Over
10,000 demonstrate against sale of Eppawela phosphate mine
by Saman Indrajith
"Don’t sell the Eppawela phosphate deposit," was the battlecry of over 10,000 demonstrators who took to the streets yesterday, protesting against government moves to hand over the country’s biggest phosphate mine to a US company.
Thousands of members from trade unions and environmental, religious, women’s, peasants’ and non-governmental organisations demonstrated opposite the Fort Railway Station, expressing their collective opposition to the proposed Eppawela phosphate mining project. They expressed their solidarity with the Eppawela people’s struggle to safeguard the country’s resources.
Mahamankadawala Piyarathana Thera, the President of the Committee for the Preservation of the Eppawela Phosphate Deposit, said that despite the strong opposition of environmentalists, politicians, peasants, villagers and the general public, the government was going ahead with its agreement with a consortium of companies headed by the IMC Agrico, a merger between IMC Global Inc. and Freefort McMoran Resource Partners, of USA and Tomen Corporation of Japan for manufacture of phosphate fertiliser for export by exploiting the Eppawela deposit.
He said that if IMC Agrico and its partners have their way, the entire phosphate deposit at Eppawela would be exhausted within a short period of thirty years. "The profits they will reap are estimated to be several billion US dollars, while Sri Lanka will receive a meagre handout," he said.
General Secretary of the Ceylon Mercantile, Industrial & General Workers’ Union (CMU), Bala Tampoe, who had just arrived from London after participating at a seminar titled ‘People’s Permanent Tribunal on Global Corporations and Human Wrongs’ held at the University of Warwick, said that he had presented a detailed account at the seminar about Freefort McMoran company’s attempt to plunder country’s resources.
"Many international organisations had participated in that seminar. It dealt with the injustices done by multinational corporations to environment and lives of the people in the third world countries. Through this we have taken this issue to international level," he said.
He pledged that the CMU and nine other trade unions were in solidarity with those protesting against foreign companies plundering the country’s resources. "These thousands of people most of them attached to the CMU demonstrate true working class solidarity with the people of Eppawela."
Patali Champika Ranawaka, Convenor of the National Movement Against Terrorism said that the government is going ahead with its plans to hand over Eppawela phosphate deposit to a US company condemned in the USA itself as the "world’s worst polluter" without considering the long term consequences of the project. In the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya, Freefort McMoran owns mining rights to the world’s biggest copper and gold deposits. "This company accused of causing major environmental damages and human rights abuses, has its own private militaries. This army is estimated to have killed some 2,000 people near the mining area."
"Can any body assure that Freefort McMoran won’t repeat this act in Sri Lanka at Eppawela. I can assure that sacred city of Anuradhapura is in danger if we allow this foreign company to exploit the phosphate deposit," he added.
Hemantha Vithanage of the Sri Lanka Environmental Foundation said that the mining of rock phosphate would cause the displacement of 12,000, all of 2,500 families living in 28 villages. "It will also destroy the lands that these people and their ancestors have cultivated for centuries. Twenty three small tanks will be destroyed if this project is implemented," he said.
Parliamentarian Vasudeva Nanayakkara representing the Leftist and Democratic Alliance said that in this issue everybody should gather around Eppawela people forgetting narrow political gains to save country’s resources.
"This government has to take a clear decision on this issue. That decision certainly will decide its future," he said.
Father Oswald Firth, Director of the Centre for Society and Religion, said "This resource given by nature to the innocent farmers cannot be sold by this or any government. It is vital for farming community’s life. On the other hand Freefort McMoran company is well known for its bad reputation. If we give a chance to them they’ll certainly repeat what they had done to Irian Jaya in Indonesia," he said.
Rev. Yohan Devananda of the Sri Lanka Association of Theology said that the Eppawela issue should be considered as being much less important than the North-East conflict. "The government is sending thousands of troops to protect a province from terrorists. But in the meantime, it warmly welcomes transnational invaders to the middle of the country," he said.
The Convenor of the Inter University Students Federation, Kalawelgala Chandraloka Thera said that if this project is implemented several ancient temples and invaluable archaeological sites, including the ancient city of Anuradhapura, would also be destructed, while irreparable environmental pollution and ecological damage will be caused in the entire area and its surroundings.
Minister of Science and Technology Batty Weerakoon was among the thousands of protesters who took to the streets yesterday in protest against the alleged sale of the Eppawela Phosphate deposits to Freefort McMoran Resources Partners and Tomen Corporation. During his very brief appearance Weerakoon said that he was showing that the government is always among the people.
When asked about the protesters’ accusation that the government was planning a ‘sell-out’ of the Eppawela phosphate deposits, he said it has been decided on October 22, last year not to sell the phosphate deposit.
However when the journalists asked for what the minister was demonstrating the answerless minister got into his vehicle and left the scene.
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