Urgent solidarity with Argentine anti-mining campaigners needed!

Friday, December 06, 2002

Dear friends:

Among the many important struggles going on in Argentina today with the aim to build up a new society where the dreams of the people really count, one should be for us (anti mining activists and community rights activists) especially important.

This is the campaign going on in Esquel, in the Patagonia against a proposed gold mine.

Our friends need your help. Please, show your solidarity as far as possible, in the way you can.

The contact persons are:

Lucas Chiappe, lemuatelbolson.com and

Christian Hendrickse, hendrickseatwebmail.co.za

You can contact also Osvaldo Corvalan, from Friends of the Earth Argentina, kakuyatwamani.apc.org

We ask you to get in contact with Lucas and Christian as soon as possible. Please add them to your mailing lists, in the cases it proceeds (gmc, d&t, bakudapa, mpi, minería acción ecológica,irn, corpwatch,etc.). Please, also forward this message to any of your contacts who could help our friends in Argentina.

In solidarity

Gabriel Rivas-Ducca
Friends of the Earth International

More info about the case

castellano abajo

A new megaproject threat is arising in the southern temperate region of Chile and Argentina. This project demonstrates once again the need to support a regional scale vision for conservation planning and advocacy. Simply put, the Patagonian Andes of Argentina do not receive the same international campaign attention as Chile, though the ecological and cultural value of the east side of the Andes is very high!

A proposed gold mine in the province of El Chubut has local people very concerned, and international attention will help.

Please read the message below for an introduction. It is intended for investors in the company, Meridian Gold, that intends to develop the open pit gold mine in El Chubut.

Distribute as you feel appropriate.

In the Andino Patagonico the people are saying NO to cyanide heap leach gold mining!

Viva Gondwana. Support the creation of a Regional Eco-corridor in the Patagonian Andes of Argentina.

WHAT MERIDIAN GOLD INVESTORS SHOULD KNOW:

1) Article 15 of Argentine Law Nº24.196 (substituted by article 4 of Law Nº25.429) permits that the company accounts as capital 50% of the value of the mineral reserves that are economically exploitable, leaving the other 50% as a reserve of that value.

This means that part of the capital that the company accounted for as active, in reality is based on the value of the mineral that is not yet been extracted from the mountains and that there is no certainty that its extraction will be permitted.

2) The open sky gold exploitations, like those that Meridan Gold does and proposes to do, use enormous quantities of cyanide, that has caused tremedous environmental catastrophies (Summitville, Colorado; Brewer, South Carolina; Harmony, South Africa; Omai, Guyana; Gold Querry, Nevada; Los Frailes, Spain; Homestake, South Dakota; Kumtor, Kyrgisztan; Tulukuma, Papua New Guinea; Santa Rosa, Panama; Comsur, Bolivia; Bahia Mare, Rumania; etc.

3) When an environmental disaster occurs, the companies cannot absorb the damages and go bankrupt. In the Summitville catastrophy episode, the US Geological Survey estimated the environmental damage repair costs to exceed some 150 million dollars.

4) One of the Meridian Gold projects is located in the Esquel Mountain Range, in Chubut, Patagonia Argentina. In that country there does not exist any control organization that has the efficiency and trust of the US Geological Survey nor of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the levels of local administration corruption is so high that official prevention controls are practically inexistant.

5) In Esquel, employees of the Mining Company El Desquite S.A. (property of the Meridian Gold Inc.) have threatened the lives of a scientist who are informing the public about the risks of the use of cyanide in the mine. Because of this there has been initiated a campaign in defense of human rights.

6)The Municipality of the city of Trevelin (a city in close proximity to Esquel) closed a clandestine laboratory of Mineria El Desquite S.A. (property of Meridian Gold Inc.).-

7) The population of the Province of Chubut refutes the approval of the mining project for the Esquel Mountain Range. Every day the amount of popular protests increments. Of the 25,000 inhabitants of Esquel, more than 5,000 have already signed a petition that authorities do not authorize the mining project. These protests have already extended to other localities of the province of Chubut.

8) In the city of Esquel, and in other cities of Chubut, other public initiatives have been presented requesting that authorities prohibit the use of cyanide, using as precedent other prohibitions that are currently valid in Turkey and Montana, USA.

9) In view of the public protests, authorities have already had to delay twice the date established for the Public Audience designated for reviewing the Environmental Impact Study for the Esquel Range Project.

10) The public protests have caused further political divisions in the Province of Chubut. Some representative have presented legal projects asking for popular consent regarding the Meridian Gold Inc. project. Some functionaries have already been accused of corruption and the public is demanding that certain authorities resign.

You have a right to know where you invest your money

Cristian C. E. Hendrickse
Environmental lawyer from Chubut, Argentina

Lo que deben saber los inversores de Meridian Gold Inc.

1) El artículo 15 de la Ley argentina Nº 24.196 (sustituído por artículo 4 de la Ley Nº 25.429) permite que la compañía contabilice como capital el 50 % del avalúo de las reservas de mineral económicamente explotable, quedando el otro 50 % como reserva de ese avalúo.

Esto significa que parte del capital que la compañía contabiliza como activo, en realidad se basa en el valor del mineral que aún no fue extraído de las montañas y sin que haya certeza de que se le permita extraerlo.

2) Las explotaciones auríferas a cielo abierto, como las que ejecuta y se propone ejecutar la Meridian Gold Inc., emplean grandes cantidades de cianuro, lo que ha generado grandes catástrofes ambientales (Summitville -Colorado-, Brewer -South Carolina-, Harmonny -Sudáfrica-, Omai -Guyana-, Gold Querry -Nevada-, Los Frailes -España-, Homestake - South Dakota-, Kumtor -Kyrgisztan-, Tulukuma -Papúa Nueva Guinea-, Santa Rosa -Panamá-, Comsur -Bolivia-, Bahia Mare -Rumania-, etc.).

3) Cuando se produce un desastre ambiental, las compañías no pueden absorber los daños y quiebran. En la catástrofe de Summitville, el US Geologycal Survey estimó que el costo de la reparación ambiental superaría los 150 millones de dolares.

4) Uno de los proyectos de la Meridian Gold Inc. es el Cordón Esquel, en Chubut, Patagonia Argentina. En aquél país no existe un órgano de control que posea la eficacia y probidad del US Geological Survey o de la US Environmental Protection Agency y los niveles de corrupción de la administración local es tan alto que los controles oficiales para la prevención son prácticamente inexistentes.

5) En Esquel, empleados de Minera El Desquite S.A. (propiedad de la Meridian Gold Inc.) han amenazado a los científicos que informan a la población sobre los riesgos del uso del cianuro en minería. A raíz de ello se ha iniciado una campaña en defensa de los derechos humanos.

6) El Municipio de la Ciudad de Trevelin (cercana a Esquel) clausuró un laboratorio clandestino de la Minera El Desquite S.A. (propiedad de la Meridian Gold Inc.).

7) La población del Chubut rechaza la aprobación del proyecto minero en el Cordon Esquel. Cada día se multiplican las protestas populares. De los 25.000 habitantes de Esquel, más de 5.000 ya han firmado un petitorio para que las autoridades no autoricen el proyecto minero. Las protestas se extienden a otras localidades de la provincia del Chubut.

8) En la Ciudad de Esquel, y en otras ciudades del Chubut, se han presentado iniciativas populares para que las autoridades prohiban el uso del cianuro, tomando como precedentes las prohibiciones que están vigentes en Turquía y Montana.

9) Frente a las protestas populares, las autoridades ya han debido prorrogar en dos oportunidades, la fecha de Audiencia Pública para analizar el Estudio de Impacto Ambiental del proyecto del cordón Esquel.

10) Las protestas populares han agravado las divisiones políticas en la Provincia del Chubut. Algunos diputados ya han presentado proyecto de ley para convocar a una consulta popular sobre el proyecto de la Meridian Gold Inc. Algunos funcionarios ya han sido acusados de corrupción y la población reclama las renuncias de algunas autoridades.

Ud. tiene derecho a saber en que invierte su dinero.

Cristian C. E. Hendrickse
Abogado del noroeste del Chubut, Argentina


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