[Text Fwd: PSPD] Open letter to Minister Shri. Jairam Ramesh on the POSCO Project

People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy
Open letter to Minister Shri. Jairam Ramesh on the POSCO Project

To: Dear. Minister Shri. Jairam Ramesh,
The Ministry of Environment and Forests
From: Korean civil society alliance

Greetings and Peace from the Republic of Korea.

Most of all, Korean civil society has had an interest constantly on the Pohang Steel Company (POSCO)'s project launched in Orissa. We, Nongovernmental Organizations(NGOs) of the Republic of Korea, had visited the State of Orissa, India, and completed to conduct the field research in the year of 2008 and 2010, and also had sent the open letter to the Meena Gupta Committee in September 2010. We are fully understanding of the POSCO's project that was given the procedure of decision making on interruption of land purchase by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, India, on 5 August 2010, and waiting with a close attention on the Minister's final decision that are known as scheduled in the end of this January.

We, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) of the Republic of Korea, would like to express our special respect on your sincere efforts to protect environment and human rights of natives in the project region to the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The Forest Rights Act had been suggested as the right direction to the global community suffering from making a decision between development and villagers' right to livelihood, and the decision on Vedanta was very courageous. All the companies that are trying to invest in India including Korean corporations should respect and follow the message suggested by the Ministry of Environment, India. It is the trustworthy way that makes the sustainable development possible for all the human beings.

We, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) of the Republic of Korea, confirmed that the POSCO project is clearly violated by the Forest Rights Act through the two field research as the Saxena Committee Report and the Meena Gupta Committee Majority Report has been pointed out. The development project proceeding without the legally appropriate procedure must be paid huge cost as an inevitable consequence. Regardless of violation on the Forest Right Act, POSCO and the Orissa government has been persuading the villagers who are strongly against the POSCO project for the last five years until now, however it has been failed. The villagers keep objecting to accept the compensation that POSCO has suggested to them and denying to move their residences.

If you, Minister Shri. Jairam Ramesh, approve the POSCO project even though the existing reports pointed the argumentative points of this POSCO project, your decision would not be supported. Most of all, it must make the villagers who has been suffered from the POSCO project for the last five years very disappointed. Korean civil societies also never want for you to proceed the project without any support. Executing of the project which is lack of legitimacy will face the stronger resistance to the POSCO project, and it will bear the serious human rights abuse related to the project, finally it will seriously hurt both POSCO and Korean civil society.

During such a long time, the experts of the Ministry of Environment and Forests have conducted the research over the POSCO project at the same time gone through the careful analysis procedure. As being well aware of the existing problems of the POSCO project, the Forest Advisory Committee and the Infrastructure and Coastal Zone Sub-committee of the Expert Appraisal Committee also have pointed out those problems.


Korean civil society sincerely hope to end the conflict on the POSCO project and to consider the problems on development, environment, and the human rights abuse of the villagers and to find the alternatives to both the Korean and Indian society which will be definitely affected by the decision of the Ministry of Environment, India. Also, POSCO will have the opportunity to be mature in terms of operating the legitimate project through "the right decision" of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, India.

Here, "the right decision" means that everyone agrees and respect at the same time, it is the decision should be based on the truth.

We, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) of the Republic of Korea, believe that you, Minister Shri. Jairam Ramesh, will make the right and rational decision based on the truth and common sense.

28 January 2011

Signed by Korean civil society Alliance, below:
Amnesty International Korea
Catholic Human Rights Committee
Citizen’s Movement for Environmental Justice
Corporate for All
Dasan human rights centre
Korean House for International Solidarity
MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society
Network for Glocal Activism
People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy
Sarangbang Group for Human Rights


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openlettertominister.pdf

Text Fwd: India Approves Long-Delayed Korean Steel Mill Project By Anti-Labor Posco

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참여 연대 (2011 년 1월 28일)

포스코 사업승인을 앞둔 인도 환경부 자이람 라메쉬 장관에 보내는 한국시민사회의 공개서한(클릭)

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* Text informed by Steve Zeltzer on Feb. 2, 2011

New York Times
India Approves Long-Delayed Korean Steel Mill Project By Anti-Labor Posco
By VIKAS BAJAJ
Published: January 31, 2011

SHAREMUMBAI, India — An Indian ministry on Monday approved a long-delayed, $12 billion steel mill and port proposed by Posco, a South Korean company. Foreign companies and governments had been closely watching the project to gauge how receptive Indian officials were to big investment projects.

The decision, which is contingent on the company’s meeting 60 new requirements, comes nearly six years after Posco and the eastern Indian state of Orissa signed an agreement for the project, which would be the largest single foreign direct investment in India.

The Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests, which business executives have criticized in recent months for blocking significant industrial projects, gave its approval. It said its concerns about the project would be addressed by the new conditions, which include safeguards for turtles and mangrove forests. The ministry also directed Posco to spend 2 percent of its profit on social welfare programs.

“Undoubtedly, projects such as that of Posco have considerable economic, technological and strategic significance for the country,” India’s minister for the environment, Jairam Ramesh, wrote in the approval document. “At the same time, laws on environment and forests must be implemented seriously.”

In recent months, some executives and analysts have criticized Mr. Ramesh, an engineer by training, for his opposition to several prominent industrial projects. Some Indian newspapers have taken to calling him “Dr. No.” In August, he blocked plans by Vedanta Resources to mine bauxite on a hill in Orissa that a local tribe considered sacred.

Mr. Ramesh, who declined to comment, has defended himself by saying he is simply enforcing India’s environmental laws, which were brazenly flouted in the past.

Disputes over big industrial projects have become more common in India in recent years as demand for manufactured goods has increased in the country’s fast-growing economy. Analysts say that Indian officials have not yet figured how to strike the right balance among industry, the environment and the rights of local people.

The difficulty in getting projects approved and acquiring land appear to have depressed foreign interest in India. As hedge funds and other financial investors poured money into the Indian stock market last year, direct investments by foreigners fell 27 percent, to $14 billion, from April to November, compared with the period a year earlier.

The Posco project has faced stiff opposition from environmentalists, villagers and tribes in Orissa, which sits on the Bay of Bengal. Opponents say the project will mar the state’s forests and coastline and dislocate hundreds of people. On Monday, one of the main groups opposed to the project said it would continue to try to block it.

“We strongly condemn this decision,” said Prashant Paikray, a spokesman for Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, or the People’s Organization Opposing Posco, an opposition group that represents villagers affected by the project. He said the decision ignored the findings of committees of experts that were appointed to study the project, which had advised against its approval.

Posco faces a number of other hurdles. The decision issued by the ministry for the environment, for instance, does not give the company permission to mine iron ore, the main raw material of steel. Orissa is rich in that natural resource, an important reason Posco wanted to build a plant and port there. The company’s plans are also contingent on the outcome of a court case filed by opponents against the state government.

“We fully appreciate the concerns of different stakeholders on sustainability of environment as well as livelihood of affected people,” G. W. Sung, the managing director of Posco India, said in a statement.

Separately on Monday, the Indian government said the economy grew 8 percent in the fiscal year that ended in March 2010, up from a previous estimate of 7.4 percent.

Text Fwd: [PSPD] An Open Letter from the Civil Groups of South Korea Forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) 한국 시민 사회 단체, 포스코 인도 관련 편지

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* 아래 영문의 원 국문 기사 및 그 외 관련 국문 기사는 아래를 클릭하세요.

참여 연대: 한국 시민 사회 단체 포스코 인도 자원 개발 프로젝트의 산림 주민 보호법 위반에 대해 공정한 조사결과 촉구 (2010년 9월 17일)

참여 연대: [포럼 아시아] 현지 조사중 불법 구금된 인도 인권 활동가들을 석방하라 (2010년 8월 24일)

참여 연대: 포스코는 인도 오리사주 제철소 건설 반대 주민에 대한 유혈 진압에 대해 책임져야 한다. (2010년 5월 25일)

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People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy 참여 연대

INDIA/SOUTH KOREA: Korean Civil Society Expects the Meena Gupta Committee to Make a Fair and prompt Decision on POSCO Project in Orissa

Sept. 18, 2010

An Open Letter from the Civil Groups of South Korea
Forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)

In June 2006, the State government of Orissa, India, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the South Korean company Pohang Steel Company (POSCO) for the establishment of a 12 million tonnes per annum Integrated Steel Plant at Ersamma Block of Jagatsinghpur district of the state. Recently, the Indian government established the Saxena Committee to investigate POSCO's builidng site according to The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Acts. As a result, the Committee concluded that residents or Orissa who should be protected under the abovementioned Act could not get into consensus with POSCO during the construction of their Steel Meal. As a result, the Ministry of Envirnoment of India has cancelled the Posco's activity on 5 August. (http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/economy/serious-violationforest-rights-actorissa-nc-saxena_480463.html)

The State of Orissa who pushed for POSCO project strongly against the decision and as a result, the Ministry of Environment re-set up the Committee with the Chairperson Ms. Meena Gupta to reinvestigate Posco's building site. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_ic2mbrBiE ) According to Indian local media, this Meena Gupta Committee was established to overturn Saxena Commttee's decision and to faciliate Posco's construction work in Orissa.

Based on Korean House for International Solidarity(KHIS)'s fact finding mission, they strongly believe that Saxena Commttee's report is well-grounded, and if Meena Gupta Committee overturn the decision, it will bring further violation of human rights and give power to POSCO to conduct their work in Orissa without considering local people's rights.

Therefore, PSPD, KHIS and other Korean civil society sent a letter to Meena Gupta Committee to express their deep concerns and request them to conduct fair investigation on the issue. For more details, please see the below open letter.

To: The Chairperson
Meena Gupta Committee

Greetings and peace from the People of Korea

First, let me say that we appreciate your efforts regarding the Pohang Steel Company (POSCO)’s project launched in Orissa. Our civil society, including NGOs in South Korea, has been paying close attention to this project. We have noticed recently that the Saxena Committee’s report reveals this important fact. The villagers, protected under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest-Dwellers Recognition of Forest Rights Act, 2006 (Forest Rights Act) reside in the areas the POSCO project will occupy. Furthermore, the report discloses the problems caused in the process in which the state government attempted to acquire the land for the POSCO project.

The objection has been constantly raised that the POSCO project has been proceeding without appropriate communication with the villagers which would further deprive the villagers of the right to livelihood while destroying their environment. As a result of our first and second fact-finding research conducted in April 2008, and August 29. 2010, immediately after field research by your Committee, we can clarify the proof upholding the findings of the Saxena Committee. We also share the concerns about violations of their right to livelihood and environmental disruption voiced by the villagers and local NGO’s.

As your Committee is well aware, the kinds of natural resource development-based projects have been emerging as acute social issues at a global level. It is creating various human rights violations including environmental disruption, forced eviction, and deprivation of the right to livelihood. Up to now, Korean civil society has been making efforts to solve these problems.

It is impressive that Indian society, the world’s largest democracy, deals with issues and problems through consultation and intervention with different interest groups. Accordingly, we absolutely respect the decision made by the Ministry of Environment on August 5 2010. She ordered to stop the land acquisition for the POSCO project based on the Saxena Committee’s report, which is in accordance with the Forest Rights Act, protecting the rights of residents in the forest area.

We are aware that the Meena Gupta Committee, composed of four members including the honourable Chairperson, conducted thorough investigations with a report that will be published in September. They included various environmental issues relating to POSCO projected areas as well as the Forest Rights Act. We would expect your Committee to give more attention to the problems raised by villagers and local NGOs by looking into the documents and the evidence submitted by them.

Korean civil society confidently expects your Committee to make a fair and prompt decision that will lead international society to reinforce the credibility and trust of India. If your Committee fails to release findings that are believable, it would cause great dissatisfaction to the villagers affected by POSCO project as well as the entire Korean civil society. To constantly raise disputes and doubts regarding the POSCO project is not productive to either POSCO or Korean society.

Korean civil society requests your decision will be based on conscience and common sense.

Sincerely,

Na. Hyun-Phil
Korean House for Internation Solidarity
110-440, 2 F, 184-2, Pirun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea
tel) +82-2-736-5808 fax) +82-2-736-5810

September 17, 2010

Endorsed by:

Amnesty International S. Korea
Buddhism Human Rights Committee
Citizen’s Movement for Environmental Justice
Corporate for All
Dasan human rights centre
Democratic Legal Studies Association
Network for Glocal Activism/School of Feminism for glocal activists
Jeju human rights centre
Korean House for International Solidarity
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
Migrants' Trade Union
MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society
People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy
Public Interest Lawyers Group ‘Gonggam’
Sarangbang Group for Human Rights

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