People’s Struggle Intensifies in Koodankulam

Latest Update from Koodankulam

M Pushparayan, Idinthakarai

M PUshparayan

No talks so far. we are on the 4th day. nearly 400 women have already joined the fast.still joining.delay due to police harassment.

They block the entrance of the villages , threaten the hired vehicle drivers to cancel the licence if they drive the vehicle they permitted 15 to 20 people from a village they take video and photograph of the vehicles people reaching venue through diverted roads and routes
the women who have enrolled their names for the fast are yet to land up here.

The police have also deployed vajra (anti-riot) vehicles.

The govt medical team is to come shortly to investigate the health of the 25 activists who had already started the fast on may 1

Police is trying to see that people do not congregate in large numbers

The weather at sea is little rough . so, people are not coming to the venue on boats
today

500 women to join indefinite fast at Idinthakarai from Friday

Jeemon Jacob | Tehelka

The anti-nuke struggle in Idinthakarai is gathering momentum yet again as 500 women leaders from 45 villages are going to join an indefinite fast organised by People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) from Friday.

Hundreds of women in Idinthakarai, Koodankulam

Victoria Pushparayan, key leaders of PMANE told Tehelka that 500 women had enrolled to join the ongoing indefinite hunger strike, which started on 1 May at Idinthakarai Lourde Matha Church premises. “Around 500 women leaders from 45 villages have enrolled to join fast. Initially we were not in favour of women joining the indefinite fast. But they wanted to join. We have made arrangements for their massive protest and constructed additional tent to accommodate them,” said Pushparayan.

According to Pushparayan, the referendum in which 45 villages participated from three districts voted the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) out. “We have conducted a referendum in three districts—Tirunelveli, Kanyakumary and Tuticorin in which more than 1.5 lakh people participated. Majority of them said no to KNPP,” revealed Pushparayan.

“Our people are against the nuclear plant. So we have to continue our struggle to stop it,” he added. Bhuvaneswari Kebiston who is joining the hunger strike from Friday told Tehelka that women are going to show the world “what they can do”. “For us, it’s do or die. We don’t care what happens to us. We want to save our children from peril. If the government and the church leaders think that Koodankulam struggle will lose its fire without their support, they are living in fool’s paradise. We are going to prove otherwise with our lives,” said 27-year-old Bhuvaneswari. “We want the plant to be closed immediately and save our lives,” she added.

On Thursday, around 8000 people gathered at the protest grounds to declare their solidarity to the ongoing struggle. Now 25 fishermen from four villages have joined the fast since 1 May.

“Our fight will go on for ever. The sea of people coming to the protest grounds tells what people want here. We have proved that we are not supported by religious groups or extremists. We are fighting for people’s cause,” said SP Udayakumar, convener PMANE.

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