From: Kumaran Sathasivam <k_sathasivam@...>


Workshop Announcement: National Marine Fisheries Service(NMFS)/National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in conjunction with Madras
Veterinary College/TANUVAS is organizing a follow up workshop to Kochi
2010 in Chennai, India Nov 8-11th, 2011 at Madras Veterinary College,
Chennai. The workshop is titled ' Establishing a model marine mammal
stranding network in SE India: Necropsy and Stranding Response Training".


Focus is on 'Training the Trainers' and participants are chiefly from SE
India (Chennai and neighboring areas) or those with background/ current
involvement in active field response to stranded marine animals
(including turtles).

Prior experience or ability to train staff/recruit volunteers is a
necessary criteria for workshop participation. The first two days will
involve necropsy training. Next 2 days will involve stranding response
and a primer on entanglement response.

Establishment of network will involve coordination with existing NGOs,
Turtle Action Groups, Veterinary Pathologists, Student Researchers, and
Forest Officials. Post Workshop Discussion with NGOs, decision
makers/managers is currently being planned. Trainers are from
Smithsonian Institution, IFAW, NOAA, and WHOI. POCs: Dr. R. Sridhar
(Madras Veterinary College/TANUVAS sri_ramaswamy@...) and Dr.
Mridula Srinivasan (NMFS/NOAA mridula.srinivasan@...). Workshop is
sponsored by the Marine Mammal Commission, NMFS/NOAA, Madras Crocodile
Bank Trust, and Madras Veterinary College.

[image: Good morning.gif]

Having problems reading this email?  Please click
here<http://trinet.in/?q=node/744>
  to view online version.
*
*Koodankulam Agitation and the Increasing Onus on Communities *

[image: Koodankulam.jpg]
*Photo source: The Hindu

The anti-nuclear movement against the Koodankulam project, the agitation
against the POSCO project and numerous other violations upon the environment
and local communities by the administration is increasingly pointing towards
the fact that the onus of safeguarding the environment now rests squarely on
the shoulders of local communities. The government seems to have no long
term interests and elected representatives are only concerned about their
terms in office (more <http://trinet.in/?q=node/743>).

*Tamil Nadu got most Thermal Plant
Nods<http://ibnlive.in.com/news/tn-got-most-thermal-plant-nods/186693-60-120.htm\
l>
*Pointing out that about 50,000 acres of forest land was allotted for mining
and power projects, the study conducted by the Centre for Science and
Environment revealed that Tamil Nadu was granted the most clearances for
thermal power plants -- 37.

[image: checkdam.jpg]
A check dam in Kanyakumari

*Fighting Drought With Check Dams <http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52162>
*
Gazing out at the lush greenery that surrounds the village of Salaita in
northern India, a smile of satisfaction appears on retired army general
A.P.S. Chauhan's face. "Hard to imagine now, but these were dusty ravines
just two or three years ago," he told IPS.

*Greed eyeing Green <http://www.d-sector.org/article-det.asp?id=1697>
*Green capitalism a distraction from the real issues that the world needs to
address to realize sustainable development?

*A Man to match his Mountains*
<http://www.indiatogether.org/2011/sep/rgh-bhatt.htm>
Chandi Prasad Bhatt said that for him every river was a Ganga, a source of
life and renewal, abused or ill-treated at one's peril. His work has been an
education for others, writes Ramachandra Guha.

*My Fossil Fuels, your Land
<http://www.indiatogether.org/2011/sep/env-himachal.htm>*
The BioCarbon Fund promises to plant trees across a swathe of Himachal
Pradesh, amidst questions about the environmental value and fairness of the
program. Sudhirendar Sharma reports.

*The Sindhol Power
Struggle<http://infochangeindia.org/water-resources/features/the-sindhol-power-s\
truggle.html>
*
Three more hydropower plants on the Mahanadi, which already has the Hirakud
dam, will mean that the river will be dammed four times in a100-km stretch,
virtually killing it. To what lengths is thegovernment prepared to go to
serve the interests of water-guzzlingindustry, ask communities and activists
who are strongly resistingthe Sindhol project.

*Requiem for sustainable, subsistence
agriculture<http://infochangeindia.org/agriculture/features/requiem-for-sustaina\
ble-subsistence-agriculture.html>
*In Ladakh, the dzo has been replaced by the tractor, organic manureby
chemical fertilisers, and indigenous crops by vegetables for thetourist
market. A whole culture of agriculture is dead.

[image: Shipaground.jpg]
*
Laws of the
Sea<http://infochangeindia.org/environment/analysis/laws-of-the-sea.html>
*Three recent oil spills off the Mumbai coast have drawn attention to the
fact that India, which has 11 major and 20 minor ports, still doesnot have
the response systems to handle oil spills that were mandated by a 1993 law.

*In search of their
Lives<http://www.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/article2420769.ece>
*The villagers of Chilika Dand, and 16 other villages in U.P., have had to
relocate their homes twice and still don't own the plots on which their
houses stand.

*Seeking BHS <http://www.mylaw.net/Article/Seeking_BHS/>*
India's Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (“the BD Act”) put forth a framework
under which the use of biological resources and related knowledge could be
regulated through a largely centralised decision-making process. Access,
says the Act, needs to to go hand-in-hand with an equitable sharing of
benefits for which procedures and guidelines are being worked out.

Disaster Management:

[image: sikkim-earthquake.jpg]
Earthquake survivor in Sikkim

*Poor news coverage of Sikkim
Earthquake<http://thehoot.org/web/home/story.php?storyid=5515&mod=1&pg=1§ion\
Id=1&valid=true>
*After more than 36 hours a few national TV channels managed to reach
Sikkim. Their news capsules were buried between Modi’s fast and Ranbir
Kapoor’s new release. The satellite channels aired from Guwahati were
quicker and more pro-active in their response, though there was much left to
be desired in their reporting.

*Tsunami experts ask Indian media to set up Standard Operating
Procedure<http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_tsunami-experts-ask-indian-media-\
to-set-up-standard-operating-procedure_1590259>
*Tsunami experts drawn out from the Asia Pacific region asked the
Indianmedia to set up a Standard Operating Procedure to take on future
tsunamiattacks.

*Scientists in the dock over L'Aquila
earthquake<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9593123.stm>
*Next week six scientists and an official go on trial in Italy for
manslaughter over the earthquake in L'Aquila that killed 309 people two
years ago.

Book Review:

[image: Banking on forests.jpg]

*Banking on Forests - Assets for a Climate Cure?
*By Kanchi Kohli and Manju Menon
The governance of forests in India has been a complex realm to unravel. Due
to the multiple claims to ownership, jurisdiction and management of forests
through India's modern history, forests have remained a subject of intrigue
for all those trying to understand the complex legalities that have operated
within a single space. It is in this arena that the legal processes for the
diversion of forests for non forest use has been practiced.

The strategies of valuation of and compensation of forest loss are central
to forest regulation in India. They have converted forests into
decontextualised, mobile and tradable commodities between regions. The
present book seeks to explain how this is achieved and look at the
continuity between the domestic regulation on forests and the new
abstractions created by the climate change discourse in the form of REDD and
REDD+. While the models of valuation differ, the effects on the
commodification of forests deepen as greater mobility is created and trading
across countries and continents is made possible through real time climate
mitigation plan and forestry schemes.
For copies please write to: kalpavriksh.delhi@....

TED/YouTube:
*
[image: Giant sunfish.jpg]
*Pacific Ocean Giant Sunfish

*Swimming with the Giant
Sunfish<http://www.ted.com/talks/tierney_thys_swims_with_the_giant_sunfish.html>
*Marine biologist Tierney Thys asks us to step into the water to visit the
world of the Mola mola, or giant ocean sunfish. Basking, eating jellyfish
and getting massages, this behemoth offers clues to life in the open sea.


TRINet DeBunk:

[image: humans.jpg]

*The Uniqueness of Humans <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrCVu25wQ5s>
*Robert Sapolsky, world renowned professor of neurology, neurological
sciences, neurosurgery and biological sciences speaks about the uniqueness
of humans in relation to the rest of the animal world. A few of the topics
he spoke on include aggression, theory of mind, the golden rule and
pleasure.

*50 Hardwired, Irrational Brain Biases <http://www.brainbiases.com/>
*We come into this world with a hidden repertoire of biases that seduce us
into acting irrationally in a variety of common situations. By producing
fast decisions and strong actions, these behaviors were adaptive, enabled us
to survive in a hunter-gatherer environment. Most biases operate outside
conscious awareness. This article is mainly about identifying them. That's
the hard part. But once a bias has been identified, correcting it is
straightforward and mechanical. Each one becomes a point of inquiry.

Having problems reading this email?  Please click
here<http://trinet.in/?q=node/744>
  to view online version.
*
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*
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Make SC’s order public on Andaman’s ATR Convoy cut: BJP
http://www.andamansheekha.com/

Port Blair, Sept 30: Hitting back on Andaman and Nicobar
Administration’s move to decrease the number of Convoys in Andaman Trunk
Road, from eight to four, the Bharatiya Janta Party today demanded to
make Supreme Court’s order regarding ATR Convoy public.

Andaman Trunk Road, the lone highway of Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
connects Port Blair with North Andaman region. Movement on ATR, which
cuts through Jarawa Reserve Forest, was restricted to only eight convoys
after 2002’s Supreme Court Judgement.

           Later this month the Administration restricted convoys on 340
km long highway, to only four from eight so that interference to Jarawa
Tribal life is minimised.

           “When there were eight convoys then also there had been acute
rush of vehicles especially at Middle Strait and Gandhi Ghat Jetty
areas. Private and government four wheelers had to wait for its turn for
more than an hour while the goods trucks etc had to wait for 6 to 8
hours and as such cutting short of the number of convoys has become a
serious problem for the general public, vehicle owners and especially
for the patients,” Mr. Vishal Jolly the Vice President of Bharatiya
Janta Part’s A & N Unit said in a press release today.

           Since the Administration had stated in its official release
that the number of convoys have been decreased as per the verdict of the
Supreme Court of India, Mr. Jolly has demanded to make the copies of the
order public.

5 Sri Lankan Fishermen and Their Boat Rescued
http://www.andamansheekha.com/

Port Blair, Sept 30: A drifting Sri Lankan fishing boat "M. V. Prasansa
Daughter" and 5 Sri Lankan fishermen in a boat were rescued by a police
team lead by SI K. P. Abdul Gafoor of Police Station Hut Bay.

          On 26/9/2011 at about 9:35 PM, an information was received from
Out Post Dougong Creek (Little Andaman) about a drifting foreign fishing
boat near Bumilla Creek off the Western Coast of Little Andaman and out
of 5 crew members on board, two of them were brought to Out Post Dougong
Creek by a fishing dinghy of local fishermen. On receipt of above
information a police team of PS Hut Bay was formed and they left Hut Bay
by Police interceptor boat M. V. T3haskar Ghosh'. Though the weather
conditions were quite unfavourable, but despite the rough sea, the
Police Party headed by SI K. P. Abdul Gafoor and the boat Master SI
Abdul Lathif advanced to the location on the same day at 10:05 PM.

          At about 0015 hours the Police Fast Interceptor boat reached
near Dougong Creek and after collecting necessary information, they
moved further in search of the drifting fishing boat. At about 0230
hours the fishing boat of Sri Lankan fishermen was located at the open
sea of west coast of Little Andaman. The Police party boarded the boat
and found 3 Sri Lankan fishermen to be emaciated and starved. The
drifting boat and all the three Sri Lankan fishermen were brought to Hut
Bay by towing. A preliminary enquiry revealed that these fishermen left
for fishing by their boat in the "M. V. Prasansa Daughter" on 18/8/2011
from their country. Later on the engine developed some major defects and
their boat started drifting in the open sea. They were given medical aid
at Hut Bay and thereafter brought to Port Blair.

Andaman: India's eastern buffer
NDTV.com
  From being regarded as India's distant outpost to the possibility of being
treated as the country's springboard for forays into south-east Asia,
Andaman and Nicobar islands have travelled a great distance in these past
60 years but India's only ...
<http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/ndtv-special-\
ndtv-24x7/andaman-indias-eastern-buffer/212457&ct=ga&cad=CAcQAhgAIAAoATAAOABAwNS\
c9ARIAVAAWABiAmVu&cd=U2EM3J7EhkE&usg=AFQjCNElUBdmGljU3qIoYQm1QEIK37GHSQ>

Dear Mr  Narayanan 

If this causes a lot of personal relief to you, Mr  Narayanan, I fear  this
would certainly cause a terrifying  nightmare to lakhs of settlers who coexist
 in AN island today with the indigenous people .

 Professor Mukherjee 's concern is understandable  but remember Islands ,
though separated by sea ,are integral part of India. It shares Indian burden of
 hope and despair  as well . If settlers are there it is because of historical
reasons. You welcome them once because you needed them and  you want to kick
them out when  they are redundant .Is that a solution?

 Can professor Mukherjee  air the same degree of his  fantasies about the
Sunderbans , which again is strategically, politically  as well as
environmentally so sensitive?

Sunderbans eco system today  is overcrowded by settlers from east bengal who
are obviously living there out of their own will .  The unique mangrove forests
are threatened due to demographic  pressure. 

Can we just ask settlers to  quit Sunderbans because it is home for dwindling
number of tigers and it has been causing  decay of its unique eco system? 

Professor Mukherjee's slogan , if he applies the same logic, would read like
this  : "Sunderbans belong to Royal Bengal Tigers, settlers quit". Doesnt the
logic sound skewd , however perfect  it may be academically?.

Let us not overlook the macro picture. Immigration is a global issue, migration
of people cannot just be wished away . Government of India of course has not
been blind to the issues confronting the island .We got to look for solutions
from within and one of the  major   problems is how we often  get drowned in
a micro issue , plunge in esoteric ideas  forgetting  how difficult would it
be to implement them .best regds tapas




________________________________
From: shankar narayanan <shankar_blume@...>
To: andamanicobar@...
Sent: Friday, 30 September 2011 3:22 AM
Subject: AW: [andamanicobar] Settlers Abandon the Islands:,The Islands Belong to
Tribals: Prof Banerjee


 
after reading the other mail , it was a relief to read this . i hope the 'light
of the andaman' are not upset about my previous commentshankar

--- Pankaj Sekhsaria <psekhsaria@...> schrieb am Di, 27.9.2011:

Von: Pankaj Sekhsaria <psekhsaria@...>
Betreff: [andamanicobar] Settlers Abandon the Islands:,The Islands Belong to
Tribals: Prof Banerjee
An: andamanICOBAR@...
Datum: Dienstag, 27. September, 2011 15:20 Uhr

 

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS

VOL. 35 | ISSUE. 13 | FRIDAY | 23 SEPTEMBER 2011 |

Settlers Abandon the Islands:

The Islands Belong to Tribals: Prof Banerjee

http://lightofandaman.com/news5.asp

Prof S Mukherjee, University of Kolkata without inhibitions spoke his

mind while presenting a paper on Political Autonomy, Development and

National Security; Some Reflections on the Archipelago. On the sidelines

of the two-day seminar, Prof S. Banerjee spoke to the Light of Andamans

What's your opinion about the seminar and the topic?

The main issue that we all are dodging is our role in these Islands.

Before we think or plan about the Islands, It should be clear that the

original inhabitants of these Islands are the indigenous tribes. All

others are settlers. We cannot decide the fate of these Islands.



What do you suggest?

The settlers must abandon these Islands and the tribes should be left to

themselves. The Islands should be made a trust territory under United

Nations. We have no right to be here. We need to atone for the

historical mistake.

Why should the settlers leave the Islands?

The world's great genocides were carried out against the indigenous

tribes of Africa, North America and Australia. The same thing has

happened here. British were the first colonial power, who occupied the

territory, which belonged to the tribals. They made a mistake. And,

after independence, we should have left the Islands. We continued the

mistake and now its time, we do penance. I am talking about justice. How

can justice be delivered, when we are illegaly occupying their land.

Look at the plight of the tribes. We are all colonisers here.

What do you think about autonomy for the Islands?

Whose autonomy are we talking about - settlers autonomy or tribals

autonomy? Why are we discussing the strategic importance of these

Islands? Whose development are we talking about? The Indian nation state

has made a huge mistake. Andaman and Nicobar Islands does not belong to

India literally. Technically and legally, it may belong to India. But,

the real owners of these Islands are the tribes.

Is this a practical solution? Do you know that the Administration and

GOI is thinking about peaceful co-existence of indigenous tribes and the

settler population?

Practical or not. Controversial or not. This is the fact and I don't

think we have any right over their land. Leave the Islands to UN and

come and see the lives of the tribes after 100 years.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Kalaikunda fighters in charge of Andaman and Nicobar Islands defences
Jayanta GuptaJayanta Gupta, TNN | Oct 3, 2011, 06.22AM IST

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kalaikunda-fighters-in-charge-of-Andama\
n-and-Nicobar-Islands-defences/articleshow/10214082.cms
KALAIKUNDA: The air base at Kalaikunda will now play an extremely
crucial role in the country's defences.

Aircraft based here will be involved in air defence over the strategic
Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Bay of Bengal. The tri-services
command at the A&N Islands will be in charge of the squadrons of Su-30
MKIs and other advanced aircraft based at Kalaikunda for this specific
purpose. This decision was taken when plans for basing Sukhois in the
Andamans got scuttled after the 2004 tsunami in which the IAF lost
assets. "Till now, Kalaikunda - while performing several other duties -
has been a bridge with the Andamans. The role of the base will grow and
aircraft based here will play a vital role in patrolling the skies over
the Andamans and the Bay of Bengal. Kalaikunda will play several roles
that include air defence, training and building better co-operation in
the region for a possible Nato-like alliance with India playing the
pivotal role," an official said.

The Kalaikunda airbase is nestled among forests of Sal in the Maoist
badlands of West Midnapore. Set up by the Americans for its
Superfortress bombers operating during the Burma campaign, the facility
has grown steadily in importance over the years. "A large area falls
within the responsibility of this base. There are several bases in the
northeast but along the eastern coast, the closest one is in Chennai. It
is our job to handle the defences along the coast and the Bay of Bengal
region. We play host to several foreign air forces interested in joint
exercises with the IAF," the official added.

"This is a very compact base built in classical American style. The
Americans used to operate flights from Kalaikunda, Dudhkundi and Salua.
Today, we have a radar station at Salua and Dudhkundi has been converted
into an air-to-ground firing range. Over the years, Kalaikunda has
developed into a major location for international air exercises. Soon,
we shall have the Republic of Singapore Air Force visiting Kalaikunda.
The base is close to Bay of Bengal where air-to-air firing can take
place," says Air Commodore R Radhish, AOC, Air Force Station, Kalaikunda.

But Kalaikunda goes well beyond an exercise hub. Apart from the MiG-27
ground attack aircraft and MiG-21 Fn fighters of the OCU, squadrons of
Su-30 MKIs and other advanced varieties from the IAF's fleet call on
Kalaikunda on a regular basis. A squadron of Su-30 MKIs is now at the base.

Over the last few years, Delhi has started to realize that China is as
great a threat as Pakistan and there has been a rush to upgrade
facilities in the eastern and northeastern sector. Fighters from
Kalaikunda can fly to the Andamans and beyond for longrange patrols.
Unlike older aircraft, the Su-30 MKIs can fly at very slow speeds
(nearly that of a helicopter) and carry out surveillance before zooming
away at twice the speed of sound.

"In case of some mischief by our northern neighbour, this is the place
where our defences can fall back to. Also this base is playing a crucial
role in developing regional cooperation. There may come a time when a
Nato-like organization develops here with India playing the role of the
US. If this happens, our assets would no longer have to be on their toes
for 365 days a year. Pilots of the Nato countries have to be on active
duty for only 90 days at a stretch," an IAF official said.

for information...
pankaj


From: SNM <sahyadricpn@...>

*                             Workshop on Marine Turtle Conservation
                                    Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra, Chiplun
*
*Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra*, in association with *TAG (Turtle Action Group)*,
announces the *Marine Turtle Conservation Workshop* to be held on the *15th
and 16th of October, 2011 at Velas, Ratnagiri*. The workshop will focus on
training interested individuals in scientific methods on marine turtle
conservation. Later, the participants can opt to volunteer on SNMÂ’s project
‘Marine Turtle Conservation through Community Participation.’

The workshop will begin with a beach patrol session at 9pm on 15th October
at Velas. Scientific methodologies, studies on marine turtles, threats and
conservation initiatives are some of the topics slated for 16th October. The
workshop will end by 4pm on 16th October.

Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra is regularly contacted by people eager to work for
nature conservation. The organization has now instituted a Volunteer
Programme for such individuals. Through this Programme, volunteers will get
an opportunity to participate in the numerous field conservation and
awareness activities conducted by SNM.
Cost of the workshop: Rs. 250.

*Accommodation:* Will be provided by members of the Kasav Mitra Mandal at
Velas village itself. Participants will have to pay for their lodging and
food.

*Last date for registration: 10th October, 2011
*
*How to register:
*Fill up the Registration form and send it with fees before 10th October,
2011.
Email id: snmcpn@...
Address: 11, United Park, Markandi,
                  Chiplun, Dist. Ratnagiri- 415605.
Contact number: 02355-253030
Mode of Payment: You may remit your contribution by way of Cheques/DD's or
Credit directly to our following account.

Name of account: Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra, Chiplun
1.      Name of Bank : Bank of India, Chiplun
              Account Number: 141110110000077
2.      Name of Bank : Bank of Maharashtra, Chiplun
              Account Number: 20061344941
Please inform us immediately after you credit the amount.

For more details, visit www.snmcpn.org

   --
Bhau Katdare,
Secretary,
Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra.
11, United Park, Markandi,
Chiplun-415605. Dist: Ratnagiri.
Phone: 02355-253030.
Website: www.snmcpn.org

Hi,
The idea that the "settlers" should abandon the islands is not merely
controversial and impractical; it is stupid and arrogant.

How do we define who settlers? What is the cut-off time? And who decides that?
How does someone decide something "illegal"? May we please know under which law
is this illegal?

The notion of "original inhabitants" is tenuous, ambiguous and useless.
Extrapolating it, humans have to vacate every single territory and retreat to
Central Africa.

Agreed, sensitive, critical and vulnerable ecosystems need to be conserved. If
demographic pressure is a cause, a proper way would be to evolve policies to
encourage people there to migrate to other population centres, provided their
livelihood in their adopted home will be better than what they are leaving
behind.

Such utterances provide comic relief, at best.

Regards,
Mahadevan

If the A&N islands are a part of the Indian union then any citizen of India
can settle. No one can object to that or even make such a suggestion. The
only thing to do is to ensure that the primitive tribes are not disturbed.
Their habitats are not devoured by "developers"; their fishing or hunting
grounds are not usurped by prospectors and so on. Let us leave the tribals
the world's most primitive people [and I'm proud to say a national heritage]
alone. But that does not mean that we put them in cages and not let modern
man [Indians from the mainland] settle in these islands.



SAMEER BANERJEE



   _____

From: andamanicobar@...
[mailto:andamanicobar@...] On Behalf Of tsmn79
Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2011 11:57 PM
To: andamanicobar@...
Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] Settlers Abandon the Islands:,The Islands
Belongto Tribals: Prof Banerjee





Hi,
The idea that the "settlers" should abandon the islands is not merely
controversial and impractical; it is stupid and arrogant.

How do we define who settlers? What is the cut-off time? And who decides
that? How does someone decide something "illegal"? May we please know under
which law is this illegal?

The notion of "original inhabitants" is tenuous, ambiguous and useless.
Extrapolating it, humans have to vacate every single territory and retreat
to Central Africa.

Agreed, sensitive, critical and vulnerable ecosystems need to be conserved.
If demographic pressure is a cause, a proper way would be to evolve policies
to encourage people there to migrate to other population centres, provided
their livelihood in their adopted home will be better than what they are
leaving behind.

Such utterances provide comic relief, at best.

Regards,
Mahadevan





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

_____



Since the A&N islands are a part of the Indian union then any citizen of
India can settle there.  No one can object to that or even make such a
suggestion. The only thing one ought to do is to ensure that the primitive
tribes are not disturbed by the "civilised" society. The Govt and the
"civilised" society must ensure that their habitats are not devoured by
"developers"; their fishing waters or hunting grounds are not usurped by
prospectors and so on. Let us leave the tribals the world's most primitive
people [and I'm proud to say a national heritage] alone. But that does not
mean that we put them in cages and not let modern man [Indians from the
mainland] settle in these islands.

SAMEER BANERJEE

_____

From: andamanicobar@...
<mailto:andamanicobar%40yahoogroups.co.in>
[mailto:andamanicobar@...
<mailto:andamanicobar%40yahoogroups.co.in> ] On Behalf Of tsmn79
Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2011 11:57 PM
To: andamanicobar@...
<mailto:andamanicobar%40yahoogroups.co.in>
Subject: Re: [andamanicobar] Settlers Abandon the Islands:,The Islands
Belongto Tribals: Prof Banerjee

Hi,
The idea that the "settlers" should abandon the islands is not merely
controversial and impractical; it is stupid and arrogant.

How do we define who settlers? What is the cut-off time? And who decides
that? How does someone decide something "illegal"? May we please know under
which law is this illegal?

The notion of "original inhabitants" is tenuous, ambiguous and useless.
Extrapolating it, humans have to vacate every single territory and retreat
to Central Africa.

Agreed, sensitive, critical and vulnerable ecosystems need to be conserved.
If demographic pressure is a cause, a proper way would be to evolve policies
to encourage people there to migrate to other population centres, provided
their livelihood in their adopted home will be better than what they are
leaving behind.

Such utterances provide comic relief, at best.

Regards,
Mahadevan

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Andaman and Nicobar Celebrates 11th Raising Day
PTI | Port Blair | Oct 08, 2011
			 http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?737611
Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), the country's first integrated
theatre command, today celebrated its 11th Raising Day.

On this occasion, the unified command comprising the Army, Navy, Air
Force and Coast Guard conducted a ceremonial parade reviewed by
Commander-in-Chief Lt Gen N C Marwah.

Aircraft of the command -- Chetaks, Mi8s and Dorniers -- undertook
fly-past during the parade held at the Naval Wharf Haddo.

In his message, Lieutenant Governor Bhopinder Singh said the ANC played
a significant role in providing relief to affected people during the
Tsumami in 2004.

The command also contributed to the development of the Islands which
were no longer seen as distant outposts but as vital gateways to the
East, Singh said.

The ANC, which operates directly under the Chiefs of Staff Committee
(COSC), was commissioned on October 8, 2001.

Its duties include safeguarding the Island as well as the national
maritime boundaries and air space, search and rescue at the sea and
anti-poaching operations.

FEATURED STORY

       MAP's Ecological Mangrove Restoration is one of the ten winning solutions
in the Savannah Ocean Exchange 2011

       MAP was chosen as one of the ten finalists from among hundreds of
submitted solutions that were sent to the Savannah Ocean Exchange's premier
international competition that took place from Sept. 7-9 in Savannah, Georgia.
MAP's executive director Alfredo Quarto represented MAP there at the
competition, presenting on the benefits of restoring mangroves using the
Ecological Mangrove Restoration (EMR) approach being perfected by MAP's chief
technical advisor Robin Lewis working with MAP staff. During the competition
each of the ten finalists presented their winning solutions, but only one could
be chosen by the hundred + judges attending the competition to receive the top
award of $100,000. Though MAP was not selected for this award, we did make some
important contacts and may reap the extended benefits from these over the years
to come. There were many congratulatory exchanges between Quarto and those 300
or so guests attending this unusual event, many expressing interest in future
project work with MAP. SEE OUR VIDEO READ MORE

       AFRICA

       Rising Seas Gnawing at West Africa's Coastline

       IVORY COAST - Sea levels on the coasts of Côte d'Ivoire and other West
African countries have risen again this year, devastating houses and other
infrastructure. The search for effective solutions is lagging behind
accelerating coastal erosion. For several years now, the third quarter of each
year has brought extraordinarily high sea levels in the Gulf of Guinea. In the
Ivorian economic capital, Abidjan, a number of houses were destroyed and dozens
of families made homeless in late August. The challenge is not limited to urban
areas: not far from Abidjan, the artisanal fishing community at Grand-Bassam has
lost valuable equipment, crippling livelihoods. READ MORE


       Kenya bets on Lamu port despite worries
       KENYA - Kenya's ambitions to build a world-class port in its southern Lamu
region would have a big payoff but also inflict irrevocable damage on the area's
image as a tourist paradise and on the livelihoods of its fishermen. The $23
billion project, which includes a $5.3 billion port, will link Lamu to Ethiopia
and newly independent oil-rich South Sudan, bringing investment and much-needed
jobs to the region. A railway, pipeline, highway, airport and refinery would
follow. According to a master plan, an estimated 500,000 barrels per day of
crude oil will need to piped out of South Sudan to Lamu. Financing for the
massive project is uncertain and observers also question whether the government
has thought through the many other obstacles -- from the effect on local
industry to concerns the shipping activity will attract pirates from
neighbouring Somalia. Enviromentalists say the multi-billion port at Manda Bay,
which juts out into the Indian Ocean towards the islands of Lamu, Manda and
Pate, will destroy delicate marine life and choke coral reefs and mangroves.
READ MORE

       Blue revolution for Nigeria
       NIGERIA- Worldwide, half the fish consumed by humans are now produced by
harvesting the sea. It is the fastest-growing form of food production in the
world promising a "Blue Revolution" based upon greater productivity of the sea
than that of land. Unclear climate change patterns threaten the promise of
terrestrial agriculture advances to sustain a growing Nigerian population.
Africaspends over $50 billion annually on food imports and food prices
skyrocketing, food security is becoming a matter of national security for the
continent. With food security a top priority, the development of a sustainable
marine aquaculture industry would help reduce Nigeriaimporting much of what it
can produce at home. Furthermore, foreigners are buying African land to overcome
the twin deficits of food and water in their native lands. Over 30 million
hectares of African land are in foreign hands and the competition for
traditional terrestrial farmland ownership will further threaten food security.
READ MORE

       ASIA

       "MangroveWatch comes to Thailand"

       The first MangroveWatch (MW) workshop outside Australia was held in Krabi,
Thailand Sept.5-7 and MAP-Asia acted as the host and local organizer. Trainers
Dr. Norm Duke and Jock Mackenzie of MangroveWatch based at James Cook University
in Australia were the guest trainers who explained and demonstrated how MW
works. The workshop brought together 35 researchers, NGO's members, community
representatives and government officers in one forum as a MW Hub would involve
all these stakeholders. MW uses video, a still digital camera, a
       GPS and local knowledge to monitor the coastal edge of mangroves. The
video footage shot from a boat is analyzed using a standardized methodology by
scientists who feedback the interpretation of the data back to the local
communities and government in the form of report cards. READ MORE
       READ JIM'S LETTER TO PARTICIPANTS

       Farmers asked to stop breeding shrimp to stop disease

       VIETNAM- Authorities in Vietnam's Mekongdelta provinces of Tien Giang and
Ben Tre are requesting that shrimp farmers pause the breeding of baby shrimps to
stop any incidences of disease. Trinh Ngoc Minh, deputy head of the Department
of Agriculture and Rural Development in Tien Giang, believes that delaying the
breeding of a new school of shrimps will slash the chances of any spread of
disease. Tien Giang's People's Committee is targeting organisations and farmers
that raise white-legged and tiger shrimps. Authorities want farmers to stop
putting baby shrimps into breeding tanks to allow time to clean the tanks and
kill any viruses before the upcoming harvest that will run from 1 October 2011to
15 January 2012. The farmers in districts Go Cong Dong and Tan Phu Dong of Tien
Giang province breed shrimp across 1,200 ha of farmland and bring in lofty
profits. Regardless, the government does not want farmers to open additional
farms, SGGP reports. READ MORE

       NORTH AMERICA

       MAP's Curriculum Continues to Spread the Word
       MAP's Marvellous Mangroves curriculum - geared primarily towards teaching
primary school students about mangroves through their teachers - continues its
relentless march across the world! This year MAP's global education director,
Martin Keeley, has led teacher workshops in Guanaja, Honduras, San Andres
Island, Colombia, and Cartagena, Colombia, and is currently working with NGOs
and government agencies to introduce the program into China, the Dutch Antilles
and Belize over the coming year. Presentations on the program - which ties
mangrove education into the formal education process - have also been made at
three Ramsar conferences. The first was in Huatulco, Mexico, as part of Ramsar's
40th Anniversary celebrations on World Wetlands Day (February 2). The second and
third were in Guayaquil, Ecuador in June and Bonaire in July at new initiatives
organized by Ramsar for their Latin American and Caribbean regions. READ MORE

       New Net Pen Aquaculture Proposed on Strait near Twin & Lyre Rivers
       Pacific Seafood has proposed a sea cage operations on the Strait of Juan
de Fuca 20 miles west of Port Angeles. The site is proposed to produce up to
5000 lbs of Steelhead or Atlantic Salmon. The site, between the Lyre and the
Twin rivers, will take up 180 acres of sea space, The spot is two miles west of
the Twin and 3 miles east of the Lyre. The cages will be anchored between 50 and
150 feet deep, in open exposed waters. An alternative site is in the lee of
Pillar Point, 8 miles west. The plan at present calls for up to 1.7 Million fish
(depending on species) to be caged at the site. It is unclear where this
proposal sits with the county. It appears to be a new proposal. The timing, as
the county prepares it's SMP, is interesting, to say the least. The ability of
this site to create a problem with sea lice is pointed out in the company's
documentation, but dismissed as being easy to fix with freshwater. READ MORE

       The Nature Conservancy Applauds Senate Committee for Approving Gulf
Restoration Act
       USA- The Nature Conservancy praised the Senate Environment and Public
Works (EPW) Committee for approving legislation recently to restore a healthy
and resilient Gulf of Mexicocoast. Co-sponsored by Senators from every Gulf
state, the RESTORE the Gulf Coast States Act (S. 1400) will ensure that fines
from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are dedicated to restoring the communities,
environment and economy of the Gulf of Mexico. READ MORE

       Hawaii Government Approves Destruction of Rare Bird and Endangered Bat
Habitat: Public Shut Out

       USA- Rare, Black-Crowned Night Herons, estimated at about 400 individuals
throughout the state, are about to become even more rare as an entire rookery is
destroyed. Also threatened are endangered Hawaiian hoary bats. The cause of the
problem? Is it invasive feral cats? Invasive rats? Invasive mongoose? No. It's
an Invasive Species Committee. A permit was recently issued to allow the
eradication of mangrove trees and pickleweed on the North Kona coastline of
Hawaii Island, near Honokohau Harbor, the last mangrove wetland ecosystem on the
island. Want to comment on this? You can't. Your rights have been denied you.
This eradication has been exempted by the DLNR and Countyof Hawaii from
requiring an environmental assessment, or EA. READ MORE

       Biodiversity Critical for Maintaining Multiple 'Ecosystem Services'
       CANADA- As biodiversity declines worldwide, there is concern that this
will lead to declines in the services that ecosystems provide for people, such
as food production, carbon storage, and water purification. But until now it has
been unclear, whether just a few or in fact a large number of the species in an
ecosystem are needed to provide ecosystem services. By combining data from 17 of
the largest and longest-running biodiversity experiments, scientists from
universities across North Americaand Europehave found that previous studies have
underestimated the importance of biodiversity for maintaining multiple ecosystem
services across many years and places. "Most previous studies considered only
the number of species needed to provide one service under one set of
environmental conditions," says Prof. Michel Loreau from McGillUniversity's
biology department who supervised the study. READ MORE

       SOUTH AMERICA

       International Day of Struggle against Tree Plantations
       URUGUAY- On September 21st, International Day of Struggle against Tree
Plantations, the WRM delivered a letter to the FAO signed by hundreds of
scientists and professionals in different fields related to the study of nature
where they express their disagreement with the FAO definition of "forest". In
the letter the scientists calls on the organization to initiate a process for
the review of such definition. The letter with the sign-ons can be accessed
here. As part of the actions, a video has been launched titled "Forests, much
more than a lot of trees" gathering testimonies of forest people around the
world who tell what the forest means to them. We are also launching a new
briefing. "The definition of forest" gives our arguments of why we must continue
to challenge FAO regarding the way this publicly funded agency currently defines
"forest" and explains how this definition leads to constant negative impacts on
the lives of many communities around the world and weakens their struggles to
live with dignity. The briefing, the video and the final list of signatures are
available on our website. On the International Day of Struggle against Tree
Plantations let's resist the expansion of monoculture tree plantations, let's
define the forest by its true meaning. READ MORE

       LAST WORD

       BAD company and a BAD plan
       A huge Oregon-based seafood company, Pacific Seafood, has a plan to put
acres of fish pens,[Atlantic salmon and trout], in the Strait just west of [Port
Angeles, Washington,] between the Lyre River and Twin Rivers. This is a BAD
company and a BAD plan...and these pens would be right in OUR whales' feeding
area. It's terrible for the wild salmon, for the environment, for the poor
penned fish, sets a terrible precedent for fish farms in the Strait...This
company just last month had 117,000 genetically altered and sterilized trout get
out of their pens in the Columbia River. They've been sued by coastal fishermen
for price-fixing and eliminating competition. Once the operations are in it's
hard to get them out. Fed. gov. is encouraging fish farms, so this will be a
bitter battle.
       Submited via email from pcpwhale @ gmail.com

       ~ If you'd like to have the last word on this or any other mangrove
related topic, please send us your submission for upcoming newsletters. We'll
choose one per issue to have "the last word". While we can't promise to publish
everyone's letter, we do encourage anyone to post comments on our Blog at www.
mangroveactionproject.blogspot.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------

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       Please cut and paste these news alerts/ action alerts on to your own lists
and contacts. Help us spread the word and further generate letters of concern,
as this can make a big difference in helping to halt a wrongdoing or encourage
correct action.

       Mangrove Action Project


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----
From: Forest Peoples Programme
To: Madhusree Mukerjee
Sent: Monday, October 10, 2011 7:46 PM
Subject: Forest Peoples Programme E-Newsletter October 2011


Puede leer nuestro boletín de noticias en español
Lisez notre e-newsletter en français

Click here to read the PDF version of this e-newsletter



Dear Friends,


In Africa, Asia and Latin America alike, forest peoples are speaking out against
the continuing violations of their rights imposed by development and
conservation plans that ignore their interests and deny them a voice. They go
beyond resistance, insisting on their own ways of managing their lives, lands
and forests.


In this newsletter, we recount how conflicts over imposed palm and pulpwood
plantations in Riau Province, Sumatra, Indonesia have led to brutal killings by
security forces. This same pattern of land-grabbing without peoples’ consent
is now repeating itself in Africa, where the Bagyeli people of the Cameroon now
find themselves one of many forest peoples losing land to palm oil developers.
Further east in Cameroon, Baka ‘pygmies’ are speaking out against the way
conservation and REDD schemes are taking control of their forests without their
participation. At a major meeting in Manaus in the Brazilian Amazon, indigenous
peoples have just issued a Declaration denouncing the way politicians claiming
environmental, populist, left wing or indigenous credentials are nevertheless
spurring the development of oil and gas, mines and dams on indigenous peoples’
lands without their consent. On the other side of the globe, Nepali indigenous
lawyers appeal to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against
Women to censure the way State policies deny effective indigenous participation
and disadvantage indigenous women. A workshop of NGOs and indigenous activists
in Cameroon notes that legal reforms securing peoples’ rights, especially to
control of their territories, are needed to halt these continuing abuses.


These calls are not unheeded. Two separate new studies by the World Bank and the
Centre for International Forestry Research demonstrate that community-controlled
areas are more effective for conservation than conventional exclusionary
protected areas, while indigenous peoples’ territories are most effective of
all. Responding to the pressure and this kind of evidence, the Global
Environment Facility, belatedly developing its own policy on indigenous peoples,
now needs to adopt measures that ensure its projects effectively secure
indigenous peoples’ rights under international law. Such studies should also
energise the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is holding
two significant meetings to review how it can best ensure countries meet their
commitments regarding sustainable use and indigenous knowledge. Meanwhile the
World Bank is again revising its ‘safeguard’ policies, though the emphasis
needs to be as much on implementation as the standards themselves, as new
internal studies shamefully reveal once again that World Bank staff routinely
fail to apply the policies and procedures they already have designed to protect
indigenous rights.


We dedicate this issue of our newsletter to our dear departed colleague, Ricardo
Carrere, who led the World Rainforest Movement for so many years. Himself a
forester who had worked in plantations in his own country, Uruguay, Ricardo then
dedicated this life to the defence of people’s livelihoods against the
sweeping tide of mono-cultural plantations engulfing the developing world.
Ricardo’s tireless campaigning has helped inspire the work of many, including
ours, in support of alternative development and conservation initiatives based
on respect for forest peoples’ rights.


Marcus Colchester
Director


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Conflict and the Importance of Tenure Reform in Indonesia
Ahmad Zazali (Scale Up, Indonesia)
Scale Up, an Indonesian partner of Forest Peoples Programme, has been monitoring
the evolution of social conflict in Indonesian oil palm plantations over recent
years. Studies on conflict over natural resources in Riau province conducted by
this partner over the last four years have shown a trend towards an increase in
frequency and extent of disputed land each year, with a slight decline in 2010.
Based on Scale Up’s annual report of 2007, 111,745 hectares of land in the
Riau area were subject to conflicting claims to natural resources, an area which
increased to 200,586 hectares in 2008 and to 345,619 hectares in 2009. In 2010,
the disputed land area decreased slightly to 342,571 hectares, compared to 2009.
This was largely due to the fact that a large number of disputed areas and
ensuing conflicts in that year were not identified or documented. Read more



The indigenous peoples of Cameroon: from Ngoyla-Mintom to national recognition
Compared to the 1990s and the start of the 21st century, the question of giving
recognition to the indigenous peoples of Cameroon has, in recent years, become a
central issue, if still in a somewhat tentative way. Indeed, on the 1st and 2nd
of September 2011 in Yaounde, Cameroon, parliament and the government held a
dialogue on indigenous peoples. The meeting brought together members of the
National Assembly (under the umbrella of the Parliamentarians’ Network,
REPAR), representatives of ministries with projects affecting indigenous
peoples, development partners, UN special representatives and a substantial
delegation of indigenous peoples: Baka, Bakola, Bagyeli and Bororo. A new
phenomenon was the willingness to consider what is involved in giving
recognition to indigenous communities, as was demonstrated by the extensive
question and answer sessions between the members of the National Assembly and
the indigenous peoples. Read more



BioPalm plantation will lead to destruction of Bagyeli communities in Cameroon
The government of Cameroon has signed a MoU for the creation of a 200,000 ha
palm oil plantation by BioPalm Energy Ltd (a subsidiary of the Singapore-based
SIVA Group) in Ocean province, Cameroon. This project was launched on Wednesday
24th August 2011 – despite the indigenous Bagyeli people opposing the decision
to allocate their customary lands to the BioPalm plantation. Recent fieldwork by
Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) has found that neither the project nor the state
has secured the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of the Bagyeli, as
required by the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Peoples Rights, which
Cameroon has ratified. Read more



Indigenous leaders propose alternative approaches to forests and climate change,
and discuss Rio+20
Indigenous leaders gathered in Manaus in mid-August for a conference organized
by COICA (Confederation of the Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations of the Amazon
Basin) to discuss traditional knowledge, forests and climate change, as well as
the Rio+20 conference. Their final statement called for the recognition of
Indigenous Peoples’ rights to their territories, respect for the principle of
the ‘full life’ (‘vida plena’) and support for Indigenous approaches to
climate mitigation in forests, (referred to in the statement as “Indigenous
REDD+�). Communities were also advised to be alert to the bad practices of
“carbon cowboys� and avoid entering into any contracts until international
obligations on rights are fully implemented. Read more



Indigenous women raise their voices at CEDAW
In July, the 49th Session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW) met in New York. Indigenous women in Nepal, under the
umbrella of the Nepal Indigenous Women’s Federation (NIWF), attended the
session for the first time to defend and explain the findings that they had
presented to the Committee in their Shadow Report. The report was supported also
by the Lawyer’s Association for the Human Rights of Nepal’s Indigenous
Peoples (LAHURNIP) and by the Forest Peoples Programme, and represented the
first national level, self-researched and written, report on the status of
indigenous women in the newly emerging Nepalese republic. Read more



Peer-reviewed CIFOR and World Bank studies find that community-managed forests
are better for conservation than strict protected areas
Two peer-reviewed studies published recently show that strict conservation is
less effective in reducing deforestation than community forests that are managed
and controlled by Indigenous Peoples and forest-dependent communities within
multiple use systems (e.g. IUCN categories V and VI). One study, by
Porter-Bolland et al. from CIFOR, is a statistical analysis of annual
deforestation rates as reported in 73 case studies conducted in the tropics.
They find that deforestation is significantly lower in community-managed forests
than in strict protected forests. The other study on forest loss undertaken by
the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (authored by Nelson and Chomitz)
finds that some community-managed forests are located in areas with higher
deforestation pressures than strict protected areas. Taking this into account,
they find that community-managed forests are much more effective in reducing
deforestation than strict protected areas (cf. summary table, p9). Where there
is data, they find that forest areas managed and controlled by Indigenous
Peoples are even more effective. Read more



Back on the merry-go-round: the World Bank reviews its Safeguard Standards
Towards the end of 2010 the World Bank announced that it was launching a review
process of eight of its so-called ‘safeguard policies’, those policies which
are intended to establish minimum requirements to minimize or remove the risk of
social and environmental harms being directly caused by World Bank financed
activities (see box in full article) and its policy on the use of country
systems. The review encompasses the policies that are binding on the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the
International Development Agency (IDA), the two institutions that make up the
public lending arms of the ‘World Bank’.  Over the years, the Bank’s
safeguard policies have been successively reviewed and updated. While these
revision processes have resulted in some useful safeguard standards, civil
society organizations and indigenous peoples point to serious remaining gaps and
weaknesses in the Bank’s safeguard framework. They highlight, for example,
that the Bank’s standards and commitments are beginning to lag considerably
behind other financial institutions in areas like resettlement and indigenous
people’ rights, and lack an overall framework for social risk assessment. Read
more



Douala ACRN regional workshop strengthens common vision for securing community
property rights to lands and resources
Hosted by ‘Le Centre pour l’Environnement et le Développement’ (CED), and
co-organised by FPP with partners CED, FERN and ClientEarth, the African
Community Rights Network (ACRN) regional four-day workshop on securing community
rights to forest lands took place from 12-16 September in Douala, Cameroon. The
workshop brought together around 50 representatives from civil society
organisations (CSOs) and communities from seven countries in the Congo basin,
Ghana and Liberia, as well as land tenure expert, Liz Alden Wily. The workshop
was funded by the European Union and the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI).
The workshop culminated in position statements to government, and to civil
society and communities. The statements expressed the conclusions of
participants that the central and urgent issue to be addressed was how community
rights to customary lands and resources could be secured as property rights in
national laws. The statements also set out the means for securing this formal
protection and supporting community governance. This common vision was presented
to officials from Cameroon’s government on the final morning of the workshop
by Silas Siakor, director of the Liberian ‘Sustainable Development
Institute’ (SDI), on behalf of the workshop. Read more



Swedish International Development Agency supports Forest Peoples Programme to
help forest communities impacted by REDD in the Democratic Republic of Congo
In terms of natural resource endowment, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
is one of the wealthiest countries in Africa. However its citizenry are amongst
the poorest in the world. Some of the most impoverished and politically
marginalized people – indigenous and local forest communities - live here.
They mostly rely upon forests and other natural resources to secure their basic
livelihoods through subsistence forest hunting and gathering, and small-scale
agriculture. These forest peoples currently have little or no influence over
national and provincial decisions about how their customary lands will be used
by commercial or conservation groups, whose interests are often in conflict with
forest communities’ needs, priorities and basic human rights.The DRC has
abundant natural resource wealth and extremely high forest biodiversity. Since
the colonial period its forests have come under numerous pressures from
commercial enterprises including logging, mining, petrol exploration and
agro-industry. Many millions of hectares of DRC forests have already been logged
and mined, and many more developments are planned. These include a massive
infrastructure project to link together a country the size of Western Europe,
and behemoth plantations of palm oil and other goods. Read more



GEF Council to adopt revised Environmental and Social Safeguards in November
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) secretariat will propose to the next GEF
Council meeting a revised set of Environmental and Social Safeguard Standards
and accountability mechanisms that will accompany such standards. With the
GEF’s increasing engagement in REDD+ related activities and a long history of
involvement in protected area establishment and management, these standards will
be essential to ensuring that the expansion of GEF delivery partners does not
result in a lowering of standards in GEF-financed projects. Read more



Upcoming Convention on Biological Diversity meetings with issues of relevance to
Indigenous Peoples
Two meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which will deal
with issues of relevance for indigenous peoples are scheduled in Montreal,
Canada, in the first two weeks of November:
- The Seventh meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and
Related Provisions, 31 October - 4 November 2011, (WG8(j)-7), and
- The Fifteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and
Technological Advice, 7 - 11 November 2011 (SBSTTA 15).
Read more


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


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E-Boletín FPP Octubre 2011 (versión PDF) - Clic Aquí

Estimados amigos:

Tanto en �frica, como en Asia y en Latinoamérica los pueblos de los bosques
están alzando su voz contra las continuas violaciones de sus derechos impuestas
por planes de desarrollo y conservación que hacen caso omiso de sus intereses y
les niegan su derecho a opinar. Estos pueblos van más allá de la resistencia,
insistiendo en sus propias formas de manejar sus vidas, sus tierras y sus
bosques.

En este boletín de noticias contamos cómo los conflictos que han surgido en
torno a plantaciones impuestas de palma de aceite y de madera para pasta en la
provincia de Riau de Sumatra, Indonesia, han conducido a brutales asesinatos por
parte de las fuerzas de seguridad. Ahora se está repitiendo este mismo patrón
de apropiación de tierras sin el consentimiento de los pueblos en �frica,
donde el pueblo Bagyeli de Camerún es uno de los muchos pueblos de los bosques
que están perdiendo sus tierras a favor de los promotores de plantaciones de
palma de aceite. Más al este, en Camerún, los «pigmeos» Baka están
protestando contra la forma en que los planes de conservación y de REDD están
tomando  el control de sus bosques sin su participación. En una importante
reunión celebrada en Manaos, en la Amazonia brasileña, los pueblos indígenas
acaban de hacer pública una declaración en la que denuncian la forma en que
políticos que se declaran defensores del medio ambiente, populistas, de
izquierda o defensores de los pueblos indígenas están espoleando sin embargo
el desarrollo de instalaciones petroleras y de gas, de minas y de presas en
tierras de esos pueblos indígenas sin su consentimiento. Al otro lado del mundo
unos abogados indígenas nepalíes han apelado a la Convención sobre la
eliminación de todas las formas de discriminación contra la mujer de la ONU,
que censure la forma en que las políticas estatales niegan a los pueblos
indígenas una participación efectiva y perjudican a las mujeres indígenas. Un
taller dirigido a ONG y activistas indígenas en Camerún puso de relieve que
hacen falta reformas jurídicas que aseguren los derechos de los pueblos,
especialmente su derecho a controlar sus propios territorios, para detener estos
continuos abusos.

Estas peticiones no han sido desoídas. Dos nuevos estudios realizados
independientemente por el Banco Mundial y el Centro para la Investigación
Forestal Internacional demuestran que las áreas controladas por comunidades son
más eficaces para la conservación que las áreas protegidas excluyentes
convencionales, y que los territorios de los pueblos indígenas son los más
eficaces de todos. Respondiendo a la presión y a este tipo de pruebas, el Fondo
para el Medio Ambiente Mundial, que está formulando con retraso su propia
política sobre pueblos indígenas, se ve en la necesidad de tomar medidas que
garanticen que sus proyectos respetan los derechos de los pueblos indígenas
reconocidos en el derecho internacional. Esos dos estudios también deberían
ser considerados por el Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica, que está
celebrando dos importantes reuniones para examinar la mejor forma de garantizar
que los países cumplen sus compromisos relacionados con la utilización
sostenible y los conocimientos indígenas. Mientras tanto el Banco Mundial está
revisando otra vez sus políticas de «salvaguardia», aunque el énfasis
habría que ponerlo no tanto en la implementación como en las propias
políticas, ya que unos nuevos estudios internos revelan una vez más el
vergonzoso hecho de que sistemáticamente el personal del Banco Mundial no
aplica las políticas ni los procedimientos que ya ha diseñado para proteger
los derechos indígenas.

Dedicamos póstumamente este número del boletín electrónico a nuestro querido
compañero Ricardo Carrere, que dirigió el Movimiento Mundial por los Bosques
Tropicales durante muchos años. El propio Ricardo fue un técnico forestal que
trabajó en plantaciones en su propio país, Uruguay, y luego dedicó su vida a
defender los medios de subsistencia de los pueblos frente a la corriente
arrasadora de las plantaciones de monocultivos que está avanzando por todo el
mundo en desarrollo. La incansable campaña de Ricardo ha inspirado la labor de
muchos, incluida la nuestra, en defensa de iniciativas alternativas de
desarrollo y conservación basadas en el respeto de los derechos de los pueblos
de los bosques.

Marcus Colchester
Director


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El conflicto y la importancia de la reforma de la tenencia de la tierra en
Indonesia
Ahmad Zazali (Scale Up, Indonesia)
Scale Up, un socio indonesio del Forest Peoples Programme (Programa para los
Pueblos de los Bosques), ha estado supervisando la evolución del conflicto
social surgido en las plantaciones de palma de aceite indonesias en los últimos
años. Los estudios sobre el conflicto en torno a los recursos naturales en la
provincia de Riau que ha realizado este socio a lo largo de los últimos cuatro
años ha indicado una tendencia al aumento en la frecuencia y la extensión de
las disputas por tierras cada año, con una ligera disminución en 2010. Según
el informe anual que Scale Up publicó en 2007, 111 745 hectáreas de tierra en
la zona de Riau fueron objeto de reclamaciones conflictivas de recursos
naturales, área que ascendió a 200 586 hectáreas en 2008 y a 345 619 en 2009.
En 2010 el área de tierra disputada disminuyó ligeramente en comparación con
la de 2009 a 342 571 hectáreas. La causa principal es el hecho de que un gran
número de áreas disputadas y conflictos consiguientes en ese año no fueron
identificados o documentados. Leer más

Los pueblos indígenas de Camerún: entre Ngoyla-Mintom y el reconocimiento
nacional
En comparación con la situación de los años 90 y principios del 2000, la
cuestión del reconocimiento de los pueblos indígenas del Camerún se ha puesto
verdaderamente al centro de las preocupaciones en estos últimos años, aunque
sea de una manera muy tímida. En efecto, durante el 1 y el 2 de septiembre de
2011 se celebró en Yaundé, Camerún, el diálogo Parlamento-Gobierno sobre los
pueblos indígenas. Asistieron a este encuentro los deputados a la asamblea
general reunidos en el centro de la Red Parlamentaria (REPAR), los
representantes de los ministerios que tienen proyectos que afectan a los pueblos
indígenas, los socios para el desarrollo, las representaciones especializadas
de las Naciones Unidas y, por supuesto, una nutrida delegación de los pueblos
indígenas: Baka, Bakola, Bagyéli y Bororo. La innovación se puso en el
compromiso de cada uno de poner por encima las preocupaciones relacionadas con
la consideración de los derechos de las comunidades arriba mencionadas. Las
administraciones se sometieron al juego de preguntas y respuestas realizadas por
los deputados y los pueblos indígenas. Leer más

Una plantación de BioPalm provocará la destrucción de comunidades Bagyeli en
Camerún
El Gobierno de Camerún ha firmado un memorando de entendimiento para que
BioPalm Energy Ltd (una subsidiaria del grupo SIVA con sede en Singapur) cree
una plantación de palma de aceite de 200 000 hectáreas en la provincia de
Ocean, Camerún. Este proyecto fue lanzado el miércoles 24 de agosto de 2011, a
pesar de que el pueblo indígena Bagyeli se opone a la decisión de asignar sus
tierras consuetudinarias a la plantación de BioPalm. A través de su reciente
trabajo de campo, el Forest Peoples Programme (Programa para los Pueblos de los
Bosques o FPP) ha encontrado que ni el proyecto ni el Estado se han asegurado de
contar con el consentimiento libre, previo e informado de los Bagyeli, como
requiere la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre los derechos de los
pueblos indígenas, que Camerún ha ratificado. Leer más

Varios líderes indígenas proponen enfoques alternativos para los bosques y el
cambio climático, y debaten Río+20
Varios líderes indígenas se reunieron en Manaos a mediados de agosto para
celebrar una cumbre organizada por la COICA (Coordinadora de las Organizaciones
Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica) con el fin de debatir los conocimientos
tradicionales, los bosques y el cambio climático, así como la conferencia
Río+20. En su declaración final pidieron que se reconocieran los derechos de
los pueblos indígenas sobre sus territorios, que se respetara el principio de
la «vida plena» y se apoyaran las propuestas indígenas para la mitigación
del cambio climático en los bosques (denominada «REDD+ indígena» en la
declaración). También advirtieron a las comunidades que estuvieran atentas a
las malas prácticas de los «vaqueros del carbono» y evitaran firmar contratos
hasta que se apliquen plenamente las normas internacionales sobre derechos. Leer
más

Las mujeres indígenas alzaron sus voces en la CEDAW
El 49. º período de sesiones del Comité para la Eliminación de la
Discriminación contra la Mujer (CEDAW por sus siglas en inglés) se celebró en
julio en Nueva York. Las mujeres indígenas de Nepal, representadas por la
Federación de Mujeres Indígenas de Nepal (NIWF), asistieron por primera vez a
estas reuniones para defender y explicar las conclusiones que habían presentado
al Comité en su informe paralelo. Dicho informe también fue respaldado por la
Asociación de Abogados para los Derechos Humanos de los Pueblos Indígenas de
Nepal (LAHURNIP) y por el Forest Peoples Programme (Programa para los Pueblos de
los Bosques), y fue el primer informe de ámbito nacional redactado por las
propias mujeres y basado en una investigación realizada por ellas mismas sobre
la situación de las mujeres indígenas en la recientemente creada república
nepalesa. Leer más

Estudios de CIFOR y el Banco Mundial evaluados por expertos revelan que los
bosques gestionados por comunidades son mejores para la conservación que las
áreas estrictamente protegidas
Dos estudios publicados recientemente y examinados por expertos indican que las
medidas estrictas de conservación son menos eficaces a la hora de reducir la
deforestación que los bosques comunitarios que son gestionados y controlados
por pueblos indígenas y comunidades que dependen de ellos, lo cual se ha podido
apreciar en bosques sometidos a diferentes sistemas de utilización (p. ej. de
las categorías V y VI de la UICN). Uno de esos estudios, realizado por
Porter-Bolland et al. de CIFOR, es un análisis estadístico de las tasas de
deforestación anuales notificadas en estudios de 73 casos de los trópicos. El
análisis revela que la deforestación es considerablemente inferior en bosques
gestionados por comunidades que en bosques estrictamente protegidos. El otro es
un estudio de la pérdida de bosques realizado por el Grupo Independiente de
Evaluación del Banco Mundial (escrito por Nelson y Chomitz) que revela que
algunos bosques gestionados por comunidades están ubicados en zonas sometidas a
mayores presiones de deforestación que las áreas estrictamente protegidas.
Teniendo eso en cuenta, los autores concluyen que los bosques gestionados por
comunidades son mucho más eficaces a la hora de reducir la deforestación que
las áreas estrictamente protegidas (véase la tabla resumida, pág. 9). En los
casos en que hay datos disponibles, los autores han descubierto que las zonas
forestales gestionadas y controladas por pueblos indígenas son aún más
eficaces. Leer más

De vuelta al tiovivo:el Banco Mundial revisa sus políticas de salvaguardia
Hacia finales de 2010 el Banco Mundial anunció que iba a lanzar un proceso de
revisión de ocho de sus denominadas «políticas de salvaguardia», las
políticas que tienen como fin establecer unos requisitos mínimos para reducir
todo lo posible o eliminar el riesgo de que las actividades financiadas por el
Banco Mundial (véase el recuadro de abajo) y su política sobre la utilización
de los sistemas nacionales causen daños sociales y ambientales. La revisión
cubre las políticas que son vinculantes para el Banco Internacional de
Reconstrucción y Fomento (BIRF) y la Asociación Internacional de Fomento
(AIF), las dos entidades de préstamo público del Banco Mundial. A lo largo de
los años, las políticas de salvaguardia del Banco han sido examinadas y
actualizadas varias veces. Si bien estos procesos de revisión han dado lugar a
algunas normas útiles, según las organizaciones de la sociedad civil y los
pueblos indígenas el marco de salvaguardias del Banco sigue teniendo graves
fallos y debilidades. Resaltan, por ejemplo, que las normas y compromisos del
Banco están empezando a quedarse muy por detrás de los de otras instituciones
financieras en áreas como el reasentamiento y los derechos de los pueblos
indígenas, y que el Banco no tiene un marco general para la evaluación de los
riesgos sociales. Leer más

Un taller regional de la ACRN en Douala fortalece una visión común para
garantizar los derechos de propiedad de las comunidades sobre las tierras y los
recursos
Del 12 al 16 de septiembre se realizó en Douala, Camerún, un taller regional
de la African Community Rights Network o ACRN (Red Africana de Derechos
Comunitarios) dedicado a la protección de los derechos de las comunidades sobre
tierras forestales, con el Centre pour l’Environnement et le Développement o
CED (Centro para el Medio Ambiente y el Desarrollo) como anfitrión y organizado
conjuntamente por el FPP y sus socios CED, FERN y ClientEarth. En el taller se
congregaron unos 50 representantes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil y
representantes de comunidades de siete países de la cuenca del Congo, de Ghana
y de Liberia, así como la experta en tenencia de la tierra Liz Alden Wily. El
taller fue financiado por la Unión Europea y la Iniciativa para los Derechos y
los Recursos (RRI por sus siglas en inglés). Leer más

La Agencia Sueca de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo apoya al
Forest Peoples Programme para ayudar a comunidades forestales afectadas por la
REDD en la República Democrática del Congo
En lo que se refiere a la riqueza de los recursos naturales, la República
Democrática del Congo (RDC) es uno de los países más ricos de �frica. Sin
embargo sus ciudadanos se cuentan entre  los más pobres del mundo. Aquí viven
algunas de las comunidades más empobrecidas y políticamente marginalizadas:
comunidades indígenas y forestales locales. Dependen principalmente de los
bosques y otros recursos naturales para asegurar  su forma de vida básica: la
caza y la recolección de subsistencia en los bosques, y la agricultura a
pequeña escala. Actualmente estos pueblos de los bosques tienen muy poca o
ninguna influencia en las decisiones nacionales y provinciales sobre la forma en
que los grupos comerciales o de conservación van a utilizar sus tierras
consuetudinarias, y a menudo los intereses de esos grupos no coinciden con las
necesidades, las prioridades y los derechos humanos básicos de las comunidades
forestales. Leer más

En noviembre, el Consejo del FMAM adoptará salvaguardias ambientales y sociales
revisadas
La secretaría del Fondo para el Medio Ambiente Mundial (FMAM) propondrá al
Consejo del FMAM en su próxima reunión un conjunto revisado de normas para las
salvaguardias ambientales y sociales y de mecanismos de rendición de cuentas
que complementan dichas normas. Con la creciente participación del FMAM en
actividades relacionadas con la REDD+ y su largo historial de intervención en
el establecimiento y la gestión de áreas protegidas, estas normas serán
fundamentales para asegurar que la expansión de los socios del FMAM no lleva a
una relajación de los estándares en los proyectos financiados por el FMAM.
Leer más

Próximas reuniones del Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica con temas
relevantes para los pueblos indígenas
En dos reuniones del Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica (CDB) programadas
para las dos primeras semanas de noviembre en Montreal, Canadá, se abordarán
cuestiones relevantes para los pueblos indígenas:

- la séptima reunión del Grupo de trabajo especial de composición abierta
sobre el artículo 8 j) y disposiciones conexas, 31 de octubre - 4 de noviembre
de 2011, (WG8(j)-7) y

- la decimoquinta reunión del Órgano Subsidiario de Asesoramiento Científico,
Técnico y Tecnológico, 7 – 11 de noviembre de 2011 (OSACTT-15).

Leer más


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El Forest Peoples Programme (Programa para los Pueblos de los Bosques) lleva
veinte uno años apoyando los derechos de los pueblos de los bosques de todo el
mundo. Para hacer una contribución a nuestro trabajo, haga clic aquí.

Esperamos que este número del boletín de noticias del Forest Peoples Programme
haya sido de su agrado. Cualquier comentario o sugerencia serán bienvenidos,
por favor mándelos por correo electrónico a
ForestPeoplesProgramme@...
Si desea suscribirse a este boletín de noticias, solicitar una versión de
texto sin formato o modificar sus datos de contacto, haga clic aquí - Envíe
este boletín de noticias a un amigo haciendo clic aquí - Si ya no desea
recibir este boletín de noticias, haga clic aquí - Para eliminar su dirección
de todas las listas de Forest Peoples Programme, haga clic aquí - Respetamos su
privacidad y no compartiremos sus datos con terceros - Para asegurarse de que
este boletín no va a ser tratado como correo basura, guarde la dirección en su
carpeta de contactos.
Forest Peoples Programme, 1c Fosseway Business Centre, Stratford Road,
Moreton-in-Marsh, GL56 9NQ, Reino Unido
Tel. +44 (0)1608 652893  www.forestpeoples.org/es
N.º de registro de organización benéfica: 1082158  Una sociedad limitada por
garantía (Inglaterra y Gales) registrada con el n.º 3868836


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Veuillez cliquez ici pour le Bulletin d'information FPP Octobre 2011 (version
PDF)

Chers amis,

Que ce soit en Afrique, en Asie ou en Amérique latine, les peuples des forêts
s’élèvent contre les violations continues de leurs droits, imposées par des
projets de développement et de conservation qui ne tiennent aucun compte de
leurs intérêts et ne leur accordent pas la parole. Leur position va au-delà
de la résistance et met l’accent sur leurs propres modes de gestion de leurs
vies, de leurs terres et de leurs forêts.
Dans ce bulletin d’information, nous racontons comment les conflits relatifs
aux plantations de palmier et de bois à pâte qui sont imposées dans la
Province de Riau, à Sumatra en Indonésie, ont mené à de violents assassinats
perpétrés par les forces de sécurité. Ce même mode d’accaparement des
terres, sans le consentement des populations, est en train de se répéter en
Afrique, où le peuple bagyeli du Cameroun fait désormais partie des nombreux
peuples des forêts qui perdent leur terre au profit des promoteurs du secteur
de l'huile de palme. Plus à l'est du Cameroun, les « pygmées » baka
s’élèvent contre la façon dont les projets de conservation et les projets
REDD prennent le contrôle de leurs forêts sans leur participation. Lors
d’une importante réunion qui a récemment eu lieu à Manaus dans l’Amazone
brésilien, les peuples autochtones ont publié une Déclaration dénonçant la
manière dont des politiciens, qui se revendiquent comme écologistes,
populistes, de gauche ou en faveur des autochtones, favorisent en réalité le
développement des industries pétrolière, gazière et minière, et la
construction de barrages sur les terres des peuples autochtones, sans leur
consentement. De l’autre côté de la planète, des juristes autochtones
népalais appellent le Comité des Nations Unies pour l’élimination de la
discrimination à l’égard des femmes à condamner la façon dont les
politiques étatiques empêchent une participation autochtone effective et
défavorisent les femmes autochtones. Un atelier d'ONG et de militants
autochtones au Cameroun souligne que des réformes juridiques visant à garantir
les droits des peuples, en particulier leur droit de contrôler leurs
territoires, sont nécessaires pour mettre un terme à ces violations continues.

Ces appels ne sont pas restés lettre morte. Deux nouvelles études distinctes,
de la Banque mondiale et du Centre de recherche forestière internationale,
démontrent que les zones contrôlées par les communautés sont plus efficaces
en termes de conservation que les zones protégées conventionnelles fondées
sur l'exclusion, et que les territoires des peuples autochtones en particulier
sont les plus efficaces. Face aux pressions et à ce type d'informations, le
Fonds pour l'environnement mondial, qui développe tardivement sa propre
politique en matière de peuples autochtones, doit maintenant adopter des
mesures visant à s’assurer que ses projets protègent effectivement les
droits des peuples autochtones, conformément au droit international. De telles
études devraient également stimuler les travaux de la Convention sur la
diversité biologique, qui tiendra prochainement deux réunions significatives
lors desquelles elle examinera comment elle peut s'assurer au mieux que les pays
respectent leurs engagements en matière d'utilisation durable et de savoirs
traditionnels. Entre-temps, la Banque mondiale revoit encore une fois ses
politiques de « sauvegarde », mais l’accent doit être mis tant sur la mise
en œuvre que sur les normes de sauvegarde elles-mêmes, puisque de nouvelles
études internes révèlent, honteusement, qu’une fois de plus le personnel de
la Banque mondiale n’applique systématiquement pas les politiques et
procédures déjà définies pour protéger les doits autochtones.

Nous dédions cette édition de notre bulletin d’information à un collègue
très cher qui nous a quittés, Ricardo Carrere. Ricardo a dirigé le World
Rainforest Movement pendant de très nombreuses années. Lui-même un forestier
ayant travaillé dans les plantations de son pays, l’Uruguay, Ricardo a
ensuite consacré sa vie à la défense des moyens d’existence des peuples,
contre la vague déferlante des monocultures qui inondait le monde en
développement. L’action inlassable de Ricardo a inspiré le travail de
nombreuses personnes, y compris le nôtre, en faveur d’un développement
alternatif et d’initiatives de conservation fondées sur le respect des droits
des peuples des forêts.
Marcus Colchester
Directeur
Forest Peoples Programme


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Les conflits et l’importance de la réforme foncière en Indonésie
Ahmad Zazali (Scale Up, Indonésie)
Scale Up, un partenaire indonésien du Forest Peoples Programme, a suivi
l’évolution des conflits sociaux dans les plantations de palmier à huile
indonésiennes au cours des dernières années. Les études menées par ce
partenaire sur les conflits relatifs aux ressources naturelles dans la province
de Riau, au cours des quatre dernières années, indiquent une tendance à
l’augmentation annuelle de la fréquence des conflits et de l’étendue des
terres contestées, avec un léger recul en 2010. À en croire le rapport annuel
2007 de Scale Up, 111 745 hectares de terre faisaient l’objet de conflits
relatifs aux ressources naturelles dans la région de Riau. Cette surface
s’est étendue à 200 586 hectares en 2008 et à 345 619 hectares en 2009. En
2010, la surface de terres contestées a légèrement diminué par rapport à
2009, pour s’établir à 342 571 hectares. Cette diminution est due
principalement au fait qu’un grand nombre de zones contestées et de conflits
qui en ont découlé cette année-là n'ont pas été identifiés ou
enregistrés. En savoir plus

Les peuples autochtones du Cameroun : entre Ngoyla-Mintom et la reconnaissance
nationale
Comparée à la situation des années 1990 et l’aube des années 2000, la
question de prise en compte des peuples autochtones du Cameroun est
véritablement mise au centre des préoccupations ces dernières années, quoi
que ce soit encore de façon timide. En effet les 1 et 2 septembre 2011 vient de
se tenir à Yaoundé au Cameroun, le dialogue Parlement-gouvernement sur les
peuples autochtones. La rencontre a regroupé les députés de l’assemblée
nationale réunis au sein du réseau des parlementaires (REPAR), les
représentants des ministères ayant des projets touchant les peuples
autochtones, les partenaires au développement, les représentations
spécialisées de l’ONU et bien entendu une forte délégation des peuples
autochtones : Baka, Bakola, Bagyéli et les Bororo. L’innovation s’est
ressentie sur l’engagement des uns et des autres à porter plus haut les
préoccupations inhérentes à la prise en compte des droits des communautés
ci-dessus mentionnées. Les administrations se sont pliées au jeu de questions
réponses posés par les députés et les autochtones. En savoir plus

La plantation de BioPalm mènera à la destruction des communautés Bagyéli au
Cameroun
Le gouvernement du Cameroun a signé un Protocole d’accord pour la création
d'une plantation de palmier à huile de 200’000 hectares par BioPalm Energy
Ltd (une filiale de SIVA Group, basé à Singapour) dans le département
d’Océan, au Cameroun. Ce projet a été lancé mercredi 24 août 2011,
malgré l’opposition du peuple autochtone bagyéli à la décision
d’affecter ses terres coutumières à la plantation de BioPalm. Un récent
travail de terrain du Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) a montré que ni le projet
ni l’État n'ont garanti le consentement libre, préalable et éclairé (FPIC)
des Bagyéli, tel que requis par la Déclaration des Nations Unies sur les
droits des peuples autochtones, que le Cameroun a ratifié. En savoir plus

Les représentants autochtones proposent des approches alternatives pour les
forêts et les changements climatiques, et discutent de Rio+20
Les représentants autochtones se sont réunis à Manaus à la mi-août, à
l'occasion d'une conférence organisée par la COICA (Confédération des
organisations des peuples autochtones du Bassin de l’Amazone), afin de
discuter des savoirs traditionnels, des forêts et des changements climatiques,
ainsi que de la conférence Rio+20. Leur déclaration finale appelait à la
reconnaissance des droits des peuples autochtones à leurs territoires, au
respect pour le principe de la « vie pleine » (« vida plena »)et à un
soutien en faveur des approches autochtones à l'atténuation des changements
climatiques pour les forêts, (la déclaration fait référence à une « REDD+
autochtone »). Il a également été recommandé aux communautés de rester
vigilantes quant aux mauvaises pratiques des « cowboys du carbone » et
d’éviter de stipuler tout contrat tant que les obligations internationales
relatives aux droits n’auront pas été mises pleinement en œuvre. En savoir
plus

Les femmes autochtones font entendre leurs voix auprès du CEDAW
En juillet dernier, la 49e session du Comité pour l’élimination de la
discrimination à l’égard des femmes (CEDAW) s’est tenue à New York. Les
femmes autochtones du Népal, sous l’égide de la Fédération des femmes
autochtones du Népal (NIWF), ont participé pour la première fois à cette
session afin de défendre et d’expliquer les résultats présentés au Comité
dans leur rapport alternatif.  Le rapport était également soutenu par la
Lawyer’s Association for the Human Rights of Nepal’s Indigenous
Peoples(LAHURNIP) et par le Forest Peoples Programme, et constituait le premier
rapport national fondé sur des recherches et une élaboration autonomes
concernant le statut des femmes autochtones dans la nouvelle république
émergente du Népal. En savoir plus

Des études du CIFOR et de la Banque mondiale (évaluées par les pairs)
constatent que les forêts gérées par les communautés bénéficient plus à
la conservation que des aires protégées strictes
Deux études, récemment publiées et évaluées par les pairs, indiquent que la
conservation stricte est moins efficace pour réduire la déforestation que les
forêts communautaires gérées et contrôlées par les peuples autochtones et
les communautés tributaires des forêts avec de utilisations multiples (par ex.
catégories V et VI de l’UICN).

L’étude de Porter-Bolland et al. du CIFOR est une analyse statistique des
taux de déforestation annuels reportés dans 73 études de cas menées dans les
tropiques. Elle constate que la déforestation est significativement inférieure
dans les forêts gérées par les communautés que dans les forêts faisant
l'objet d'une protection stricte. L’autre étude concernant le recul de la
forêt, menée par le Groupe indépendant d’évaluation de la Banque mondiale
(réalisée par Nelson et Chomitz), indique que certaines forêts gérées par
les communautés sont situées dans des zones soumises à des pressions liées
à la déforestation plus fortes que les aires strictement protégées. En
prenant cela en compte, l’étude observe que les forêts gérées par les
communautés sont beaucoup plus efficaces dans la réduction de la
déforestation que les aires strictement protégées (voir tableau
récapitulatif, p. 9). Là où des données sont disponibles, l’étude
constate que les zones forestières gérées et contrôlées par les peuples
autochtones sont encore plus efficaces. En savoir plus

Un autre tour de manège : la Banque mondiale revoit ses normes de sauvegarde
Fin 2010, la Banque mondiale a annoncé qu’elle lançait un processus de
révision de huit de ses « politiques de sauvegarde », des politiques qui
visent à établir des exigences minimales pour minimiser ou éliminer le risque
de dommages sociaux et environnementaux directement provoqués par des
activités financées par la Banque mondiale (voir encadré ci-dessous), et sa
politique en matière d’utilisation des systèmes nationaux. Cette révision
comprend les politiques qui sont contraignantes pour la Banque internationale
pour la reconstruction et le développement (BIRD) et l’Agence internationale
de développement (AID), les deux institutions formant la branche publique de la
Banque mondiale chargée de prêter des fonds. Au fil des années, les
politiques de sauvegarde de la Banque mondiale ont été revues et mises à jour
à plusieurs reprises. Bien que ces processus de révision aient donné lieu à
plusieurs normes de sauvegarde utiles, les organisations de la société civile
et les peuples autochtones attirent l'attention sur les graves lacunes et
faiblesses qui demeurent dans le cadre de sauvegarde de la Banque mondiale. Par
exemple, il a été souligné que les normes et les engagements de la Banque
mondiale commencent à être significativement à la traîne par rapport à
d’autres institutions financières, dans des domaines tels que la
réinstallation et les droits des peuples autochtones, et que ces normes et
engagements sont dépourvus d'un cadre complet d'évaluation des risques
sociaux. En savoir plus

L’atelier régional de l’ACRN à Douala renforce l’approche commune visant
à garantir les droits de propriété des communautés sur les terres et les
ressources
Accueilli par Le Centre pour l’Environnement et le Développement (CED)et
co-organisé par le FPP et ses partenaires, CED, FERN et ClientEarth,
l’atelier régional de quatre jours du Réseau africain des droits des
communautés (ACRN) sur la protection des droits des communautés aux terres
forestières s’est tenu du 12 au 16 septembre à Douala, au Cameroun.
L’atelier a réuni environ 50 représentants des organisations de la société
civile (CSO) et des communautés de sept pays du Bassin du Congo, du Ghana et du
Liberia, ainsi que l’experte en questions de propriété foncière, Liz Alden
Wily. L’atelier a été financé par l’Union européenne et l’Initiative
pour les droits et ressources (RRI). En savoir plus

L’Agence suédoise pour le développement international soutient le Forest
Peoples Programme afin d’aider les communautés des forêts affectées par
REDD en République démocratique du Congo
Sa dotation en ressources naturelles fait de la République démocratique du
Congo (RDC) l’un des pays les plus riches d’Afrique. Néanmoins, ses
citoyens sont au nombre des plus pauvres du monde. Des personnes parmi les plus
démunies et les plus marginalisées politiquement vivent ici, issues des
communautés forestières autochtones et locales. Ces communautés sont
tributaires principalement des forêts et d’autres ressources naturelles pour
assurer leurs moyens d’existence essentiels, au moyen de la chasse, de la
cueillette de subsistance et de l'agriculture àpetite échelle. Ces peuples de
la forêt n’ont actuellement que très peu, voire aucune influence, sur les
décisions nationales et provinciales concernant la façon dont leurs terres
coutumières seront utilisées par des groupes commerciaux ou de conservation,
dont les intérêts sont souvent opposés aux besoins, priorités et droits
humains élémentaires des communautés des forêts. En savoir plus

Le Conseil du FEM adoptera des mesures de sauvegarde environnementales et
sociales révisées en novembre
Le secrétariat du Fonds pour l’environnement mondial (FEM) proposera, lors de
la prochaine réunion du Conseil du FEM, une révision des normes de sauvegarde
environnementales et sociales ainsi que des mécanismes de responsabilité qui
accompagneront ces normes. En vue de l’engagement croissant du FEM dans les
activités relatives à REDD+ et de sa participation de longue date à
l’établissement et à la gestion d’aires protégées, ces normes seront
essentielles afin de s’assurer que l’accroissement du nombre de partenaires
de prestation du FEM ne donne pas lieu à une diminution des standards des
projets financés par le FEM. En savoir plus

Prochaines réunions de la Convention sur la diversité biologique traitant de
questions pertinentes pour les peuples autochtones
Deux réunions de la Convention sur la diversité biologique (CDB) traitant de
questions pertinentes pour les peuples autochtones sont prévues à Montréal,
au Canada, les deux premières semaines de novembre :

-          septième réunion du Groupe de travail spécial à composition non
limitée sur l’article 8(j) et les dispositions connexes, 31 octobre - 4
novembre 2011, (WG8(j)-7)

-          quinzième réunion de l’Organe subsidiaire chargé de fournir des
avis scientifiques, techniques et technologiques, 7 - 11 novembre 2011 (SBSTTA
15).

En savoir plus


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The Floating World
By BA KAUNG Monday, October 10, 2011
http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=22224


KOH LAO, Ranong—On a crescent-shaped beach lined with palm trees, an old
woman and her teenage daughters walk along the shore’s edge and dig for
worms and crabs. Using iron rods as spears and sharpened rocks as
trowels, they sift through the wet sand, clutch handfuls of sea worms,
and fill their buckets as they go. Nearby, a handful of children laugh
and scream and dive off small fishing boats into the sea.

Fifty wooden houses with corrugated tin roofs line the estuary of the
Kra Buri River just a stone’s throw from the beach on one of a chain of
tiny tropical islands in the Andaman Sea between Burma and Thailand.

A short way along the shore, an old woman is stooped over the rocks. As
I approach, she turns and greets me in Thai: “Sawat-dee kaa.” I ask what
she is looking for. “Kha-ru,” [crabs] she replies in a very guttural
Burmese.

Known as the Salone in Burma and as the Moken in Thailand, this small
community is more commonly referred to as “Sea Gypsies.” They speak a
distinct language and are of Austronesian ethnicity. Mostly nomadic and
seafaring, many have lived among the islands of the Andaman for
generations. But it was during the 2004 tsunami that the Moken came to
the world’s attention when their knowledge of the sea allowed them to
anticipate the destructive wave and warn others to get to high ground.
The Sea Gypsies’ actions saved hundreds of lives around this bay while
in nearby Phuket thousands of local people and foreign tourists were not
so fortunate.

Among the littoral and island communities of the Andaman, the
Moken/Salone are famed for their extraordinary diving skills and for
living in thatch-roofed wooden boats. Making their livelihoods almost
exclusively from the sea, they roam the islands and shores of Burma,
Thailand and neighboring countries.

Strewn with seashells and debris, the beaches of Koh Lao are a far cry
from the pristine, white-sand shorelines that greet the Western tourists
who visit Thailand’s five-star hotels and resorts just an hour’s drive
away. There are few telltale signs of traditional Moken life, the
exception being a small graveyard where they bury their dead on
land—along with all their worldly possessions, which are generally slim
pickings. Superstition prevents them from burying their dead at sea.

Though obviously poor, the children look well-fed, and all wear clothes.
The women cover their breasts and wear sarongs and shirts, unlike many
of the nomadic ethnic women in the region.

Quiet and modest by nature, the Moken suddenly puff their chests when
they talk of their exploits at sea. They are hardened seafarers and
regularly sail as far as India’s Nicobar Islands in search of fish,
crustaceans and sea cucumbers.

“I can dive for one hour underwater as deep as 10 to 15 arm swings,”
said Hmin Ni, one of the few male Moken on the island that day (the rest
were working at sea). He makes large circular motions with his strong
arms to indicate how far that might be. I quickly calculate that he may
be talking of a depth of 20 to 30 meters. Impressive. However, I have
found from my day’s experience of talking to the Moken that many have a
limited grasp of distances and time. When he says “one hour,” I take it
to mean “as long as anyone can hold their breath and come up with 10 or
12 sea cucumbers.”

Hmin Ni does not know his age and cannot even hazard a guess. He looks
to be in his early 30s, despite the leathery texture of his
weatherbeaten face. He reckons that he started diving from fishing boats
when he was around 10. He said he was jailed in Mergui Prison in
Tenasserim Region “for several years” after being caught on an illegal
trawler that was dynamite-fishing in Burmese waters.

After his release, he resumed diving again, but this time on Thai
fishing boats in search of sea cucumbers. For one sea cucumber, at that
time, he was paid just two baht (US $0.06). He said he now makes about
1,000-1,500 baht ($33 to $50) per trip, which usually lasts from seven
to 10 days.

“No sea cucumber, no baht,” he said with a smile. “When I dive, I see
sharks. But I’m not afraid of the sharks. But when I see the Burmese
navy, I run away.”

Many Moken in Koh Lao expressed concern that their community is getting
smaller and that they will be extinct in the near future. They see the
increasingly harsh conditions in making a living as a significant
contributing factor.

The Moken have never been recognized as an official ethnic minority by
either Thailand or Burma. Their statelessness has made them vulnerable
to persecution and harassment by local authorities, and exploitation by
various gangs and businessmen.

“The Burmese navy shoot when they see us at sea,” said 45-year-old
Sarnai in a mixture of Burmese and Thai.
“Two of my brothers have been killed.”

Born on the Thai island of Koh Chang near Ranong, Sarnai grew up mostly
in Burmese waters. She said she is one of several Moken widows on the
island. After being hired as a diver, she said, her husband was beaten
to death by the Thai fishing boat captain during a quarrel.

Many Moken men die untimely deaths at sea. Some of them get gunned down
by the Burmese navy while working on Thai fishing boats that had crossed
illegally into Burmese waters. Others die diving.

Despite such risks, almost all the 70 or so Moken men of Koh Lao work at
sea as divers for Thai fishing boats.

Together with their wives and children—more than 100 Moken women and 115
children—they live on a diet of sea worms and rice. Most breed some
livestock for meat and make extra money selling dried sea worms, one
kilo of which retails for 200 baht ($6) in Ranong markets.

None of the Moken on this island—where large portraits of the Thai king
and queen greet visitors to the village—has been granted Thai citizenship.

“That’s because they originally come from Burma,” said Ni Wan Ni, a
45-year-old Thai woman who grew up in Koh Lao and has been recognized by
the governor of Ranong Province as this island village’s representative
since the 2004 tsunami.

Her family is now the only Thai family left on this island where her
great-grandparents settled. She says she helps the Moken who are
arrested by the Thai police when they cannot produce an identity card.

“If I go to the police station, they will free the Moken because they
know me,” she said, adding that there are few social problems in the
Moken community with the exception of occasional domestic violence
between mothers and their sons.

Ni Wan Ni said that, as far as she knows, the first group of Moken came
to Koh Lao from Burma 30 years ago and that they move seasonally among
the islands in Burmese and Thai waters.

“Moken people never cause trouble to anyone,” she said. “They never
steal. But they don’t know how to stand up for themselves. They are
extremely gullible.”

Some of the Moken children in this village go by boat every day to a
secondary school on another island. However, none has ever finished high
school, said Moe Moe Aye, 27, the daughter of a Moken fisherman and a
Burmese woman.

Moe Moe Aye said she was born on Koh Lao, and that she attended a
primary school for some years on an island in Mergui off Burma’s
Tenasserim coast. When she had completed the fourth grade, she was
pulled out of school by her parents and started diving.

She said she has no regrets, and still bristles when she remembers how
the other children taunted her for being a “dirty Salone.”

“They were always bullying me and saying that I never bathed,” she said.
“Both Thais and Burmese continually refer to us as ‘dirty’ and
‘uneducated.’”

After the Indian Ocean tsunami, the plight of the Moken was spotlighted
and several Thai NGOs took action, building 50 wooden houses on stilts
and four communal toilets for the villagers of Koh Lao.

However, the outside attention came with a negative side. Ni Wan Ni said
that unscrupulous Thai businessmen have now acquired ownership of much
of the land, and that the Moken are restricted to an onshore area of six
acres.

“In fact, they can have better livelihoods in Burma,” said Ni Wan Ni.
“But they feel safer on the Thai side.”

Back in 2005, National Geographic magazine estimated that some 2,500
Moken were still leading traditional seafaring and spiritually animistic
lives around the Mergui archipelago.

Although current figures are unobtainable, it is clear their population
has diminished due to Burma’s increased naval presence throughout the
Andaman, as they seek—sometimes ruthlessly—to protect the interests of
foreign petroleum companies drilling offshore for oil.

In 2004, when Burma’s Tourism Ministry organized an impromptu festival
for the Moken, they were reportedly rounded up and detained on
designated islands by Burmese soldiers who then “persuaded” them to
perform for tourists.

Most of the Moken on Koh Lao still speak their own language, but many of
those who have settled in Thai territory, especially the younger
generation, have lost their native tongue, according to Daniel Murphy of
the UN-mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica, who worked on a
survey about the Moken.

Moe Moe Aye said she is worried about the disappearance of the Moken,
both as a people and as a culture. “One of the greatest problems is that
we Moken are now so shy about our own identity. We pretend to be either
Thai or Burmese.”

Chi Lon, 12, is one of 21 orphans on the island whose parents never came
back from diving at sea.

Asked if he wished to become a diver or work at sea when he grows up, he
quickly shook his head. “I don’t know what I want to do,” he said in
fluent Thai. “But I don’t want to work at sea.

The police will shoot me.”

This article appears in The Irrawaddy’s latest e-magazine.
http://issuu.com/irrawaddy/docs/irr_vol.19no.3_sep2011_issuu/44?viewMode=magazin\
e&mode=embed

http://lightofandamans.blogspot.com/2011/10/cover-story-tourism-linking-culture.\
html
THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | ISSUE 14 | 30 SEPTEMBER 2011


COVER STORY
Tourism Linking Culture:
Internecine Warfare Kills Tourism

By Zubair Ahmed

Next month onwards tourism is about to kick-off. The industry is gearing
up to welcome the new season. The World Tourism Day was celebrated
befittingly with an innovative Food Festival and a colourful valedictory
function. Moreover, from seaplane to Nicobari cuisine, we are on a
discovery mode.
Binay Bhushan,
Director, Tourism
While talking about tourism linking culture, the theme of World Tourism
Day this year, it has come to the fore that all is not well within
tourism department. A major rift between the secretary and the director
has hit the department to rock bottom. The fissures have started to
manifest its ugly head. Projects are delayed and there is no proper
coordination inside the department. The employees are frustrated and
lack motivation.
With just a high flying document, which boasts of many innovative
projects, things won't change if there is no attitudinal change at the
helm of affairs. It is learnt that Director in close rank with senior
bureaucrats has created a North-South divide. It's ironical that while
promoting a theme - Tourism Linking Culture, there is a huge disconnect
between Secretariat and Directorate.
The Food Festival was supposed to be inaugurated by the Chairperson,
PBMC. Suddenly there was a last minute change and the Chief Secretary
inaugurated it. And the result was visible. There was a raid by the
health and sanitation inspectors from PBMC at the Food Festival venue on
the third day.
Although, Abrahum Varickamakal, Secretary, Tourism denied any kind of
rift between him and his director, insiders say that the clash is
visible in every meeting. In a meeting held prior to the World Tourism
Day, all hell broke lose when Binay Bhushan, the Director literally
shouted at the Secretary on diversion of some file related with foreign
tour at the fag end of his tenure here.
  From reliable sources, it is learnt that the Director has been
overriding his brief and getting things done as per his whims and
fancies with full support from the coterie, he is part of. In such
atmosphere, how tourism is going to grow has to be seen. The tourism
policy, which benchmarks the Islands with other Island nations, needs to
go a long way to reach anywhere close.

http://lightofandamans.blogspot.com/2011/10/light-of-andamans-issue-14-30-septem\
ber.html
THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | ISSUE 14 | 30 SEPTEMBER 2011

Economic Viability of Seaplane: A Mirage

By Zubair Ahmed

Seaplane was a daydream, which has already turned a nightmare. The one
and only and the first in India and we conquered the sea, sky and the
land with a single masterstroke. In our tourism policy, we marked it in
bold that it won't be a subsidized facility. The only target we achieved
before the timeframe.
But, the economics behind the whole show tells a very different story.
Initially, it was the launch that went through rough weather. As this
was the first time in Indian sub-continent, there were no laws and
regulations on place. It was tough to get the clearances.

The Administration was 50% partner with Pawan Hans in the deal. The
Swedish-made seaplane was on wet-lease from Mehair, Mumbai. Initial
hiccups were taken care of by Pawan Hans. Once it landed in Port Blair
in December 2010, troubles started cropping up. In January and February,
it did well up to an extent. But from March onwards, with the season
biding good bye, the occupancy too went literally zero.
"And out of the blue, Pawan Hans sensing the damage ahead, ditched the
Administration and terminated the agreement without even informing us,"
said Abrahum Varickamakal, Secretary, Tourism and Civil Aviation.
With Pawan Hans pulling out of the deal, Administration was left in a
lurch. Meetings beyond meetings followed. Finally, the Administration
inked a new agreement directly with the company, Mehair. To increase
occupancy, the rates were subsidised upto 90% at par with helicopter fares.
Today, administration pays about Rs 48 Lakhs monthly rent and Rs
40,000/- per flying hour to Mehair. This does not include other
operational costs like infrastructure, controlling officers, ticketing
agents and ground staff from about eight departments. "It's a
complicated subject," said a senior official from tourism. Eight
departments are involved in the operation of seaplane - Police, APWD,
Revenue, ANIIDCO, Tourism, Civil Aviation and Forest Department. The
speed boat used in transferring passengers from the pontoon to jetty
costs about 10 litres of petrol every minute. All these tangible and
intangible expenses are not calculated to make the seaplane successfully
takeoff. "Even at 100% occupancy, with full fare, the admn would not be
able to make profit out of the venture," said the official.
With crossed fingers, the department is waiting to see the result from
the first upcoming full-fledge season. However, Abrahum Varickamakal
seemed positive, "I will feel happy and self-assured if I could see
local entrepreneurs venturing into this business after seeing this
experiment a success."
However, it is learnt that many states like Goa, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry
and Kerala wants to replicate the "success" of seaplane for promoting
tourism in their states. But, they too are waiting to see the
bottom-line of the Island experiment before taking the plunge.

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | ISSUE 14 | 30 SEPTEMBER 2011
http://lightofandamans.blogspot.com/2011/10/beach-properties-andaman-for-sale.ht\
ml
Beach Properties: Andaman for Sale?

The orchestrated bidding process of 25 acres of prime beach property at
Neil Island for just Rs 25 lakhs has raised many eyebrows. Although what
eventually happened still remains a mystery, it has over and again
proved that if the codal formalities are adhered to the dot, you can
easily sell the country itself, provided you have two quotations.

By Zubair Ahmed

Once, a Pradhan of a Panchayat bought a wall clock for Rs 80,000/-
Fortunately or unfortunately, he was prepared to face any enquiry as he
had fulfilled all codal formalities. He had three quotations and the
lowest was for Rs 80,000/- And there was no benchmark set!
The Andaman and Nicobar Administration floated the proposal to develop
tourism facilities on BOT basis and three beach properties - Lalaji Bay
(Long Island), Bharatpur (Neil Island), Hut Bay (Little Andaman) were
put on bid.


Bids for all the three sites were received on 8th December 2009. Lalaji
Bay attracted three bids (CGH Earth, Six Senses, Soma Group), Neil
Island -   two bids (Soma group and Surya Samudra) and Hut Bay could
only attract one bid (Surya Samudra).
All bids were opened on 26th February 2010 with Lalaji Bay going to CGH
Earth for an annual fee of Rs 1.75 crore. The runner-up was Six Senses,
who bid Rs 1.62 Crore and SOMA group were out of the race, who bid for
just Rs 16 Lakhs.
Hut Bay with just a single bidder (Surya Samudra - Rs 5 lakhs) was
eventually cancelled.
The successful bidder for 25 acres of Neil Island beach property was
SOMA group, who got the property for just Rs 25 Lakhs ousting Surya
Samudra, who bid for Rs 24 Lakhs.
Many questions remain unanswered as the whole process was
well-orchestrated and leaves no loopholes. But, the ultimate loss to the
public exchequer is estimated about Rs 300 crores in the whole process.
Naturally, it was not an error or a slip up.
Questions are raised why bids were opened in New Delhi for the first
time ever. Usually tourism bids have always been opened in front of the
committee in Port Blair, as in the case of Taj bid in Havelock Island,
and the relevant committee in Andaman was ignored and not present.
Financial bid papers were previously left in custody of DRC in Delhi for
one and a half months instead of bringing to Andaman as has been past
practice. Moreover, bid price which was far below the market value was
accepted. It is learnt that SOMA themselves had judged Long Island to be
less valuable than Neil Island, having bid only Rs.16 Lakhs per annum on
it. The plot at Long Island went at Rs.175 Lakhs per annum, so Neil
Island should have been bid for at least Rs.200 lakhs per annum. 5 years
prior, before tourism took off in Havelock and shortly after the
tsunami, when prices were low, a plot at Havelock went to Taj for Rs.225
Lakhs per annum and this would have fetched much more now. Expected
price for Neil Island plot on lease at market rates should have been
well above Rs.200 Lakhs per annum i.e. approx 10 times less than price
awarded.
It is also accused that the Benchmark Reserve Price was not met and was
ignored while awarding. The Internal benchmark rates of Rs 33 lakhs
were set prior to bid opening. Although far below market rates but still
above the final bid, the Internal Benchmark rates were ignored while
awarding. Most importantly, the file notations from within the
Administration were in favour of a re-tender because the bid price was
too low and below the benchmark but the final decision went against the
notations of the senior bureaucrat and the rest of the Administration.
There was a delay in signing lease beyond final date. As per tender
terms, the bids were only valid for 180 days after bid due date, until
August 2010. However, the lease was awarded in December 2010. Contrast
this with the Long Island lease which was tendered together with Neil
Island on a bid price of Rs.175 lakhs per annum and which was signed
within the approved timeframe and signed many months before the Neil
Island lease - the reason for the delay was due to the low price and the
senior bureaucrat  insisted on a re-tender.
When the Hut Bay tender was cancelled for being less than 3 tenders, but
Neil Island tender was through even though there were only two tenders.
This unequal treatment has also raised many eyebrows.
It is alleged that there was a possible collusion between the bidders as
Soma group won the bid for Rs 25 lakhs and the second party Surya
Samudra had bid for Rs 24 lakhs. The owner of Surya Samudra is a Rajya
Sabha MP and Soma Group is allegedly controlled by senior leaders of a
national political party, ally in UPA with two realtors as the face of
the company.
   It needs serious investigation how a prized and scarce asset of
Andaman Tourism was "sold" at a very obvious undervalue for a 60 year lease.
This orchestrated favouritism will only help Soma group to monopolise
leading to the death blow for private entrepreneurs and local businesses
in Neil Island. The fact that Soma has been given such prime land so
cheap at Neil Island means that local businessmen and hoteliers will
find it impossible to compete with it. Any other resort will buy land at
Rs.1 crore per acre, which is the minimum price of beach land at Neil
Island, which means Rs.25 crore investment for a similar size plot to
Soma - and they are paying just Rs.25 lakhs per annum for the same - 1%
of current land value. Naturally, competition will suffer and Neil
Island will experience lopsided and unfair development because of this
action.
It is also learnt that the reason given to accept the low price was to
develop Neil Island. This is despite the fact that there are already
private resorts and a government tourist resort in Neil Island and many
local entrepreneurs have upcoming projects already at Neil. In contrast,
Little Andaman requires such intervention as LA does not have any
private resort or government tourist guest houses and is in dire need of
tourism investment to kickstart the economy.
When land is very scarce, especially for genuine needs of the Islands,
such prime property has been let to slip out and who benefited from it
will remain a mystery and why there is no uproar over such deals will
keep hitting our conscience forever. On the one hand, tourism is hyped
as the only potential industry, which can bring revenue to this Islands,
prime lands are sold for throw away prices. just for selfish motives.

Guilt Trips

Kai Friese interrogates the colonial fantasy that lives on in the
sententious philanthropy of ethical tourism in this excerpt from the
Chronic Life magazine in The Chimurenga Chronic.

http://www.chimurenganewsroom.org.za/?p=2972



Escape Narratives

Suspicion in the Oriental is a sort of malignant tumour, a mental
malady, that makes him self-conscious and unfriendly suddenly; he trusts
and mistrusts at the same time in a way the Westerner cannot comprehend.
It is his demon, as the Westerner’s is hypocrisy – E.M. Forster, A
Passage to India

One hundred and fifty years ago today (give or take a month) an Indian
prisoner - Life Convict 276 - in the colonial penal colony on the
Andaman Islands escaped his British jailors only to find himself dying
of starvation and thirst, at the mercy of a fierce jungle tribe. I read
about it in a Scottish magazine, Chambers’ Journal, of 1860: Doodnath
Tewarry had been sentenced to ‘transportation for life’ for the crime of
mutiny and desertion; he had been a sepoy for the British but changed
sides during the rebellion of 1857. And the naked black men who had just
despatched the last of his fellow escapees and wounded him with three
arrows belonged to a tribe of the Great Andamanese, the largest of the
indigenous communities of the islands.

For some reason that he was never able to explain, they spared him,
tended to his wounds and allowed him to share their nomadic existence in
the tropical forests. And finally they even gave him a wife, a
20-year-old woman of the tribe, named Leepa.

But before a year had passed, Tewarry found his own personal salvation
in another betrayal - slipping away to warn his former British captors
of an imminent attack by the Andamanese tribesmen. It went well for him:
the British were able to slaughter their attackers and the mercenary
Doodnath was rewarded with a free pardon and repatriated to the Indian
mainland. The light-hearted narrator in Chambers’ Journal remarks with
an indulgent smirk that “the wretch left his beloved Leepa, it seems, in
an interesting condition.”



Some 34 years ago a young British traveller named Stephen Corry “found
himself in Nepal and Mount Everest…with no money and no support”. I
learned this from a profile in the Botswanan newspaper, Mmegi. It
continues: “Corry had to rely on the local people for sustenance. His
voice deepens into a growl when he talks about this period, which he
calls a watershed:

‘This was a turning point in my life. My interaction with the Himalayan
tribespeople overturned my preconceptions. There was no superior or
inferior being. I was just a human being like them,’ he said.

Before his interaction with the Himalayan tribes, he had always believed
that British civilisation and development was the best.

‘I lived with people who had no electricity or cars and yet they lived
very fulfilling lives. They had no schools but they were very
intelligent people. I became even more thirsty to understand and learn
more about the tribespeople of the world.’

Corry got his wish too, returning to England where he now heads Survival
International, a venerable British NGO that calls itself “the movement
for tribal peoples”.

Given a choice between these two grotesque adventurers, I know I prefer
the backstabber to the backpacker. He might have been a treacherous
serial deserter and a terrible husband. And he certainly played his part
in a little genocide. But at least he wasn’t a tourist.

The Ethical Tourist

A humanitarian is always a hypocrite – George Orwell, ‘Rudyard Kipling’

I see him sitting in airport lounges, rustling and squeaking demurely in
his survivalist attire, all pockets and hypertrophied trekking boots. He
has a harmlessly solipsistic air about him, and is usually immersed in
the communion of a cappuccino and a pious book. It could be Deepak
Chopra or Paulo Coelho, Three Cups of Tea, or something about Tibet. And
yes, he’s usually Western, mostly white. But these days he could just as
well be Indian. Hell, except for his taste in literature, he could
almost be me. An appalling thought.

In truth, this spectacle hardly rouses me to rage - more a melancholy
nausea. But it’s a reaction strong enough to merit some reflection.
Fortunately (or unfortunately), because my job once involved a routine
review of international travel publications, I have had pause to unpack
the cultural valise of my tourist caricature. And I’m beginning to
understand why I dislike him so much.

By way of example let me cite two distinct but not unrelated ads from
British travel publications that caught my eye in recent months. The
first was an advertising campaign for a car rally/tour called the Karma
Enduro, which bills itself as ‘an adventure not a holiday’ and offers a
drive down India’s western flank from Goa to Kerala for GBP4,750,
roughly half of which goes to charities. “Karma Enduro is a unique way
to test your own limits, exit your daily comfort zone, meet like-minded
people from across the planet and, of course, help improve the quality
of life of people in desperate need.”

Of course.

The rally is one of a string of similar British ventures which combine a
patronising fetishisation of a cutely antiquated Indian motor vehicle –
the Hindustan Ambassador (Karma Enduro), the Enfield motorcycle (Enduro
India), and the three-wheeled Bajaj autorikshaw (Rickshawrun) – employed
on cross-country tours with fundraising for ‘people in desperate need’
thrown in as a feel-good factor.

Perhaps it’s just my tourism fatigue, but the idea of selling palliative
attempts to help the poor, as a jolly-hockey-sticks adventure sport for
the rich, makes me a little queasy. And I guess I’m tone deaf to the
complimentary tone of Karma Enduro’s description of the charming natives
it leaves in its munificent wake:

   “The people of rural southern India are the most dignified, humble and
truly civilised people on the planet.”

   But it was when I stumbled on the second ad that it struck me I was
either on to something, or missing something. This one was placed by
Survival International in the summer ‘Islands’ issue of Condé Nast
Traveller (UK). The ad carried a curiously Photoshopped image of a man
from the Jarawa tribe of India’s Andaman Islands (a forest-dwelling
community of hunter-gatherers) along with a punchily telegraphic homily
to this community’s innocence of war, stress and other evils of
so-called civilisation (“And we call them primitive?”). It concluded
with an appeal to help SI help them.

What unites these two testimonials to the humble dignity and
civilisation of South Indians and the unprimitive nobility of the Jarawa
has nothing to do with either of these peoples, of course. They are in
fact superbly elliptical reflections of the vanities of their authors,
and the fantasies of their tourist audience.



Kafka on the Shore

The first thing I learned was to give a handshake. The handshake
displays candour. Today, when I stand at the high point of my career,
may I add to that first handshake also my candid words? For the Academy
it will not provide anything essentially new…but nonetheless it should
demonstrate the line by which someone who was an ape was forced into the
world of men – Franz Kafka, A Report to an Academy

The encounter of the mobile modern world with ancient tribes becalmed on
distant isles (or indeed, continents) is a romantic and sinister fable
that has gripped readers for centuries. It’s not hard to evoke the rich
literature of adventure, travel and fantasy from The Tempest to Robinson
Crusoe and The Coral Island. Or from Heart of Darkness to those colonial
nightmares, In the Penal Colony and A Report to an Academy. And it’s
really not such a long journey from Shakespeare to Kafka. You can
traverse it in a day in India’s Andaman archipelago.

Surrounded by the waters of the Bay of Bengal, just over 1,000 km from
the nearest point on the Indian mainland, the Andamans have long been a
site of horror and fascination for the outside world. The British Raj
established a penal colony here, centred on a perfect Benthamite
panopticon. But for thousands of years before this, the islands had been
the exclusive territory of a number of indigenous peoples including the
Great Andamanese, the Jarawa, the Onge, and a community we know only by
the name of the isolated coral-ringed island they still inhabit, as the
‘Sentinelese’.

For well over a century now, these communities, apparently a “relict
population” of Asiatic negritos, have been studied and observed with
scientific interest for their 30,000-60,000 year history (estimates
vary) of genetic and cultural isolation, for their puzzling inclination
to meet invasion and violence with violence; and of course for their
negritude. Early anthropologists identified them as “a primitive
Chimpanzoid type” of humanity. A more enduring tendency, prompted
perhaps by their short stature, apparent intractability and their
susceptibility to introduced diseases, has been to regard them as
childlike. The Andaman genocide of the 19th century was marked by a
chilling paternalism in which tribals confined in ‘homes’ and orphanages
were given names like ‘Topsy’ or ‘Sambo’, and both cosseted and sexually
exploited to death, syphilis being a notable scourge.

Today, the surviving indigenous communities represent a perversely
Darwinian tetratych of the various stages of genocidal descent. The once
dominant Great Andamanese, decimated by war and disease under British
rule, were finally rounded up in 1970 (ostensibly to protect them from
exploitation and miscegenation) and relocated to a desert island of
their own where some 40 of them now live under the auspices of the
Tribal Welfare Department of the Andaman administration. The Onge still
live on a small corner of their original home, Little Andaman, their
numbers dwindling to the extent that a single pregnancy can become
national news. Having largely abandoned their traditional way of life,
they have become a cautionary tale of alcoholism and disease.

At the other end of the spectrum are the Sentinelese, still poised
precariously on the fastness of North Sentinel Island as a prelapsarian
‘uncontacted’ tribe, though they are subject to periodic surveillance
from the air and occasional offshore expeditions by the Indian State, or
by stray fishermen and poachers. These encounters have frequently been
greeted with (sometimes murderous) hostility by the Sentinelese.

But the community at the sharp end of this clash of civilisations are
the 300 or so Jarawa of South and Middle Andaman Islands. Having endured
the brutalities of British and (briefly) Japanese imperialism, and the
incursions of a growing population of settlers from the Indian mainland
on their forest homelands, this community then faced the most serious
threat to their way of life in the 1980s when the Andaman administration
constructed a highway through the heart of their territory. Despite an
order from the Supreme Court of India declaring the road illegal and
years of spirited violent resistance by the Jarawa themselves, the
steamroller of ‘progress’ could not be turned.

In 1997 the Jarawa apparently resolved to engage peacefully with the
state and the burgeoning population of settlers now entrenched along the
road on the fringes of the ‘Jarawa Reserve’. Although they continue to
sustain themselves primarily from their forest, the Jarawa have also
become a routine tourist attraction along the Andaman Trunk Road,
engaging in a ritual of performance in exchange for food and cash. Many
have learned to speak Hindi, and a repertoire of obscenities is
apparently a highlight of ‘Jarawa tourism’.

It’s a depressing development that recalls among other things Caliban’s
complaint in The Tempest: “You taught me language, and my profit on’t is
I know how to curse”. But it also demonstrates a pragmatic choice to
turn a lost battle to some advantage.

In many ways, this story is a quintessential recapitulation of an
all-too-familiar global tale: of the Caribs of the West Indies, the
Herero of Namibia, the Yahi of California, the Aborigines of Tasmania.
It has always recalled, for me, the bleak experience of reading Dee
Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, as a teenager. I have never
forgotten the quote from ‘Red Cloud, Chief of the Oglala Sioux’ on the
book’s back cover: “The white man made us many promises, more than I can
remember, but they never kept but one; they promised to take our land,
and they took it.”

The tragic teleology of this narrative almost discourages reading. But
in the Andamans a small and committed group of activists and researchers
have maintained a fierce scrutiny of the predicaments of the island’s
indigenous people. Much of the debate happens on an internet discussion
forum, which I have followed for a couple of years now. Many of the most
active voices here are those of people ostensibly engaged in wildlife
and environmental activism - less a reflection of their priorities than
of the reluctance of the Andaman authorities to countenance any
independent engagement with its tribal wards. As a result, the
discussions often reflect a certain frustration at the difficulty of
forming any understanding of the opinions of the Andaman tribal people
themselves.

Given the Jarawas’ own adaptability and the Andaman administration’s
recalcitrance, the continuing refrain on the part of many activists to
close down the Andaman Trunk Road can seem quixotic. Yet the authorities
can also demonstrate flashes of zealousness that have the capacity to
muddy the waters of this seemingly fruitless debate.

Earlier this year, the island’s department of Tribal Affairs formed an
unlikely alliance with Survival International. Their target was the
Barefoot Resort, a boutique beachfront property catering primarily to
well-heeled foreign tourists, located near the perimeter of the Jarawa
Reserve in the village lands of Collinpur. While the authorities lost
the first round of their case against the resort in the courts, (a later
Supreme Court hearing would close the resort), Survival International
(SI) launched a media campaign encouraging tourists to boycott Barefoot
for endangering the Jarawa by its proximity.

A few months later, Miriam Ross of SI posted the Andaman discussion
forum with the latest fruit of SI’s campaign against Barefoot: a lead
feature in The Guardian’s travel supplement, headlined ‘Are we just here
for your amusement’, written by John Vidal. The piece spelled out some
of the dilemmas facing Western tourists keen on an ‘ethical’ tribal
holiday in the tropics, and proffered SI’s shortlist of “Top Three
Holiday Spots to Avoid” (Barefoot at #1 spot) as well as a more hopeful
list of five “Leading Lights of Ethno-tourism” courtesy of another
English watchdog group, Tourism Concern.

The post was met with almost universal hostility from the stalwarts of
the discussion forum. Pankaj Sekhsaria, of the environmental activist
group Kalpavriksh, called John Vidal out for his piquant description of
the Jarawa (“it seemed as if these mysterious handsome people only
wanted to take a brief look at the world and would soon return to the
trees”). Vishvajit Pandya, an anthropologist who has worked extensively
with the Onge and published the recent volume, In the Forest, which
focuses on the Jarawa, picked on The Guardian’s astonishing choice of
pictures, notably a beautiful and utterly exploitative image by Olivier
Blaise (a photographer featured on SI’s Jarawa page) of a Jarawa
Odalisque lying in the surf, her breasts bared directly at the viewer, a
hand on her pubis. Hasmukh Hoslo Jiwa of the GreenLife Society (a
wildlife conservation organization) lit into SI itself for its hasty
presumption of Barefoot’s bad faith: “If SI had talked to the [Barefoot]
management I am sure they would have come to an agreement. But the
British are like the British, arrogant even after they left these isles
all these years ago.” Meanwhile Zubair Ahmed, of The Light of Andamans,
a local newspaper, pondered SI’s cosy silence on incursions into the
Jarawa reserve by foreign journalists like Blaise and the Belgian
photographer Thierry Falise, who are “as capable of spreading swine flu,
syphilis and gonorrhoea as any other mortal”.

I can only imagine Miriam Ross’s consternation at this native revolt but
I did write to SI’s Director, Stephen Corry, as well as to the
photographer Olivier Blaise and to Rachel Noble of Tourism Concern for
some reaction. Corry offered a spirited evasion on the issue of Blaise’s
photographs. SI apparently has a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy for
friendly photographers. Blaise himself replied with a charming
témoignage, or testimony, of his Jarawa encounter, invoking a timeless
colonial excuse for trespass: shipwreck. His boat’s engines had
conveniently given out in the proximity of the Jarawa, it seems. But it
is clear from his own website account of “a peaceful meeting and an
alarm to the world opinion through Survival International” that his
pictures were taken on a three-day reconnaissance, “watching for
coastguard”.

Rachel Noble of Tourism Concern demurred to comment on SI’s ‘choice of
campaign focus’ but conceded that The Guardian’s photo selection was
“certainly an interesting choice”. (An understatement that reminds me,
perhaps unfairly, of the condition in which that scoundrel Doodnath left
his beloved Leepa.)

I also questioned Corry on the peculiar SI advertisement I had seen in
Condé Nast Traveller. I put it to him that this romanticised Edenic
portrayal (‘no war’, ‘no stress’ etc) did the Jarawa no favours. As it
happens, the very name ‘Jarawa’ is an exonym meaning ‘hostile people’
applied to the tribe by their former neighbours, the Great Andamanese,
with whom the Jarawa were engaged in protracted, possibly stress-free,
bloodshed. Once again Corry was aggressively, sideways, insisting that
the ‘tone’ of the ad held true. The Jarawa “have no knowledge of the
kind of warfare which has been widely practised by ‘civilised’ peoples
over the last few generations,” he maintained, while insisting that the
ad, like most ads, used a manipulated image and was intentionally ironic.



   Robinson Aid

We’ve got an island all to ourselves. We’ll take possession in the name
of the king; we’ll go and enter the service of its black inhabitants. Of
course we’ll rise, naturally to the top of affairs. White men always do
in savage countries – R.M. Ballantyne, The Coral Island

There are many kinds of irony. Although this particular variant eludes
me, I can see an irony in the feel-good T-shirts well-meaning Britons
can buy from SI’s website to strut around the high street with a
falsehood emblazoned on their chests: ‘The Forest is My Supermarket’.

There is real irony in the fact that SI acts as a media-friendly
gatekeeper to politically correct tourism. And in its quaintly British
fundraising raffles, which offer adventure holidays to Thailand or
Morocco as first prize. (Consolation prizes include “a three-day
survival training course on Orkney” with “a guided tour of Neolithic
sites”.) And there are all kinds of ironies in SI’s strange alliance
with the Indian state in its own diversionary Robinsonade.

There is a visual irony in the fact that SI’s distinctive logo of
‘tribal’ handprints recalls the most memorable (and most frequently
illustrated) moment in Robinson Crusoe, Chapter XVIII: “I find the print
of a man’s naked foot.” And in the fact that SI shares this aesthetic
inspiration with its bête noire (so to speak), the Barefoot Resort. The
Eternal Savage, expressed in negative space. In Defoe’s novel, the
tension of this image is finally resolved when Friday places Crusoe’s
foot on his own head in gratitude - a colonial fantasy that lives on in
the sententious philanthropy of all the ethical tourists of this world.



True Colours

The Traveller was struck by the impression of historical memory, and he
felt the power of earlier times – Franz Kafka, In the Penal Colony

   I have been to the Andamans once - on assignment for the travel
magazine I edited and as guest of the Andaman administration, who were
of course keen to promote the territory as a tourist destination. My
personal agenda had everything to do with the Jarawa. I was hoping in
fact for an interview with Enmay, the enigmatic tribal Doodnath who had
been injured in a Jarawa foray into settler territory in 1997, captured,
given medical attention and a few months’ government hospitality before
returning to his people. In the official narrative, Enmay is credited
with having convinced the tribe to end their war with the outside world.
With India.

      “In truth, this spectacle hardly rouses me to rage – more a
melancholy nausea.”

Perhaps it was foolish of me to imagine that I could wear so many hats
(or boots): travel writer, state guest and inscrutable
Forschungsreisende. My shifty pastiche during an interview with the Lt.
Governor of the islands alerted his vigilant aides to prevent me from
taking the public bus along the Andaman Trunk Road, where I would
certainly have encountered the daily Jarawa show. Instead, I was sent,
with an armed escort, to visit a government-run clinic in Tushnabad
where I was introduced to Chocho and Chambue, the two young occupants of
the ‘Jarawa Ward’.

Primed for journalistic observation, I was disconcerted at my own sudden
and ridiculously heightened perception of their purplish darkness, the
dense nap of their hair, the whiteness of their teeth and the unhealthy
yellow cast of their eyes. They had been dressed in identical purple
shorts and dazzlingly white Rupa brand undershirts, worn inside out. I
had my notebook out but we had no common language for an interview. In
the end the older boy took my pen and drew me a picture of a wild pig
with a tiny head and tusks and three arrows lodged in its ass. As I was
ushered out Chambue executed a handstand. “Bilkul bandar jaise (‘Just
like a monkey’),” said one of the attendants shaking his head.
“Bye-bye!” said Chocho. And then, shyly, showing off his Hindi, “Khana
de do (‘feed me’).”

Back in Port Blair I visited the shabby ‘Tribal Guest House’ where I met
Nau Jr., a Great Andamanese man, visiting from Strait Island. He told me
of the ongoing debate in their community over this issue of continuing
to live in isolation on government handouts or integrating with the
settler population. “There are two sides now,” he said. The divide had
been sharpened by a recent controversy over a tribesman who had brought
his Indian wife back to the island, where she had apparently been
hoarding community rations to send back to her settler family - a female
Doodnath of sorts. It was a story I had already heard from the director
of tribal welfare. “She has shown her true colour,” he told me.

Prospero’s Cell

This thing of darkness I acknowledge mine – William Shakespeare, The Tempest

Is there no escape from the long and dismal shadow of colonialism? Are
we all prisoners of history, endlessly repeating itself first as tragedy
and then as farce, or as tourism - which is really the same thing?
Personally, I’m an optimist: the world is full of unintended
consequences and surprising turns. So here’s a happier counter-narrative
to the adventures of Corry, Tewarry, or me, for that matter. Another
true story:

Thirty-three years ago, a South African prisoner - convict 46664 -
serving a life sentence for high treason and sabotage on a penal colony
off the coast of Cape Town, opened the National Geographic issue of July
1975. It contained a feature on the Andaman Islands with photographs by
the famous Indian photographer Raghubir Singh, including one of a young
Jarawa woman dancing along a beach. To add to his crimes, the prisoner
tore out the picture and kept it. He would call her ‘Nolitha’. Before
long he was playfully taunting his wife in a letter: “Your beautiful
photo stands about two feet above my left shoulder as I write this,
Nolitha stands on the table directly opposite me. How can my spirits
ever be down when I enjoy the fond affection of such wonderful ladies?”
I like to imagine a liberated Convict 46664 settling down to write his
memoirs. Robben Island Crusoe, perhaps. Chapter xviii: “I find the print
of a woman’s naked body.”

Actually, Nelson Mandela says he saw Nolitha as “a celebration of life”.
I guess I’ll take his word for it.

Experts Identify World’s Most Threatened Sea Turtle Populations
October 2, 2011, 12:00 pm

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&cod\
e_title=35983

by Ifham Nizam

Top sea turtle experts from around the globe have discovered that almost
half (45 per cent) of the world’s threatened sea turtle populations are
found in the northern Indian Ocean, the International Union for
Conservation of Nature said yesterday.

The study also determined that the most significant threats across all
of the threatened populations of sea turtles are fisheries by catch,
accidental catches of sea turtles by fishermen targeting other species,
and the direct harvest of turtles or their eggs for food or turtle shell
material for commercial use.

The recent report, produced by IUCN (International Union for
Conservation of Nature) Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) and
supported by Conservation International (CI) and the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), is the first comprehensive status assessment
of all sea turtle populations globally.

The study, designed to provide a blueprint for conservation and
research, evaluated the state of individual populations of sea turtles
and determined the 11 most threatened populations, as well as the 12
healthiest populations.

"This assessment system provides a baseline status for all sea turtles
from which we can gauge our progress on recovering these threatened
populations in the future," explained Roderic Mast, Co-Chair of the
MTSG, CI Vice President, and one of the paper’s authors. "Through this
process, we have learned a lot about what is working and what isn’t in
sea turtle conservation, so now we look forward to turning the lessons
learned into sound conservation strategies for sea turtles and their
habitats."

   Five of the world’s 11 most threatened species of sea turtles are
found in the north Indian Ocean, specifically threatened populations of
both Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) and Olive Ridley Turtles
(Lepidochelys olivacea) are found in the north Indian Ocean in waters
and on nesting beaches within Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of
countries such as India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Other areas that proved to be the most dangerous places for sea turtles
were the East Pacific Ocean (from the USA to South America) and East
Atlantic Ocean (off the coast of western Africa).

   "The report confirms that India is a home to many of the most
threatened sea turtles in the world," said Dr. B. C. Choudhury, head of
the Department of Endangered Species Management at the Wildlife
Institute of India and a contributor to the study. "This paper is a
wake-up call for the authorities to do more to protect India’s sea
turtles and their habitats to ensure that they survive."

The study also highlighted the 12 healthiest sea turtle populations in
the world, which are large and currently populations facing relatively
low threats. Five species, such as the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys
imbricata) and the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) have populations among
these dozen thriving habitats which include nesting sites and feeding
areas in Australia, Mexico and Brazil. Other areas that harbour healthy
turtle populations include the Southwest Indian Ocean, Micronesia and
French Polynesia.

   "Before we conducted this study, the best we could say about sea
turtles was that six of the seven sea turtle species are threatened with
extinction globally," said Dr Bryan Wallace, Director of Science for the
Marine Flagship Species Programme at CI, and lead author for the paper.

"But this wasn’t very helpful for conservation because it didn’t help us
set priorities for different populations in different regions. Sea
turtles everywhere are conservation-dependent, but this framework will
help us effectively target our conservation efforts around the world."

Report of the committee constituted to holistically address the issue of
poaching in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Report of the Committee constituted by the Ministry of Environment and
Forests to holistically address the issue of poaching in the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands.

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/reports-documents/report-committee-cons\
tituted-holistically-address-issue-poaching-andaman-and

THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, Oct. 13, 2011
Onge population rises

Port Blair, Oct. 12

An Onge couple of Dugong Creek, Shri Santosh (28 yrs) and Reetai (26
yrs) have been blessed with a male child weighing 2.5 kg on Oct. 10 at
6.45 pm at Primary Health Centre, RK Pur, Little Andaman. Both the
mother and child are in good health. With the birth of this child, the
population of Onge has risen to 101, a communication from Dy. Director
(Tribal Health) said here today.

Was wondering, if anyone on this list in the islands has any experience
of this exercise? Were the citizens involved, informed etc?
pankaj

THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, Oct. 13, 2011

ANC conducts Disaster Management Exercise

Port Blair, Oct. 12

            A Nationwide Disaster Management Exercise IO WAVE-II, was
conducted by Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
(INCOIS), Hyderabad on 12 Oct 11, wherein the disaster management
apparatus of Headquarters ANC and its Units was practiced for quick
response to an earthquake followed by Tsunami.

            The exercise commenced at 0630 hrs with INCOIS intimation of
a mock great intensity earthquake inside the sea off Sumatra Island.
ANC, at once sounded the alert to all its Units and flung them into
action. The Naval and Coast Guard Ships were sailed out of the harbour
into deep waters to avoid the damage to the ships because of rise of
tsunami waves. All landlines and mobiles were ceased and the
communication was carried through Motorola and Radio transistors to
check the feasibility of alternative communication systems. Arrangements
including provisions for emergency medicine and mobile kitchens were
arranged in the open ground. Aircraft at INS Utkrosh were loaded with
emergency medicines and medical personnel taken onboard. Air operations
were carried out from INS Utkrosh to check the feasibility of providing
emergency medical assistance at remote places and islands. Special
medical bays were prepared at INHS Dhanvantri and INS Jarawa for taking
care of the injured people post earthquake damage. All aircraft, IN and
CG Ships were kept ready for providing relief to the people staying in
remote Islands. Loading of relief material was also practiced on IN and
CG ships.

The exercise helped to judge the readiness of the ANC in case of any
natural calamity and validate Standard Operating Procedures for
providing rescue and relief to civilian populace staying at the remotest
localities over the Islands.

THE DAILY TELEGRAMS, Oct. 13, 2011
Proper conservation & management of Mangrove stressed

Port Blair, Oct 12

     The three-day workshop on ‘Mangrove: an integral component of
coastal ecosystem: Conservation strategies and management practices’ got
underway at TSG Emerald View, Phoenix Bay here today. The Chief
Secretary, Shri Shakti Sinha inaugurated the workshop as the chief
guest. The Principal Secretary (E&F) cum PCCF, Shri S S Chaudhury, PCCF
from Maharashtra, Shri A K Joshi, Principal Secretary (S&T) cum PCCF
(WL), Shri D V Negi and Shri Alok Saxena Addl. PCCF (Plg.&Dev.) also
graced the function. The workshop is being organised by the Department
of Environment & Forest, A&N Islands.

     Addressing the gathering, the chief guest stressed on the need for a
balanced process between development and conservation. There is need to
look into both development and conservation as with complete restriction
on utilising natural resource like forest produces, the requirement of
the people cannot be fulfilled. The society needs to be served with
available resources where they are largely required by the society.
Since these resources are renewable, they can be utilised and
regenerated so as to keep the ecosystem balanced, he said.

     Referring to the rich mangroves in the islands, the Chief Secretary
said that these islands are fortunate to have extensive variety of
mangroves undisturbed. “We are blessed to have so many varieties of
mangroves and must be aware as to how important they are for us”, he
said. He expressed happiness that the workshop is being organised on the
subject which is very relevant in these islands, context, and hoped that
the workshop will be of great help in finding scientific way of
preserving natural resources, including the coastal ecosystem.

     The chief guest also released a book on ‘The mangrove of A & N Islands.

     Speaking on the occasion, Shri Chaudhury said that settlement in
these islands led to deforestation in the earlier period followed by
establishment of medium scale industries and commercialisation. Hence it
was felt necessary that the forest be conserved for the future. Mangrove
plays significant role in the islands’ eco-system and need preservation.
This workshop will have experts from coastal areas, who will provide
feedback as to what strategies and management practices could be adopted
for the preservation of mangrove, he said.

     Shri A K Joshi, while speaking on the occasion, stressed on the need
for documentation of endangered species while carrying out development
activities so as to preserve them. He also expressed hope that the
workshop will come out with the conclusion on various aspects of
conservation and management process with regard to coastal ecosystem.

     Earlier, Dr. Alok Saxena welcomed the gathering and the inaugural
function concluded with the vote of thanks, proposed by Dr. S K
Bhandari, CCF(R&WP).
--
---
http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com
http://www.indianaturewatch.net/view_cat.php?tag=Pankaj+Sekhsaria
http://3fotosaday.blogspot.com/

C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gym
Pune 411004
India
Tel: 020 25654239
Mob: 09423009933
Email: psekhsaria@...

Hi Pankaj,



It is difficult to understand what the author’s complaint against SI and the
‘environment’ tourist is. (S)he has quoted selectively from Shakespeare and
Defoe and for some reason seems to lay the blame for Defoe’s shameless
racism SI’s doorstep. And at the end of the day, (S)he does exactly what all
white eco-tourists want to do. Meet the Jarawas and Andamanese and make some
kind of contact. For some reason Freise criticizes the tourists typical
attire and flying habits. So did (s)he visit A&N by boat or did row across
in a canoe? The only difference is that Freise’s account of his meeting
appears more informed, no doubt by similar other meetings. In many ways this
rant is similar to the biologists objection to wildlife tourism while
indulging in many of the tourist’s sins, collecting specimens, invasive
photography all in the name of improving scientific knowledge.



But it made for entertaining reading, I’ll give it this much.



Regards


Arjun





From: andamanicobar@...
[mailto:andamanicobar@...] On Behalf Of Pankaj Sekhsaria
Sent: 12 October 2011 06:48
To: andamanicobar
Subject: [andamanicobar] Guilt Trips





Guilt Trips

Kai Friese interrogates the colonial fantasy that lives on in the
sententious philanthropy of ethical tourism in this excerpt from the
Chronic Life magazine in The Chimurenga Chronic.

http://www.chimurenganewsroom.org.za/?p=2972

Escape Narratives

Suspicion in the Oriental is a sort of malignant tumour, a mental
malady, that makes him self-conscious and unfriendly suddenly; he trusts
and mistrusts at the same time in a way the Westerner cannot comprehend.
It is his demon, as the Westerner’s is hypocrisy – E.M. Forster, A
Passage to India

One hundred and fifty years ago today (give or take a month) an Indian
prisoner - Life Convict 276 - in the colonial penal colony on the
Andaman Islands escaped his British jailors only to find himself dying
of starvation and thirst, at the mercy of a fierce jungle tribe. I read
about it in a Scottish magazine, Chambers’ Journal, of 1860: Doodnath
Tewarry had been sentenced to ‘transportation for life’ for the crime of
mutiny and desertion; he had been a sepoy for the British but changed
sides during the rebellion of 1857. And the naked black men who had just
despatched the last of his fellow escapees and wounded him with three
arrows belonged to a tribe of the Great Andamanese, the largest of the
indigenous communities of the islands.

For some reason that he was never able to explain, they spared him,
tended to his wounds and allowed him to share their nomadic existence in
the tropical forests. And finally they even gave him a wife, a
20-year-old woman of the tribe, named Leepa.

But before a year had passed, Tewarry found his own personal salvation
in another betrayal - slipping away to warn his former British captors
of an imminent attack by the Andamanese tribesmen. It went well for him:
the British were able to slaughter their attackers and the mercenary
Doodnath was rewarded with a free pardon and repatriated to the Indian
mainland. The light-hearted narrator in Chambers’ Journal remarks with
an indulgent smirk that “the wretch left his beloved Leepa, it seems, in
an interesting condition.”

Some 34 years ago a young British traveller named Stephen Corry “found
himself in Nepal and Mount Everest…with no money and no support”. I
learned this from a profile in the Botswanan newspaper, Mmegi. It
continues: “Corry had to rely on the local people for sustenance. His
voice deepens into a growl when he talks about this period, which he
calls a watershed:

‘This was a turning point in my life. My interaction with the Himalayan
tribespeople overturned my preconceptions. There was no superior or
inferior being. I was just a human being like them,’ he said.

Before his interaction with the Himalayan tribes, he had always believed
that British civilisation and development was the best.

‘I lived with people who had no electricity or cars and yet they lived
very fulfilling lives. They had no schools but they were very
intelligent people. I became even more thirsty to understand and learn
more about the tribespeople of the world.’

Corry got his wish too, returning to England where he now heads Survival
International, a venerable British NGO that calls itself “the movement
for tribal peoples”.

Given a choice between these two grotesque adventurers, I know I prefer
the backstabber to the backpacker. He might have been a treacherous
serial deserter and a terrible husband. And he certainly played his part
in a little genocide. But at least he wasn’t a tourist.

The Ethical Tourist

A humanitarian is always a hypocrite – George Orwell, ‘Rudyard Kipling’

I see him sitting in airport lounges, rustling and squeaking demurely in
his survivalist attire, all pockets and hypertrophied trekking boots. He
has a harmlessly solipsistic air about him, and is usually immersed in
the communion of a cappuccino and a pious book. It could be Deepak
Chopra or Paulo Coelho, Three Cups of Tea, or something about Tibet. And
yes, he’s usually Western, mostly white. But these days he could just as
well be Indian. Hell, except for his taste in literature, he could
almost be me. An appalling thought.

In truth, this spectacle hardly rouses me to rage - more a melancholy
nausea. But it’s a reaction strong enough to merit some reflection.
Fortunately (or unfortunately), because my job once involved a routine
review of international travel publications, I have had pause to unpack
the cultural valise of my tourist caricature. And I’m beginning to
understand why I dislike him so much.

By way of example let me cite two distinct but not unrelated ads from
British travel publications that caught my eye in recent months. The
first was an advertising campaign for a car rally/tour called the Karma
Enduro, which bills itself as ‘an adventure not a holiday’ and offers a
drive down India’s western flank from Goa to Kerala for GBP4,750,
roughly half of which goes to charities. “Karma Enduro is a unique way
to test your own limits, exit your daily comfort zone, meet like-minded
people from across the planet and, of course, help improve the quality
of life of people in desperate need.”

Of course.

The rally is one of a string of similar British ventures which combine a
patronising fetishisation of a cutely antiquated Indian motor vehicle –
the Hindustan Ambassador (Karma Enduro), the Enfield motorcycle (Enduro
India), and the three-wheeled Bajaj autorikshaw (Rickshawrun) – employed
on cross-country tours with fundraising for ‘people in desperate need’
thrown in as a feel-good factor.

Perhaps it’s just my tourism fatigue, but the idea of selling palliative
attempts to help the poor, as a jolly-hockey-sticks adventure sport for
the rich, makes me a little queasy. And I guess I’m tone deaf to the
complimentary tone of Karma Enduro’s description of the charming natives
it leaves in its munificent wake:

“The people of rural southern India are the most dignified, humble and
truly civilised people on the planet.”

But it was when I stumbled on the second ad that it struck me I was
either on to something, or missing something. This one was placed by
Survival International in the summer ‘Islands’ issue of Condé Nast
Traveller (UK). The ad carried a curiously Photoshopped image of a man
from the Jarawa tribe of India’s Andaman Islands (a forest-dwelling
community of hunter-gatherers) along with a punchily telegraphic homily
to this community’s innocence of war, stress and other evils of
so-called civilisation (“And we call them primitive?”). It concluded
with an appeal to help SI help them.

What unites these two testimonials to the humble dignity and
civilisation of South Indians and the unprimitive nobility of the Jarawa
has nothing to do with either of these peoples, of course. They are in
fact superbly elliptical reflections of the vanities of their authors,
and the fantasies of their tourist audience.

Kafka on the Shore

The first thing I learned was to give a handshake. The handshake
displays candour. Today, when I stand at the high point of my career,
may I add to that first handshake also my candid words? For the Academy
it will not provide anything essentially new…but nonetheless it should
demonstrate the line by which someone who was an ape was forced into the
world of men – Franz Kafka, A Report to an Academy

The encounter of the mobile modern world with ancient tribes becalmed on
distant isles (or indeed, continents) is a romantic and sinister fable
that has gripped readers for centuries. It’s not hard to evoke the rich
literature of adventure, travel and fantasy from The Tempest to Robinson
Crusoe and The Coral Island. Or from Heart of Darkness to those colonial
nightmares, In the Penal Colony and A Report to an Academy. And it’s
really not such a long journey from Shakespeare to Kafka. You can
traverse it in a day in India’s Andaman archipelago.

Surrounded by the waters of the Bay of Bengal, just over 1,000 km from
the nearest point on the Indian mainland, the Andamans have long been a
site of horror and fascination for the outside world. The British Raj
established a penal colony here, centred on a perfect Benthamite
panopticon. But for thousands of years before this, the islands had been
the exclusive territory of a number of indigenous peoples including the
Great Andamanese, the Jarawa, the Onge, and a community we know only by
the name of the isolated coral-ringed island they still inhabit, as the
‘Sentinelese’.

For well over a century now, these communities, apparently a “relict
population” of Asiatic negritos, have been studied and observed with
scientific interest for their 30,000-60,000 year history (estimates
vary) of genetic and cultural isolation, for their puzzling inclination
to meet invasion and violence with violence; and of course for their
negritude. Early anthropologists identified them as “a primitive
Chimpanzoid type” of humanity. A more enduring tendency, prompted
perhaps by their short stature, apparent intractability and their
susceptibility to introduced diseases, has been to regard them as
childlike. The Andaman genocide of the 19th century was marked by a
chilling paternalism in which tribals confined in ‘homes’ and orphanages
were given names like ‘Topsy’ or ‘Sambo’, and both cosseted and sexually
exploited to death, syphilis being a notable scourge.

Today, the surviving indigenous communities represent a perversely
Darwinian tetratych of the various stages of genocidal descent. The once
dominant Great Andamanese, decimated by war and disease under British
rule, were finally rounded up in 1970 (ostensibly to protect them from
exploitation and miscegenation) and relocated to a desert island of
their own where some 40 of them now live under the auspices of the
Tribal Welfare Department of the Andaman administration. The Onge still
live on a small corner of their original home, Little Andaman, their
numbers dwindling to the extent that a single pregnancy can become
national news. Having largely abandoned their traditional way of life,
they have become a cautionary tale of alcoholism and disease.

At the other end of the spectrum are the Sentinelese, still poised
precariously on the fastness of North Sentinel Island as a prelapsarian
‘uncontacted’ tribe, though they are subject to periodic surveillance
from the air and occasional offshore expeditions by the Indian State, or
by stray fishermen and poachers. These encounters have frequently been
greeted with (sometimes murderous) hostility by the Sentinelese.

But the community at the sharp end of this clash of civilisations are
the 300 or so Jarawa of South and Middle Andaman Islands. Having endured
the brutalities of British and (briefly) Japanese imperialism, and the
incursions of a growing population of settlers from the Indian mainland
on their forest homelands, this community then faced the most serious
threat to their way of life in the 1980s when the Andaman administration
constructed a highway through the heart of their territory. Despite an
order from the Supreme Court of India declaring the road illegal and
years of spirited violent resistance by the Jarawa themselves, the
steamroller of ‘progress’ could not be turned.

In 1997 the Jarawa apparently resolved to engage peacefully with the
state and the burgeoning population of settlers now entrenched along the
road on the fringes of the ‘Jarawa Reserve’. Although they continue to
sustain themselves primarily from their forest, the Jarawa have also
become a routine tourist attraction along the Andaman Trunk Road,
engaging in a ritual of performance in exchange for food and cash. Many
have learned to speak Hindi, and a repertoire of obscenities is
apparently a highlight of ‘Jarawa tourism’.

It’s a depressing development that recalls among other things Caliban’s
complaint in The Tempest: “You taught me language, and my profit on’t is
I know how to curse”. But it also demonstrates a pragmatic choice to
turn a lost battle to some advantage.

In many ways, this story is a quintessential recapitulation of an
all-too-familiar global tale: of the Caribs of the West Indies, the
Herero of Namibia, the Yahi of California, the Aborigines of Tasmania.
It has always recalled, for me, the bleak experience of reading Dee
Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, as a teenager. I have never
forgotten the quote from ‘Red Cloud, Chief of the Oglala Sioux’ on the
book’s back cover: “The white man made us many promises, more than I can
remember, but they never kept but one; they promised to take our land,
and they took it.”

The tragic teleology of this narrative almost discourages reading. But
in the Andamans a small and committed group of activists and researchers
have maintained a fierce scrutiny of the predicaments of the island’s
indigenous people. Much of the debate happens on an internet discussion
forum, which I have followed for a couple of years now. Many of the most
active voices here are those of people ostensibly engaged in wildlife
and environmental activism - less a reflection of their priorities than
of the reluctance of the Andaman authorities to countenance any
independent engagement with its tribal wards. As a result, the
discussions often reflect a certain frustration at the difficulty of
forming any understanding of the opinions of the Andaman tribal people
themselves.

Given the Jarawas’ own adaptability and the Andaman administration’s
recalcitrance, the continuing refrain on the part of many activists to
close down the Andaman Trunk Road can seem quixotic. Yet the authorities
can also demonstrate flashes of zealousness that have the capacity to
muddy the waters of this seemingly fruitless debate.

Earlier this year, the island’s department of Tribal Affairs formed an
unlikely alliance with Survival International. Their target was the
Barefoot Resort, a boutique beachfront property catering primarily to
well-heeled foreign tourists, located near the perimeter of the Jarawa
Reserve in the village lands of Collinpur. While the authorities lost
the first round of their case against the resort in the courts, (a later
Supreme Court hearing would close the resort), Survival International
(SI) launched a media campaign encouraging tourists to boycott Barefoot
for endangering the Jarawa by its proximity.

A few months later, Miriam Ross of SI posted the Andaman discussion
forum with the latest fruit of SI’s campaign against Barefoot: a lead
feature in The Guardian’s travel supplement, headlined ‘Are we just here
for your amusement’, written by John Vidal. The piece spelled out some
of the dilemmas facing Western tourists keen on an ‘ethical’ tribal
holiday in the tropics, and proffered SI’s shortlist of “Top Three
Holiday Spots to Avoid” (Barefoot at #1 spot) as well as a more hopeful
list of five “Leading Lights of Ethno-tourism” courtesy of another
English watchdog group, Tourism Concern.

The post was met with almost universal hostility from the stalwarts of
the discussion forum. Pankaj Sekhsaria, of the environmental activist
group Kalpavriksh, called John Vidal out for his piquant description of
the Jarawa (“it seemed as if these mysterious handsome people only
wanted to take a brief look at the world and would soon return to the
trees”). Vishvajit Pandya, an anthropologist who has worked extensively
with the Onge and published the recent volume, In the Forest, which
focuses on the Jarawa, picked on The Guardian’s astonishing choice of
pictures, notably a beautiful and utterly exploitative image by Olivier
Blaise (a photographer featured on SI’s Jarawa page) of a Jarawa
Odalisque lying in the surf, her breasts bared directly at the viewer, a
hand on her pubis. Hasmukh Hoslo Jiwa of the GreenLife Society (a
wildlife conservation organization) lit into SI itself for its hasty
presumption of Barefoot’s bad faith: “If SI had talked to the [Barefoot]
management I am sure they would have come to an agreement. But the
British are like the British, arrogant even after they left these isles
all these years ago.” Meanwhile Zubair Ahmed, of The Light of Andamans,
a local newspaper, pondered SI’s cosy silence on incursions into the
Jarawa reserve by foreign journalists like Blaise and the Belgian
photographer Thierry Falise, who are “as capable of spreading swine flu,
syphilis and gonorrhoea as any other mortal”.

I can only imagine Miriam Ross’s consternation at this native revolt but
I did write to SI’s Director, Stephen Corry, as well as to the
photographer Olivier Blaise and to Rachel Noble of Tourism Concern for
some reaction. Corry offered a spirited evasion on the issue of Blaise’s
photographs. SI apparently has a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy for
friendly photographers. Blaise himself replied with a charming
témoignage, or testimony, of his Jarawa encounter, invoking a timeless
colonial excuse for trespass: shipwreck. His boat’s engines had
conveniently given out in the proximity of the Jarawa, it seems. But it
is clear from his own website account of “a peaceful meeting and an
alarm to the world opinion through Survival International” that his
pictures were taken on a three-day reconnaissance, “watching for
coastguard”.

Rachel Noble of Tourism Concern demurred to comment on SI’s ‘choice of
campaign focus’ but conceded that The Guardian’s photo selection was
“certainly an interesting choice”. (An understatement that reminds me,
perhaps unfairly, of the condition in which that scoundrel Doodnath left
his beloved Leepa.)

I also questioned Corry on the peculiar SI advertisement I had seen in
Condé Nast Traveller. I put it to him that this romanticised Edenic
portrayal (‘no war’, ‘no stress’ etc) did the Jarawa no favours. As it
happens, the very name ‘Jarawa’ is an exonym meaning ‘hostile people’
applied to the tribe by their former neighbours, the Great Andamanese,
with whom the Jarawa were engaged in protracted, possibly stress-free,
bloodshed. Once again Corry was aggressively, sideways, insisting that
the ‘tone’ of the ad held true. The Jarawa “have no knowledge of the
kind of warfare which has been widely practised by ‘civilised’ peoples
over the last few generations,” he maintained, while insisting that the
ad, like most ads, used a manipulated image and was intentionally ironic.

Robinson Aid

We’ve got an island all to ourselves. We’ll take possession in the name
of the king; we’ll go and enter the service of its black inhabitants. Of
course we’ll rise, naturally to the top of affairs. White men always do
in savage countries – R.M. Ballantyne, The Coral Island

There are many kinds of irony. Although this particular variant eludes
me, I can see an irony in the feel-good T-shirts well-meaning Britons
can buy from SI’s website to strut around the high street with a
falsehood emblazoned on their chests: ‘The Forest is My Supermarket’.

There is real irony in the fact that SI acts as a media-friendly
gatekeeper to politically correct tourism. And in its quaintly British
fundraising raffles, which offer adventure holidays to Thailand or
Morocco as first prize. (Consolation prizes include “a three-day
survival training course on Orkney” with “a guided tour of Neolithic
sites”.) And there are all kinds of ironies in SI’s strange alliance
with the Indian state in its own diversionary Robinsonade.

There is a visual irony in the fact that SI’s distinctive logo of
‘tribal’ handprints recalls the most memorable (and most frequently
illustrated) moment in Robinson Crusoe, Chapter XVIII: “I find the print
of a man’s naked foot.” And in the fact that SI shares this aesthetic
inspiration with its bête noire (so to speak), the Barefoot Resort. The
Eternal Savage, expressed in negative space. In Defoe’s novel, the
tension of this image is finally resolved when Friday places Crusoe’s
foot on his own head in gratitude - a colonial fantasy that lives on in
the sententious philanthropy of all the ethical tourists of this world.

True Colours

The Traveller was struck by the impression of historical memory, and he
felt the power of earlier times – Franz Kafka, In the Penal Colony

I have been to the Andamans once - on assignment for the travel
magazine I edited and as guest of the Andaman administration, who were
of course keen to promote the territory as a tourist destination. My
personal agenda had everything to do with the Jarawa. I was hoping in
fact for an interview with Enmay, the enigmatic tribal Doodnath who had
been injured in a Jarawa foray into settler territory in 1997, captured,
given medical attention and a few months’ government hospitality before
returning to his people. In the official narrative, Enmay is credited
with having convinced the tribe to end their war with the outside world.
With India.

“In truth, this spectacle hardly rouses me to rage – more a
melancholy nausea.”

Perhaps it was foolish of me to imagine that I could wear so many hats
(or boots): travel writer, state guest and inscrutable
Forschungsreisende. My shifty pastiche during an interview with the Lt.
Governor of the islands alerted his vigilant aides to prevent me from
taking the public bus along the Andaman Trunk Road, where I would
certainly have encountered the daily Jarawa show. Instead, I was sent,
with an armed escort, to visit a government-run clinic in Tushnabad
where I was introduced to Chocho and Chambue, the two young occupants of
the ‘Jarawa Ward’.

Primed for journalistic observation, I was disconcerted at my own sudden
and ridiculously heightened perception of their purplish darkness, the
dense nap of their hair, the whiteness of their teeth and the unhealthy
yellow cast of their eyes. They had been dressed in identical purple
shorts and dazzlingly white Rupa brand undershirts, worn inside out. I
had my notebook out but we had no common language for an interview. In
the end the older boy took my pen and drew me a picture of a wild pig
with a tiny head and tusks and three arrows lodged in its ass. As I was
ushered out Chambue executed a handstand. “Bilkul bandar jaise (‘Just
like a monkey’),” said one of the attendants shaking his head.
“Bye-bye!” said Chocho. And then, shyly, showing off his Hindi, “Khana
de do (‘feed me’).”

Back in Port Blair I visited the shabby ‘Tribal Guest House’ where I met
Nau Jr., a Great Andamanese man, visiting from Strait Island. He told me
of the ongoing debate in their community over this issue of continuing
to live in isolation on government handouts or integrating with the
settler population. “There are two sides now,” he said. The divide had
been sharpened by a recent controversy over a tribesman who had brought
his Indian wife back to the island, where she had apparently been
hoarding community rations to send back to her settler family - a female
Doodnath of sorts. It was a story I had already heard from the director
of tribal welfare. “She has shown her true colour,” he told me.

Prospero’s Cell

This thing of darkness I acknowledge mine – William Shakespeare, The Tempest

Is there no escape from the long and dismal shadow of colonialism? Are
we all prisoners of history, endlessly repeating itself first as tragedy
and then as farce, or as tourism - which is really the same thing?
Personally, I’m an optimist: the world is full of unintended
consequences and surprising turns. So here’s a happier counter-narrative
to the adventures of Corry, Tewarry, or me, for that matter. Another
true story:

Thirty-three years ago, a South African prisoner - convict 46664 -
serving a life sentence for high treason and sabotage on a penal colony
off the coast of Cape Town, opened the National Geographic issue of July
1975. It contained a feature on the Andaman Islands with photographs by
the famous Indian photographer Raghubir Singh, including one of a young
Jarawa woman dancing along a beach. To add to his crimes, the prisoner
tore out the picture and kept it. He would call her ‘Nolitha’. Before
long he was playfully taunting his wife in a letter: “Your beautiful
photo stands about two feet above my left shoulder as I write this,
Nolitha stands on the table directly opposite me. How can my spirits
ever be down when I enjoy the fond affection of such wonderful ladies?”
I like to imagine a liberated Convict 46664 settling down to write his
memoirs. Robben Island Crusoe, perhaps. Chapter xviii: “I find the print
of a woman’s naked body.”

Actually, Nelson Mandela says he saw Nolitha as “a celebration of life”.
I guess I’ll take his word for it.





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Strong quake rattles Indonesia's Bali
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2533704.ece

A powerful earthquake struck off Indonesia’s popular resort island of
Bali on Thursday, sending people fleeing from their homes and hotels in
panic. No tsunami alert was issued, and there were no immediate reports
of injuries.

Some roofs collapsed, and witnesses told local radio and television
stations they saw cracks in the walls of buildings.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of
6.0 was centred 100 km southwest of the island. It struck 60 km beneath
the ocean floor.

“It knocked me off my motorcycle,” said one resident, Miftahul Chusna.

Indonesia straddles a series of fault lines that makes the vast island
nation prone to volcanic and seismic activity.

A giant quake off the country on Dec. 26, 2004, triggered a tsunami in
the Indian Ocean that killed 230,000 people, half of them in Indonesia’s
westernmost province of Aceh.

Tsunami mock drill conducted in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry
By ANI | ANI – 3 hours ago
http://in.news.yahoo.com/tsunami-mock-drill-conducted-tamil-nadu-puducherry-0815\
43860.html
Chennai, Oct 13(ANI): A tsunami mock drill, codenamed Exercise IOWAVE
11, was conducted along the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry
by UNESCO's Inter-governmental Oceanographic Commission on Wednesday.

The drill, which did not disrupt the fishermen's routine outing onto the
high seas, was projected to visualize a tsunami of 9.2-magnitude
earthquake originating in the northwest coast of Sumatra, Indonesia in
the early morning hours.

The exercise was conducted according to the guidelines of the National
Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and was monitored by the Indian
Tsunami Early Warning Center (ITEWC) located at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.

Apart from Indian Coast Guard and NDMA, experts from Ministry of Earth
Sciences (MoES), Home Ministry, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
and disaster management agencies of all coastal states also participated
in the exercise.

The Inter-governmental Oceanographic Commission has also formulated
Indian Ocean tsunami advisories to be handed over to the Regional
Tsunami Advisory Service Providers (RTSPs) of the region (India,
Australia and Indonesia).

Dear Pankaj,

On October 10, 2011there was a headline in the front page of the Daily Telegram
Newspaperof a "Full-scale Tsunami Drill exercise on Oct. 12"and on October 12,
2011 there was another headline- 'Disaster Management Exercise by ANC'. So those
who regularly read the newspapers were aware of the exercise and mock drill.

On the day of the exercise i.e. 12.10.11, there was a loud siren at 7 amand
within five minutes, a maruthi gypsy carrying two navy personnel patrolled our
street in Haddo announcing a 'General Recall'.  At the time, we thought that it
was only meant for the Naval staff but
later understood that it was for everybody. I left for work as usual by
8.40 am with everything around looking as normal as any other day and
began my class by 9 am. Everybody in College looked calm and relaxed
which made me wonder whether the drill was only for the concerned staff
or for the general public as well. After all, we did not take any
special precautions on the day. I guess we were expected not to panic in such
circumstances and everyone did just that because they did not know what else to
do since there was no actual Tsunami/ Earthquake.

Kind regards,
Chris

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | ISSUE 14 | 30 SEPTEMBER 2011

Jarawa Policy 2004 Well Conceived: SA Awaradi

By Staff Reporter
http://lightofandamans.blogspot.com/2011/10/jarawa-policy-2004-well-conceived-sa\
.html
The members of the expert committee on Jarawas have recorded their
observation that the Jarawa Policy of 2004 is well conceived. However,
it feels that regular periodic monitoring of its implementation by an
independent body consisting of experts and administration is required to
be put in place.
Dr Awaradi in a report submitted has also suggested reduction of convoys
on Andaman Trunk Road. He has observed that the traffic on ATR is a
major location of interaction and source for the items including
eatables, rice etc for the Jarawas. He has suggested that the traffic on
the ATR in the South Andaman Island needs to be regulated. The report
mentions that the convoys move during the major part of the day from
early morning to late afternoon. The regulation could be so designed to
ensure that the entire traffic in that sector closes by noon, by 11.30
am to 12 noon. It had also suggested that the first convoy could start
as early as 5 am and the last one from Jirkatang could be 9.00 am and
that from Middle Strait could be at 10.00 am. The gap between the
convoys could be reduced to increase the number of convoys within the
given time in the forenoon. The committee has asked to scrupulously
follow the convoy system to eliminate contact with the Jarawas on the road.
He felt that the absence of traffic in afternoon would facilitate the
safe movement of the Jarawas on the road i.e. by avoiding road accidents
and could also end the disturbance in the hunting activities.
The report also recorded its observation that rice has found its way
into the lives of Jarawas through clandestine barter between Jarawas and
non-Jarawas. It says that Jarawas has learnt to trap deer, catch crabs
with active behind the scene support in the form of supply of rope traps
and other articles. The hunts are exchanged with the non-tribals and the
Jarawas take rice, spices, cooking oil etc in return. The Jarawas have
learnt to respond intelligently with authorities if encountered.
The report says that rice has become a valued article of food among the
Jarawas. If rice becomes a preferred and sought after item by overtaking
their traditional indigenous food items, the Jarawas would become not
only dependent on others for their food but become victims of
exploitations by unscrupulous non-Jarawas. The committee fears that
following the inroad of rice, the rice-bear would also appear on the
scene and thereby worsening the situation. There are living examples in
the ANI wherein the aborigines have adopted rice as food item due to the
contacts with the traders and have become dependent on the others. The
report says that there is an urgent need to control the inflow of the
rice among the Jarawas.
On the hospitalization of Jarawas, the report says that the hospitalized
Jarawas are perforce eating the rice because they are away from their
natural habitat. Thus, shifting of Jarawas even for minor treatment to
the hospitals located away from their inhabited areas leads to
consumption of rice. As such, the location of medical sub-centres could
be as close to Jarawa areas as possible so that the Jarawa attendants
and patients can continue to have access to their normal food under the
advice of medical personnel.
Dr Awaradi has suggested that a mechanism has to be established for
continuous long term observation and study of the Jarawas so that input
is available to enable the government to review the policy measures and
activities if required.
ANI Admn had formed an expert committe to assess the actual perceptions,
needs and expectations of the Jarawa tribe, covering various groups
inhabiting South and Middle Andaman. The 2004 policy on Jarawa tribes is
being reviewed looking at the changed scenario, wherein some members of
the tribe are coming out of their area and having more contact with the
outside world.

THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | ISSUE 14 | 30 SEPTEMBER 2011
http://lightofandamans.blogspot.com/2011/10/paupers-log-invisible-islands.html

PAUPER’S LOG:
Invisible Islands

By Abu Arsh

Recent utterances by the Administrator and the top bureaucrat of the
Islands have left us rather perplexed especially with 'Delhi and
Delhiwallahs'. Though both of them were pretty forthright; one wonders
whether they were egged on by seeing an ensemble of academicians and
intellectuals to indulge in grandstanding and playing to the galleries.
Lieutenant Governor, Bhopinder Singh, inaugurating the two-day UGC
sponsored seminar on Strategic Importance, Political Autonomy and
Sustainable Development of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, had candidly
admitted Andaman and Nicobar Islands still does not ring a bell at New
Delhi. The Islands is still confused with Lakshadweep and Delhiwallas
are unfamiliar with the Islands. Shakti Sinha, Chief Secretary in his
keynote address also admitted that in Delhi, nobody understands the
Islands though there is no dearth of funds as Centre is an open cheque
for ANI.
Nearly 65 years after India's independence the A&N Islands fail to find
space in the nation's common conscious. It's an Invisible Island. It is
an irony of politics that the Andaman and Nicobar islands have ended up
with India. If not for the penal settlers and their patriotism, our
claim over these Islands would not have been there. Our forefathers
would be squirming in the darkness of their graves at the state of
affairs of a territory; which first hoisted the national flag in 1945 by
Subhas Chandra Bose, way before mainland India did. These lovely islands
sitting on the Burma plate in the Bay of Bengal are governed from Delhi
about 3000 kms away, through the local administration - that too is run
by Delhiwallahs, who are so disconnected to the grass roots and local
problems even a tsunami couldn't stir them to action.
Chinese adventurism, in our neighbourhood especially in an Island which
formed part of a Delhiwallah's generosity; gifting Coco Islands to the
erstwhile Burma by Nehru then; is virtually like creating another
Pakistan- a permanent sore on a all new front for us now. The recent
talk on economic development and defence preparedness has left many of
us thinking- Did the Chinese rediscover us for India after so many
years?  Delhiwallahs say that our country does not harbor aggressive
designs against others and with the Islands playing a major role; India
can become a major global player with economic development and defence
preparedness going hand in hand. The only question here is- when?
Common wisdom over centuries has pointed out - though the Islands are
located strategically, its developmental activities are negatively
affected due to its location. Delhiwallahs say- Agriculture and
manufacturing industries cannot be the mainstay of the Island economy;
we need to think out of the box. For 65 years they've been thinking and
are still unable to get out of the box.  They further say nature and
people of these Islands are the two tremendous resource bases of the
Islands for which our 69 panchayats has been given as Grant-in- Aid of
about Rs 105 crores last year, each Panchayat getting more than a crore
rupees, which no panchayat gets elsewhere in India. But panchayat
elsewhere have control over land rights and if it happens to be in a
Delhiwallah's backyard, they should know how much it's worth. Out of the
1000 or so odd crores our Islands are allocated each year this is
pittance being spent on the most importance resource base.
Despite limited availability of revenue land, it's been said by
Administration that developmental activities in different sectors are
taking place, which will bring prosperity and generate employment
opportunities. A roadmap for development needs to be prepared with
meticulous planning and time bound implementation to achieve the
aspirations of the Islanders. Roadmaps for development of a territory
where population hardly increased in a decade after all the influx and
illegal migration, encroachers and poachers paradise, home of the
prehistoric indigenous tribes on the verge of annihilation of their
existence and culture, great biodiversity, great forest cover
percentage, large EEZ, world's best beaches, and lone sentinel of our
country guarding the bay cannot be brought about by ignorant Delhi and
Delhiwallahs. We need a system where the Kalapaaniwallahs are also part
of the planning process concerning the islands. Self centered
politicians have sadly let us down. The MP and PRI's have themselves to
blame for letting the Islanders voices getting stifled in the planning
process by their conduct.