(August 7, 1998) On March 24 the non-violent blockade of the Jabiluka uranium mine started. The mine is promoted by Energy Resources Australia (ERA) which is also operating the nearby Ranger Mine. Jabiluka is surrounded by Kakadu National Park, a world heritage area of great natural and cultural value. This place is also a sacred site of the traditional owners; the Mirrar Gundjehmi people.
(495.4892) WISE Amsterdam - The blockade has been going on till now and has also attracted some international attention. On the International Jabiluka action day, May 19, Jabiluka-related protests were held in San Francisco, Ottawa, Tokyo, Bonn, Kyoto and Seoul.
Already a year ago, the World Heritage Committee (WHC) was approached, first by the Mirrar and then by a range of Australian and international environmental groups, including Friends of the Earth International, with a request to place Kakadu on the "World Heritage in Danger" list. It was approached again this year, and the Mirrar themselves together with the Wilderness Society, actually went to Paris to lobby the mid-yearly meeting. Immediately prior to the meeting, environment groups worldwide faxed letters to the WHC, which responded to this and to the lobbying by deciding to send a high-level inspection team including its chairman, to visit Kakadu. That is due to happen in October. If Kakadu National Park were to be included in the "World Heritage in Danger" list, the pressure on the Australian government to stop Jabiluka mine would increase.
In Jabiluka, ERA commenced mining construction on the night of July 15. It is expected construction would take approximately 18 months to complete. A decision on where the Jabiluka ore should be processed is yet to be finalized. ERA`s preferred proposal to process the Jabiluka ore at the existing Ranger mill, 22 km south of Jabiluka, has now received all the appropriate Commonwealth government approvals. However, in recognition of opposition to ERA`s preferred proposal by some Aboriginal landowners, ERA has put forward the Jabiluka mill alternative. Jabiluka is estimated to add A$6.2 billion (US$ 3.8 billion) to Australia`s Gross Domestic Product and generate $210 million (US$ 127.5 million) in royalties for the Northern Territory Aboriginal people. The Mirrar people, however, refuse to accept the royalties because this would mean saying "yes" to the Jabiluka mine and so to the destruction of their land. The land on which the mine is located is recognized legally as Mirrar land under "whitefalle" law as well as their own law, ie., it is legally theirs by reason of a grant by an Aboriginal land rights tribunal. The father of the current senior traditional land owner, Yvonne Margarula, was coerced into signing a mining agreement by Pancontinental Mining Co. The current traditional owners say the agreement was extracted by a process of duress and unconscionable conduct on the part of the company and the then government, and do not recognize it.
The construction which started on June 15 meant that ERA was 11 months past its intended July 1997 start of construction. ERA admitted on July 12 in the Northern Territory Supreme Court to Mirrar traditional owners that if construction was held up for another six weeks, the project would be delayed until after the end of next year's wet season, commencing in May. Mirrar traditional owners were seeking an injunction to stop ERA from commencing work. But the injunction wasn`t granted.
According to Wilderness Society Kakadu campaigner Chris Doran, "Every day that we delay this project is a victory." And with hundreds more protestors arriving in the next few weeks that is exactly what we will be doing." Over 800 people have taken part in the Jabiluka blockade so far. These people are from a nationwide coalition of environment groups, peace groups, students and of course the Mirrar people.
On July 17, over one hundred protesters tried to stop construction attempts. They "locked on" to three ERA trucks carrying earth-moving equipment through the World Heritage area. In the days before the protests, the police have displayed an ugly behaviour, especially the territory response group, which has been quite violent in its approach to protesters. One protestor was punched unconscious by an ERA security guard and had to be flown to the hospital in Darwin with head injuries. Several others had to go to the hospital with head injuries too, protesters, especially those who "locked on" to pieces of machinery with thumb-cuffs which were simply torn away, risking the loss of their thumbs and so on. In those days over 100 arrests where made. All of them were released in the next few days. Since the beginning of the protest over 400 arrest have been made.
In the most recent developments, rock star (and now president of the Australian Conservation Foundation) Peter Garrett, former minister Tom Uren and jazz musician Vince Jones, visited the blockade and a peaceful (and non- confrontational) rally was held close to the mine site.
At the end of June a shipment of uranium mined at the Ranger mine left the harbor of Darwin on its way to Antwerp (Belgium). To prevent its departure, two people in Darwin locked onto a crane lifting the cargo and four people swam out in front of the vessel. Another person locked onto one of the five trucks carrying the containers of uranium to the docks. Also in Antwerp, where the ship arrived on August 3, protest were organized in solidarity with the Jabiluka actions. Some 20 activists from For Mother Earth and WISE welcomed the ship and held an "die-in". Until the press release for the action, the police responsible for the Antwerp harbor were not aware of uranium being transported in the harbor. It turned out that once a month a ship with uranium enters the harbor. Where the uranium is transported and how, they don't know. Press attention for the action was great.
In order to promote the Jabiluka campaign, Senior Traditional owner of the Jabiluka mine site, Yvonne Margarula, and Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation Director Jacqui Katona are planning to tour Europe in August.
Furthermore, Yvonne Margarula has been awarded the inaugural international Nuclear Free Future Award for her efforts in resisting the development of the Jabiluka uranium mine. The award carries a prize of US$10,000 and significant international prestige. Ms. Margarula will travel to Salzburg, Austria, in November to receive the award.
Sources: e-mails from Friends of the Earth Australia from 16, 17, 30 June and 17 & 29 July 1998
Contact: John Hallam, Friends of the Earth Sydney, Suite 15, 1st floor, 104 Bathurst Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia.
Tel: +61-2-9283-2006; Fax: +61-2-9283-2005,
E-mail: nonukes@foesyd.org.au
WWW: www.peg.apc.org/~foesydney