Friends, some of you have already been sending faxes and some
have been having trouble getting thru. PLEASE send letters to the
following based upon the sample letter below. Merely printing 3
copies of this sample, adding your name to the bottom and sending
them to Hyundai will make a big difference. If you can elaborate
and add some words of your own it would be better still.
If you can get this into newsletters or otherwise get others to
send letters too, that would be best of all.
It's life or death for these forests and for the tiger. I'm
sending this alert to literally thousands of people that I know.
I have given my new 40Mb laptop to one of the best activists
working here (sob!) Please help in any way you can.
for the Earth -
John Seed
TO FAX VIA EMAIL, SEND TO GLAS!GLASFAX, FAX # ON SUBJECT LINE
Vladimir A. Stegniy, President
HYUNDAI RUSSIA,
Svetlaya,
2A Leninskaya Str.,
Nakhodka,
RUSSIA
Tel: (332901)- 5-78-67; 5-55-16; 5-75-96, Fax: (332901) 5-60-48
Hyundai USA:
10550 Talbert Ave.,
Fountain Valley,
CA 92728
USA
Fax: 714-965-3816
Hyundai South Korea:
K.P.O. Box 92,
Seoul,
South Korea
Tel: 2-746-1873 Fax: 2-741-2341
We understand that you are undertaking measures to allow the
immediate logging of the upper Bikin basin of Primorsky Krai,
under the guidance of the Russian-South Korean joint venture
"Svetlaya." We are greatly concerned about the consequences of
this logging, especially given the opposition of the local Udege
people and the local inhabitants of Pozharsky Raion.
Logging of the upper Bikin basin would violate several codes of
Russian law. We demand that no cutting take place until the joint
venture receives a positive ecological ekspertiza, as mandated
under the Russian Law on the Protection of the Environment (Zakon
ob Okhrane Okruzhayushchei Sredi), and support from the local
Udege people, as mandated under the Russian Law for Local
Self-Rule (Zakon o Mestnom Samoupravlenii).
On July 24, 1992 the Legislature of Primorsky Krai voted to
prevent logging of the upper Bikin basin. The Ministry of Ecology 3A3
and Natural Resources under the Russian Federation has also
recommended to exclude these forests from the timber resource
base. Under these circumstances, it is unreasonable and illegal
for these forests to be immediately logged. No logging must be
allowed until a positive ekspertiza is completed, and until
Svetlaya's operations meet with support from the local people of
Pozharsky Raion.
Logging of these forests is the single greatest threat to the
survival of the Siberian Tiger, largest cat in the world. There
are less than 350 of these magnificent creatures remaining in the
wild and we hold you responsible for their destruction if you
allow this logging operation to proceed.
Actions taken by the administration of Primorsky Krai and the
Hyundai corporation to allow the cutting of these valuable forests
is receiving worldwide attention. Many international
environmental organizations are already preparing to call an
international boycott against Hyundai products if logging of the
Bikin River takes place. I (or our organisation) will participate
in publicising a world-wide boycott of all HYUNDAI products
unless you take heed now.
Sincerely,