---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: T T Sreekumar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Jun 18, 2008 10:58 AM Subject: FOURTH ESTATE CRITIQUE Fwd: TO THE MEDIA: Letter to Indian authorities regarding the golf course controversy in Kerala To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Letter from the Global Anti-Golf Movement (GAG'M) to Ambika Soni, VS Acuthananadan Kodiyeri and others in support of Kerala Tourism Watch's proposal on alternative resource/land use options of Trivandrum Golf Course. Regards, Sreekumar (Orgs: Third World Network (TWN), Consumers Association of Penang (CAP), Malaysia, Friends of the Earth (FoE), Malaysia, Tourism Investigation & Monitoring Team (tim-team), Thailand, Global Network for Anti-Golf Course Action (GNAGA), Japan, Helping Our Peninsula's Environment (HOPE), USA, GAG'M liaison initiative UK (Desmond Fernandes), Tim Team-tourism investigation & monitoring team) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Tim Team <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 10:06 AM Subject: TO THE MEDIA: Letter to Indian authorities regarding the golf course controversy in Kerala To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dear ladies and gentlemen, This is to share with you a letter by the Global Anti-Golf Movement (GAG'M) and supporters in response to the ongoing debate on golf course developments in Kerala. This letter has been emailed and posted to the following authorities in Kerala and New Delhi: Smt. Ambika Soni, Union Minister of Tourism and culture, Government of India , New Delhi [EMAIL PROTECTED] Shri. V. S. Achuthanandan, Chief Minister, Government of Kerala Thiruvananthapuram 695001 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Shri. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Minister for Tourism Kerala, Govt. Secretariat, Thiruvananthapuram 695001, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Shri. Shilabhadra Banerjee, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, New Delhi - 110 001 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Dr. Venu V. IAS, Secretary on Tourism, Government of Kerala Thiruvananthapuram 695001 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information about the Kerala golf course controversy and the related Statement of civil society organizations, you may contact: Kerala Tourism Watch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> www.keralawatch.org, <http://www.keralatourismwatch.org/> KABANI <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, and EQUATIONS <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. As for information about GAG'M, please do not hesitate to contact us at the tim-team address below. Thanks for your attention. Sincerely yours, Anita Pleumarom tourism investigation & monitoring team (tim-team) P.O. Box 51 Chorakhebua Bangkok 10230, Thailand Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Webpage: http://www.twnside.org.sg/tour.htm Bangkok, 17 June 2008 *NO to golf courses – YES to biodiversity park in Kerala* Dear Madam/ Sir, We are writing to you to express our concerns over the negative impacts ofgolf courses and kindly ask you to support the proposals of Kerala Tourism Watch and other civil society organizations for a moratorium on all golf course developments in Kerala and for the conversion of the controversial Trivandrum golf course into a public biodiversity park for conservation and education. To introduce ourselves, we belong to an alliance of citizens and non-governmental organizations who in 1993 formed the Global Anti-Golf Movement (GAG'M) in Penang, Malaysia, as a response to the worldwide outcry of thousands of communities harmed by environmentally and socially damaging golf course projects. For more than fifteen years, we have been involved in actions to raise public awareness on the multi-dimensional problems related to golf course and resort developments and to foster an open and frank debate with decision-makers on the impacts of golf courses and golf tourism. Case studies from around the world clearly show that golf course projects that are often part of large-scale tourism schemes can cause immeasurable environmental losses and hardships for local residents. Such developments devour huge stretches of land, destroy forest, coastal and marine areas, and wipe-out invaluable biological diversity. High-standard golf courses require a package of imported grass, fertilizers and a wide range of chemical products, including colouring, soil hardening and coagulating agents, and the yearly spraying of thousands of kilogrammes of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, all of which contribute to pollution and degradation of the local environment. On top of that, golf resorts consume enormous amounts of water, tens of millions of gallons, all year round, often resulting in chronic water shortage crises in neighbouring areas. Local governments tend to believe that golf courses will raise their city's image, attract investors and bring in tourist dollars. But often such projects create skewed land use and deprive local residents of land and resources they depend on. In these times when all efforts are needed to work for food and water security for common people, it is highly irresponsible to promote the elitist and exclusive lifestyle of golf and golf tourism. In China, critics called golf 'green opium' as more and more precious farmlands were turned into water-guzzling and toxic fairways. The central government responded in December 2006 by banning the building of new golf courses, residential villas and race tracks on undeveloped land in order to protect China's rapidly diminishing farmland. And in the face of a looming food crisis, the government of the Philippines recently also decided to prohibit the conversion of agricultural lands into luxury housing, resorts and golf courses. We do hope that the concerned government agencies in Kerala and New Delhi will also give priority to land for people's livelihood, food production and the protection and enhancement of your environment. Therefore we are sending out this appeal to respectfully request that you heed the citizens' call for a moratorium on golf courses in Kerala. We agree that all existing and proposed projects in the state should be given up immediately. We also agree with the local civil society groups that it would be unreasonable and not in the public interest to maintain the controversial Trivandrum golf course with state subsidies. To convert it into a public biodiversity park for the enjoyment and education of both local residents and tourists is a highly recommendable plan that should be realized by the concerned authorities as soon as possible. *In this age of growing environmental awareness, there is no more place on Earth for destructive, wasteful and exploitative golf courses! * Yours sincerely, Anita Pleumarom tourism investigation & monitoring team (tim-team) *On behalf of the Global Anti-Golf Course Movement's (GAG'M) coordinating groups:* Third World Network (TWN) Consumers Association of Penang (CAP), Malaysia Friends of the Earth (FoE), Malaysia Tourism Investigation & Monitoring Team (tim-team), Thailand Global Network for Anti-Golf Course Action (GNAGA), Japan Helping Our Peninsula's Environment (HOPE), USA GAG'M liaison initiative UK (Desmond Fernandes) Additional signatories: Forest Peoples Programme (FPP), United Kingdom *Please reply to:* tourism investigation & monitoring team (tim-team) P.O. Box 51 Chorakhebua Bangkok 10230, Thailand Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Webpage: http://www.twnside.org.sg/tour.htm --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
