From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Sep 6 23:02:03 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 07:02:03 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] AUSTRALIA: Police threaten protesters at APEC Message-ID: <381a01c7f114$9edfde60$0802a8c0@andy1> How can one speak of freedom where there is no leeway around the edges of tolerated activity and where the slightest overstep is taken as a pretext for police-statism? http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Thousands-to-attend-Sydney-APEC-protests/2007/09/06/1188783406928.html Thousands to attend Sydney APEC protests September 6, 2007 More than 6,000 people are expected to attend a series of APEC-related protests across central Sydney on Friday. Police have again warned attendees to remain within the agreed conditions of each protest action, or face the full weight of the law. "Police stress that the conditions of these protests have been agreed to and warn that non-compliance will not be accepted," NSW Police said in a statement. Up to 1,700 people are expected to converge on Belmore Park from 8am - 8pm (AEST) for a Falun Dafa protest and also for "The Party for Freedom and Democracy in China". Both will target visiting Chinese dignitaries and President Hu Jintao who are in Sydney as part of the summit of 21 world leaders. A further 5,000 people are expected to converge on Hyde Park (11am - 3pm) for two rallies, including a "peace bus" event at 3pm. "Protesters will undertake a supervised march to the security fence and return to Hyde Park North Park," police also said. "Police will not tolerate unlawful, illegal or dangerous behaviour and we will take swift action - we cannot make it any clearer." APEC's major protest, which is expected to attract up to 20,000 people, will be staged in central Sydney on Saturday. ? 2007 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Fri Sep 7 13:46:54 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 21:46:54 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] WALES: Gas pipeline sabbed Message-ID: <004d01c7f190$404ed000$0802a8c0@andy1> >From: info at gaggedanarchist.tk >GAGGED! #19 . September 2007 . >http;//www.gaggedanarchist.tk > >Gas Pipeline Sabotaged >Protesters have sabotaged the controversial liquefied >natural gas (LNG) pipeline, causing significant damage >both to the pipe itself & works vehicles. Meanwhile, >National Grid is considering building a 2nd >ecologically damaging gas pipeline across Wales. >The Brecon Beacons gas pipeline works were sabotaged >during the night to coincide with the Camp for Climate >Action. A small team bypassed security & rendered >immobile a total of 11 machines including tipper >trucks & excavators. Major engine & hydraulic >components were destroyed & the pipeline itself was >holed in several places. >The first pipeline, which will transport LNG from >Milford Haven to Gloucestershire has already cut a >huge swathe through the Welsh countryside. When >activated it will transport dangerous highly >pressurised gas through towns & villages, often >running just metres from schools, homes & public >buildings. Direct action by climate change protesters >has already significantly delayed progress on the >first pipe, & National Grid has spent thousands >evicting several camps along the way. Due to a >combination of determined protests & harsh terrain the >first pipe is badly behind schedule. The company will >be fined if they don't complete on time, so they're >spending more & more cash to catch up. Protesters have >vowed to resist a 2nd pipeline as strongly as the 1st. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Sep 9 03:58:03 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2007 11:58:03 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] AUSTRALIA: Protests and resistance as racist takeover continues Message-ID: <004401c7f2d0$4ecee610$0802a8c0@andy1> Protests in Aboriginal communities as Australian parliament passes military takeover bills By Susan Allan 3 September 2007 Use this version to print | Send this link by email | Email the author Several Aboriginal communities in Australia's Northern Territory (NT) took a stand against the police-military takeover of their towns last month as the Labor opposition joined with the Howard government in ramming the legislation through the Senate. On August 17, the parliament's upper house passed the 500-page package of five bills without any amendment, after a farcical one-day committee inquiry. The previous week, Labor helped push the blatantly racist and anti-democratic bills through the House of Representatives in less than nine hours. The legislation specifically overrides the 1975 Racial Discrimination Act, allowing it to target indigenous people, and gives Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough dictatorial powers to remove elected bodies and take direct control of every aspect of life in more than 73 indigenous townships and camps. Under the guise of moving urgently to protect children from sexual abuse, the government is imposing unprecedented measures. These include imprisonment for possessing alcohol or pornography, sexual health checks for children, the seizure of communal land titles and the removal of the permit system, which allows local indigenous councils to exclude people from their areas. Presently 82 percent of the NT prison population and 96 percent of the juveniles held in detention are aboriginal. The legislation abolishes employment programs and slashes welfare entitlements. Half of all welfare and family support payments will be "quarantined", that is, converted into vouchers to be used for food and clothing, generally in government-run shops. The cut-off will be extended to 100 percent if children do not attend school or are deemed "neglected". These welfare cuts will be extended nationally, starting with 50 percent quarantining for all parents whose children are judged to be at risk. On August 14, the Yirrkala community in north-east Arnhem Land became the first to expel a government survey team of public servants, police and military personnel. Residents said they were sick and tired of answering the same questions and demanded to speak directly to Minister Brough. Yirrkala Council coordinator Adrian Rota said people were angry and frustrated that the survey team had not consulted with local authorities, and were unable to provide any information about the legislation. On the same day, Banduk Marika, a nationally acclaimed artist and Yirrkala community leader, published an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald condemning the government intervention. She stressed that it had nothing to do with protecting children. "What gives this government the right to say that we are not allowed to control our future, our lives, our families and who comes into our country?" she asked. "We will not be treated as though we have no rights." Marika referred to the previous struggles of the Yirrkala people, who 33 years ago submitted a bark petition to parliament after the conservative Menzies government signed their land away for mining. "Like our elders before us, we will continue to stand up for what is right and fair. Don't use our children as an excuse for stealing this land away from us." Pointing to the racist nature of the legislation, she wrote: "The government is now trying to say that the land, community councils and the permit system are also part of the reason for child abuse. But this is a lie. Has any non-aboriginal council ever been taken over by the government because of child abuse occurring in its area? Has anybody in non-indigenous Australia had their land taken away because of child abuse in their community? I don't think so." On August 15, in the central Australian town of Alice Springs, more than 300 people demonstrated outside the Northern Territory Taskforce headquarters and the office of the NT Chief Minister Clare Martin, burning a copy of the legislation. The rally was organised by a number of Aboriginal organisations, including Tangentyere Council, which represents 18 town camps on the outskirts of Alice Springs. The council runs a range of services, such as managing the housing, collecting garbage, distributing the mail, patrolling the camps to avert violence, feeding and washing the old people, running a safe house for children, providing financial services and marketing the work of artists. The rally was addressed by William Tilmouth, the chief executive of Tangentyere Council, Pat Turner, the chief executive of National Indigenous Television, David Ross of the Central Land Council and Neville Perkins from the Institute for Aboriginal Development. Representatives spoke from Mount Nancy camp and Larapinta town camp. Tilmouth denounced leading Aboriginal figures for backing the Howard government's takeover. He likened Sue Gordon, chair of the government's NT taskforce, and Noel Pearson of the Cape York Policy Institute to indigenous members of the early mounted police force in Queensland, who had cold-bloodedly shot Aborigines. "The Queensland mounted police have taken their role again, in the voice of Noel Pearson and Sue Gordon," he said. Likewise, Tilmouth condemned Warren Mundine, the immediate past federal president of the Labor Party, who had endorsed the legislation as "positively" discriminatory. "Warren Mundine should know better. He knows nothing about our culture; he knows nothing about the way we live. Those people should hang their heads in shame." Pat Turner described the intervention as nothing more than a "short-term, cynical, electoral stunt". She said there was not one reference in the 500 pages of legislation to ensuring the "safety of the women and children in our communities". She pointed to the government's appointment of business managers who would disregard the elected councils and brush them aside. "This is the final nail in the coffin of self-determination for Aboriginal people," she said. In a media release that morning, the Tangentyere council slammed the legislation as the most "racist" and "retrograde" ever considered by parliament. It said the government had failed to address any of the 99 recommendations of the "Little Children is Sacred" report on child sex abuse in the NT. Moreover, Labor and the party's leader, Kevin Rudd, had betrayed Aboriginal people. Vital services slashed Tangentyere residents and many others throughout the NT fear that their councils will be taken out of their hands and outside administrators appointed, leaving them powerless. Under the legislation, the minister can terminate any land rights, title or other interests at any time, and the government can lease and sublease the land without monetary compensation. Having taken possession, the government can exclude anyone from the land, because the terms of leases are at the minister's discretion. In the town camps of Alice Springs, people fear they may be evicted. Already, Tangentyere has been stripped of Community Development Employment Project (CDEP) subsidies worth $98,000, immediately affecting the staffing of aged and community services. The "old peoples service," which has been providing support for elderly people for nearly 30 years, faces cuts to weekend services. The abolition of CDEP threatens at least 7,000 jobs across the NT, varying from land management to working at health clinics and art and craft centres. Hundreds of jobs could be axed in the arts sector, where artists and art advisors are supported through CDEP. The new measures could force artists to deal directly with the private market, creating the conditions for even more poorly-paid artists to produce works that fetch high prices in distant art galleries. This is just one example of how free-market measures will force Aboriginal workers into cheap labour jobs and training schemes. A recent report from the Centre of Aboriginal Economic and Policy Research warned that the scrapping of CDEP would drive up unemployment levels in remote communities to disastrous levels. Minister Brough admitted that "non-viable" remote communities would be starved of funds and basic services, leaving their members no choice but to drift into the towns in search of work. Since the Howard government announced its intervention two months ago, government intervention teams have visited at least 66 of the 73 designated communities. In all, 18 extra police have been deployed and eight government business mangers appointed to oversee 13 remote communities. More than 850 children have had health checks. While some have been diagnosed with ear, throat and skin infections, no cases of sexual assault have been reported. Ironically, one of the communities left out of the government's intervention is Elliott, where, according to the Little Children are Sacred report, serious alcohol and sexual abuse problems abound. Brough's junior minister, Community Services Minister Nigel Scullion, said the government had not intended to exclude Elliott; it only happened because the community was not on Aboriginal land. Addressing the National Press Club on August 15, Brough confirmed the land grab and free-market agenda behind the intervention. The minister declared that recognition of land rights had resulted in the impoverishment of Aboriginal people. Claiming that communal title and "collectivism" had failed, he called for the opening up of the land to private ownership to provide "economic opportunity". This will allow mining companies, cattle station operators, tourism entrepreneurs and real estate developers to exploit the most valuable sites for private profit. Brough also emphasised that the "welfare reform" measures would apply across Australia, confirming that the second objective of the NT intervention, after the land grab, was to use indigenous people as a testing ground for a wider assault on the working class. "Trying to break down our culture" After the rally at Alice Springs, the WSWS spoke to Walter Shaw?one of the speakers from Mount Nancy town camp and a member of Tangentyere Council?about the background and thrust of the federal intervention. "This year was supposed to be a celebratory and commemorative year for Aboriginal people with 40 years since the 1967 referendum [in favour of basic civic rights for Aboriginal people] and 50 years of NAIDOC [National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Celebration] but now we are standing up here fighting for our future existence. "We are angry that the Labor Party has let us down both nationally and within our own territory. We have relied on Labor for years to have some empathy and sympathy for our cause. Now we don't know whom to turn to. "Over the past year, Brough has hit a brick wall in the NT with subleasing agreements. Brough wanted us to hand over the land and the housing stock to the NT government for some money for infrastructure. "At Tangentyere Council we took a staunch position. We negotiated and talked with them but we stood up to this government. They said they would allocate $60 million for infrastructure if we handed over the land. We desperately needed the money for housing and services but we stood up for principle. It was never about money; it was about principles. A lot of the town campers were terrified that if the NT took control, there would be mass evictions. The NT government does not have a great track record in housing Aboriginal people. Some of the camps sit on prime real estate. "The town campers try to live a semi-cultural existence and we did not want that taken away. Sometimes we cook bush tucker in our backyards and the NT housing department will not allow these cultural practices to continue. The camps have a close connection to many of the people in the remote communities through language, kinship and marriage. For the people in remote areas, Alice Springs is a service centre and at the camp we have an open door policy for Aboriginals who come to Alice Springs. "For years we have been neglected by governments. Aboriginal people have always tried to keep a strong sense of communal culture and our connection to the land, despite 200 years of oppression. Brough says that our communalism and collectivism have failed. Howard and Brough are trying to break down our culture and put the final nail in the coffin. We have had problems because none of our communities had been properly funded or resourced. We have always raised the problems but it has fallen on deaf ears. "Our rally was the launching of the fight against the government that will be ongoing." See Also: Australian government wages two-year vilification campaign to justify takeover of Mutitjulu [21 August 2007] Australian government rams bills through parliament to take over Aboriginal communities [8 August 2007] Aboriginal people condemn police-military intervention in Northern Territory [18 July 2007] Australia: Protests against Howard's takeover of Aboriginal communities [13 July 2007] Australian government imposes military-police regime on Aborigines [23 June 2007] http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/sep2007/abor-s03.shtml Stephen Corporal Senior Student Support Officer Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit University of Queensland Ph 07 33656794 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Enter here. Win Dad the Footy Final with Cadbury Favourites! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Members | Calendar Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Tue Sep 11 16:01:38 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:01:38 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] CHINA: Mass unrest by former soldiers Message-ID: <008f01c7f4c7$b5e3c160$0802a8c0@andy1> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070911/ap_on_re_as/china_ex_soldiers_riot_1 Thousands of ex-soldiers riot in China By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press Writer Tue Sep 11, 9:41 AM ET BEIJING - Thousands of demobilized Chinese soldiers rioted last week at training centers in at least three cities in an extremely rare series of coordinated demonstrations, a human rights group said Tuesday. Former troops smashed classrooms, overturned cars and set fires to protest their poor living conditions, the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy reported. At least 20 people were injured and five arrested when riot police moved in to quell the disturbances, which started on the afternoon of Sept. 3, it said. The center said about 2,000 ex-soldiers took part in the riots in the cities of Baotou, Wuhan, and Baoji, spread over a 775-mile stretch of eastern China. Reports posted on the Internet along with video clips appearing to show some of the violence said the disturbances were even more widespread, but gave few details. The reported protests, which authorities refused to confirm, were notable for their level of coordination, something not seen on a nationwide scale since the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing and several other cities. They also follow a string of recent campus unrest by students angered by poor living conditions or administrative changes that reduced the value of their diplomas. However, they were the first incidents reported involving former soldiers, who are usually deferential and loyal to the communist regime. Demobilized soldiers are frequently rewarded for their service with government jobs, and 6,000 of them were sent to 12 different railway schools in July for two years of training, the reports said. However, they were angered by run-down dormitories, bad but expensive food and a lack of study materials, according to the center and Internet reports. Dorm rooms did not have electrical outlets and students were charged 75 cents each time they charged their mobile phones, the reports said. The reports said classes have been suspended and police moved in to patrol. Phones at the Baotou school rang unanswered, while officials who answered at the Baoji and Wuhan schools refused to comment on the reports or further identify themselves. The Railways Ministry that runs the schools did not immediately reply to faxed questions. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Sep 16 14:38:11 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2007 22:38:11 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] AUSTRALIA: Unrest possibly due to crackdown Message-ID: <01ad01c7f8a9$e38675f0$0802a8c0@andy1> NOTE: My guess is that events of this kind - which are hardly routine at least on this scale - must be connected to the crackdown and are probably a kind of diffuse, badly directed revolt against it. With luck the anger will be turned on the real guilty parties soon. --------------------------------------------------------- Camp residents flee drunken riot Simon Kearney | September 17, 2007 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22429589-2702,00.html DRUNKEN, machete-wielding footballers rioted in an Aboriginal camp town on Saturday, beating women, torching cars and looting people's houses on the first day of the new Northern Territory alcohol restrictions. George Robertson, who lives at Hoppy's Camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs, was forced to flee his home on Saturday night with his wheelchair-bound wife, Monica, as the mob attacked. His daughter, Angela, was punched in the face by a man, then kicked in the ribs and stabbed in the shoulder. She sat outside their house yesterday with dried blood stuck to her face, nursing her young son Liam. She does not remember being punched but she remembers what came afterwards. "He kicked me here," she said, rubbing her ribs. There is very little awareness in Hoppy's Camp about the changes to the law, which impose stiffer penalties for drinking in a restricted area. Under the new federal legislation, drinkers in restricted areas face a fine of $1100 for a first offence, and a $2200 fine for second and subsequent offences. Grog-runners who bring in larger amounts, the equivalent of three 30-pack cases of full-strength beer, face a $74,500 fine or 18 months in prison. The camps are, since Saturday, restricted areas but at 5pm yesterday the drinking began again as a taxi arrived, depositing someone from town with a fresh load ofbeer. Acting Territory Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Coffey told The Australian officers would begin educating and cautioning people about the new penalties. On Saturday, police had been to Hoppy's Camp and tipped out cans of beer. They were called back hours later to deal with the aftermath of the brawl. Mr Coffey said police would caution those who broke the alcohol laws the first time, but known grog-runners and repeat offenders would face the new penalties immediately. Mr Robertson said he had been watching television when drunken teenagers began pelting his house with rocks. They then attacked an electricity junction box, blacking out the house. "We ran outside when that happened, we had to bring Monica outside in her chair," he said. "I was really frightened for her. We were frightened they might light a fire." His house escaped but a friend's car in the front yard was torched, as were mattresses and clothing outside the house. The car's owner was in Alice Springs hospital last night with a machete wound to his head. Mr Robertson's son, Elsworth, lost his swag to the mob. Maureen Walker had been sitting with her husband, Greg, on a rock, high above the group of five houses that make up Hoppy's Camp when she saw a group of young people drag her television out of the house and smash it. When she spoke up, the pair were showered with rocks, one of which hit her on the head. They waited out the rest of the violence as smoke began billowing out of the roof of their house. "We saw them, they all had knives in their hands," Mr Walker said. Mr Robertson bemoaned the amount of underage drinking. He said children as young as 12 were drunk and part of the mob. "Twelve, 13 and 14 years old ... We've had a lot of problems like this caused by teenagers. There's a problem with footy." The fight between footballers from the rival towns of Papunya and Yuendumu had been brewing all week. Territory police had known of the trouble since it threatened to erupt last Sunday in a car park after the country grand final where Yuendumu beat minor premiers Papunya, widely considered favourites. Papunya supporters were fuming because a couple of key players had been beaten up in the week before the big game and could not play, something they blamed on Yuendumu. Dede Robertson, one of the men who founded the camp towns in Alice Springs, was staying in Mrs Walker's house over the weekend. "It was just over football," he said shaking his head. He said men with machetes were wandering around and bottles were flying everywhere. "I told the young people, you're only going to get in trouble, but they didn't listen," he said. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: AE3.gif Type: image/gif Size: 44 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Sep 19 15:26:17 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2007 23:26:17 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Fw: [EF!] University fences in Berkeley protesters Message-ID: <013c01c7fb0c$1a48b3a0$0802a8c0@andy1> ----- Original Message ----- From: radtimes To: Recipient list suppressed: Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 5:06 AM Subject: [EF!] University fences in Berkeley protesters University fences in Berkeley protesters http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/13/asia/trees.php By Jesse McKinley Published: September 13, 2007 BERKELEY, California: In many ways and for many months, the protest outside Memorial Stadium at the University of California has been business, and Berkeley, as usual. On one side are the protesting tree lovers who have been living Tarzan-like since December in a stand of coastal oaks and other trees. On the other is the university, which wants to cut down the trees to build a $125 million athletic center, part of a larger plan to upgrade its aging, seismically challenged football stadium. The two sides disagreed. They bickered. Lawyers were called. Then came The Fence. Before dawn on Aug. 29, building crews and the university police erected a 10-foot-high fence around the grove, effectively cutting off the tree dwellers from their supplies. The university called the fence a safety measure, meant to protect protesters from football fans descending on the stadium for the season opener. Instead, the fence has united many of the city's fractious constituencies and unleashed years of frustration with the university that made the city famous (or was it the other way around?). "I am appalled," said Michael Kelly, who leads a group opposing the stadium plan. "I cannot believe that the institution that gave birth to the Free Speech Movement has done this." [The university ratcheted up pressure when it sought a temporary restraining order, arguing that the tree community contained several health and safety threats, including propane tanks and plywood structures. On Sept. 12, Judge Richard Keller of Alameda County Superior Court denied the order but scheduled another hearing for Oct. 1.] The stadium showdown has energized many in Berkeley's graying anti-establishment set who cherish the city's activist past, including the famous 1969 battle over nearby People's Park. In that case, university and state authorities sent the police and the National Guard to clear the university-owned park and build a fence, a move that led to clashes in which one person was killed and dozens were injured. The land remains a park today. "A lot of people who have been here a long time have seen this as a potential rerun of that problem," said Berkeley's mayor, Tom Bates. "The abruptness of it, in the middle of the night, and the mobilization of the police." The city has sued the university, arguing that the athletic center should be built away from the stadium. The stadium sits on the Hayward fault, which scientists say is overdue for a large quake. The university says that it has thoroughly considered safety issues and that the athletic center needs to be near the stadium to allow athletes easy access to classrooms and training facilities near the playing fields. Arguments in the lawsuit will be heard Sept. 19 and 20. On Tuesday, the Berkeley City Council rejected a settlement offer from the university. Shortly after the fence appeared, dozens of protesters formed a human chain around the chain-link fence and began tossing supplies over the top. Soon after, the editorial board at The Daily Californian, the independent student newspaper, called the fence a public relations disaster and suggested that it might "encourage martyrdom." Zachary Running Wolf, an American Indian activist who has been living in the grove for nearly 300 days, agreed. "I think they blew it with the fence," Running Wolf said. "They showed their desperation. In the city of Berkeley, on a public campus, a starve-out program? A Guant?namo Berkeley? It's ridiculous." University officials said the fence was meant only as protection from rowdy football fans. "If we'd wanted to drive them out, it would have made much more sense to do in February in the cold and the wet and when nobody was around," said Nathan Brostrom, vice chancellor for administration. Brostrom said the protesters' freedom of speech had not been curtailed. "They've had a forum for nine months," he said. American Thinker, a conservative blog run by a Berkeley management consultant, has suggested that the anti-stadium forces simply do not like football. "To the consternation of local leftists, Berkeley, the campus and the community alike, is in the grip of pigskin fever," a recent post said. Both sides say early tensions over the fence seem to have eased, and the protesters now have access to food and water. Perhaps a dozen people still live in the trees, complete with sturdy hammocks and wooden platforms. The highest platform belongs to Running Wolf. A regular presence at the city's many marches and protests, he says he is impressed by the opposition. "This is remarkably unified," he said. "You've got the affluent people living in the hills, who normally wouldn't mix with the food-not-bombs people or the anarchists or the Native Americans or the environmentalists. It's pretty wild." --- Carolyn Marshall contributed reporting. . __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Links | Database | Polls | Calendar Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Recent Activity a.. 38New Members Visit Your Group Yahoo! News Odd News You won't believe it, but it's true New web site? Drive traffic now. Get your business on Yahoo! search. Real Food Group Share recipes and favorite meals w/ Real Food lovers. . __,_._,___ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Sep 20 00:04:51 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:04:51 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] AUSTRALIA: Further unrest in remote communities Message-ID: <001f01c7fb54$8bba8570$0802a8c0@andy1> "Caused by family squabbles"... YEH RIGHT. Surely no coincidence that the attack on Aboriginal rights has been followed by a wave of unrest? http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Twenty-arrested-after-north-Qld-riot/2007/09/20/1189881631260.html Police reinforcements head to Aurukun September 20, 2007 - 7:34AM Twenty-four people have been arrested after a series of riots in the remote Queensland Aboriginal community of Aurukun. Up to 200 people pelted houses and cars with projectiles and lit fires during the latest disturbance in the remote community on the western side of Cape York Peninsula. There were no reports of injuries. On Wednesday night, eight police were sent from Cairns to quell the violence, and a further seven were sent in early on Thursday, bringing the total number of officers in Aurukun to 22. Coordinator of the Aurukun community justice group, Brian Healy, said family squabbles between two clans was the likely cause of the disturbance. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said she was disappointed to hear about the violence, which followed a larger scale event in the community in January. Ms Bligh said she hoped Chinese firm Chalco's plans to look at setting up a bauxite mine near the township would herald a new era for the region. "I'm very disappointed to hear of another break down in law and order at Aurukun overnight," Ms Bligh told reporters in Brisbane. "There are so many positive opportunities in front of this community at the moment, particularly with the prospect of the Chalco bauxite lease becoming a real possibility." Mr Healy said family arguments often became heated and turned into something larger, but there appeared to be little sign of major property damage in the town. It was believed at least four riots had erupted in the remote coastal town in the last few weeks, sparked by the alleged assault of a respected elder, and fuelled by ongoing retribution between the two extended families. Mediators are expected to be called in to talk to the families. Allegations of police brutality triggered a riot in Aurukun in January this year, in which 300 people used rocks, metal bars and an axe to smash the front of the police station. The town is under an alcohol management plan, but sly groggers were understood to deliver alcohol to the coastal town from Weipa, to the north of Aurukun. Cairns District Chief Superintendent Ian Swan said 24 people have been arrested in relation to the violence, but no charges have been laid. "The mood at the moment is very quiet and we don't expect any changes," Supt Swan he said. The riot has prompted state opposition police spokesman Rob Messenger to call on Ms Bligh to consider allowing federal intervention in Queensland's indigenous communities, along the lines of the federal government-led Northern Territory operation. "Sending a handful of extra police in from Weipa is only a short-term solution, and the new premier needs to realise she has to constructively work to mend underlying community unrest," Mr Messenger said. "Anna Bligh really needs to be honest and admit her government's failure and allow the federal government to take charge as it has in the Northern Territory." ? 2007 AAP -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Sep 23 21:03:34 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 05:03:34 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] MYANMAR/BURMA: Protests continue Message-ID: <000701c7fe5f$e3413c40$0802a8c0@andy1> http://newsbox.msn.co.uk/article.aspx?as=adimarticle&f=uk_-_olgbtopnews&t=4023&id=6503479&d=20070924&do=http://newsbox.msn.co.uk&i=http://newsbox.msn.co.uk/mediaexportlive&ks=0&mc=5&ml=ma&lc=en&ae=windows-1252 23/9/2007 8:55:20 PM ( Source: Reuters) Myanmar monks stage biggest anti-junta march By Aung Hla Tun YANGON (Reuters) - At least 5,000 monks and nuns, applauded by thousands of onlookers, marched in Yangon on Sunday, the largest demonstration yet in Myanmar in a rare wave of protests against the ruling generals. A day after a dramatic appearance of support for the marchers by detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, monks prayed at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, devoutly Buddhist Myanmar's holiest shrine, then marched through the city. About 100 nuns joined one band of more than 2,000 monks, then marched to the centre of the former capital. It was one of five protest marches by monks in the city and there were at least two in Mandalay, a major centre of the monkhood, ahead of a quarterly summit of the generals who have ruled the former Burma for 45 years. There were no signs of trouble at Sunday's protests. Plainclothes police kept watch, but there were no uniformed officers or soldiers in sight and people on the streets applauded as the marchers passed. Protest marches by monks have become more regular, a sign that what began as civilian anger at last month's shock fuel price rises is becoming a more deep-rooted religious movement against the generals. In New York, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed sympathy for the protesters and denounced the military. "The Burmese people deserve better. They deserve (the) right to be able to live in freedom, just as everyone does," she said. "The brutality of this regime is well known and so we'll be speaking about that and I think the President (George W. Bush) will be speaking about it as well," she told reporters. The mood was cheerful in Yangon, with many people seeing the emergence of Suu Kyi from her lakeside villa as a sign the military, which has put down a 1988 uprising ruthlessly, was being flexible. "OVERWHELMING" It was the first time she had been seen in public since her latest detention began in May 2003. For many onlookers, already stunned by police allowing marching monks through the barricades sealing off her street, it was overwhelming. Wearing an orange blouse and a traditional wraparound skirt, she emerged from a small door in the iron gate to the house, her hands held palm to palm in a gesture of Buddhist supplication. "Some of us could not control our tears," one witness told Reuters after 1,000 monks held a 15-minute prayer vigil at the house to which Suu Kyi is confined with no telephone and needing official permission, granted rarely, to receive visitors. However, on Sunday, the barbed-wire barricade at the entrance to her street was reinforced by four fire engines, several police vans and dozens of police carrying riot shields who refused to allow a group of 200 marching monks through. News of Suu Kyi's appearance incident spread rapidly on a day when the monks marched despite Yangon being lashed by 11.54 inches (29.31 cm) of rain, the highest recorded in 39 years. "The monks showed their courage, strong determination and discipline while the regime showed flexibility," a retired government official said. "I think this incident has shown us that we can sort out any problem among us amicably. The generals are due to hold a quarterly summit in their new capital of Naypyidaw, carved out of the jungle, perhaps as early as Monday. Dealing with the protests is sure to top the agenda. The protests, which began on August 19 after huge fuel price increases prompted a midnight round up of the democracy activists who organised them and now face up to 20 years in jail, appear far from over. On Sunday, a group of monks, one of them wielding a bullhorn, chanted a new slogan: "Our uprising must succeed". A group calling itself the All Burma Monks Alliance urged ordinary people for the first time "to struggle peacefully against the evil military dictatorship" until its downfall. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: grau.gif Type: image/gif Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2007-09-23T174320Z_01_NOOTR_RTRIDSP_1_OUKTP-UK-MYANMAR.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4340 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Mon Sep 24 06:23:42 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:23:42 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] BOLIVIA: Rightists stir instability; social movements respond Message-ID: <00ac01c7feae$20f54ce0$0802a8c0@andy1> Subject: [LegacyofColonialism] Bolivia needs our solidarity by Federico Fuentes, Caracas 14 September 2007 http://www.greenleft.org.au/2007/724/37573 For Bolivia's indigenous majority there is no going back. The election in 2005 of Bolivia's first indigenous president, Evo Morales, marked a watershed - a before and after in Bolivia's history - after more than 500 years of struggle against imperialism and colonialism. It marked a conscious step forward by Bolivia's indigenous majority in its struggle for justice and equality. As Morales pointed out in an August 22 interview with the BBC, right from the start Bolivia's right wing "said this little Indian is only going to be president for three or four months. That day passed and now they say this little Indian is going to be here for a long time, we have to do something about it; and that means encouraging confusion or destabilisation." That is why today a resurgent right wing is determined to destabilise the country and government - even if it means plunging the country into civil war or provoking a violent military coup - to bring down Morales, and with him the hopes and dreams of millions of indigenous and non-indigenous people, not just in Bolivia, but throughout Latin America and the world. Distribution of racist material inciting people to "bring down this Indian shit", provoking violent confrontations, holding civic "stoppages" enforced by fascist youth groups, and smuggling arms into the country - these, and more, are ingredients in a conspiracy to overthrow Morales. The public faces of the right wing, centred in the wealthy departments (states) of the east, are the opposition governors and the unelected, business-controlled civic committees - in Santa Cruz, Pando, Beni and Tarija - now openly joined by the civic committee of Cochabamba and Chuquisaca. Behind them stand the gas transnationals, large agribusiness and the US empire, all of whom benefited from ransacking Bolivia's enormous natural wealth while pushing the country to the position of the poorest in South America. But their task will be far from easy. The election of "this little Indian" came on the back of a wave of social rebellion, fuelled by an increasing rejection of neoliberalism and the emergence and growth of national and indigenous pride, based on the celebration of the country's indigenous peoples and recuperation of its natural resources. It was also the result of a conscious decision more than 10 years ago by the indigenous, campesino and coca-growers' movements to move "from resistance to power" and construct their own "Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the People" - more commonly know by its electorally registered name, Movement Towards Socialism (MAS). Gaining the support from an important section of the country's middle class and intellectuals for its project, MAS was able to win the 2005 national elections, crushing the traditional politicians whose subservience to the US empire had almost led to the total suffocation of the country. Today, the Bolivians who due to their skin colour were previously excluded from the plaza in front of the presidential palace, and who protested outside it to overthrow other governments, have begun to take over the positions of power. This act has been a powerful catalyst in rebuilding the self-esteem of the people, who now proclaim with pride their indigenous roots. The central task entrusted to the MAS government was to convoke a constituent assembly in order to "refound" Bolivia, ending injustice and recognising the rights of the previously excluded indigenous majority. However, more than a year since the assembly's inauguration in Sucre in August 2006, it is yet to vote on a single article for the new constitution. The same political minority that ruled over the demise of the country today cries out in defence of "democracy" and "autonomy", with the objective of protecting its political enclaves and economic power and mobilising sectors of the white and mestizo middle classes of the east and west against the government. The stalling tactics and latest round of violent protests by the right wing, this time in Sucre, threatened the security of the assembly, forcing some indigenous delegates into hiding in order to avoid racist attacks. On September 7 the assembly directorate voted to suspend sessions for a month as it was unable to guarantee security. On September 10, more than 10,000 campesinos and indigenous people marched through Sucre in a show of force to defend the constituent assembly and national unity. Unlike the scenes of violence over the previous weeks, the streets of Sucre were filled with a festive tone. Later in the day, during the 10,000-15,000 strong Social Summit, the social organisations resolved to "defend, including with our lives, the constituent assembly and this process of irreversible profound change being driven forward by the historic forces of our peoples and the indigenous, originario and campesino nations, together with the popular organisations". Furthermore, the social movements declared themselves to be in a "state of emergency" and committed themselves to organising Committees in Defence of the Constituent Assembly, adding that, if necessary, they would undertake "other more radical measures". In its manifesto, the summit outlined 18 strategic points behind which the participants would mobilise to ensure they are enshrined in the new constitution. Among them are the creation of unitary, plurinational, communitarian and democratic state; nationalisation of natural resources; taxes on large fortunes; the expropriation without compensation of latifundios (large land-holdings) and the immediate distribution of their land; re-election and revoking of mandates of any elected authority; and the confiscation of all goods implicated in acts of corruption. For now the situation in Sucre has calmed down; the opposition's threats of further actions starting on September 10 were called off. A new round of dialogue has been convoked to see if it is possible to overcome the impasse. But the tension remains, and one can only speculate how long the calm will last. The directorate of the assembly has signalled it will reject a court ruling overturning the assembly decision to remove the issue of the location of Bolivia's capital from debate (the right-wing fuelled conflict over whether to locate it in La Paz, the current political capital, or Sucre, the current constitutional capital, helping trigger the latest confrontation). The future of the constituent assembly and Bolivia hang in the balance. The indigenous and campesino mobilisation was an important step taken by the social and indigenous movements in defence of the constituent assembly. However, as Vice-President Alvaro Garcia Linera pointed out in the lead-up to the protest, "To wear down the old powers will cost a lot, it will be conflictive, the population needs to be conscious of this, and the best way to defend the continuity of the process of change is through democratic mobilisation to back this transformation and to put an end to the history of these old elites". Mass democratic mobilisations and the organisation of the people will be central to maintaining unity amongst the movements and avoiding provocations by the right wing. The right wing's strategy depends on stirring up anger among the exploited and oppressed who refuse to ever go back to the old Bolivia, with the aims of triggering violent reactions and creating chaos. The government and social movements need to demonstrate that they are the only ones able to provide real stability and change for all Bolivians. This is necessary in order to appeal to the middle classes sectors that, due to mistakes by MAS, now feel alienated from the government - something the government itself has acknowledged and that it has begun to remedy. It is also critical to maintaining support among the armed forces. Internationally, it is vital for the governments and peoples of the world to voice their solidarity and make clear that they will reject any attempts to trigger a civil war, or an ensuing US/UN military occupation or illegitimate government. Undoubtedly the US elite sees Bolivia as the weak link in the emerging Bolivia-Cuba-Venezuela "axis of hope" in Latin America. Moreover, Bolivia's government and the indigenous revolution is helping stimulate indigenous struggles in the region - something Washington fears and will not tolerate. On September 9, Venezuela's socialist president Hugo Chavez, sitting next to Morales, warned on his Alo Preisdente TV program: "If US imperialism attacks our peoples, using their lackeys in Venezuela and Bolivia, they can be sure that we're not going to wait with our arms crossed. If that occurs, we will shout with Che Guevara, and then one, two, three, four, five, or 10 Vietnams will have to be created in Latin America." To date, neither the governments of Argentina or Brazil have spoken out about the growing threat to Bolivia. A clear statement by these two and other South American countries rejecting a civil war, military coup or invasion of Bolivia, would be a strong blow against the US empire's designs. Now is the time for all intellectuals, union militants, solidarity activists, political parties and progressive minded individuals who believe in real justice and equality to raise their voices in defence of Bolivia and its government, which is leading an important process of change providing hope and inspiration to millions of indigenous and oppressed people around the world, to ensure that the US and its lackeys cannot get away with crushing this movement for social liberation. [Federico Fuentes is editor of Boliviarising.blogspot.com __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Links | Database | Members | Calendar This e-mail was brought to you through the LegacyofColonialism Forum e-mail list. (Web Ref. www.LegacyofColonialism.org ). The LegacyofColonialism Forum e-mail list is for activists, NGOs, social-justice/reparation/drop-the-debt campaigners, members of land-rights movements, researchers and grassroot development workers all over the world, to share information regarding how multinational profits & the North's capitalist domination (led by the US industrial-military-corporate complex) is sustained by the imperialism and economic fraud of global institutions (the IMF & World Bank), political manipulation within the machinations of tyrannical empire building, and the global banking system. Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! 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URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Mon Sep 24 11:02:36 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:02:36 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] BANGLADESH: Garment workers defy protest ban Message-ID: <01ae01c7fed5$16a8d140$0802a8c0@andy1> Garment workers protest in Dhaka By Mark Dummett BBC News, Dhaka Some 10,000 textile workers defy a ban on protests in Dhaka (22/09) The workers defied a government ban on public protests Thousands of garment workers in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, have defied a ban on public protests to demand better pay and conditions. The dispute had been brewing for days, but became more serious and violent when the workers discovered that they had been locked out of their factory. Hundreds of police, backed by army units, were deployed to disperse them. Garments are Bangladesh's biggest export earners - accounting for 75% of total export earnings last year. The police say that 10,000 workers took to the streets of Dhaka on Saturday in defiance of the government which, using its emergency laws, has banned all public demonstrations. Minimum wage The protesters are demanding that their employers increase their allowances, including their annual bonus which is due in a few weeks time. The company involved in this dispute, the Nassa Group, sells clothes around the world. Its customers include Wal-Mart in the US and Primark in the UK. It is seen as one of Bangladesh's better employers and was among the first companies to pay its 27,000 workers the national minimum wage of $25 (?13) a month - a figure agreed last year after a series of violent protests. Bangladeshi trade unions and campaigning groups in Europe and the US, where most the clothes are sold, have accused Bangladeshi factory owners of exploiting their mainly female workforce. But the owners say they need to keep costs down to stay in business. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Mon Sep 24 11:04:01 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:04:01 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] BANGLADESH: Unrest at sweatshops Message-ID: <01b501c7fed5$497daa50$0802a8c0@andy1> http://www.nosweat.org.uk/node/598 Bangladeshi workers riot against sweatshop poverty Sunday Mirror, 23 Sept 07 Tesco have pledged to investigate conditions at a chain of sweatshops in Bangladesh after workers demanding better pay rioted and set fire to a building yesterday. More than 1,000 poverty-stricken clothing makers stormed the Dhaka headquarters of Nassa, a chain of 28 factories, whose clients include Tesco, H&M and Primark. The violent scenes in Bangladeshi capital come a month after a Sunday Mirror investigation exposed the appalling conditions suffered by Nassa factory workers. Several revealed how they were beaten for not working quickly enough on gruelling 14-hour shifts which earn them just 4p an hour. Nassa director Khandakar Alam pledged to investigate their complaints - but in fact little has changed. The lack of action - and the fact staff had not been paid their traditional bonus for working during religious festival Eid - sparked the riot. Yesterday a spokesman for Tesco, who sell clothes made at two Nassa factories, said: "We are very proud of our high ethical standards. As a responsible organisation we will of course discuss the issue with Nassa to make sure we understand the issues the workers were protesting about." H&M and Primark did not comment. Other High Street giants including Asda, M&S, Debenhams and Woolworths also produce clothes in Bangladesh, the third poorest country in the world. There are more than 4,000 garment factories in Dhaka. In many, thousands of workers are dangerously packed into a tiny space to meet garment orders. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Mon Sep 24 11:07:50 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:07:50 +0100 Subject: [Onthebarricades] PAKISTAN: Labour leader avoids arrest, goes underground Message-ID: <01c101c7fed5$d23ef920$0802a8c0@andy1> Going underground By: Farooq Tariq I was avoided another arrest last night on 23rd September 2007. I had just returned home at 11pm from Toba Tek Singh, a five hour drive from Lahore. I am planning to contest general elections for national parliament from Toba Tek Singh, my home city. When the bell rang, I was sure it is police again. My partner Shahnaz asked me who can come at this time of the night. Our children have just gone to sleep, but Mashal (14) our daughter got up as well with the bell ringing constantly. I asked Shahnaz to check who they are and if police is there do not tell that I am at home. We had decided that I will not be arrested this time easily. Police has to work and work little harder to catch me. If I am at home and police comes, they have to break the doors to get me out. I will not voluntarily come out. I was also sick and tired of police knocking my door again and again. Shahnaz went out and she was tricked by the police to open the door. They did not tell her that it is police; instead they said friends of Farooq. But when she opened the door, she found dozens of police men in uniform and they asked where I am. Shahnaz who has now become used to police arrivals at our door step, told them courageously that he is not here and he is in Toba Tek Singh. My daughter Mashal was also with her watching the drama. They did not insist to enter home instead asked my mobile number, which was given to him. The police officer connected my number and my cell started ringing at home, Mashal immediately felt the danger and ran inside to stop the phone. The running of Mashal inside home could have convinced the police officer that I am at home but he did not force himself inside the door and said thanks to Shahnaz. Shahnaz closed the door but police remained there for some time. I as watching from inside home fearing of police climbing the walls and break in. But it seems that police officer was just doing his duty and not really interested to go any further. It was the same police officer with his team who had arrested me last time on June 4th 2007 from my same home. I then sent SMS to the friends and press informing that I just avoided the arrest this time. Police is arresting most of the activists from the opposition parties and this time including the main leadership of the opposition parties. This practice is to avoid more demonstrations against General Musharaf who wants him to be reelected again for the next five years from a parliament who was elected for five years term. This parliament has elected General Musharaf with the help of the religious fundamentalists in 2002. But this time the religious parties do not want him to be elected and has decided with other political parties to resign from the parliament instead of electing him. The regime has arrested dozens of activists and leaders of different political parties and is raiding houses of more activists like me. I do not want to be arrested this time and has decided to remain active but to avoid arrest as well. Going to jail again and again is no good and comrades and friends have made jokes and jokes about me. Whenever, I meet a friend, he asks me when have you come out (jail) or when are you going in? My son Abdullah (7) told me this morning that it now my turn to play "find and hide" game with police. When he was only one year old, police came to arrest me at my home and at the time both Shahnaz and myself were not at home, when Razia, the women who was taking care of Abdullah told police that Farooq is not at home, he said ok where is his son, I will take him with me and then Farooq will definitely come to present his arrest, a normal practice by many police come in Pakistan. He did not know that my son is only one year. Razia went inside home and brought Abdullah outside and told the police officer in anger, yes, you can arrest him, he is son of Farooq. Looking at Abdullah, the police officer was ashamed and said sorry and went back not come again for some time. When I was living in rented place, my house boss was arrested and my office boss was arrested instead of me when police was unable to find me at home and at office. I went to one friend who was editor of Daily Jang to help the release of my home and office bosses, when he heard, he advised me to leave the buggers with police, and told me that at least you do not have to pay rent anymore. So a new game has started with police, I will attend the demonstration on 27th September alongside with the advocates in any case and till then will try that police should not get hold of me. So be ready for a new possible solidarity campaign please. Farooq Tariq general secretary Labour Party Pakistan 40-Abbot Road Lahore, Pakistan Tel: 92 42 6315162 Fax: 92 42 6271149 Mobile: 92 300 8411945, labourpartypk at yahoo.com www.laborpakistan.org www.jeddojuhd.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Sep 9 03:12:19 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2007 10:12:19 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] AUSTRALIA: Thousands protest APEC in defiance of repression Message-ID: <002a01c7f2c9$fa42ab50$0802a8c0@andy1> NOTE: Despite the protest being mainly peaceful, police are STILL whining about supposedly being attacked. What do they expect when they constantly attack and provoke protesters, rescind basic liberties, and engage in violent assaults on the crowd? They expect to get away with repression and violence without response. After all their intimidation and provocation! And they refuse to apologise for their fascist tactics even after their predictions of clashes were shown to be false - thus proving that such claims of wanting to stop trouble are simply an excuse, their desire is for totalitarian control as a goal in itself. They will never be happy until there is no freedom at all - and they know they can get away with lying to the mainstream media. Notice also, that people are being charged with nothing-offences such as "offensive language", "offensive conduct", "refusing searches", "hindering police" etc - basically charged simply for being on the protest, being nonconformist or not obeying every last whim of the police. Others are on trumped-up charges, including one for videoing police violence. This kind of demand for submission and punishment of difference is absolutely intolerable. It makes one wonder if protesters weren't maybe too indulgent of the police. Re: Police Violence @ An APEC Park Meeting On September 8th, 2007 David Vakalis (not verified) says: not allowed to document state brutality - is this fucking china or something?! oh hang on, its apec. maybe the state took some tips from china... http://sydney.indymedia.org.au/story/thousands-march-sydney-despite-heavy-police-presence-and-intimidation Thousands march in Sydney Despite Heavy Police Presence and Intimidation Posted September 8th, 2007 by Anonymous Several thousand gathered outside the Sydney Town Hall between 9.30 and 10 am to protest against Bush, the war in Iraq and the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum leaders meeting. There was a heavy police presence with George, Pitt and Castlereagh streets barricaded by Police buses and police lining the Park street route to Hyde Park North. Despite the heavy police presence and provocation the rally and march were largely peaceful and uneventful. See also: Police Violence at a Park Meeting, Photo Collage of Rally, The Stop Bush Coalition who organised the march said that 10,000 people attended while police estimated numbers at 5,000. While many people gathered at the Town Hall, 500 student protestors rallied in Belmore Park and marched to the Town Hall. Another 500 people, primarily trade unionists, gathered outside the Maritime Union of Australia offices and marched to the Town Hall rally. At the start of the rally a neo-nazi group of about 20 people dressed in black and some of them with bandanas over their faces gathered at the Town Hall. The police allowed the counter demonstration to be present causing anti-war protestors to accuse the neo-nazis of provocation, with much shouting and chanting. At the Town Hall and other convergence points police confiscated banner poles longer than one metre long from anti-war protestors. While the police had the power to confiscate such items in declared zones Alex Bainbridge, from the Stop Bush Coalition disputed their right to do this at the rally and march "We are not in a declared zone, and we do not intend to go anywhere near a declared zone, so by confiscating these poles, the police are actually breaking their own laws." Anti-war protestors noted the police did not confiscate the banner poles from the neo-nazi counter demonstration. Damien Lawson urged the the people present to respect that this will be a peaceful protest, and warned people not to be provoked either by people such as the small group of neo-nazis present or plain clothes police and that the march should remain unified and peaceful. The march down Park street was led by the Maritime Union of Australia and the Fire Brigade Employees Union. At the corner of Castlereagh and Park streets the march came to a halt for about 20 minutes and organisers called for the crowd to sit down "to mark the loss of democracy". Chants included "Howard, Bush, USA, how many kids did you kill today?", 'Troops out now!', 'The workers united will never be defeated!' Banners included 'War criminals not welcome here -- Bush go home'. One group of protestors, dressed in formal attire, called themselves 'Billionaires for Bush' and carried banners saying 'Blood for Oil', 'How Many Species Do You Really Need?' and 'Clean Air, Can't Sell It, Who Needs It'. Many others dressed colourfuly or in costumes giving the march a carnival like atmosphere. Mamdouh Habib attended the march and said "George Bush is a great evil... He should get out of this country,". Habib was incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay and released in 2005 never being charged with any offence. Peter McGregor, who is facing court charges for a Citizens Arrest of Attorney-General Philip Ruddock as a War Criminal at a legal conference at the University of NSW, told Green Left Weekly "whenever war criminals such as George Bush and John Howard appear in public, it's important people come out also in public, to protest them." Dan Jones and Paddy Gibson attended the march though being on the police blacklist and have been arrested, along with seven other arrests. Paddy Gibson was later released by police as he was outside declared zones. The NSW Police intimidated protestors by flexing their new shiny hardware. A water canon that makes up the centre piece of the Public Order & Riot Squad. But they never got to use their shiny new toy. (Watch video) Another example of the excessive police intimidation happened to Chris Ward who took his wheelie bin sound system to the rally and march. "I've been searched three times today for having a wheelie bin sound system," Mr Ward said. Each time the search took half an hour and on least one occasion police reinforcements had to be called when Chris and his sound system and the 'searching' police officers were surrounded by other activists. Human Rights monitor Dale Mills described the search as an overreaction to Channel Nine News. "In my opinion, that was just an illegal search," Mr Mills said. "That's the sort of aggressive attitude . that provokes problems at protests." At Hyde Park drizzly rain put a damper to the end of the rally with protestors finding shelter under trees and umbrellas. Police have been criticized for forming lines preventing people leaving the end rally in Hyde Park. At the end of the march one of the protest organisers, Damien Lawson said "We're very happy, the turnout is double our expectations, there are at least 10,000 people here and it's been a very peaceful march. We got across the key issues: opposition to the war in Iraq, concern about climate change and opposition to John Howard's WorkChoices," he was reported as saying on Skynews. See also: Police Violence at a Park Meeting which details one incident of police provocation and also gives details from the Police website that there were 17 arrested on the day. Sources: a.. Protest peaceful despite arrests b.. stuff.co.nz via AAP, Reuters Sept 8, 2007 - Protesters march through central Sydney c.. Green Left Weekly Sept 8, 2007 - More than 5000 protesters at anti-APEC rally d.. Green Left Weekly Sept 8, 2007 - Anti-APEC protesters: united and peaceful e.. Green Left Weekly Sept 8, 2007 - Photos: Bush not welcome! f.. Sydney Morning Herald, Sept 8, 2007 - Nine arrested at Sydney APEC protests g.. Ninemsn Sept 8, 2007 - Police swoop on 'wheelie bin boom box' h.. Sky News Sept 8, 2007 APEC protests peaceful http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Nine-arrested-at-Sydney-APEC-protests/2007/09/08/1188783528898.html Police show force at APEC, 17 arrests a.. b.. Email c.. Print d.. Normal font e.. Large font September 8, 2007 - 6:14AM Advertisement Advertisement Seventeen people were arrested and two police officers injured in a mostly peaceful anti-APEC protest in Sydney overshadowed by an unprecedented security operation. Up to 5,000 protesters turned out for the demonstration organised by the Stop Bush Coalition, far fewer than the number forecast by police, who had also warned there could be full-scale violence. Hundreds of police, many in riot gear and backed by police dogs, riot vehicles and a new water cannon, kept a close rein on the protest march. Police helicopters hovered overhead and officers were stationed on rooftops. As part of a show of force rarely seen in Australia, authorities used buses to barricade streets leading to APEC venues and closely-ranked police funnelled demonstrators along a set route. There were violent scuffles, some reportedly involving black-clad neo-Nazi demonstrators, but the APEC week's biggest protest was mostly peaceful and at times had a carnival atmosphere. Two injured police officers were treated in hospital for head injuries - one hit with a dart and the other allegedly bashed with a crowbar hidden in a rolled-up newspaper. Protest organisers said the use of hundreds of police to oversee the march from Town Hall to Hyde Park was overkill. There were also violent scuffles when police detained two protest organisers on an APEC exclusion list, only to release them shortly afterwards. "The police made a mistake and thought that this is a declared area, which it's not," one of the two, unnamed, men told the Nine Network, while the second accused officers of unnecessary violence. Eleven men and six women, aged between 20 and 54, were charged with offences including assault, assaulting police, throwing a missile, offensive conduct, resisting arrest, affray, breaching a secure area and hindering police. A group of up to 120 Stop Bush Coalition members rallied outside Sydney Police Centre and said they would remain until all those charged were released. NSW police, who had feared a full-scale riot, defended their show of force and the use of special riot buses to block access to the city's security zone. Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione would not say how many of the 3,500 police overseeing APEC were at the protest, but said the use of hundreds of officers was warranted. "The police were out there in big numbers. We don't apologise for that," Mr Scipione told reporters. "Is that overkill? I don't think so. "I'd rather be criticised for overkill than not have enough resources." Mr Scipione said he was pleased with the police operation "and the fact that the majority of protesters complied with the wishes of police". "That said, I am not happy that police were targeted and assaulted in such a violent manner," he said. The protest was aimed mainly at drawing the attention of APEC leaders to war in Iraq and the need for action on climate change. But also present were prostitutes wearing "Sluts Unite" T-shirts and calling for human rights for sex workers. Two of those detained were wearing nothing but socks over their private parts and shoes, according to witnesses. Meanwhile about 10 people dressed in business suits, calling themselves the "Billionaires for Bush", stood and heckled the marchers with chants such as "corporate might, not human rights". Stop Bush Coalition organiser Alex Bainbridge said the protesters' behaviour had been "exceptional". "The outcome of this rally today, which we said was a peaceful rally, goes to prove the security operation, the scaremongering about violence, has been exposed as a lie," he told AAP. "It was a smokescreen to divert attention from the real issues." Mr Bainbridge said protest organisers did not take issue with the way police conducted themselves. "On the whole, we don't have big problems, but we think the security operation which today they were a part of, has been exaggerated and overblown." Mr Scipione said he was not aware of any issue with police failing to wear ID badges, as had been alleged by some protesters. No direction had been given for them not to wear ID, but it was something that would be looked into, Mr Scipione said. Nine people were arrested and faced charges including assaulting police, throwing a missile, offensive behaviour and resisting arrest after the protest. ? 2007 AAP http://sydney.indymedia.org.au/story/police-violence-park-meeting-during-apec Police Violence at a Park Meeting during APEC Posted September 8th, 2007 by Anonymous After receiving an email from a contact in Sydney there has been a scuffle this afternoon in a park, at around 4pm. My contact says: "Basically the ISO and Solidarity were having a meeting in a park in a normal area (that is, not a declared area), when the police started harrasing them and attempting to arrest Dan Jones and Paddy (dont know his last name), both of whom are on the blacklist. The police had no reason to do this, and were attempting to cause trouble. The iso/solidarity people understandably objectd to this illegal (even under the repressive laws that have been introduced) action from happening, and were savagley beaten by the police. 5 people were arrested, as well as Dan and Paddy, however most of them were released without charge (including dan and paddy), or with minor charges of hindering poice. However, there were 2 exceptions. Marcella Olea, a melbourne iso member and well known activist (people may know her from her g20 arrestee solidarity work) was beaten and arrested after refusing to hand over her video footage of the polices violent attack on everyone. She has since been charged with (amongst other charges) affray and assault of police. Needless to say the ones doing the actual assaulting and affraying were the pigs. Marcella will have a bail hearing tomorrow, where we all hope she will receive bail, but there is no guarentee. As it was not in a declared zone, i think there is still an assumption of bail, but we are not sure. Marcella was also the only woman in the group arrested, so has had no friends with her in her cell. Rrgardless of the bail desision these are serious charges, and will probably become an ongoing matter. Steve Martin, another iso member, from brisbane, was also arrested and denied bail, and will face the magistrate tomorrow to try and get bail. I dont think he has as serious charges as marcella, but he does have assault [charge/s]." According to the NSW Police website: Seventeen arrested in protest activity 8 September 2007 Police today arrested a further 17 people following protests in central Sydney which left a number of police injured. Six women and 11 men have been arrested since 11am. Charge details are: A 29-year-old Paddington woman charged with resist police.? She was granted bail to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on October 11; A 25-year-old Woolloomooloo man charged with assault;? A man charged with assault police, throw missile;? A 21-year-old Epping man charged with offensive conduct.? He was granted bail to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on October 11; A 21-year-old man charged with offensive behaviour. He was? granted bail to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on October 11; A Hamilton South man charged with assault, resist police, refuse? search; A 41-year-old man charged with hinder police. He has been granted bail to? October 11; A 31-year-old Lidcombe woman charged with breach a secure area;? A 31-year-old woman from Coburg North in Victoria charged with assault? police, resist arrest and affray; A 20-year-old woman charged with hinder police;? A 21-year-old Redfern woman charged with hinder police;? A 25-year-old Camperdown woman charged with hinder police;? A 54-year-old Ashfield man charged with hinder police;? A 37-year-old Balmain man charged with assault police;? A 35-year-old man from Holder in the ACT charged with offensive language? and resist arrest; A 25-year-old man charged with hinder police and offensive language;? A 28-year-old Lilyfield man charged with resist arrest and affray.? Those arrested have been taken to the Sydney Police Centre with many still being processed. Two police officers were injured during today's protests with one officer sustaining a head wound after being hit with an iron bar, the other sustaining a head injury after being hit with a dart. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 14140 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sat Sep 22 01:09:19 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 08:09:19 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] GREECE: Clashes between police and anarchists Message-ID: <005a01c7fcf0$03270d30$0802a8c0@andy1> Police targeted after attacking autonomy - they go storming onto campus when they aren't allowed and get a much-deserved response from local anarchists. See articles below for earlier incidents in the struggle over higher education. http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=83054 Greek police attacked in Salonika after PM's keynote speech Monday, September 10, 2007 SALONIKA, Greece - Agence France-Presse Police in the northern Greek city of Salonika arrested a woman yesterday after an officer was injured in a clash with suspected anarchists, local police said. The incident occurred inside the city's Aristotelio University grounds a few hours after a keynote address in Salonika by Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis ahead of next Sunday's legislative elections. Karamanlis' visit to the city met with demonstrations by unions and leftist groups protesting against the government's economic policies. Around 5,000 people marched in Salonika ahead of the prime minister's speech, in which he highlighted Greece's economic growth and appealed for a fresh four-year mandate. The demonstrations passed without incident, but police stationed outside the university were later attacked with firebombs by a group of 30 youths hidden inside the grounds. A group of officers entered the grounds in pursuit, and one of them was hit in the head by a slingshot bullet. Riot police reinforcements were subsequently sent in and arrested a woman. Police are technically barred from entering Greek university grounds without permission from the institutions themselves, but the city's top prosecutor had previously authorized a crackdown against the use of homemade explosives. Opinion polls published before an August 31 embargo had shown the ruling conservatives with a slim lead ahead of the September 16 vote. But fallout from recent devastating fires that killed dozens, as well as dissatisfaction with government fiscal and education policies that prompted large protests in recent months, could see voters turn to other parties. http://anarchistnews.org/?q=node/1118 Greek police clash with anarchists in Thessaloniki Submitted by worker on Thu, 2007-02-22 18:34. Tags: a.. Anarchist Practice b.. Movement THESSALONIKI, Greece: Anarchist youths clashed with riot police for more than three hours in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Wednesday, hurling rocks and dozens of petrol bombs outside a university building, authorities said. No injuries were reported. The youths were protesting plans to relax a law that prohibits police from entering university grounds. The ban is often exploited during violent public protests. One man was arrested and minor damage was caused to nearby buildings. Police used tear gas against some 250 youths, who had entered the grounds of Thessaloniki University and later confronted riot police guarding a nearby conference center. It was the latest act of violence involving anarchist groups, which have stepped up a campaign of arson and other attacks in Athens and Thessaloniki. On Tuesday, anarchist youths attacked the Athens headquarters of Greece's largest labor union, the GSEE, using rocks, sledgehammers and petrol bombs to damage the building's entrance. GSEE leader Yiannis Panagopoulos, who was leaving the building at the time, escaped unharmed. Something of a precursor. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/20/europe/EU-GEN-Greece-Education.php Greek government approves university shake-up despite protests The Associated Press Published: February 20, 2007 ATHENS, Greece: Greece's conservative government Tuesday approved draft legislation designed to give state universities greater independence - bolstering plans to allow private universities for the first time. The bill was tabled in parliament as students protested against the reforms in Athens and in Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city. University staff are holding a five-day work stoppage while students continue to occupy more than 300 university departments nationwide. Greece is the latest European Union country to introduce reforms - including tuition fee schemes and privatization - to help fund universities and to make them more competitive with higher education institutions in Asia and North America. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis introduced the draft law which would reduce Education Ministry oversight at state universities and grant them greater autonomy to run their own financial and organizational affairs. The law would cap the number of years for students to complete their degrees, and reduce transfers from provincial to urban universities. It would also relax asylum rules banning police from all campus grounds, a provision often exploited during violent public protests. "Greek universities cannot afford to be left behind ... now is the time to make decisions," Karamanlis said in a televised address. The draft law, expected to receive parliamentary approval in the next two weeks, would prepare ground for a proposed constitutional amendment to end a state monopoly on university education next year. http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Rallies_in_Greece_as_Universities'_strike_continues Rallies in Greece as Universities' strike continues >From Wikinews, the free news source you can write! Jump to: navigation, search June 15, 2006 University students continue their opposition to a new law, proposed by the Greek government, through organizing new rallies in Athens and Thessaloniki as well as through the persistent occupancy of many departments in the two biggest Universities of Greece, the University of Athens and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Students are opposing the law-proposed by the Minister of Education Marietta Yannakou-which has to do with the foundation of private universities in Greece as well as other aspects of the academic organization. The strike of the students has been backed by the Greek General Confederation of Labour(GSEE), the Synaspismos and KKE-Communist parties, as well as by various Professors who oppose the specific governmental law. Today, students organize demonstrations in the two biggest cities of Greece. More specifically, students and University professors have gathered at Propylea in central Athens and march towards the Ministry of Education while in Thessalonika the demonstration has been focused outside the Ministry of Macedonia-Thrace. During the previous week and more specifically during the demonstrations of last Thursday, the rallies had resulted to fights between anarchists and police in the centre of Athens; for that the Minister of Public Order had been accused for the violence that police forces exercised. However Greek police officials answered that anarchists who took part in the rallies caused heavy damages and provoked the police forces. Yesterday, a specific statement by Thanos Veremis, professor and Ministry of Education official, in which he characterized the protesters as roughs and eternal students(sic), caused much of irritation and agitation within the university students' movement. Sources Net "Education Rallies in Greece". Elliniki Radiophonia Tileorassi, June 15, 2006 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 24534 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image002.gif Type: image/gif Size: 123 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sat Sep 22 01:09:33 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 08:09:33 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] US: Civil rights movement revives in deep south Message-ID: <006101c7fcf0$0ca48e50$0802a8c0@andy1> http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-20-jenainside_N.htm Old-fashioned march shows support E-mail | Save | Print | Reprints & Permissions | By Marisol Bello, USA TODAY JENA, La. - Most of the 3,000 residents of this town, which is 85% white, were out of sight Thursday as hundreds of buses disgorged thousands of people protesting what they called a racist prosecution of six black teens accused of beating a white schoolmate. There was no violence, no big confrontations. And that should be no surprise, white locals said, because Jena is not a racist town. "I believe in people standing up for what's right," said resident Ricky Coleman, 46, who is white. "What bothers me is this town being labeled racist. I'm not racist." Protesters said the case of the Jena Six, as the defendants have become known, is a rallying point for a fight against racial injustice. Al Sharpton, one of the march organizers, referred to it as the revival of the civil rights movement for the 21st century. Marchers said the prosecution of the six, who were charged initially with attempted murder, shows that gains made by African-Americans in the 1960s are threatened. "I wouldn't have thought that in 2007, we'd be so behind and still dealing with this injustice," said Martha Kelly, 64, a retired speech therapist from Alexandria, La. She said she marched in front of Alexandria department stores in the '60s so they would hire blacks. For those too young to have taken part in the Freedom Rides and other protests of that era, Thursday's rally was historic. "I feel recently that that clock is moving backwards," said Eric Jarrett, a junior at the University of Michigan. He pointed to a Michigan law passed last year ending affirmative action at the university and a Supreme Court ruling that race cannot be a determining factor in assigning children to public schools. Ashley Stevenson, 22, a Southern University student from Tulsa, said, "You can't allow something like this to happen. This is something that affects everybody." Several white locals stood in their yards to watch the crowd walk by. Some took photos. To some, the rally was an unfair slap against their town because the marchers did not consider the full story of the events in Jena in the past year. Dave Nelson, a retired Jena High School teacher, waved to the marchers even as he complained that they were calling for the release of Mychal Bell, 17, who was revealed in a court hearing to have a juvenile record for assault. "I believe 90% of the people here don't know what's really going on. This is a knee-jerk reaction," Nelson said. "But there's nothing wrong with this - it's part of our democracy." Nikkisha Breaux, 34, disputes the claim that Jena is not racist. At two small rallies for the Jena Six in the spring, she said, residents yelled racial slurs and flew Confederate flags. "So how can they say there's no racism here?" she asked. The protest Thursday had been planned to coincide with the sentencing of Bell, the only defendant tried so far, who was convicted of aggravated battery. Last week, an appeals court overturned the conviction, saying he should have been tried in juvenile court. Marchers said the six teens were unfairly prosecuted. Betty and Becky Lawson, sisters from Birmingham, Ala., were among the few whites who attended the rally. "It's so wrong what happened," said Betty Lawson, 49, a publishing company sales representative. "There are still two kinds of laws, especially in the South. We hate that because we love the South." Marcher Angela Merricks, 36, an Atlanta real estate agent, complained that white youths who jumped a black student did not face such serious charges. "I want everybody treated fairly," she said. Sharpton, Martin Luther King III and Jesse Jackson led the rally, accompanied by relatives of the defendants. They were joined by Democratic Reps. Maxine Waters of California and William Jefferson of Louisiana, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and entertainers Tyler Perry and Mos Def. Sharpton said he and Waters, Jefferson and Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas will press the House Judiciary Committee next week to summon the district attorney in the case to explain his actions before Congress. Sharpton also plans a march in Washington in November. He said, "What we need is federal intervention to protect people from Southern injustice." http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-21-jena_N.htm Teen in 'Jena 6' case denied bail Updated 9h 9m ago | Comments 978 | Recommend 58 E-mail | Save | Print | From staff and wire reports JENA, La. - Bail was denied Friday for a black teenager whose arrest in the beating of a white classmate led to this week's huge civil rights demonstration in the central Louisiana town of Jena, according to the father of one of his co-defendants. The bond hearing for Mychal Bell, one of the group known as the Jena Six, was held this afternoon in a juvenile court in Jena. Lawyers would not comment because juvenile court proceedings are secret. But John Jenkins, the father of one of Bell's codefendants, said Bell's bail request was denied. Bell's mother left the courthouse in tears and refused to comment. A man accompanying her said, "Denied" as they walked out. Bell is the only one of the group known as the "Jena Six" to have been tried so far in last December's beating of white classmate Justin Barker. Bell was convicted on a charge of aggravated second-degree battery, which could have led to 15 years in prison, but his conviction was thrown out by a state appeal court that said he could not be tried on the charge as an adult. He was 16 at the time of the beating. The hearing came about a day after thousands of marchers took to the streets in Jena, demanding Bell's freedom. His case and that of five others - together dubbed the "Jena Six" - has prompted accusations of racial injustice: Some bloggers, radio stations and newspapers have held it up as a symbol of a system that punishes blacks more harshly than whites. FIND MORE STORIES IN: Louisiana | Courthouse | By Alex Brandon, AP | Lasalle Parish The beating of which Bell is accused followed a series of racially charged incidents after a black student asked to sit under a schoolyard tree where whites congregated. The next day, nooses hung from the tree. After the rally, a teenager was arrested in nearby Alexandria, La. when police allegedly found hangman's nooses dangling from the rear of his pickup after he drove past a crowd of people who had attended a civil rights march earlier in the day. Jeremiah Munsen, 18, of Colfax, La., and a 16-year-old passenger in his truck were arrested Thursday night near a bus station where a group of people who had marched in Jena were waiting for buses to take them home. Munsen, who is white, was booked on charges of inciting a riot, driving while intoxicated and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. A city attorney will decide whether charges against the 16-year-old boy from Dry Prong, La., are warranted, said Alexandria Police Sgt. Clifford Gatlin. "I wish we had a charge in Louisiana for aggravated ignorance, because this is a classic case," Gatlin said. Gatlin said the crowd of about 200 people at the bus station remained calm throughout the episode. "They were just offended and appalled that somebody would be that stupid to do that," Gatlin added. Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy, who met with many of the demonstrators at the bus station before they departed, said the visitors assured him they wouldn't let the incident taint their otherwise positive impression of the city. "The citizens of Alexandria know who we are," Roy said. "I think we demonstrated that with great moral force" by hosting thousands of march participants this week. The 16-year-old, who was being held in a juvenile detention facility Friday, told police he had a "KKK" tattoo on his chest and said some of his relatives were involved in the Ku Klux Klan, according to a police report. Officers found an unloaded .22-caliber rifle and a set of brass knuckles in Munsen's truck, police said. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 330 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image003.gif Type: image/gif Size: 73 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Sep 2 21:16:03 2007 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 03 Sep 2007 04:16:03 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] MYANMAR/BURMA: Fuel price hike prompts protests Message-ID: <000301c7ede1$319bb120$0802a8c0@andy1> http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6D6B839B-7998-4A9E-92B2-C20177E2E82B.htm Myanmar demo over fuel price hike Transport costs and the prices of many consumer goods soared following the price hike [Reuters] At least 500 people led by pro-democracy activists in Myanmar have held a rare protest in Yangon, the country's biggest city, over the government's arbitrary increase of fuel prices. On Wednesday the military government imposed a 100 per cent rise in fuel prices at state-owned petrol stations without giving any reason. Sunday's march led by former student activists of the 88 Generation Students' Group began with about 100 people, moving along a major road north of Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon. The protesters did not shout slogans or hold up placards. The group said the crowd swelled as bystanders joined in before dispersing after marching for about nine kilometres. The protesters, including some former student leaders who have served long prison terms, said the authorities watched and videotaped the event but did not interfere. Min Ko Naing, a former student leader, said the protest was "to reflect the hardship our people are facing due to the government's fuel price hike". "Some cars stopped and those inside clapped their hands when they knew that we were staging this performance in protest against the fuel price hike," he added. Authorities watched the protest without interfering, organisers said [APPPB] The government of Myanmar, formerly Burma, has a monopoly on fuel sales. The immediate effect of the massive price hike was felt by commuters as bus fares increased along with prices of basic consumer goods. In a statement on Sunday, the Asia Pacific People's Partnership on Burma (APPPB) demanded that the government tackle the resulting problem of skyrocketing commodity prices and inflation rate. The APPPB said the increase in the price of natural gas was "not rational" given its abundance in the country. Khin Ohmar, the APPPB co-ordinator, quoted Ktay Kywe, a former student leader, as saying that while the majority had to walk, the military elites had vehicles that cost between $75,000 and RM250,000. "These prices are quite shocking while we all are well aware of the dire situation of the people of Burma as refugees, internally-displaced peoples, migrant labourers etc," Khin Ohmar added. On Wednesday, some workers at a garment factory in Yangon demanded salary raises to meet spiralling transportation and food prices. Another group of activists said they would stage a protest against the fuel price hike if the government fails to scrap it within a week. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/08/22/ap4045231.html Associated Press Fuel Increase Protest Hits Myanmar By AYE AYE WIN 08.22.07, 4:11 PM ET YANGON, Myanmar - Hundreds of pro-democracy activists marched Wednesday to protest the doubling of fuel prices by Myanmar's military government but scattered as junta supporters took at least six away in cars, witnesses said. About 300 protesters walked from the outskirts of the commercial capital Yangon, encouraging onlookers to join the rare display of public opposition as plainclothes police officers watched from a distance, witnesses said. "We are marching to highlight the economic hardship that Myanmar people are facing now, which has been exacerbated by the fuel price hike," a protester who identified herself only as Mimi told onlookers. The demonstrators were confronted by a group of pro-government supporters and the two sides began shouting at one another, witnesses said. At least six protesters were forced into cars and driven away and the remaining demonstrators quickly dispersed, witnesses said on condition of anonymity citing fears of reprisals. It was unclear where the six were taken. The protest came a day after 13 activists were detained by Myanmar authorities, including leaders of a pro-democracy group that demonstrated previously against the fuel-price increases. They could face up to 20 years in prison, the official media reported. The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper said "agitators" of the 88 Generation Students group were detained Tuesday night for attempting to undermine the "stability and security of the nation." Members of the 88 Generation Students were at the forefront of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising and were subjected to lengthy prison terms and torture after the rebellion was brutally suppressed by the military. The 1988 uprising was preceded by public protests over rising rice prices, a sudden demonetization and other economic hardships. The detentions overnight came two days after the group led more than 400 people in a protest march through Yangon against the doubling of fuel prices on Aug. 15. Those arrested included Min Ko Naing, one of Myanmar's most prominent activists, Ko Ko Gyi, Pone Cho, Min Zeya, Zaw Zaw Min and Nyan Lin Tun, the newspaper said. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10459416 Pro democracy activists stage rare protest in Myanmar 9:10AM Thursday August 23, 2007 By Andrew Buncombe Hundreds of demonstrators have defied the military junta in Myanmar to stage a rare protest march despite the arrests 13 leading pro-democracy activists. According to witnesses around 300 people staged an hour-long march before being dispersed by gangs of unidentified men - believed to be members of the regime-created Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA). The march followed a series of midnight raids aimed at confronting growing protests over rising fuel prices in the country formerly known as Burma. Among those arrested were some of the country's most important dissidents. In a rare public announcement the regime revealed in state-controlled newspapers that the activists had been arrested in Rangoon, now named Yangon, for seeking to cause "civil unrest and undermining the peace and security of the state". The charges could see the dissidents jailed for up to 20 years. Campaigners and relatives said that among those arrested were Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Ko Mya Aye, Ko Yin Htun and Ko Jimmy, leaders of a 1988 democracy movement that was lethally crushed by the regime. Min Ko Naing, whose name means "Conqueror of Kings" and who was released from jail last year by the authorities after spending more than 15 years in jail, is probably the best-known activist in the country after Aung San Suu Kyi. She remains under house arrest, having spent the best part of 17 years imprisoned. "Military intelligence and government intelligence seized their houses and searched their houses," another dissident, Htay Kywe, who managed to escape arrest, told Reuters in a message passed to the news agency from Burmese groups in neighbouring Thailand. Despite the series of arrests, reports from Myanmar said campaigners still took to the streets yesterday to protest against the government's recent increase in prices of fuel. Some onlookers applauded the marchers. Other reports said six campaigners were dragged away by members of the USDA, which is often used by the government to intimidate its opponents. "We are marching to highlight the economic hardship that Burmese people are facing now, which has been exacerbated by the fuel price hike," a protester who identified herself only as Mimi told onlookers at yesterday's march. Campaigners said the arrest of the activists displayed the regime's true colours. "The regime has been trying to persuade the international community that it has a roadmap to democracy and will reform, but this exposes the raw truth, the regime will tolerate no dissent, not even peaceful protest," said Mark Farmaner, acting director of the Myanmar Campaign UK. "The United Nations must set a deadline for genuine reform, including the release of all political prisoners. We have had 19 years of regime lies and 19 years of the international community dithering while thousands of Burmese people are arrested, tortured and killed." In Washington, the US Campaign for Myanmar said in a statement that it was concerned that those arrested could be tortured. It said: "Min Ko Naing and the other leaders arrested have all been severely tortured during previous incarcerations and we are gravely concerned for their immediate well-being." Min Ko Naing's organisation, 88 Generation Students Group, led a march last Sunday which sought to connect with public anger about soaring inflation and a government-mandated 500 per cent increase in the price of compressed natural gas. The price rise was introduced without warning and brought Yangon's bus service to a halt.Myanmar has some of Asia's biggest reserves of natural gas. The arrests came just weeks before the UN Envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, is due to visit the country. He is expected to report back to the United Nations Security Council following his visit. Last month a group of British MPs visited Burmese refugees in Thailand and demanded that the UK government increase fourfold its aid budget to the country to help those forced from their homes by the regime. Writing in The Independent John Bercow MP, said: "Myanmar suffers a political, human rights and humanitarian situation as grim as any in the world today.The country is run by an utterly illegitimate government that spends 50 per cent of its budget on the military and less than a 50p per head on the health and education of its own citizens." - INDEPENDENT http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BF9435C8-E002-439D-9EB4-4E875A11758B.htm Myanmar fuel protests spread Pro-democracy activists have staged a series of protests since the fuel price hike Pro-democracy activists in Myanmar have staged further protests against government fuel price rises in a rare show of defiance against the ruling military. Protests continued to spread beyond the main city of Yangon on Monday, with demonstrations in the towns of Bago and Mogok in the north of the country. Up to 50 protesters wearing white marched through the streets of Bago shadowed by plain clothes police and government supporters from the feared Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), eyewitnesses said. Members of the USDA broke up a series of protests last week in Yangon, beating many protesters with sticks. Soaring prices The protests were sparked after the government slashed fuel subsidies, causing prices of petrol, diesel and compressed natural gas to soar. The rise has also caused food and transport prices to skyrocket. USDA trucks were reported to be taking up positions near the offices of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) in Yangon, amid reports of protests elsewhere in the country. The party is led by detained Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. Elsewhere in the city, riot police were said to be taking up positions as tensions remained high. Activists arrested In recent days police have arrested at least 65 activists, including several leaders of Myanmar's pro-democracy movement. Htin Kyaw, one of the main protest organisers, was arrested on Sunday as he and another man shouted anti-government slogans in the centre of Yangon. Witnesses said both men were beaten as they were dragged away by men in civilian clothes. Most of those arrested are now reportedly being held in Yangon's notorious Insein jail. The jail has long been condemned by human rights groups as a centre of torture and abuse. 'Very tense' "The situation looks very tense," one NLD member told Reuters on Monday. "Some USDA thugs are believed to have weapons hidden in their bags or in the trucks. They are watching out for the movement of the NLD members." Elsewhere in Myanmar, news also emerged of a fuel protest in Mogok, about 680 kilometres north of Yangon, in an area famous for gemstone mining. Mogok residents said more than 200 people, including members of the NLD marched through the town on Saturday before dispersing peacefully. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gx8OxCC8FoISXiMqFqtyhdAZOIPQ Myanmar protesters defy junta with new protest Aug 22, 2007 YANGON (AFP) - Pro-democracy supporters defied the junta in Myanmar to stage their third protest within a week Thursday, underlining what analysts say is deepening public anger at crippling economic hardships. Such public defiance on the streets to a government that deals harshly with dissent has not been seen in Myanmar in at least nine years, they said. The protests were sparked by a massive hike in fuel prices last week, and have thrown a global spotlight on the isolated and impoverished country. About 40 protesters, most of them from the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), were on their way to party headquarters when about 20 members of the security forces and pro-government militia blocked their path. The protesters tried to resist by forming a human chain on the pavement but they were yanked apart, thrown into trucks and carted off. NLD spokesman Han Zaw said it had not been able to learn anything about the fate of the detained activists and called on the junta to free them. "We urge the government to release the arrested people immediately and unconditionally," it said. The NLD also demanded that the regime "explain to the public why it suddenly hiked energy prices." The junta, which keeps a tight grip on the nation's media, usually deals harshly with protesters. About 100 people watched the confrontation in silence near downtown Yangon, the main city in the secretive country formerly known as Burma. The scene was quickly over, but it was the third time in a few days that people have dared take on the generals who run the country. It followed a demonstration Wednesday by about 150 activists -- cheered on by bystanders -- who marched through the city in protest at last week's fuel price hike, which doubled transport costs overnight. About 500 people joined a similar march on Sunday to show their anger over the raise, which has left many urban workers unable to afford even a bus fare to get to their jobs. Analysts say the junta underestimated how angry the price hike has made the public, who have been coping with a moribund economy that critics say has been mismanaged by the ruling generals. "The economy is no longer deteriorating. It's decaying," said Debbie Stothard, of the Alternative Asean Network on Burma pressure group, who added that residents appeared willing to take greater risks to demand change from the government. "People feel they don't have very much to lose," she said. Myanmar analyst Win Min said the protests took extraordinary courage after 1988, when the army opened fire on an uprising and left hundreds, if not thousands, dead. "Now there is a fear that the military might shoot again on the streets," he said. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called for restraint, and for talks toward reconciliation over the protests. The government says 13 people were arrested over the protest on Sunday, including some of the nation's most prominent pro-democracy leaders. Activists say at least 10 others have been jailed. Many of those arrested included members of the 88 Generation Students group, made up of former student leaders who spearheaded the 1988 pro-democracy uprising. The student leaders were handed long prison sentences but many have been released over the last three years, including Min Ko Naing, who is considered the nation's most prominent pro-democracy leader after Aung San Suu Kyi. The latest arrest of Min Ko Naing and the other activists has drawn an international outcry, with western governments and rights groups demanding their release. "The recent price hikes in Burma make it harder for ordinary people to sustain themselves by driving up prices of essential goods and services," said Arvind Ganesan of New York-based Human Rights Watch. "Peaceful protest should not land them in jail," he said. http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BD616BFE-1062-4BF4-B41D-7186A2847B3D.htm Police break up Myanmar fuel demo A previous protest on Wednesday was later broken up by a pro-government mob armed with sticks Police and government supporters in Myanmar have again broken up a rally by pro-democracy activists against a recent massive hike in fuel prices. The rare public protest was the third in less than a week to take place on the streets of Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, and comes amid rising tensions in the country. Thursday's protest - smaller than previous demonstrations - involved about 40 pro-democracy activists whose march was blocked by a gang of government supporters. Witnesses said both sides were locked in a tense standoff for about half an hour before security forces moved in, detaining ten of the protesters who were driven away in a truck. Activists say there have also been other demonstrations in other cities with increased numbers of security personnel deployed on the streets. Accurate reports from across Myanmar are hard to obtain, but in an email statement on Thursday afternoon the Asia-Pacific People's Partnership on Burma (APPPB) said it had recieved information that about 2,000 members of the security forces had been deployed in the city hall area of central Yangon. The Thailand-based group also said it had received reports of several smaller protests being violently broken up. On Wednesday witnesses said government supporters backed by police used sticks to assault about 150 protesters marching against the fuel price rises. Eight protesters accused of being agitators were taken away, but they were later freed unharmed. Pro-democracy groups say at least 10 others have been jailed since. Silent march The doubling of fuel prices has led to rare public protests on the streets of Yangon Following the fuel price hike announced last week, activists say the cost of essential goods and services has skyrocketed. On Sunday, in what was the largest protest in Yangon in nearly a decade, about 400 people joined a silent march against the price rise, led by mostly former student leaders from the 1988 democracy uprising. In the wake of that protest at least 13 leading activists were arrested and could face up to 20 years in prison, state-controlled media reported. Those detained include Ming Ko Naing, the country's second most-prominent political figure after Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy icon and Nobel Peace Prize winner who remains under house arrest. "In many places they are patrolling with full equipment. armed with shields and guns" Myint Soe, National League for Democracy (Liberated Areas) Speaking to Al Jazeera on Thursday Myint Soe of the National League for Democracy (Liberated Areas) said the situation in Yangon remained tense with tight security across Yangon. "In many places they are patrolling with full equipment. armed with shields and guns," he told Al Jazeera, speaking from Thailand. Myint Soe said another three people were arrested on Wednesday afternoon but could not confirm their location. Leaders of the 88 Generation Students were at the forefront of a pro-democracy uprising in 1988 which was suppressed by the military. Most were subjected to lengthy prison terms and torture after the uprising. The 1988 uprising was preceded by public protests over rising rice prices, a sudden government declaration that made most currency invalid, and other economic hardships. Call for release Activists have vowed to continue their protests despite the crackdown Mie Mie, a member of the 88 Generation group who remains on the run, said they "will not fear any arrest or threat" and vowed to continue protests against the fuel price rises despite the arrest of leading activists. The crackdown in Myanmar has sparked an angry reaction from several Western governments calling for the immediate release of all detained activists. Gonzo Gallegos, a US State Department spokesman, urged Myanmar to engage in "meaningful dialogue" with pro-democracy leaders and ethnic minority groups, and to take "tangible steps toward a transition to civilian democracy rule". Speaking in Washington he called for "an end to the regime's blatant attempt to intimidate and silence those who are engaged in peaceful promotion of democracy and human rights in Burma". In Paris the French foreign ministry said it was concerned by the use of force by "pro-government militias" against the protesters in Yangon. And in Canada Maxine Bernier, the country's foreign minister, said the arrests were another example of the Myanmar authorities' "continued disregard for freedom and democracy". http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/23/asia/AS-GEN-Myanmar-Arrests.php Myanmar strong-arms demonstrators in effort to tame fuel price protests The Associated PressPublished: August 22, 2007 YANGON, Myanmar: Myanmar's military government, seeking to tame continuing street protests against fuel price increases, strong-armed demonstrators for a second day Thursday as they marched peacefully through the streets of the country's main city, Yangon. The defiant protesters, many of them supporters of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, marched Thursday for the third time this week to protest the ruling junta's doubling of fuel prices last week in the impoverished country. Plainclothes security personnel and tough-looking civilians stopped about 40 people, mostly from Suu Kyi's party, as they walked quietly for 3 kilometers (2 miles) toward their party headquarters in eastern Yangon. Authorities ordered bystanders, and especially reporters, out of the area as the protesters - outnumbered by about three-to-one - were overwhelmed after a 30-minute standoff. Protesters sat on the pavement and formed a human chain in an attempt to prevent officers from forcing them into waiting trucks and buses. A dozen protesters, however, were dragged and shoved into the vehicles, where some were slapped around, said witnesses, who asked not to be named for fear of being called in by the police. Reporters were also roughed up by security personnel, who shouted abusive language and warned that they would also be their targets. The number of protesters decreased from Wednesday, when about 300 people marched to protest the fuel hikes despite the arrests of 13 top activists who helped organize the rally. Several hundred people had staged a similar protest on Sunday. Wednesday's march was broken up when a gang of government supporters assaulted some protesters with sticks and seized eight who were accused of being agitators, witnesses and participants said. The eight were later freed unharmed after interrogation by authorities. "Unable to bear the burden of spiraling consumer prices, the public express their sentiments through peaceful means. However, the authorities have arrested, tortured, beaten up and endangered the lives of those who are peacefully expressing their dissatisfaction," Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party said in a statement Thursday. U.S. State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said the U.S. believes "it's important for the government there to begin to speak to other groups, to draw on the ethnic minorities, to deal with the other political parties to proceed down a path of democracy and respect of individuals and human rights." It was economic dissatisfaction that sparked the country's last major upheaval in 1988, when mass street demonstrations broke out seeking an end to military rule that began in 1962. The protests were violently subdued by the army, which held a general election in 1990 but refused to honor the results when it was won by Suu Kyi's party. The current protests are nowhere near the scale of the 1988 events, but the junta appeared to be taking no chances. It seemed that the pro-government civilians, whose exact affiliation could not be ascertained, were being employed to quash protests. Three or four trucks carrying dozens of such men were parked near Yangon's City Hall, where it had been rumored more protests would take place. It has been a government tactic in the past to use members of the Union Solidarity and Development Association - ostensibly a social welfare organization, but closely linked to the junta - to assault and intimidate the junta's opponents. The USDA was linked to attacks against Suu Kyi and her party supporters in Yangon in 1997, and in northern Myanmar on May 30, 2003. The latter clash led to her detention, which the military said was for her own protection. Wednesday's demonstration came shortly after the arrests of leaders of the 88 Generation Students group, which has been boldly staging petition campaigns, prayer vigils and other nonviolent activities to free political prisoners and promote a return to democracy. State-controlled media reported Wednesday that 13 leading members of the group had been arrested Tuesday night and could face up to 20 years in prison. Members of the 88 Generation Students still at large issued a statement calling for the release of their leaders and demanding that the junta solve the country's economic and political problems. The group called on Buddhist monks, the people and students to join their movement. Monks and students have been in the forefront of past social and political protests, against both British colonialism and military rule. Leaders of the 88 Generation Students helped lead the 1988 pro-democracy uprising and were subjected to lengthy prison terms and torture after the rebellion was suppressed. The 1988 uprising was preceded by public protests over rising rice prices, a sudden government declaration that made most currency invalid, and other economic hardships. Myanmar's junta has been widely criticized for human rights violations, including the 11-year house arrest of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi. Also Thursday, a former political prisoner staged an apparently solo protest outside the U.S. Embassy before being hauled away by plainclothes officers. Ohn Than was holding a sign calling for U.N. intervention to make the government convene parliament, said witnesses. He had served two years in prison for taking part in a protest in front of a U.N. office in 2004, and had been temporarily detained at least twice this year for taking part in further protests. http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BA2FF2A0-F652-4DEB-84A8-6AFF3978AE07.htm Myanmar protesters defy arrests Protests have been sparked by a 100 per cent rise in the price of fuel [APPPB] Hundreds of pro-democracy activists in Myanmar have defied a government crackdown and returned to the streets of the former capital, Yangon, to protest against a massive fuel price hike. Witnesses said about 300 people took part in Wednesday's demonstrations and there have been reports of clashes with pro-government groups. The demonstration came after opposition groups and state media reported that 13 people had been arrested on Tuesday for leading similar protests earlier this week. At least another six people were reportedly arrested during Wednesday's march in Yangon. In a rare public comment, the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper said the activists held on Tuesday were arrested for "undermining stability and security of the nation". "Their agitation to cause civil unrest was aimed at undermining peace and security of the state" New Light of Myanmar newspaper No details were given of the alleged offences but those detained could face up to 20 years in prison. "Their agitation to cause civil unrest was aimed at undermining peace and security of the state and disrupting the ongoing National Convention," the newspaper said. The convention is currently drafting the country's constitution as part of what the military government says is a seven-point roadmap to restoring democracy in Myanmar. Critics have dismissed the process as a sham. Security in Yangon and Mandalay, the country's second largest city, has been tightened. Uprising "People are facing a lot of difficulties and they want to do something, but they are afraid of being beaten to death or arrested" Ko Bo Kyi, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners Among those arrested are prominent former student leaders, all from the 88 Generation Students movement - a group which was at the forefront of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising. Most were reportedly tortured and given lengthy jail terms after the uprising was suppressed by the military. In a recorded statement released to Al Jazeera, another of 88 Generation leaders, Htay Kywe, who is now in hiding from the authorities, gave an acount of the recent arrest of his friends. "Last night the military intelligence and government intelligence seized their house and sacked their house for no detailed reason," he said. "They seized some papers and some material from that house and also many mobile phones were seized." Prices skyrocket In some cases the price of food has more than doubled as a result of the fuel hike [EPA] On Sunday activists and former student leaders led more than 400 people in a silent march through Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, after the government arbitrarily increased fuel prices by 100 per cent. Following the price hike, the overall cost of essential goods and services has skyrocketed, and in some cases prices have more than doubled, activists say. Ko Bo Kyi, the joint secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners based in Thailand, said at least nine of the detained activists were taken from their homes late on Tuesday. "From what we know, they are being held at the Kyaik Ka San detention center outside Yangon," he told Al Jazeera. "We don't have all their names but I expect more to be arrested." He said some activists have gone into hiding but the rest will continue their activities, including trying to organise a second silent march. Ko Bo Kyi said security was very tight in Yangon. "The situation is very bad here. I'm really worried that some activists might be beaten or detained," he said. "People are facing a lot of difficulties and they want to do something, but they are afraid of being beaten to death or arrested." He added, "Now people have to use half of their income for bus fares and students are badly affected because many of the universities are located outside of town." Students arrested According to US-based activist group, Myanmar authorities had also arrested a number of students. The US Campaign for Burma, based in Washington, said five university students and three members of another activist group were arrested in separate sweeps. Reports in government newspapers made no mention of these arrests. The US group said three members of the Myanmar Development Committee, which had called for a nationwide protest against the fuel price hike, were also arrested along with the five students. The Myanmar Development Committee has vowed to go ahead with the protests on Wednesday despite the arrests. Pro-democracy groups in Myanmar have also appealed for support and urgent action from civil society organisations based on the Thai border and the international community. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2007/08/26/2003375849 Myanmar detains 65 activists after protest AP, YANGON, MYANMAR Sunday, Aug 26, 2007, Page 1 Myanmar's junta has detained at least 65 activists who protested fuel-price hikes, a state-controlled newspaper and witnesses reported, including two arrested yesterday as they were about to launch a fresh demonstration. The New Light of Myanmar said 13 of those arrested on Tuesday from the prominent pro-democracy 88 Generation Students group "are being interrogated" for allegedly undermining the government, colluding with insurgent groups and harming the community peace. If charged, the activists face up to 20 years in jail. Members of the 88 Generation Students were at the forefront of a pro-democracy uprising in 1988 and were imprisoned and tortured after the military brutally suppressed the rebellion. Of the more than 50 others, witnesses said two were arrested yesterday as they were about to hold a protest at a busy intersection in the country's largest city, Yangon. One of those arrested yesterday was Htin Kyaw, the 44-year-old leader of the pro-democracy group Myanmar Development Committee. He has repeatedly been arrested in the past for organizing protests over the country's dire economy, most recently in April. Of the more than 50 others, the newspaper said eight people were arrested in the country's largest city Yangon as they marched in an anti-government protest on Wednesday. The rest were picked up in the same city on Thursday and Friday ahead of other planned rallies. People in impoverished Myanmar are angry at the military government's decision to double fuel prices at state-owned gas stations earlier this month. Yangon was quiet yesterday, with pro-junta supporters and plain-clothes police deployed throughout the city to prevent further protests. Trucks stood ready to take demonstrators away. Nyan Win, a spokesman for the opposition National League for Democracy party, said yesterday the eight demonstrators detained on Wednesday had been released, but that the fate of the others was unknown. Peaceful protests have been taking place since last Sunday, mainly in Yangon. No new protests were reported early yesterday. The junta quickly broke up burgeoning protests on Friday, but the defiant demonstrators could claim a partial victory after the government ordered some bus companies to lower fares that were raised because of the higher fuel prices. Myanmar's ruling junta has been widely criticized for human rights violations, including the extended detention of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and more than 1,200 other political prisoners. The US, France, Britain and several international human rights groups have called on the junta to ease its repressive activities and free political prisoners. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Myanmar's government to exercise restraint in its response to the demonstrations. Economic frustration sparked the country's last major upheaval in 1988 when mass demonstrations broke out seeking an end to the military rule that began in 1962. The protests were violently subdued with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people killed. The current protests are nowhere near the scale of the 1988 events, but the junta appeared to be taking no chances in trying to clamp down on the protests. The military rulers held a general election in 1990, but refused to honor the results when Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won in a landslide. http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/4035F402-035F-495D-B9E7-1B61D9A0AACC.htm Myanmar arrests dozens over protest Myanmar has been ruled by the military for 45 years [AFP] Dozens of pro-democracy supporters have been arrested as activists tried to launch a new protest in military-ruled Myanmar against a sharp rise in fuel prices, witnesses said. About 50 activists had gathered near a bus stop close to the former campus of Yangon University on the north side of Myanmar's main city on Tuesday. Protesters chanted "Lower fuel prices, lower commodity prices!" as they walked along a main road. But witnesses said plainclothes police and government supporters from the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) arrived within 10 minutes and broke up the group. Opposition About 200 people were reported to have gathered to watch the standoff between the protesters and the security forces. The march was led by Su Su Nway, a labour activist sent to prison in October 2005 for more than seven months after reporting cases of forced labour to the United Nations. Some witnesses said she was among those hauled off by security forces, but others said she had managed to slip away. Su Su Nway is a member of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), but party officials did not immediately have details on the arrests. The protest was the latest in a series of demonstrations against the military, which for 45 years has ruled Myanmar. The government sparked public anger when it hiked fuel prices by as much as five-fold on August 15. Spreading Protests against fuel prices spread to the northwest city of Sittwe on Tuesday, where 300 people, including Buddhist monks, staged a march, Reuters news service said. A local source in Sittwe said the march, which for the first time included monks, lasted at least an hour down a road in the centre of the city. For the last 10 days, pro-democracy supporters across the country have defied official threats and a clampdown on dissent to stage small rallies against the fuel price increase. State media said 56 people had been arrested over last week's protests, but Thailand-based political dissidents on Monday said it was at least 100. Among those held last week was Min Ko Naing, who is considered Myanmar's most prominent pro-democracy advocate after detained opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKBKK16268020070823 Pro-junta gang breaks up Myanmar protest march Thu Aug 23, 2007 7:06AM BST By Aung Hla Tun YANGON (Reuters) - A gang of supporters of Myanmar's military rulers broke up a small protest march in Yangon on Thursday as the arrest of 13 top dissidents did little to quash public anger at soaring fuel prices and falling living standards. A tense stand-off ensued before the marchers, who had been walking towards the offices of the opposition National League for Democracy, were manhandled into trucks belonging to the junta's feared Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA). A Reuters reporter at the scene was told not to take photographs. There was no word in the army-controlled media on the fate of the 13 dissidents arrested on Wednesday night, who included Min Ko Naing, the former Burma's second-most prominent political activist after detained Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Five women and a man picked up by the USDA after a small demonstration on Wednesday in north Yangon were released. For a second day, armed police and truckloads of USDA men armed with spades and brooms took up positions in the centre of the former capital. However, in an apparent sop to the widespread public anger at last week's shock fuel price rises, bus fares for the shortest journeys were halved. The junta's doubling of diesel prices and a five-fold increase in the cost of compressed natural gas had brought Yangon's bus networks to a standstill and stoked discontent in the city of 5 million people. Analysts said the hard core of the dissident movement, which centres on the still-influential leaders of a 1988 mass student uprising ruthlessly suppressed by the army, would continue to express public discontent. However, the junta's coordinated action on Wednesday, starting with midnight swoops on the student leaders, had probably ensured the series of small but persistent social protests did not snowball into something larger. "These people have vowed to continue the struggle at all costs. They have vowed to go all the way, and so for sure they will continue to protest," said Aung Naing Oo, a 1988 protester who fled to Thailand to escape the bloody military crackdown. "But I doubt a large majority of people will participate. Small gatherings of 100 here, 200 there, will go on but the emphasis is on the word small," he said. The world's largest rice exporter when it won independence from Britain in 1948, Myanmar is now one of Asia's poorest countries after more than four decades of unbroken military rule. Suu Kyi, daughter of independence hero Aung San, won a landslide election victory at the helm of her National League for Democracy party in 1990, only to be denied power by the army. She has spent most of the 17 years since in prison or under house arrest. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3534482 New Myanmar Protest Quashed in Minutes Supporters of Myanmar Military Junta Quickly Break Up Demonstration Against Price Increases man is detained by men in civilian cloths during a protest in Yangon on August 28, 2007. Defiant protests in military-ruled Myanmar against soaring fuel prices spread to the oil-producing northwest on Tuesday, where 300 people, including Buddhist monks, staged a protest march in Sittwe, a local source said. In Yangon, around 30 people staged a march through the north of the city, before stopped by men in civilian clothes, witnesses said. Five people were taken away. Picture taken on August 28, 2007. (Democratic Voice of Burma/Reuters) The Associated Press YANGON, Myanmar Aug 28, 2007 (AP) Demonstrators on Tuesday tried to mount a new protest against rising prices, but marched only 30 yards before being beaten and wrestled into waiting trucks by civilians who back Myanmar's military government, witnesses said. The two dozen protesters shouted slogans against a big fuel price hike and implored onlookers to join them, stressing they were marching peacefully for their rights, said witnesses, who asked not to be quoted by name for fear of reprisals from the regime. The marchers were quickly set upon by pro-government toughs, who pummeled demonstrators with fists while dragging them into trucks, the witnesses said. At least one protester was reportedly dragged by his feet. A prominent labor activist and former political prisoner, Su Su Nway, took part in the protest, but said she managed to escape in a taxi with several colleagues. "Peaceful protests are brutally cracked down upon and I want to tell the international community that there is no rule of law in Myanmar," she told The Associated Press. More than a dozen of the country's leading democracy activists, members of the 88 Generation Students group, were detained Aug. 21 before a similar demonstration. Myanmar activists in exile claimed 200-300 people, including many Buddhist monks, took part in another protest Tuesday in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State in western Myanmar. A report on the Web site of the Democratic Voice of Burma, an opposition shortwave radio station based in Norway, said witnesses reported the protest lasted for at least an hour without interference. Protests triggered by fuel price hikes began Aug. 19 and have continued on an almost daily basis despite a security clampdown by the military government supported by organized bands of civilian toughs serving as law enforcers. Myanmar's ruling junta, which has received widespread international criticism for violating the human rights of its citizens, tolerates little public dissent. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C08%5C29%5Cstory_29-8-2007_pg4_13 Dozens detained over new protest in Myanmar * Protestors clamouring for lower fuel prices g ASEAN voices concern over unrest YANGON: Dozens of pro-democracy supporters were detained Tuesday after a top labour activist tried to launch a new protest in Yangon against a sharp rise in fuel prices, witnesses said. About 50 activists had gathered near a bus stop close to the former campus of Yangon University on the north side of Myanmar's main city, but plainclothes police and pro-junta militia broke up the group after only 10 minutes, witnesses said. Protesters chanted "Lower fuel prices, lower commodity prices!" as they walked along a main road. About 200 people gathered to watch the standoff between the protesters and the security forces, witnesses said. The march was led by Su Su Nway, a labour activist sent to prison in October 2005 for more than seven months after reporting cases of forced labour to the United Nations. Some witnesses said she was among those hauled off by security forces, but others said she had managed to slip away. Calls to her cell phone went unanswered. Su Su Nway is a member of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), but party officials did not immediately have details on the arrests. The protest was the latest in a series of bold demonstrations against the military, which for 45 years has ruled impoverished Myanmar with an iron fist and kept a tight lid on dissent. But the junta sparked public anger when the government secretly hiked key fuel prices by as much as five-fold on August 15. That immediately doubled the cost of transport, which left many people unable to even afford the bus fare to get to work. For the last 10 days, pro-democracy supporters have defied official threats and a clampdown on dissent to stage small rallies against the fuel price increase.State media said 56 people had been arrested over last week's protests, but Thailand-based political dissidents on Monday said it was at least 100. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) voiced concern over unrest in Myanmar on Tuesday, its first comments after soaring fuel prices prompted rare public protests in the military-ruled nation. But ASEAN, several of whose 10 members consider the excesses of Myanmar's military regime to have cast all of Southeast Asia in a bad light, will stop short of sending an envoy to Yangon to express its concern, Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong said. "What we have done is to make our views known in a certain way, maybe it is not the high-profile way where we send a special envoy to go to Yangon, or to the new capital, to make a case," he told reporters in the Malaysian capital. "But we have learnt through the last 10 years the way to work with Myanmar is to present a logical and good ASEAN position and they will find a way to answer our queries." Junta hiring thugs: Rather than stir up memories of their bloody 1988 crackdown by putting troops on the streets, Myanmar's junta is relying on gangs of paid thugs and criminals armed with brooms and spades to crush a rare outbreak of dissent. Accurately predicting public anger at this month's shock fuel price rises, the rulers of the former Burma released hundreds - maybe thousands - of prisoners to clear the decks for mass arrests, diplomats and exiled dissidents said on Tuesday. Happily for the generals, those booted out of Yangon's fetid cells also made perfect recruits for the shadowy Swan Aah Shin, or "capable strong person", organisation which has emerged as the junta's main weapon against protesters. "It's an underground organisation and I don't know who would admit to it existing, but it exists and it exists in force, and it has been evident over the last week," said one diplomat who watched the Swan Aah Shin in action on the streets of Yangon. agencies http://newsbox.msn.co.uk/article.aspx?as=adimarticle&f=uk_-_olgbtopnews&t=4023&id=6306363&d=20070903&do=http://newsbox.msn.co.uk&i=http://newsbox.msn.co.uk/mediaexportlive&ks=0&mc=5&ml=ma&lc=en&ae=windows-1252 2/9/2007 5:05:16 PM ( Source: Reuters) Brown calls on Myanmar to free protesters LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown slammed on Sunday Myanmar's crackdown on dissidents and demanded the release of those held after street protests against fuel price rises. More than 100 people have been arrested in recent days as the dissent provoked one of the most far-reaching crackdowns in the former Burma since 1988. "I deeply deplore the Burmese government's violent suppression of peaceful demonstrations," Brown said in a statement. "I call upon the Burmese authorities to release immediately all those detained merely for protesting at the hardship imposed on them by the government's economic mismanagement and failure to uphold fundamental human rights," he said. He called for the release of all political prisoners, including Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. He urged countries and organisations with influence over the Myanmar authorities to "impress upon the generals the need for an early transition to democratic rule, full respect for human rights and genuine national reconciliation. Brown backed calls for the United Nations' Security Council to examine the situation in Myanmar as soon as possible. He said he planned to raise the Myanmar situation with key countries in the region and with the European Union and United States. U.S. President George W. Bush has already criticised Myanmar's military junta for arresting dissidents who participated in the recent protests. http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/EE46611F-E8B8-4E00-9E34-8976D2279650.htm Myanmar detainees on hunger strike A group of pro-democracy demonstrators detained after protests last week in military-ruled Myanmar have launched a hunger strike, activists said. They are reportedly demanding medical treatment for a colleague who broke his leg when police and pro-government militia broke up a protest in Yangon and arrested up to 20 people on Tuesday. "Some of the people arrested with him started a hunger strike this evening because their colleague Ye Thein Naing hasn't received any medical treatment for his broken leg," one activist told AFP news agency on condition on anonymity on Thursday. Ye Thein Naing and an unknown number of other protesters are being held at an improvised detention centre at the city's Kyaikkasan sports grounds, he said. At least 100 people have been arrested since a series of anti-government rallies began on August 19 in protest at a huge increase in fuel prices, according to activists. Myanmar has been rule by a military government for 45 years and displays of dissent are rare. Activist 'beaten' "Ye Thein Naing was beaten and thrown onto a waiting truck by militia," said one activist who was at the protest. "His leg was broken at that time, when he was beaten up. Even then, they still kept kicking him on the truck." "We have only pens and books. I do not understand why they treat us like rebels" Su Su Nway, pro-democracy and labour activist Like many of the protesters, Ye Thein Naing is a member of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), headed by Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel peace prize winner who is currently under house arrest. Su Su Nway, another NLD member and labour activist who led the march on Tuesday, said that she and other leaders of the protest movement have gone into hiding to avoid arrest. "I heard the authorities have been watching my house all the time, waiting to arrest me," she said. "We have only pens and books. I do not understand why they treat us like rebels. "We are just making a statement on behalf of the people, including government staffers. We are sacrificing our young lives. I want the authorities to understand that." The NLD won a landslide victory in general elections in 1990 elections, but the military has never recognised the result. Economic hardships Meanwhile, a small rally of mostly NLD members was staged in the small town of Kyaukpadaung, located in a rural part of central Myanmar, activists said. The protesters were jeered by supporters of the military government, and leaders were ushered into a meeting with the township chairman, who advised them of a ban on gatherings of more than five people before letting them go. "We told the [chairman] that we are marching to express the economic hardship due to the fuel price hike and also demanded that all political prisoners be released," Myint Lwin, one of the protesters, said. "We are peacefully expressing our civil rights."