Headlines: E-LAW in the News, Summer 2004

Developers in Bangladesh Add to Flood Misery

Rizwana Hasan

August 13, 2004 – BBC News reports that Dhaka`s natural drainage system has been crippled by rogue developers who have recklessly built into lakes, wetlands, and even rivers. The report credits E-LAW advocate Rizwana Hasan, from the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, for challenging the developers in court, and winning. Rizwana says her legal action is a good start, but court rulings may not be enough to hold back the clamor for space. Bangladesh is among the world`s most crowded countries. E-LAW U.S. has worked with Rizwana since 1996.

Unhappy residents watch as sand dunes are destroyed.

Call to Halt Sand Dune Mining in Sri Lanka

July 15, 2004 – The Daily News (Sri Lanka) reports that the Center for Environmental Justice(CEJ) has asked Sri Lanka`s Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources to stop sand mining in the Puttalam Dunes in southwestern Sri Lanka. E-LAW advocate Hemantha Withanage, CEJ Executive Director, warns that mining the dunes disrupts vital ecosystems and could destroy the region`s fragile water table. According to Hemantha, so called "permit-holders" are violating the law and mining sand without proper licenses.

Cigarette Maker Circumvents Smoking Ban

July 7, 2004 – Delhi Newsline reports that India`s recent ban on smoking in public places and advertising tobacco products did not stop cigarette maker Godfrey Phillips Ltd. from parking a `Mobile Smoking Lounge` outside two popular malls in Gurgaon. E-LAW partner M.C. Mehta states: "They have basically adopted a new methodology to advertise their products."

Smoking and tobacco advertisement bans came into force in India in early May under India`s Anti-Smoking Act, which the Parliament passed in April 2003.

In 1999, E-LAW partner P.B. Sahasranaman was the first person to raise the question of whether smoking in public places violates the right to life under Article 21 of India`s Constitution. The High Court of Kerala decided in favor of Sahasranaman, and the Supreme Court of India confirmed this decision in 2001.

UN Security Council Holds Firm on Liberia Sanctions

Lawyers at Green Advocates

June 28, 2004 – The Analyst (Liberia) reports that E-LAW partners at Green Advocates are celebrating a decision by the UN Security Council to keep Liberian timber and diamond export sanctions in place. E-LAW U.S. has worked since 2001 to build Green Advocates, Liberia`s first public interest environmental law organization.

The UN imposed sanctions against Liberia in 2001 to discourage former President Taylor`s government from supporting revolutionary forces in Sierra Leone and stop government-sponsored pillage and plunder of natural resources. Government sponsored human rights violations and socioeconomic inequality in Liberia have reinforced a cycle of violent civil conflict.