From: Western Ancient Forest Campaign <wafcdc@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: rec.music.gdead
Date: 01 Sep 92 07:28 PDT
Subject: Urgent Alert to Save Siberian Fore
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1456400088:000:4300
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!wafcdc    Sep  1 07:28:00 1992


Howdy Folks,

This is Steve Holmer with the Western Ancient Forest Campaign, as
some of you may know the Grateful Dead has helped to support
efforts to save the forests in Siberia and here in the US as well.
I've uploaded an alert from the econet conference env.siberia to
give you a current update on how this work is going and how you
help make a difference.

Topic 9    Hyundai Update perc env.siberia 1:57 pm  Aug 25, 1992

HYUNDAI UPDATE--August 25, 1992

     According to recent messages from Moscow and Vladivostok,
both the Forestry Committee in Moscow and the deputy minister of
the the Ministry of the Environment have sent telegrams to the
local government ordering that any logging in the upper Bikin
watershed must stop.

     Alexei Yablokov, Yeltsin's advisor on Environment and Public
Health, also sent the following telegrams relating to the issue:

To Vladimir Kuznetsov, governor of Primorsky Krai:  "I have found
out from foreign and Russian press about the developing events at
the top of the Bikin River.  I am surprised at the unjustified
urgency in the leasing of the forests to the joint venture
"Svetlaya" in the absence of a positive State ecological
ekspertiza (EIS).  Such actions are a direct violation of Russian
law."

To Pavel Suliandziga, leader of the Udege people:  "I support the
most decisive actions in defense of the forests in the Bikin River
basin, as a zone of traditional land-use by indigenous peoples.  I
believe the Regional Legislature should urgently adopt a decision
to give [these forests] the status of a territory of traditional
land-use."

Based on these developments, Regional Deputy Anatoly Lebedev and
Udege leader Pavel Suliandziga agreed to withdraw the watch post
from the top of the river.  The watch group had been made up of
five Udege hunters and approximately nine Cossacks.  The Cossacks
have declared that they will support the Udege protesters in
whatever way needed to defend the forests.

However, the forests have not received permanent protection.
Governor Kuznetsov has declared that he is ready to obey President
Yeltsin if ordered to agree with the Udege.  Without this order,
Kuznetsov said he will work to fulfill his obligations according
to the agreement with Hyundai.

Meanwhile, the Primorsky Forest Industry is threatening to sue the
Primorsky Forest Service for 60 million US dollars (!), the
material damage they say is involved if they are not allowed to
cut the forests.

The Bikin question has received publicity now in all the major
newspapers of Vladivostok, as well as on TV and radio.  The entire
ecological committee of the Regional Legislature has taken a
strong stand against the actions of the Regional Administration
and Governor Kuznetsov.

*****Environmentalists in Vladivostok are now asking for more
specific information on Hyundai to use in their press campaign
against the logging.  They are interested specifically in
statistics about Hyundai's logging operations in other forests (we
know, for example, that they have been active in logging the
Solomon Islands, but we do not have specific statistics).  If you
know this information, or know where we can find out this
information, please contact us immediately at
perc@igc.apc.org.*****

Public pressure, especially international public pressure, is
STILL NEEDED to protect the Bikin forests and the Udege people.
Please write to the following addresses:

President Boris Yeltsin Kremlin Moscow Russia 117296

Governor Vladimir S. Kuznetsov Primorsky Regional Administration
Leninskaya str. 22, Vladivostok, 690110 Primorsky Krai, Russia
Fax:  011-7-4232-221-019

Hyundai USA 10550 Talbert Ave.  Fountain Valley, CA 92728 USA Fax:
714-965-3816

Hyundai South Korea K.P.O. Box 92 Seoul, South Korea Fax:
011-82-2-741-2341

Please write letters of support to:

Pavel Sulyandziga, Chair Association of Native Peoples of
Primor'ye 692031, Primorsky Region, Pozharsky district, Krasny
Yar, Russia

We encourage you to send copies of your letters to:

Siberian Forests Protection Project
PERC
Bldg. 1055 Fort Cronkhite Sausalito, CA 94965
USA

We will forward copies of your letters directly to Siberian
environmentalists so that they can use them effectively in their
campaign against Hyundai.

For more information, please contact perc@igc.apc.org

Newsgroups: rec.music.gdead