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January 2005
Welcome to the January 2005 No Dirty Gold campaign update.
Oxfam America and EARTHWORKS distribute this regular bulletin to keep No Dirty Gold campaign members current on the campaign's progress and the opportunities to get involved.
In This Issue
LEAD STORY:
NO DIRTY GOLD CAMPAIGN ACTIVITY:
"DIRTY" GOLD IN THE NEWS:
NEWS FROM THE FIELD:
Lead Story
 Valentine's Day and Campaign Anniversary Approaches!
February 14 will mark one year of the No Dirty Gold campaign. Thank you for your support of and participation in the campaign in its first year!
Invite a friend to sign the No Dirty Gold Pledge
So far, just under 9,000 people have signed the campaign pledge at www.nodirtygold.org. We're hoping to reach 10,000 signatures by Valentine's Day. Please invite your friends and colleagues to sign on! We need campaign supporters to send a clear message to jewelry retailers, high-tech firms, and mining companies that "dirty" gold produced at the expense of communities, workers, and the environment is just not acceptable. Click on the card to send a Valentine inviting a friend to sign the campaign pledge.
Join us on Valentine's Day!
Between February 11-14, we're going to be taking the No Dirty Gold message to retailers in New York City. For those of you in the NYC area who would like to get involved, please send an email to info@nodirtygold.org. Thanks!
No Dirty Gold Campaign Activity
NDG Educates Indian Press and Public About Gold Mining
 India is the world's #1 consumer of gold, accounting for almost a fifth of gold sales. Wedding season in India, which runs from November to February, is when gold jewelry sales are at their highest, accounting for 60 to 70 percent of the country's annual gold consumption. On December 23, Payal Sampat, No Dirty Gold co-director and a native of India, spoke at the Press Club of India in Bombay about gold mining's destructive impacts. Approximately 50 Indian journalists attended the discussion, which was organized by the Federation of Environmental Journalists of India (FEJI) and the Press Club. The campaign was discussed on prime-time Indian television, and print stories appeared in English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi.
Learn more:
"Dirty gold: The Unseen Yellow Peril", InfoChange India, 01/05;
"An ounce of gold and 20 tonnes of waste", The Times of India, 03/01/05
NDG at the National Conference on Organized Resistance
 On February 6, the No Dirty Gold campaign will be presenting at the National Conference on Organized Resistance (NCOR). NCOR is an annual weekend of workshops held at American University in Washington, DC. It is intended to provide a forum for student activists to compare tactics and strategies. During its workshop, NDG will introduce the campaign and outline how activists can get involved. The workshop will be take place form 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 6 in the Ward Classroom on the main campus of American University. For more information please contact Paul Bugala: pbugala@oxfamamerica.org.
Subscribe to the No Dirty Gold Student Newsletter
The NDG campaign is developing a newsletter specifically for student activists. To subscribe, just reply to this message with your name, school name and phone number. Or send an email with the same information to info@nodirtygold.org. The newsletter will feature regular updates on student actions, links to developments in the NDG campaign and the mining industry, and suggestions about organizing your own NDG actions and events.
"Dirty" Gold in the News
The Denver Post Finds Fault with Newmont's Operations Worldwide
On December 12 and 13, the Denver Post published a two-part exposé regarding Denver-based Newmont's struggle to reconcile allegations of environmental mismanagement at mines around the world. The Denver Post's investigation, which included a review of lawsuits, internal company documents, regulatory filings, and dozens of interviews, found what it called "significant environmental failures at Newmont's mines across the globe." Links to both installments of the series and a response from Newmont follow.
News from the Field
AFRICA: GHANA: WASSA:
Another Cyanide Spill in Ghana Raises Regulatory Enforcement Concerns
The October 23 cyanide spill in the Wassa District of Ghana reported in the December 2004 issue of the NDG Newsletter was followed by a another spill by the same company -- Bogoso Gold -- on January 11. NDG partner Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM) linked the recurrent spills with the Ghanaian regulatory agencies' inability to impose stiff punishment on companies that threaten the environment. WACAM went on to ask Ghana's Environmental Protection Agency to criminalize such cyanide spills, release reports regarding the October 23 disaster, and commence an investigate into the January 11 incident.
Learn more: Communities accuse mining company of cyanide spillage, GhanaWeb, 19/01/05;
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Buyat Bay villagers are demanding that Newmont pay for its mess. Credit: JATAM |
ASIA-PACIFIC: INDONESIA: MINAHASA RAYA:
Lawyer Drops Suit Against Plaintiffs' Wishes
A few months ago, the Legal Aid Institute for Health (LBHK) launched a $537 million civil suit against Newmont on behalf of three Buyat Bay villagers, charging that the company's waste disposal methods polluted the waters around the village and sickened residents. On 28 December, the villagers were shocked to learn that LBHK had dropped the suit against Newmont without their agreement. They have replaced LBHK as their lawyer and requested the courts to give them time to consider their options. The villagers question whether LBHK cut a deal with Newmont; the company dropped a $2 million defamation suit that it had filed against the head of LBHK. The Association of Indonesian Advocates has promised to investigate.
Learn more: Read the plaintiffs' statement
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Guatemalan soldiers storm
indigenous villagers protesting the Glamis gold mine proposal.Credit: Corresponsal Oscar Toledo |
CENTRAL AMERICA: GUATEMALA: MARLIN:
Military Intervention Results in Death of Villager Opposing Gold Mine
For 40 days, starting December 3, villagers blockaded trucks carrying mining equipment to San Marcos in the western highlands of Guatemala, site of the proposed Marlin gold mine by Canadian-US company Glamis Gold. On January 11, National Police and Guatemalan Army soldiers were sent to end the blockade. Shots were fired and tear gas used; at least one villager died and many others were injured amid the violence. The mine site is in an area that is populated almost exclusively by indigenous Mam-Mayan and Sipacapense-Mayan peoples. Concerned by the lack of community consultations, local and national Guatemalan groups, including the National Council of Indigenous Peoples, have repeatedly asked Glamis and the World Bank (who is a funder) to halt mine development until local indigenous communities have consented to the project.
Take Action!: Tell Glamis Gold and the World Bank to Respect Indigenous Rights!
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Tintaya copper mine.
Credit: Diego Nebel/Oxfam |
SOUTH AMERICA: PERU: TINTAYA:
Peruvian Communities, Copper Mine Reach Historic Agreement
On December 21, communities near the Tintaya Copper Mine in Cusco, Peru and its owner BHP-Billiton negotiated an agreement addressing social and environmental problems related to the mine. The pact includes provisions for the transfer of lands to community groups, a community development fund, human rights considerations, environmental guidelines, and an outline of the company's continuing activity in Espinar Province, Cusco. The company also commits itself to conduct further exploration activities only with the free, prior and informed consent of landowners. NDG partners CONACAMI and Oxfam America played key roles in mediating the agreement. A link to a summary of the settlement's stipulations follows.
Learn more: Peru Communities, Copper Mine Reach Historic Agreement
About EARTHWORKS and Oxfam America
 The No Dirty Gold campaign is supported by EARTHWORKS and Oxfam America. We work with local organizations and communities around the world on issues related to mining, human rights, and the environment. To learn the objectives of the No Dirty Gold campaign, please visit our website at www.nodirtygold.org, and download our report Dirty Metals: Mining, Communities, and the Environment.
Many thanks for your support! Please send in your suggestions or comments to info@nodirtygold.org.
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