India mine row embroils Church of England
By Alastair Lawson
BBC News
The idea that there could be any connection between one of India's most remote and inaccessible areas and the Church of England seems improbable, at first glance.
High in the monsoon mists in eastern India, witch doctors in the Niyamgiri hills still make sacrifices to the gods and tribes believe the hills are sacred.
It is a world away from the quiet corridors of Church House - the headquarters of the Church of England in London.
But campaigners say that the lives of indigenous people in India are under threat because of a mining project involving a UK company, in which the Church of England has a £2.5m ($4.1m) stake.
Destroying wildlife
The church has been condemned by campaign groups such as ActionAid and Survival International for investing in the Vedanta company, which is about to start mining bauxite -used for making aluminium - to feed what could become one of the world's biggest refineries nearby.
We don't need a foreign multinational to move into our area and promise jobs and development that are not required.
The company, Vedanta, is also accused of forcing tribal people off the land, damaging the environment and destroying wildlife.
All this on the face of it is highly embarrassing for the Church, which is why its Ethical Investment Advisory Group spokesman Edward Mason chooses his words carefully as he explains that there are no plans at present to withdraw the investment in Vedanta.
"For certain sensitive industries such as mining companies we have a three-year monitoring and engagement process," he said.
"Where we have concerns that standards do not conform to norms of corporate behaviour we prefer to talk to them and bring about change that way."
The church acknowledges that the allegations are "serious".
ActionAid has brought over a member of the Dongria Kondh tribal community to London, to make the case against the mine at Vedanta's annual general meeting in London on Monday. A single share has been bought to enable Sitaram Kulisika to speak at the meeting.
He argues that the mining plans will endanger his community's livelihood.
Full Article Here
BBC News
The idea that there could be any connection between one of India's most remote and inaccessible areas and the Church of England seems improbable, at first glance.
High in the monsoon mists in eastern India, witch doctors in the Niyamgiri hills still make sacrifices to the gods and tribes believe the hills are sacred.
It is a world away from the quiet corridors of Church House - the headquarters of the Church of England in London.
But campaigners say that the lives of indigenous people in India are under threat because of a mining project involving a UK company, in which the Church of England has a £2.5m ($4.1m) stake.
Destroying wildlife
The church has been condemned by campaign groups such as ActionAid and Survival International for investing in the Vedanta company, which is about to start mining bauxite -used for making aluminium - to feed what could become one of the world's biggest refineries nearby.
We don't need a foreign multinational to move into our area and promise jobs and development that are not required.
The company, Vedanta, is also accused of forcing tribal people off the land, damaging the environment and destroying wildlife.
All this on the face of it is highly embarrassing for the Church, which is why its Ethical Investment Advisory Group spokesman Edward Mason chooses his words carefully as he explains that there are no plans at present to withdraw the investment in Vedanta.
"For certain sensitive industries such as mining companies we have a three-year monitoring and engagement process," he said.
"Where we have concerns that standards do not conform to norms of corporate behaviour we prefer to talk to them and bring about change that way."
The church acknowledges that the allegations are "serious".
ActionAid has brought over a member of the Dongria Kondh tribal community to London, to make the case against the mine at Vedanta's annual general meeting in London on Monday. A single share has been bought to enable Sitaram Kulisika to speak at the meeting.
He argues that the mining plans will endanger his community's livelihood.
Full Article Here
Comment
-
Comment by Marklar on July 26, 2009 at 9:49pm
-
"Where we have concerns that standards do not conform to norms of corporate behaviour we prefer to talk to them and bring about change that way."
Well, pushing people off their land and destroying the environment ARE the norms of corporate behavior so I'm willing to guess they will pass muster.
"Destroying the New World Order"
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!
Latest Activity
- Top News
- Everything
Revolution (1968) scenes featuring Today Louise Malone
Some clips from Jack O'Connell's Revolution (1968), featuring the one and only Today Louise Malone.
"This screenshot is from a book found by a blogger in his research and gives an eye witnessed…"
The Hunt - Official Trailer [HD]
"A former ANTIFA member was interviewed here recently and this would not be far from actual reality…"
Legacy of Supposedly Inferior Aircraft Outmatching Their Enemies
We think of the Korean War aerial combat as the classic dogfights between the American F-86 Sabre…See More
"This is just another form of a feudal globalism dictated by corporate technocrats bragging about…"
What is Area 2 and What Goes on There?
We have all heard of Area 51 and S-4, along with such terms as Water Town, Papoose Lake,…See More
STRANGE THINGS HAPPENING IN YELLOWSTONE
It’s not the fact that Yellowstone National Park sits atop a super volcano that hasn’t erupted in…See More
Austrian police raid house of man who leaked Israeli ambassador video making genocidal comments
In a new ITV documentary, Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War, former Israeli soldiers describe how Gaza civilians were killed, often without warning, in an ...
WARHAMMER 40,000 | 1980's GRIMDARK MOVIE
WARHAMMER 40,000 | 1980's GRIMDARK MOVIEThis is a Concept Movie Trailer made with the help of AI. This video is created purely for fun and out of curiosity a...
"Tavistock Timing"
© 2025 Created by truth.
Powered by
You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!
Join 12160 Social Network