Tribe – ‘Vedanta is destroying us for profit’

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As FTSE 100 mining company Vedanta announces record profits today, India’s remote Dongria Kondh tribe is claiming the company will destroy them forever if it goes ahead with plans to mine their sacred mountain.

Dongria Kondh spokesman Jitu Jakesika gave a message today to Vedanta’s shareholders: ‘You are destroying so much. Mining only makes profit for the rich. We will become beggars if the company destroys our mountain and our forest so that they can make money.’

Vedanta claim that they are investing in tribal development, but Mr Jakesika said, ‘We don’t want any money from this company, we don't want anything from them. We cannot give them our mountain, it is our life.’

India’s Supreme Court is deciding whether to permit Vedanta’s subsidiary, Sterlite, to mine bauxite on the summit of the Dongria Kondh’s sacred mountain, Niyamgiri, in the state of Orissa. The court is due to sit on Friday in a hearing that could bring the case to an end after more than three years.

Survival’s director Stephen Corry said today, ‘Vedanta has made record profits this year, but at what cost? That is the question shareholders in the company must ask themselves. If Vedanta mines Niyamgiri, the Dongria Kondh will not survive. It’s that simple.’

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1. A mining company

named itself "Vedanta?" What's next, "Buddha Chemical?"

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2. Yeah Survival Intl's director also commented on that previously

Survival’s director Stephen Corry said today, ‘People who care about human rights should boycott British companies which dispossess tribal peoples. That means not buying their shares. The days of companies successfully sheltering behind local legislation and carrying on violating international law are gone. ‘Vedanta’, the reaching for the divine beyond knowledge, is one of Hinduism’s core religious principles – what a paradox that a company using the name might destroy one of India’s most spiritual tribes.’

New Survival campaign targets British company Vedanta