[asia-apec 1676] PRESS RELEASE 14-PEOPLE'S CARAVAN 2000

[People's Caravan 2000]

Dear Friends,

Please find below the latest press release for the People's Caravan -
"Citizens on the Move for Land and Food Without Poisons!" covering the
activities of November 24 in Bangladesh.

Your support in the distribution of this information to your local media
contacts, network partners and within your own publications and information
services is greatly appreciated. 

Regards,

Sarah Hindmarsh
Programme Assistant Genetic Engineering Campaign

for Jennifer Mourin
People's Caravan Regional Coordinator
======================================================
The People's Caravan 2000 – Land and Food Without Poisons!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
24 November, 2000

PRESS RELEASE

THE PEOPLE'S CARAVAN - "CITIZENS ON THE MOVE FOR LAND AND FOOD WITHOUT
POISONS! IN BANGLADESH - NOVEMBER 18-24

Kicking off in India on November 13, the People's Caravan – "Citizen's on 
the Move for Land and Food Without Poisons!" moved to Bangladesh on
November 18-24 and will culminate in the Philippines between November 26 –
30, with activities on November 30 commemorating "One Year Since Seattle".

The Caravan, comprised of thousands of farmers, landless peasants, farm 
workers, anti-pesticide and anti-genetic engineering advocates, is firmly 
opposed to globalisation and its potentially devastating effects upon the 
Asia Pacific region.

The Caravan targets the immoral practices of transnational corporations 
(TNCs) in their push for corporate dominance and control of local and 
regional food and agricultural production systems. The Caravan seeks an end

to globalisation; and instead advocates genuine agrarian reform to achieve 
food security, social justice, and land and food without poisons.

Travelling more than 1400 kilometers,  delegates from UBINIG (Policy 
Research for Development Alternatives) Dhaka; Pesticide Action Network Asia

and the Pacific (PAN AP); Dr. Michael Hansen, an expert on genetic 
engineering of the Consumers Union in the United States; Indian farmers Mr 
Kollapuri Murugan and Ms Santi Gangadharan;belonging to the Rural 
Women's Liberation Movement and the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Labourers 
Movement; and Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser spread the message of 
the People's Caravan to the people and farmers of Bangladesh.

Sarojeni V. Rengam, Executive Director, PAN AP, spoke of the ongoing ill 
effects of pesticides and pesticide poisoning. Of particular concern were 
the long term effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) and their 
impacts on the human hormone and reproductive systems and child growth and
development.

This long, culturally vibrant and important move across Bangladesh kicked 
off in Dhaka on November 17 with a cultural event of Bangladeshi
traditional 
popular movement songs at the Narigrantha Prabartana (Feminist Book Store).

>From here it moved through farmers' communities – in the areas of Comilla, 
Cox's Bazaar, Tangail, and Pabna – finishing with a press conference today 
in Dhaka.

Shahid Hussain Shamim, Director of UBINIG, says the People's Caravan is an 
important event for supporting and mobilising resistence by farmers, 
consumers and the community to the threats posed by the dominance and 
control of transnational corporations (TNCs) of our land, food and 
livelihoods.

Percy Schmeiser is here "To share my views of how my field was contaminated
with genetically altered Roundup Ready canola against my knowledge and
wishes. This has destroyed my seeds which I have been developing for over
fifty years. What I want to say to farmers all over Asia is that they
should never ever sign any contract that takes away their right to use
their own seeds. If they give up this right they are basically losing their
freedom. Anyone who controls the seed supply will also control the food
supply. This amounts to controlling a Nation. This is why it is so
important that farmers always maintain their right to use their own seeds."

Schmeiser, a canola farmer from Bruno, Saskatchewan, Canada, is currently 
counter suing Monsanto over allegations that he illegally planted their 
variety of genetically engineered canola.

Over 500 farmers, fisherfolk, students, teachers and government officials 
were in Chakaria at the public meeting in front of the Purba Boro Behula 
school ground on November 20 to here the message of the caravan.

Jahanara Begum, a women farmer from the area, summed up the event by
rousing the crowd. "We should stop using pesticides. We don't want these
companies seeds and their poisons. We can use our own traditional seed.
Tell your friends, your neighbours, tell everybody!"

So strong was the concern over pesticides and genetically engineered seeds 
that Nazir Hussein, a village elder and farmer who works 6 acres of 
land--and was previously elected to the village union council--made a
public 
committment to stop using pesticides on his farm and would not ever buy 
genetically engineered seeds.

Farmers and citizens from the Elliotganj, Comilla flocked to another public

meeting on November 21 held within the Pankuri fishing community. As Sakiul

Millat Morshed, Executive Director of SHISUK (Shikkha Shastha Unnayan 
Karzakram), organisers of the event, explains, the project is a model of 
sustainable agriculture integrating fish rearing and rice farming.

Morshed said the event was held here to show farmers that "communities can 
resist globalisation by harnessing their own resources. The strategy also 
keeps the people out of the 'TNC dependent mentality' and keeps them out of

debt. The project has resulted in reduced pesticide use, and a reduction in

fertiliser use that has resulted in an increase in the natural fertility of

the land. This farming system can help implement integrated pest management
(IPM)."

On November 22 the caravan stopped over in Bishnupur, Pathrail, Tangail for

a half day seminar. Farmers in the crowd, upon hearing the experience of 
Schmeiser with the multinational agro chemical giant Monsanto, chanted
"down with Monsanto, down with Monsanto". They became even more vocal upon
hearing the terrible threats to farmers livelihoods if they plant
genetically 
engineered crops from Dr Hansen.

The "teach-in" and public seminar in Pabna on November 23 drew a mixed
crowd from local farmers, citizens, agricultural bank managers, local
government representatives and people who sell pesticides. The crowd
listened intently to the message of the caravan and gobbled up literature
and other materials.

Teenkori Lal Das, a mango and rice farmer from the Nawabganj district, 
north-west Bangladesh summed up the message of the caravan saying: "The 
farmers of Bangladesh should reject the seeds and pesticides pushed by
these giant companies. We have our own local varieties of crops that we
need to protect. The seeds should be in the hands of the farmers. Doing it
our own 
way is the way to resist these companies!"


For more information contact:

PAN AP (Pesticide Action Network Asia & the Pacific)
Jennifer Mourin, Campaigns and Media Coordinator OR Sarah Hindmarsh,
Programme Assistant Genetic Engineering Campaign. Tel: (60-4) 657-0271/
656-038. Fax: (604) 657-7445 
E-mail: panap at panap.po.my or visit the People's Caravan
Web site: www.poptel.org.uk/panap/caravan.htm 

UBINIG (Policy Research for Development Alternatives), and Nayakrishi
Andolon
E-mail:  nkrishi at bracbd.net
____________________________________________________________________________
_____
People's Caravan 2000
P.O. Box 1170, 10850, Penang, Malaysia.                                    
Tel: (604) 657 0271/656 0381 Fax: (604) 657 7445
E-mail: pcaravan at tm.net.my / panap at panap.po.my
Webpage: www.poptel.org.uk/panap/caravan.htm