chapters exploring the global justice / alterglobalisation movement, anti-nuclear power activism, social centres / squatting, peasant organisation, anti-roads protest, EuroMayDay and climate justice, Indignados and anti-austerity protest and cases from Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Iceland and transnational organising. The book explores the European tradition of social movement theorising, the historical continuities and breaks between different waves of movements in Europe, the construction of social movements on a European scale and the analysis of contemporary anti-austerity movements.

One peer reviewer commented that the book "will fill a big gap in the academic literature on recent and contemporary movements, and on the application of European social movement theory"; another wrote "I'd love to have a book that: introduced students to the Global Justice Movement and the 'anti-austerity' movements; examined the latter movements' continuities with the former, and the continuities of both with even earlier movements; and did all this in terms of European social movement theory".

The first review to be published, by Sabrina Zajak in the Forschungsjournal soziale Bewegungen, commented "This book can be recommended to a wide readership interested in the theory and empirical reality of social movements, but also to readers with a general interest in European history and the history of thought." That readership can now access the book at a paperback price, while those teaching in the field can now offer their students an approach to European movements which is both up-to-date and historically grounded and which covers a wide range of countries and movements without attempting to homogenise them under a single idea.

The Council for European Studies' Reviews and Critical Commentary carried an in-depth interview with Cristina Flesher Fominaya about the book, available online at

http://councilforeuropeanstudies.org/critcom/understanding-european-movements-new-social-movements-global-justice-struggles-anti-austerity-protest/.


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