DAY 31.............744 hrs…………..44,640 minutes hungry…….

DAY 31………………………………

744 hrs………….44,640 minutes hungry…….

It’s the 31st day of the indefinite hunger strike by Satyagrahis and Members of ACT led by Dawa Lepcha and 20 year old Tenzing Lepcha. Dawa and Tenzing are at STNM hospital.

The Chief Secretary on behalf the Chief Minister appealed to ACT, to withdraw its hunger strike, ‘to bring about a congenial atmosphere within which the demands raised by ACT could be examined within a period of one month.’

The Chief Secretary, it may be recalled, chairs the high powered committee authorized by the Chief Minister to open talks with ACT and try and resolve the stand off.

Responding to the appeal of the Chief Minister, ACT enumerated a seven point demand. The points enumerated mention that regarding the issue of composition of review committee to be constituted, ACT has sought with the Government that people with expertise in related fields be taken with a spiritual master having considerable knowledge of socio-religio-cultural aspects of the indigenous people.

The other appeals requested by ACT included an atmosphere congenial for the review process wherein all activities pertaining to the hydel projects development in North district be suspended till the completion of the Cadastral Resurvey and Settlement. It also enumerated completion of One Man Commission Report related to disputes arising out of ‘flaws’ in the earlier cadastral surveys with the final condition and that the Review Committee submit its recommendation, particularly that of the Panan Hydro Electric Project, within a period of one month. As mentioned in an earlier memorandum submitted on 12th December, 2006.

Young supporters of ACT with Dawa and Tenzing at STNM Hospital

In Defense of Peoples’ Development in the State of Sikkim, India


We, the participants from countries all over the world, gathered in Bangkok, Thailand at a workshop on “Understanding Finance Capital: Building International Resistance”, would like to express our unequivocal support and solidarity to the members of the Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), Concerned Lepchas of Sikkim (CLOS) and Sangha of Dzongu who are on hunger strike since June 20, 2007 in protest against the government’s apathy towards the genuine concerns of the people of Himalayan State of Sikkim in India on a series of mega hydel projects coming up in this ecologically fragile area of the Himalayas, lush with pristine forests and home to the fast dwindling tribal community of the Lepchas.

While more and more people are joining the hunger strike and expressing solidarity with the protestors, the state and central governments, are ignoring these protests and refusing to have a meaningful dialogue with the above groups and peoples organizations. So far, their demand that the government suspends work on all ongoing projects and have a dialogue with the people, has fallen on deaf ears.

We strongly condemn this undemocratic attitude of the governments and urge the authorities, especially the government of Sikkim, to immediately open a dialogue and listen to the voices of the people to resolve this stand off.

We also feel that any genuine development programme and projects cannot be undertaken without the full consent and participation of the communities concerned in the decision making. Any violation of this fundamental right becomes much more disconcerting when we are confronted with the highly controversial large hydro projects and their impacts on the communities and the fragile ecosystems including some of the world’s most threatened biological hotspots.

Signed by:

Michiel von Dijk, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Emiliano De Guzman, Solidarity of Filipino Workers, Quezon City, Philippines
Milo, Secretary General, Freedom from Debt Coalition, Philippines
Ianec Rivera, KALAYAAN, Philippines
Edwin C Chavez, Union of Filipino Socialists, Philippines
Francis Joseph Ballesteros, Legal Rights Centre, Philippines
Chavida Chanyapate, Focus on the Global South, Thailand
Alec, Thailand
Anthony Bamang, Arunachal Citizens Rights, India
Eric Guerrero, ActionAid, South Africa
Demba Debele, Senegal
Nuria Malina, Eurodad, Brussels
Shalmali Guttal, Focus on the Global South
Maria Lanusse, Jubilee South, Argentina
Gaurav, Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, India
Wilfred D Costa, INSAF, India
Dorothy Guerrero, Focus on the Global South, Thailand
Thai Labour Campaign, Thailand
Joy Chavez, Focus on the Global South, Philippines
San Lin, FRRM, Myanmar
Jung Young Sup, Peoples Solidarity for Social Progress, South Korea
Titi Soentoro, NADI, Indonesia
Souparna Lahiri, NFFPFW, India;

Yoko Akimoto, ATTAC, Japan;

Sameer Dossani, 50 Years Is Enough Network, USA;

Soren Ambrose, Nairobi, Kenya;

Njoki Njehie, Global Resource Centre, Nairobi, Kenya;

Gladys Hernandez, Cuba;

Lidy Nacpil, Jubilee South;

Smitu Kothari, Intercultural Resources, India;

Elaine Zuckerman, Gender Action, USA;

Gautam Bandyopadhyay, Nadi Ghati Morcha, India;

Oscar Ugarteche, Latin American Economic Observatory;

R Torres S, LATINDAD;

Benny Kuruvilla, Focus on the Global South, India

July 18,
Bangkok, Thailand