PHA-Exch> Urgent: Call for the Release of GAIA Environmental Health Activists in Indonesia

[Sarah Shannon]

Dear PHM friends,
I'm sharing this request for support and action for the immediate and 
unconditional release of 3 activists with the Global 
Anti-Incineration Alliance (GAIA), an organization active with 
PHM.  They were detained by Indonesian police after taking part in a 
local protest against incineration and for climate justice.  Please 
see details below:

Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 6:16 PM
To: gaia-members at lists.riseup.net; wna at lists.riseup.net
Subject: [GAIA] Urgent: Release the GAIA 3 in Bandung, Indonesia

Urgent: Please take action for the immediate and unconditional 
release of colleagues and friends Gigie, Neil, and Shibu from the 
Indonesian police
department where they are being detained after taking part in a local 
protest against incineration and for climate justice. Please demand that
their human rights are fully restored and that they are permitted to 
travel to the upcoming climate change meetings in Bali.

Take action now by going to:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1843/t/4860/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2
1899
The details are below:

Dear Friends,
We write to request GAIA members and friends across the globe to seek 
the immediate and unconditional release of the following international
activists who were detained on 1 December 2007 in Bandung, Indonesia:

1.  Gigie Cruz, GAIA, Philippines
2.  Neil Tangri, GAIA, USA
3.  Shibu Nair, Thanal, India

(please see their brief profiles below)

Gigie, Neil and Shibu arrived in Indonesia last Saturday, 1 December, 
to campaign for "Zero Waste for Zero Warming" at the UN Framework on Climate
Change Conference that will take place in Bali on 3-14 December. 
Balifokus, Jala-Sampah (Garbage Network) and GAIA are planning to convene
a civil society forum tomorrow on waste and climate.

Before heading to Bali, Gigie, Neil and Shibu traveled first to 
Bandung City to take part in a peaceful community people's assembly against a
proposed waste incinerator. This event was organized by several 
Indonesian environmental groups campaigning for climate justice.  The 
activity, which
drew the warm support of over 2,000 community members, also formed 
part of the GAIA Global Day of Action against Waste and Incineration.

At the rally, Gigie, Neil and Shibu spoke about the ill effects of 
incinerating waste, advocated for Zero Waste and conveyed their solidarity
with the local campaign against incineration and for environmental 
health and justice.  They did not attack the Indonesian government in their
statements before the assembly.

After their well-applauded speeches, the police accosted them, 
together with our Indonesian colleagues Yuyun Ismawati, who is the Executive
Director of Balifokus, and Roni Tabroni, from the People's Alliance 
against the WTE (waste-to-energy) Plant. The five activists were then
brought to the police station where they underwent lengthy 
interrogation. The police also seized their passports. Yuyun and Roni 
were subsequently
released, but Gigie, Neil and Shibu are currently detained in a 
police station in Jalan Jaya (or Jaya Street) in Bandung.

There are no formal charges yet against Gigie, Neil and Shibu, but 
there is an expressed threat of deportation if our Indonesian friends do not
succeed in persuading the authorities to set them free and let them 
fly to Bali for the UNFCC events.

TAKE ACTION:  We call on you to please register your concern and 
appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of Gigie, Neil and Shibu, so
that their human rights are fully restored and that they are 
permitted to travel to Bali.

1. Please go to
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1843/t/4860/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2
1899
to quickly e-mail a letter about this issue to Mr. Yvo de Boer, 
Executive Secretary, UNFCCC Secretariat at secretariat at unfccc.int, 
H.E. Mr. Rachmat
Witoelar, State Minister for the Environment at rachmat at witoelar.com, 
and the National Police Chief, Mr. Gen. Sutano, at kapolri at polri.go.id and
polri at polri.go.id.

2. Please immediately CALL/FAX the Indonesian Embassy / Consulate in 
your city or country (find embassies here: http://id.embassyinformation.com/;
in the U.S. you can also use the following email form:
http://www.embassyofindonesia.org/detail/contactus.php)

3.  Please CALL/FAX the Bandung Police Department (+6222-4204666, 
foreign affairs unit) and/or E-MAIL the National Police Chief, Mr. 
Gen. Sutano, at
kapolri at polri.go.id and polri at polri.go.id

In your message, please
1)    Register your concern and appeal for the immediate and 
unconditional release of Gigie Cruz, Neil Tangri, and Shibu Nair
2)    Request that their human rights are fully restored and
3)    Request that they are permitted to travel to Bali.

Sample text could include:

"I am writing to urge you to do everything in your power to ensure 
the immediate and unconditional release of our colleagues Gigie Cruz, Neil
Tangri and Shibu Nair, who have been detained in a police station in 
Jalan Jaya (or Jaya Street) in Bandung, Indonesia after participating in a
peaceful community assembly.  They are scheduled to attend the UN 
Framework on Climate Change Conference that will take place in Bali on
3-14 December, and have planned a civil society forum tomorrow at the 
conference on waste and climate change.  We ask you to ensure that they
are immediately released, their human rights are fully restored and 
that they are permitted to travel to Bali."

Terima kasih banyak-banyak (Thank you very much) for your immediate response.

Sincerely yours,
Manny C. Calonzo
GAIA Secretariat
Unit 330, Eagle Court, Quezon City, Philippines
TelFax: +632-4364733
E-Mail: mannyc at no-burn.org
Web: www.no-burn.org

Brief information about those detained:

1.  Gigie Cruz, GAIA's Assistant Coordinator, has been working with 
GAIA since 2001 in various capacities, including membership, campaign and
information support.  Her most recent task was to coordinate last 
week's Global Day of Action against Waste and Incineration.

2.  Neil Tangri is one of GAIA's esteemed founders.  He wrote the 
GAIA report "Waste Incineration: A Dying Technology." He recently rejoined GAIA
to coordinate our work on waste-to-energy and climate change)

3.  Shibu Nair was part of the 3-person team from the global south 
who went to California for GAIA's first Zero Waste fellowship.  He works
closely with Jayan, a GAIA Steering Committee member from 
India.  Shibu was part of the Thanal team who hosted the Waste Not 
Asia Meeting held in
January 2007 in Trivandrum, Kerala
-- -----  -----  -----
Sarah Shannon
Executive Director, Hesperian Foundation
1919 Addison Street #304
Berkeley, California  94704
www.hesperian.org


** Inside Hesperian: Read personal accounts about our projects, 
partners, and staff on our weblog:
http://hesperian.typepad.com/weblog

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