| Tahltan Elders Arrested | 28 September 05 |
 Nine elders taking part in a mining road blockade against Fortune Minerals Ltd. which plans to develop a coal mine on Tahltan First Nation territory were arrested peacefully in BC, as RCMP enforced an order giving Fortune's trucks access to the land.Tahltan chief Gerry Asp has been accused of signing an environmentally dangerous deal with Fortune without consulting his people. A group of Elders and dissenters have been holding a sit in for months calling for him to step down. The blockade was erected several weeks ago. Tahltan people have been camping at the Mount Klappan, BC site, keeping watch 24 hours a day. Terri Brown, spokeswoman for members of the Tahltan First Nation said, "they were all handcuffed, placed in police cars and taken away to Dease Lake." She said she understood those arrested would be released if they agreed not to return to the blockade. Fortune is still in the early stages of an environmental assessment. It won a court injunction in September to bring heavy machinery onto the land near Dease Lake, B.C., and drill 25 holes to seek dangerous elements like cadmium and mercury that leak into groundwater when disturbed. View the September 17, 2005 article from the Globe & Mail View the September 16, 2005 article on the Montreal 940AM Radio web site View previous Manitoba Wildlands news items: April 26, 2005 Tahltan Protest Against Shell February 14, 2005 Tahltan Elders Occupy Band Office Sources: Globe & Mail, Montreal 940AM Radio |
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