[asia-apec 1530] Fw: Mi'kmaqs Make URGENT PLEA for SUPPORT

[APEC Monitoring Group]

>
>August 22, 2000
>
>Dear Friends and Allies across Canada, Turtle Island, internationally:
>
>This URGENT PLEA for support from Mi'kmaq Territory is for:
>
>>>> INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ATTENTION - please forward to ALL international
>contacts and ALL media contacts
>
>>>> ON-THE-SPOT PERSONNEL as witnesses, and other direct aid - please see
>the last, lengthy message for details on how to help
>
>The Coalition for a Public Inquiry into Ipperwash is very concerned about
>the escalating backlash, tension and official repression against Peoples
who
>claim their land, treaty, cultural and other human rights.
>
>For five years, our members and supporters have been saying that impunity
>for the decision-makers and perpetrators of the 1995 police assault at
>Ipperwash Park against the Stoney Point People (who were involved in
>non-violent asssertion of Aboriginal rights) would inevitably result in
>greater violence and repression by authorities. This is why we formed our
>Coalition and have continued to push for a Public Inquiry into the
>"Ipperwash" events.
>
>We just hope and pray that no lives will be lost during the just struggle
of
>the Mi'kmaw People for human rights and dignity.
>
>Perhaps you can help in some way...
>
>In solidarity - for justice and peace,
>Ann Pohl
>Coalition for a Public Inquiry into Ipperwash
>t: 416-537-3520
>f: 416-538-2559
>e: annpohl at interlog.com
>- Visit the Coalition for a Public Inquiry on the web at
>www.web.net/~inquiry -
>- "We Remember" Vigil: Join us Sept. 6, 2000, Queen's Park, Toronto, 9 - 11
>pm -
>
>
>*********************************************
>*********************************************
>
>FROM MI'KMAQ TERRITORY:
>
>>Dear friend,
>>
>>We are asking for your support in getting this to the international Press.
>Currently, our warriors are in the process of defending what few traps and
>boats that we have left.
>>
>>All My Relations,
>>
>>James Ward
>>
>>
>>
>>For Immediate Release
>>August 19. 2000 -Burnt Church, New Brunswick
>>
>>Canadian Government Backs Out of Agreement with Burnt Church Natives
>>
>>Department of Fisheries and Oceans New Brunswick and the Mi'kmaq of Burnt
>Church had reached a tentative agreement that would allow the Natives to
>fish in a certain perimeter. However, DFO had broken protocol by
restricting
>further the fishing grounds allocated to the Mi'kmaq as well the number of
>traps has been reduced further.
>>
>>As the talks degenerated further, DFO stated that they would use "force"
to
>achieve their objective of shutting down the lobster fishery at Burnt
>Church. Many of the Mi'kmaq depend on the lobster fishery as their only
>means of support, as the unemployment rate is near 90%. Burnt Church First
>Nation is not in a position to lose any more traps as over 3000 have
already
>been confiscated by DFO or destroyed by non- native fishermen.
>>
>>We are urgently requesting any assistance you can offer as this is a
>desperate situation. We cannot give up this fight and must continue to
>ensure that our Treaty Rights are honored by the Canadian Government. We
>must protect our Inherent Right for the next 7 generations. We are
obligated
>by honor and duty to do so.
>>
>>It is critical for us at this time to plead for the presence of witnesses
>to monitor the continued assault of the DFO, RCMP and Canadian military on
>our fishermen. Unarmed members of our community members have suffered
>repeated violent attacks by government officials. These have not been
>reported by mainstream media, further compromising our safety and
>well-being. We have tried our best to trust in the peaceful process of
>discussion and negotiation, and are left to defend ourselves against the
bad
>faith of the government officials. We thank you for your consideration.
>>
>>-30-
>>
>>For More Information, please contact:
>>
>>James Ward: (506) 776-5629
>>Danny Ward: (506) 776-8589
>>
>>ablib at nbnet.nb.ca
>
>*********************************
>
>CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKER TEAMS - Canada Office
>1562 Danforth Ave, Box 72063, Toronto ON  M4J 5C1
>ph. 416-421-7079, fax 416-467-1508, cptcan at web.ca
>
>
>For Immediate Release
>
>August 18, 2000
>
>POSTAL OFFICIALS INTERFERE WITH MI'KMAQ MAIL AT BURNT CHURCH
>
>Postal officials in the Miramichi region of New Brunswick have interfered
>with mail directed to a resident of Esgenoôpetitj First Nation (Burnt
>Church) as part of the ongoing campaign of harassment of Mi'kmaq lobster
>fishers.
>
>On August 15 Christian Peacemaker Teams in Toronto ON sent a letter by
>Canada Post's 24-hour Priority Courier to the Esgenoôpetitj resident at his
>New Jersey NB address. The letter was misdirected to the post office in
>Néguac NB. That post office sat on the Priority letter for 2 days.
>
>When Canada Post officials finally tracked the letter down on August 18,
>the Néguac postal officials said they had not been able to deliver the
>letter "because of the barricades on Hwy. 11". The checkpoints currently on
>Hwy.11 at the borders of the Esgenoôpetitj First Nation territory have not
>impeded the delivery of any mail.
>
>This incident is further evidence of the ongoing harassment of Mi'kmaq
>people by Canadian government officials in New Brunswick. Christian
>Peacemaker Teams has maintained a violence-reduction team at Esgenoopetitj
>since April.
> - 30 -
>
>For more information contact:
>Doug Pritchard, CPT Canada Coordinator 416-568-8299
>CPT New Brunswick 506-779-5886, 506-776-0065
>
>**************************************************
>**************************************************
>
>CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKER TEAMS
>Esgenoôpetitj team:  Tel: (506) 779-5886 or (506) 776-0065
>email: cptcan at sympatico.ca
>
>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>by Matthew Bailey-Dick
>August 17, 2000
>
>FISHERIES VESSEL  RAMS BOAT IN FIRST NATIONS' WATERS, THEN GIVES CHASE
>
>ESGENOÔPETITJ  (Burnt Church, New Brunswick) - On August 16, in very choppy
>ocean waters in Miramichi Bay NB, a Canadian Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans
>(DFO) boat deliberately rammed a First Nations boat three times. The DFO
>vessel cracked the hull of the First Nations boat before chasing it to
>shore. In between the rammings, DFO officer Louis Breault yelled at the
>First Nations boat, "You've gotta get out of here! You're all under
arrest!"
>
>Matthew Bailey-Dick, member of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), was on the
>boat when it was rammed, and had to grasp the edge of the boat to avoid
>being thrown into the sea. When safely back on shore, Bailey-Dick reported,
>"I think we were all pretty nervous out there. That DFO boat was a lot
>bigger than we were, and then to have the DFO chase us back to shore! They
>should be the ones under arrest!" Another man on the boat later went to
>hospital for x-rays of leg and back injuries sustained during the rammings.
>
>The incident occurred during an early morning assault by 8 DFO vessels in
>which two First Nations boats were rammed by DFO vessels. This is another
>in a series of violent actions taken by the DFO in recent days. On August
>13, the DFO conducted an all-night raid in which they seized  748 First
>Nations lobster traps. In this incident, observers witnessed DFO officers
>drawing guns on unarmed First Nations fishers.
>
>While members of the Esgenoôpetitj First Nation continue to assert their
>treaty right to fish for lobster under their own conservation management
>plan, the DFO insists that it alone has the right to control the Burnt
>Church waters. In violation of international law, the Canadian government
>has refused to dialogue with the people of Esgenoôpetitj on a
>nation-to-nation basis. Despite the aggressive behaviour of the DFO in
>recent days, the fishers of Esgenoôpetitj have continued to navigate the
>Miramichi waters to set out their lobster traps. Members of other First
>Nations communities have been arriving in Esgenoôpetitj to show their
>solidarity and to provide moral and logistical support.
>
>The CPT team in New Brunswick includes Nina Bailey-Dick (Waterloo, ON),
>Matthew Bailey-Dick (Waterloo, ON), William Payne (Toronto, ON), Janet
>Shoemaker (Goshen, IN), and Lena Siegers (Blyth, ON). CPT has come by
>invitation of the people of Esgenoôpetitj as they struggle for respect and
>for the recognition of their inherent rights to fish without the threat of
>violence.
>
>Christian Peacemaker Teams is an initiative among Mennonite and Church of
>the Brethren congregations and Friends Meetings that supports violence
>reduction efforts around the world. Contact CPT, PO Box 72063, 1562
>Danforth Ave., Toronto ON M4J 5C1, ph 416-421-7079, fax 416-467-1508, email
>cptcan at web.ca; or CPT, POB 6508 Chicago, IL 60680, ph 312-455-1199, fax
>312-432-1213, email cpt at igc.org. To join CPTNET send an e-mail to
>admin at MennoLink.org and the message: Group: menno.org.cpt.news
>
>Visit us on the WEB: http://www.prairienet.org/cpt
>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>Doug Pritchard
>Canada Coordinator
>Christian Peacemaker Teams
>
>******************************************************
>******************************************************
>
>(The following message comes, by way of another friend named Zainab, from
my
>friend Willi Nolan. Willi is an environmental activist of African, European
>and Mi'kmaq heritage and is presently living in New Brunswick near Burnt
>Church. It actually includes some contact information and action
suggestions
>that I put together originally --- Isn't email amazing?? But, people are
>still NEEDED in PERSON on the spot...  - AP/CPI)
>
>
>Draft - Discussion Paper - August 17, 2000 - 5 pages
>Observations on the Situation of the Burnt Church Mi'kmaq
>
>After listening to news reports and engaging with the Mi'kmaq people of
>Burnt Church (Esgenoopotitj, pron.: esk-an-oh-beh-dij), I am compelled to
>share my observations in the hope of generating support and help during
>these troubled times. These are my own observations, from which I hope that
>those who review this will gain an understanding:
>
>- that mainstream media coverage has continued to fall short of reporting
>the violence and coercion being directed against the Burnt Church Mi'kmaq
by
>the Canadian government;
>- that there is a critical need at this time to support and protect the
>people of Burnt Church so that no one else is harmed and that no one is
>killed as a result of the actions of Canadian government officials;
>- that the Esgenoopotitj First Nation, while exercising their right as a
>sovereign nation to gather food and earn a living, are continually held up
>by the Canadian government as criminals, when in fact they are acting in
>accordance with the laws of their own nation;
>- that it is important for all of those who recognize the moral and legal
>responsibilities of the Canadian government to acknowledge Indigenous
>sovereignty and rights, and to give all available support to Burnt Church
at
>this time.
>
>
>Use Of Force And Violence By The Canadian Government
>
>I was present at Burnt Church on August 14, 2000, the day that 4 Burnt
>Church men were arrested by DFO (federal Department of Fisheries and
Oceans)
>officials. What the media, police and DFO failed to report on that
situation
>to date is:
>
>- in addition to the reported arrest, seizure of and damage to the
>Esgenoopotitj fishing boats, the 4 men were held at gun point by 7 DFO
>officials. At one point, these 7 officials trained their gun on one man. I
>will never forget the fear on the face and in the voice of the 10-year old
>son of Curtis, one of the Burnt Church men, after he saw a gun being
pointed
>at his father on the news. No arms were used by the people of
Esgenoopotitj.
>
>
>A Burnt Church Fisheries officer, Brian, attempted to avoid arrest by
>swimming in Miramichi Bay near the boats for about an hour.  After being
>assured by DFO that no harm would come to him, he boarded the DFO boat,
>where he was severely beaten and arrested. Brian used his "one phone call"
>to call 911, to be treated at hospital for the injuries that he sustained.
>
>Members of CPT (Christian Peacemakers Team) and ARC-Atlantic Observers
>(Aboriginal Rights Coalition) went to the RCMP in nearby Neguac to ask
about
>the well-being of the men from Burnt Church. They reported to me that the
>police had told them that none of the men were injured, had food and
>blankets, and were being treated well. In fact, Brian had been beaten and
>treated in hospital. CPT reported that they plan to lay charges against the
>police because of these lies. I understand that since that time, some of
the
>members of CPT have been arrested while present with the Mi'kmaq as they
>were fishing.
>
>- Canadian military (Coast Guard) were (and I believe still are) present at
>Burnt Church, with both boats and airplanes, despite the fact that the
>minister for DFO has publicly denied any use of force.  Further, the
>minister has stated that he is allowing local officials to deal with the
>situation as they see fit.
>
>The people of Esgenoopotitj have reported many incidents of racial violence
>being perpetrated against them. In one instance, a DFO official was
reported
>to be wearing a long dark wig and "dancing like an Indian" on one of the
>government boats. In another, an employee of the Local Tim Horton donut
>stores was fired after continued racial assaults against members of the
>Burnt Church community.
>
>AT THIS TIME, I BELIEVE IT IS CRITICAL FOR ALL CONCERNED TO DO EVERYTHING
>POSSIBLE TO PREVENT VIOLENT CONFRONTATION AND THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF LIVES AT
>BURNT CHURCH. THE PRESENCE OF NON-VIOLENT WITNESSES AND WORLD EYES ON THE
>SITUATION WILL GREATLY HELP TO LESSEN THIS CONCERN.
>
>COME IF YOU CAN AND STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF BURNT CHURCH (PLEASE TRAVEL
>WITH SUPPLIES AND MONEY FOR YOUR EXPENSES IF POSSIBLE). THE RESERVE IS
>LOCATED ON HWY. 11, ABOUT 20 MINUTES N. OF MIRAMICHI, NEW BRUNSWICK (BURNT
>CHURCH ROAD).
>
>If you cannot come and want to support the people of Esgenoopotitj and the
>presence of non-violent witnesses, there are many ways to do so:
>
>1. United Nations (UN) observers have contributed greatly to the struggles
>of oppressed peoples worldwide, and their presence would be more than
>appropriate at Burnt Church; please use your contacts, resources and wits
to
>make this happen.  I also believe it appropriate to order Canada to the
>table for their flagrant, repeated violations of the rights of Indigenous
>people under the UN.
>
>2. ARC-Atlantic will offer non-violent witnessing training Aug. 26-31 in
>Nova Scotia, with another session to be held at Esgenoopotitj; you can also
>check with the Christian Peacemakers Team regarding available training (see
>email and web addresses below).
>
>3. Do what you can to get mainstream media to report ALL the facts. You or
>your group can issue press releases and bulletins, ask questions, e.g..,
why
>the media has neglected to report on the violence and coercion against the
>people of Burnt Church; why does media not report on Canada's refusal to
>acknowledge Indigenous rights to natural resources and their management;
why
>does media continue to represent Native fishing as illegal; why doesn't
>media report the DFO Minister's denial of the use of force when the
military
>is present at Burnt Church, and so on.
>
>4. Take part in the Vigil on September 6, 2000 at Queen's Park, Toronto,
>sponsored by the Coalition for a Public Inquiry into Ipperwash (contact:
>annpohl at interlog.com).
>
>5.  Church organizations are in a particularly unique position, and have an
>opportunity to do the right thing. Given their participation in the passive
>conquering of Aboriginal people via the entrapment of Native children in
>residential schools, their support could truly make a difference in the
>restoration of sovereignty and peace. Ask for their support!
>
>6. Contribute to the Lobster Trap Restoration Fund (every time Native
>fishermen are arrested and also periodically, all traps and equipment are
>confiscated). Send cheques to ARC-Atlantic c/o Mrs. Betty Peterson, Apt.
>416, 6969 Bayers Rd., Halifax, Nova Scotia B3L 4P3;
>
>7. Have your group work with the Burnt Church Mi'kmaq to set up a fund for
>the defense of the people of Burnt Church. Food, communications, travel and
>legal expenses are high, and money is tight - please be generous.
>
>8. Use your environment and conservation resources and contacts to
undertake
>a "Good Science" critique/comparison of the Fisheries Management Plans of
>the DFO and Esgenoopotitj, and spread the word about the Burnt Church
>Fishery's excellent management plan.
>
>9. Electronic protests and messages of support may be forwarded to the
>Burnt Church Mi'kmaq at: miigkis at nbnet.nb.ca -- to both Karen Somerville
and
>gkisedtanamoogk.
>
>10. Your positive thoughts and prayers are important.
>
>Other observations...
>
>Fisheries Management
>
>As an environmentalist, I believe that Esgenoopotitj has a well thought out
>plan for the management of their fishery (available through the Burnt
Church
>Mi'kmaq at: miigkis at nbnet.nb.ca), and that the Canadian government, if
>sincere about its desire to practice conservation and protect the fishing
>industry, would do well to ask for direction in policy development from
>Esgenoopotitj.
>
>My view of the Esgenoopotitj fishing activities is that it is small, mainly
>families earning extra money to be self-reliant and raise themselves from
>extreme poverty. Most of the seized lobster traps were set by individuals
>who are limited in their abilities to earn from the lobster business, both
>those restricted by the Canadian government and because they have scarce
>resources for increased economic development.
>
>Comments - Fishing Industry
>
>My exploration of Canadian government management of the fishing industry
>informs that it is mainly directed toward export, with a large number of
>companies exporting over 90% of their fish.
>
>The DFO appears to regard First Nations as some of the many companies that
>they regulate. The strategic tactic that they have been using with
>Aboriginal people to continue their dominance of the industry is divide and
>conquer; cash buy-outs for interim fishing agreements serves to prolong
>tension and indecision amongst band members, and between communities.
>
>Problems related to industry over-fishing have been raised in the UN
Fishing
>Agreement and by environmental groups such as Greenpeace over the years.
The
>Canadian government has responded to this issue with words, acknowledging
>fish as a limited resource and the industry as needing to be regulated.
>Federally, the DFO has implemented an Atlantic Fisheries Policy Review, but
>to date, has not commented on the Fisheries Management Plan of the
>Esgenoopotitj First Nation (or any other First Nations, to my knowledge).
>And yet they maintain that Esgenoopotitj is acting illegally.
>
>It is my opinion that the Canadian government fisheries management is
>serving to uphold and protect the interests of the non-native fishing
>industry in its denial of the rights of Indigenous people to natural
>resources.
>
>Boycott
>
>Regarding the suggestion of a boycott, I understand that High Liner Foods
>Inc. (Ernst & Young top 75 Canadian food and beverage producers) is the
>major player in the lobster business, the current focus of the
Esgenoopotitj
>dispute. I would recommend more research in this area (Fisheries Council of
>Canada and Atlantic Lobster Promotions Association are two ledes that I
>found while surfing) in preparation for a boycott in support of Native
>fisheries.
>
>
>Contact information:
>
>Burnt Church Mi'kmaq: miigkis at nbnet.nb.ca -- c/o Karen Somerville and
>gkisedtanamoogk.
>CPT (Christian Peacemakers Team): cptcan at web.net
>ARC-Atlantic (Aboriginal Rights Coalition): watts at NSIS.com. Web address:
>http://home.istar.ca/~arc/english/index.html. Regular Mail: c/o Mrs. Betty
>Peterson, Apt. 416, 6969 Bayers Rd., Halifax, Nova Scotia B3L 4P3
>
>Respectfully,
>
>Willi (willi at web.net).
>
>
>David Bleakney
>National Union Representative
>Canadian Union of Postal Workers
>377 Bank Street
>Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1Y3
>
>Phone: 613-236-7230 ext 7953
>Fax: 613-563-7861
>
>http://www.wtoaction.org
>
>http://www.wtocaravan.org
>
>http://www.agp.org/agp/index.html
>
>http://www.canadianallianceparty.net
>
>the CUPW site is currently down-back soon!
>
>
>