Saturday, June 14, 2014

Who own the Land, Sea and Water?

Every day I write various issues faced by people whom I meet in my work.  But we don't have any solution though we can facilitate to find solution if we all affected work together and win the struggles. This was our experience of SeaPlane struggle at Negombo lagoon. Lagoon fishers, men and women with their supporters launched the campaign and won the struggle. This is a classic example of our fisheries struggles in the recent past.
Similar situation we experience when government was planning to remove 4500 families in Hirudeniyaya agriculture scheme for tourism project around Kahalla- Pallakele forest. People's continious struggle brought to hold the project while withdrawing the cases filed by Wild Life department against the farmers.
There is no different  at the SeaPlane project at Parakrama Samudraya Polonnaruwa.
So it is people are in the CENTRE when we won the struggles.  So our role is to facilitate the process, provide the technical  knowledge, bring affected people together, building network, bring media to the people and may be the facilitation list is further longer.
But the issues we learned today people expect solutions from us.
People from Karamalaiuththu at Marble beach expect our mediation for their loss of the beach seine points. Loss of 4 beach seine points mean loss of livelihoods for 100 fisher families.
But it is unfortunate that people are reluctant to attend the legal protection even lawyer wanted to provide assistance. So what we say to them is to take the lead and get the support from others including us.  It is a struggle. Not a contract.
If the living organisms are the owners of the resources they should have the right to fight to tetain them. Not any one else.

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