London Mining NetworkPeru | London Mining Network

Calls to amend UK Financial Services Bill to ensure human rights standards

Richard — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:07:42 +0000

Lisa Nandy MP and John McDonnell MP called yesterday for the British Government’s Financial Services Bill to be amended so that companies wishing to list on UK Stock Exchanges would need to report on their human rights record.

Repeated reference was made to London Mining Network’s report, published in March 2012, on UK listed mining companies and the need for stricter regulation (see http://londonminingnetwork.org/docs/lmn-the-case-for-stricter-oversight.pdf) and in particular to mining companies Vedanta and Monterrico Metals.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury Mark Hoban MP did not accept the suggested amendment but suggested that John McDonnell MP and London Mining Network seek a meeting with the Minister responsible for corporate governance and the Financial Reporting Council.

The text of the debate can be found at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm120522/debtext/120522-0002.htm#12052240000080 or viewed at: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=10771&st=17%3a03%3a20&player=silverlight (starting at 17.40).

The age of extreme oil: “This used to be a forest?”

Richard — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:44:37 +0000

Achuar Indigenous People from Peru inspect Canada’s tarsands.

See http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-age-of-extreme-oil-this-used-to-be-a-forest/article2437730/.

Xstrata pressed on record in Peru and Colombia

Richard — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:15:05 +0000

Representatives of communities affected by Xstrata’s operations in the Espinar region of Peru attended the massive London-listed mining company’s AGM in Switzerland on Tuesday 1 May. They called for compensation and a solution to the problem of water pollution around the company’s Tintaya and Antapaccay projects. Xstrata was condemned for lack of respect for the communities at Espinar.

Supporters of communities affected by the Cerrejon coal mine in Colombia (jointly owned with Anglo American and BHP Billiton) called for just resettlement agreements with affected communities, a halt to legal proceedings to take possession of the community of Roche, and abandonment of plans to reroute the areas only major river – echoing concerns raised at Anglo American’s London AGM on 19 April (see http://londonminingnetwork.org/2012/04/5590/).

A webcast of Xstrata’s AGM, including questions and answers, can be accessed at http://www.media-server.com/m/p/s88xdvn4.

See also Xstrata woos waverers to back $39bn Glencore deal, http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page67?oid=150559&sn=Detail&pid=92730.

Newmont Mining accused of multiple failures by shareholders

Richard — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:31:46 +0000

Critical shareholders took the world’s second biggest dedicated gold producer to task at its annual general meeting last week. They claimed the company had not implemented various promises to be “socially responsible”. Moreover, its failure to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of affected communities in Peru and elsewhere, had “turned into a reputational and financial liability for the company”.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/11657.

Newmont is a US company with British investment: among investors in Newmont are UK-based Blackrock World Mining Trust and AXA Investment Managers UK.

See http://moneytometal.org/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&button=&search=newmont.

See also: Scientist calls Conga mining project an ‘environmental disaster’, http://upsidedownworld.org/main/peru-archives-76/3608-scientist-calls-peru-conga-mining-project-an-environmental-disaster-interview-with-reinhard-seifert.

Peru: Undermining Justice

Richard — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:28:57 +0000

If multinationals will do anything to control the public debate, how can indigenous peoples ever assert their rights?

See new film on Monterrico Metals by award-winning film-maker and LMN supporter Mikey Watts at http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/peopleandpower/2012/05/20125311829466420.html.…
Read more

Peru’s Highest Court Sides With Central Government In Conga Case

Richard — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:47:02 +0000

Peru’s highest court has declared that the left-wing regional government of Cajamarca overstepped its bounds when it recently rejected the country’s biggest proposed mining project. However, a team of environmental auditors has criticised the existing mine plan, while Peru’s president has also acknowledged the need for Newmont to revise its proposals.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11643.

Newmont is a US company with British investment: among investors in Newmont are UK-based Blackrock World Mining Trust and AXA Investment Managers UK. See http://moneytometal.org/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&button=&search=newmont.

Which are the world’s “most controversial” mining companies?

michaela — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:53:17 +0000

A new report on the world’s “most controversial” mining firms has named and shamed ten companies, after comparing their performance against the UN Global Compact and other environmental, social and governance principles. The report from Zurich-based RepRisk (a “dynamic business information firm” aimed at investors) emphasises that the risks relate to the companies “access to capital and licenses to operate”.

Top of the list is Alpha Natural Resources, followed by Newmont Mining and Glencore International. The other Top Ten companies evaluated by RepRisk were: BHP Billiton (4th); Freeport McMoran (5th); Rio Tinto (6th); Barrick Gold (7th equal); Anglo American and Vedanta Resources (ranked 9th equal).

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11599.

Peru: Cajamarca Protests Continue as Conga Gold Mine Awaits Green Light

michaela — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:16:44 +0000

“¡Agua sí! ¡Oro no! ¡Agua sí! ¡Oro no!” [Water yes! Gold no!] The chant vibrated through the thin Andean air as a regional demonstration against the Conga Gold Mine Project took place to honour World Water Day.

See http://upsidedownworld.org/main/peru-archives-76/3544-peru-cajamarca-protests-continue-as-conga-gold-mine-awaits-green-light.

Conga is controlled by Newmont, a US company with British investment: among investors in Newmont are UK-based Blackrock World Mining Trust and AXA Investment Managers UK.

See http://moneytometal.org/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&button=&search=newmont.

Rio Blanco and the Conga Fallout

michaela — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:11:22 +0000

According to the Peruvian Human Rights Ombudsman, today there are over 20 ‘latent conflicts’ related to extractive activity in the country. Many such disputes are likely to flare up once more as García-era suspensions expire on Humala’s watch. Of these, the conflict over Piura’s Río Blanco project is set to be the most serious.

See http://www.perusupportgroup.org.uk/article.php?article_id=545.

Report calls for stricter regulation of UK mining companies

Richard — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:40:48 +0000

Bumi plc's Kaltim Prima Coal mine in Indonesia. Photo: JATAM

London Mining Network has today published a report calling on the government to include a review of regulatory regimes as part of the current discussion on the Financial Services Bill. The Bill is replacing the existing FSA with a new body, the Financial Conduct Authority, which will inherit the FSA’s role as UK Listing Authority.

Looking at eight case studies, the report, UK-Listed Mining Companies & the Case for Stricter Oversight, argues that:

Many mining companies listed in London have very poor records of complicity in human rights abuse, environmental pollution or destruction of people’s cultures and livelihoods around the world.
Once listed in London, some mining companies have continued to flout the law in the countries where they operate, or engage in damaging tax avoidance, or break accepted international mining industry standards, with no move by the UK Listing Authority to discipline them.

The report follows on from dramatic developments at the end of February in which a proposed opencast coal mine in Bangladesh being developed by GCM, one of the eight case studies used in the report, was condemned as “threatening human rights” by an independent panel of UN experts.

John McDonnell MP, who will be chairing the Parliamentary launch of the report today, said:

“We cannot stand by and witness these global mining companies brutally impoverishing and destroying the lives and environments of whole communities. We need not only to expose this exploitation but also to demand that a firm system of international regulation, control and accountability is put in place that halts the destructive activities of these corporate pirates.”

Peter Frankental, the Economic Relations Programme Director of Amnesty International UK, said:

“This report by London Mining Network presents a challenge to the Government to ensure that the proposed regulatory body has the powers to require mining companies to meet acceptable human rights and environmental standards as a condition for listing on the London Stock Exchange”.

Richard Solly, Co-ordinator of London Mining Network, said:

“This report provides a reminder to the Government of the need for measures to ensure that the London Stock Exchange does not continue to act as a repository for dodgy companies that harm the environment and abuse human rights. The ease with which such companies can list in the UK is an indictment of the existing regulatory framework”.

The report can be downloaded from http://londonminingnetwork.org/docs/lmn-the-case-for-stricter-oversight.pdf.

The eight London-listed mining companies looked at tin the report are African Barrick, Brinkley Mining, African Minerals, London Mining, Vedanta Resources, Glencore, GCM Resources and Bumi.

The Government has introduced its Financial Services Bill, which is being considered in Committee between 21 February and 20 March.

* Open-pit coal mine project in Bangladesh threatens human rights – UN experts http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41398&Cr=Bangladesh&Cr1

See also Stop the City of London laundering blood money from mining at http://www.newint.org/blog/2012/03/12/city-of-london-laundering-mining-money/.

Presentation on the Monterrico case given at the report launch

In 2005 Minera Majaz, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British company Monterrico Metals, was working hard in the northern highlands of Piura in Peru to get its social licence and start the operation of its first copper project, known as the Majaz mine. What happened there is important because it illustrates the impact of the mining conflict on HR, the role played by criminalisation as a strategy that clears the way for mining projects and finally the impunity with which these activities are carried out. The project is currently owned by the Chinese Zijin consortium.

On the first of August 2005, thousands of people started a march protesting against the Majaz mine. Their intention was to arrive at the mining camp to let management know that the mine was not welcome. Before they reached the camp, they were ambushed by police, soldiers and security forces with tear gas and live ammunition, whilst being tracked by aircraft. Twenty nine people were caught and held within the mining camp where, they were tortured. One man was killed, and several were seriously injured .

As part of the follow-up strategy, shortly after the ambush Félix Toledo, the public prosecutor began a legal persecution, and accused 107 people of a range of crimes including terrorism. Furthermore, leaders from several nearby communities also reported their houses being searched by the police without a warrant, being detained and threatened they would be killed unless they named the ring-leaders of the protest.

Given that local authorities simply ignored what was happening, the organisation FEDEPAZ (Federación Ecuménica para el Desarrollo y la Paz, a church organisation) requested that the Public Ombudsman investigate the police and corporate persecution against campesino leaders. The National Coordination for HR went a step further and introduced a lawsuit against the public prosecutor for failing in his duty to investigate corporate abuse. Nothing happened until five years later, when in 2010 the judicial system rejected charges against the prosecutor’s behaviour, alleging lack of evidence. All cases against the protesters were dropped.

I would also like to mention that among the 29 people detained there were two women. During their illegal detention the women were not only tortured but also sexually abused. What happened to these women is important because they were treated as “spoils from the raids”. The sexual abuse of women in the context of the mining conflict sends a powerful message to women: a message that seeks to put “women in their place”; a message that says “Women’s place is not with men, and sexual abuse is the price to pay when women choose to deviate from accepted customs”.

Thanks to Leigh Day, the 29 victims of this terrifying attack were financially compensated, and the brutality with which they were treated by a British company made the front page of The Guardian. But we mustn’t forget that victims of corporate and state abuse in the context of this mining project run into hundreds of people and that they haven’t received any kind of compensation at all. Neither the government nor the corporation admit to any wrong doing. This victimisation of ordinary people is often forgotten. But we must not forget that people detained and tortured by the Monterrico were left with permanent scars such as “suicide thoughts”. Also, whilst most of the men tortured during the protest returned to loving families, women didn’t have that safe haven as they experienced rejection by their own families.

Glevys Rondon, Co-ordinator, Latin American Mining Monitoring Programme.

Thousands march for the right to water in Peru

michaela — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:33:37 +0000

Opposition to Peru’s largest proposed mine recently spread outside the country – to Spain and the United States. Last week, up to 2,000 citizens marched on the Peruvian capital, calling for Newmont’s Conga project (and two others, controlled by Anglo American and Grupo Mexico) to be cancelled. Billed as a “Grand National March for the Right to Water and Life”, the protestors asserted the value of the health and wellbeing of communities, specifically over large resource-extraction projects threatening vital water supplies.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11493&l=1.

Anglo American is London-based. Newmont is a US company with British investment: among investors in Newmont are UK-based Blackrock World Mining Trust and AXA Investment Managers UK.

See http://moneytometal.org/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&button=&search=newmont.

Protests over Newmont mine resume in Peru

Richard — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:15:12 +0000

About 1,000 people marched in the Andean city of Cajamarca against the gold mine proposed by the U.S. miner and its Peruvian partner, Buenaventura.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11408&l=1.

Among investors in Newmont are UK-based Blackrock World Mining Trust and AXA Investment Managers UK. See http://moneytometal.org/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&button=&search=newmont.

See also: Conga to set the course for future mining development, expert says – http://www.bnamericas.com/news/mining/conga-to-set-the-course-for-future-mining-development-expert-says/283459482.

LMN groups and others send protest letter to President of Peru

Richard — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:44:18 +0000

There have been strong protests in the Cajamarca region of Peru with huge demonstrations, road blocks and occupation of the Conga gold mine site belonging to Yanacocha/Newmont. This resulted in police shooting unarmed protesters on 29 November and the mine announcing suspension of the project on the same day.

Given the entrenchment of opposition to mine, including by thousands of subsistence farmers who have said they are ready to die to prevent this mine, there appears to be a real risk of large scale violence.

LMN member group LAMMP co-ordinated the preparation of an open letter of protest to the President of Peru, and produced a video. The letter was co-signed by LMN, a number of its member groups, and many others. See http://lammp.org/2011/12/10/1750/.

Among investors in Newmont are UK-based Blackrock World Mining Trust and AXA Investment Managers UK. See http://moneytometal.org/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&button=&search=newmont.

Government of Peru agrees to resume talks with Cajamarca representatives

Richard — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 15:37:07 +0000

The Peruvian government has agreed to resume dialogue with representatives from northern Cajamarca region, state news agency Andina reported. President Ollanta Humala declared a state of emergency in Cajamarca on December 5 in response to increasingly violent protests against US-based Newmont Mining’s US$4.8bn Minas Conga project in the region.

See http://www.bnamericas.com/news/mining/govt-agrees-to-resume-talks-with-cajamarca-representatives/278934660.

For earlier reports, see:

Humala does the Conga in Peru: “Leftist” president shifts violently to the right. More militarization to come?
http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11357

Dancing the Conga in Peru: Jose de Echave resigns as vice-minister of the Environment
http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11342

Among investors in Newmont are UK-based Blackrock World Mining Trust and AXA Investment Managers UK. See http://moneytometal.org/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&button=&search=newmont.

The UK’s scandalous legal aid bill is a threat to global human rights

Richard — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:58:06 +0000

Under ruggedly beautiful mountains close to Peru’s border with Ecuador lie billions of dollars worth of copper owned by British-based firm Monterrico Metals. In August 2005, hundreds of Peruvian subsistence farmers and their families staged a protest against Monterrico. They said the owner of the Rio Blanco mine was operating unlawfully, and that the mine’s potential environmental impact was not sufficiently taken into account before work began. The Peruvian national ombudsman later upheld that view.

Why is the UK coalition government proposing a bill that will make it harder for people from poorer countries to get legal redress for human rights violations?

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/oct/28/uk-bill-threatens-global-human-rights?newsfeed=true.