Canalblog
Editer l'article Suivre ce blog Administration + Créer mon blog
Publicité
Sarah in Romania
18 octobre 2013

Rocks, lies and video-tapes: Rosia Montana

It's amazing just how much news there's been in the last few days behind the scenes of the Rosia Montana project. It keeps coming at a rate of knotts. Hoards of it. Revelations, provocations, absurdities... So I'd better get it all down on paper before anything else happens.

eugenia voda(Photo source) First of all, the National Audiovisual Council of Romania (CNA) banned all broadcasting of TV spots in favour of the Rosia Montana Project two days after TV presenter Eugenia Voda's open letter became public, insisting on "immediate and complete termination of related RMGC commercials that have invaded Romanian broadcasting." Good for Doamna Voda! The CNA clearly agreed with her too and added that the spots did not properly inform on cyanide risks involved in the mining operation. RMGC representatives were suitably peeved and demanded a postponement of the decision, arguing that they'd had no time to formulate an opinion and were waiting for a response from the Romanian Advertising Council. Tough toenails, RMGC. Their request was rejected. However, some ads are still squeezing through, albeit illegally. Isn't that the way of Romania, though? A law is created, registered and then one can say it exists. If there's no one to apply it, well that's another story, BUT it exists. Just like the law that forbids the covering of historic monument facades with massive publicity posters, and another that PROTECTS buildings in protected zones from demolition. But I digress

Doamna Voda is one of the best TV presenters Romania has in its collection. Her programme on TVR 'Profesioniştii... cu Eugenia Vodă', launched in 2000 is of excellent quality and amongst my top favourites. Eugenia Voda is a woman of integrity - and there are few enough of those on Romanian TV as it is. Let's hope that her notoriety and the great respect she inspires from so many will keep the wolves off her back.

ScreenShot348(Photo source) The next bit of news that came later this week is truly WONDERFUL, and concerned an archaeological report written by three British archeologists (professors Andrew Wilson, David Mattingley and Mike Dawson) in Sept 2010 presenting a detailed and expert listing of all the arguments required for Rosia Montana to be given UNESCO World Heritage status. The association Pro Patrimonio has been trying to get hold of this document for months now, but idiot Minister of Culture Barbu feigned ignorance - he didn't have it, knew nothing about it, bla bla bla. As it turned out, he didn't have the long-awaited report, though he sure knew of its existence. It was in the possession of ex-culture minister Kelemen (ugh! ugh! ugh!) who has been sitting on it since 2010. His opinion (being the specialist he is, note) was that it wasn't for UNESCO in Paris to protect Rosia Montana - it was the local residents' job. And if they couldn't be bothered and if the local mayor didn't support the demand for protection, then he wasn't going to 'make Romania the laughing stock in front of UNESCO'. Yeah, right. Pathetic.

ministrul-culturii-daniel-barbu-barbarul(Photo source) The president of Pro Patrimonio UK, Serban Cantacuzino, sued the Ministry of Culture for with-holding the document - and won. The court ruled that the Ministry must provide the association with the afore-mentioned report. Considering that Pro Patrimonio had partially financed the archaeologists' work anyway, could supply all the right papers pertaining to where, when and who and make the culture ministry look like a bunch of liars, really, there could only have been one outcome.

The report has now been made public and what a gem of professionalism it is, too - something alien to Romanian politicians these days. No copy/paste. No xerox. HERE it is - and it's in English since the experts were professors from the universities of Oxford and Leicester. See extracts HERE in Romanian. The preface makes you feel all warm inside! Here is the first paragraph of the preface:

"The Statement of Significance for Rosia Montana area was written (...) in a short time of only two months between August and September 2010. The authors have placed the evidence at Rosia Montana in its international context. We have also examined the area's potential, noting other World Heritage Sites as they have developed after inscription in the UNESCO list, to show that Rosia Montana has the necessary significance and potential to become a World Heritage Site."

Barbu and company must be squirming. No wonder Kelemen hid it. I expect the response will be that the experts are foreigners, idiots, nobodies and the report isn't worth the paper it's written on - the usual arrogant, contemptuous treatment one would typically expect from Ponta & co. when answers are somewhat 'inconvenient'. I would imagine that IF they did try to throw out or discredit the report, there'd be such a howling and gnashing of teeth from the streets they'd live to truly regret it. Big time.

idiot(Photo source) Next up came the news about a list requested by the Rosia Montana Commission containing names of those who financially profited from the the RMGC Project. This is pretty funny. Or would be if it weren't so tragic.

"Sunt intrebari in spatiul public si va rog sa ne trimiteti la Comisie lista cu cetatenii romani, persoane publice, care de-a lungul timpului au facut vizite de lucru in tara si in strainatate pe cheltuiala RMGC", a spus senatorul PSD, Darius Valcov, citat de Mediafax.

The president of the commission Darius Valcov (ex-mayor of Slatina) said yesterday that he couldn't divulge the content of the list without breaking the law (hahahaha!), but what he COULD say was that it was full of names from the mass media who had travelled abroad on the company's dosh and NOT politicians. Oh, I laughed so hard you could probably hear me in Bucharest. Most importantly, he said, he hadn't found a single current parliamentary or government member on the list.

Pants on fire. I expect Valcov is sitting in an ice-bucket cooling off RIGHT now as I type. I'm sure we haven't heard the end of that bit of rather interesting news.

barbu piata(Photo source) The final snippet concerns Barbu, the minister of no-culture. Showing up for a debate in downtown Bucharest (either brave or stupid) where he refused to answer questions regarding Rosia Montana and particularly anything pertaining to the archaeologists' report mentioned earlier, he was loudly booed and accused of taking bribes to support the gold mine. According to the usual suspects of Romanian media who have obviously been told what to say, Barbu was 'insulted' and 'attacked'. Actually, he wasn't. If you consider that "Rusine!" "Demisia!" and "Trădătorule!" are offensive then a) you shouldn't be a journalist and b) you're way too sensitive. See more HERE at TOTB.

At some point or another, the main-stream media reported that stones were hurled, shattering the back window of Barbu's car. Believe me when I tell you I would simply LOVE to throw a very big rock in the general direction of Barbu's head for it is large enough one couldn't miss and the nice 'clonk' sound would be worth it. But stones were NOT thrown by protesters and as for the car's broken back window, it seems this was rigged before the minister arrived for the debate. It was all pre-meditated. The slightest pressure on the window (from a hand for example) would have caused it to cave in. Another effort to have the anti-RMGC protesters discredited? THIS telling video filmed by Rezistenta Urbana shows that NO stones, rocks or anything else were thrown at the moment the window caved in. Barbu was getting into his car, shut the door and 'crunch'. Yes indeed. Not even the sound of a crash, as you'd expect if it had been smashed by a projectile. Just a rather dull crunch. It is terribly coincidental with the archaeologists' report becoming public knowledge THE SAME DAY, isn't it - HOPE for Rosia Montana, an epiphany for the protesters and a horribly sticky wicket for Barbu. Its revelation has unmasked further lies yapped by the ministry of culture. A diversion was obviously needed to take attention off Barbu, stop the debate (he had no answers anyway) and direct it elsewhere. A total put-up job if ever I saw one. Bravo Rezistenta Urbana for filming the whole thing!

broken window(Photo source) Watch THIS video and you'll hear voices very clearly shouting 'don't touch him! Don't lay a finger on him!' ( "Nu-l agresaţi!", "Nu puneţi mâna pe el!") towards the end. The whole thing is a mis en scene to make it look like the protesters are thugs. Ponta of course had to put his finger in the pie if not his whole fist, vowing to find those responsible. This morning, Hotnews reported that 9 suspects had been identified and must present themselves at Sector 10 copshop today to explain themselves. Since then, I've heard 16 people have been arrested and up to 40 questioned. Absolutely absurd.

WHAT a disgrace. The protests have been totally peaceful up until now. It is one of the principal points that organisers have made clear. For this Iliescu-style amateur dramatics to even be taken seriously by papers such as Gandul shows, really, just how bad things are in terms of subjective reporting. Barbu has not pressed charges so far. "I wasn't attacked, but the car was vandalised", he told Antena3.

barbu's car(Photo source) Romania Libera reports today that Ponta has given the police a free rein to deal with violent protesters. Hmm. That's exactly what is required, n'est-ce pas. An excuse for skirmishes, once more to discredit and provoke protesters. How dispicable. And those arrogant politicians think we are too stupid to realise it - the deepest offense of all.

That's it for now. More than enough to be going on with, I'm sure you'll agree. More news as it happens...

 

For additional background and mud-shovelling from behind the scenes of the RM project, read more HERE - an article by Stephen McGrath (in English) due to hit the Huffington Post blog any day now.


Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/10/17/5254357/chevron-halts-shale-gas-search.html#storylink=cpy
Publicité
Commentaires
Sarah in Romania
Publicité
Archives
Derniers commentaires
Publicité