His name is Bunlaamb and he lives on the banks of the usually-sanguine Se San River in north-eastern Cambodia. But for the last seven years, the life of this farmer-fisherman, and the rest of his village, has been turned upside down by sudden water fluctuations caused by a series of large hydropower dams built upstream, on the Vietnamese side of the border.
The Filipino community threatened by the proposed Oceanagold gold and copper mine launched a formal action to stop water permits for the mine in recent days with the Philippines’ National Water Resources Board, on the grounds it would contaminate their water supply, cause environmental hazards as well as threaten farming and their way of life.
A Melbourne based mine operator has been accused by Filipino villagers of harassment and the use of strong arm tactics to pressure them to accept its plans to develop a large gold and copper mine, according to a new report published today by Oxfam Australia.
National Close the Gap day on Tuesday 18 September was celebrated at more than 300 events across the nation. The events received extensive coverage from the media including on CH 10, the ABC and SBS, local radio and press in many places across the country.
Recent profit announcements from Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and other mining majors riding the wave of demand for minerals from China and India suggest the ride isn’t likely to be over any time soon. However not everyone is benefiting from riding the mining wave.
Campaigners alarmed at the 17-year life gap between Aboriginal and other Australians have called on the nation’s leaders to heed a petition signed by over 80,000 Australians, unveiled today (September 18) to mark Australia’s first ever National Close The Gap Day.
ALTHOUGH the consensus from APEC was that much had been achieved, this feeling may not be shared by many of the people who live throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Carteret Islanders Ursula Rakova and Bernard Tunim begin their speaking tour of Australia.
Yesterday’s announcement by Australian-based Emperor Mines Limited to sell the Tolukuma Gold Mine in Papua New Guinea should include a commitment to sell the asset to a purchaser that will work with communities to alleviate impacts and maximize benefits as well as stop the practice of disposing of mine waste in rivers.
International agency Oxfam is concerned that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Head of State meeting in Sydney tomorrow will fail to kick-start an ambitious plan to tackle climate change.