Jabiluka Update.

Tuesday, 14th July - 118 people were arrested at the site of the Jabiluka uranium mine in World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park, land of the Mirrar aboriginal people, in Australia's tropical Northern Territory.

Protesters entered the compound and about 40 people locked onto the machinery, others blocked the compound gate, so police couldn't get through with their gear to cut people off. This action stopped work for half a day.

One of the arrested protesters has been released so far, but 117 are being held overnight in a jail designed to hold 45 people.

Tomorrow morning in Jabiru, which is inside the national park area, aboriginal traditional owner, Yvonne Margarula and Mirrar spokesperson, Jaqui Katona will appear in court, charged with trespassing on their own land. About 80 of the protesters are refusing bail in solidarity with the traditional owners.

Police have claimed protesters sabotaged a water pipe last night and claim to have found a rope strung up at neck level between trees, supposedly to ambush security guards. North Limited, the parent company of Energy Resources Australia (ERA), the company developing the ecologically disastrous uranium mine, are well known in Australia for their dirty tricks campaigns against green activists.

North Limited are involved in destruction of old-growth forest in south east Australia and Tasmania, among other places. They also claim sabotage of water supplies, but protesters say that robbing the great artesian basin of its water for use in mining uranium at Roxby Downs is the real sabotage.

North Limited's dubious claims of terrorism pale into insignificance compared to the low-intensity warfare ERA and other companies inflict on indigenous people in Australia every day.

Over 370 people have now been arrested in the campaign to stop jabiluka uranium mine and the struggle is spreading.

---

Home