Tension grew in Phulbari coal mine area yesterday as a gathering hosted by Asia Energy to drum up support for its open-pit mine project was attacked allegedly by the activists of National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Power, Mineral Resources and Ports.
Gary Lye, country chief of Asia Energy, was addressing the gathering at its local office in Phulbari area.
Additional law enforcers were deployed as the locals staged demonstrations all day long. The agitators also blocked Dinajpur-Gobindaganj road until 4pm by setting fire to tyres.
The Asia Energy top boss was earlier barred by the Phulbari locals from visiting the area early last year.
Lye and his wife Nana Lye went to Phulbari on Tuesday night and held several meetings at the local office of Asia Energy. He again sat with some local businessmen and other stakeholders around 11am yesterday.
Hearing this, the anti-mine people gathered at the bazar and went on a rampage at the site office, which is left abandoned, damaging its doors and windows. The three vehicles parked
in front of the building were also vandalised.
Upazila Nirbahee Officer Moniruzzaman, Inspector of Phulbari police ABM Rezaul Islam, municipality Mayor Mortuza Sarker Manik and former upazila chairman Aminul Islam Babul among others came forward to calm the agitators.
Later they campaigned in the area in favour of today’s agitation programmes, called jointly by Sommilito Peshajibi Songothon and local unit of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Natural Resources, Power and Ports demanding the arrest of Lye and full implementation of the 2006 Phulbari Agreement.
The programmes include daylong rail and road blockade in the area.
In solidarity, the National Committee’s Dhaka chapter has announced a rally in front of the National Press Club today.
Lye and his wife Nana Lye along with other officials left Phulbari for Dinajpur in the afternoon, an official of Asia Energy said.
“We protested and staged demonstration against the visit of Gary Lye. We will not allow Asia Energy in Phulbari,” Saiful Islam Jewel, upazila unit convener of the National Committee, told the Dhaka Tribune.
Around 200 people also brought out a procession in the area in support of the Asia Energy project, Md Anwar Hossain, a former chairman of Hamidpur union, told the Dhaka Tribune.
“We had a meeting with Gary Lye. Soon after the meeting ended, the National Committee members launched attack on us. I have 100 bighas of land here and I want to give it for the coal mine,” he said.
The people of Phulbari have been opposing the open-pit mining proposal of the Asia Energy since 2006 when then the BNP-Jamaat government dropped the plan to award it mining licence in the face of mass protests. Three protesters were killed by the law enforcers while over 200 others injured.
The government then agreed to the six-point demands of the people that include cancelling all deals with the Asia Energy and not choosing open-cast method for extracting coal. The Awami League, then in opposition, supported the demands.
“We had productive meetings with very large community groups last night [Tuesday] and this [yesterday] morning. Later in the day a small group obviously young boys were allowed to throw stones at our office and vehicles. It is unfortunate that law and order authorities stood by and witnessed the vandalism,” Lye said a statement.
“This in no way reflects community wishes to have development on the back of the coal mine and power generation. We respect everyone’s rights but did not see democracy and people’s rights protected by the authorities today [yesterday]. We will stand by the local community and work to deliver this great project so they can get the huge benefits,” the statement says.
