09-01-2001

FISHERPEOPLES' NATIONAL AGITATION CONTINUES

The Indefinite hunger strike enters the second day. Ms. Susheela C. also joins the indefinite hunger strike in Mumbai together with R.K.Patil. 10000 Fisher People marched to the Taluk office in Palghar in support of the National Fisher People's agitation. Hundreds of Fisher People marched to Mantralaya in Mumbai to have a discussion with the Chief Minister of Maharastra.

In Contai, West Bengal Ms. Ratna Majhi enters the second day of her fast. The Fisheries Minister of West Bengal Mr. Kiranmay Nanda visited the fasting shed and requested Ms. Ratna to discontinue the Fast, as he is willing to take up the matter with the central government. However, she is continuing the indefinite hunger strike.

Matanhy Saldanha, General Secretary of All Goa Fishermen;s Union will begin the Indefinite hunger strike in Panjim on 10-1-2001.

Mr. P.P.John continues the fast in Thiruvananthapuram. Hundreds of women marched to the Fasting shed and expressed the solidarity. In Kerala the fisherpeople are preparing for the Railway Blockade and Harbour Blockade.

Peter Das, infront of the Nagercoil Collectorate, Tamilnadu, Pal Sawmy in front of the Rameswaram Collectorate, Tamilnadu, Ramesh Dhuri in Malwan, Maharastra, A. Srinivaslu in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh and Chandrashekhar Sagar in Umbergaon, Gujarat are continuing their Fast.

Our demands are:

1 Withdraw Aquaculture Authority bill which is intended to bypass the Supreme Court Judgment to DEMOLISH ALL AQUACULTURE FARMS IN India.

2 Adequate supply of Kerosene and Diesel to all the fishermen at the subsidised rate. As the fish catch is going down in an alarming manner, it is difficult for the fisher people to survive. The supply of fuel is one of the recommendations of Murari Committee.

3 Implement 21 recommendations of Murari Committee, like cancellation of all the licenses issued to JOINT/LEASE/TEST vessels, enactment of Deep Sea Fishing Regulations by the Parliament in the entire EEZ, etc

4 Include Women and Inland Fisher people in the Savings cum Relief Scheme. It is an open discrimination against women.

5 Uniform Monsoon Trawl Ban as recommended by the Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture and the Fisheries Zonal Council to protect the Fish resources and the traditional fishing community, that depends on fishing for their livelihood.

6 Stop construction of Murari-Umbergaon Commercial harbour and punish the murderers of Col. Pratap Save.

7 Stop Import of Fish as these will totally destroy already ailing fishing industry in India. The import of Sardines, Mumbai Duck, Mackrels are only to encourage foreign fishing vessels that are poaching in our Indian Waters.

8 Release the innocent fishermen that are in Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Bangladesh jails. As there are no demarcation of our water boundaries, it is very difficult to honor the borders, since the extend of the sea is narrow in these bordering states.

Once again we call upon all people of good will to intervene in the agitation and carry them to victory. It is a struggle for survival by a marginalised community in India. It is a struggle to see that that water bodies, fish catch and the fishing implements are owned by the fishing communities.

Thomas Kocherry

For further information, please contact,

Thomas Kocherry, F-10/12, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi-110017, India. Tel: (91) 11 6680883, 6680914, Tel & Fax: (91) 11 6237724, Email: [email protected]

Maju Varghese: Tel & Fax: (91) 471 501 376, Tel: (91) 471 505 216, Email: [email protected] Web: www.wffp.com

National Fishworkers Forum Velankanny Junction, Valiathura P.O. Thiruvananthapuram-695 008 Kerala -India.

E mail:[email protected], [email protected]

web: www.wffp.org

Tel: +91 471 505216,

Tel / Fax :+91 471 501376

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