Indian Tribe's 'Avatar' Victory Over UK Mining Giant ("‘Stunning’ David v.Goliath Victory")

[Turborama]

Source: CNN International

New Delhi, India (CNN) -- It has been dubbed India's version of the Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar." And just like the movie, the indigenous group fighting to save its sacred homeland has won a major fight.

A plan by British mining giant Vedanta Resources to dig in the mineral-rich eastern state of Orissa has stalled.
Environment authorities on Tuesday rejected proposals to mine the mountain, saying any such activity in that area would jeopardize livelihoods of tribes.

"If mining is permitted on this site, it will not only be illegal, but it will also destroy one of the most sacred sites of the Kondh Primitive Tribal Groups," the Ministry of Environment and Forests said.

The multi-billion project has come under scrutiny as advocacy groups, such as Survival International and Amnesty International, likened the Dongria Kondh tribe to the Na'vi from James Cameron's film.

"This is the real Avatar," reads one of Survival International's campaign posters.

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/08/24/india.avatar.tribe/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn#fbid=5tFS21of5oJ&wom=false

---

David v. Goliath: Indian tribe in ‘stunning’ victory over mining giant



http://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/dongria">A tribe in India has won a stunning victory over one of the world’s biggest mining companies. In an extraordinary move, India’s Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has blocked http://www.survivalinternational.org/about/vedanta">Vedanta Resources’ controversial plan to mine bauxite on the sacred hills of the Dongria Kondh tribe.


Mr Ramesh said Vedanta has shown a ’shocking’ and ‘blatant disregard for the rights of the tribal groups’. The Minister has also questioned the legality of the massive refinery Vedanta has already built below the hills.


The news is a crushing defeat for Indian billionaire http://www.survivalinternational.org/about/anilagarwal">Anil Agarwal, Vedanta’s majority owner and founder. 


http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/kits/dongria">Media kit with background info and hi-res photos

In recent years the project has http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/5650">come under unprecedented attack. The Norwegian and British governments, the Church of England, organizations such as Survival, and even insurance giant Aviva have all criticized the company and its ethics. 


Much more: http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/6385

Their "Avatar" Campaign page: http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/6273

[OhioChick]

1. K&R n/t

[MARALE]

2. awesome! NT

[Judi Lynn]

3. Thank goodness, How completely unexpected. Thank you. Recommending.

:kick: :kick: :kick: :kick:

[sabrina 1]

4. Excellent. It's nice when the little people win once in a while.

[Nihil]

20. What she said ^^^ ! (n/t)

:toast:

[Rage for Order]

5. Oh dear god

The Dongria Kondh tribe and their silly imaginary fairy friends. "Sacred site", indeed.

:eyes:




*ETA, ex post facto: If it is acceptable to mock christianity and other faiths for their stupid belief in an imaginary sky god, it's acceptable to do the same for primitive tribes who claim that certain sites are sacred, no?

[Vehl]

8. this is the classic case of "your freedom stops where my nose begins"

whether one subscribes to their worldview or not, we do not have the right to dictate to them about what they should do with their life/traditional places.

This is what democracy is all about....respecting the diversity of people and accepting that Unity in diversity is stronger than Unity in conformity

:)

[Greyskye]

9. So the mining company should take their land, eh?

:eyes:

[Rage for Order]

11. No n/t

[JI7]

13. i think the real issue was destruction to environment and right to land/home

[proteus_lives]

17. Wow.

The funny part is you don't even realize how small and petty you're acting.

[Chulanowa]

18. So I just want to check...

You think a company would have a right to bulldoze St. Peters Basilica for the minerals beneath it, regardless of what the Vatican thought? Even if the company has no valid claims to that land?

Mock the beliefs all you want, I doubt the Dongria Kondh will mind. it's when you start stealing their shit and destroying their land that there's a problem.

[TheWatcher]

19. Issuez. You Haz Them.

[Rhiannon12866]

6. K&R! Great stuff!

A victory for the little guy! Who would have thought? :party:

[Vehl]

7. Awesome victory for those people as well as an example of democracy in action :)

Its good to see the Kondh people victorious in this issue! :)

reminds me of the Tree hugging campain(which resulted in the term "tree hugger") and their success againt loggers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipko_movement

[Turborama]

15. Thank you

for that informative link. I hadn't heard about the Chipko movement until now. Very interesting.

Thanks again.:hi:

[Vehl]

16. You are welcome :)

and pardon the typos in my previous post :P

[GoddessOfGuinness]

10. I'm so thrilled to hear it!

But I'll be ready to write my next letter of opposition to the mining when they try again. They always try again.

[ihavenobias]

12. # 17 n/t

[Vehl]

14. cool...I just realized that we share the same language family!

Was Gooling about the kondh and i realized that their language, Kui, also belongs to the Dravidian language family...even though its from a different branch(south-central Dravidian) compared to my language; Tamil, which is southern Dravidian branch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dravidian_languages

hah i find this pretty cool!

hi there Kondhs!
:hi: