[Reader-list] Fwd: APPEAL TO OBSERVE ANTI- POSCO BLACK DAY AT PATNAHAT VILLAGE ON 22nd JUNE 2013

[Asit Das]

Dear Friends,

 We remember people who sacrificed their self interests for the benefit our
freedom in the 66th year of Indian Independence. Sadly, during the one and
a half decades of the post-globalisation era in India, our leaders are
sacrificing the very purpose of the sacrifices of those who fought for
freedom. India’s land, rivers, hills, seas and forests are being sold to
global corporates, displacing millions of farmers, dalits, adivasis and
fisher folk today, devastating this country’s environment.

The project planned by the multinational giant POSCO represents the
largest  Foreign Direct Investment of this country (FDI) during the
post-globalised India. The project will destroy the lives of thousands of
farmers, dalits, women, children, fisher people and indigenous people.

The people’s movement against POSCO started soon after the signing of the *MOU
between POSCO and Odisha Government. *Since then over hundred bombs have
been thrown at the resisting villagers by the pro-POSCO goons and around
100 villagers have been shot by the Odisha police. Our leaders like MR.
Abhay Sahoo and four others are in the jail. More than 1500 villagers and
activists are facing over 250 fabricated false charges. Many villagers can
not come out of their villages even for their hospitalization, due to the
threat of arrests. The struggle against POSCO led by POSCO Pratirodh
Sangram Samiti is still resisting this invasion by a global capitalist
giant in partnership with the Central and State Governments.



We believe that if the anti-POSCO movement is suppressed due to the
interests of the corporations, it will affect many similar struggles in
Odisha as well as rest of India. Since this SEZ project is the largest FDI
investment in this country, it has to be treated as a symbol of struggle
against globalization and India’s freedom.



Therefore, we appeal to all freedom lovers in India and all over the world
to mark your resistance by responding on the day of the completion of the 8
th year of signing of the *MOU between POSCO and the Government*, on *June
22, 2013*. We appeal to all activists, organizations, people’s movements
and concerned individuals against globalization to express their strong
protest against this corporate invasion of our lands. We appeal to groups
and people’s movements working on fisher people, dalits, women, children
and indigenous people to organize solidarity actions on *June 22nd*, since
it is the lives of these very forces which are at stake. On this historical
event, PPSS calls for the following actions all over India and abroad to
initiate the following actions:



1.     Protests in your region demanding the ouster of POSCO and removal of
all fabricated false cases against activists and villagers.



2.     Public meetings in your region condemning the threat of displacement
and environmental destruction by POSCO.



3.     Expressions through, songs, posters, paintings, theatre, print media
and internet actions against POSCO.



4.     Mobilise concerned sections to be part of the event in Odisha.



5.     Write letters to the Prime Minister of India and the Chief Minister
of Odisha.



6.     Document the events in Odisha and elsewhere through written media as
well as video for future campaigns, or



7.     Any other symbolic or imaginative actions you may chose.



We welcome all those who wish to participate in the mass rally and
demonstrations at Patnahat village of Jagatsighpur district  in Odisha  on
22nd June 2013 and express their support to this historic struggle.

In Solidarity,
Prashant Paikary
Spokesperson, POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti
Mobile no-09437571547
E-Mail - prashantpaikary at gmail.com





*How to Reach *



·         Board the train Puri-Paradeep passenger at 7am from Bhubaneswar
and 8.30 am from Cuttack.



·         Get down at the station Bada Bandha (Before Paradeep Railway
station) at 10 am (distance from Bada bandha to Patnahat is 7 km).



·         Public meeting at Patanahat from noon to 3 PM



·         Return by the train Paradeep – Puri Passanger  from Bada Bandha
at 5.30 pm.