Fishermen protest against sea plane project in the Negombo lagoon

November 19, 2010 @ 3:34 am

Fishermen operating in the Negombo lagoon held a protest on Wednesday against the digging of the lagoon to launch a sea plane project.

Over 1,000 fishermen and villagers had participated in the protest.
Hundreds of fishing boats had also entered the lagoon to prevent the digging up of the lagoon. The protest had created a tense situation in the area and the protesters had called on the government to shelve the sea plane project.
Convener of the Movement for the Protection of Negombo Lagoon, Herman Kumara told the media that they will not leave the lagoon until the excavation machinery including the backhoe machines are removed from the area.
According to the Movement, the Negombo Lagoon is one of the richest resources in Asia, as it is a Ramsar wetland in Sri Lanka. However, it is not officially included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
– Pix by Kumarasiri Prasad

News Source: www.ft.lk

Fishermen’s fight become strong – No sea plane any more

Deputy Minister of Port & Aviation of Sri Lanka failed to answer to the questions raised by Negombo Lagoon Fishermen on burning sea plane issue.

Fishermen keep deputy minister over the fence.

Alliance for Protection of Negombo Lagoon, organized protest staged against the decision taken by the Rajapaksha Government for landing sea plane on Negombo lagoon today.

Thousands of fishermen agitated accusing government as well as provincial politicians who lead this sea plane project neglecting fisher’s rights in Negombo.

They were...

News Source: www.liquida.com

Sri Lanka: victory in sea plane protests

Fishworkers around Negombo Lagoon in Sri Lanka have received good news about the controversial tourism project which they’ve been protesting against since October

The Sri Lankan government has announced that it will re-think the project, which looked likely to cause a huge reduction in fish stock in the lagoon.

Since October, our partner NAFSO (National Fisheries Solidarity Movement) has been heavily involved in protests against the government’s plan to dredge Negombo lagoon and to build landing platforms for sea-planes.

Alongside the damage it could have caused to the environment, the project threatened to leave many locals without a means of making a living: thousands of families depend on fishing as their main source of income.

Tourism can be a very good thing for Sri Lanka. But the authorities need to consult local people before giving the go-ahead to projects like this one.

Several Catholic priests joined the protests, and Cardinal Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo, appealed to the government to listen to the fishworkers’ concerns.

“Tourism can be a very good thing for Sri Lanka,” says Olwen Maynard, our Programme Support Officer for Sri Lanka, “but the authorities need to consult local people before giving the go-ahead to projects like this one. We’re delighted that the grassroots campaign supported by NAFSO has persuaded the government to think again.”

News Source: www.cafod.org.uk

Sri Lankan Provincial Council Minister says sea plane project in Negombo Lagoon to be shifted

02/01/2011

Sun, Jan 2, 2011, 07:33 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka. Jan 02, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government has decided to shift the proposed sea plane project from the Negombo Lagoon to the Dandugam Oya, says a Western Provincial Council Minister.

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