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dam-l LS: Int'l Grassroots Movements In Solidarity With NBA
Narmada Bachao Andolan, B 13 Shivam Flats, Ellora Park, Vadodara 390 007
Ph. & Fax : 0265-38 22 32
Email :nba@lwbdq.lwbbs.net
_____________________________________________________________________________
Press Note August 28, 1999
GRASSRROT MOVEMENTS IN EUROPE,LATIN AMERICA APPEAL PRESIDENT TO INTERVENE
IN NARMADA SITUATION TO PROTEST THE RIGHTS OF THE TRIBALS.
Hundreds of activists of the grass root movements in Eurpoe, Latin America
and North America fightinh against the neo-imperialism, WTO and
Globalisation have appealed to the President of India to intervene in the
serious situation in the Narmada valley. They requested him to use his
constitutional prerogative to safeguard the interests of the tribals and
peasants against the threat of submergence due to the contreoversial
Sardar Sarovar Project in the Narmada valley.
Grass root movements of youths, social-political activists fighting
against the discrimination and exploitation like Play Fair Europe (Germany, Net
Switzerland,Anti-Maastricht Treaty and Globalisation in Spain, Peasants
Movement in France, YABASTA ( a campaigne for the rights of emigrants in
Italy), Earth First Movement and Reclaim The Streets movements in U.K.,
Black Women Workers' Group in Columbia, anti-dam movement in Brazil,
Argentina, radical activists from Nicaragua, Canadian Union of Postal
Workers and number of other activists appealed the President to initiate a
comprtehensive review of the SSP stopping all its work. Prominent
activists and intellectuals like Dr. Ward Morehouse ( Programme on
Corporations, Law and Democracy, USA), Olivier de Marcellus( Action
PopulaireCtre La Mondalisation, Switzerland), Sanat Fernando ( Movement
for NAtional Land And Agricultureal Reform, Sri Lanka), and Adiiti
Chowdury of ARENA, Hong Kong) also signed on this joint letter.
These organisations were in India for the second conference of "People's
Global Action Against WTO and Free Trade", held near Bangalore from August
23-26, 1999. These organisations, alongwith those in India and other South
Asian countries finalised their plan to oppose the Ministerial COnference
of the WTO to be held at Seattle, U.S. Theses organisations made it clear
that the mega-projects like the SSP are a part of the globalisation
process and fit in the political economy of the forces like World Trade
Organisation and other such multilateral instruments. They referred to the
ongoing Satyagraha( Non-violent mass action) in the Narmada valley against
the submergence and forcible submergence and the people daring the
submergence on August 10-11, not budging even when the submergence water
was came upto waist and breasts of the satyagrahis. " The governnment of
India must desist from the grave violation of the human and constitutional
rights of the adivasis and peasants", the signatories said.
Number of activists headed for the Narmada valley satyagraha after
finalising the global campaigne against the Globalisation and WTO, to
express solidarity with the Narmada Satyagraha.
Sanjay Sangvai