[Hi! I post this for Peter Schwarzbauer, who seems to have some sort of
trouble with his system. Oliver ]
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STOPP DAISHOWA PULPMILL FROM LOGGING LUBICON TERRITORY IN ALBERTA CANADA
CALL FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION
PREAMBLE
The Lubicon case was one of the important topics discussed at the 7th
European Meeting of North American Indian Support groups, held in the
former GDR July 15-20 1991. Lubicon spokespeople were present at the
meeting and held a specific strategy planning workshop.
Two main parallel approaches were decided upon.
1) Flood Daishowa representatives, Canadian politicans (including those
of the opposition parties) with protest letters.
2) All groups should as best as they can try to find out about Daishowa
business structures, especially in Europe, in order to boycott Daishowa
products. This includes to find out about consumer-structures.
ACTION 1
On July 11 a background document on Daishowa, it's planned activities and
an adress list (for protest letters) was posted on NativeNet by the Lubicon
News Station in Edmonton AB. To itentify this document, some lines of the
header follow below:
>From: terri@oneb.wimsey.bc.ca (Terri Kelly)
>Date: Thu, 11 Jul 91 18:33:38 PST
>From: nativenet@gnosys.svle.ma.us
>Newsgroups: web.native
>Reply-To: nn.nativecan@gnosys.svle.ma.us
>Errors-To: nn-bounce@gnosys.svle.ma.us
>Subject: Daishowa Operations in Lubicon Territory
>Organization: IMEx node 89:701/432 - Lubicon News Stati, Edmonton AB
>Original-Sender: terri@oneb.wimsey.bc.ca (Terri Kelly)
A part of this document, which is directly related to the protest
letter action is reproduced below. Please join in the campaign against
Daishowa and write letters with the content and to the people as
suggested:
>Given this history, and the wording of Mr. Morrison's April 12,
>1991, letter to the Task Force on the Churches and Corporate
>Responsibility, there can be little doubt that Daishowa now intends
>a major logging operation in the unceded Lubicon territory this
>fall -- likely right across the road from the proposed Lubicon
>reserve. If Daishowa cannot be decisively stopped, the result may
>well be a fatal blow to the collective psyche of the already badly
>battered and profoundly damaged Lubicon society.
>
>Alternatively, if Daishowa can be stopped, a powerful message will
>be sent to both resource exploitation companies and to Canadian
>Government. The message sent to the resource exploitation
>companies would be that they can no longer simply rely on
>sweetheart deals with unprincipled Canadian politicians to gain
>cheap and nearly unrestricted access to Canadian resources. And
>the message sent to Canadian politicians, at least partly by
>concerned resource exploitation companies, would be that aboriginal
>land rights have to be satisfactorily settled for Canadian nation-
>building to proceed.
>
>The key issue is thus not whether there is an agreement between
>Daishowa and the Lubicon people, although there is definitely an
>important issue of honour and veracity involved, but rather one of
>keeping resource exploitation companies the hell out of unceded
>aboriginal territory until aboriginal land rights have been
>satisfactorily settled. If this simple principle cannot somehow be
>enforced, aboriginal societies in Canada will continue being
>systematically and irretrievably destroyed while Canadian society
>as a whole only pays ineffectual lip service -- however politically
>and constitutionally highfalutin -- to the civil and human rights
>of Canada's aboriginal people.
>
>It would be helpful if people would let Daishowa know as forcefully
>as possible that the negative reaction it received when
>construction of the new mill was first announced was mild indeed
>compared to what it can expect if it tries to cut down Lubicon
>trees before Lubicon land rights are settled and an agreement
>negotiated with the Lubicon people respecting Lubicon wildlife
>management and environmental concerns. In this regard thought
>should also be given to possible action to give substance to this
>message should it be ignored, as it almost certainly will be unless
>Daishowa is given real reason to take it seriously.
>
>People should also be thinking about taking such action in their
>own name and on their own behalf, since it's not at all clear that
>the Lubicon people are up to once again leading the charge.
>Hopefully this courageous little society will be able to mount at
>least one last effort in its own defense, but, after ten years of
>nearly non-stop assault by both levels of Canadian Government and
>countless major resource exploitation companies -- many of which
>have more power than most nation states -- the Lubicon people may
>simply be unable to once again pick themselves for that one last
>effort. And, if people wait for Lubicon action to support, what we
>may well witness instead is Daishowa effectively administering the
>coup de grace to Lubicon society.
>
>Don't dignify Mr. Morrison by dealing with him and don't let Mr.
>Hamaoka get away with using him as a shield. Insist on
>communicating directly with Mr. Hamaoka as the one responsible for
>Daishowa's actions in Canada. Send noted copies of your Hamaoka
>correspondence to Daishowa Chairman Takashi Saito in Tokyo. Send
>communications directly to Mr. Saito in Japan. Write Prime
>Minister Mulroney, Alberta Premier Don Getty, the leaders of
>opposition political parties, relevant Federal and Provincial
>Government critics and your Member of Parliament. Send the
>opposition members copies of what you sent to others and send
>copies of everything you do to the Edmonton Lubicon office. Write
>letters to the editors of newspapers. Call and express your views
>on talk shows. Convince Daishowa that there's going to be hell to
>pay if they try to go into the unceded Lubicon territory this fall.
>
>And convince Canadian politicians that people are not being
>deceived by the endless barrage of offensive, transparent
>propaganda and will simply accept no less than the kind of remedial
>action which everybody knows will be required for Canadians to once
>again feel proud about themselves and their country.
>
>A copy of the Task Forces response to Mr. Morrison' April 12th
>letter is attached.
>
>
>
>
>Mailing addresses for Mr. Saito, Mr. Hamaoka, Mr. Mulroney, Mr.
>Getty and the leaders of opposition political parties are as
>follows:
>
>Mr. Takashi Saito
>Chairman
>Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
>Asahi Tokai Building
>6-1, Ohte-machi 2-chome
>Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100, Japan
>
>Mr. Tom Hamaoka,
>Vice-President
>Daishowa Canada Company, Ltd.
>3500 Park Place, 666 Burrard Street
>Vancouver, B.C. V6C 2X8
>FAX: 604-689-2853
>
>The Hon. Brian Mulroney
>Prime Minister
>Government of Canada
>Ottawa/Hull, Canada K1A OA6
>FAX: 613-957-5632
>
>The Hon. J. Chretien
>Leader, Official Opposition
>House of Commons
>Ottawa/Hull, Canada K1A OA6
>FAX: 613-995-5980
>
>The Hon. A. McLaughlin
>Leader, New Democrat Party
>House of Commons
>Ottawa/Hull, Canada
>FAX: 613-995-6803
>
>
>Ms. Ethel Blondin, M.P.
>Liberal Aboriginal Affairs Critic
>Room 255, West Block
>House of Commons
>Ottawa, CANADA K1A OA6
>FAX: 613-992-7411
>
>Mr. Robert Skelly, M.P.
>NDP Aboriginal Affairs Critic
>House of Commons
>Ottawa, CANADA K1A OA6
>FAX: 613-995-8880
>
>Mr. Paul Martin
>Liberal Environment Critic
>House of Commons
>Ottawa, CANADA K1A OA6
>
>Mr. Jim Fulton
>NDP Environment Critic
>House of Commons
>Ottawa, CANADA K1A OA6
>FAX: 613-995-8880
>
>The Hon. Don Getty
>Premier, Government of Alberta
>Legislative Buildings
>Edmonton, AB
>FAX: 403-427-1349
>
>The Hon. R. Martin
>Leader of the Official Opposition
>Legislative Buildings
>Edmonton, Alberta
>FAX: 403-422-0985
>
>The Hon. L. Decore
>Alberta Liberal Party
>Legislative Buildings
>Edmonton, Alberta
>FAX: 403-427-3697
>
>Mr. B. Hawkesworth, MLA
>NDP Native Affairs Critic
>Room 303, Legislative Annex
>Legislature Buildings
>Edmonton, Alberta
>FAX: 403-422-0985
>
>Mr. Nick Taylor
>Liberal Native Affairs Critic
>Legislative Buildings
>Edmonton, Alberta
>FAX: 403-427-3697
>
>Mr. John McInnis
>NDP Environment Critic
>Room 303, Legislative Annex
>Legislature Buildings
>Edmonton, Alberta
>FAX: 403-422-0985
>
>Mr. Grant Mitchell
>Liberal Environment Critic
>Legislative Buildings
>Edmonton, Alberta
>FAX: 403-427-3697
>
>
>
>
>ATTACHMENT TO July 11, 1991, DAISHOWA MAIL-OUT
>
>June 18, 1991, letter from the Taskforce on the Churches and
>Corporate Responsibility to Thomas Hamaoka, Vice President &
>General Manager, Daishowa Canada
>
>
>Dear Mr. Hamaoka:
>
>The Taskforce on the Churches and Responsibility is writing to you
>once more with regard to Daishowa's Alberta forest management
>operations and the aboriginal land rights of the Lubicon Lake Band.
>
>While we note the points raised by Mr. James P. Morrison in his
>reply to our letter to you of March 4, 1991, your company's
>insistence on the right to harvest timber on the traditional
>homeland of the Lubicon Lake Indian Band is in direct contradiction
>to the policies of the Canadian churches which are members of the
>Taskforce.
>
>The Canadian churches have for many years urged that no new major
>industrial development should be initiated on unsurrendered land
>until native land claims are justly settled or terms governing that
>development are negotiated satisfactorily with the native people
>concerned.
>
>In Daishowa's previous correspondence with the Taskforce, the
>company has made the case that it is not directly involved in the
>Lubicon Lake Indian Band's dispute over its aboriginal rights.
>Contrary to your assertion, it is our belief that by accepting
>timber rights offered to you by the Government of Alberta on land
>under clouded title and then proceeding with timber harvesting
>operations on that land, you become a party to the dispute and must
>accept the obligation to conform to principles of justice.
>
>Because this matter is so urgent to the well being of the Lubicon,
>we are copying this letter to relevant political leaders and making
>it public. We believe that a just settlement of the outstanding
>land claims is in the best interests of Daishowa as well as the
>Lubicon Lake Band. Responsibility for the consequences of this
>action rest not on the Lubicon Lake Band but with the company and
>the federal and provincial governments.
>
>We urge you to put the common good ahead of short term profit and
>not to confuse what is legal with what is moral. In your January
>8th letter you indicated that you would "continue to encourage the
>two sides to negotiate a fair and reasonable settlement." Could we
>have your assurance that you will continue to press for such a
>settlement and in the meantime you will not pre-empt negotiations
>through logging activities within the traditional Lubicon territory
>which would jeopardize the very survival of the band?
>
>Sincerely,
>
>
>W.R. Davis
>Co-ordinator
The above attached letter could serve as a sample. Letters need not
necessarily be so polite as this one.
ACTION 2
The Lubicons and the participants of the 7th European Meeting of North
American Indian Support Groups urge all concerned and interested groups
to assist us in researching out Daishowa business structures, especially
in Europe and including the consumers.
We assume that many groups concerned with the protection of the rainforests
may have such information available or may be experienced to get it, because
of the involvement of Japanese businesses in the logging of rainforests almost
everywhere in the world.
If anybody out there has such information or can get such information, please
pass it on to the following adress (This group has been decided upon to
collect all the data and to redistribute them later in compiled form).
Per mail, telefone or fax:
Big Mountain Action Group
Monika and Ludwig Seiller
Franziskanerstr. 36
DW-8000 Munich 80
Germany
ph: +49/89/4489358
fax: +49/89/484439
Per E-mail:
kluge@informatik.TU-MUENCHEN.DBP.DE
Oliver Kluge is member of the Big Mountain Action Group
Thanks for your help friends, the Lubicons will need it !!!!!
Peter Schwarzbauer
Weissgasse 9-13/2/1
A-1170 Vienna
Austria/Europe
ph: +43/1/ 45-33-51 (private) +43/1/ 34-25-00/315 ext. (office)
Fax: +43/1/597-37-43
E-mail: h440t4@awibok01.bitnet
-------------------------------------
Oliver Kluge
Big Mountain Aktionsgruppe
-- +----- kluge%informatik.tu-muenchen.de@relay.cs.net || @unido.uucp -----+ | Munich Institute of Technology, Mathematics and Computer Sciences SAB | | Parallel Computing Laboratory, Arcisstr. 21, W8000 Munich 2, Germany | <>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>= SUPPORT INDIAN RESISTANCE =<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>=<>