From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sat Jan 12 04:38:26 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 12:38:26 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] SOUTH AFRICA: Three reports on Western Cape anti-eviction struggle Message-ID: <013301c85518$08810b70$0802a8c0@andy1> Press Alert Sunday 23 December 2007 9pm DELFT, CAPE TOWN - A major clash looks likely to take place tomorrow (Monday 24th December 2007) from early in the morning in Delft, Cape Town. Today, Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Housing, gave the instruction to Thubelisha Homes and the SA Police to decisively remove all 1000 people who have occupied the 500 newly built BNG houses in Delft. Shortly after she gave this instruction, four truckloads of soldiers stationed themselves at Delft police station. We must point out that this looming eviction will be completely illegal. There is absolutely no eviction order from the court that would authorise the government to evict these residents. This also shows that the new Zuma led ANC is no better than the Mbeki led ANC, since the new ANC National Executive Committee has done nothing to try and resolve this situation. Once again, it is a case of unleashing huge amounts of police and soldiers to brutalise people who are out of sight of the public. However, tomorrow's police brutality will not go unnoticed. The community has appealed for support from other communities tomorrow morning and many people will attend. They will also be holding a demonstration outside the Bellville Magistrates Court where three Delft activists will appear having been arrested last week for occupying the houses. The people of Delft have been promised houses for almost 14 years by the ANC government and by every different municipal government in Cape Town and they have every right to take over those houses which are standing empty. Like other communities in SA, Delft is in a crisis. It is extremely overcrowded and people are desperate for housing. The government has made a very foolish blunder by proposing to leave the homeless of Delft in their backyards and forcibly remove the people of Joe Slovo to Delft, where they do not want to go. .../ends For more info call: Ashraf Cassiem - 076 186 1408 Mzonke Poni - 073 2562036 Martin Legassick - 083 4176837 Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign Press Release 24th December 2007 5pm In a major victory for about 1000 backyard dwellers and the homeless residents of Delft, the Cape High Court granted an interim order at 5pm today (21/12/2007) interdicting anyone from evicting or threatening to evict those residents who occupied the newly built houses in Delft last week. The ruling temporarily suspends the eviction order of 30th October 2006 that the police, for the past week, have been using to threaten, intimidate and evict the residents. The residents will appear in court again on the 3rd of January 2008 to hear the judge's final ruling. The state, including Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Housing (who yesterday instructed the police to "clear out" the residents); Thubelisha Homes; and any associated company or individual are now totally forbidden from threatening or trying to evict the residents. In addition, the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign is delighted that the same judge denied Thubelisha Homes application for a new eviction order. Although this is a short term victory, it is a very positive ruling in the sense that: 1. It clearly prevents the DA and ANC from choosing to act unlawfully by simply unleashing huge amounts of police and private security on poor and vulnerable communities to evict them, whereas they know very well that they are supposed to seek a High Court eviction order. 2. It shows that organised communities are clearly against the ludicrous ANC/DA forced removal plan (which goes by the name of N2 Gateway project) and that they are not going to stop resisting it, and hence the ANC/DA must shelve this plan and consult with communities towards a real solution that provides houses for all (and not some cosmetic solution that sees a couple of expensive showhouses built along the highway while everyone else gets dumped in the sand in the back of Delft, out of sight). 3. It shows that communities are not going to be deterred from using the High Court by the high cost of overpriced advocates - in this case four anti-eviction campaign working class activists worked through the nights for the whole weekend collecting over 800 affidavits to bring an interim interdict against the state, and presenting the case to the Judge. The police may now face a damages claim since they were informed by the Anti-Eviction Campaign this afternoon that they must hold off on evicting people, since the matter was being heard in the High Court. The police, however, refused and in fact broke the law by breaking into the houses and removing peoples' furniture, which was damaged. .../ends For comment please call Ashraf Cassiem, Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign paralegal on 076 1861408 or Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign activists Mzonke Poni on 073 2562036 or Mncedisi Twala on 078 5808646 or Pamela Beukes on 079 3709614. Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign Press Statement Thursday January 10th 2007 3pm CAPE TOWN - The High Court case involving the over 1000 Delft homeless and backyard residents who occupied the "Breaking New Ground" houses in Delft a few weeks back, has been postponed from tomorrow (11 January) to next Tuesday 15th January 2008. The ANC MEC for Housing, Richard Dyantyi, Thubelisha Homes, Seakay Construction plus two other companies today served an urgent application to evict the residents from the houses. They were supposed to have served the application last Friday, according to a court order. The residents who occupied the houses have all been on the housing Waiting List for up to 20 years and have been promised houses at each and every election by all the political parties but these parties have never delivered on their promises. Ashraf Cassiem, Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign Legal Co-ordinator, is representing the residents because they do not have money for an Advocate. According to Cassiem, "Again the companies and the government have disregarded the court order which said that last Friday they were supposed to serve the application. The court order also stipulated that we should have had a chance to respond by yesterday and the matter should be heard tomorrow but the companies and government failed to comply". Cassiem says that this is the second time the Housing Department, Thubelisha Homes and the other three companies have acted unlawfully. "The last time they used an unlawful 2006 order to evict residents and the court did not even chastise them but only set the order aside. They should be punished according to section 8 of the Prevention of Illegal Evictions Act which makes it a criminal offence to use unlawful orders to evict people. Now we want to know what the court is going to do about them taking their own liberties and why they are untouchable. However we are also happy that people are going to get the chance to say why they should not be evicted." The Anti-Eviction Campaign and Delft community are having a mass meeting at 7pm tonight to discuss the latest development and we will be ready by Tuesday 15th January to oppose the application" said Cassiem. .../ends For comment call: Ashraf Cassiem on 076 1861408; Pamela Beukes on 079 3709614; Mncedisi Twala on 078 5808646; or Mzonke Poni on 073 2562036 - all of the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Jan 13 14:03:41 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:03:41 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] CHILE: Student shot during Mapuche protest Message-ID: <007401c85630$2a216630$0802a8c0@andy1> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mapulink @ Mapuche Nation" To: Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 3:09 AM Subject: [EF!] Police Brutality in "Democratic" Chile: Mapuche Student Shot Dead; Political Prisoner Slowly Dying From Hunger Strike MAPUCHE INTERNATIONAL LINK 6 Lodge Street Bristol BS1 5LR England Tel/Fax: + 44-117-9279391 E-mail: mapuche at mapuche-nation.org Website: www.mapuche-nation.org Police Brutality in "Democratic" Chile Mapuche Student Shot Dead; Political Prisoner Slowly Dying From Hunger Strike 13th January 2008 A peaceful protest by the Mapuche met a bloody end on 3rd January when police opened fire into the crowd, killing 22-year-old university student Matias Catrileo Quezada. The young Mapuche man was shot in the back upon retreating, when Chilean police began firing indiscriminately into the crowd with machine guns. Among the protestors were elderly civilians and children, and it was a miracle that nobody else was killed. For years the Chilean judicial system has refused to deliver justice and return the indigenous land illegally taken by the estate Santa Margarita, owned by Jorge Luchsinger, in the district of Vilcun. The local Mapuche protested by moving onto their land to attract the attention of the authorities. The police responded by shooting into the crowd, which immediately dispersed and ran for cover. Due to serious mistrust in the conduct of Chilean institutions, including the police (who have a long history of manipulating the evidence to meet their own ends), Matias' body was handed to the local Catholic Church, who appointed Bishop Sixto Parzinger to arrange an independent autopsy, and mediate with the authorities. This murder has caused immediate outrage among both the Mapuche communities and non-Mapuche throughout the ancestral territory of the Mapuche, and the capital of Chile, Santiago. The ensuing civil outcry has been met with yet more unnecessary police brutality, which has resulted in many protestors being injured and detained, including Matias Catrileo's mother, Monica Quezada, his sister, and various other members of his family. On the 9th January, in the city of Temuco, Monica Quezada was arrested along with 16 other protestors during a march condemning the murder of her son by the police. The tension between the Mapuche people and the Chilean authorities has been growing since the 10th of October 2007, when six Mapuche political prisoners went on hunger strike and were subsequently ignored by their government. The prisoners originally agreed to stop their protest upon the intervention of Bishop Camilo Vial, who organised a mediation between the Mapuche and the government in an effort to clarify the conditions concerning their imprisonment. Including why the authorities had decided to use the Anti-Terrorism Law, a relic from the time of the Pinochet dictatorship that only last year the President had promised never again to use upon the Mapuche. The Chilean government agreed to this mediation, and on the 17th December the negotiations were supposed to start. With this agreement, all but one of the prisoners, Patricia Troncoso, stopped their hunger strike. Patricia decided that she would wait until the talks began to take place, and she was sure of the government's integrity in this situation, before she joined them. And she was right to do so, as this agreement has apparently now been forgotten. Patricia Troncoso is now being kept alive by a saline drip. She has been on hunger strike for 93 days. According to the latest medical report issued on the 7th January 2008, Patricia has lost 26.2% of her original weight, is suffering from cramps, slowed heart rate, respiratory difficulties, and has a very weak pulse. The mental examination found that she is speaking very slowly, she is disorientated, and she is drifting in and out of consciousness. The prognosis for her future shows that, even if she were she to stop this now, she would still never fully recover. Her body has suffered too much damage to be able to return to its former health. Patricia continues her protest, but she is dying. Patricia's private doctor, Doctor Berna Castro Rojas, advises that her patient be kept in the hospital permanently, rather than the current situation of traveling back and forth from prison. She also states that Patricia should be undergoing at least daily examinations, but that this is not happening. She is being neglected. In her final report, Doctor Castro Rojas requested that Patricia be immediately interned in a hospital that would guarantee her life, have doctors continuously accessible, and respect her rights of protest. The present outrage felt by the Mapuche communities has been expressed through many public protests. These demonstrations, though passionate, have not been violent on the side of the Mapuche; however, they have been aggressively broken up by the 'military police', who have used water cannons to disperse the crowds, and have beaten and arrested countless Mapuche and supporters, including children. The result of this is that the tension is continuing to escalate. For further information, please visit our website at www.mapuche-nation.org No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.1/1220 - Release Date: 11/01/2008 18:09 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! 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Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ldxar1 at tesco.net Sun Jan 13 14:08:01 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:08:01 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] US: Guantanamo closure protest repressed Message-ID: <008101c85630$c4bae220$0802a8c0@andy1> Protesters Demand Guantanamo Close: 80 Arrested Friday 11 January 2008 http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011108R.shtml The Associated Press, Washington - Eighty people were arrested at the Supreme Court Friday in a protest calling for the shutdown of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Demonstrators wearing orange jump suits intended to simulate prison garb were arrested inside and outside the building in the early afternoon. "Shut it down," protesters chanted as others kneeled on the plaza in front of the court. They were charged with violating an ordinance that prohibits demonstrations of any kind on court grounds. Those arrested inside the building also were charged under a provision that makes it a crime to give "a harangue or oration" in the Supreme Court building. The maximum penalty is 60 days in jail, a fine or both. The court is considering whether prisoners still detained at Guantanamo Bay have a right to challenge their confinement in U.S. courts. Officials briefly closed the court building during the protest. It reopened around 2 p.m. EST. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 15:53:31 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:53:31 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] INDIA: Nandigram solidarity protest rocks Kolkata Message-ID: <00db01c8589b$00056d70$0802a8c0@andy1> http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/1B0080A4-28E3-40DA-9E79-1DAEF91DFE47.htm Indian troops quell land protest Central Kolkata is under a night curfew [AFP] One person has been killed and 36 injured after Indian soldiers were called onto the streets of the eastern city of Kolkata after violent protests in an ongoing land dispute. The demonstration on Wednesday came after weeks of protests over the killing of villagers allegedly at the hands of government-backed gangs. It is the first time in years that troops have been called in to put down unrest in a major Indian city. A night curfew was imposed in the city centre after about 5,000 protesters attacked offices of the state ruling party and battled police, Gautam Mohan Chakraborty, a police chief, said. Police in riot gear used batons and tear gas to disperse the protesters, who were called to march by the All India Minority Forum. VK Goyal, the city deputy police commissioner, said: "There is tension. Right now we have an uneasy calm." Prasad Ranjan Roy, the state home secretary, said: "The three-hour demonstration was more or less peaceful, but a large number of unorganised people gathered." Region in turmoil The region in eastern India has been in turmoil for months after the local government proposed building a chemical plant on fields around Kolkata. Protesting farmers have been fired on by police and there have been months of clashes leaving dozens dead. The farmers, many of whom are Muslim, say the communist controlled regional government has been waging a campaign of brutality against them for refusing to give up their land. The latest protests brought the city to a standstill, with residents forced to walk to work with their hands on their heads. Schools were closed and police said at least 40 vehicles were damaged, including about a dozen set on fire. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2917297.ece November 22, 2007 Chemical plant protest rocks cities Jeremy Page CALCUTTA A protester was killed and 27 others injured as troops enforced a curfew on central Calcutta after a day of riots over the killing of farmers who had refused to give up their land for industry. The communist rulers of West Bengal, who are allies of India's coalition Government, have drawn up plans for several Chinese-style special economic zones. Their efforts were thrown into crisis in March when police in Nandigram shot dead several villagers who refused to sell their land for the chemical complex. Local opposition parties and Maoist rebels moved in, forcing the government to ditch its plan and making the area a no-go zone for police and government officials. There have been almost daily protests since, including a two-day strike this week in West Bengal and neighbouring Bihar, during which Maoist rebels blew up railway track and blocked highways. The crisis has also spread to New Delhi, where angry MPs yesterday shouted down their communist counterparts on the opening day of a debate on Nandigram. http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-30614720071122 Army deployed in Kolkata to quell riots over Nandigram Thu Nov 22, 2007 8:07am IST By Tamajit Pain KOLKATA (Reuters) - The army was called out to quell violent protests in Kolkata on Wednesday as new trouble broke out in a political row over the killing of villagers opposed to surrendering land for industry in Nandigram. Soldiers with automatic rifles patrolled the heart of the usually bustling city after protesters hurled stones, shattered car and bus windscreens, burned vehicles and blocked traffic. A night curfew was imposed in parts of central and eastern Kolkata as a precaution, authorities said. It was the first time in years that the army had been ordered to bring peace to a major city, in what some analysts said was a major embarrassment to the state's communist rulers who have been accused of failing to stop violence by their cadres. The trouble began after a protest march called by the All India Minority Forum turned violent. Hundreds of demonstrators hurled stones and bottles at riot police in the narrow streets of central Kolkata. Riot police retaliated by firing tear gas at the protesters and cordoned off the area to prevent the trouble from spreading, witnesses said. "People were allowed to move in the streets with their hands on their heads. Many have been held up in offices," Swati Ghosh, who works in the area, told Reuters by phone. "We hope the situation improves by evening." Parents said schools had been closed and children had been held back until peace returned to the streets. Police said at least 40 vehicles had been damaged, including about a dozen set on fire, and about 50 protesters and policemen injured. "The three-hour demonstration was more or less peaceful but a large number of unorganised people gathered," said state Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Roy. "We will have to see whether there was a call to create trouble." COMMUNISTS UNDER PRESSURE West Bengal has been roiled by weeks of protests against the killing of villagers in Nandigram by suspected communist cadres in a turf battle that began earlier this year. West Bengal's ruling communists, who are allies of the coalition government at the centre, lost control of Nandigram earlier this year after trying, unsuccessfully, to get villagers to vacate their land to make way for a chemicals complex. Local opposition parties and Maoist rebels moved in, and the area became a no-go zone for communists and police alike. This month, communist party cadres forced their way back in. At least six villagers were killed in the violence, bringing the death toll so far this year to at least 34. Several women alleged they had been raped by communist cadres. The latest trouble followed a two-day strike this week over the issue in West Bengal and the neighbouring state of Bihar, during which Maoist rebels blew up railway tracks, disrupted train services and blocked highways. The All India Minority Forum said the demonstration was also aimed against West Bengal giving refuge to a controversial Bangladeshi Muslim woman author accused of criticising Islam in her books. "It was a peaceful protest. I don't know how this turned violent. We are clueless," said Idris Ali, chief of the forum, adding that some protesters had said police provoked them. The Kolkata violence disrupted the national parliament in New Delhi as angry lawmakers shouted their communist counterparts down in the Rajya Sabha, forcing an adjournment for the day. The trouble coincided with a Lok Sabha debate on the violence in Nandigram. "The ruling left front has failed to protect the people of Nandigram, the people are terrorised by the left parties," said opposition leader L.K. Advani, referring to the government of West Bengal, the world's longest-serving democratically elected communist government. "We are witnessing the end of communist rule world over and Nandigram will be a turning point in the politics of West Bengal," he added. (Additional reporting by Bappa Majumdar and Nigam Prusty) http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8978&Itemid=1 What happened in Kolkata that riot scarred Wednesday? By Sujoy Dhar Kolkata, Nov 22: Flaming vehicles, children scampering in fear and raging crowds roaming the streets attacking police with bricks and soda water bottles. How did fabled poetry-loving Kolkata degenerate to riots more reminiscent of cities like Ramallah, people asked themselves Thursday but came up with few answers. A directionless protest that found a volatile mix in atrocities in Nandigram and the extended stay of Bangladeshi writer Taslim Nasreen turned central Kolkata into a battle zone Wednesday in scenes straight from a strife-torn West Asian city. There were lots of theories but no real answers about how and when things spun so out of control that the army had to be called in as youth living peacefully in rundown Muslim ghettos of central Kolkata surfaced in frenzied rage. For the world outside, Kolkata had for the last few years been a story of upcoming townships, flyovers, swanky shopping malls, forays into the IT sector or the communists' ideological somersault. But Wednesday was different and even Idris Ali, the man whose nondescript All India Minority Forum (AIMF) is held responsible for the sordid episode, said he was nonplussed. "Trust me I have no idea how it spun out of control. But the immediate trigger could be the suppressed anger of the Muslims against Nasreen's stay in Kolkata," Ali told IANS after he was pilloried for the flare-up. "We had assembled peacefully at around 9 a.m. at the Park Circus seven-point crossing. We wanted to block the road in protest against Nasreen who has defiled the Prophet and hurt the sentiments of about 2.5 million Muslims living in West Bengal," said Ali. "We were only about 60 in number," said Ali, known to journalists for years as a small-time Congress leader who would call up every evening to publicise programmes backed by him and his AIMF. According to Ali, police refused them permission to block the road and arrested the AIMF activists at 9.40 a.m. "Soon the news spread and I think Muslims in the area were so angry on the Taslima issue and the dillydallying of the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government that they spontaneously led a people's agitation." He added, however, that he wasn't sure. "There can be something else behind it as well." Park Circus, the area where it all began and a two km radius around it, is a jarring split image of wide avenues, some of the best English schools in the city and the grimy quarters where the huge Muslim population lives in poverty and filth. This part of central Kolkata represents a rich mosaic of cosmopolitanism though it is also known for notorious criminal bases. "What I saw was unbelievable. I saw a peaceful assembly first and then some youths came out of the meeting and started abusing all. Then they went about ransacking shops, looting and hurling abuses at whom no one knows," said a resident of Padmapukur on CIT Road, one of the worst affected areas. "All I can say is that there was no provocation from police as they tried to deal with the situation with utmost restraint," he said, adding that he saw youths targeting shops and looting could have been a reason for starting the riot. Deputy Commissioner (South) Jawed Shamim, who was injured while tackling the mob, said: "There was no provocation from us. We were busy with our law and order duty and then it all happened. I cannot say what is the trigger behind it." According to one resident of the area, however, a prominent Muslim leader had held a meeting in the area a week back and incited people. "During the meeting the shops were closed and the youths were present," he said on condition of anonymity. Besides AIMF, the other organisations in the protest were the Jamait Ulema-i-Hind and Furfura Sarif Muzadeedia Anath Foundation. The role of Jamait leader Siddiquallah Chowdhury in the Singur and Nandigram flare-ups has been widely discussed. He has admitted to helping organise the Muslim youths Wednesday. "It is a warning for the (ruling) Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). The party would feel the heat soon and lose its Muslim base," Chowdhury said. But Ali said he had no idea about the presence of the Jamait. While Kolkata introspects for an answer on what went wrong Wednesday, the events are portents of a gathering storm that the ruling communists need to take note of - and take preventive action. (IANS) From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 16:08:30 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:08:30 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Prison and detention centre uprisings, Dec/Jan 07-08 Message-ID: <00dd01c8589d$1994a1a0$0802a8c0@andy1> * UK: Uprising by immigration detainees at Campsfield, one wing destroyed * ARGENTINA: Thirty-three dead in fire as uprising sweeps provincial prison * BRAZIL: Shootout after attempted escape kills several inmates * US: Oklahoma inmates start uprising over discomfort * VENEZUELA: Guards kill 15 as prisoners fight for control of facility; state blames paramilitaries * INDIA: Maoist prisoners take over prison in protest over death of inmate * US: Mohave County prisoners cause damage during unrest * US: Mineral Wells private prison hit by three-hour uprising, guards pelted * INDIA/PUNJAB: Prison uprising in Jalandhar follows hunger strike, abuse of Sikh prisoner * CYPRUS: Asylum seekers hold rooftop protest at British base, demand passports * US: Unrest at Lincoln County prison http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.1911087.0.detainees_describe_riot.php Detainees describe riot By Matt Wilkinson Police with riot shields and dogs near the detention centre Detainees inside Campsfield House detention centre described the scale of the riot and the devastation caused. The men said security cameras and lights were smashed in the centre's blue block, while toilets and showers were flooded. And they said detainees had started fires by setting blankets alight in their rooms. Speaking to the Oxford Mail from inside the centre, the men said the disturbance was sparked by the sudden removal of fellow detainee Davis Osagie. They claimed officials entered his room at 5.23am to forcibly remove African-born Mr Osagie from his bed. One of his roommates, who asked not to be named, said: "He was on the top bunk of the bed and they dragged him down. "About five officers were holding us down, preventing us from interfering. They just came running in like in the movies. "I was scared because I did not know what was going on. He was screaming. After they took him away forcefully everyone was angry. "It just escalated from there. There was a confrontation with the officers. There was just anger. It's not calm and I don't think it will be calm now because people are still angry. "There are no lights, the toilets have been flooded and the cameras have been broken." He added the rioting lasted for about 20 minutes and involved dozens of people. He said Mr Osagie had been working as an immigration officer at Edinburgh Airport before the authorities realised his own paperwork was not in order. The detainees said Mr Osagie, originally from Benin, had been held in Campsfield for three months and had a two-year-old daughter and a pregnant fianc?e living in Edinburgh. A 39-year-old fellow detainee added: "Early this morning somebody was shouting and screaming. "This man was being dragged, kicking. There is blood all over the floor. People are trying to pull this place down. "There's no lighting, there's flooding - that's the reaction to what happened this morning. "Everybody is angry. It has not stopped. For every action there is a reaction. I think almost everybody was involved. "There was fire. They were setting fire to the blankets. They smashed the cameras. They turned the place upside down." Tonight, the Home Office said two of the three wings at Campsfield were fully operational. But inmates in the wing affected by the riot would be moved to other centres. Eight detainees are still missing after escaping from Campsfield House during a riot four months ago. Three of the runaways served jail terms for robbery, drugs offences and growing cannabis and appeared on Crimestoppers UK Most Wanted list. Twenty-six detainees fled the centre after escaping during a fire in August. Police arrested 12 in the immediate hours afterwards. Three more were found days later. The Home Office said tonight that remaining escapees were still missing. 7:18pm Monday 17th December 2007 http://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/latest-south-east-news/Immigration-centre-riot-after-detainees.3597309.jp Immigration centre riot after detainees 'went wild' Detainees at an Oxfordshire immigration centre "went wild" on Monday after security guards in riot gear removed an inmate from his cell, campaigners said. Police and fire services were called to Campsfield House near Kidlington after reports of a disturbance in the early hours. Supporters from the Campaign to Close Campsfield said that "a handful" of detainees had broken CCTV cameras and light fittings, flooded toilets and set fire to blankets. They said the violence erupted shortly after 5.20am when ten officers entered the cell of Davis Osagie in Blue Block. Campaigner Bob Hughes said: "They told me that the guards did not give the man a chance to go quietly. Ten men in riot gear walked straight in at 5.20am and almost went straight in with boots and fists." A handful of detainees "went wild and broke things", he said. He said that detainees reported that the building was now cold with water everywhere and some men had not eaten breakfast and were all confined in their rooms "too exhausted" to create any more trouble. The centre holds 218 male detainees and was converted in 1993 to hold immigrants awaiting deportation. It has been the subject of a campaign to close it for many years. In March this year nine people were taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation after violence broke out and fires were set. Months later, in August, 26 men broke out after starting fires. Police recaptured 12 men the following day but some still remain at large. A Border and Immigration Agency spokesman said: "The Prison Service and police have assisted the Border and Immigration Agency by securing the perimeter which has not been breached. GEO, who run the site, have asked the Prison Service for assistance, and a number of specially-trained prison officers have been sent to Campsfield." http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/display.var.1913964.0.murder_led_to_campsfield_riot.php 'Murder' led to Campsfield riot By Andrew Ffrench Comment | Read Comments (5) Detainees rioted at Campsfield House detention centre in Kidlington because they mistakenly believed that one immigrant had been murdered. Bob Hughes, a spokesman for the Campaign to Close Campsfield, said the "explosion of anger" on Monday morning was due to a "firm belief" among many inmates that Davis Osagie, originally from Benin in West Africa, had been murdered by prison officers. An assessment is now being carried out by the Home Office after the centre's CCTV system was broken and part of the 'fabric' of the building was damaged. Calm has now been restored at the centre and 128 inmates have been been moved to other centres. Two out of three wings at the centre, which holds 215 detainees, are fully operational. Mr Hughes, who is in close contact with detainees, said: "Detainees were awakened by his (Osagie's) screams and shouts of 'murder!'. "When they tried to open their room doors to investigate, they found they had been locked in. "Some men are said to have kicked their doors down in order to get to Osagie's assistance. "After the immediate panic had subsided, guards unlocked the rooms, assuring inmates that it was all over and there was nothing to worry about. "Then detainees noticed a lot of blood in the corridor, where Osagie had been taken, assumed the worst, and the trouble started in earnest." Mr Hughes said some of the detainees from Campsfield have been transferred to Colnbrook, a detention centre near Heathrow Airport. No-one from GEO, the private security firm running Campsfield, was available for comment. Vida Bromby-Tavenner, a spokesman for the Home Office, declined to confirm where detainees had been taken. She added: "All transfers of detainees following the incident have been completed. "Detainees affected will be transferred to other secure accommodation in the Border and Immigration Agency and Prison Service estates." 5:54pm Tuesday 18th December 2007 http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g5_tEAbhCYIF4xg6PBn_BNbgX6lA Thirty-three dead in Argentine prison riot Nov 5, 2007 BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Thirty-three inmates were killed and 20 people, including prison guards, were injured in a riot and subsequent fire at a northern Argentine jail, officials said. A fire swept through the prison on Sunday after the inmates, protesting their detention conditions, started setting their mattresses on fire. Officials said 33 prisoners died of burns and asphyxiation and another 20 inmates and guards were injured. A judge visited the prison following the incident and authorities said they were investigating whether the riot was staged to cover up an escape bid or to support demands by the prisoners. The Santiago del Estero provincial prison, some 800 kilometers (500 miles) northwest of Buenos Aires, holds about 500 inmates. Sunday's was the worst prison riot since October 2005, when 33 inmates were killed in Buenos Aires' provincial Magdalena prison. In February, the Supreme Court ordered the government to improve jail conditions in western Mendoza province, after human rights groups complained about the death of 17 inmates during a riot there in 2004. http://www.thestar.com/News/article/277541 5 inmates dead after botched prison escape Nov 18, 2007 11:00 AM Associated Press SAO PAULO, Brazil - A botched prison escape led to a riot and a shootout with police that left five inmates dead and 70 injured in northeastern Brazil, authorities said Sunday. The prisoners tried to break free from the overcrowded Maceio Detention Center in the northeastern state of Alagoas on Saturday, police Lt. Daniele Assuncao said by telephone. A shootout with police followed and inmates burned mattresses and damaged objects inside their cells. Authorities negotiated an end to the riot after about five hours. Police were investigating how the prisoners smuggled guns into the detention centre. The prison - which holds both convicts and suspects awaiting trial - was built to hold 40 prisoners but had nearly 300 at the time of the riot, according to the Folha Online news service. Riots are common at Brazil's often-overcrowded prisons. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/144347.html 7 killed in prison riot, 70 injured Posted : Mon, 19 Nov 2007 08:56:04 GMT Author : IANS Category : World Sao Paulo, Nov 19 - At least 7 people were killed and more than 70 injured when prisoners fought with the armed guards after a jailbreak attempt in Maceio, the capital of Brazil's northeastern state of Alagoas, Spanish news agency EFE reported quoting local media. Seven of the injured were said to be in serious condition. The riot started Saturday after guards swung into action and tried to prevent the escaping inmates. The police, supported by its Special Operation Battalion, was called in to put down the riot when the number of rioters swelled and spread to other parts of the jail. The jail facility, which has the capacity for 250 inmates, currently houses 290 prisoners who are awaiting trial. The jail administration said the inmates set fire to the prison buildings and destroyed furniture and other items. An investigation into the causes of the death of inmates has been initiated, it said. http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=7434467 Caddo County inmates uncomfortable, start riot Posted: Nov 30, 2007 11:14 PM Featured Videos Caddo County inmates uncomfortable, start riot Lawton_Some Oklahoma state inmates started a disturbance inside the jailhouse in Caddo County Thursday night. A number of small fires were set and the toilets were stuffed flooding the top floor of the jail in the Caddo County Courthouse. County Sheriff Gene Cain says four inmates waiting for transfer started the riot. They said they were upset because they had yet to be transferred to a Department of Corrections Facility. No one was hurt but officials say it got pretty intense. It happened just after 8:30pm and Sheriff Cain says this is the type of thing they expect in crowded conditions, which aren't expected to change any times soon. A tax hike election to build a new jail failed just two weeks ago. Once the disturbance began, prison clothing was stuffed into toilets flooding the jail and security cameras caught a fire started in one of the cells. Cain says it's the crowded conditions that caused the mess. "They get to fighting amongst themselves - discontent. One gets to sleep in the bed and the other on the floor; it causes all kinds of problems," he says. The overflowing toilets soaked inmate's mattresses and leaked into the kitchen pantry below. Cain says they were burning anything they could get their hands on - books, bibles, and letters. He says officers and their back up were able to bring everything back under control and everyone in the immediate area was detained in another area while a cleanup was underway. All were back in their cells by 11:30pm. Cain says whenever you have jail crowding, you can expect this to happen. It's just a part of it," he says. "You don't like it. It's just one of the things we have to put up with - thankfully it came out no one was hurt and not that much damage. Cain says at least 15 inmates had to be moved to other areas of the jail while their cells were being cleaned and repaired. But, for the most part, everything is back to normal. The Caddo County Jail is working to get the four who started the melee transferred a quickly as possible. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/09/america/LA-GEN-Venezuela-Prison-Riot.php 15 killed in prison riot in Venezuela The Associated Press Published: December 9, 2007 CARACAS, Venezuela: A riot in a Venezuelan prison left at least 15 inmates dead and 12 injured as prisoners fought for control of the facility, the justice minister said. The clashes broke out Saturday in a prison in the southwestern city of San Cristobal, near the Colombian border, Justice Minister Pedro Carreno told reporters. Police and national guard troops have restored order, he said. Carreno said the violence broke out after one group of prisoners took visiting relatives hostage. He blamed it on a group of imprisoned paramilitary fighters, the Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional reported Sunday. The same group is believed responsible for the killings of the prison director and his deputy months ago, Carreno said. Violence is common in Venezuela's overcrowded and understaffed prisons. The watchdog group Venezuelan Prisons Observatory said there have been about 800 killed in the country's prisons in the last two years. http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/19/stories/2007121961991500.htm Maoist prisoners protest death of inmate - Photo: Ranjeet Kumar Up in arms: Prisoners demonstrate inside the Beur Central Jail in Patna on Tuesday. PATNA: Over 350 Maoists lodged in the high-security Beur jail here went on the rampage on Tuesday and clashed with securitymen and other inmates, demanding stern action against the jail authorities after a fellow prisoner allegedly committed suicide in the jail hospital. Nagina Manjhi, a resident of naxalite-affected Gaya district, reportedly committed suicide on December 14 by hanging himself in the jail hospital. Enraged at the incident, the naxalites, belonging to the CPI (Maoist), demanded action against the jail authorities, including jail superintendent and jailors, for alleged lapse on their part which led to Manjhi's death, official sources said. In a bid to pressure the other 800 inmates to support them, the Maoists vandalised the kitchen in the jail and poured water on stoves and food items. The situation was brought under control after the district administration rushed in CRPF, CISF and Special Auxiliary Police contingents. The naxalites were allegedly led by one of their top commanders Ajay Kanu who had allegedly masterminded the jailbreak at Jehanabad in which the Maoist rebels helped over 300 inmates escape in November 2005. The naxalites then began a fast even as senior officials, including Director-General of Police Ashish Ranjan Sinha and IG (Prisons) Sandip Poundrik, tried to persuade them to go inside their wards and cells. "We are negotiating with the agitators and everything is under control," Mr. Poundrik said. - PTI http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Maoists_riot_in_Beur_prison/articleshow/2632349.cms Maoists riot in Beur prison 19 Dec 2007, 0000 hrs IST,Dipak Mishra & Sanjeev Kumar Verma,TNN PATNA: A day after Maoists freed 110 of their comrades from Chhattisgarh's Dantewada jail on Sunday night, Bihar's Beur jail witnessed protests as 300-odd inmates - mostly left-wing extremists - virtually took charge of the prison on the outskirts of Patna for nearly eight hours on Tuesday. A rattled administration ordered police action inside the prison, with more than 400 cops being sent in to quell the mobs. Equipped with guns, lathis and tear gas shells, the cops pushed and shoved the trouble-makers back into their cells. "We didn't use force; it was just a display of force," IG (prisons) Sandip Paundrik later said, and claimed the administration had at no point "lost control of the prison". The drama began early, around 6.30 am, when 150-odd inmates on hunger strike demanding action against officials responsible for the recent suicide by Maoist inmate Nagina Manjhi, stormed into the jail's five kitchens and poured water on the stoves. They then sat on a dharna in the open field calling for senior officials to come for talks. In the process, they roughed up securitymen and even hounded them away. Around 10 am, IG (prisons), Patna DM and SSP arrived. The agitators demanded a judicial probe into the death of Manjhi, who hanged himself in the prison on December 14. They also wanted action against the jail superintendent besides Rs 5 lakh as compensation for Manjhi's kin. "We told them a judicial probe is on, and action will be taken against jail officials on the basis of its report. We also assured them that we will write for compensation to Manjhi's family," Paundrik said. Most agitating inmates then agreed to call off the protest. But a few prisoners raised fresh demands such as permission for food from outside the jail and an increase in the number of visitors. "We told them that only reasonable demands will be accepted," Paundrik said. Meanwhile, police vans and jeeps carrying armed forces kept coming in at regular intervals. Soon, the premises resembled an army cantonment as machine-gun wielding jawans took position outside the jail. The administration gave agitators time up to 2 pm to return to their wards. Around 2.30 pm, the forces were pushed inside. And at 3 pm, the administration invited mediapersons to the superintendent's office to brief them about "normalcy inside the jail". http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070036251&ch=12/18/2007%204:34:00%20PM Beur Jail called back in order Tuesday, December 18, 2007 (Patna) Patna's Beur Central Jail was taken over by its inmates for a few hours on Tuesday to protest against the poor living conditions and death of a sick inmate, who was allegedly driven to suicide by the jail authorities. Around 300 security personnel were called in to control the situation. Earlier in the day inmates were lathicharged by jail security after they broke utensils in the jail kitchen. Tension gripped the high profile facility as Naxal inmates went on a hunger strike alleging they are not being treated well. 40-year old Nagina Manjhi, a notorious criminal and an active member of the outlawed Maoist outfit in Gaya district, was found dead hanging from an iron gate of the Beur Jail infirmary where he was being treated for some minor ailment. Inmates have said he was not given adequate medical attention. Search operations in the jail have been stepped up after Sunday's daring jailbreak in Chattisgarh's Dantewada area. Beur jail houses some top naxal leaders including Ajay Kanu who was rearrested after the 2005 Jehanabad jailbreak. http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2007/12/16/news/local/local5.txt Bullhead City man faces new charges after jail riot By JIM SECKLER/The Daily News Saturday, December 15, 2007 10:30 PM CST KINGMAN - A Bullhead City man and his accomplice were indicted on new felony charges after allegedly rioting at the county jail. A Mohave County grand jury indicted Santiago Fidel Sanchez, 22, of Bullhead City and Manuel Macias Ortega, 30, Indian Springs, Nev., for riot, criminal damage and destruction to public jail. Ortega is also charged with felony escape. Sanchez and Ortega are expected to be arranged Dec. 28 before Superior Court Judge Robert Moon. Sanchez is being held in jail on two separate bonds at $7,500 each. On the night of Dec. 6, Mohave County sheriff's deputies were called to the county jail in Kingman after the inmates became unruly and uncooperative during the evening meal. Sanchez and Ortega allegedly damaged lights, windows, the main pod door and stopped up their toilets. About 35 inmates in C pod were locked down during the incident. No injuries were reported. Sanchez has been in custody on charges of aggravated assault and influencing a witness in one case and aggravated harassment, threatening and influencing a witness in a second case. Ortega has been in custody on charges of unlawful flight, kidnapping, aggravated assault, vehicle theft and trafficking in stolen property. http://www.mineralwellsindex.com/local/local_story_002093349.html #9 - Another prison riot While the inmates at Corrections Corporation of America's pre-parole facility didn't attempt to escape on Aug. 12, debris - from rocks to a toaster - rained down on law enforcement as they maintained a perimeter during an evening riot. The riot, according to the facility's public information officer Rose Thompson, began when a "small group of inmates [were] unhappy with a recently communicated reinforcement of a standard policy requiring inmates to wear T-shirts while on the outside recreation yard." The melee lasted approximately three hours, drawing to a close when two Special Operations Response Teams from CCA reportedly used chemical agents to subdue approximately two dozen inmates who refused to comply. They "identified approximately 36 inmates who admitted to participating in property destruction or refusing to return from the recreation yard to the housing units.," Thompson had said, while an unknown number of those offenders are expected to be transferred to other facilities in the state. Law enforcement from several agencies including the Mineral Wells Police Department, the Palo Pinto County Sheriff's Department, Parker County Sheriff's Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety responded to the scene. http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2008/jan/08/magisterial_probe_ordered_jalandhar_prison_riot.html Magisterial probe ordered into Jalandhar prison riot Submitted by Tarique on Tue, 01/08/2008 - 15:56. Crime/Terrorism By IANS Jalandhar : A day after prisoners went on a rampage inside the Jalandhar central jail here, the district administration Tuesday ordered a magisterial probe into the rioting and sought a report within a week. An uneasy calm prevailed in the prison complex, located in a congested residential area of this city, following the rioting by inmates who not only took control of the prison but also set a portion of it on fire following a clash with jail officials. Hundreds of relatives of prisoners arrived from all over Punjab Tuesday upon hearing of the rampage to ask about their jailed kins' well-being. Punjab's Director General of Police for prisons Izhar Alam also inspected the prison complex Tuesday with senior officials. On Monday, the prison department suspended jail superintendent Satpal, who was accused of getting the hair of a Sikh prisoner shorn for not falling in line with his diktats, triggering resentment among the prisoners. Prison inmates went on a hunger-strike Monday morning, which led to a clash with jail officials. The agitated prisoners took control of the prison complex and set a portion of it on fire and damaged other buildings and property. For nearly three hours, the jail was under the control of prisoners though none could escape as armed contingents of the Punjab police surrounded it from all sides. The police had to fire in the air and tear-gas the prisoners. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7175369.stm Prisoners riot in northern India By Jyotsna Singh BBC News, Delhi A prisoner adds fuel to the flames Hundreds of prisoners have rioted for several hours in the main jail in India's northern city of Jalandhar, in Punjab state. Officials said the prisoners were protesting against the alleged high-handedness of the staff. Around 1,500 prisoners went on the rampage, smashing windows, doors and furniture. They also set fire to the hospital and kitchen. Police said the protesters also threw stones at prison officials. 'Situation brewing' One prisoner was injured and the police had to use tear gas and baton-charges to bring the situation under control. The rioting broke out on Monday morning soon after the prisoners began a hunger strike demanding immediate action against the jail authorities, accusing some of them of mistreating prisoners. "The situation was brewing up for a few days. The prisoners had a number of complaints including lack of proper food and medicine," a senior policeman, Arpit Shukla told the BBC. Mr Shukla said the superintendent of the jail had been suspended. One Sikh prisoner, he said, had accused a jail officer of pulling out some of his hair. Police said the situation had been brought under control and the prisoners had gone back to their cells. Mr Shukla said there were reports that some prisoners had attempted to take advantage of the melee to try to get away. "Jallandhar prison is one of the most secure prisons so nobody was able to escape," Mr Shukla said. A detailed investigation into the incident has already been ordered. It comes after nearly 300 communist rebels and their supporters escaped from a prison in the central state of Chhattisgarh in an armed jailbreak less than a month ago. India's jails are overcrowded. The excruciatingly slow pace of justice is often blamed for this, as thousands of people are kept behind bars awaiting trials. http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKL1451457520080114 Asylum seekers in UK base standoff end protest Mon Jan 14, 2008 7:07pm GMT NICOSIA (Reuters) - Seven Iraqis who had barricaded themselves on a roof at a British base in Cyprus to demand British passports ended their protest on Monday, authorities said. The asylum seekers had been holed up on the top of a 14-metre (45 ft) training tower in the western sovereign base of Episkopi from Jan 9, threatening to jump. "The protesters came down this evening on their own free will," a spokesman for the British bases said. "I think they understand we cannot do anything for their requirements." The men had entered British sovereign territory in Cyprus between 2001 and 2003 via Turkish held northern Cyprus, an unrecognised Turkish Cypriot state. Britain's border and immigration service had assessed their applications which were recently rejected. Since their arrival on the island they had been staying at a British accommodation facility, but were evicted on Monday. During the protest, one of the men injured himself with a roof tile and another came down willingly -- only to clandestinely re-enter the building on Sunday with food supplies for the other protesters. An eighth man, an Iranian, was arrested on Sunday. Britain has two military bases in Cyprus. The Mediterranean island was a British colony until 1960. (Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia) http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/15/content_7422813.htm Iraqi asylum seekers end protest at British base in Cyprus NICOSIA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Seven Iraqi protesters who seek asylum ended their six-day demonstration at a British military base in southern Cyprus on Monday. The asylum seekers climbed down a 14-meter fire service tower, from where they had threatened to throw themselves off unless they got British passports. Local media reported that the British base authorities succeeded in starving the seven down instead of the use of force. The Iraqis had reportedly sneaked into the base from the Turkish Cypriot-controlled north eight years ago. Another Iranian man with them was seized on Saturday when he left the tower for food and attempted to rejoin the seven. They claimed the British bases authorities initially promised they would be granted British passports, but the British authorities clarified that they should apply for asylum to the Republic of Cyprus. The asylum seekers have reportedly left the base after calling off the protest. Britain, the island's former colonial ruler, has retained two sovereign military bases in southern Cyprus since its independence in 1960. http://www.koat.com/news/15049035/detail.html Detention Center Riot Investigation Continues POSTED: 5:39 pm MST January 14, 2008 UPDATED: 6:13 pm MST January 14, 2008 LINCOLN COUNTY, N.M. -- Investigators are looking into why prisoners started rioting at the Lincoln County Detention Center Sunday night. Sheriff deputies told Action 7 News that six inmates started the riot in a pod that houses 28 inmates. Deputies said that the inmates vandalized part of their pod before they were able to take charge. Deputies used tear gas to calm the inmates down about an hour after the riot began. The sheriff said that the department will press charges against the six inmates who started the riot. There were no major injuries during the incident. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 16:13:30 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:13:30 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Student revolts, Dec/Jan 07-08 Message-ID: <00de01c8589d$ca919f30$0802a8c0@andy1> * CAMEROON: Students protest blackouts, battle police; two killed by police * SIERRA LEONE: Land dispute sparks school student unrest, fifteen police injured * UGANDA: Student revolt over water shortage, roads blocked * FRANCE: Riot police attack university occupation at Nanterre * QUEBEC: Students occupt university over fee hike, attacked by police * NIGERIA: Water shortage in school leads to mass unrest, seven school buildings burnt * NIGERIA: Shooting by police leads to mass student uprising, attack on police station * INDIA: Police attack on adivasi student protest leads to unrest, property damage * NIGERIA: Students continue tuition fee protests [Notice the extreme violence being used by statists in several of these stories - live rounds in Cameroon, tasers and pepper spray in Canada, riot police in France - it seems intolerance of protest is only getting worse] http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL1211489.html Cameroon police kill students in blackout protest Mon 12 Nov 2007, 16:59 GMT [-] Text [+] By Tansa Musa YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Police in Cameroon shot dead two students during a protest triggered by days of power blackouts in the western town of Kumba, state radio and a senior local official said on Monday. The police officers opened fire as they were pelted with stones and Molotov cocktails during the demonstration on Saturday, hitting two students in the head and killing them instantly. Another five were injured, one of them seriously. "I am particularly disgusted by the fact that the police used live bullets against unarmed student demonstrators," Prince Ekale Mukete, mayor of the Kumba 1 district in the centre of the town, told Reuters. "There are other means of suppressing student protests ... but using machine-guns and pistols against students is excessive, barbarous and totally unacceptable," he said, urging the authorities in the capital Yaounde to discipline the police. Saturday's protest had been called to demand the release of four other students arrested during demonstrations in Kumba earlier in the week against local energy firm AES-SONEL, a unit of U.S. power company AES Corp, state radio said. Frustrations had boiled over after a blackout lasting more than 10 days, interrupting the students' classes and preventing them from studying, it said. Angered by the killings, local residents later joined the student demonstrators and burned down a local government office, the regional AES-SONEL office in Kumba and vehicles parked in surrounding streets, the radio station said. Calm had since returned after the detained students were released and local authorities met with AES-SONEL officials to try to resolve the power crisis. The unrest is just the latest uprising against blackouts that have gripped the central African country, including Yaounde and the main commercial city of Douala, in recent months. The security forces shot dead three protesters in Abong-Mbang in eastern Cameroon in August during a demonstration against a blackout that had lasted several days. (Editing by Nick Tattersall) http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=africa&item=071126215705.ob39dspz.php 15 police injured in SLeone high school riot: police Monday, 26 November 2007 AFP FREETOWN, Nov 26, 2007 (AFP) - Dozens of secondary school students rioted on Monday in Freetown over a land dispute, injuring 15 policemen, police and witnesses said. Francis Mumu, police assistant inspector general, said around 100 students stoned nearby houses which they claimed encroached onto the school's property. The riots -- during which a police car was set ablaze -- started on Friday. http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/595700 Water scarcity hits Kampala, Students riot Monday, 5th November, 2007E-mail article Print article Security officials clear a road that was blocked by rioting students of Mitchell Hall, Makerere By Conan Businge and Francis Kagolo KAMPALA city and its suburbs yesterday entered the fourth day without water, following bursts of water pumps on Kampala and Jinja roads. In a press notice, the National Water and Sewerage Corporation, said the 14-inch diametre steel pipe supplying areas of Jinja Road, and a two-inch diametre pipe on Kampala Road burst on Friday, cutting off water supply to the city its suburbs. The affected areas are those on Bombo and Gayaza roads, and Jinja Road up to Mukono. When The New Vision toured areas in Kawempe-Maganjo, a 20-littre jerrycan of water sold at sh1,000. In Nakawa, the same container went for sh500, Ntinda at sh400 and Gayaza, sh600. The national water authority said repairs had been delayed by the many pipe interconnections at Centenary Park and other infrastructure like electric cables close to the pipes. "The situation was further delayed by a whole day shutdown of Ggaba waterworks on Sunday, due to installation of a second 10/14MVA transformer by UMEME to enhance power supply at the substation," said the notice. In Makerere University, the water shortage prompted a riot by students of Mitchell and Nkrumah halls. The riot that ran for over four hours, started at 6:00am. Students blocked Pool Road and hurled stones at motorists. Four vehicles were destroyed. The whole university's water reservoirs had run dry, including that of the administrative blocks. Most university toilets remained unflushed. "We are not animals to live in such a filthy environment. This is unfair to us," said a resident of Mitchell hall. Despite pleas from the dean of students, John Ekudu, the students went ahead with the riot. "It is not only this university which is affected. We know how dangerous it is to live in a dirty environment," Ekudu said. It took the intervention of the Police from Wandegeya under the command of DPC Godson Nsekanabo, to quell the situation. By 11:00am, the Police were ferrying water to the university in tank vehicles. The Kampala Extra Police spokesperson, Simeo Nsubuga, at a press briefing blasted the university authorities for failing to plan properly. "Whenever those students riot, they rush to us. This is not our mess. It is theirs." http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=30836§ionid=351020603 French riot police clash with students Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:43:00 France has 82 universities with 1.5 million students France's riot police have broken up a blockade of students protesting against academic admission reforms in the suburbs of Paris. Riot police tear-gassed the students of Nanterre University to disperse them from the entrance of the university on Monday, AP reported. The students had voted for the blockade on Thursday to protest a university reform passed last summer. Student unions say the Academic reforms endanger the traditional open admissions policy and jeopardize the equality among students, similar to the existing situation in the US. National Union of French Students (UNEF) is also calling on students to join the Wednesday demonstration by rail workers and to protest on Friday in front of the National Assembly when lawmakers vote the budget for higher education. The indefinite strike, starting tomorrow, will hit French railway while metros and busses would join, the following day. Union members at power and gas utilities also plan to walk off the job. Analysts view the strikes as the toughest challenge to President Sarkozy since he took office on May 6. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/11/386241.html Riot police attack the blockades at Nanterre University Merlin Rouge | 21.11.2007 20:36 | Education | Social Struggles | World An account from one of those at the blockades, with a few minor edits and additions for clarity. 13th November 2007 At least 150 students started the blockade from 7am, at one point the blockade of the F building looked to be under threat, but by the time I arrived there were easily 250 people blocking the doors. The law students threw apples at the pickets but discipline was maintained on the picket lines so as not to give the police an excuse to atack. Also once picketers went into the crowd the police would have been able to take the doors easily . They didn't throw anything once the first group of police arrived and over the next 45 minutes more and more police arrived until there were well over a hundred, many in full riot gear. There were 12-15 police vans and a dozen cars. By this point the pickets at the other buildings had been abandoned to support the blockade of building F. The anti-bloqueurs chanted 'liberte d'etudier' (freedom to study) although those at the pickets took up the chant and outsang them. The anti-bloquers had also sung the Marseillaise earlier on. Students chanted things such as "University: public, free and for the people." "Police, get out of the university." There were lots of other chants, there were some anti-police chants at first but they were hushed down to avoid provoking them. One of the things the anti-bloqueurs had been demanding was a secret ballot, they had a huge cardboard box and it was passed around while they shouted 'secret ballot, democracy' they did spoil the gesture by putting in two or three ballots each. An hour or so later one of them tried to bring it over to the bloqueurs but his nerve was failing and the policemen told him to stop being stupid. They also chanted 'go blues' as well. The responses from the bloqueurs were generally funnier and certainly showed a lot more imagination. At one point the anti-bloqueurs trying to show the blockade was undemocratic all raised their hands, unfortunately for them they looked as if they were doing Nazi salutes. As the police lined up the bloqueurs moved up the steps leading to the building and linked arms along the top, we stayed that way while more and more police arrived. The first police charge was on the left hand side, the police mostly just pushed forwards and were pushed back by bloqueuers, there were a few baton hits, I got hit a couple of times on the back of the hands when I was holding a railing. Some bloqueurs further along on the right were hit in the head with truncheons and punches and kicks were exchanged, I didn't see anyone get seriously hurt but there was blood on my hands and coat that wasn't mine. The police had clearly been told not to use overarm swings of the truncheons. They did try to hit at the knees, but with their shields blocking them and us on higher ground they couldn't do this very effectively. CS gas was used but I didn't see where, we could all feel it burning. Then 30 yards along to the right the police charged us, having drawn a lot of us across to the left hand side. They came in two columns one pushing in each direction. We were out manoeuvred and they reached the building . I think it was then that a group of six to twelve bloqueurs were surrounded by police using overarm swings of the batons, the bloqueurs had their hands up to protect themselves and the police kept swinging for at least a minute. On the left they couldn't push us back far, although it was difficult to move across and without breaking the chains or risking being grabbed. On the left they stopped, but they drove back the picket on the right to clear the entrance.I saw them spray gas at students back where the first charge had happened, it was aimed at a few people milling in front of the lines and was punitive. There was then a long stand off. Between those two charges a groups of people in the crowd in front of the building started to chant CRS out this was met with a massive cheer from the bloqueurs. Myself and the guy next to me began talking to the policemen, asking them why they had come, why they were attacking their own children etc? I read a bit of my book to them but they didn't like it. We told them that this was a democratic decision and that they should not be breaking a strike that had been voted for. We asked them why they wouldn't look us in the eyes. I don't knwo if that mad it any more difficult for them to attack us or not. The other guy asked them about who had sent them and since when had they been prepared etc but the guy who responded was pretty evasive, but they were definitely called in specially. The law students were let in in small groups by the police and some teachers also went in. A friend of mine tried to go in but he didn't have a student ID and was refused entry. None of the bloqueurs tried to enter. Not many went in, I was worried that they would drop things on us from the windows but they didn't. One girl got hit in the face away from the main struggles, she fell to the floor bleeding and the friend leaning over her was hit in the back with a baton. The policeman who did it was stopped from striking her again and told to stay in his position by another. As a couple of groups of law students entered,(10 or so) many waving and cheering entered some of the bloquers threw earth from the flowerbeds at them. The police charged, the bloquers held them back for several minutes but the police managed to pull a dozen or so bloquers from the front line in total, throwing them to the ground and giving them a few punches kicks or a blow from a truncheon for good measure. They didn't hold their line well as they advanced and we used a pillar as support, I pushed back at them and could probably have thrown one down the steps but then I'd have been inside the police lines by myself. But he knew I could have and I was pointed out and several of them dragged me to pull me out. As I went down I pushed myself along the floor as far as possible so the ones near the front couldn't hit me, they yelled at me to stop resisting and I yelled I'm moving to avoid getting hit with a baton. I had one with a knee on my chest, one with two and a third walked over and tried to knee me in the groin, I closed my legs and just about stopped it. They told me if I didn't come back they'd let me up so I said I'd go and I was dragged out of the lines. Most people who were thrown out went back in, but I wasn't feeling too good. I was also a bit worried because the guys on the front row had got a good look at me because I'd been shoulder to shield with them for 45 minutes so I went towards the back of the group of protesters and there were a few people who'd been badly gassed. Some people had an anti-tear-gas serum so I helped hold his eyes open so we could use it. I had a quick look at the polive vehicles, wondering if they'd left them unguarded, I went back towards the lines and saw the guy I'd been talking to staggering held up by two people. I helped him get to a seat and then we tried to talk to him, the girl said he'd been groggy for ten minutes. When the ambulancemen arrived one of them told him that it was his own fault. The guy didn't want to go with them after that but the girl insisted and the other ambulanceman was actually trying to do his job so he got into the ambulance. I saw him later on and he was ok. I walked around to the other side of the former blockade and spoke to people there. There were still people on the steps on either side. There were roughly three lines of police in front of the building, one facing up to the remaining bloqueurs on each side the other facing the crowd, forming a square with the front of the building. With the bloqueurs not moving and the police seemingly unwilling to have any more conflict everyone just stayed in position with regular chants and cheers from the bloqueurs. On the news they showed a local communist politician asking the head of the police what he was doing. He said the president of the university had called him in to lift the blockade and push back the demonstrators and that that was what he had done. The the five main campus buildings connected by an internal corridor were all locked up except for a single entrance only teachers accompanied by students could go in. I doubt many did, as I walked along the buildings I didn't see anyone inside. One window in the English building opened for a few minutes and that was it. I left in the afternoon, the campus was in a stalemate and the transport strike is due to begin tonight. Merlin Rouge http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2007/11/14/4655235-cp.html Montreal police called in to quell tuition fee protest By Helen Moka, THE CANADIAN PRESS MONTREAL - Militant student groups protesting tuition hikes in Quebec are promising to ramp up their pressure tactics despite repeated clashes with police in recent days. More than 100 students were arrested earlier this week after barricading themselves in their junior college in Old Montreal. Police say the students damaged several walls in one of the buildings, and face a host of charges, including public mischief, assault and battery and armed assault. Student leaders claim police used pepper spray and Tasers to break up what they said was a peaceful demonstration. "We find this heavy-handed," said Hubert Gendron-Blais, who heads an umbrella association of college and university student unions. "The repression we are witnessing is without precedent." Police were called to the Universite du Quebec in Montreal on two separate occasions earlier this week to clear out similar protests there. Students at a handful of Quebec colleges and universities began a three-day strike Tuesday calling on Education Minister Michelle Courchesne to cancel the tuition hikes of $50 per semester - or $100 a year - over the next five years. They also want Courchesne to bump up funding for higher education and create a day-care system for students who have children. Courchesne has shown no signs of yielding to their demands, insisting the government has offset any negative effects of the hikes by reinvesting in student aid. "Apparently she is (ignoring our) questions without even answering them," said Guillaume Potvin, spokesperson for the striking UQAM students. "We're going to take measures during the year to get minister Courchesne to answer our question properly." Gendron-Blais says the tense confrontations with police haven't swayed student resolve. He promised that students would multiply their pressure tactics, and he didn't rule out a general unlimited strike in the near future. "We are trying for a gradual increase in the number and radicalism of the pressure tactics in order to obtain a better bargaining position with the government," he said Wednesday. Student leaders are planning a large demonstration in Montreal on Thursday to close out their three-day strike. However, plans for a broader strike appear to have only limited support among Quebec's student population. Only about half of UQAM's 40,000 students are currently on strike, while student associations at other major universities in Quebec have so far balked at the idea of an open-ended walkout. Quebec students last organized a major strike in the spring of 2005 to oppose plans by the Quebec Liberal government to cut $103 million from the province's loans and bursaries program. http://allafrica.com/stories/200711130104.html Nigeria: Riot - Students Set 7 Hostels Ablaze Daily Trust (Abuja) 13 November 2007 Posted to the web 13 November 2007 Abuja Seven hostels in Government Science Technical College, Kumo, Gombe State, were on Sunday set ablaze by students in a riot that left six of them and a policeman hospitalised. Also affected were the principal's car, his office and Nigeria's flag, which was torn. Those hospitalised were students who sustained injuries while trying to run from the scene and those stoned by their colleagues. The seventh person hospitalised is a police man, Saidu Galadima, wounded by a mob from Kumo town which attempted to join the students. Galadima, who is receiving treatment at the Kumo General Hospital, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that stones and sticks were used on him by the mob. A witness who spoke under condition of anonymity told NAN that the major cause of the unrest was lack of water in the school. He said the school with a population of more than 1,500 students, depends on two local wells for its water supply. According to the eyewitness, this had been causing untold hardship to the students. When NAN visited Kumo General Hospital, some of the students hospitalised had absconded. Mr Danladi Mairiga, the Principal of the school, could not be reached while somebody who answered his phone said he was still in Gombe. When contacted, ASP Usman Kamba, the Gombe State Police Command's Public Relations officer, said he was yet to be fully briefed and promised that newsmen will be briefed soon. NAN reports that the government is due to receive the white paper of a report on the conditions of secondary schools in the state. http://allafrica.com/stories/200711210874.html Nigeria: Riot in Yola Over Killing of Undergraduate This Day (Lagos) 21 November 2007 Posted to the web 21 November 2007 Lagos There was mayhem in Yola, Adamawa State, yesterday, as Police shot and killed one Aminu Babatete, an under graduate of the Federal University of Technology, Yola. Youths in their thousands mobilised themselves and headed for the Jimeta divisional police station, in an attempt to set it ablaze. They were, however, stopped by anti- riot policemen, with teargas. Hoodlum quickly took advantage of the ensuing confusion to loot shops and other business places. Shop owners and other business outfits hurriedly closed shop and economic activities came to a stand still in most parts of the state capital. No fewer than 25 shops were looted along the Mohammed Mustapha Way commercial area, while over six cars and motorcycles believed to be owned by police personnel were razed. Anti-riot policemen in armoured cars were later deployed in major streets to maintain law and order. He added that the police quickly cordoned off the road leading Gurin-Fufore to Yola in an apparent move to track down the suspected robbers. The Commissioner of Police added that it was at this point that the deceased in company of another person were driving along the cordoned office the Guri Yola road. "The duo were traveling in a tinted glass car, and when police waved them to stop, they refused to stop in about 4 checkpionts mounted and the police chased them from Mbamba along the road into the state capital and one of the policemen shot at the car" when eventually the collided with the police vehicle , he stated. "The deceased undergraduate, who was driving at the time of the incident was hit and died instantly" Mr Okorie added. While describing the shooting and the killing as unfortunate, the commissioner of police said the police that fired the shot has been arrested and he is to face appropriate disciplinary law. Mr. Aloy Okorie said the state police command has completed arrangement to pay a condolence visit to the parents of the deceased undergraduate. http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/11/24/students_riot_in_india/4237/ Students riot in India Published: Nov. 24, 2007 at 2:20 PM GUWAHATI, India, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- At least 100 people reportedly were injured in Guwahati, India, as rampaging students burned several buses and vandalized shops. As many as 60 were hospitalized and an indefinite curfew was put in place Friday after Adivasi Student Union members rioted when police tried to prevent them from marching toward the Assembly at Dispur, The Times of India reported Saturday. The students -- armed with sticks, and bows and arrows -- attacked private property, injured a magistrate and turned the area of Dispur to Bashista into a battlefield, police told the Times. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712060311.html Nigeria: Lautech Students Protest Increase in Tuition Fees Daily Trust (Abuja) 6 December 2007 Posted to the web 6 December 2007 Yemi Bamidele Ibadan Students of Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, Oyo State Tuesday continued protest against the recently increased tuition fees announced by the management of the institution. The protesting students took over the campus and sending away the vice chancellor, Professor Bamidele Adeleke from the university premises. All lecturers and administrative staff on sight were also harassed by the students who decried the announced increase in fees which range from N50,000 to N60,000 from the former N5,000 and N6,000.As early as 7 a.m., the protesting students barricaded all roads leading to the university, preventing movement to and from campus. The vice chancellor was said to have run into the students who refused to allow him entry, rebuffing all pleas. The students then went inside the campus to drive away academic and non-academic staff who escaped into the premises, locked all offices and threw the keys away. Only last week, the students stormed the office of the state governor, where they urged him to intervene in the fees crisis since according to them, their parents would find it impossible to pay the new fees. However, in the course of that protest, the students led by the deputy speaker of students' union government Ogunjinmi Olarenwaju said they were not treated well by the security team of the governor. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 18:32:46 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:32:46 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Russia and Georgia pro-democracy protests Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <010701c858b1$3ec51c20$0802a8c0@andy1> * GEORGIA: Protest in Tblisi against Georgian president * GEORGIA: Riot police attack protesters * GEORGIA: Thousands protest re-election of president, allege fraud * RUSSIA: Police detain Kasparov after opposition rally against Putin * INGUSHETIA: Police attack anti-government protest * RUSSIA: Small liberal protest in St Petersburg squelched by cops * RUSSIA: Communist Party promises protests over election rigging * RUSSIA: Young right-wing activist attacked after anti-Putin protest * RUSSIA: Ex-Kremlin insiders join anti-Putin protest movement http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=29812§ionid=351020606 Protest in Tbilisi against President Sun, 04 Nov 2007 22:31:14 Protesters have urged the President to resign. Around 10,000 opposition supporters have protested outside the Georgian parliament in the capital Tbilisi against President's policies. It was the fourth consecutive day of protests on Sunday against the Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. According to DPA, individual government critics again called on Saakashvili to resign. Georgi Chaindrava a member of the opposition warned that the protests would spread throughout the country in the next days. The mass protest outside parliament began Thursday evening and was the biggest since the Rose Revolution in 2003. Demonstrators demand early parliamentary and presidential elections in spring - and not next autumn - and the release of imprisoned opposition activists. RB/DT http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,309039,00.html Riot Police Try to Quiet Government Protests in Georgia Wednesday, November 07, 2007 01-Nov. 7: Riot police officers advance toward anti-government protesters down Tbilisi's main avenue. TBILISI, Georgia - Georgian security forces fired tear gas and water cannons into a crowd of hundreds of anti-government protesters on Wednesday, driving them from a central street in front of parliament and beating several with truncheons. The daily demonstrations in the capital over the past week are part of the worst political crisis that President Mikhail Saakashvili -- a staunch U.S. ally -- has faced since he was propelled to power in the 2003 Rose Revolution mass protests. Helmeted riot police with shields advanced toward the crowd on Wednesday as demonstrators retreated down Tbilisi's main avenue in the face of the assault. Several hundred officers swept down the street in front of the building, where opponents of Saakashvili have protested since Friday. Police fired tear gas from the beds of pickup trucks. Many wore gas masks, and live television broadcasts showed several people choking, including police. Scattered fistfights broke out between uniformed police and protesters. Paramedics treated victims as ambulances stood nearby, and several civilians lay on the ground as people poured water into their eyes and a cloud of gas drifted through the streets. Cordons of police blocked off side streets. The protests have drawn thousands of people to the parliament building to demand Saakashvili's resignation and call for changes in election schedules and legislation. In the early morning, police forced dozens of demonstrators from the site where they had remained overnight, and detained two opposition leaders. But demonstrators streamed back a few hours later and the crowd grew to more than 1,000 people. Police wielded truncheons as they sought to keep protesters off the main street, and beat several people. More than 50,000 people rallied at the start of the protests on Friday. The initial demand was for changes in the dates of planned elections and in the electoral system, but later the central demand became Saakashvili's resignation. The protests are centered at the same site as the 2003 Rose Revolution demonstrations, which led to the resignation of longtime leader Eduard Shevardnadze and ushered Saakashvili into power. Many of the pro-Western president's opponents support his aims, such as closer ties with the United States and Europe. But opponents accuse Saakashvili of sidestepping the rule of law and sliding toward authoritarianism, creating a system marked by violations of property rights, a muzzled media and political arrests. http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/11/08/georgian_riot_police_attack_students/3835/ Georgian riot police attack students Published: Nov. 8, 2007 at 4:27 PM Print story Email to a friend Font size: NEW YORK, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Masked riot police violently dispersed peaceful anti-government protesters Thursday in Batumi in western Georgia, Human Rights Watch said in New York. The human rights group said its representatives interviewed eyewitnesses who said a few hundred students assembled at Batumi State University to protest police violence against equally peaceful demonstrators in Tbilisi Wednesday. Police attacked the student demonstrators without warning, the group's statement said, chasing and beating protesters as they tried to run away. Some students were chased into classrooms, the statement said. Riot police deployed in Tbilisi, the nation's capital, Thursday, the first day of a 15-day state of emergency proclaimed Wednesday by President Mikhail Saakashvili in response to earlier demonstrations and an alleged coup attempt, Human Rights Watch said. All of the country's broadcast television stations have been closed except for the state-run public broadcasting, and the local cable company suspended BBC, CNN and other international news broadcasts. http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7202627,00.html Thousands Protest Georgia Vote Sunday January 6, 2008 1:01 PM By MISHA DZHINDZHIKHASHVILI Associated Press Writer TBILISI, Georgia (AP) - Thousands of people on Sunday protested early election results that indicated Mikhail Saakashvili would narrowly win a second term as Georgia's president despite criticism he'd backtracked on his commitment to democracy. The influential election observer mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe gave the election a mixed assessment, saying that it was generally in line with democratic commitments but revealed ``significant challenges.'' It pointed especially to ``an inequitable campaign environment'' due to state activities overlapping Saakashvili's campaign. Protesters, many of whom filled a square in the capital, charged the vote was rigged. Opposition leaders said the campaign was held under unfair conditions and claimed widespread violations during the vote. With about 8 percent of precincts counted, Saakashvili had 55.23 percent of the vote, and his main challenger Levan Gachechiladze had 23.86 percent, according to the Central Elections Commission. An exit poll also indicated a slim majority for Saakashvili. A candidate needs an absolute majority to win in the first round; if Saakashvili slips below 50 percent in the final results, a runoff will be held in two weeks. The U.S.-educated Saakashvili was seeking a new mandate and fighting to preserve his democratic standing. He shocked his Western allies when he violently dispersed anti-government demonstrations in November and shut down an independent television station. Gachechiladze, speaking on television early Sunday, claimed he had won in most precincts and that the vote count was being held under conditions of ``terror.'' He called urged ``all of Georgia to come to make sure we don't lose our country.'' Some 5,000 people showed up for an opposition demonstration in the center of Tbilisi and their number was growing. However, Georgia was preparing to celebrate Orthodox Christmas Sunday night - one of the most important holidays here - and many could feel reluctant to cancel holiday plans for the sake of protests. Saakashvili's supporters poured onto the streets late Saturday, tooting car horns and waving white-and-red national flags, celebrating victory based on exit poll results. While still waiting for official results, Saakashvili called for reconciliation in a speech to supporters at a celebratory concert. ``If the final results confirm that I have won in the first round, then I will assume the honor and responsibility to serve all of Georgia for the next five years,'' he said. ``I'm extending my hand to those who voted for me and to those who took part in the elections,'' he said. Saakashvili, 40, led mass street protests that ousted a Communist-era veteran from power following fraudulent elections in late 2003. He won a January 2004 election with more than 96 percent of the vote and set out to transform the bankrupt country into a modern European state. Now the Rose Revolution hero, who was much lauded in the West, is accused by his opponents at home of sidelining his critics and displaying an authoritarian bent. A runoff vote could allow the opposition, now split among six candidates, to unite behind Gachechiladze, a businessman and lawmaker. Gachechiladze, 43, represents an opposition coalition that wants to do away with the presidency. If a parliamentary system is established, as the coalition wants, he would step down. During his four years in office, Saakashvili has cracked down on organized crime and corruption, modernized the police force and the army, restored steady supplies of electricity and gas, and improved roads. The result has been annual economic growth of about 10 percent and a steady rise in foreign investment. The economic success has not reached all Georgians, and after the November protests, Saakashvili made social welfare one of his top priorities. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jD0Spj8UqS7JnX0wBwHW_ZZiNJxgD8U57N080 Thousands Protest in Ex-Soviet Georgia By MISHA DZHINDZHIKHASHVILI - 2 days ago TBILISI, Georgia (AP) - Tens of thousands of Georgians protested the election victory of U.S.-allied President Mikhail Saakashvili on Sunday, claiming fraud and demanding a recount. The massive demonstration raised fears of instability in the former Soviet republic, which sits on a pipeline carrying Caspian oil to Western markets and has been battleground for influence between Russia and the United States. It was a dramatic turnaround for Saakashvili, who rose to power as the hero of the 2003 Rose Revolution protests against fraudulent elections. He has since faced accusations of authoritarian leanings, and his popularity has fallen. Wearing the opposition's trademark white scarves, the protesters marched for several hours across downtown Tbilisi in freezing weather to demand a recount of the Jan. 5 election. Organizers said about 100,000 people turned out. "Misha the Rose, you will fall soon!" protesters chanted, calling the president by his nickname. Saakashvili won the election with 53 percent of the vote, while his main challenger, Levan Gachechiladze, had just under 26 percent, according to final official results released Sunday. Gachechiladze and his supporters accused the government of rigging the vote and demanded that those responsible be prosecuted. They claimed Saakashvili fell far short of an outright majority and should face off against Gachechiladze in a runoff. "Georgia doesn't have a legitimate president," Gachechiladze said at the demonstration. "If we stand together, we will win." Opposition leaders also demanded regular access to state television, which has focused on covering Saakashvili and his allies. Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe gave a mixed assessment of the election, calling it "triumphant step" for democracy in Georgia while pointing to an array of violations. Demonstrators Sunday carried signs reading: "OSCE backs rigged elections" and "U.S.A. supporter of dictatorship." Saakashvili, 40, has helped transform Georgia into a country with a growing economy and aspirations of joining the European Union and NATO, cultivating close ties with the U.S. and seeking to decrease Russia's influence. But a brutal police crackdown on an opposition rally in Tbilisi on Nov. 7 provoked widespread public anger and drew harsh criticism from Western governments. Saakashvili called the early presidential vote to assuage tensions. "The Nov. 7 police action against peaceful civilians was outrageous, and official fraud in the presidential vote was disgusting," said Irina Berishvili, 52, a literature expert at the protest march. Zviad Dzidziguri, leader of the Conservative Party, said the opposition alliance would stage regular protests outside state television and other official buildings. "We will seek to achieve our goals by exclusively peaceful methods," he said at the rally. "We will win, because we defend the truth." http://www.kren.com/Global/story.asp?S=7403140 Riot police detain Kasparov after opposition rally in Moscow Associated Press - November 24, 2007 2:43 PM ET MOSCOW (AP) - Former chess champion Garry Kasparov (kas-PAHR'-ahf) is among dozens of demonstrators detained following a protest rally in Moscow. Riot police clashed with scores of Kremlin opponents in the frigid streets today. The rally comes in the middle of an election campaign that has seen some opposition political groups sidelined by new election rules. Opposition groups have also complained of official harassment. After a series of speeches today, a group of demonstrators broke past police and marched through traffic toward the city's center, chanting and carrying burning red flares. Lines of police with shields, helmets and body armor dragged demonstrators into police buses. An aide to Kasparov says police hustled Kasparov away as he spoke to reporters, at one point forcing him to the ground and beating him. He was later charged with organizing an unsanctioned protest march against President Vladimir Putin and of resisting arrest. http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/11/86ECD867-F731-40B1-BE54-E01BD3AB0DFF.html Police Break Up Ingushetia Protest November 24, 2007 -- Police in the southern Russian republic of Ingushetia have used force to break up an antigovernment protest. Several hundred people gathered in the main city of Nazran today to protest against unexplained kidnappings, police violence, and poor economic conditions. Unconfirmed Russian media reports said police fired shots in the air, while demonstrators threw stones at police. The reports said 100 protesters were detained. Earlier today, a rights activist said masked armed men dragged him and three TV reporters out of their hotel, beat them, and drove them out of Nazran. The four had traveled to the city to cover the antigovernment protest. (AFP, Ekho Moskvy, ingushetia.ru ) http://www.times.spb.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=24028 Small Election Protest Squashed by Riot Police By Sergey Chernov Staff Writer Reuters Special forces policemen detain an election protestor in St. Petersburg on Monday. A protest meeting against electoral violations during the campaign for the State Duma and Sunday's election was suppressed by police at around 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Eleven protestors were detained, including Andrei Dmitriyev, the leader of the local branch Eduard Limonov's banned National-Bolshevik Party (NBP), and Sergei Gulyayev, a former Yabloko deputy in St. Petersburg who now leads Narod movement. Flagged as a day of mourning for political freedom ("Pominki po Svobode") the meeting held on Pionerskaya Ploshchad drew between 50 and 100 protestors, said Gulyayev, who spoke by mobile phone from police precinct No. 38, where the detained protestors were being held Monday evening. "Three hours have already passed, but we have not even been told what we are doing here at all," Gulyayev told The St. Petersburg Times. "They [the police] are hastily cooking up protocols. There are some 'witnesses,' who even weren't on the scene." According to Gulyayev, the police began stopping protestors far from the location of the meeting. "Several people from the Oborona [Defense] movement were detained in the metro," he said. "When they started to detain people [at the rally], people stepped aside and were watching what was happening from a distance. Gulyayev said that the relevant City Hall committee authorized the rally. "We sent an application on Thursday, signed by myself and Andrei Dmitriyev," he said. "On Thursday evening I got a call from the Committee for Law, Public Order and Security and was told that 'we can't allow you to picket the election committee on St. Isaac's Square, but we can allow you to hold a meeting at the same time on the same day near TYuZ theater on Pionerskaya Ploshchad.' I agreed and said, 'No problem.' They asked me, 'Which way can we send [the permission] to you?' I said 'Send it by email or fax'." According to Gulyayev, he received a letter with the offer, but when he and the other protestors arrived at the location, he was told by a senior police officer that it was an "unsanctioned event." "He said 'We were called an hour ago by [Committee for Law, Public Order and Security chief] Nikolai Valeryevich Strumentov and said he did not permit it,'" Gulyayev said. "I called Strumentov and he said 'You agreed to the location only today.' I noted that actually we spoke on Thursday, and so now there are no formal reasons to reject us. But he said, 'We won't let you hold this event in any case.'" According to Gulyayev, OMON special forces riot police were ordered to start detaining people almost immediately. "People kept arriving, some with flags, and there was a command to the OMON to detain everybody, and they did it in quite a hard way," he said. "Now we have been here [in the police station] for over three hours without being charged, which is not legal, so we are here completely perplexed about what we are doing here." The police's strong presence, complete with several heavy trucks, buses and fully-equipped riot policemen, was also seen on St. Isaac's Square, the location originally suggested by the protestors. Calls to Police Precinct No. 38 for police reaction went unanswered on Monday evening. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/03/content_7187584.htm Russia's Communist Party to protest election manipulations www.chinaview.cn 2007-12-03 05:09:15 Print MOSCOW, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov said that his party will carry out nationwide protests against the alleged manipulations in Sunday's elections for State Duma, the lower house of parliament. "I wish to appeal to the government -- stop it, you are simply abusing the entire country," Interfax news agency quoted Zyuganov as saying at the Communist Party headquarters. He accused Russia's government of manipulating the elections, in which his party has won some 11 percent of votes according to preliminary results, more than the seven percent threshold for entering the State Duma. Opinion polls conducted by the Communist Party before the elections, however, indicated that the party will win at least 20 percent of votes, Zyuganov said. "It's clear already that the results for Siberia and other regions are being manipulated on the basis of schemes agreed in advance," he said. The Communist Party will take a week to process copies of voting reports and then appeal to the Central Election Commission (CEC) Court. The CEC said that the United Russia had got 63.6 percent of votes, the Communist Party, 11.3 percent, the Liberal Democrats, 9.6 percent, and Fair Russia 7.2 percent, following processing 30.4 percent of all ballots till 11 p.m. (2000 GMT) Sunday. "The Communist Party will alone be the mainstay of democracy in the next Duma. We are the last remaining guarantor of freedom of speech and democracy in the country," Zyuganov was quoted as saying. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2008/01/09/016.html Wednesday, January 9, 2008. Issue 3816. Page 3. Activist Attacked After Protest A 16-year-old opposition activist was attacked near her apartment building after attending an Other Russia rally to protest the State Duma elections, an official said Tuesday. Two assailants were waiting for National Bolshevik activist Maria Koleda and asked for her name before they started to beat her, said Alexander Averin, spokesman for the banned National Bolshevik Party. The group is part of the Other Russia opposition coalition. Koleda suffered a concussion and broken finger, Averin said. "She filed a complaint with Moscow prosecutors Monday," he said. Prosecutors were not available for comment Tuesday. Koleda was among several opposition activists detained Dec. 24 after staging a protest at the Marriott Aurora Hotel, where new Duma deputies were staying. The activists handcuffed themselves to the hotel gates and demanded that the deputies resign. A National Bolshevik activist, Yury Chervochkin, died in December after being beaten. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hCxZ5aqPY2OhLxftubp0c71L9SxQD8T3GDBG0 Friday, November 23, 2007 Ex-Kremlin Insiders Join Russian Protest MOSCOW (AP) - Once they were pillars of Russia's political establishment, members of a pro-business party with a presence in parliament and influence in the halls of the Kremlin. But now the Union of Right Forces, or SPS, teeters on the edge of political extinction, and its leaders plan to join protesters in the streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg this weekend to denounce President Vladimir Putin's rule. Putin has described the demonstrators as extremists determined to weaken Russia. But by tightening election rules and restricting access to Russia's political arena, the Kremlin has given even its most cautious, conservative rivals little choice but to take their opposition to the streets. Nikita Belykh, the party's national leader, last week accused the government of using "totalitarian and barbaric methods" to sabotage his group's campaign for the Dec. 2 parliamentary elections. He said candidates have been offered bribes - or even threatened - to try to push them off the party's ticket. In a televised debate, Belykh said he regretted the SPS' support for Putin when he first ran for president eight years ago. "Yes, we were wrong," he said. "Putin was our mistake." Boris Nemtsov, another national SPS leader, previously showed little appetite for confronting Putin. In a recent campaign ad, though, he denounced the "cruelty, cynicism and indifference of those in power." And he called the platform of the main pro-Kremlin party, United Russia, "all lies." Noted intellectuals such as former chess champion Garry Kasparov and the free-market economist Andrei Illarionov, once one of Putin's top advisers, months ago joined the opposition demonstrators. So did the measured Vladimir Ryzhkov, a member of parliament whose Republican Party was one of more than a half-dozen denied registration under the new election rules. But the leaders of SPS criticized the protests, saying more could be accomplished by talking to the Kremlin than by confronting authorities. That has changed in recent months as the party's campaign for parliament has run into roadblocks across Russia. While SPS presents no real threat to United Russia, which is expected to win two-thirds of the vote, a strong showing by the liberal party could prevent a crushing victory in some regions - embarrassing local officials. "The governors ... must show brilliant results for the president," said Dmitry Oreshkin, a political analyst who heads the Moscow-based Mercator Group. "How they do it is their problem." One place where the local SPS party is under pressure is in Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region. Vladislav Korolyov, the local party chief, said police entered a printing plant this month and seized more than 1.5 million copies of the party's campaign newspaper. The grounds? An article on inflation named a Moscow supermarket, which authorities claimed amounted to prohibited negative advertising. Police could not immediately be reached for comment. Korolyov said employees of the state-owned Sberbank told several would-be contributors that the bank could not process their donations - as required by Russian law. In one case, he said, a clerk said she had been told by a superior not to deposit SPS contributions. Sberbank officials did not respond to requests for comment. Meeting hall managers, sometimes citing pressure from authorities, have turned down SPS requests to rent space for rallies - and in some cases revoked signed contracts, Korolyov said. "I consider this political censorship and a return to the police state," he said, sitting in his cramped office in the Krasnoyarsk regional legislature, off a square where a statue of Vladimir Lenin still broods. SPS gets little media coverage here. The Moscow-based radio station Ekho Moskvy, one of the few media outlets where opposition voices are routinely heard, was taken off local airwaves earlier this year. Meanwhile, United Russia's campaign in Krasnoyarsk is in full swing. Billboards trumpeting United Russia's slogan, "Putin's Plan is Russia's Victory," line the streets. Selling cuts of pork at a Krasnoyarsk market, a resigned Natalia Ivanova said the election's outcome will be dictated by officials, not voters. "We've talked to friends, neighbors, family, even customers," said Ivanova, 43. "They don't vote for United Russia, but United Russia somehow wins." From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 18:39:15 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:39:15 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] MALAYSIA: Pro-democracy and anti-racist protests and repression, Nov-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <010801c858b2$26b02480$0802a8c0@andy1> * Police attack ethnic Indian protest, initiate clashes * Indians shave heads to protest jailing of leaders * Police squelch human rights rally, arrest 12 * Riot police attack detention without trial protest * Police detain opposition leader, 20 activists in protest at parliament * Malaysian state tries to label ethnic Indian activists as having "terror links" * Protest leaders detained without trial * Ethnic Indian activists charged with "attempted murder" for fighting police * Ethnic Indian activist leader sues government over terror accusation http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7088877.stm Malaysia police break up protest By Robin Brant BBC News, Kuala Lumpur There was a heavy police presence in central Kuala Lumpur Malaysian police have used tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of protesters who were marching in Kuala Lumpur to demand electoral reform. The event was organised by a group called Bersih which is made up of opposition parties and dozens of non-governmental organisations. The marchers were prevented from entering central Merdeka Square because police said they did not have a permit. Police estimated the crowd at between 10-30,000 people. Rising tension Heavy rains could not stop the marchers as they made their way along the roads on the side of Merdeka Square. Many of them were in the yellow shirts which organisers had asked them to wear. Tension has been high in Malaysia ahead of the march They were calling for changes to the electoral process in Malaysia to prevent fraud. One demand is to use indelible ink to show who has voted. Tension had been rising over the past few days with the prospect of violent confrontation at the march. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said on Friday that he expected trouble, despite the police ban. But participants told the BBC they had the democratic right to express their demands. "We don't have to wait until election day, that's five years or more," one demonstrator told the BBC. There was a heavy police presence and rally organisers said 20 people were arrested. Although no one made it into the central square, a small group did march to the national palace, home of Malaysia's king, to present a memorandum detailing their concerns. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/25/2100610.htm?section=justin Malaysia police fire tear gas to halt Indian protest Posted Sun Nov 25, 2007 4:06pm AEDT Malaysian police have used tear gas and water cannons to quell a street protest by more than 5,000 ethnic Indians, the second crackdown this month on a demonstration critical of the Government. Thousands defied official warnings to stay away from a planned rally in central Kuala Lumpur, called by a Hindu rights group to draw attention to complaints of government discrimination against the minority ethnic Indian community. At least one policeman was injured after protesters, wielding motorcycle helmets as weapons, clashed with riot police. Protesters also threw bottles and drink cans at police in a stand-off outside the capital's iconic twin towers. "We are here for our rights," one protester said. "The British brought our forefathers here 150 years ago. Whatever the Government is supposed to give us, to look after our welfare, well, they have failed." Despite tight security, some ethnic Indians gathered a few hundred metres from the British embassy, ostensibly to call on the former colonial ruler to make reparations for bringing Indians to Malaysia as indentured labour just over a century ago. Some ethnic Indians, who make up about 7 per cent of the population, complain that they are marginalised in terms of employment and business opportunities by a government dominated by politicians from the majority race, the ethnic Malays. The group had promised to hold a peaceful rally in the capital, but the Government had warned ethnic Indians not to participate, saying it could stoke racial tension. - Reuters http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200712201010.htm Ethnic Indians pray for release of leaders KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP): A group of minority ethnic Indians shaved their heads Thursday to protest the imprisonment of five community leaders who campaigned for equal rights in Muslim-majority Malaysia. About 100 Indians gathered at the Batu Caves temple compound outside Kuala Lumpur to pray for the release of the leaders who were arrested last week under the Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial. Sixteen of them had their heads shaved on the banks of a nearby river and walked to the temple, carrying posters of Gandhiji, said S. Jayathas, one of the protesters. Shaving their heads was ``a sign of protest against the ISA and to pray for their (leaders') freedom,'' Jayathas said, sporting a bald head. The five leaders arrested under the ISA belong to the Hindu Rights Action Force, or Hindraf, which this year began galvanizing Malaysia's Indians, who account for 8 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people and are at the bottom of the economic and social ladder. Muslim Malays, who are about 60 percent of the population, dominate politics and the civil service. Indians complain they are not given a fair share of Malaysia's wealth and are deprived of jobs, education and business opportunities. They have also been angered by the demolition of several Hindu temples in recent years. The Hindraf leaders in jail were accused of threatening public security and inciting racial hatred after they organized an unprecedented Nov. 25 protest rally by some 20,000 Indians, in defiance of a government ban. The government has also accused them of having terrorist links but provided no evidence. A charge of attempted murder was slapped against 31 people arrested during the rally for a non-life threatening injury to a policeman, but prosecutors dropped the case after a public outcry and appeals by civil society groups. The government denies it discriminates against any race, and says most Indians are better off than many poor Malays. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has also said he is willing to sacrifice individual freedoms to preserve stability and public security. http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/21/stories/2007122155591300.htm Hindraf organises novel protest P.S. Suryanarayana Demanding the release of the group?s leaders detained in Malaysia ? PHOTO: AFP DRAWING ATTENTION: Malaysian ethnic Indian activists, carrying portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, stage a dharna in front of a temple at the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. SINGAPORE: In a novel protest, the Hindu Rights Action Force on Thursday organised a ?head-shaving ceremony? at a temple in Malaysia, demanding the release of the group?s leaders detained without trial under the Internal Security Act. The ceremony was held at the famous Lord Muruga temple at the Batu Caves on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. The protest was also aimed at demanding the acquittal of 26 other ethnic Indians, now on bail, in a case of ?illegal? assembly and alleged rioting, said to have taken place outside the same temple on November 25. The 26 persons, who were first charged with attempting to murder a police officer and later denied bail, were acquitted and granted bail a few days ago. They were accused of rioting shortly before a mass protest rally that Hindraf held in Kuala Lumpur on November 25 to focus attention on the ?plight? of the ethnic Indian minority in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Five Hindraf leaders are in detention without trial, accused of fanning ?racial hatred? and posing ?threat to national security.? Prayer meetings Hindraf has been holding prayer meetings at temples across Malaysia since the arrest of these five leaders. On Thursday, the group took this prayer-campaign in a new direction. Sixteen Hindraf ?supporters,? as different from members, had their heads shaved off on the banks of a river, about 400 metres from the temple at the Batu Caves. After that, they marched to the temple, accompanied by nearly 200 others and offered prayers. This was followed by a short speech. Narrating the sequence, Hindraf Coordinator Thanenthiran said, over telephone from Malaysia, that the 16 ?supporters? involved in this novel protest included six teenagers and a three-year-old girl. The objective, he said, was to sensitise the future generations of ethnic Indians as well to the issues of a fair deal for this section of citizens in Malaysia. Security personnel, present outside the temple, did not interfere with the ceremonial protest, Mr. Thanenthiran said. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=8844713a-09fd-4cbc-971a-bb167142acf9&ParentID=866fb306-c103-4a3f-9d15-9943793f8070&MatchID1=4618&TeamID1=3&TeamID2=4&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1163&MatchID2=4632&TeamID3=5&TeamID4=10&MatchType2=1&SeriesID2=1167&PrimaryID=4618&Headline=21+held+in+Malaysian+police+crackdown Malaysian police crackdown on anti-govt protest, 21 arrested Jaishree Balasubramanian, Press Trust Of India Kuala Lumpur, December 09, 2007 First Published: 18:59 IST(9/12/2007) Last Updated: 20:16 IST(9/12/2007) A fortnight after crushing a massive rally by ethnic Indians, Malaysian police on Sunday arrested nine people, including 12 opposition leaders as it continued its crackdown on anti-government protesters who defied a ban to take out a rally in Kuala Lumpur. About 50 people, including lawyers and activists, wearing surgical masks, staged a "Peace Walk" past Kuala Lumpur's landmark Independence Square, to mark World Human Rights Day on Monday but were stopped by over 300 policemen. Police detained nine people including five lawyers as protesters, who held banners that read "freedom of assembly" and "Government that abuses human rights is terrorist", marched to the Bar Council building. The Bar Council, which represent some 12,000 lawyers, had earlier called off a planned march after it was denied permission by the police. Police also arrested 12 members of an opposition coalition for taking part in a banned rally held on November 10 to demand electoral reforms. It was followed by a November 25 rally by thousands of ethnic Indians against alleged marginalisation. Thirty-one people were charged with attempted murder for allegedly causing injury to a policeman during the protest. Bar Council President Ambiga Sreenevasan told reporters that one of the lawyers was arrested after he tried to stop police from tearing down banners marking the International Human Rights Day. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200712091865.html Anti-govt. protest in Malaysian capital, nine held Kuala Lumpur (PTI): The Malaysian police on Sunday arrested nine people after protesters gathered here demanding "freedom of assembly" and accusing the government of rights abuses, a fortnight after the police crackdown on thousands of ethnic Indians who staged a rally against alleged mariginalisation. A group of 50 people, including lawyers and activists, wearing surgical masks, staged a "Peace Walk" past Kuala Lumpur's landmark Independence Square, to mark World Human Rights Day tomorrow but were stopped by over 300 policemen. Local police chief Che Hamzah Che Ismail said eight people, including four lawyers, were detained for illegal assembly after defying an order to disperse, the state-run Bernama agency reported. The protesters, who held banners that read "freedom of assembly" and "Government that abuses human rights is terrorist", gathered in front of the Sogo Shopping Complex before walking to the Bar Council building, about 2km away. The Bar Council, which represent some 12,000 lawyers, had earlier called of a planned march after it was denied permission by the police. Another lawyer was detained when he tried to stop the police from tearing down banners at the Bar Council's building. Accusing the police of high-handedness and of resorting to "bullying tactics," Bar Council President Ambiga Sreenevasan told reporters: "This is a sad day for human rights in Malaysia." Justifying the police action, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, who is also Internal Security Minister, said the Government does not practise double standard when taking action against law breakers even if they are lawyers. "Even today I've been informed that police have arrested eight people. Even though they are lawyers, if they break the law, definitely action will be taken against them. "There is no favouritism whatsoever on this matter," he told reporters after giving away prizes to golfers here. Former deputy prime minister Anwar Irahim, who had criticised the Nov 25 crackdown on ethnic Indians, condemned the arrests as "scare tactics". "The law is being used in Malaysia to subvert freedom and to suppress the people's fundamental democratic right to peaceful assembly," he said in a statement. Malaysia's government as been shaken by recent street rallies, including one in early November when 30,000 demonstrators converged here calling for electoral reforms. Thousands of ethnic Indians held a rally against alleged discrimination against the community that makes up eight percent of the population in the Muslim-majority country. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/05/asia/AS-GEN-Malaysia-Protest.php Malaysian riot police break up rally to protest detention without trial law The Associated Press Published: January 5, 2008 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Banging batons against their shields, Malaysian police Saturday chased away hundreds of demonstrators who held a candlelight vigil to protest against a decades-old law allowing indefinite detention without trial. A water cannon fired a single burst to drive away the last stragglers among the crowd in downtown Kuala Lumpur, ending a 90-minute standoff. Police had banned the rally to protest the Internal Security Act. It was the latest in a series of protests that had rocked the government in recent months. Any gathering of more than four people requires a police permit. "It is a peaceful gathering just to send a message that all citizens have a right to voice their feelings," said Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, chairman of the Abolish ISA Movement that organized the rally. "This law is unjust. I think it is time to voice our human rights," he said, adding that the group would hold more protests. About 300 people lit candles and gathered behind a police barricade that prevented them from marching to the nearby Independence Square, where they had originally planned to hold the protest. Police gave them 15 minutes to disperse, during which the protesters chanted "No ISA!" before being pushed back by riot police and a water cannon truck. The crowd retreated but gathered again about 100 meters (330 feet) from the police barricade. After a while, riot police began chasing protesters away. One person was seen being dragged away by police but it was unclear if he has been arrested. Police officials declined to comment. Malaysian opposition and human rights groups have repeatedly called for the ISA, a colonial-era law allowing indefinite detention without trial, to be repealed, saying the law is abused to silence dissidents. The government has said it is necessary to protect national security and ensure stability. The ISA was most recently used to detain five ethnic Indian leaders who organized a massive rally on Nov. 25 to demand equal right for their minority community in the Muslim-majority country. Saturday's protest was not as large as the one on Nov. 25 involving some 20,000 people, but still reflected growing anger among Malaysians against the law. "We have heard firsthand experiences of ISA detainees. I cringed when I heard how they were tortured," said Lim Sze Ming, a 29-year-old engineer. "The law has to go." http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iTBIkSkMSErxA4LVdNJfh_oaGkXg Malaysia detains Anwar, arrests 20 at parliament protest Dec 10, 2007 KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) ? Malaysian authorities Tuesday detained opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim at the capital's airport and arrested at least 20 protesters who defied a ban on handing a petition to parliament. The incidents were the latest moves in a government crackdown on its critics who have organised a series of street demonstrations that have drawn tens of thousands and sent shockwaves through the nation. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Monday he was willing to sacrifice public freedom to maintain national security, justifying the arrests of dozens of people on charges including attempted murder and sedition. Anwar, the former deputy premier who became a vocal government critic after being sacked and jailed in 1998, said he was held for an hour on his return from a trip to Turkey and told he was on a "suspect list". "Under the guise of preserving public safety, in the last three days the authorities have increased their repressive tactics against Malaysian citizens and arrested key opposition figures and civil rights leaders," he said. "These repressive tactics are a sign that Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's leadership of Malaysia has run its course." An immigration spokesman told AFP he had no knowledge of Anwar's detention at the international airport, but that names for the blacklist are usually provided by police. Keadilan officials said however that the move was linked to Anwar's involvement in the Bersih electoral reform movement which staged a mass rally last November as well as Tuesday's petition protest. More than 400 police surrounded the parliament to block electoral reform campaigners who were forced to march there on foot after all roads leading to the building were closed off, causing traffic chaos in Kuala Lumpur. Police said 20 people had been arrested, including several members of Anwar's Keadilan party and the hardline Islamic party PAS, while Keadilan said 25 were detained including a 13-year-old boy, although nine were later freed. "We did not want the crowd size to get big," assistant police commissioner Sofian Yasin told AFP. "We detained the protestors as their arrived so that there would be no scuffles and clashes and no one would get hurt." Trees lining the streets were posted with copies of a court order obtained by police that banned the campaigners from parliament. The petition against a proposed constitutional amendment was eventually given to opposition members of parliament to be passed to the speaker. It urged lawmakers to reject the proposal that would extend the retirement age for Election Commission officers, likely allowing current chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman to stay in the role during polls expected next year. "Abdul Rashid, whose service is continuously marred with recurring electoral frauds and manipulations, is not fit for the job and must go immediately," it said. Cabinet minister Nazri Aziz, who is in charge of justice issues, defended the police action. "They want to come and demonstrate today's amendment to the constitution. So they want to come in big numbers. We will not allow that," he told reporters at parliament. "We have taken action against them and we are using the court system to prosecute these people." Last month, nearly 30,000 demonstrators calling for free and fair elections massed in the capital in a protest led by an alliance of opposition parties and civil society groups. A week later, at least 8,000 ethnic Indians protested alleged discrimination by Muslim Malays who dominate the population. Police dispersed the crowds with tear gas and water cannons and arrested scores of demonstrators. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200712111122.htm Malaysia's opposition defies police ban on protest at Parliament KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Police arrested at least 12 opposition activists who tried to gather at Malaysia's Parliament for a pro-democracy demonstration Tuesday, thwarting the latest in a rare string of public protests. Concerns also escalated that the government was clamping down on opposition activities after immigration officials briefly detained Anwar Ibrahim, one of Malaysia's top opposition figures, when he returned from an overseas trip Tuesday. Activists had attempted to submit a protest note to Parliament over a government-backed plan to amend a law that would extend the tenure of the Election Commission chief, whom the opposition claims is biased. Authorities say the accusation is baseless. Demonstrators headed to Parliament from several directions, but encountered police roadblocks that caused traffic bottlenecks across Kuala Lumpur. It was not clear how many protesters were involved. The attempt was the latest in a slew of public protests that have rocked Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration in recent weeks. Scores of activists have been charged with illegal assembly amid government warnings that such rallies would hurt national stability. Separately Tuesday, Anwar _ who has backed the protests _ was informed by immigration authorities at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport that he has been placed on a watch list, the opposition People's Justice Party said. He was freed after about 30 minutes and was trying to obtain more details. Immigration officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Authorities had declared Tuesday's protest unlawful, saying participants would face arrest. Malaysian laws forbid public gatherings of more than four people without a police permit. Police backed by trucks mounted with water cannons, which held their fire, detained at least 12 activists near Parliament, said police official Ahmad Sofian Yassin. ``We are arrested for no apparent reason,'' said Hatta Ramli, an official in the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party. ``There is no chaos, no riot, nothing.'' Five activists slipped into Parliament while traveling in cars with opposition lawmakers. They handed copies of their protest note to legislators, but did not stage any protest. Opposition leaders had insisted it would have been a small demonstration, unlike a Nov. 10 rally that drew some 30,000 people demanding electoral transparency ahead of national polls widely expected early next year. That rally was followed by a similarly large protest by minority ethnic Indians on Nov. 25 to complain of racial discrimination and economic deprivation. Police on Tuesday also arrested P. Uthayakumar, a key ethnic Indian leader who organized the Nov. 25 rally. It was not immediately clear what offense he would be charged with. ``I'm prepared for the worst,'' Uthayakumar told The Associated Press. Prime Minister Abdullah has warned that street demonstrations would not be tolerated because they threaten public safety. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/07/asia/AS-GEN-Malaysia-Indian-Unrest.php Malaysia probes ethnic Indian protest group for alleged terrorist links The Associated Press Published: December 7, 2007 SHAH ALAM, Malaysia: Malaysian authorities are investigating an ethnic Indian protest group for possible links to terror networks, including Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger separatists, an official said Friday. The Hindu Rights Action Force, or Hindraf, denied any terrorist ties, and accused the government of trying to stem support for the group after it staged a massive rally last month to highlight the economic plight of Malaysia's minority ethnic Indians. Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail said concerns have surfaced that Hindraf is trying to establish links with organizations like the Tamil Tigers, which has been branded a terror group by the United States and European Union. "Police have started investigating," Abdul Gani said. "This is not a game. It is a very serious matter. I think everyone ... is worried if there is a connection" with the Tamil Tigers. Abdul Gani, speaking to reporters, declined to comment on whether Hindraf leaders might be charged with any terrorism-related offense, saying police need to finish their probe first. Malaysia's national police chief, Musa Hassan, said late Thursday that "there have been signs of Hindraf trying to get the support and assistance of terrorists." He did not elaborate. Lawyer P. Uthayakumar, a top Hindraf leader, called the claims of terror links the government's "desperate attempt ... to divert from the real issues, which are racism, marginalization and permanent colonization of the Indians." "It's plain and obvious that we have always pursued legal and peaceful means," Uthayakumar told reporters. "They're running out of ideas." The Tamil Tigers ? banned in the United States as a terrorist group since 1997 ? have been fighting since 1983 to create a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's minority Tamils following decades of discrimination by governments controlled by the Sinhalese majority. Fears of ethnic unrest have emerged in Malaysia after some 20,000 people participated in a Nov. 25 rally in Kuala Lumpur ? the largest protest in years involving Indians, who form 8 percent of the population. Hindraf, which organized the protest, is demanding equality and fair treatment for Indians, saying an affirmative action program that gives preferential treatment to Muslim Malays is tantamount to racial discrimination. Malays make up about 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people and control the government, which denies there is discrimination and says the fruits of economic progress are shared by all. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ac97278c-a9e9-11dc-aa8b-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1 Malaysia detains protest leaders without trial By John Burton in Kuala Lumpur Published: December 14 2007 02:00 | Last updated: December 14 2007 02:00 Malaysia yesterday detained without trial five leaders of a local Hindu group who had staged a large anti-government protest last month. The rally had threatened to trigger racial violence in the multi-ethnic country, officials said. But opposition groups said the arrests were part of a crackdown before general elections expected early next year. Officials said they were taking action against the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) because it represented a threat to national security after it organised a rally in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, in November that attracted 10,000 ethnic Indians. They had protested against alleged discrimination by the ethnic Malay-dominated government. An adviser to Abdullah Badawi, the prime minister, said that Hindraf's activities "were creating a potentially volatile situation and we had to nip it in the bud. We're afraid it could lead to a backlash among Malays if it continued." Malaysia suffered large communal riots between Malays and ethnic Chinese in 1969 in which hundreds died and which led to a year-long state of emergency. In 2001, five people died in riots between Malays and Indians in a Kuala Lumpur district. Hindraf's protest was the first direct challenge in years to Malaysia's long-standing policy of affirmative action for Malays, the country's poorest racial group in spite of making up a slight majority of the population. Hindraf had accused the government of engaging in "ethnic cleansing" after it demolished several Hindu temples that officials said had been built illegally. The group also alleged ethnic Indians, who make up 8 per cent of the population, were being denied university places and state jobs under the affirmative action policy. A foreign diplomat in Kuala Lumpur said the Hindraf protest was "unexpected and appears to have shocked the government". Hindraf appealed for calm among its supporters, but asked them to organise nationwide prayers "for the speedy release of our leaders", who will be held for two years under Malaysia's internal security act. The Democratic Action party, Malaysia's largest opposition group, said the government was using Hind-raf as a pretext to ban all demonstrations. An opposition alliance last month staged a rally of up to 30,000 people demanding reform of electoral laws they claimed favoured the government. The government adviser defended the protest ban, saying any demonstrations would encourage further street protests. Senior officials said Hind-raf posed a danger because it was trying to form links with militant groups on the subcontinent, including Sri Lanka's separatist Tamil Tigers. Most ethnic Indians in Malaysia are of Tamil descent. Mr Abdullah had promised a more transparent and open government when he came to power in 2003. But analysts noted that he had overseen the arrest of local Islamic extremists in 2001 as internal security minister. One sign of the government's concern is that it sponsored the creation of a new multi-racial group, Damai Malaysia (Peace Malaysia), which includes nearly 400 organisations, to promote ethnic harmony. The group's formation followed inflammatory mobile phone texts urging Malays to defend their rights against agitation by Hindraf. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=fef7da24-dde6-4b67-a9db-db6a439cdab1&MatchID1=4618&TeamID1=3&TeamID2=4&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1163&MatchID2=4632&TeamID3=5&TeamID4=10&MatchType2=1&SeriesID2=1167&PrimaryID=4618&Headline=5+more+Indians+face+serious+charge 5 more Indians charged with attempted murder December 01, 2007 Associated Press Kuala Lumpur, December 05, 2007 First Published: 14:31 IST(5/12/2007) Last Updated: 18:36 IST(5/12/2007) Five ethnic Indians in Malaysia were charged on Wednesday with attempted murder, raising to 31 the number of people facing the harshest possible charge in connection with an injury to a policeman during a rally against racial discrimination. The five men were produced in a sessions court along with the 26 others who were charged yesterday with attempted murder. Prosecutors accused the 31 of causing a head injury to the policeman during the banned demonstration on Nov 25 near a Hindu Indian temple. Defence lawyers condemned the charge as a violation of the constitutional right to "worship and assemble," and urged the court to throw out the case against the 31 men, who face up to 20 years in jail if convicted. "This is the first time in history of Malaysia that an unlawful assembly has been charged with attempted murder," said defence lawyer VK Ganesan. "This is not healthy," he said. "The nature of the charge ... Is an overt threat to any right thinking member of society to their constitutional right to worship and assemble." They were also charged with damaging public property and illegal assembly, while some were charged with rioting. All pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Nov 25 rally was the largest protest in at least a decade involving Indians, who form 8 percent of the population and are the country's second-largest minority after ethnic Chinese. They are demanding equality and fair treatment, saying an affirmative action program that gives preferential treatment to Muslim Malays is tantamount to racial discrimination. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/04/asia/AS-GEN-Malaysia-Indian-Unrest.php Ethnic Indian protest leader sues Malaysia's government over terror accusation The Associated Press Published: January 4, 2008 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: An ethnic Indian protest leader filed a US$28 million (?19 million) defamation suit against Malaysia's government Friday for claiming his group had possible terrorist links. Lawyers for P. Uthayakumar, a leader of the Hindu Right Action Force, or Hindraf, filed the suit in the Kuala Lumpur High Court seeking damages totaling at least 100 million ringgit (US$28 million; ?19 million) from the government, the national police chief and the attorney general. Uthayakumar was suing the government because it "attempted to blacken his reputation globally" with the claims of terror links, said N. Surendran, a lawyer involved in the case. "They have not produced a shred of evidence to prove their claim," Surendran said. Senior government and police officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The suit stemmed from what Uthayakumar ? who is currently jailed without trial for allegedly threatening national security ? called "a campaign of vilification and demonization" launched by authorities, according to the lawsuit documents. Government and police officials had said last month that Hindraf was being investigated for possible ties to terrorism, including the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of Sri Lanka. The LTTE has been branded a terror group by the United States and European Union. The accusations came amid a crackdown on Hindraf after it organized a rally of about 30,000 ethnic Indians on Nov. 25 to protest the community's economic plight and alleged racial discrimination by the Malay majority government. The protest was crushed by police with tear gas and water cannons. Uthayakumar and four other Hindraf leaders were subsequently detained under security laws that allow indefinite detention without trial. Hindraf has tried to highlight what it claims is racial discrimination faced by ethnic Indians, who form 8 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people. Malays, who are Muslims, make up about 60 percent of the population, and ethnic Chinese account for a quarter. Many Indians say the Malay-dominated government does not give them a fair chance to get jobs and education. They also complain their temples are being systematically destroyed. The government has repeatedly rejected claims of any discrimination. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 18:45:03 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:45:03 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] IRAN: Student protests against regime, December 2007 Message-ID: <011801c858b2$f60e62a0$0802a8c0@andy1> * Students stone police during anti-Ahmadinejad protest * Students break campus gates in anti-regime protest, compare Ahmadinejad to Pinochet * Iranian students protest jailings of their comrades * Police jail students "planning protest" http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=500891&in_page_id=1811 Students stone police in Iran riot Last updated at 20:33pm on 9th December 2007 Professors at the university have joined students in criticising President Ahmadinejad for clamping down on dissent Students defied a clampdown on protests in Iran yesterday by tearing down the gates of Tehran university. They chanted slogans against President Ahmadinejad and carried placards saying "Live free or die", "No war, no fascism" and "Women must decide their fate, not the state." They wrecked the iron-barred gates and threw stones at police, according to Iranian state radio, which said the protest ended peacefully. Tehran University is the largest and one of the oldest universities in Iran. Student protests have been rare in recent years. Western rights groups have accused Iran of banning dissent. But there was a demonstration in Tehran last month against the detention of three students who were picked up during a protest at another Iranian university a week earlier. Some of the placards yesterday named the arrested students. Professors have joined them in criticising Ahmadinejad for clamping down on dissent on campuses. The president and his government say they "support free speech and welcome constructive opposition". http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hCunvjTz9sNfQxJNoPuNIfx1kQyg Iran students break campus gate in protest: reports Dec 9, 2007 TEHRAN (AFP) - Hundreds of Iranian students held a new protest at Tehran University on Sunday, damaging the main gate to allow outsiders into the campus and denouncing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's news agencies reported. The protesters chanted slogans against the president and carried banners calling for the release of three fellow students who have been held since May in a high-profile case, the Fars news agency and state-run IRNA reported. "The students marched on the gate and damaged it, and this allowed several non-students to enter the campus. The students chanted slogans and carried protesting placards," IRNA reported. "Ahmadi-Pinochet, Iran will not become Chile!" chanted the protesters, playing on the names of the Iranian president and late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, Fars reported. Pictures published by the student ISNA agency showed the students crowded round the main gate and bending back its iron railings to allow others through. A dense crowd of hundreds of people then gathered inside the university grounds for the protest, the pictures showed. "Live Free or Die," read one of the banners. The students also burned a copy of Kayhan newspaper, the mouthpiece of the clerical establishment and a bitter foe of the Iranian reformist movement, Fars said. According to IRNA, anti-riot police were stationed outside the campus but did not intervene. The demonstration had been called by the radical wing of the Office to Foster Unity, a reformist student group, it said. Unusually, state television's 20:30 (1700 GMT) news bulletin broadcast brief footage of the protest, showing the students yelling in excitement as they tried to open the university gate. There has been a string of demonstrations at Tehran universities in past months as students protest against the replacement of liberal professors, at pressure on activists by the authorities and the detention of three students. The demonstration -- the second within a week at Tehran University after dozens of students held a similar protest on Tuesday -- appeared to be one of the largest held this year. Mehdi Arabshahi, a member of the central board of the Office to Foster Unity, said that 1,500 people joined the latest protest, although there was no confirmation of this figure from Iranian media. "They protested against the detention of the students, the oppressive policies of the government and advocated rights for all Iranians," he told AFP, saying that the participants included liberals and ethnic Kurds. Arabshahi said the protest lasted for more than two hours after starting at 12:00 pm (0830 GMT) and that it was peaceful. The demonstration came a day after the intelligence ministry said it had arrested an unspecified number of people using "fake student cards to hold an illegal demonstration" at Tehran University. The timing of those arrests was not given, but it is likely that they took place before Friday which was the annual students' day in Iran. The case of the three detained students from Tehran's Amir Kabir University has become a major issue for the protesting students. Held since May, the trio were given jail sentences of up to three years in October on charges of printing anti-Islamic images in four student newspapers -- accusations they vehemently deny. Reformist leaders such as former president Mohammad Khatami have openly called for the three to be released, but hardliners have said the gravity of their crimes means they must stay behind bars. Meanwhile, a group of Islamist students held a counter-demonstration outside the offices of the Iranian judiciary to protest against the Tehran University gathering, Fars reported. "We are astonished that this is not prevented when they are growing bolder by the day," one demonstrator told the agency. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/world/middleeast/10iran.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin Iranian Students Protest Jailings By THE NEW YORK TIMES Published: December 10, 2007 TEHRAN, Dec. 9 - Iranian students held a protest on Sunday at Tehran University to demand the release of fellow students who have been jailed in recent months. The students chanted slogans against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and damaged the main gates of the university, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. A witness, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said that the figure of 1,500 demonstrators, which was reported by student Web sites, appeared to be accurate. Advar News, a Web site run by former students, reported Sunday that one advocate, Ali Nikoonesbati, who was arrested last month, had been released. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1196847291397&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Dec 9, 2007 10:59 | Updated Dec 9, 2007 13:01 Iranian agents detain activists planning a protest at a university By ASSOCIATED PRESS Iran's Intelligence Ministy has detained a group of activists it described as hecklers who planned to stage an illegal gathering in Teheran University, state television reported Sunday. Quoting a statement by the Intelligence Ministry, the TV report said the activists, who came from various cities, entered the university using fake identification cards before they were detained. The report said intelligence officers confiscated concussion grenades, illegal books and statements as well as alcoholic beverages from the detainees. It did not elaborate on number of detainees or say when the arrest took place. But on Tuesday, a group of leftist students said 33 students and activists including four women were detained after they staged a protest on the Teheran University campus. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL0447857720071104 Iran students hold protest against arrests: ISNA Sun Nov 4, 2007 12:07pm EST TEHRAN (Reuters) - A group of Iranian students gathered at Tehran University on Sunday to protest against the detentions of three fellow students last week, an Iranian news agency reported on Sunday. ISNA, the students' news agency, said the three were held during a small demonstration at another university in the Iranian capital last Tuesday, which was held to protest against the suspension of some students. "Imprisoned students must be freed," the students chanted, ISNA reported without saying how many they were. It was not clear why the students were arrested but another Iranian news agency had said last week's rally was illegal. Student protests have been relatively rare in recent years in the Islamic Republic, which is locked in an escalating nuclear row with the United States and is often criticized by Western rights groups for acting against dissent at home. But earlier in October, more than 100 students scuffled with police and hardline supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the campus of Tehran University outside a hall where the president was about to speak. Liberal-minded students and academics have criticized Ahmadinejad for clamping down on dissent on Iranian campuses, although the president and his government insist they support free speech and welcome constructive opposition. Students and activists say some of those who have spoken out against Ahmadinejad and his government in the past two years have been detained or blacklisted from university courses. Protester Farbod Hashemi, quoted by ISNA, told the crowd at Sunday's rally: "We have gathered here to again express our protest to everyone ... We use this open tribunal to say we are ready to sacrifice our lives for happiness and freedom." Ahmadinejad swept to office in 2005 vowing to distribute Iran's oil wealth fairly and a return to revolutionary ideals. Critics say his policies have stoked inflation and his fiery rhetoric has provoked Western nations to impose sanctions. http://www.ncr-iran.org/content/view/4472/152/ Photo report: Iranian students protest against the regime Sunday, 09 December 2007 NCRI- On Sunday, Iranian students held protest at Tehran University chanting anti-government slogans. "Ahmadi-Pinochet, Iran will not become Chile!", "Death to dictator," "Free all political prisoners," "University is wide awake," "University is the last barricade," "Students die but will not be humiliated," "Mr. President the student movement will stand until the end", chanted the students. NCRI- On Sunday, Iranian students held protest at Tehran University chanting anti-government slogans. "Ahmadi-Pinochet, Iran will not become Chile!", "Death to dictator," "Free all political prisoners," "University is wide awake," "University is the last barricade," "Students die but will not be humiliated," "Mr. President the student movement will stand until the end", chanted the students. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 18:46:57 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:46:57 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] NEW ZEALAND/AOTEAROA: Attack on free speech met with protests Message-ID: <011901c858b3$39f0c5d0$0802a8c0@andy1> * Thousands march against finance bill which could require registration of political sites * Man sets up website defying controversial bill * Prime Minister's office bricked; radicals "own up" http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=49&objectid=10476727 Protest against Electoral Finance Bill 5:00AM Sunday November 18, 2007 By Rebecca Lewis One of the protestors marching against the Electoral Finance Bill. Photo / Chris Gorman Democracy under attack Man defies Electoral Finance Act with website Fran O'Sullivan: Donor row has additional twists Thousands of demonstrators marched down Queen St yesterday to protest against the Electoral Finance Bill, warning the public their right to free speech will be revoked should the law be passed. Protest organiser John Boscawen led the march from the Town Hall, alongside Garth McVicar of the Sensible Sentencing Trust, and Bob McCoskrie of Family First, despite news of Boscawen's father's death two days earlier. Boscawen says the legislation is about people's right to freedom of speech. "It's a sad time for me, but I believe my father would have wanted me to be here today," he said. "It's important to be here and get the message across to the public, that we need to step up and fight for our right to free speech." More marches are planned next week in Wellington and Christchurch. The bill is set to come into effect from January 1 next year. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501118&objectid=10485100 Man defies Electoral Finance Act with website 8:14AM Thursday January 03, 2008 Democracy under attack Fran O'Sullivan: Donor row has additional twists Brick thrown in protest at PM's office The creator of a website challenging new electoral finance laws is expecting to hear from election officials. Christchurch man Andrew Moore has launched the website dontvotelabour.org.nz. He says that breaches the Electoral Finance Act which came into force on Tuesday. Mr Moore says the website was not set up to purposely break the law. He says he is angry at the idea of registering for freedom of speech but he is not sure what he'll do if the Electoral Commission calls. Mr Moore says it will be a case of playing it by ear. - NEWSTALK ZB http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501118&objectid=10484925 Brick thrown in protest at PM's office 12:27PM Tuesday January 01, 2008 The damage at the PM's office today. Photo / NZPA A brick was thrown at Prime Minister Helen Clark's Auckland office early today in a protest against the Electoral Finance Act. The attack at the Mt Albert electoral office happened around 12.30am, with the offender seen disappearing on a scooter immediately afterwards. The window was cracked but not broken. An email from a lobby group, People Power, claimed the brick was thrown in protest against the Electoral Finance Act, which came into force today. People Power describes itself as a stand alone, non-politically affiliated citizens lobby group that wants to see democracy returned through the repealing of the Act. The new law has caused heated debate, with opponents claiming it is a restriction on free speech in election years. A general election must be held by November 15 this year. Police northern communications spokesman Inspector Ian Brooker said a woman who witnessed the attack possibly prevented further damage through her actions. The woman, a local resident, had been watching midnight fireworks when she noticed a cat wandering near the office at about 12.30am. Knowing that a neighbour had lost their cat, she went to have a closer look. At the same time she noticed a person on a motor scooter, who had a short time earlier ridden up the road, stopped and thrown a brick at the window of the electorate office. "As she went closer to try to get the registration number of the scooter, she was attacked by the cat and screamed. Both the cat and the motor scooter rider were alarmed and left at speed," Mr Brooker said. The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, called police and supplied them with descriptions of the offender and his scooter. Civil Liberties spokesman Barry Wilson said the group should not remain anonymous. He said the lobbyists lack credibility unless they show their faces and such acts are misguided. "If they've broken the window in Helen Clark's office the taxpayer will be paying so they should at least be prepared to pay the cost of the window, front up in court and most of all, say exactly who they are," Mr Wilson said. A Christchurch-based training company called People Power, which has contracts with government departments and the police, was today anxious to stress it had no connection to the protestors. Director Erenie Papageorge said: "I don't know who these people are and wish to disassociate my company and myself from anything to do with this incident." It is the second time the Prime Minister's Electoral Office has been targeted by vandals. Right-wing activist Tim Selwyn took to the office with an axe in November 2004. He was later jailed for willful damage, publishing a seditious statement about the act and fraud. - NZPA, NEWSTALK ZB, NZ HERALD STAFF http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4342248a11.html The cat, the brick and a political protest By MATT CALMAN - The Dominion Post | Wednesday, 02 January 2008 MICHAEL FIELD/Fairfax Media SMASHED ON NEW YEAR'S: The damage done by the brick thrown at Helen Clark's Auckland electoral office on New Year's Eve. A brick-wielding protester, a prowling cat and a local woman crossed paths at Prime Minister Helen Clark's Mt Albert electorate office in the first hour of 2008 - with hair-raising results. The woman was looking for a neighbour's lost cat about 12.30am when she saw a scooter pull up and its rider throw a brick at the office window. The window was cracked but not broken. She approached the scooter to try to get its registration number and was startled by the cat. When the woman screamed, both the cat and the brick-thrower took fright and left quickly. A group called People Power has owned up and threatened further protests. It said the brick was thrown to protest against the Electoral Finance Act, which was enacted yesterday. The group wants it repealed. The act, which has been called undemocratic by opponents, was passed to regulate political advocacy and funding of parties by private citizens during election years. Inspector Ian Brooker said a police investigation into the incident "only really took off ... when someone claimed responsibility". It was possible the woman prevented further damage to the electorate office. A spokeswoman from the prime minister's office said only that the incident "and the threats of further violence" were matters for the police. Miss Clark is overseas. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10479722 Protest sends strong message 8:00AM Monday December 03, 2007 The Government's proposed election finance law comes up again for debate in Parliament tomorrow, after more than 5000 people marched against it in Auckland's main street at the weekend. Protest leader John Boscawen said the turnout, which filled more than two blocks of Queen St on Saturday, was more than twice that seen during a march he organised just a fortnight earlier. He said "easily three-quarters" of those present indicated they had never taken part in protest marches before the Electoral Finance Bill reared its head. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 18:48:32 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:48:32 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Mexico-Oaxaca-Chiapas: human rights protests, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <011a01c858b3$72c4f5c0$0802a8c0@andy1> * CHIAPAS: Survivors accuse state at Acteal massacre remembrance * MEXICO: Acteal suspect re-arrested * OAXACA: Protest march against kidnapping of activist * UK/MEXICO: Protesters blockade Mexican embassy in solidarity action http://www.ww4report.com/node/4854 Survivors accuse Mexican state at Acteal massacre commemoration Submitted by Bill Weinberg on Sun, 12/23/2007 - 03:50. Survivors and their supporters gathered in the mountain hamlet of Acteal in southern Mexico's conflicted Chiapas state Dec. 22 to mark the tenth anniversary of the massacre of 45 unarmed Tzotzil Maya peasants by a paramilitary group linked to the ruling political machine. Las Abejas (The Bees), the Maya Catholic pacifist group targeted in the attack, said in a statement: "The massacre plan was designed by ex-president Ernesto Zedillo; by the ex-general Enrique Cervantes, ex-secretary of National Defense; [and] by Julio C?sar Ruiz Ferro, ex-governor of Chiapas." The statement charged that "the Mexican state" was responsible for the massacre through both "action and omission." The massacre victims consisted of 21 women (four of them pregnant), 15 minors and nine men. 87 Tzotzil linked to the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) have been arrested in the massacre, and 24 convicted (18 sentenced). Most of the rest remain in jail awaiting trial. At the time of the massacre, the PRI ruled Mexico, Chiapas and the local municipality, Chenalh?. Las Abejas and local human rights groups say the massacre's "intellectual authors" remain at large. (La Jornada, Dec. 22) The Fray Bartolom? de las Casas Human Rights Center, based in the local highland city of San Crist?bal, said in a statement that Mexico's then-president Ernesto Zedillo had a "direct responsibility in the massacre." The group's attorney, Itzel Silva Monroy, protested on local W-Radio that no figures linked to the army or the state have been brought to justice for the "crime against humanity." "We are speaking of people like the ex-president of the republic, Ernesto Zedillo; the secretary of National Defense at the time, Enrique Cervantes; or the general Mario Ren?n Castillo, who was in charge of the Chiapas military region," said the attorney. (El Universal, Dec. 22) As survivors demand justice, a campaign of revisionism has been launched to portray the massacre as a "confrontation" between PRI supporters and rebels of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN). A Dec. 22 blurb on Compass Direct News, which monitors global persecution of Christians: On the 10th anniversary of the massacre of 45 civilians in Mexico's Chiapas state, a new study on the December 22, 1997 killings in Acteal village points toward the innocence of 32 evangelicals and other peasants serving prison terms. The detailed study by historian H?ctor Aguilar Cam?n, published in the last three monthly issues of Mexico's Nexos magazine, concludes that "there are tens of innocent people in prison who had nothing directly to do with the fact" of the massacre in the hamlet north of San Crist?bal de las Casas. For the past decade, the debate about how 21 women (four pregnant), 18 children and six elderly men were killed has revolved around whether the tragedy was a "massacre" by numerous "paramilitary" villagers or resulted from a "confrontation" between a handful of neighboring peasants and Zapatista National Liberation Army rebels. In this month's Nexos, Aguilar Cam?n argues that there was both a confrontation and a massacre. New evidence, he suggests, shows there was some overlap between the confrontation and the massacre, but that they were largely separate incidents. "Time has added testimony and evidence that requires adding pieces to the portrait," Aguilar Cam?n writes. As we noted in our last report on the Christian media's coverage of the massacre, the responsible paramilitary group, known as Red Mask, was made up of Presbyterian converts. Las Abejas are sympathetic to the Zapatistas' demands for indigenous autonomy and land reform, but reject their use of arms and are not a part of their organizational base. The Zapatistas themselves have maintained a ceasefire since the immediate aftermath of their January 1994 uprising, but continue to control many communities in the highlands and rainforest of Chiapas. http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN23267947 Mexico rearrests main suspect in Chiapas massacre Sun Dec 23, 2007 2:48pm EST Learn to Trade with a FREE Guide. MEXICO CITY, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Mexico has rearrested a man accused of ordering the killings of 45 Indians in the southern state of Chiapas, a massacre that shocked the country 10 years ago and which rights groups say remains unsolved. Right-wing paramilitaries killed the Tzotzil Indians, including pregnant women and children, in the village of Acteal on Dec. 22, 1997. Some witnesses say paramilitaries accused the Tzotzil of siding with the country's indigenous, armed Zapatista movement. Others say the murders were to avenge the killing of a Catholic leader by the Zapatistas. The Chiapas state government said in a statement it had arrested on Saturday suspected paramilitary Antonio Santiz, who had previously been imprisoned, hours after it named a special prosecutor for the long-running Acteal investigation. It was not clear why Santiz had previously been released. "This person (Santiz) is considered to be ... the intellectual author of the massacre at Acteal," said Chiapas Justice Minister Amador Rodriguez late on Saturday. Hundreds of people have been arrested since 1997 but only a few have been sentenced. Rights groups say those sentenced are innocent scapegoats and accuse successive governments of protecting the perpetrators. (Reporting by Anahi Rama; Editing by Eric Beech) http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/12/387365.html Protest March against Kidnap of Activist in Oaxaca Il Gattopardo | 09.12.2007 01:06 | Oaxaca Uprising | Gender | Repression | World On Friday several hundred marched through the streets of Oaxaca to protest the kidnap last Sunday of Nancy Mota Figueroa, member of the Coordination of Women of Oaxaca (COMO, which is part of APPO). Nancy was kidnapped by suspected cops and released an hour later after being tortured. Here is Nancy's testimony of her ordeal: On Sunday December 2, 2007, around 11:45 or 12:00, I found myself walking along the streets of Jazmines in Colonia Reforma, where the store "Pitico" is located. At that point, a braking car was heard and when I turned my face. I felt two people lift me up and fling me into a truck. Immediately after, they blindfolded my eyes with a rag that was covered with a liquid. They began to ask me questions referring to what I knew "of the leaders of the APPO. Tell me what you know of Flavio Sosa, Zenen, Erangelio, Patricia Jimeinez y David Venegas." I did not answer. They continued insisting and I did not answer. Later they grabbed me by the hair and squeezed my hands behind my back and they forced me to put my head between my knees. They pulled back my hair to push two pistols against my head. They asked me if I thought I was a bad-ass or what and I didn't answer. Immediately afterwards they began to say that I talk to my family, that everything was going to go to shit. In this moment I told them that everything they wanted was with me that they not touch my family. They responded that for this there was only one big-mouth. I heard one of them say, "Shoot her already so that we can dump her." I heard them cock the gun. I told them that if they shoot that they do it now because all of this is going to shit. They told me another time "You think you are a bad-ass or what?" When this was happening one guy began to touch me on the back. I got up and kicked him. They forced my arms back and punched me in the stomach. I don't know how long they had me, the truck was roaming about. When they decided that this was all, they told me that this is the first of many times they will wait for me because I know a lot of information, especially in respect to the APPO. They told me that they would wait for the moment to find me alone. At that point, they braked and said, "Stop your participation if you don't want this to happen to your brother or more than that. How you like to defend women, for the next time you are going to defend her with proof of rape." They grabbed me and shoved me out of the car and threw my cell phone at me. They left me behind the Hotel Fortin Plaza, where there is a vacant lot. When they kicked me out of the truck, I called a friend to tell her, but with the fear that they will harass my family. I thought what will happen if I don't make a denunciation at the moment? Now I do it convinced that we cannot keep silent. Similar things have happened to many friends, and they did not want to denounce it to protect their families but enough already with the harassment. The repression must stop against us. Attentively, Nancy Mota Figueroa founder and member of the commission of press and propaganda for the August 1 Coordinator of Oaxacan Women. Councilor with the APPO student sector. For more visit: http://elenemigocomun.net/1372 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/12/387599.html Demonstrators Blockade Mexican Embassy in London UK Chiapas Solidarity Network | 11.12.2007 16:19 | Social Struggles | Zapatista | London | World Today Monday 10th December demonstrators blockaded both the Mexican Embassy and Mexican Consulate in London, in solidarity with the Zapatistas and in opposition to the attacks on their communities by the state and paramilitaries. The waiting police were caught by surprise at the Embassy in St Georges Street. Wearing the symbolic Zapatista red bandanas, demonstrators took over the doorway and draped a huge banner STOP THE REPRESSION right across the front entrance, maintaining this position for several minutes. Then police moved in and manhandled the protestors over to the other side of the road, where the noisy protest continued. Deafening whistle blasts were interspersed with chants of "Zapata vive, la lucha sigue" (Zapata lives, the struggle continues). "Mexican Government forces evicted two indigenous villages in the Lacandona jungle on 18th August. What's more the state is aiding paramilitary groups who are launching violent attacks on Zapatista villages," said Esther McDonald of the UK Zapatista Solidarity Network. "Today's demonstrations show that people all round the world are prepared to act in solidarity with the Zapatistas' struggle for autonomy. The one thousand "communities in resistance" in Chiapas, with their autonomous health clinics and schools, are an inspiring example of people taking control over their own lives - but they are now under threat." "We must act now to stop any possibility of another horrific massacre like Acteal when, on 22 December 1997, 45 people were massacred by paramilitaries with the connivance of Mexican state forces in the Chiapas Highlands," she emphasised. The protestors delivered a letter for the Ambassador, detailing the human rights abuses carried out in recent weeks against at least 21 Zapatista communities. On 24th November 80 members of the paramilitary-type group OPDDICC invaded the village of Bolon Ajaw menacing the residents with guns and machetes and brutally beating a health worker unconscious. After demonstrating at the Embassy for one and a half hours the protestors moved to the Mexican Consulate in nearby Halkin Street. The demonstrators were able to totally take over the entrance porch, once more completely closing off the entrance by draping banners right across it. The protestors controlled the entrance for around 15 minutes before the arrival of armed diplomatic police, who forced people to the other side of the road. Among the 20-25 demonstrators were those who had travelled from York, Manchester, Dorset, Reading, Birmingham, Nottingham, Edinburgh and elsewhere to participate. The demonstration was organised by the UK Zapatista Solidarity Network and the new edition of the network's newsletter was distributed, detailing not only the repression in Chiapas but the positive work of the Zapatistas and solidarity groups in building drinking water systems, health clinics and schools. The Zapatista movement made world headlines when it staged an armed uprising in the southern state of Chiapas on New Years Day 1994, the day the North American Free Trade Agreement came into effect. Following the rebellion many of the big local landowners fled. The Zapatistas took the land into communal control and have built their own autonomous communities, with their own health clinics, schools, justice system and grass-roots decision-making structures. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 19:14:28 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 03:14:28 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Gender and sexuality protests, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <011d01c858b7$122e41e0$0802a8c0@andy1> * KENYA: Women protest killing of politician, problem of gender violence * INDIA/SAUDI ARABIA: Protests in Mumbai target Saudi Arabia over sentence of rape victim * CHIAPAS: Zapatistas organise women's gathering * SPAIN: Abortion clinics stage strike over crackdown, harassment * US: Protest over ban on openly gay men in the military * INDONESIA: Transvestites protest after fatal police raid, allege police murder http://allafrica.com/stories/200712030121.html Kenya: Women Protest At Killing of Politician The Nation (Nairobi) 3 December 2007 Posted to the web 3 December 2007 Kenneth Ogosia Nairobi Women's lobby groups yesterday reacted angrily to the killing of a Lugari politician in Nairobi and accused the police of doing nothing to prevent gender violence in the elections. Ms Alice Onduto, who contested the Lugari ODM nominations and lost, was shot dead outside her sister's house in South B at 1 am on Sunday. She was being driven there by a friend after attending a party meeting in Hurlingham. Reports said gunmen who shot her trailed her from Hurlingham and struck as she waited for the gate to be opened. Police believe it was an assassination because nothing was stolen from her. On Sunday, the Kenya Women Political Caucus led the groups in condemning the murder. They said over 156 cases of gender violence and discrimination in politics had been reported to the rapid response centre run by the Coalition on Violence Against Women in Kenya and the police had not acted on any of them. The Press conference was addressed by Prof Jacqueline Oduol of the ODM Women's caucus, Dr M. J. Hutchinson of Education Centre for Women in Democracy, Ms Daisy Amdany of Women's Political Alliance, Ms Irene Oloo, executive director, League of Kenya Women Voters and Ms Deborah Okumu, the executive director of the KWPC. They accused the Government of applying double standards in tackling violence matters. The women appealed to the Electoral Commission of Kenya, police and political parties to ensure safety of candidates and voters. "We know the electoral violence is meant to intimidate and instil fear into the women who have come out very strongly this time round and will also have serious repercussions to the voter turnout on the election day," they added. Relevant Links They urged the media to open hot lines and partnership with women's organisations to respond to cases of violence and electioneering process. They cited the failure to prosecute those found ferrying machetes and dangerous weapons to Western Province. http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/23/stories/2007112355861700.htm "Inhuman" interpretation of laws resulted in penalising a victim of gang rape Taking up an issue: Teesta Setalvad of the Citizens for Justice protesting outside the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Mumbai against the alleged inhuman punishment of a rape victim. MUMBAI: The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and other groups staged a silent demonstration at the Saudi Arabian consulate here on Thursday to protest against that country's "inhuman" interpretation of laws that resulted in penalising a victim of gang rape. In a memorandum submitted to the Saudi consulate, the CJP said, "We write to express our deep concern at the fate of the 19-year-old female victim of gang rape, initially ordered to undergo 90 lashes for 'being in the car of an unrelated male at the time of the rape,' now further sentenced to '200 lashes and six months in jail for telling her story to the news media.'" The CJP said it was equally dismayed that her attorney, Abdulrahman al-Lahim's licence was first revoked because he disclosed the case to the Saudi-controlled media and now faced a possible three-year suspension and disbarment. The court last year sentenced the six armed men who attacked the Shiite woman to imprisonment between one and five years. Following a retrial, the jail terms of the six men were increased to between two and nine years' imprisonment, while the woman was further punished for "her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media." The CJP is running an international campaign against this incident which took place in Riyadh. The Saudi authorities say the trial and sentences are in keeping with the provisions of the Sharia and, therefore, fair. Under the present system, Saudi Arabia enforces a strict Islamic doctrine that forbids unrelated men and women from associating with each other and bans women from driving. They have to cover themselves head-to-toe in public. Women are required to get a man's permission to travel or have surgery. Women are not allowed to testify in court unless it is about a private matter that was not observed by a man, and they are not allowed to vote. On September 7, 2000, Saudi Arabia had become a party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, albeit with reservations. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/12/388599.html First day of the Women?s Gathering in La Garrucha Compa?eras from the five Zapatista Caracoles, among them children, shared their testimonies of how they were living under the landlords rule before they got organized. They spoke about the process of the struggle to gain more participation in all areas; in education, health, community responsibilities, and high level military ranks. They also commemorated the important work of Comandanta Ramona as an example of struggle to be followed. December 29th - Morning session The Gathering began with the participation of the compa?eras from the Zapatista communities, authorities of the Good Government Committee and comandantas and insurgentas from the Caracol of La Garrucha. The exposition started with the Zapatista women explaining how life was before and how it is now. The 5 minutes for questions were not enough and there was only time to answer a few. This dynamic carried on all morning. Two compa?eras follow on to explain their organisational process. After a break we came back to listen to the words of the health and education promoters from the same caracol, who described all the advances that have been achieved throughout the last years in each one of their areas of work and about the difficulties they have found along the way as women. The auditorium was filled with women from all areas of the autonomous and rebellious Zapatista municipalities, women from other places as well, in addition to a large number of photograph and video takers. The only ones using the equipment were women as the men were not permitted to film or even be present in the auditorium. All of the men were standing outside and listening close to the windows and through the cracks between the wooden boards but keeping their distance. They were more than expected, and it is surprising given the small presence of men in other movements when it comes to listening to the voice of their compa?eras. Afternoon... After lunch came the participation of the compa?eras of the Good Government Committee, the Autonomous (advisory) Council, and two compa?eras, receiving the most vibrant applause, who talked about how their lives are thanks to the struggle of their elders. Next, a compa?era spoke carrying the voice of the Zapatista mothers and concluded the participation of the representatives of the Caracol of La Garrucha. She spoke on the subject of woman and the Other Campaign and highlighted the situation of the persecuted, repressed, and incarcerated compa?eras of struggle. The women made clear that they are not against men; "agreement has to be reached from both sides, the man and the woman, and the family, otherwise we cannot struggle. Unity is necessary for a better life for all". At one point they announced that the men who had come to work on media coverage could come in to document the participation of the women. They were not allowed to do interviews, but they were permitted to film and record, " if they respect u s", said the Zapatista compa?eras. After the participation of the compa?eras of Caracol III, we listened to the women from the Zapatista support communities, promoters of health and education, different committee members, comandantas and insurgentas, and children from the Caracol IV, Morelia. As the compa?eras of La Garrucha did, many women from the Zapatista support communities began to talk about how they used to live before the uprising of 1994 and how they are living now. Comandanta Sandra described their organizing process and what kind of difficulties they had to overcome. On the inequality between men and women she underlined: "we don?t blame the compa?eros, the damn system has to be blamed, women without men cannot struggle and men without women can't either". Sandra thanked "our warriors", the first women of the Zapatista struggle, the ones who have fallen, she thanked the legacy they have left behind. One comandanta talked briefly on how the work of the compa?eras is organized at regional and local levels. Comandanta M?riam, when answering a question from the public regarding the meaning of the Revolutionary Women?s Law, stated that it encourages a new space for the participation for the compa?eras. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3155991.ece January 9, 2008 Clinics suspend abortions in protest at 'harassment' Thomas Catan in Madrid Abortion clinics in Spain started a nationwide strike yesterday to protest against what they called a campaign of "systematic harassment" by local authorities and activists after a crackdown on illegal abortions. In an unprecedented move, more than 30 clinics suspended all their appointments for this week, forcing an estimated 2,000 women to postpone their abortions. Almost all of the 100,000 annual terminations in Spain are carried out at private clinics. "The health professionals working in the sector have been subjected to a campaign of persecution and harassment," a spokesman for the Association of Accredited Clinics for Interruption of Pregnancy (Acai), an industry body, said. It claimed that many clinics, particularly in Madrid, had been subjected to repeated and arbitrary inspections since the November arrest of the owner of a chain of abortion clinics in Barcelona. Two clinics in Madrid have since been closed over alleged administrative irregularities and some employees have allegedly received death threats. Abortion clinics in the Spanish capital have been subjected to "far more inspections than is strictly necessary", Santiago Barambio, a director of Acai, said. "It is not normal for a clinic to be inspected nine times in less than a year." The Madrid regional government is controlled by the opposition Popular Party, a conservative party with close links to the Roman Catholic Church. "Neither the Government nor the Madrid regional authorities are guaranteeing womens' right to an abortion," Dr Barambio said. "We feel threatened and criminalised, as do the women who have had an abortion," Dr Barambio said. Acai said that it may call a further stoppage if authorities did not heed its calls. In November four abortion clinics in Barcelona run by Carlos Mor?n, a millionaire Peruvian doctor, were raided by police. Dr Mor?n and two employees were arrested on charges of carrying out illegal abortions. Police wiretaps reportedly found them willing to perform abortions on women into their eighth month of pregnancy, when the foetus is almost fully grown. Police searching the premises of one clinic, Ginemedex, were horrified to find purpose-built machines, to break up the foetuses, attached to the public drains. Hundreds of British and other European women are thought to have used the clinics. Until recently, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service referred British women beyond the 24-week legal limit in the UK to Dr Mor?n's clinics. Under Spanish law, pregnancies can be terminated only until the 12th week in cases of rape or until the 22nd week in cases of severe foetal malformation. However, there is no time limit on abortions if there is a risk to the mother's physical or mental health. The vast majority of abortions are carried out alleging a risk to the mother's mental health - something that opponents point to as a flagrant abuse of the law. Birth control - Spanish law has been modelled historically on the Catholic Church's teachings on abortion. Before 1983 abortion, the sale of contraceptives and giving access to birth control information were criminal acts - In 1985 courts legalised abortion in cases of rape, severe foetal abnormality and serious risk to a woman's mental or physical health - Despite this many physicians have been unwilling to operate openly owing to fear of harassment. Abortion has been confined largely to private clinics - In 1994 the Spanish Government proposed legislation that would permit abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy if the woman was suffering grave personal or economic problems - The abortion would require a three-day waiting period after counselling on alternatives - The law was rejected three times by parliament, in 1998 by one vote - In 1991 the Supreme Court said that it could determine instances in which abortion could be sanctioned on social grounds on a case-by-case basis Sources: Canadian Federation for Sexual Health; Pew Forum http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,320959,00.html Spanish Abortion Clinics Strike to Protest Raids, Arrests Tuesday, January 08, 2008 MADRID, Spain - Private clinics that conduct more than 90 percent of the abortions in Spain began a five-day strike Tuesday to protest a crackdown on centers accused of carrying out illegal operations. The strike, backed by some 50 clinics across Spain, is a response to raids late last year of clinics in Barcelona and Madrid in which more than a dozen people were arrested. Spain allows abortion in the first 12 weeks in cases of rape and within the first 22 weeks if there is a risk of fetal deformation. It is also allowed at any time when a pregnant woman's physical or mental health is deemed as being in danger, with a doctor's certification. Some clinics were accused of carrying out abortions using fake medical certificates. The Association of Clinics Accredited for the Interruption of Pregnancies said in a statement it was launching the strike to protest the raids. "It's incomprehensible that while the option of abortion is provided for and recognized by the national health system and facilitated by accredited clinics, authorities allow the persecution of women and professionals involved," The association said it had sought talks with regional and national authorities to resolve the matter in recent weeks but to no avail. It did not rule out further strike action in the future. The organization said women who had appointments for abortions during the strike had either been tended to before the stoppage or were given new appointments. The strike was estimated to affect some 2,000 women. Just over 100,000 abortions were carried out in Spain in 2007. The clinic association called for the government to reform the law so that women may end pregnancies up to 12 or 16 weeks on demand. The governing Socialists had such a clause in their 2004 electoral program but quietly dropped the issue upon taking office. Last month, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said he would open discussions with interested groups to see how the law that legalized abortion 22 years ago might be brought up to date. But he said abortion would not be in the party platform for the March general elections. The Health Ministry refused to comment Tuesday on the strike. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3942817&page=1 Foes Protest 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Fourteen-Year-Old Policy Sparked Weekend Protests Brad Howard, of Van Buren, Ark., an intern with the Human Rights Campaign, straightens fallen flags on display on the National Mall in Washington, Friday, Nov. 30, 2007, to mark the 14th anniversary of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law which allows gay men and lesbians to serve in the military, but only if they kept their orientation secret. (AP Photos/Susan Walsh) By SARAH ULREY Dec. 2, 2007 Twelve thousand miniature flags are fluttering on the National Mall through today to represent the men and women discharged from the military since Bill Clinton in 1993 signed off on the "don't ask, don't tell" compromise -- a policy that requires gays and lesbians conceal their sexual orientation or leave the military. The flags, placed by volunteers, cover six football fields of space in view of the Capitol building and the Washington monument. Nov. 30 marked the anniversary of "don't ask, don't tell," and the start of a weekend of demonstrations in Washington. "It's time to have a visual example of how many people that we've lost," said Antonio Agnone, primary organizer of the events and former U.S. Marine who voluntarily left his post because of the stress of serving under 'don't ask, don't tell.' "And [it's] also [time] to say thank you to all these men and women for their service." The weekend events, organized by the Human Rights Campaign, Servicemembers United, the Log Cabin Republicans, the Liberty Education Forum and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, was to conclude today with a military chaplain's prayer service on the National Mall at 11 a.m. On Friday, 28 retired admirals and generals released a letter calling on Congress to rethink "don't ask, don't tell." "We respectfully urge Congress to repeal the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," read the letter, which was read as part of this weekend's ceremonies. "Those of us signing this letter have dedicated our lives to defending the rights of our citizens to believe whatever they wish." It claims "scholarly data" counts 65,000 gays and lesbians currently serving in the armed forces and references Britain and Israel, two places where gay and lesbian soldiers serve openly. The signers are in company with Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, who argued against "don't ask, don't tell" in a Jan. 2 opinion piece in The New York Times. Shalikashvili was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when the policy was adopted. http://www.mediaisland.org/en/transvestites-protest-fatal-raid Transvestites protest fatal raid Submitted by pirate on Sat, 12/08/2007 - 08:35. Australia and Oceania Gender and Sexuality Intimidation State Violence The State The Jakarta Post, Jakarta December 08, 2007 Dozens of transvestites and activists staged a peaceful protest at City Hall on Wednesday, demanding the city administration investigate the death of a transvestite following a raid by public order officers. The protesters, including members of the Arus Pelangi Organization, the Indonesian Transvestites Communication Forum and the Poor People's Alliance, accused public order officers of abusing Elly "Sayep" Susanna during the raid on Jl. Latuharhari, Central Jakarta, last month. They said the officers pushed her into the nearby river and then threw stones at her until she drowned. "The city administration must investigate the case and take strict action against those responsible for the death," said Rido Triawan, director of Arus Pelangi. Public order officer deployment needed to be reviewed as they often violated human rights and conducted aggressive raids, he said. "The governor must tell the public order officers to use a persuasive approach, not a violent one, because they can become more brutal than the police," he said. He also said that his team would push the Central Jakarta Police to investigate the case. According to Freddy Simanungkalit, the advocacy division head of Arus Pelangi, the incident happened on Nov. 17 at around 9:30 p.m. when several public order officers tried to arrest transsexuals they alleged were sex workers along Jl. Laturharhari and its surroundings, known as the Taman Lawang area. Some of the transsexuals jumped into the river to escape, but Elly was unable to swim. Her friends said they saw her fighting with some of the officers. "They saw the officers push Elly into the water and throw stones at her," Freddy said. Her body was found on the next day in Cideng River, Central Jakarta. Freddy also said his team later checked with the subdistrict office and was told that no official raid had been planned for that day. "It was only a routine patrol. So the crackdown was illegal," he said, adding that Elly's family had not received an apology from the public order officers. It is not the first time public order officers have been accused of abusing civilians during raids. A few months ago, a three-in-one jockey, Irfan Maulan died in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta. Activists alleged that he had been beaten by public order officers but the case was never solved. Yuli Rettoblaut, head of the Indonesian Transvestites Communication Forum, said public order officers often take the cell phones of people caught in raids, as well as extorting money from them and sexually harassing them. "Crackdowns are only used as excuses for them to take our money and cell phones," she said. She said that when Elly's body had been found her underwear was missing, indicating that the officers had tried to undress her during the fight. Dudung Supriadi, a city official from the social welfare agency, said he would take the groups' complaints to the Governor Fauzi Bowo, who was not present during the protest. Central Jakarta public order agency head Subandi denied the allegations his officers had chased the transsexuals or pushed Elly into the river. "They were afraid when they saw my men, so they ran away. And Elly jumped into the river," he told The Jakarta Post. He added that his team had begun patrolling the area every night after receiving complaints from people in the neighborhood, saying they were disturbed by the transsexuals' activities. "Every night the transvestites play loud music and offer sexual services, causing discomfort in the neighborhood." (dia) From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 19:23:46 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 03:23:46 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Education protests, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <011e01c858b8$5ee2d590$0802a8c0@andy1> * SRI LANKA: Police attack student sit-in outside university; students vow to continue protest against fees * INDIA: Students stage protest against abusive "ragging" * INDIA: Protest over death of girl due to poor conditions at student hostel * NORTHERN IRELAND: Protest calls for abolition of student fees * BULGARIA: Young sciences protest education funding shortage * HOLLAND: School students protest compulsory hours increase, demand "quality not quantity" * WALES: Protest over closure of rural schools * INDIA: Researchers protest for grants * PAKISTAN: Urdu University students protest insecurity of university's future * UK: Shropshire students stage protest against relocation, merger of college http://news.nidahasa.com/news.php?go=fullnews&newsid=419 Heavy Traffic Jam near Colombo Town Hall as University Students Protest 10 December 2007 02:52 am 60 views (NIDAHASA News) Heavy traffic jam occurred in and around Town Hall - Colombo today (10) noon, as police used teargas to disperse a protest of university students. Students of Sabaragamuwa University were staging a protest for 27 days opposite University Grants Commission demanding several students? rights, from 12th November. Over 10 students were arrested by police. Struggle begun by students would not be stopped until authorities find solutions for students? demands, Convener of Inter Universities Students? Federation (IUSF) Duminda Nagamuwa, said to media. http://www.sundaytimes.lk/071209/News/news0006.html Undergrads vow to continue protest By Isuri Kaviratne Three university students involved in the protest outside the University Grants Commission (UGC) office in Colombo were arrested yesterday by Police who broke up the four-week long protest campaign outside the UGC, but students have vowed to recommence their protest tomorrow at the same location. The three students were produced before a magistrate and remanded for two weeks. The students belonging to the JVP backed Inter University Students? Union (IUSU) had been protesting about the failure of the authorities to shift one of the faculties of the Sabaragamuwa university from Buttala to the main university. Currently the faculty is located 100 kilometres away from the main university at Belihuloya. IUSU convenor Duminda Nagamuwa said the ?satyagraha? would not stop until the three students were released and if the Government took any further action against them, the students of other universities too would join along with some trade unions, with whom the IUSU has had discussions. Mr. Nagamuwa said the students of the Applied Science Faculty left the premises in Buttala because they didn?t have any facilities there to study. ?Even though the Government asks the students to stop the ?sathyagraha?, there is nothing else the students could do unless the university administration reopens the university with the Applied Science Faculty transferred to Belihuloya?, he said adding that the number of students at every intake had decreased in the past few years due to lack of facilities. http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=128360 Jammu University students stage protest against ragging Vijay Kumar, 09 December 2007, Sunday Views: 163 Comments: 0 A group of students were ragged by senior students in one of the hostels in Jammu University campus. Junior students were thrashed, paraded naked and later humiliated by some of the senior students. They protested against university administration. A GROUP of students, who were agitated over the repeated incidents of ragging, ransacked office complex of vice chancellor of Jammu University Prof Amitabh Mattoo last Thursday. They staged protest later outside his chamber demanding strict actions against those students involved in ragging incidents. According to the report, a group of students were ragged by senior students in one of the hostels in Jammu University campus. Junior students were reportedly thrashed, paraded naked and later humiliated by some of the senior students. While staging protest, the students were unhappy with the university authorities for not taking prompt action against students involved in incidents of ragging happened on Wednesday night. Agitated students alleged that the incidents of ragging were going on inside the hostel for past several days and the issue was brought into the notice of the university authorities. ?On Wednesday evening also when the incident took place we immediately contacted our hostel warden but he refused to come and informed us to meet him in the morning?, students peeved over the delayed response told media persons outside the VC chamber amid chanting slogans loudly. The victimized students alleged that they brought the matter into the notice of the university authorities early in the morning, yet they failed to take any action against the culprits. Angry over the poor response of the authorities, the students assembled outside the main gate of the administrative block and smashed windowpanes, flowerpots and wall paintings. Later, they staged protest outside the VC chamber and chanted slogans demanding action against the students responsible for the act. University authorities reportedly made several attempts to pacify the agitating students but went in vain. Groups of students also clashed with each other exchanging hot words outside VC?s office trading charges against each other. Dean student welfare PS Pathania told media that university administration has already identified those students who were behind ragging incidents. ?We have informed local police authorities and appropriate action will be taken against them soon, he added. Superintendent of Police, who arrived on the spot, said that University administration have been asked to submit a written complain against the students so that they can register an FIR for further action in this case. http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/24/stories/2007112462180700.htm Protest over student?s death Special Correspondent SFI flays poor conditions in welfare hostels Nearly 40 girls staying in a single room Drinking water contaminated and food quality is poor VISAKHAPATNAM: The death of a girl staying at the Tribal Welfare Department?s hostel for girl students at MVP Colony here reportedly owing to diarrhoea due to poor conditions in the hostel sparked protest by students here and in Araku Valley on Thursday. Students staying in the hostel have been complaining that the conditions in the hostel are extremely bad. Nearly 40 girls are staying in a room, the drinking water is contaminated and food quality poor. The overall hygiene is poor. Several of them were suffering with diarrhoea for the last few days and were sent to a local hospital. One of the students Killo Bhagyalakshmi, studying first year B.Sc. in the VMC Mahila College, who had gone to her native village Battivalasa near Araku Valley died late on Thursday night, reportedly due to diarrhoea. Warden blamed As the news of Bhagyalakshmi?s death reached here, SFI launched a protest and girl students held a demonstration and organised a rasta-roko in MVP Colony junction demanding better facilities in the hostel. They held the hostel warden responsible and wanted the Government to take action against her. SFI?s tribal students? wing leader Jagat said no official was concerned about the conditions in the hostel even after the death of Bhagyalakshmi. At Araku Valley also the SFI and AP Girijana Sangham held protest demonstrations. Bhagyalakshmi?s collegemates Chandrakala and Saraswati while talking to reporters at Battivalasa on Friday said they and Bhagyalakshmi had fallen sick and were given some medicines at the hostel. Later, they were told to go home. They reached Battivalasa on Wednesday and Bhagyalakshmi?s condition became critical the next day. She died on way to the CHC at Araku Valley late on Thursday . http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/ireland/article3172409.ece Protest in the North for abolition of student fees Sunday, November 18, 2007 A protest against fees for third level students in the North is to take place outside Stormont today. They're calling for the abolition of student fees for the province's third level students. The Union of Students in Ireland says the fee system in Northern Ireland contributes to unacceptable levels of hardship. The President of the USI is Hamid Khodabakhshi outlines the consequences of fees for students. "At the moment the students are paying fees over the 3 or 4 years from ?10000 up to ?12,500. They go for student loans and after they've graduated they have to work very hard and they have to live on the breadline for a few years until they actually manage to pay this loan back to the government. http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/young-bulgarian-scientists-protest-in-sofia/id_26208/catid_66 YOUNG BULGARIAN SCIENTISTS PROTEST IN SOFIA 17:03 Fri 16 Nov 2007 - Spasena Baramova Photo: Georgi Kozhouharov On November 16 young Bulgarian scientists protested in Sofia against the lack of funds in science and education, Bulgarian National Radio BNR reported. About 50 people organised a symbolic procession to protest against the education and science funds percentage in Budget 2008. According to them Bulgaria had the lowest number of scientists per capita in the EU ? 2.8 per 1000. In Finland, for example, there are more than 13 scientists per 1000 population. The protest was organised by the movement of young scientists who, at the beginning of the procession, distributed a letter addressed to the movement by the European Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Poto?nik, BNR said. The letter said that Bulgaria had a good basis and traditions in the field of science and research but, like in many other European countries, scientific research did not have sufficient funds. Poto?nik said the authorities had to pay attention to mobility, modernisation of research infrastructure and the strengthening of the research potential. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=24&art_id=nw20071129135404939C518253 Dutch pupils protest more school hours November 29 2007 at 03:16PM Amsterdam - Dutch pupils said that protests scheduled for Friday against longer hours at school would go ahead as planned. Sywert van Lienden, the 17-year-old chairman of the Dutch high school pupils' association LAKS, has called upon all Dutch high school pupils to convene at the Museumplein. The Museumplein is the great lawn between the Concertgebouw and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Van Lienden says he is expecting tens of thousands of students to come to Amsterdam. The LAKS has taken special precautionary measures to prevent rioting. 'Quality, not quantity is our first priority' During previous protests in several cities, protests turned into violent rioting. Dutch high school pupils have been protesting in the past 10 days the government education policy of fining schools who did not provide a minimum of 1 040 hours of education to each pupil. Dutch schools have been obliged in the past years to provide this minimum amount of classes, replacing the previous minimum of 960 hours per year. The pupils want go back to the previous 960-hour minimum. They claim schools fulfil their 1,040 hour teaching obligation primarily by forcing pupils to remain on the school premises without providing extra classes. The LAKS says most schools have neither the funding nor the teaching staff required to comply with the governmental policies. The organisation also claims many schools do not even have the means to provide 960 hours of proper teaching. This is partly due to a lack of financial means, but also to the scarcity of teaching personnel, they say. "Quality, not quantity is our first priority," LAKS chairman Van Lienden said. "The government should focus on the teaching quality as well." Following a multi-decade drop in Dutch teaching salaries and increased governmental interference in school teaching, taking away teachers' autonomy and freedom, many schools lack teaching staff. Many qualified teachers have switched to other professions, while teaching academies have been receiving fewer and fewer new students in recent years. LAKS representatives met several times this week with officials of the Education Ministry, including Deputy Education Minster Marja van Bijsterveldt. Neither the meetings nor Wednesday's parliamentary debate about the subject bore any results. - Sapa-DPA http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/7136216.stm Protest at rural schools closure The council's executive board met at county hall on Monday Two schools in rural Carmarthenshire will shut for the last time next summer despite protests by parents and pupils. Objectors gathered outside county hall as members of the council's executive board met to discuss closing Llanarthne and Llansadwrn primary schools. Parents said the schools played a vital role in village life and provided good standards of education. But the council said both had falling pupil numbers and the cost per head was no longer financially viable. The changes are part of the council's 10-year modernising education programme that could see up to 32 schools closed with new facilities provided at other sites as part of a ?122m investment in education. But Gareth Martin, a parent governor at Llanarthne, said closing the school would be another blow for the village after its main shop shut. "The school is the heart of the community," he said. He said the council had not taken parents' views into account and children would have to travel more than four miles each day to an alternative school. "Llanarthne is a newish school, it's not an old Victorian building. The standard of teaching is good," he added. Protesters were supported by members of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society). But executive board member Ieuan Jones said the cost of educating pupils in some small schools was more than three times that of larger ones. "We are trying to give the same chance in education to all our children," he added. http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/02/stories/2007120258870300.htm DU researchers on protest NEW DELHI: Members of the Delhi University Researchers? Coordination Committee began an indefinite protest outside the Vice-Chancellor?s Office here on Friday demanding implementation of the University Grants Commission scholarships scheme for research scholars. They have also been demanding revival of the Delhi University Researchers? Association. ?We have approached everyone from the UGC to the Union Human Resource Development Ministry but till now no process has been initiated to implement these scholarships,? said Vipul Pachori, coordinator of the committee, on Saturday. http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/09/stories/2007120956160300.htm Protest for UGC fellowships continues Staff Reporter NEW DELHI: As their protest demonstration to press their demand for University Grants Commission fellowships for research scholars entered its ninth day on Saturday, Delhi University Researchers? Coordination Committee members claimed that there had been no move from the administration to initiate a dialogue with them. ?The UGC fellowships were to be made available from December 2006. It has been a year so far and nothing has been done by the Delhi University administration to start the process of implementing these scholarships,? said Committee coordinator Vipul Pachori. ?When we met Vice-Chancellor Deepak Pental a couple of months ago, we were verbally assured that the process will be initiated on October 16, but in vain. When a delegation of research scholars met the authorities on Friday, they warned that police action will be taken against those staging a dharna,? he alleged. The Committee has been protesting outside the Vice-Chancellor?s office since November 30. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C14%5Cstory_14-12-2007_pg11_8 Urdu University students continue protest ISLAMABAD: Unavailability of teachers in the department of engineering in The Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology has provoked students to continue boycott of classes for the eighth consecutive day on Thursday. Dozens of students staged a protest on campus. They carried placards reading ?save our future?, ?appoint permanent VC?, ?ensure permanent faculty? and ?get accreditation from the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC)?. They vowed to protest until their demands were met. They said the PEC board had asked the university to induct new teachers to take classes. They said the PEC wanted to cancel the one-year on-probation accreditation of the university because it had failed to appoint the required faculty. The university officials told Daily Times that private sector universities offered more salaries to qualified faculty than public sector universities so the teachers were attracted towards the private sector universities. They said they had to go through a long process to induct teachers. They said 15 teachers were required for the Engineering Department and the university would induct 10 teachers initially. They said the university?s labs were well equipped and new books worth Rs 200,000 had been added to the library. Students, on the other hand, said the administration was deceiving them by presenting excuses about the accreditation of the university by the PEC. They said their future was at stake since their course ends next June but the administration could not get the university accredited with the PEC. They said no one will accept their degrees without the university?s accreditation by the PEC. They said the absence of a permanent VC was another cause of concern for them. They said Higher Education Commission (HEC) Executive Director Dr Sohail H Naqvi had informed a student delegation that he could not help release funds for the university, as it had no permanent VC. University?s Finance Director Abdul Aleem claimed that the administration will soon advertise posts for teachers. The engineering department head confirmed that the PEC was reluctant to accredit the university due to lack of faculty. staff report http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/shropshire/7155202.stm Student protest at college move The students were joined by Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski Shropshire students are staging a protest march against ?60m plans to move their college. An application has been submitted to relocate Shrewsbury Sixth Form College to London Road, on the same site as the college of arts and technology. The two institutions would "co-locate" on a large new campus, but many students and staff are against it. Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski joined the students on the march, which started at the Quarry at 1130 GMT. Students claim they have been told they could face disciplinary action if they miss lessons to take part. The Learning and Skills Council is providing most of the funding to pay for the controversial combined campus. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 17:17:56 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 01:17:56 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] PAKISTAN: Protests and unrest after political leader slain Message-ID: <00b301c8596f$f542b250$0802a8c0@andy1> * Al-Qaeda blamed as Pakistan burns * Protesters target police, stores in Peshawar and elsewhere * Massive unrest in Sindh; protesters block roads, burn cars; 10 accidental deaths of workers, trapped in burning building * Factories, car showroom burnt; death toll reaches 32 * Protest organised in Swabi * Rawalpindi: police hide as protesters blame Musharraf * Hyderabad: five wounded as police shoot protesters * Lahore: lawyers, NGOs protest killing * Musharraf threatens crackdown as unrest continues * PPP pledges to continue rallies until election * Rawalpindi: five injured as police attack lawyers' demonstration * Lahore: protest by PPP, lawyers, students passes off without clashes http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3106200.ece December 29, 2007 Al-Qaeda is blamed as Pakistan burns Image :1 of 10 Zahid Hussain in Karachi, Jeremy Page in Lahore and Times Online Graphic: Violence in Pakistan Benazir Bhutto was laid to rest before tens of thousands of mourners yesterday as Pakistan's Government accused al-Qaeda of killing her and a furious row erupted over precisely how she died. More than 30 people were killed as riots erupted across the country. Banks, police and railway stations, shops, factories, foreign fast-food outlets and vehicles were set ablaze in cities throughout Pakistan. Demonstrators exchanged gun-fire with police, aircraft were grounded, railway lines severed and roads blocked. Troops were on the streets of the main cities and, in Karachi, Ms Bhutto's stronghold, they had orders to shoot rioters. "I don't fear death... I don't think it can happen unless God wants it to happen because so many people have tried to kill me" The Government fuelled the anger by claiming that Ms Bhutto was killed not by bullets or shrapnel, but when the impact of a suicide bomb smashed her head against the lever of her vehicle's sunroof. Farooq Naik, Ms Bhutto's lawyer, called the claim a "pack of lies" designed to cover up a serious security lapse, and said that the country was "heading towards civil war". http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/pakistan-police-tear-gas-protest/2007/12/28/1198345171832.html Pakistan police tear gas protest PAKISTAN police used tear gas and batons to break up an angry demonstration today in the city of Peshawar after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. More than 100 angry supporters of Mrs Bhutto blocked the main trunk road in the northwestern city, torching billboards and posters of the main party behind President Pervez Musharraf, a Bhutto rival, before police moved in. They shouted slogans including "Musharraf is a dog" and "Long live Bhutto". There was also the sound of gunfire, apparently from angry residents firing in the air. Furious protesters took to the streets in groups, some of them opening fire in the air and screaming. Four Pakistani police were shot and wounded while 20 homes in one village were set on fire as unrest erupted in different cities, police and witnesses said. One local police station was pelted with stones, as were some private vehicles, the reporter said. Demonstrators were also seen ripping down campaign posters of rival candidates. Buildings in Jacobabad, including the main court and banks, were also set on fire. Jacobabad is the hometown of Pakistan's caretaker prime minister. Mobs also torched several shops, including some belonging to relatives of Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro, said residents of the city, in the southern Sindh province. Portraits of Soomro were also set on fire while demonstrators took to the streets, blocking roads and a railway track. Mrs Bhutto returned from exile in October, planning to contest the January 8 parliamentary election. There were also protests in the central city of Multan, where around 100 people from Mrs Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) burnt tyres in the streets and blocked traffic. Residents said police had stepped up patrols. Local traders announced a three-day period of mourning when shops and markets would be shut. Shops were also closed in Karachi, Mrs Bhutto's home city. Protesters burnt tyres and blocked major roads, triggering a massive traffic jam in some places. "This is a very big tragedy. May Allah save Pakistan," said Karachi resident Shahina Begum. AFP http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22979627-663,00.html Four die as mobs protest at killing December 28, 2007 07:10am AT least 10 people were killed and dozens wounded today as angry mobs took to the streets in several Pakistan cities after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the interior ministry said. "The death toll in the unrest after Bhutto's death is 10, mostly in Sindh province," ministry spokesman Javed Cheema told AFP. He said dozens of people had been wounded in the violence, which hit several cities across the country. Four died in Karachi, four in rural Sindh province in the south and two in Lahore, he said. Scores of buildings and vehicles were set alight and sporadic gunfire was heard in several cities. Police said two people were shot dead in rioting in the eastern city of Lahore and two others in the southern province of Sindh, Bhutto's birthplace. In Lahore, markets and shops closed down as paramilitary patrols roamed the streets in an attempt to keep a lid on the violence. In Karachi, police said at least 70 vehicles were burnt by protesters, including 35 trucks filled with wheat. All petrol pumps were immediately closed as knots of protesters blocked many roads. Witnesses said that as news spread of Bhutto's assassination in a suicide attack, the streets of Karachi were clogged with traffic as panicked people tried to rush home. The mood was tense in Bhutto's home town of Larkana, where two banks were set on fire, witnesses said. In Peshawar, in the northwest, police used teargas and batons to break up angry crowds and in the central city of Multan some protesters fired shots into the air and many shouted slogans including "(President) Musharraf is a dog'' and "Long live Bhutto''. As angry Bhutto supporters looked for a scapegoat for her death, residents in the Sindh town of Jacobabad said shops belonging to the family of interim Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro were burned down. Portraits of Soomro were set on fire while demonstrators took to the streets, blocking roads and a railway track. The main court, banks and other buildings were also set alight. - AFP http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22983826-5005961,00.html Workers burn to death as riot toll hits 32 Article from: Agence France-Presse >From correspondents in Karachi December 29, 2007 02:30am SIX people were burnt to death when a mob enraged by the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto torched a factory in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, police said. It was not immediately known if the victims had already been counted in the 32 deaths reported earlier by officials, as the country reeled from a spate of arson attacks, shootings and other violence since Bhutto was slain on Thursday. "The mob stormed into a leather factory in the Korangi area of Karachi. They set it on fire and six labourers were burnt to death," police official Latif Siddiqi said. The workers had stayed in the factory overnight because there was no transport to get them home, after opposition leaders called for a national strike to protest Bhutto's killing, keeping taxis and buses off the roads. Siddiqi said rioters also burnt down a BMW car showroom and ransacked a medicine factory and a private hospital in the same area of the city, Pakistan's largest and the economic hub of the country. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=88482 Political parties in Swabi protest Benazir's assassination By By our correspondent 12/30/2007 SWABI: The leaders of various political parties staged a protest demonstration Saturday against the assassination of Pakistan People's Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto. "Ghaibana Namaz-i-Janaza" was offered at three different places: Government High School Playground and at two-venue on Swabi-Mardan Road. The workers of PPP, ANP, PML-N, JI, JUI-F, PPP (Sherpao) and Pakistan Awami Party gathered in the Kernel Sher Chowk, chanted slogans against government and demanded that the rulers should immediately step down. The protesters marched through the main Swabi Bazaar and returned to the Kernel Sher Chowk through link road. Traffic on all roads remained blocked for six hours. The ANP district president Haji Rehmanullah led a protest rally in the Shewa Adda and marched towards the district headquarters. The district nazim Shahram Khan ordered to close down all the institutions while announcing three days mourning. Meanwhile, Dr Yasmin Jasim, district president of the ANP women wing said that it was a great shock for the whole countrymen that the leader like Benazir Bhutto was brutally assassinated. She said in a press statement that at present crucial juncture the country needed leaders like Benazir Bhutto. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a280Tcz88BN8&refer=home Pakistan's Biggest City Shuts Down as Bhutto Supporters Riot By Asim Hafeez Dec. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan's biggest city of Karachi was completely shut down this evening after rioters burned dozens of cars and set fire to stores to protest the killing of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. All the city's petrol stations were sealed off and street lights were turned off. Protestors exchanged fire with the police in some parts of the city. Bhutto, 54, was killed in a suicide bomb attack on an election rally in Rawalpindi. At least 16 people were killed in the bombing and more than 60 injured, police said. http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/dec/28/witness-tells-of-chaos-after-slaying-police-as/ Police absent as Bhutto's supporters riot Witness tells of chaos after slaying By Saeed Shah McClatchy Newspapers Friday, December 28, 2007 Shakil Adil / AP Angry protesters burn vehicles after the killing of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Thursday in Karachi, Pakistan. Bhutto was shot and killed in a suicide attack on her vehicle in Rawalpindi. B.K. Bangash / AP A supporter of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto mourns at the site of her assassination in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Thursday. The killer blew himself up after the attack, killing and wounding others. RAWALPINDI, Pakistan - It was on the drive out of the downtown park that the assassin fired the fatal bullets at Benazir Bhutto. The election rally had been long and lackluster, but on viewing the crowd gathered at the gates of Liaquat Bagh park, Bhutto turned to her deputy, Amin Fahim, and said she wanted to wave, Fahim recounted. The sunroof was opened and she stood up. Three to five shots were fired at her, witnesses said. She was hit in the neck and slumped back in the vehicle. Blood poured from her head, and she never regained consciousness. Moments after the shooting, there was a huge explosion to the left of the vehicle. Witnesses said that Bhutto's bodyguards pounced on the assassin, who then blew himself up, shredding those around him. The road turned red with pools of blood. Police abandoned posts "I was standing near the rally stage, about 30 to 40 yards away from the scene of the shooting. There was pandemonium. On hearing the shots, I started running toward the scene. Then came the explosion. I ran back a bit. I didn't see the killer, and by the time I got to the gates, Bhutto's SUV was driving to a Rawalpindi hospital. She didn't have a chance," Fahim said. The assassination occurred in this garrison city housing the headquarters of the Pakistan army, an institution that has always seemed opposed to Bhutto. A couple of miles away across Rawalpindi, a previous military regime had executed her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan's first democratically elected prime minister, in 1979, when she was 26. Police officers had frisked the 3,000 to 4,000 people attending Thursday's rally when they entered the park, but as the speakers from Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party droned on, the police abandoned many of their posts. As she drove out through the gate, her main protection appeared to be her own bodyguards, who wore their usual white T-shirts inscribed: "Willing to die for Benazir." Ghulam Mustafa, a witness at the scene, said he saw bodies with missing heads and limbs. "This happens only in Iraq, Afghanistan or Pakistan. Why not America?" he asked. Bhutto's party had complained repeatedly that the government provided her with inadequate security. She had narrowly escaped another assassination attempt at her homecoming parade Oct. 18 in Karachi, which left 140 dead. At Rawalpindi General Hospital, hundreds of Bhutto supporters pushed their way in, filling the corridors, weeping and shouting. They chanted "Musharraf is a dog" and "Musharraf murderer," referring to President Pervez Musharraf. "They killed her father. They killed her two brothers. It is a national tragedy," said Safraz Khan, a near-hysterical supporter. "She was the force to unite Pakistan." Youths take to the streets A frail man in the emergency ward, Saqib Hussain, with tears rolling down his cheeks said: "I am 70, but today I feel like an orphan." In the streets, youths manned intersections and lit fires. They stopped traffic and smashed cars. They cut electrical wires, plunging the city into darkness. No police were visible, in the hospital or the streets. These scenes were repeated in major cities across Pakistan. In Karachi, young supporters went on a rampage, shooting randomly at passing cars. The crowd at the hospital seemed sure that the army and Musharraf's regime - the "establishment" - were behind the attack. Security experts think that al-Qaida and Taliban militants were the most likely perpetrators of Thursday's and October's attacks. "GHQ (general headquarters of the army) killed her," Sardar Saleem, a former member of parliament, said. Fahim, the deputy leader of Bhutto's party, announced 40 days of mourning, saying simply: "We are shattered." Bhutto embodied the Pakistan People's Party, leaving it without any other popular leaders. It was the only major liberal political force in the country, stridently opposed to religious extremism. The United States had backed Bhutto strongly as the next prime minister, a post she had held twice before and looked likely to win again in a fair election. Bhutto knew the risks she was taking by openly campaigning. But she had said that she believed that most Pakistanis opposed extremism. In a recent speech, she said: "This great land of ours is not a land of terrorists. It is not a land of militants. It is a land of laborers, who work hard to earn a living." In her speech Thursday, she said she'd be the "leading light to tackle terrorism." Bhutto's body was being flown to the south of the country, to her hometown of Larkana, where her father's body is buried in a giant mausoleum. Her controversial husband, Asif Zardari, and their three children flew to Rawalpindi from Dubai, where he has lived in exile. They accompanied the body to Larkana. Liaquat Bagh, the venue for rally, has a grim history. It was where Liaquat Ali Khan, Pakistan's first prime minister, was assassinated in 1951. http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSISL32450920071228 Five hurt Pakistani police open fire on protest Fri Dec 28, 2007 4:21am EST HYDERABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani police opened fire on protesters in the southern city of Hyderabad on Friday, wounding five, as violent disturbances over the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto intensified, police said. "We opened fire when protesters got more violent and we failed to disperse them. Five of them have received bullet wounds," said police officer Abdul Qadir Summo. (Editing by Robert Birsel) http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C29%5Cstory_29-12-2007_pg13_3 Lawyers, NGOs protest Benazir's killing LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) and civil society activists on Friday held a joint rally at the GPO Chowk to protest Benazir Bhutto's assassination. LHCBA president Ahsan Bhoon, advocates Muhammad Azhar Siddique, Khuram Latif Khan Khosa, Naveed Anayat Malik and over a dozen of their colleagues, staged a sit-in at the GPO Chowk after they were not allowed to enter the LHC building. Activists from the Labour Party and Women's Action Forum also joined the lawyers and raised anti-government slogans. Addressing the rally, Bhoon held the government responsible for the incident. He said the funeral of Benazir Bhutto would be held at the LHCBA compound on Monday. He said no lawyer would appear in any court for 15 days. Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) vice chairman Aziz Akbar Baig has announced that no lawyer would appear in any court of the country till December 31. Former PBC member Hafiz Abdul Rehman Insari has demanded that President Pervez Musharraf should step down. staff report http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070037200&ch=12/29/2007%209:27:00%20PM Musharraf talks tough against rioters Saturday, December 29, 2007 (Islamabad) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday ordered security forces to deal firmly with rioters indulging in violence during protests against the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, saying no one will be allowed to derail next month's general elections. While the entire country is in mourning over the tragic death of Bhutto, anti-social elements ''cannot be allowed to damage lives and property of the common man in the guise of protests,'' Musharraf said while co-chairing a meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro to review law and order in the violence-hit country. ''Elements who wish to exploit the situation by looting and plundering must be dealt with firmly and all measures must be taken to ensure the safety and security of the people,'' he said. Hurdles to the holding of a free and fair general election in January will not be tolerated, Musharraf told the meeting that was attended by caretaker Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan, army chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani and heads of security agencies. Musharraf also directed the security agencies to protect all vital installations across the country. Noting the problems faced by people due to the closure of chemists, bakeries, grocery stores and petrol and CNG pumps because of fears of looting, the President directed law enforcement agencies to ensure an early return to normalcy. Burning and looting The burning and looting of property and businesses would render many jobless and create serious problems for their families and cannot be allowed, he added. The meeting, held at the President's Camp Office in Rawalpindi, was briefed about the current law and order situation in the four provinces, particularly Sindh, where the army has been called out to help the civil administration. Meanwhile, the army was called into Karachi on Saturday, the third day of violent protests in Pakistan after Bhutto's assassination. Thousands of protestors continued to protest on the streets of Rawalpindi, rioters smashed property and clashed with police who fired tear gas to try and subdue the crowd. About 38 people have now died in the violence and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage. Sindh province, a stronghold of her Pakistan People's Party, was hit hardest by the violence. More than 200 bank branches were burnt or damaged, hundreds of government buildings and offices were vandalised and over 425 vehicles were torched in Karachi alone. (With PTI inputs) http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C01%5C01%5Cstory_1-1-2008_pg11_5 PPP continues protest rallies Staff Report RAWALPINDI: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) workers continued to stage protest rallies in various parts of the city on the fifth consecutive day against the assassination of PPP Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto. They chanted slogans against President Pervez Musharraf and demanded that the government arrest the mastermind behind the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. They said the protests would continue till the elections - quoting their leader that democracy was the best revenge. A small group of PPP workers and supporters gathered at Raja Bazaar and near the Lal Haveli, office of former minister and PML-Q candidate from NA-55 and NA56 Shiekh Rashid Ahmed. More than 100 policemen guarded the Lal Haveli to avoid any untoward incident. When protestors marched towards the Lal Haveli,police used tear gas to disperse them. The situation became tense after the tear gas shelling, which compelled the shopkeepers to close their shops in Raja Bazaar, Moti Bazaar, Bara Market, Iqbal Road, Jamia Masjid Road, Banni, Circular Road, Narankari Bazaar, Kashmiri Bazaar and City Saddar Road to avoid any untoward situation. Public transport remained suspended for some time due to traffic jam on roads in some downtown areas. The Punjab Police, Muhafiz Force and Elite Force patrolled the slip roads leading to Raja Bazaar. On police orders, CNG stations on Liaquat Road, Ratta Road, Gunjmandi, Bagh Sardarn, Asghar Mall Road and some other adjoining roads were also immediately closed down. Earlier, in the morning all the city bazaars, markets and trading centres were opened. After the PPP rally, the bazaars and markets were closed again. The shopkeepers were seen sitting outside their shops. Some PPP workers displayed a large portrait of Benazir Bhutto at the main gate of Liaquat Memorial Hall, where she was murdered along with some party workers on Thursday. Party workers and activists lit candles and laid floral wreaths at the place to pay homage to Benazir Bhutto. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C01%5C01%5Cstory_1-1-2008_pg11_2 RDBA protest against Benazir's assassination: Five lawyers injured in police baton-charge Staff Report RAWALPINDI: Five lawyers who were protesting against the assassination of PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto were injured when police baton charged them on the district courts premises on Monday. Despite winter holidays at the courts, lawyers gathered at the courts premises on the protest call by the Rawalpindi District Bar Association (RDBA). After the RDBA general body meeting, the lawyers tried to move towards Kutchery Chowk. Police closed gate No 1 to stop them from moving outside the courts premises and baton charged them. As a result, RDBA General Secretary Intizar Mehdi, Abdul Haleem Qureshi, Ahsan Satti, Rana Munir and Sardar Bilal Qayyum were injured. Reacting to the police action, the lawyers pelted police with stones and forced them to retreat. A police mobile van was also damaged. Mehdi told Daily Times that the police action was pre-planned. He said police wanted to create a law and order situation. He said after the end of emergency rule in the country everyone had the right to hold protest rallies and police action was unjustified. After law-enforcement agencies closed the main gate and deployed a heavy contingent of police on the courts premises, the lawyers used other gates and courts' walkways to reach Kutchery Chowk. They chanted slogans against the government and blocked the traffic for half-an-hour. After the protest demonstration they returned to the courts premises peacefully. Earlier, condemning Benazir Bhutto's assassination the lawyers said it was a great loss to the country. They added that Bhutto was a symbol of the federation's unity. They urged all the political parties to play their role to save the country from chaos emerging after Bhutto's assassination. 'Fair investigation impossible': They said a fair investigation into Bhutto's murder could not be held in the presence of a biased administration and while the judiciary remained partial. They said the government had lost its credibility, especially after the press conference of Interior Ministry's spokesman who had tried to hide the facts. They demanded that the government restore all deposed judges, including chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. They claimed that had Chaudhry been in his office he would have taken suo motu notice of the December 27 incident. Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) Rawalpindi bench President Sardar Asmatullah who chaired the general body meeting said 2007 was the worst year in Pakistan's history. He also paid glowing tributes to Bhutto. LHCBA Secretary General Sajid Illyas Bhatti said Pakistan People's Party should remain united to save the federation. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C01%5C09%5Cstory_9-1-2008_pg7_37 People protest Benazir's assassination and judiciary's suspension * Students, human rights activists, lawyers, PPP workers take part Staff Report LAHORE: Dozens of students from various universities, in collaboration with the civil society members and the lawyers, on Tuesday protested against the suspension of the judiciary and assassination of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto at Minto Park. The peaceful protest started at 2:30pm. Pamphlets containing a picture of the PPP chairperson were distributed among people at the venue. The masses, lawyers, the PPP workers and human rights activists demanded the immediate arrest of Benazir Bhutto's killers. The Student Action Committee (SAC) - representing 21 colleges and universities of the city - arranged the protest to oppose the suspension of the independent judiciary. The SAC members, human rights activists and lawyers gathered at Minar-e-Pakistan despite the rain. The protesters chanted slogans against President Pervez Musharraf and the government. Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) chairperson Asma Jahangir, addressing the gathering, said the hope of democracy (Benazir Bhutto) had been snatched by the enemies of Pakistan. She said Bhutto had been fighting for the restoration of democracy but her assassination had staggered the nation, throwing it into uncertainty. "The people should come on the roads for their basic rights," she said. Advocate Khurram Latif Khosa said the lawyers would continue supporting the students' movement for the restoration of the independent judiciary. The SAC members said all the crises Pakistan had been facing could be resolved after the restoration of the judiciary. "The crises of electricity, flour and gas have gripped the neck of the common people. The frustrated masses are unable to buy items of daily use owing to the spiralling prices of essential commodities," they said. They said the generals and the dictatorial regime were enemies of democracy and the country. Irfan, a lawyer, wondered how the killers of Bhutto would be punished in the absence of an independent judiciary. He said the delay in action against the killers was possible, as the killers of political leaders had always slipped away from the clutches of the law in the past. A SAC member said the committee was protesting against the removal of the pre Nov 3 judiciary that stood for the rule of law and against the inefficiency displayed by the establishment, which led to the assassination of thousands of citizens, including a powerful leader of the opposition. He said Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan's baseless detention kept getting prolonged and the treatment meted out to him suggested that the regime only favoured a partisan attitude. The protesters demanded that the pre Nov 3 judiciary should be restored, without which the elections could not be free and fair. They condemned the assassination of the PPP chairperson and called it a severe failure of the dictatorial regime. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 18:42:18 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:42:18 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Miscellaneous protests (including ethnic and religious protests), Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <022301c8597b$be264e10$0802a8c0@andy1> * INDIA: Farmer unions protest fraud * ITALY: Scientists, students force Pope to cancel university visit by protesting Galileo remarks * ZIMBABWE: Police round up supporters of dissident Bishop * INDIA: Urdu writers protest in Mumbai * INDIA: Students protest after murder of principal * WESTERN SAMOA: "Biggest ever" public protest over switch to right-hand drive * CHAD: Anti-French unrest over child abduction case * BRAZIL: Fans protest at football club Corinthians * VIETNAM: Dispute with China over Spratly Islands gives youths a taste for protest * INDIA: Passengers protest airline diversion * INDIA: Drivers protest alleged extortion * Some snippets from India (no longer publicly accessible.) Villagers protest against police camp in school Police clash with fans after shutting down classical concert Naxalites stage hunger strike after death of prisoner Teachers' protest puts education system in doldrums NT students protest for IT inclusion Protest throws traffic out of gear The Statesman - Kolkata,India 16: To protest against an accident that killed an infant on NH 215 yesterday, agitated people set a dumper truck on fire, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chandigarh/Farmer_unions_protest_fraud/articleshow/2626674.cms Farmer unions protest fraud 17 Dec 2007, 0152 hrs IST,TNN GURDASPUR: As part of the fourth phase of protest several unions came out in support of a farmer, who was allegedly cheated of Rs 35 lakh by a former Congress minister and his son about five years ago. Kirti Kisan Union, BKU (Ekta) and several other Leftist organizations held a protest march in the city and raised slogans against the father-son duo on Sunday. The union leaders who distributed pamphlets in the city said Congress leader Khushal Behal and his son Raman Behal had taken Rs 17.50 lakh from Anup Singh, a farmer who is a resident of Pakhochak village near Pathankot during 2002 Assembly elections. They said the father-son duo had promised to return double the amount after five years. They added they later refused to pay him even a single penny. The protesters, including women and children, said if the government did not book the father and son for fraud, the BKU will launch a statewide agitation . They said, the union will take out the next protest march against the Behals on January 30. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3185593.ece January 14, 2008 Scientists protest against Pope Richard Owen of The Times in Rome Sixty one Italian scientists have signed a letter protesting against a planned visit this week by Pope Benedict XVI to Rome's Sapienza University because of his stated views on Galileo. In a letter to Renato Guarini, the university rector, the scientists said the visit was "incongruous". The signatories include distinguished physicists such as Andrea Frova, author of a study of Galileo's persecution by the Church, and Carlo Maiani, the recently appointed head of the Italian National Council for Research or CNR. The letter said scientists felt "offended and humiliated" by a statement made in 1990 by the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - the modern descendant of the Inquisition - suggesting that the trial of Galileo for heresy because of his support for the Copernican system was justified in the context of the time. The scientists said they hoped the visit by the Pope on Thursday would be cancelled out of respect for the "secular nature of science" and the fact that the university was open to "students of every belief and ideology". Students at the university said they were preparing to welcome the Pope with banners of protest and loud disco music. As a cardinal, Benedict once attacked rock and pop music as the "work of the devil." Related Links Pope cancels university visit after protests However Bruno Dalla Piccola, professor of genetic medicine at the university, said the protests were "a shameful episode which do no credit to a great and important university". Both professors and students should be ashamed of themselves for trying to prevent someone who "enjoys respect at a world level" from speaking, Professor Dalla Piccola said, adding "Perhaps they are afraid of what the Pope has to say". Benedict's predecessor Pope John Paul II acknowledged that the Roman Catholic Church had erred in condemning Galileo in 1633 for asserting that the Earth revolves around the Sun. He told the Pontifical Academy of Sciences that those who condemned Galileo - who was forced to recant and spent the remaining eight years of his life under house arrest - had failed to recognise the distinction between the text of the Bible and its interpretation. This had led them "unduly to transpose into the realm of the doctrine of the faith" a matter which had to do with scientific investigation, John Paul said. But he added that the Inquisition had acted correctly in the sense that it was working within knowledge available at the time and had therefore been consistent in guarding the integrity of the Catholic Faith. The then Cardinal Ratzinger also observed that "At the time of Galileo the Church remained much more faithful to reason than Galileo himself. The process against Galileo was reasonable and just". The Italian Catholic writer Vittorio Messori agreed, saying Galileo "was not condemned for the things he said, but for the way he said them. He made statements with sectarian intolerance....Anyone who would not immediately accept the entire Copernican system was 'an imbecile with his head in the clouds,' 'a stain upon mankind,' 'a child who never grew up,' and so on." Last month it was disclosed that the Pope had asked the Vatican's astronomers to move out of Castelgandolfo, his summer residence in the Alban Hills, into new premises in a disused convent. However Vatican officials said this was not because the pontiff was "anti science" but because the space used by the Vatican Observatory was needed for diplomatic meetings. The Observatory's Jesuit director, Father Jose Funes, agreed there was "no downgrading of science in the Vatican." Last year Benedict told the observatory's summer school: "The Vatican Observatory has sought to demonstrate the Church's desire to embrace, encourage, and promote scientific study, on the basis of her conviction that 'faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth'." http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL14245524.html Protest ahead of Pope's lecture at Rome university Mon 14 Jan 2008, 17:51 GMT By Phil Stewart VATICAN CITY, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Some professors and students are protesting against plans for Pope Benedict to address Rome's most prestigious university, saying a speech he made nearly two decades ago showed he had reactionary views on science. The German-born Pope is due to speak at La Sapienza on Thursday at a ceremony opening the 2008 academic year. The inaugural event's theme is the death penalty, which the Vatican and the Italian state want abolished globally. But more than 60 professors have written a letter saying the invitation should be withdrawn because the Pope's views "offend and humiliate us". They pointed to a speech he made in 1990, saying it showed he favoured the Church's heresy trial against Galileo in 1633 for teaching that the Earth revolved around the sun. That clashed with the Bible, which read: "God fixed the earth upon its foundation, not to be moved forever." GALILEO TRIAL The Pope's supporters say the speech by the pontiff, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, only quoted an Austrian philosopher saying the Galileo trial was "rational and just" and did not reflect his own views. "He expressed a different position, distancing himself from that belief and absolutely not adopting it as his own," wrote conservative newspaper Il Giornale, after republishing a transcript of the speech. Still, some students have seized upon the controversy to launch protests against the Church, with one group declaring an "anti-clerical" week, and preparing protest banners. "There have been a few protests and moves (at La Sapienza) with tones of censorship," lamented Vatican Radio on its website: www.radiovaticana.org. The protest has put La Sapienza's chancellor on the defensive, and prompted a genetics professor to come out on Vatican radio on Monday to denounce the "shameful" protests. "I would invite him a hundred times," Renato Guarini, the chancellor of La Sapienza, told Italian state television. La Sapienza was founded by a pope in 1303, and Guarini noted that this would hardly be the first time a pontiff has addressed an Italian university. Benedict's supporters have noted that the Galileo controversy itself was long over. The late Pope John Paul II acknowledged in 1992 the Church was wrong to have condemned the revolutionary Italian scientist. The controversy has added to a fierce debate about the power of the Catholic Church in Italy, which even divides the Catholics-to-Communist coalition government. (Writing by Phil Stewart) http://www.guardian.co.uk/pope/story/0,,2241339,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12 Pope pulls out of visit to Rome university after outrage at his views on Galileo and science ? Government divided on protest over 1990 speech ? Row over letter signed by more than 60 teachers John Hooper in Rome Wednesday January 16, 2008 The Guardian Pope Benedict XVI last night called off a visit to Rome's main university in the face of hostility from some of its academics and students, who accused him of despising science and defending the Inquisition's condemnation of Galileo. The controversy was unparalleled in a country where criticism of the Roman Catholic church is normally muted. The Pope had been due to speak tomorrow during ceremonies marking the start of the academic year at Rome's largest and oldest university, La Sapienza. But the Vatican said last night it had been "considered opportune to postpone" his visit. The announcement followed a break-in and sit-in at the rector's office yesterday by about 50 students and a furious row over a letter signed by more than 60 of La Sapienza's teachers, asking that the invitation to the Pope be rescinded. The signatories of the letter said Benedict's presence would be "incongruous". They cited a speech he made at La Sapienza in 1990, while he was still a cardinal, in which he quoted the judgment of an Austrian philosopher of science who wrote that the church's trial of Galileo was "reasonable and fair". The letter said: "These words offend and humiliate us." Among the signatories was the physicist Prof Luciano Maiani, who was recently appointed to head Italy's main scientific research body, the Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche. Maiani said he had later dropped his opposition to the visit after learning that the Pope would not be making the keynote address. But the daily La Stampa reported that a number of foreign scientists had since added their names to the initiative. One students' group declared an "anti-clerical week" to protest at the Pope's presence. Among numerous banners and placards put up around the campus, there was one that read: "Galileo recanted. We shall hold out against the papacy." The Pope is known for his deeply conservative outlook and the controversy is the latest in a string of rows since his election three years ago. He upset Muslims with another quotation in an academic lecture, on that occasion from a medieval Byzantine emperor. He has since been criticised by Latin Americans for his views on the colonisation of their continent and by Protestants for saying their denominations ought not to be considered as churches. The newspaper Il Giornale, which republished his 1990 speech, said the Pope had "expressed a different position" from that of the Austrian scholar Paul Feyerabend, "absolutely not adopting it as his own". The Vatican's own daily, L'Osservatore Romano, carried an article by the Jewish mathematician Giorgio Israel, in which he wrote that the Pope's address "could well be considered, by anyone who read it with a minimum of attention, as a defence of Galilean rationality against the scepticism and relativism of postmodern culture". Speaking before last night's announcement, Italy's deputy prime minister, Francesco Rutelli, said: "The attempt to silence [Benedict] in a place that is a forum for study, teaching and dialogue ... seems inconceivable." He noted that a pope had founded La Sapienza in 1303. However, the trade minister, Emma Bonino, said the Pope already "held the floor morning and night". Rightwing opposition MPs were outraged. One suggested La Sapienza, which means "wisdom" or "learning" ought now to be renamed La Ignoranza Backstory ? Galileo Galilei was the Inquisition's most high profile victim. But by recanting his view that the earth moved around the sun, he managed to pay for his defiance of Catholic teaching, not with his life, but his freedom. ? Born in Pisa in 1564, Galileo was a polymathic genius - a physicist, astronomer and mathematician who improved both the refracting telescope and compound microscope ? After ridiculing the views of the then Pope Urban VIII in his Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, Galileo was ordered to stand trial for heresy in 1633. The judgment found that his view of the solar system was "absurd, philosophically false, and formally heretical, because it is expressly contrary to Holy Scriptures". ? He spent the rest of his life under house arrest on orders of the Inquisition and died in 1642. It was not until 1835 that his Dialogue was dropped from the Index of banned books. John Hooper http://voanews.com/english/Africa/2008-01-14-voa50.cfm Riot Police Round Up Anglican Worshipers In Harare In Bishopric Battle By Patience Rusere Washington 14 January 2008 Interview With Gertrude Hambira Listen to Interview With Gertrude Hambira Police detained dozens of supporters of Anglican Bishop Sebastian Bakare at various churches in Harare during services on Sunday, sources said, among them Secretary General Gertrude Hambira of the General Agricultural Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe. Many of them were released within hours of being arrested. Sources said riot police seized Anglican Church members worshiping in the Harare districts of Mufakose, Greendale, Warren Park and Mabelreign. Hambira, alleged to have taken photos of the police operation, was detained for about six hours then released without charge, though she was instructed to report back to the Harare Central police station at a later time. Sources said about 20 other people arrested at the Mufakose church were also released Sunday evening. Bakare is locked in a struggle for control of the local Anglican Church with Bishop Nolbert Kunonga, who has close ties with president Robert Mugabe and the ruling party. Kunonga has refused to leave office though he was sacked by the church. Labor official Hambira told reporter Patience Rusere of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that she was subjected to a great deal of verbal abuse by police Sunday. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/Urdu_writers_to_protest_in_Mumbai/articleshow/2551331.cms Urdu writers to protest in Mumbai 19 Nov 2007, 0429 hrs IST,Mohammed Wajihuddin,TNN MUMBAI: For over five decades, it has been the favourite haunt of Urdu writers in the city. But come November 30, it will be curtains for Maktaba Jamia, Urdu's literary mecca near the crowded J J Junction in Bhendi Bazar, which has attracted poets and writers from around the world. Outraged at the sudden announcement of its closure, a group of writers has decided to sit on a dharna in front of the shop on November 30. "It's not just another bookshop. It's our literary Mecca, a centre that has nursed the literary sensibilities of countless Urdu writers in the city and outside. They just cannot shut it down,'' said Hasan Kamal, Urdu poet-columnist, who along with other leading poets and writers, including Nida Fazli, met near Maktaba on Sunday. Nida, who first visited the small store beside Mohammed Ali Road, said Maktaba's closure would be against the state's magnanimous attitude towards Urdu. "No other state has given so much space to Urdu to flourish. The state must intervene to save this shop,'' said Nida. The writers have also demanded an inquiry into the reasons that led to the imminent closure. "All other Urdu bookshops in the vicinity have prospered over the years. They have not cared to run Maktaba professionally for the last several years. An inquiry is needed,'' said Urdu journalist-activist Sajid Rashid. Owned by Delhi-based Maktaba Jamia Limited, a publishing wing of Jamia Millia Islamia University, Maktaba has contri-buted immensely to the promotion of Urdu. Former president Dr Zakir Hussain was one of its founders, while its patrons include Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Maktaba's city branch acted as a magnet for Urdu writers since it was founded in 1949. As it is located in an area populated with huge Urdu-reading masses, literary giants like Ali Sardar Jafri, Kaifi Azmi, Majrooh, Josh, Baqar Mehdi, Rajinder Singh Bedi and Krishan Chander frequented it. "Its closure would be a personal loss to me. It was the popular haunt for young progressive writers where they met their seniors,'' said an ailing Inayat Akhtar, a fiction writer. "If any writer wanted to leave a message or a book for someone, he would keep it at Maktaba." The decision to shut the shop seems to have been taken unilaterally. A letter (12.11.2007) from its general manager Humayun Zafar Zaidi directs the Maktaba's Mumbai in-charge to hand over the accounts and details of its books as well as its furniture by November 30, since "its board of directors has decided to close the Mumbai branch due to consistent loss''. Zaidi was not available for comment. Prof Mushirul Hasan, vice-chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia University, who is also chairman of the board of directors of the Maktaba Jamia Ltd, told TOI, "I am not aware of any such decision. I will look into it.'' Though the general manager's letter says the decision to close down Maktaba's Mumbai branch was taken by the board of directors, the directors feig-ned ignorance about any such matter ever being discussed. "The closure of the city branch was never discussed in the directors' meeting. I heard of the letter from a Mumbai-based journalist,'' said Khwaja Mohammed Shahid, one of the directors. Another director Siddiqur Rehman Kidwai said Maktaba would be never closed. Since the Maktaba management's alleged plans include closure of its other branches, in Delhi and Aligarh as well, the city's Urdu writers are bracing for a long battle ahead. http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/23/stories/2007122357520300.htm Principal killed, students protest Firozabad: The principal of a school here was shot dead by armed assailants leading to protest by about 100 students, three of whom fell unconscious after police used force to disperse them on Saturday morning. The students in the age group of 6 and 13 of S. R. Gyaneshwari Higher Secondary School squatted on the national highway 2 near Asafabad crossing here to protest the murder of their principal, Santosh Kumar Dhakra on Friday, school authorities said. They said police pulled them by hair and baton charged them to clear the road. While the boys ran away when the police arrived, the girls kept sitting, the sources said. Armed assailants broke into Mr. Dhakra's rented house and killed him on the spot. His land lady was also injured in the process and had to be hospitalised. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into last night's killing. PTI http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10482769 Samoans protest at switch to right-hand drive 5:00AM Monday December 17, 2007 By Cherelle Jackson More than 10,000 Samoans are expected to take to the streets of Apia today in a protest march against the Government's proposed switch to right-hand drive (RHD). The march will be the climax of a massive campaign by members of the public since Government proposed the change in October. Spear-heading the protests against the move is prominent Samoan lawyer Toailoa Toleafoa Toailoa. The mass campaign started two weeks ago, when Mr Toailoa called a public meeting, urging Samoans opposed to the switch to make their voices heard. Hundreds of community leaders, business owners, former politicians and car owners attended the gathering. Since then, stickers saying "No to RHD" have been distributed and are plastered on vehicles all over Samoa. T-shirts with the same slogan are also being worn on a daily basis. Petitions are being signed by hundreds opposing the switch. The protest march today is expected to start at the Government building in the centre of Apia and run to the Parliament building at Tiafau, where MPs will be meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Those opposed to right-hand drive have been called on to wear white tops or shirts as a sign of peace today. Cherelle Jackson http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=aNP1H2iEA.lM&refer=australia Samoans Protest Anti-Pollution Plan to Change Driving Rules By Emma O'Brien Dec. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Samoans protested a government plan to change the side of the road drivers use in a bid to cut pollution from high-emission vehicles from the U.S. that dominate the Pacific island's traffic. As many as 15,000 people attended yesterday's march in the capital, Apia, organizer Toleafoa Solomona Toailoa said, adding it was the biggest demonstration in Samoa's history. The protesters say the move will cause confusion for drivers of the 18,500 cars currently on the roads and endanger lives. ``It is pure recklessness,'' Toailoa said by telephone from Apia. ``There are major issues of safety and cost here and it's just being rammed down our throats.'' Under the proposed law, right-hand-drive vehicles would be imported from February and motorists made to drive on the left side of the road from July 2009. The change would allow Samoans to access cheaper and less polluting cars from Australia and New Zealand, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Malielegaoi said in October. People will get used to driving on the other side of the road and safety concerns are a ``non-issue,'' Tuilaepa said, according to a government transcript. Samoa has a responsibility to drive fuel-efficient cars and not the ``American left-hand drives that dominate our roads and are major gas guzzlers.'' A German and then New Zealand colony until 1962, Samoans have driven on the right-hand side of the road since cars were brought to the Pacific country more than 100 years ago. The nation of 200,000 is near the U.S. territory of American Samoa. Cars Worthless The government didn't include the proposal in its campaign platform at last year's election and hasn't consulted the public on the change, Toailoa said. ``They're not even going to pay any compensation, people's cars are going to be worthless.'' Toailoa's group presented the government with a petition against the proposed law signed by more than 33,000 people. They will wait for the administration's reaction before planning further protests. ``This impacts on every single person's life in this country,'' Toailoa said. ``A lot of people also work in American Samoa, what are they supposed to do? It's dangerous.'' ``The new law is for the benefit of the wider community,'' Malielegaoi said. ``Our major tourist markets are New Zealand and Australia where motorists drive left of the road.'' Reliant on overseas aid and remittances from expatriates, Samoa's economy is dominated by agriculture, an industry which employs two-thirds of the country's workers. Tourism accounts for 25 percent of gross domestic product, which was $399 million in 2005, according to U.S. data. To contact the reporter on this story: Emma O'Brien in Wellington on eobrien6 at bloomberg.net http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7094125.stm Anti-French riot erupts in Chad There have been regular protests against the child abductions Several thousand students have held violent anti-French protests in Chad. Police dispersed demonstrators with tear gas in the capital, N'Djamena, after cars belonging to white foreigners and diplomats were attacked. The protesters were demanding that six French aid workers charged with child kidnapping be tried in Chad. Meanwhile, a judge in Chad rejected a request by defence lawyers seeking the release pending the trial of the six French and three Chadians still held. If found guilty, the charity workers face several years with hard labour in a Chadian prison. They said they believed they were rescuing Darfur war orphans, but parents of many of the 103 children almost flown to France told the BBC they were promised they would be educated locally, and never gave permission for them to leave the country. Earlier this month, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy had said he wanted to go to Chad to bring the French aid workers from Zoe's Ark back home angering many Chadians. Targeting French Crowds of students began gathering in the centre of N'Djamena shortly after 0730 hours local time. Most of the demonstrators were high school students, wearing their school uniforms and chanting anti-French slogans. Village pines for children Before long, what was designed to be a peaceful protest, got out of hand, the BBC's Stephanie Hancock in the capital says. The demonstrators began attacking white foreigners in their cars, hurling stones and shouting, "Whites - child kidnappers". For several hours the young demonstrators took over the capital, running riot along N'Djamena's main streets and eventually converging at the French embassy. The police used tear gas to disperse the protestors who were intent on finding French citizens to attack. The students, who were holding banners saying "Sarkozy, out of Chad" eventually returned to the city's main square in front of the presidential palace where several thousand of them converged for a mass protest. Riot police and soldiers are still trying to calm the situation down, although the protestors are finally beginning to wrap up their demonstration. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/04/content_7197007.htm Fans protest against Corinthians players BRASILIA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 50 fans of the Corinthians soccer club stood outside the team's headquarters this Monday in Sao Paulo to protest the team's performance this year. Their disappointment was directed toward the team's head coach, Nelsinho Baptista and the players who were lowered to the second division of the Brasileiro tournament. The club's president, Andres Sanchez was also a target of the criticisms. The players who were specific targets of slurs were the fullbacks Zelao and Betao, the midfielders Iran and Gustavo Nery, and Vampeta, the team's forward. The fans demanded that the players be traded or fired from the team. Slurs included claims that Zelao is an alcoholic, that Vampeta should go home, and that the captain of the team, Betao is a dog. The only player who was actually cheered from the team was the goalkeeper, Felipe. He was praised as the only true Corinthian. There were no acts of violence registered at the event. The security at Sao Jorge Park, the team's headquarters, was beefed up to ensure the safety of the club and the team's president who participated in a press interview to announce the acquisition of two new players: Lima and Rafinha. The team's president, Andres Sanchez, said that "the fans have never been bad toward Corinthians. To the contrary. They have mishaps, which are normal, but it is sad to have to see so much security here in the club. Unfortunately, we have to protect the club. I am just as hurt as they are. I just ask that they don't enter into violence and start to break things," stated the president. http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/161355.html Spratlys row gives Vietnam youth a taste for protest - Feature Posted : Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:01:10 GMT Hanoi - For two weekends in a row, hundreds of young people have marched and chanted in the streets of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, waving protest banners and dodging phalanxes of helmeted riot police. The cause they are demonstrating for is one the government approves: Vietnam's claim that it, and not China, owns the Spratly and Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. But authorities are trying to tamp down the protests, which threaten to damage relations with Vietnam's giant northern neighbour and to encourage students to participate in politics in other ways. For their part, the students are elated. "I was so happy to be able to raise my voice," said 24-year-old university student Nguyen Van Nhat, who marched with the protestors in Hanoi last Sunday. "I think it's the right thing for me to do." The protests were triggered by China's decision earlier this month to establish an official locality, called Sansha, which it claims administers the Spratlys and Paracels. Vietnam officially protested the move on December 3, as government spokesman Le Dung said the issue should be resolved through peaceful dialogue. The demonstrations in front of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi and the consulate in Ho Chi Minh City began the following Sunday. The fact that police tolerated the first demonstration for roughly an hour before dispersing it led to speculation that it had been instigated by the government. In fact, the protests appear to have been largely spontaneous, organized by students through blogs, online communities and mobile phone messaging, with some participation by veteran pro-democracy activists and dissidents. "We found out about the demonstration through blogs and emails," said 23-year-old student protestor Ngo Quynh. "I joined the demonstration based on my love for Vietnam." Vietnamese have used blogs like hoangsa.com (named for the Vietnamese term for the Paracels) and networking sites like Yahoo360 to spread the word about the demonstrations. The blogs have continued to discuss the Spratlys issue furiously. A number of democracy activists were also active in the demonstrations. They include Le Quoc Quan, a lawyer who spent six months in the United States earlier this year on a fellowship from the National Endowment for Democracy, and was imprisoned for three months by the Vietnamese government on his return. Quan said he had participated in the demonstrations in Hanoi on December 9, but that police prevented him from reaching this past Sunday's protests. He said his brother, Le Quoc Quyet, was arrested at Sunday's demonstrations in Ho Chi Minh City, and held for four hours before being released. Quan said police at the demonstration had also arrested and released one of his uncles and his uncle's friend. Last Sunday's demonstrations, in contrast to those on December 9, were met by dozens of riot police who had pre-emptively blocked off the street in front of the Chinese embassy and the adjacent park. Vietnamese blogs related the stories of three students who were arrested at the demonstrations in Hanoi, and released several hours later. Vietnamese police sources refused to comment on the arrests, except to confirm that they had occurred. But the harsher police response followed a Chinese statement condemning them last week. The Chinese news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday that Chinese Foreign Ministry Qin Gang had urged Vietnam to prevent any future anti-Chinese demonstrations, which he said could harm bilateral ties. Vietnam's government-controlled press has printed numerous articles over the past two weeks laying out Vietnam's claim to the islands. They rely on documents dating from medieval Vietnamese emperors and from 17th-century European explorers. The arguments are widely taken for granted by Vietnamese, who view China's claim to the islands as the latest in a long series of Chinese incursions on Vietnamese territory. The dispute has intensified because the waters surrounding the Spratlys and Paracels are believed to contain substantial petroleum deposits. A Vietnamese agreement with British Petroleum to begin exploration in waters near southern Vietnam was scrapped earlier this year because of concerns over the sovereignty conflict. The protestors say they will try to march again this weekend. That will present the government with a dilemma, as it tries to restrain protests involving independent democracy activists it opposes, but which also reflect widespread patriotic and anti-Chinese sentiment. "When we were marching in Hanoi in the demonstration, passers-by were excited, and some of them joined us," said university student Nhat. "There must be measures to stop China's conspiracy to invade the islands." "I think the best solution is democracy," said Quynh. "The issue must be discussed publicly so that all people will know about it, not just the Communist Party, so that we can unleash the nation's power." Such unauthorized political activity, however, is precisely what Vietnam's government would like to avoid. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200712251540.htm Passengers protest as AI reschedules flight Kozhikode (PTI): Passengers of a Gulf-bound flight went on a sit-in protest at the Karipur International Airport here on Tuesday after Air India rescheduled the flight. Air India Express flight to Jeddah,originally scheduled to leave at 11 AM,could not take off owing to "technical reasons" airport sources said. Irked by the "last minute" announcement, the passengers initially refused accommodation in nearby hotels and raised slogans against the National carrier, they said. However,the passengers soon dispersed from the scene after they were assured by the Airline officials that the flight would depart at 2 Pm,the sources added. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lucknow/Auto_drivers_protest_outside_SSP_residence/articleshow/2684744.cms Protest outside SSP residence 9 Jan 2008, 0307 hrs IST,TNN LUCKNOW: A group of auto-drivers on Tuesday evening protested outside the residence of SSP Akhil Kumar, accusing a traffic sub-inspector of charging money in the name of penalty from auto drivers. They have accused a traffic sub-inspector, Sainjeet Singh, of charging money illegally on the IT crossing. According to the auto drivers, they first went to the SP, traffic, to file a complaint but the latter, directed them to go to the SSP. The auto drivers in their application to the SSP, have alleged that Sainjeet Singh took Rs 200 from drivers of auto UP 32 CN-1735 and UP 32 CN-0549 on Monday evening. The drivers of these two autos said that Singh seized their vehicles in spite of having been shown the papers. The auto drivers have demanded immediate action against the accused traffic sub-inspector. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 18:49:47 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:49:47 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Repression news, global South and East, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <022401c8597c$c9fac210$0802a8c0@andy1> * SRI LANKA: Mass roundup of Tamils condemned * SINGAPORE: Police ban protests during ASEAN summit * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Police threaten "emergency" repression against power workers * INDIA: Dissident jailed, charged for endorsing Kolkata unrest * BELARUS: Opposition protester hospitalised by police; appeal for action on riot police abuses * BOTSWANA: Police assault residents after unrest * BAHRAIN: Post-unrest crackdown targets Shiites; suspects "are innocent" claims parent * RUSSIA: Riot cops break protester's arm * TONGA: State manages to get convictions at last over pro-democracy revolt http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gi3QmGRCWxl9hY_Datc2pBs4LwHg Amnesty joins a protest over Sri Lanka mass arrests Dec 4, 2007 COLOMBO (AFP) ? Amnesty International on Wednesday joined a growing chorus of protests over the mass arrests of thousands of ethnic Tamils in Colombo by Sri Lankan authorities. The arrests came after two bomb attacks blamed on Tamil Tigers, but has left the island's ethnic Sinhalese-dominated government once again exposed to allegation that it is dealing out collective punishment to the Tamil minority. Amnesty said it was "deeply concerned that the arrests have been made on arbitrary and discriminatory grounds." "Those arrested may be detained in inhumane conditions; denied access to lawyers, courts and family members; and face the risk of torture, other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment," a statement from the London-based group said. Local rights groups have already reacted angrily to the arrests. The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), a private think-tank in Sri Lanka, filed a lawsuit against the authorities after the spate of arrests of at least 2,200 Tamils were made over the weekend. The crackdown came in the wake of two bomb attacks last week that left 21 people dead and more than 40 wounded. A senior government minister, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, has said that 1,800 of those detained had already been freed. In June, authorities evicted some 400 minority Tamils out of their low-budget hostels in Colombo and took them to the troubled northern and eastern regions where Tamils are concentrated. The expulsion was internationally condemned as "collective punishment" of Tamils for the work of Tamil Tiger rebels. The CPA spokesman said Tuesday that a lawsuit his group brought against the June eviction was still being heard. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/312162/1/.html Police stress that any outdoor protest during ASEAN summit is illegal By Patwant Singh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 17 November 2007 2158 hrs SINGAPORE: Police have again stressed that any outdoor protest at the ASEAN summit is illegal. Police found out that a group of foreign students plan to stage a protest outside the Shangri-La Hotel by standing in groups of four during the summit. Queenstown police have informed some of the organisers that what they were planning to do is illegal and they should instead apply for a permit to hold an indoor event to give expressions to their views. Police explained that the public area around the hotel and the summit's three other venues have been gazetted as protected areas. Anyone who compromises the security of the ASEAN summit, including those who protest within the protected areas, may be removed to ensure safety. - CNA/ac http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/PNG-govt-warns-electricity-workers/2007/11/14/1194766751789.html PNG govt warns electricity workers November 14, 2007 - 4:28PM The Papua New Guinea government has warned it could use emergency powers against electricity workers, who have threatened to strike and impose nationwide blackouts. The workers are threatening to walk out in protest against the reinstatement of Patrick Mara as chief executive of the government-owned company PNG Power. Justice Minister Allan Marat said the strike would be illegal. The government could declare a state of emergency to "clamp down on perpetrators" if the health, safety and welfare of Papua New Guineans was threatened, he said. The appointment of PNG Power's chief executive was up to the company board and was not an industrial matter, he said. Union leaders had been misleading members in urging strike action, the minister said. Some PNG Power workers walked off the job this week, and several power plants were shut down. A court order obtained by PNG Power and served on union leaders on Monday restrains energy workers from withdrawing their labour or shutting down power supplies. PNG Power board chairman Sari Maso said unions would be in contempt of court if they went on strike and cut off power supplies. Mara was suspended as chief executive after energy workers shut down power supplies in July, accusing him of failing to address their grievances over a new Enterprise Agreement that cut many of their allowances and entitlements. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071126/asp/bengal/story_8593368.asp Riot leader refused bail Calcutta, Nov. 25: All India Minority Forum president Idris Ali has been remanded in police custody till November 28 and 29 by two courts in connection with Wednesday?s street riots here. Ali, who has been expelled from the Congress in the wake of the violence and his defence of the ?movement?, was arrested last evening on charges of attempt to murder, rioting, causing injury to police and public and damaging property. He was first taken to Bankshall Court from the lock-up at the Lalbazar police headquarters and then to the Sealdah court as cases had been lodged against him at several police stations. Members of the Congress-backed minority forum and the Milli Ittehad Parishad, an umbrella association of 12 Muslim organisations, demonstrated outside the court premises. They shouted slogans against Taslima and demanded Ali?s release. Both courts rejected his bail pleas. Congress leader Somen Mitra ruled out shielding the expelled leader, but blamed CPM supporters for the rioting. ?Entally, which was the worst hit, is a CPM stronghold. The party has an MP, an MLA and even a councillor from there. I want the police to arrest the CPM supporters also,? he said. http://in.news.yahoo.com/071124/48/6nncz.html Kolkata Violence: AIMF President Idris Ali arrested By IE Saturday November 24, 07:47 PM The President of All India Minority Forum Idris Ali, alleged to be behind the large-scale violence during a strike in Kolkata to press for revocation of visa for controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, was arrested on the charge of rioting . Ali was charged with rioting, causing injury to police and public and damaging public property, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detective Department) Vishal Garg said. The Forum chairman was arrested by detective department sleuths near his residence on Ripon Lane in Central Kolkata, the epicentre of Wednesday's violence during the three-hour shutdown called by the organisation. Following the violence, Taslima was packed off to Rajasthan the very next day. The violence was controlled after West Bengal government called out the Army which conducted flag marches on the streets of Central Kolkata which witnessed large-scale violence and arson. Large areas of Park Circus, Ripon street, Mouali, Mullick Bazar and adjacent areas had turned into a battlefield on that day leaving school children and office-goers stranded. The state authorities had to clamp an eight-hour night curfew in violence-hit areas on Wednesday night the next day. This was the first time since post-Babri Masjid demolition 1992 riots that the Army had been deployed on the streets of Kolkata. http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20071218/851214.html AIMF chief Idris Ali granted bail Kolkata | Tuesday, Dec 18 2007 IST Calcutta High Court today granted bail to All India Minority Forum chief Idris Ali, arrested three weeks back for rioting and other criminal offences. A division bench, headed by Justice Amit Talukdar, admitted his bail plea and freed Mr Ali though the prosecution opposed the move. '' He is expected to walk free from jail after 25 days of his arrest,'' Mr Ali's counsel, Sekhar Bose told UNI. The High Court took up his plea for hearing after the lower courts rejected the petition. Mr Ali was arrested from his central Kolkata residence after an irate crowd staged blockades at several places in the city's central part demanding cancellation of exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen's visa in India and in protest against killing of anti-SEZ villagers in Nandigram. The protest had sparked off violence that left dozens of demonstrators and some policcemen, including a senior official, wounded. The Army had been called out to quell the violence and curfew imposed as a precautionary measure. Mr Ali was earlier granted bail by Chief Metropolitan Court and Sealdah court. He was confined in jail on a district court ruling on the charge of rioting and attempt to murder during a demonstration at Amdanga village in North 24-Parganas a few years back. http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2007/12/13/2365/ Beaten by riot police Young Front leader in grave condition 7 11:30, ? Politics Young Front leader Zmiter Hvedaruk, who has been beaten recently, is still in grave condition. ?Zmiter can speak now, but only in whisper. He can?t walk, because he is too weak and feels giddy. This morning he was X-rayed, as he has large bruise on his face, but, thanks God, he has no jaws and skull fractures,? Katsyaryna Galitskaya said to the Charter?97 press center. The girl has been staying in the hospital ? 9, where Zmiter Hvedaruk was taken to. He was brutally beaten during the demonstration ?For Independent Belarus!? held in the Minsk center. According to Katsyaryna, the doctors ordered not to let anybody in Zmiter?s ward. Zmiter received a head and brain injury, an abdominal trauma and brain concussion. Besides, he had numerous hematomas. Yesterday's night Zmiter regained senses, but because of pain shock he didn?t feel fingers of his right hand. He can?t walk and complains of severe headache. It should be reminded that during the rally ?For Independent Belarus!? Minsk leader of the Young Front was beaten brutally twice: first time, when Zmiter was hoisting the huge Young Front flag, he was knocked down and beaten by the riot police. And the second time, when police pushed oppositionists out of the square, Zmiter carrying the flag, was stroke to the ground, policemen beat him at kidneys and head, stamped on him. When riot policemen tried to pick him up, Zmiter was already senseless. Then policemen said, ?Take your man back? and went away. Common people, who saw that cruel offence, called for emergency. Zmiter Hvedaruk is in the emergency department of hospital ? 9 (Syamashka Str.) He is allowed visitors form 5 to 7 p.m. He will spend there at least 10 days. http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2007/12/19/2532/ Belarusian Helsinki Committee requests to bring to justice riot policemen 1 13:28, ? Politics The public association ?Belarusian Helsinki Committee? demands to bring to account riot policemen who unjustifiably used force on December 12 during the rally ?For independent Belarus!? The Belarusian Helsinki Committee has addressed the general prosecutor?s office of Belarus with a request to carry out an investigation of the facts when policemen committed unlawful acts during disband of a peaceful rally on 12. 12.12.07, to take steps to find the persons injured by the law enforcers, to bring up a criminal action on charges related Article 426 Part 3 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus. In line with the Law of the Republic f Belarus ?On internal affairs agencies? even in case of lawful act of force law enforcers are discharged from liability only in case if the inflicted harm is proportionate to the force of counteraction (Article 26 Part 4). However according to testimony of witnesses and reports of mass media, the rally held on December 12 and brutally disbanded by policemen was totally peaceful. As a result of use of force by policemen, bodily harm was inflicted to several participants. The Young Front leader Zmitser Fedaruk was beaten up by policemen, hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury and abdomen injury to a hospital No. 9 in Minsk. Law enforcers who used force against the participants of the rally, which caused traumas and bodily harm to them, have obviously transgress their rights and authority. Their actions were accompanied with violence over the injured party, prevented the latter from exercise of their constitutional rights. Human rights activists believe that these actions have elements essential to the offence under Article 426 Part 3 of the Criminal Code of Belarus. The Belarusian Helsinki Committee believes that act of force by policemen against peaceful protesters and the rally disband were not justifiable, as citizens exercised their constitutional right for freedom of assembly, which is guaranteed by Article 35 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. The importance to guarantee freedom of peaceful assemblies is based on international commitments of the Republic of Belarus, which are a part of the national legislation and are to be followed at the territory of Belarus. Participants of the rally didn?t commit actions which would allow law enforcers thwart the rally under Article 23 of the Constitution. According to the Article 23 of the Constitution restriction of rights and freedoms of a person are allowed only in cases prescribed by the law, to the benefit of the national security, public order, defense of morality, health of the population, rights and freedoms of other persons. The fact of holding the meeting without a permission of relevant authorities as such does not mean that public order was violated, as actions of the protesters haven?t caused temporarily break in the normal functioning of organizations, enterprises, public transport and so on, haven?t damaged health, legal rights and interests of people. It means that policemen didn?t have a right to limit the freedom of assembly. http://www.mmegi.bw/2007/December/Tuesday18/30.php Police assault residents after riot? ONALENNA MODIKWA STAFF WRITER SELEBI-PHIKWE: A beauty contest at a Rural Area Dweller (RAD) settlement degenerated into an ugly tussle between villagers who could not pay their way into the pageant and police officers. The incident occurred last Saturday night at Robelela, a RAD settlement for the Basarwa community, where the residents claim to have been "brutally assaulted" by the police. Narrating the incident to Mmegi yesterday, one victim said as they milled outside the hall, two police officers approached him and ordered him in. He said all of a sudden the officers started hitting him with their sticks (batons) on the stomach and back until he was rescued by an in-law who dragged him home. Another victim said he was sleeping at his home when the police officers pounced, demanding to see his brother. "My brother was not around at the time so the officers started hitting me all over with their rifle butts." The victim, who appeared to be in great pain, had stitches in his head and bandages on the elbows, face and neck. It is reported that the riot resulted in one of the victims who suffered a broken arm being admitted to Selebi-Phikwe hospital. It is also alleged that at some point the police officers even fired rubber bullets at the victims. Makgesi Marata, who owns a farm in Robelela and whose employees fell victim of the riots, said what happened to his herd boy and others, should not go unpunished. He said the law should take its course. Marata added that such incidents require the intervention of organisations like Ditshwanelo, the Botswana Centre for Human Rights "because the victims cannot afford to engage private lawyers". He said though the state, through the police, is alleged to be wrong, the settlement's residents are happy with the professional assistance they got from Selebi-Phikwe police when they reported the matter. Officer Commanding Superintendent Diana Marathe confirmed that a case of "riots at Robelela" had been reported to his office and that some of his officers had been dispatched to the settlement to investigate. "Investigations are still ongoing but it has been reported that riots ensued during the beauty contest that was held in Robelela." But Marathe stated that they are not investigating the police officers for the alleged assault but "what could have caused the riots and the causes of the injuries that some residents sustained". http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=204028&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30283 Gulf national is among riot suspects MANAMA MANAMA: A Gulf national, who is accused of setting fire to garbage bins and hurling Molotov cocktails during the recent riots, is among 29 suspects detained, it was revealed last night. Families of about 18 suspects taken into custody were given permission to visit them. However, relatives of those involved in stealing weapons from a police car before setting it on fire were denied permission, reports our sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej. Meanwhile, the Public Prosecution has allowed a secondary school student, also arrested during the riots, to sit for exams. http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=202340&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30264 Riot suspects 'are innocent' By SARA SAMI FAMILIES of six Bahraini youngsters, held in custody following a demonstration in Duraz, rallied yesterday outside the Public Prosecution building in the Diplomatic Area for their release. The six, aged between 16 and 21, were said to have taken part in an illegal demonstration on Friday night. "We had just finished from an anniversary ceremony held for the death of Shaikh Abdul Ameer Al Jamri, Bahrain's leading Shi'ite cleric and we were heading to buy dinner," father of one of the detainees Ali Mansoor Al Jamri told the GDN. "I was waiting for my son to get the dinner, when suddenly the protesters passed by us." "I wasn't sure what to do when riot police arrived at the scene and I tried to get my son, but police got to him first and took him in their custody. "I went to the police officers and tried to explain the situation to them, but they did not listen to me and took him to the Budaiya Police Station. "The police claim that they saw my son burning tyres during the protest. Mr Al Jamri's son, 17-year-old Hussain, is currently held for questioning on charges of illegal gathering until further investigation. Others include Hussain Abdul Jaleel Ebrahim, 17, Sayed Ahmed Sayed Majeed, 17, Bassim Mohammed Abdulaziz, 16, and Abbas Abdul Hussain, 21. The name of the seventh youth being held in custody was not available yesterday. Layla Ahmed, mother of Sayed Ahmed, claimed that her son was at the wrong place and at the wrong time. "I can't believe that they arrested him for accidentally being there at the wrong time," she said. Ms Ahmed said her son was beginning his final exams tomorrow and has medical problems. "We gave his medical reports to the prosecution in the hope of getting him released," she said. http://www.polit.ru/event/2007/11/27/brokenhand.html Riot police in St. Petersburg broke Gozman?s arm and promised to vote for the Union of Right Forces During the March of dissenters in St. Petersburg on November 25th Boris Nemtsov, Nikita Belykh and Leonid Gozman were detained. While arresting the leaders of the Union of Right Forces (SPS) on the Dvortsovaya Square policemen has broken Goizman an arm. In the result Goizman has his arm plastered, and Nemtsov and Belykh who are not injured, hold in Moscow a press conference and imparted details of the detainment to journalists. Nikita Belykh was delivered to the 34th police station, Boris Nemtsov to that #16, and Goizman to the 79th. For a long time lawyers were not let to them, their mobile phones were seized. Although the officials of the St. Petersburg main internal affairs directorate (GUVD) deny that the detainment has had place, the leaders of the SPS showed journalists reports of the detainment. Belykh and Nemtsov argued that they would bring an action against the policemen. But it doesn?t concern officers of the 16th station. Nemtsov said that they had been responsible and quite correct. They asked for autographs, were photographed with him and promised to vote for SPS. Leonid Goizman wasn?t in luck. SPS cites the statement of charge: ?Took an active part in the illicit meeting. During the march attracted attention of citizens to political problems screaming out ?Down with Putin!? and in that way manifested his political views. Didn?t react on demands to cease his unlawful activity and continue violating the law. Put up active resistance, as a result law-enforcement officers had to use force. No special facilities have been used. ? Leonid Goizman considers that against the policemen criminal proceedings should be initiated. ?When I was detained we just walked along a sidewalk. We didn?t scream out any slogans, didn?t carry any posters. When the riot police appeared I didn?t offer any resistance. But in the result I got a fracture of the spoke bone and my dress was all torn?, told Goizman journalists on Monday. In Moscow the march of dissenters was held a day before and the police also took an active part in it. The meeting was scattered, some participants and journalists were beaten and detained. The opposition leader Garry Kasparov must serve the five-day administrative jail sentence. According to observers such a close attention of the officials to the opposition meetings provided the best publicity for the dissenters. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22880761-5005961,00.html Seven convicted over deadly Tonga riot Article from: Agence France-Presse >From correspondents in Nuku'alofa, Tonga December 06, 2007 02:59pm SEVEN Tongans were found guilty today of charges related to last year's riot in the capital Nuku'alofa, which left eight people dead and razed much of the town centre. Six were found guilty of a range of charges including riotous assembly and destruction of government and private property during the riot on November 16, which followed a political rally. A seventh was found guilty of attending a riotous meeting. All will be sentenced in February. Six of seven men were cleared of similar charges last month as trials to bring rioters to justice gathered pace. About 150 businesses were displaced by the riot, in which buildings in the central business district were looted and set alight. Among those destroyed were a supermarket owned by the family of Prime Minister Feleti Sevele and the offices of Shoreline, a company partly owned by King Siaosi Tupou V. Five pro-reform legislators have been charged with sedition for their alleged role in the riot. They are not expected to go on trial until next year. Activists are pressing for reform of the semi-feudal political system under which parliament is controlled by the king and nobility. The Government has agreed to historic changes, which will see elected legislators control parliament from 2010, but activists want the reforms introduced by next year. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 19:06:31 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:06:31 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] More repression news, Dec/Jan 07-08 Message-ID: <022601c8597f$20b2da50$0802a8c0@andy1> * AUSTRALIA: Nine charged in Wadeye unrest * BAHRAIN: Conformists protest against Shiite unrest * PAKISTAN: Police fail to provide sufficient evidence against Bhutto unrest accused * PAKISTAN: Charges against three in Bhutto unrest * UK: Riot police self-acquittal challenged after attacks on school students - "not blameless" says head * MEXICO: State fingered over Acteal massacre, ongoing terror http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/31/2129141.htm?section=australia Nine to face court over Wadeye Xmas riot Posted Mon Dec 31, 2007 7:23am AEDT Map: Wadeye 0822 Nine people are expected to appear in the Darwin Magistrates Court today, charged over Christmas Day riots at a remote Indigenous community. The community of Wadeye south-west of Darwin, was taken over by gang violence for four days over the Christmas period. The violence escalated on Christmas Day as hundreds of men took to the streets armed with knives, machetes and spears when a family dispute boiled over. Police officers were flown in from Darwin and a nearby community to find those responsible. A resident of Wadeye captured the street battle on video and police have been using it to identify the main offenders. So far 39 men have been arrested with nine of them flown to Darwin where they are due to appear in court this morning. Police say more arrests are likely. http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=204098&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30284 Hundreds protest against rioters MANAMA MANAMA: More than 1,500 people demonstrated yesterday in Isa Town to condemn the riots and acts of sabotage during the National Day and Eid Al Adha holidays. Protesters, led by Terrorism Victims Committee president MP Shaikh Jassim Al Saeedi, marched after Friday prayers from the Sabeeka Al Nasif Mosque at the Isa Traditional Market, calling for harsh punishments to be meted out to those involved. Taking part in the march were MPs Shaikh Mohammed Khalid Mohammed and Samy Al Buhairy, municipal councillors and political and social societies' representatives. Shaikh Jassim said that the demonstration had one goal and that is to show that Bahrainis don't agree with what's going on. "These terrorist acts have affected locals and expatriates and damaged public and private property and instead of giving them amnesty as always, we want them to be punished," he said. "Today's demonstration is peaceful and responsible, unlike the barbaric, uncivilised and hate-filled attacks by those who went on a rampage last week. "We are here to express our love and loyalty to the leadership and country, and our stand against anything that would threaten our unity, or harm anyone in the community." http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=89999 43 riot suspects released on bail By By Jamal Khurshid 1/8/2008 Karachi Police failed to find sufficient evidence against as many as 43 suspects facing charges of arson, looting and rioting in Karachi in the aftermath of PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto's assassination on December 27 last year. The suspects, who were in police custody since January 1, have been released on bail by the Administrative Judge (AJ) of the anti-terrorism courts in Karachi as police investigation officers submitted that no sufficient evidence was found against them. The suspects informed the AJ that they were innocent and that the police falsely implicated them in the cases. On the AJ's query, it was revealed that the suspects were either daily-wage labourers, employees in small shops or visitors to Abdullah Shah Ghazi's shrine. Four suspects, Sultan, Ghulam Ahmed, Hazrat Wali and Mubeen Abro, were earlier released on bail as they were juveniles.The police earlier alleged that the suspects were involved in ransacking public and private properties in the limits of Boat Basin, Clifton and Gizri police stations following the assassination of Benazir. Police investigation officers submitted that the suspects had ransacked banks, petrol pumps, wine shops, showrooms and set on fire several vehicles. The remand of suspects was obtained by police to recover the looted money and valuables. The suspects were booked under Sections 147,148,149,435,427, 380 of the PPC and section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.As the matter was taken to the AJ, the Boat Basin police produced 18 suspects, Gizri police 22, while the Clifton police produced 12 suspects. The Investigation Officers (IOs) said that the police had evidence against eight suspects who were arrested red-handed while no evidence was found against the others. They sought judicial custody of eight suspects as they could submit a charge-sheet against them. The AJ, remanding eight suspects, Yousuf, Asghar Ali, Kamran, Mohammad Riaz, Imranuddin, Zubair, Ajmal, and Mahiwal, to judicial custody, directed the IOs to submit the charge-sheets against them on the next date of hearing while the remaining suspects were released on personal surety of Rs50,000. Meanwhile, the AJ extended the police remand of two suspects facing arson and looting charges till January 15 directing the Judicial Magistrate to conduct an identification parade of the suspects.Abdul Waqar and Mohammad Naeem were arrested by the Quaidabad police. They are charged with ransacking the BASF factory and looting valuables from the premises. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=90468 Charge-sheet submitted against three riot suspects By By our correspondent 1/11/2008 Karachi The police submitted a charge-sheet against three suspects facing riot and arson charges following the assassination of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, on December 27. Mohammad Omer, Khalid, and Mohammad Athar, are charged with ransacking public and private properties within the limits of the Malir city police station and for setting on fire several vehicles. The Investigation Officer for the case submitted the charge-sheet against the suspects for trial. The Administrative Judge (AJ) of the anti-terrorism courts in Karachi, accepting the charge-sheet, sent the case to ATC-III for trial. Meanwhile, the AJ extended the police remand of two suspects Mohammad Waqar and Mohammad Zaheer till January 17. They were arrested by the Saddar police under the anti-terrorism laws. The AJ also directed police to submit a charge-sheet against six suspects facing kidnapping-for-ransom charges till January 14. Nadeemul Haq, 48, Attaullah Shah, 24, Amir Hussain, 37, Mohammad Bilal, 33, Rashid Ahmed, 24, and Rafiq, 20, are charged with kidnapping Basil Masih, Ali Ahmed and Ms Noreen Ali for ransom from the Safari Park area in Karachi on December 19 last year. Police alleged that suspects kept the abducted hostages at a house in PECHS and received Rs50,000 for their release. http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/content/camden/hamhigh/news/story.aspx?brand=NorthLondon24&category=Newshamhigh&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newshamhigh&itemid=WeED10%20Jan%202008%2017%3A49%3A31%3A757 Riot police were not blameless, claims head editorial at hamhigh.co.uk 10 January 2008 A HEADTEACHER has lodged an appeal after police rejected complaints that riot cops had beaten up and racially abused pupils. Officers more used to dealing with football hooligans were called to Hampstead school in Westbere Road on November 26, 2006 when trouble flared outside the gates. Officers from the Territorial Support Group (TSG) were accused by pupils and staff of being heavy handed and racist. But headteacher Jacques Szemalikowski has been told an internal police investigation has concluded there is no meat to any of the school's complaints. He has now lodged an appeal with the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). He said: "We want to pursue the complaint because we don't agree with the outcome of the investigation. I want them to go over all the evidence again and consider all of it even if it takes time. I am concerned about the heavy-handedness of the whole operation and how appropriately they dealt with the students. Nothing in their report changes our view on that." In November last year Roy Martin and his son Sashon Martin-Edwards, 16, were arrested in the melee, and later launched a private prosecution against officers. They are claiming they were the victims of racial discrimination, assault, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution. IPCC spokesman Richard Offer said: "When we get the papers from the Met police we will consider the appeal. We will examine all the evidence and then come to a decision as to whether the appeal should be upheld. http://www.ww4report.com/node/4678 Mexican state "responsible" for Acteal massacre -and ongoing terror Submitted by Bill Weinberg on Mon, 11/19/2007 - 06:50. A statement by Las Abejas, the Fray Bartolom? de las Casas Human Rights Center and other civil organizations in conflicted Chiapas state finds that the Mexican national state "is responsible for the Acteal massacre" of Dec. 22, 1997. The statement says the terror campaign in the highland municipality of Chenalh? really began Aug. 19, 1996, with the assassination of six youths who were part of the support base of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN). The statement says "the massacre was the product of a deliberate and directed State policy to exterminate the EZLN, its support base and any organization of civil society whose demands were uncomfortable for the government." (La Jornada, Nov. 4) Las Abejas, the group targeted in the massacre, is a Toztzil Maya indigenous organization of Catholic pacifist principles, which is sympathetic to the EZLN but not a part of its support base. The president of Las Abejas' steering committee, Diego P?rez Jim?nez, charged that the guilty party "is the Mexican state, because it did not intervene to stop the paramilitaries." Speaking at a D?a de Todos Santos commemoration of the victims, he added: "We will not rest until we get justice, and all of the material and intellectual authors are detained." Up to 100 local Tzotzils were at the ceremony in the mountain hamlet of Acteal, despite cold, wet weather. (La Jornada, Nov. 1) Also attending was Miguel Chanteau, who was parish priest of Chenalh? at the time of the massacre, and was expelled to his native France two months later. In a new interview in the central Chiapas Highlands town of San Crist?bal de las Casas, he too charged: "The Acteal massacre was planned by the government to wipe out the Zapatista support bases... As we approach ten years since the events, I don't see much possibility for a solution on the part of the government. It seems their strategy is to let time pass, and it will be forgotten. But it will not be forgotten." Chanteau said that among the 87 Tzotzils detained by Mexican federal authorities after the massacre, and now still held at El Amate prison, "there are some guilty and some innocent, because it was a round-up." (La Jornada, Nov. 7) Low-level terror continues in Chiapas, as the state is once again militarized in response to a supposed guerilla threat. Mexican and international activists have established a civil observation camp at El Relleno, Venustiano Carranza municipality, where the inhabitants have been repeatedly harassed by army and police forces ostensibly hunting down the Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR). (Mirada Sur, Chiapas, Oct. 29, via IMC Chiapas) Activists protested that the state's ruling Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) has named Rafael Cevallos Cancino coordinator of its bloc in the state legislature. State PRD director Carlos Esquinca hailed him as "a man with broad experience." On?simo Hidalgo, director of the Chiapas Investigative Center for Communitarian Action (CIEPAC), charged that investigations by the federal Prosecutor General had named Cevallos as a funder of Los Chinchulines, a notorious paramilitary group in the north of the state. Hidalgo also warned that in the Oct. 7 elections, persons linked to the paramilitaries had won the municipal presidencies of San Crist?bal de las Casas, Sabanilla, Zinacant?n, San Andr?s Larr?inzar and Chil?n. (La Jornada, Oct. 25, via Chiapas IMC) Hidalgo accused the new municipal president (mayor) of San Crist?bal of an overt threat. President Mariano D?az-who occupied the same office in the '90s, when he represented the "aut?nticos coletos," a conservative body of the traditional town elite-said he would "impose order" in Cerro Huitepec, a hill outside town where the EZLN have declared a rebel ecological reserve, and the barrios of 5 de Marzo and Molino de los Arcos, said to be zones of Zapatista sympathy. (Meridiano90, Oct. 25) From ldxar1 at gmail.com Tue Jan 15 05:58:40 2008 From: ldxar1 at gmail.com (Andy) Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:58:40 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] US: Massive Crime Wave Sweeps the Country Message-ID: <007301c85781$a3e32830$0802a8c0@andy1> ----- Original Message ----- From: Dan Clore Newsgroups: talk.politics.libertarian,soc.rights.human,alt.politics.libertarian,alt.activism,alt.fan.noam-chomsky,alt.anarchism,alt.society.anarchy,alt.politics.radical-left,alt.politics.socialism To: smygo at yahoogroups.com ; secularhumanist at yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 7:40 AM Subject: [smygo] Massive Crime Wave Sweeps the Country News & Views for Anarchists & Activists: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo http://tinyurl.com/2w3rpk Massive Crime Wave Sweeps the Country by Garry Reed Wednesday, 12 December 2007 It's a nice sunny day so you decide to go anti-war protesting with your friends. You will be arrested. If you obey all the rules, demonstrate peacefully, don't trespass or block building entrances, or obstruct public sidewalks or impede auto traffic, or destroy property and don't run with scissors, you will still be arrested. You may be arrested for kneeling or shrugging or leafleting or wearing a plain T-shirt or holding a bucket of paste. It has become illegal in the USSA to unknowingly break unknown, never-before-heard-of laws while protesting war. It will be impossible for you to know what these laws might be. The only way you can find out what is illegal is to simply do something and then see if you get arrested for it. To help you plan your day of protesting (never leave the house without clean underwear) you should thoroughly familiarize yourself with the following true-life events, amassed from the mass media over the past 18 months or so. Associated Press: Police arrested demonstrators for kneeling on the sidewalk at a rally near the United Nations. The article never mentions why kneeling is illegal. So be very careful how you address an untied shoelace the next time you're walking along on a public sidewalk. During the same rally, a person wearing a Bush mask was arrested. City councilcrats apparently sneaked a law onto the books making it illegal to impersonate a Republican president. President masks are commonly sold in party stores during Halloween. Be prepared for SWAT raids. UPI article: A black minister was charged with disorderly conduct and assaulting a police officer during a Washington, D.C., protest. The story never identified what conduct was disorderly. Breathing while black, perhaps? However, the assault charge was explained. A police officer placed his hands on the minister's shoulders and the minister shrugged them off. One can easily imagine the officer's courtroom testimony: "The perpetrator assaulted me with a violent shoulder shrug." Washington Post: During an attempt by demonstrators to post signs on public property advertising a protest march, a woman holding a bucket of paste was arrested. It isn't explained how bucket-holding is threatening to civic tranquility. Ah, but Agence France-Presse reports the rest of the story: Washington citycrats claimed the posters were stuck up with adhesives that didn't meet city code, while the protesters were there specifically to prove that their paste was legal. So what was the bucket-holder charged with? Possession of a bonding agent with intent to apply? >From an anti-war Web site: Two activists wearing T-shirts that read "Iraq Veterans Against the War" approached Fort Benning gate guards to ask about access. They were promptly handcuffed and arrested. A third activist removed his politically incorrect T-shirt and replaced it with a plain T-shirt. He approached the Fort Benning gate guards to ask about access. He was promptly handcuffed and arrested. Moral: Gate guards will not tolerate T-shirts. CBS Chicago: Six anti-war activists were arrested for passing out leaflets during a food fair in a city park. No further explanation was offered. Is leafleting illegal in Chicago? Were they guilty of leafleting without a hall pass? Were they charged with possession of leaflets with intent to distribute? Coercive leafleting? Threatening to paper-cut someone? After conducting exhaustive professional Googling for this article, no evidence could be found indicating that a single pro-war demonstrator has ever been arrested. There are two possible explanations for this: (1) Pro-war demonstrators are absolute models of law-abiding citizendroids, or (2) Nobody ever, in history, in any country, gets arrested for supporting a sitting president's pet war. A final note: You will now be arrested for reading this subversive libertarian screed. Sorry about that. Hope you're wearing clean underwear. More of Garry Reed's writing can be found at (http://www.freecannon.com ). -- Dan Clore My collected fiction: _The Unspeakable and Others_ http://tinyurl.com/3akhhr Lord We?rdgliffe & Necronomicon Page: http://tinyurl.com/292yz9 News & Views for Anarchists & Activists: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo Skipper: Professor, will you tell these people who is in charge on this island? Professor: Why, no one. Skipper: No one? Thurston Howell III: No one? Good heavens, this is anarchy! -- _Gilligan's Island_, episode #6, "President Gilligan" __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Calendar MARKETPLACE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Earn your degree in as few as 2 years - Advance your career with an AS, BS, MS degree - College-Finder.net. Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! 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URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 16:01:46 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:01:46 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Anti-capitalist and anti-neoliberal protests, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <00dc01c8589c$26d00a90$0802a8c0@andy1> * CHIAPAS: Other Campaign mobilises after paramilitary aggressions * CHIAPAS: Zapatista forum defies capitalism * SOUTH KOREA: Protesters rally against US free trade deal, battle police * HUNGARY: Strikes, protests over neoliberal "reforms"; tens of thousands rally * ITALY: Berlusconi hit by egg during student protest * RUSSIA: Protesters denounce luxury by tossing rotten eggs * MEXICO: Farmers form human wall to protest trade deal with US * COSTA RICA: Mass protests against signing of CAFTA trade deal with US "Why we reject CAFTA" (extended commentary by Costa Rican activist) * GREECE: Protests mark anniversary of coup, riot cops shield US embassy * ECUADOR: Oil protest grips peripheral province; protesters occupy oil wells, block roads * PHILIPPINES: Protesters storm US Embassy in protests over military impunity * PERU: Miners blockade road during strike * NIGERIA: Victims of pharma company stage protest in courthouse * INDIA: Youth group stages protest over earlier repression of anti-multinational movement * INDIA: Unrest and protests as Meghalaya privatises power supply * UGANDA: Protest over failure of Commonwealth targets summit http://www.narconews.com/Issue48/article2934.html The Other Campaign Mobilizes in Response to Aggressions Against the Zapatistas of Bolom Ajaw Authorities, Working Through an Alleged Paramilitary Group, Plan to "Relocate" the Inhabitants; Civil Groups Called to Boycott Tourism of the Agua Azul Falls By Hermann Bellinghausen La Jornada December 13, 2007 Click here for translations of previous stories in La Jornada on the Bolom Ajaw conflict In view of the tension created by the aggressions of Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)-affiliated armed groups against the Zapatista community Bolom Ajaw in the region of the Agua Azul river, which has been used for decades as a resort and tourist center, civil organizations and members of the Other Campaign in Chiapas have installed an observation camp in the threatened community. The Center for Political Analysis and Social and Economic Investigations (CAPISE) has called on international civil society and organizations to address their ministries or Departments of tourism and the travel agencies in their countries, to "inform them about the incidents at the Agua Azul waterfall and to carry out a campaign with the demand: No visits to the Agua Azul Cascades, until the aggressions and eviction threats against the families of the community Bolom Ajaw have stopped!" The call proposes that organizations in Mexico and other countries that heed the call send protest letters to President Felipe Calder?n, tourism minister Rodolfo Elizondo Torres and the government secretary Francisco Ram?rez Acu?a. CAPISE also calls for public demonstrations "against the aggressions to which the inhabitants of Bolom Ajaw and the Zapatista communities are subjected, to visit Mexican travel agencies and inform them about the incidents in Agua Azul," and to invite them to not send tourists to the waterfall. "In view of the serious situation to which the Zapatista families are subjected, in the context of total impunity with which the OPDDIC members of the Ejido Agua Azul are operating," a special "Land and Territory Observation Brigade" (BEOTT in its Spanish initials) departed to Bolom Ajaw on November 28, to "offer assistance to the women, men, children and the elderly of the community Bolom Ajaw." On the same day Chiapas governor Juan Sabines Guerrero requested the Office of the General Attorney of the Republic (PGR) to investigate the denunciations against the OPDDIC in Bolom Ajaw and the Ejido Agua Azul. Nevertheless, on November 29 in the afternoon, an armed group of OPDDIC members fired repeatedly on the Zapatista community, from a distance of 200 and 150 meters. The shots were fired mainly with large caliber weapons, as reported by the Good Government Junta of Morelia and later confirmed by the BEOTT. On the morning of November 30 a blue-and-white helicopter of the state Public Security agency circled for 15 minutes over the community Bolom Ajaw and its cultivated fields. The community has identified more than 20 persons from Agua Azul who have participated in the recent shootings against the unarmed population of Bolom Ajaw. Among them are Jer?nimo Urbina L?pez and Juan Urbina L?pez, Jerem?as L?pez Hern?ndez, Salom?n Moreno Estrada, Miguel Silvano Hern?ndez, Juan Garc?a, Marcos L?pez Moreno, Manuel, Santiago and Adolfo Cruz L?pez. The "agrarian dispute" (according to all indications artificially instigated) lodged by the OPDDIC on the Agua Azul river against Bolom Ajaw concerns the lands recovered by Zapatista support bases, which previously to the rebellion of 1994 belonged to a private estate. The belligerence of the OPDDIC comes along with pressure from the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas, the Secretariat of Government of Chiapas, the Palenque Public Prosecutor's Office and tourism officials - together constituting, if one takes a good look, a contradictory salad of interests. Are these PRI-affiliated campesinos wishing to extend their fields, federal agencies trying to "conserve" an area until now well-preserved and almost untouched, or entrepreneurial and governmental interests seeking to expand the tourism "supply" in these places of great beauty, where waterfalls and forests are still waiting to be exploited by consumerism and services? In any case, as repeatedly indicated, the federal, state and municipal authorities which have intervened in certain moments of the presumed conflict have expressed to the inhabitants of Bolom Ajaw directly, and on some occasions to the CAPISE, their interest to "relocate" the Zapatista grassroots communities - that is, to displace them. Until now, the instrument to achieve this has been the OPDDIC, considered a paramilitary group in several indigenous regions in the Lacandon Jungle and the northern zone, where it is also assaulting and threatening Zapatista communities in the autonomous municipalities San Manuel, Francisco G?mez, Olga Isabel, 17 de Noviembre, La Paz and Ricardo Flores Mag?n. In addition, under the same name of OPDDIC, at the end of September an alleged paramilitary group released death threats against the autonomous council of San Andr?s Sakamch'?n de los Pobres, in Los Altos. Published in La Jornada in Spanish, December 6, 2007 http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B9B5B0133-C59C-43B4-A191-B5B21A93ADB6%7D)&language=EN Mexico Forum Defeats Capitalism Mexico, Dec 14 (Prensa Latina) An international forum, organized by the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) in the Mexican state of Chiapas, advocated Friday for anti-systemic alliances to defeat capitalism. The meeting was attended by over 300 delegates from several countries, among them academics Pablo Gonzalez Casanova and art critic John Berger, US historian Immanuel Wallerstein, writer Hector Aguilar, and "Contrahistorias" magazine director Carlos Aguirre. EZLN chief deputy commander Marcos said that real transformations of a society in a historic moment are those aimed against the system as a whole, thus the importance of anti-systemic movements. Wallerstein stated the need of an offensive anti-systemic alliance and efficient campaign worldwide. The EZLN, he noted, must participate in the next edition of the World Social Forum to be run in January 2009, which must analyze indigenous problems in the world. http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=30663§ionid=351020405 S. Koreans rally to protest US deal Sun, 11 Nov 2007 14:57:31 Thousands of South Korean demonstrators have taken to the streets in protest at a trade agreement between their country and the US. Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Seoul on Nov. 11 to protest the recently reached free trade agreement between South Korea and the United States and to demand better working conditions for irregular employees. The massive rally, which police called illegal, caused severe traffic congestion in the center of the capital city throughout the day. The angry farmers and workers took to the streets of the capital, demanding that a free trade agreement between their country and the United States be scrapped, AP television reported on Sunday. "We will block the FTA ratification because the US-Korea FTA would deepen the polarization of South Korea," said Woo Moon-sook, a spokeswoman for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of organizers of the rally near Seoul City Hall. The protesters occupied the 16-lane road and chanted slogans against the free trade deal but no major clashes with riot police were reported. Organizers claimed some 50,000 people participated in the protest, while police estimated there were 20,000 demonstrators. Seoul and Washington forged their deal in April, concluding months of tough negotiations to lower or eliminate tariffs and other trade barriers on a wide range of industries and services. The two sides signed the accord in June but it must be endorsed by legislatures in both capitals before it goes into effect. The deal is the largest for the US since the North American Free Trade Agreement more than a decade ago, and the largest ever for South Korea. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iwZu_ki4nh5AtsmdjgkVccjVPYrA South Korean protesters(R) fight with the riot police SKorean police, protesters clash in rally Nov 11, 2007 SEOUL (AFP) - South Korean demonstrators and riot police clashed in downtown Seoul Sunday as tens of thousands of anti-American protesters were blocked from marching to the US embassy after an unauthorised rally. The violence erupted when 20,000 riot police confronted the same number of demonstrators rallying against a free-trade pact with the United States and South Korean troops joining US-led forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Having been blocked from marching to the US embassy, hundreds of angry protesters smashed the windows of police buses, wielded wooden sticks and hurled rocks at riot police. Police reacted with batons, shields and water cannons to stifle the rioters. Both sides exchanged kicks and punches, but no serious injuries were immediately reported. Police rounded up dozens of violent protesters, a Seoul metropolitan police agency spokesman said, adding they were still compiling arrest figures. The agency said it sent 23,000 police and 600 buses to stop the massive demonstration in the capital that had been banned by the government. Civic and labour organisations had expected about 50,000 people to turn up for the rally, which also called for better working conditions for temporary workers, but police said the actual turnout was 20,000. Demonstrators wanted to rally at the City Hall plaza and march a block towards the US embassy, but police blocked them from reaching the area. A hardcore 2,000 demonstrators occupied parts of the 16-lane main boulevard in Seoul to hold a candle-lit vigil in the evening, though most returned home in the afternoon. The ministers of home, justice, transportation and labour issued a joint statement Saturday banning the rally, which comes at a politically sensitive time ahead of the December presidential election. It warned that police would deal "sternly" with any illegal or violent acts. Yonhap news agency said police had blocked farmers from being bussed to Seoul from towns and villages. Farmers and activists have sometimes violently protested the trade deal with the US, which now must be ratified by lawmakers, but most opinion polls show a majority of South Koreans favour it. The United States and South Korea signed the free trade pact in June following 10 months of intense negotiations, but little progress has been reported on either side to get the deal ratified. The Democrat-led Congress has indicated it may not approve the deal amid concerns from US carmakers and stockbreeders who believe it fails to open the Korean markets fully. South Korea is the US's seventh-largest trade partner, with bilateral commerce last year worth 78 billion dollars. Some studies show this could rise by up to 20 billion dollars in coming years under a free trade regime. Some see the free trade pact strengthening the military alliance, which dates back to the 1950-1953 Korean War. http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/ViewArticle.aspx?articleid=3497666 Thousands protest in South Korea over free trade deal THOUSANDS of South Korean farmers and workers clashed with riot police yesterday at a massive rally against a free trade deal with the United States. The clash began when the protesters tried to break through a barricade blocking the road to the US embassy in Seoul. Police fired water cannon to halt the protesters. >From among the crowd of between 20,000 and 50,000, some demonstrators threw stones and used sticks to hit riot police. About 100 people were arrested, while ten police officers and 50 demonstrators were hurt. South Korean farmers are worried that the deal will see US produce pour into the country, threatening their livelihoods. The full article contains 118 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper. Last Updated: 11 November 2007 11:13 PM http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSL2168898720071121 Hungarians strike and protest against economic reforms Wed Nov 21, 2007 3:47pm EST By Sandor Peto and Andras Gergely BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Thousands of anti-government protesters rallied outside Hungary's parliament on Wednesday after 10,000 workers staged strikes to try to halt Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany's economic reforms. Led by a six-hour stoppage by the powerful railway union, strikers blocked roads, halted trains and two bus lines, closed Budapest's airport and shut some schools. But parallel protests were smaller than expected and the government did not budge. The strikes and demonstrations were backed by the main opposition Fidesz party, whose leader Viktor Orban said earlier this week that the ruling coalition, led by Gyurcsany's Socialists, could be forced out in six to nine months. "I hate Gyurcsany. The more of us turn up, the stronger the hope is that there will be some change," Andras Mezei, 65, told Reuters outside parliament. Unlike in France and Germany where unions have real muscle, Hungarian workers are unlikely to seriously challenge economic reforms, though Socialist deputies who have seen their party's poll ratings fall to as low as 15 percent have voiced concern. The rail workers protested against rural line closures at state rail firm MAV, which loses hundreds of millions of dollars a year, and smaller unions aimed to halt health and pension reforms. But only two of the six main union groupings took part. "The unions remain divided along political lines and their confidence rating within the society is relatively low," said Attila Gyulai, an analyst at consultancy Political Capital. News agency MTI estimated the Budapest protest drew 5,000 people, versus up to 50,000 projected earlier by media. The government said that showed the strikes lacked support. http://www.agi.it/italy/news/200712212031-cro-ren0090-art.html BERLUSCONI HIT BY AN EGG DURING PROTEST (AGI) - Rome, Dec. 21 - Silvio Berlusconi was hit by an egg during a protest staged by students who 'greeted' him in Cinecitta'. One of Berlusconi's supporters explained to the press that he managed to intercept the egg with his hand, thus limiting the damage to his leader's jacket. In any event, at the end of the gathering the right sleeve of Berlusconi's suit still showed traces of the impact. Protesters did not limit themselves to hurling eggs and singing lewd songs against Silvio Berlusconi since, according to some witnesses, they also allegedly hurled some coins and at least one bolt. http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11938549 Dec 27 2007 1:35PM Anti-globalists to protest against luxury by tossing rotten eggs at Hummer ST. PETERSBURG. Dec 27 (Interfax) - Anti-globalists will hold a protest against luxury on Pionerskaya Square in St. Petersburg on Thursday. "We will hold a number of actions, including one on December 27. We have taken notice of a Hummer that is often parked near Pionerskaya Square and decided to toss tomatoes and rotten eggs at it. The Hummer owner agreed with our reasons. He even said he was ready to sell his Hummer and donate the money to an orphanage," the movement said. In the opinion of the movement, their action will prove that luxury is senseless. http://mathaba.net/news/?x=576308 Mexican farmers to form human wall on border with U.S. to protest free trade accord Posted: 2007/12/31 From: Mathaba Mexican farmers and social groups will form a human wall on the country's border with the United States on Jan. 1 to protest against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Latin American news agency reported Saturday. MEXICO CITY, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- "The human wall will be built on the Cordoba-Americas International Bridge in Ciudad Juarez, state of Chihuahua, to criticize the NAFTA policies on agricultural products," said the Farmers' Democratic Front. "We will continue to organize protests against the NAFTA, which strives to lift tariffs for U.S. and Canadian exports of corn, beans, sugar and powder milk," it said. "The NAFTA can be renegotiated if Mexico follows the rules of the World Trade Organization and leaves basic household items out of the trade treaties," it added. "We have to show political will and popular commitment" to win the battle, said the group. http://www.periodico26.cu/english/news_world/c.rica112207.htm Costa Rican President Arias Signs CAFTA Amid Protest SAN JOSE.- The CAFTA-DR free trade pact between the Central American countries, the Dominican Republic and the Unites States was signed into law in Costa Rica on Wednesday amid protests and a large military deployment. President Oscar Arias signed CAFTA-DR into law at the presidency while hundreds of demonstrators surrounded the building in protest, reported the La Nacion newspaper. The issue is still immersed in controversy after a narrow victory for the free trade agreement in an October 7 referendum. Troops were deployed in a circle 100 meters from the presidential headquarters to contain protestors and in fear of a repeat of the huge protests that preceded the CAFTA-DR referendum, reported Prensa Latina. The free trade treaty is scheduled to take effect in March 2008, however for that to happen the legislature must first pass 12 complementary laws. http://www.radiofeminista.net/mar07/notas/CAFTA_ingles.htm Costa Rica: Why We Reject CAFTA by Eva Carazo Vargas | March 8, 2007 from Americas Program, International Relations Center (IRC) americas.irc-online.org On Feb. 26, tens of thousands of Costa Ricans took to the streets in a demonstration to block ratification of the free trade agreement and reject approval to implement legislation demanded by the United States. Costa Rica is the only country included in the Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Central America, and the Dominican Republic (CAFTA-DR) that has not yet ratified the agreement. A broad grassroots movement in the country is trying to make sure it stays that way. (Photo by FIRE)Following a brief negotiation in 2003, the governments of Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Costa Rica (and later the Dominican Republic) signed a free trade agreement with the United States. The CAFTA-DR, as it is known by its initials, is part of the Bush administration's strategy to bilaterally impose a dependent free-trade regime, given its failure to achieve its objectives in multilateral forums such as the World Trade Organization or the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Costa Rica's adherence to CAFTA has detonated a huge discussion throughout the country and catalyzed a diverse and growing grassroots movement that questions the essence of the economic model promoted by the North, and seeks to open doors to a more congruent model of development-one that's consistent with the history of Costa Rica and the needs of the countries of the South. Given the staunch support for CAFTA coming from the federal government, which seeks to impose the agreement at all costs, the year 2007 promises to be a defining moment for the future of this Central American nation. International solidarity is very important for the struggle that the Costa Rican popular social movements are carrying on. A few ways you can help: WHAT YOU CAN DO: ? Send messages to Legislative representatives about the negative impacts of Free Trade Agreements. Their addresses can be found at: www.asamblea.go.cr. ? Send messages to Oscar Arias, Costa Rica's president. In addition to the negative aspects of FTAs it is important to mention the irony of a Nobel Peace Prize winner causing a social conflict so traumatic for the country. Write to: info at casapres.go.cr. ? Protest at the Costa Rican Embassy in your country, especially on dates when protests occur in Costa Rica. ? Please send a copy of any letters sent to the National Coordination of the Struggle Against the FTA at: redcnlcontratlc at racsa.co.cr, gracielabmar at yahoo.com and bloqueverdeculturacampesinos at gmail.com. If you would like to receive more information about the movement's actions, request it from the same email addresses. Our Point of Departure Contrary to most Latin American countries, where the Washington Consensus was applied nearly to the letter, in Costa Rica public investment in social services and strategic sectors of the economy has been a determining factor in achieving a relatively higher quality of life compared to its neighbors. We are talking about a country with no army that-when much of Central America was fighting civil wars for basic human rights-invested instead in healthcare, insurance, and education; and in strategic infrastructure like energy and telecommunications. As a result, Costa Rica's human development index is 0.838, occupying 47th place worldwide. The poverty level has remained around 20% for the last 15 years, without decreasing but also without significant increases. Illiteracy is scarcely 7.4%, open unemployment hovers around 6%, and health insurance covers approximately 82% of the population. A full 75.7% of the population has access to drinking water, and 98.3% to electricity. Telephone services reach 60% of Costa Ricans and Internet serves the far corners of the nation. In fact, the country has some of the lowest rates on the continent for electricity, telephone, mobile phone service, and Internet. This has been possible thanks to a Constitutional Social state, based on constitutional obligations to guarantee that certain strategic services be provided by the government in the logic of solidarity and ample coverage-independently of the buying power of families. "Meso-Americans in resistance for a dignified life" (photo by FIRE)However, the structural adjustment programs of the 80s marked the beginning of a sharp turn in this model. Over the last 25 years-and in spite of the negative effects for the majority of the population-the neoliberal project has been gaining ground. The government has played a major role in implementing these changes, steadily decreasing its intervention in the national economy, and ceding space to the "free market" as the regulator of not only economic but also social, political, and cultural relations. This tendency has resulted in a serious deterioration of public institutions, as government spending limits dry up public investment, and corruption and impunity have grown. There is now enormous pressure to transfer remaining activities to the private sector. The rationale is that the public sector is inefficient and needs private initiative to take direct charge of services that up to now have been in the hands of the state as administrator of the collective interest. The changes in the economic model over the past years have also resulted in an almost exclusive focus on exports and foreign investment as dynamic mechanisms of the economy, to the detriment of public policies directed toward small and medium businesses, or the growth of the domestic market. However, this model has developed alongside growing unemployment and has demonstrated its inability to generate or distribute wealth, since the export-economy produces almost no fiscal productive chains or social linkages to the national economy as a whole. Concentration of wealth in the country has also been on the rise: Between 1988 and 2005, the income of the poorest 20% of the population fell 13.9%, and that of the top 20% increased 67.9%. As for employment, the informal sector still experiences the largest growth each year, creating 65% of all new jobs in 2005. The replacement of a strong formal economy labor pool with a burgeoning informal economy leads to erosion in working conditions for the majority of workers in the country. In this context, the FTA with the United States expresses the consolidation of a tendency that is not new and that has shown itself to have enormous limitations in generating a sustainable, solidarity-based, and fair system. The FTA will mandate that these negative tendencies become permanent and practically the only permitted route to "development." Negotiating the Future The negotiations on the FTA took place in nine rounds along with the other Central American countries in 2003, and one additional round in 2004 just between Costa Rica and the United States. They were led by a team of professionals from the Ministry of Foreign Commerce (Comex) with close ties to corporate interests. It later came to light that several of the Costa Rican government's negotiators received their salaries from the Costa Rica-United States Foundation (CR-USA)-an agency specially created to channel funds from USAID (the U.S. Agency for International Development). The CR-USA Foundation administers money from the U.S. government and spent US$901,460 to support the Costa Rican FTA negotiating team.2 The country deposited a strategic negotiation in the hands of a staff paid for by the other side. This stage was not easy. From the beginning, various sectors demanded the right to participate in the definition at least of the minimum floors or maximum ceilings for the negotiations, and to be allowed to observe and monitor the process. Their request was denied and instead Comex established a "consultation" mechanism through which it received hundreds of recommendations, without committing definitively to any. The contents and specific texts of the rounds of negotiation were officially declared confidential, "to not divulge national strategy." Even congressional representatives who demanded access to official texts were denied them. Costa Ricans only found out about the contents of the agreement when the FTA had already been signed. Even then, they did not have access to the documentation corresponding to the negotiation process-government officials claimed it had "been lost" with the change in ministries from the previous administration. Then-president Abel Pacheco insisted from the beginning of the FTA negotiations that they would not include publicly owned insurance and telecommunications companies. However, both sectors were opened up to "free" competition in the last round of negotiations. In that round Costa Rica also committed to subscribe to the UPOV-91 agreement, which establishes private intellectual property rights on plants, and that also was originally to be excluded from negotiations, according to official documents. Throughout the year, the Costa Rican people were kept in the dark about the important and definitive decisions that a small group of government officials was making on their behalf. In January of 2004 the FTA negotiations were concluded and the agreement was signed by the president that August. Pacheco then formed a commission of prominent citizens to analyze the signed text. The commission concluded that the FTA was neither positive nor negative in itself, but also that it should not be implemented without first adopting a series of measures to mitigate its predictable negative impacts on the poorest sectors of the country. The growing debate and pressure from the social and popular movements, the resignation of nearly the entire negotiating team when it was publicly revealed that their salaries were paid by CR-USA, and the insistence of the president on the need for a fiscal pact to allow for redistribution of the supposed benefits of the FTA as a prerequisite to its approval-all contributed to a delay in sending the FTA text to the legislature. Finally in October of 2005 the executive branch sent the text on to congress for ratification. The Legislative Situation The final push for the FTA came from the current administration of the Arias brothers-president Oscar and Rodrigo, his chief of staff-that took power in May of 2006. Arias took power in the midst of a huge mobilization rejecting the results of an extremely close election (just a 1% margin over the Citizen Action Party-PAC). This was the first time in Costa Rica's history that an election had been popularly contested, amidst serious questioning of the Constitutional Court decision to annul a 1969 legislative statute that prohibited presidential reelection. Oscar Arias previously held the presidency from 1986-1990. CAFTA is a vital issue for the Arias administration and it is prepared to get it approved in any way possible. Hearings in the Commission of International Affairs In favor Opposed Neutral or ambiguous Total Total 35 (58%)18 (30%)7 (12%)60 The discussion in Congress began in June 2006. The FTA was initially presented to the Commission on International Affairs, which held hearings for five months. The commission refused to admit more than 60 groups opposed to the agreement. It also rejected the idea of conferring with indigenous groups, as recommended by legislative advisors to comply with Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization (ILO). After little more than a month of reviewing seventy motions regarding clauses in the initial chapters of the agreement, without substantial discussion and approving only 17, the majority of the Commission decided to reject the remaining 300 pending motions and emit a favorable finding on the FTA on Dec. 12, 2006. Currently the opposition in Congress is made up of two representatives of the Broad Front and Access without Exclusion Parties and 17 representatives of the Citizen Action Party, who have formed a legislative front against the FTA and support a unified struggle in the Assembly. On the other side, the FTA is supported by the 25 representatives of the National Liberation Party (PLN) and six of the Libertarian Movement, with the support of the Social Christian Unity Party (five representatives), the National Restoration Party (one representative) and the National Union Party (one representative). This majority of 38 votes approved granting "fast track" to various bills related to the FTA calculates that the agreement itself will be ratified in at most a month. A measure to reform legislative procedure to apply the same "fast track" procedure to the FTA is currently up for approval, despite the fact that the mechanism is being challenged in Constitutional Court on the basis of how it was instituted and how it is used, because it violates legislative rules. Meanwhile, the full legislature has been meeting twice a day, often until midnight, trying to accelerate the procedure and wear down representatives who bravely continue to oppose the agreement by calling for substantive debate-something that still has not taken place. The administration is pressing for an FTA vote before March, during the vacation period for schools and universities, in an attempt to neutralize the teachers' union and student movements, and before May, when Congress begins a round of regular hearings and the presidential office will have less influence on the agenda. Unconvincing Arguments Give Way to Scare Tactics A meeting between security forces and peaceful protesters. The Costa Rican people have been bombarded daily with a multi-million dollar media campaign apparently financed by the large transnational pharmaceutical companies and backed by the president's office, Comex and the group Por Costa Rica-a foundation created by the ex-negotiators of the FTA. At its outset, official publicity claimed that the FTA would create new exporters and generate half a million jobs, in the "Jobs for Costa Ricans" campaign. However, the FTA offers Costa Rica practically no additional benefit aside from those it already has in terms of trade with the United States, and a positive impact on employment has been belied by technical projected impact models. Currently the pro-CAFTA camp alternates between promises of new opportunities and a fear campaign about the commercial repercussions from the Untied States if the agreement isn't ratified, despite the fact that U.S. congress members have indicated, and reiterated, that cutting off current trade benefits is not a possible course of action. At the same time, the mainstream media and governmental representatives insist that the only "democratic" way is to respect the decision of the majority, supposedly expressed in the electoral triumph of Oscar Arias and his majority control of Congress. However, as popular protest grows, so has the conflict between the strict legality of the legislative process and its legitimacy to make a decision so vital to national interests. At the same time there is a dangerous process of criminalization of social protest underway, including repression and intimidation of those who openly manifest doubts about the agreement. Recently propaganda has appeared that paints those who oppose the FTA as disguised terrorists and promises to apply "the full force of the law" against those who demonstrate. The opposing sectors, including academics and political activists, are labeled as "out-of-touch leftists" and "opponents of development and national interests." Arias has compared them to "children who don't know what's good for them and should be obligated by their parents-the government-to accept it." Anonymous documents circulate defaming movement leaders, convictions and investigations of individuals who participate in marches and protests or report corrupt acts have increased, and a relationship is suspected between the rising numbers of break-ins and robberies of computers and property belonging to people related to the struggle against the FTA, including through violent incursions at union offices. The most recent occurrence is a priest accused of reporting the shady sale of two rural properties that ended up in the hands of Arias. He was finally absolved, but only after a long and painful trial. For a country in which historically the president has been able to walk the streets of the capital without extraordinary security measures, the protests that take place each time Arias appears in public have led to the use of a 200-meter police blockade for every official event and several screening areas so that only authorized individuals can get close. Although the popular movement calls for pacifist actions, the media insists on using violent terms to describe the conflict. Undercover police infiltrate the manifestations and provoke confrontations and threaten the leaders. In rural areas police recruitment has increased, as well as training in conflict techniques. Recently it was announced that security personnel of the Legislative Assembly will be trained in shooting techniques, use of explosives, and bomb threats. Paradoxically, this takes place during the administration of a Nobel Peace Prize Winner, and although these measures reflect the fear of the government of the discontent that it is generating, it is also clear that its decision is to impose the FTA through state power and the use of force. The government strategy is to ignore not only the message of popular protests, but also the basic questions that social organizations, academics, politicians and business continue to raise. The Resistance is Alive and Grows Every Day If the FTA has had anything positive about it, considering it is such a big threat, it's that it has permitted the articulation of the opposition in one of the most broad and diverse movements in Costa Rica's history. Although Costa Rica doesn't usually appear in the news because of internal conflicts, it has always had significant popular movements around environmental, productive, and gender issues, defense of labor rights, and against the privatization of goods and public services. One of the most important occurred in 2000 when the movement supported by hundreds of thousands of people obligated the government to table a measure that would allow the private sector to control the electrical and telecommunications systems, currently still run by the State through the Costa Rican Electrical Institute. However, the struggle against the FTA transcends any other previous experience and has fostered coalitions among a wide range of groups and people. Their alliance goes beyond sectorial issues and interests: it is the defense of Costa Rica as a sovereign nation, the chance to revise and improve the model of the Social State and consciously rethink the future of the country. The National Coordinating Committee Against the FTA (CNL) was formed as an operative and strategic mechanism for articulating actions between diverse sectors and organizations. The groups that form part of the CNL converge nationally on a number of platforms and policies, and the Regional Struggle Committees organize the structure and resistance in different areas of the country. There are also fronts organized in other sectors, for instance the National Front Supporting the Struggle Against the FTA, led by the rector of the Technological Institute-one of Costa Rica's four public universities. The organization includes individuals involved in politics, academia, culture, and other national figures. Another example is the Front Against the FTA within the National Liberation party that reflects the internal fracturing in this governmental party on this issue. The opposition to the FTA expresses a diversity and multiplicity of proposals and actions, which is one of its greatest strengths. This fight has been joined by rural campesinos, teachers, communes, unions, indigenous, environmentalist, student, academic, religious and cultural groups, women, cooperatives, businesses, politicians. Although there are still many people unaware of the implications of the agreement, there has been an enormous effort from the sectors that oppose the FTA to provide information and encourage discussion in all corners of the country. Only with full public awareness and participation can the opposition be truly solid and thoughtful. Their actions have led to a steady increase in opposition to the FTA reflected in opinion polls. Institutions like the University of Costa Rica, the National University, the Citizen's Defense, and the Episcopal Conference have all called attention to the negative impacts of the FTA through official announcements. In the capital and other regions hundreds of forums and debates have been held. Comex consistently refuses to attend if officials know beforehand that the FTA opposition will be present. Citizens have organized marches and protests, labor stoppages, highway blockades, distribution of flyers and educational materials, books, manifestos and analytical documents, documentaries, songs, community meetings, networks and websites, picketing at state events, and meetings with legislators. Some groups are working to promote a referendum and others take information to communities through concerts and cultural activities. The National Coordinating Committee called a national strike that paralyzed the economy, and the most recent activity-a huge march in San Jose on Feb. 26-as well as activities in other states. The country has taken up discussion on the options for another development path based on the principles of the Social State, and as an alternative to the model expressed by the FTA. However, a truly profound public debate on the development models seems to remain suspended, given the difficulties of objective dialogue with the government and an inevitable confrontation nearing every day. The interests involved in the FTA are so powerful that it is almost impossible that the government will give up implementing it without enormous popular pressure. But the potential impact of the agreement is tremendous and as sectors realize what it implies they have no option other than to react. As a result of its history and institutional development, Costa Rica is probably the Central American country with the most to lose with an FTA. Today it faces a historic moment-one that expresses the confrontation between the development model imposed by groups in power in recent years, and the well-being of the majority. The neoliberal model is at stake, and at a breaking point in Costa Rica today. Whatever happens, the country will never be the same afterwards. If the FTA is approved it is easy to imagine what the country will look like in 15 years-and it is not a scenario that the great majority of Costa Ricans want. If the popular resistance, diverse and alive, manages to turn history around, the future panorama is more uncertain but also more hopeful. We would still have the possibility to deepen what we've learned over our history, and build a more inclusive, fair, and solidarity-based country. Today's struggle is to have, at the very least, the chance to give it a try. Notas Data taken from: Foro Mundial sobre Educaci?n, Educaci?n para Todos, country report. At www.unesco.org; Programa Estado de la Naci?n. At: www.estadonacion.or.cr: Fumero Paniagua, Gerardo. "El Estado solidario frente a la globalizaci?n. Debate sobre el TLC y el ICE", San Jos?, Costa Rica, 2006. The CR-USA, whose mission is to "promote collaboration between the peoples and governments of Costa Rica and the United States," received a start-up fund of US$56 million. Source: Aportes de EE. UU. sufragan gastos del pa?s en el TLC, Ernesto Rivera, La Naci?n. Translated for the IRC Americas Program by Laura Carlsen and Katie Kohlstedt, IRC. Photos by FIRE taken by Yarman Jim?nez. Eva Carazo Vargas (evacarazov at gmail.com) works for the Costa Rican Organic Agriculture Movement and forms part of the Biodiversity Network coordinating team. She supports various social organizations especially related to agriculture, biodiversity, and intellectual property, and participates in the National Committee against the FTA. She is a trade and agriculture analyst with the IRC America's Program (www.americaspolicy.org) http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200610/24/eng20061024_314674.html Costa Ricans protest against free trade deal with U.S. Around 10,000 Costa Ricans protested on Monday against a free trade deal with the United States, calling on the legislature to reject the agreement. The demonstrators marched through the streets of San Jose and other towns to protest against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) that will remove trade barriers between Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. There was no violence during the demonstrations that were supported by unions, teachers, students, farm workers and indigenous groups. The protestors, chanting anti-CAFTA slogans and carrying signs that said the CAFTA-DR was unjust, rallied outside the Congress, urging deputies to reject the agreement. Protest leaders handed in a petition calling on legislators to end privatization of the country's ports and what organizers called the "repression of demonstration." They said they would return in greater numbers on Tuesday. Rodrigo Arias, brother of President Oscar Arias and cabinet spokesman, told the media that the protests would not work. "Demonstrators are asking the government to withdraw the free trade agreement from the legislature: a demand we cannot accept. This government is acting coherently, as it announced in its campaign for office. This agreement is needed by the country." President Arias promised to pass the deal during his election campaign earlier this year. All public services were working normally despite the protests, the spokesman added. Costa Rica's Union of Private Enterprise Chambers and Associations shunned the protests. Source: Xinhua http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1374222.php/Thousands_of_riot_police_in_Athens_for_annual_march_to_US_Embassy Thousands of riot police in Athens for annual march to US Embassy Nov 16, 2007, 13:39 GMT Athens - Thousands of riot police took up positions throughout central Athens and the northern port city of Thessaloniki Friday ahead of an annual march to the US Embassy to mark the anniversary of a bloody student revolt. Many shops remained closed as nearly 8,000 riot police took up positions outside of embassies, government buildings and the Athens' Polytechnic University in preparation for Saturday's march which has sparked riots in recent years. Thousands of demonstrators are expected to take to the streets on Saturday for the annual march which will start from the Athens Polytechnic, the site of the 1973 uprising against the military dictatorship then ruling Greece, towards the US Embassy. Dozens of people died when the military junta sent tanks into the university to put down the revolt 35 years ago, which many believe was backed by the US. In recent years, the demonstrations often escalate into riots between hooded anarchists, armed with stones and petrol bombs, and riot police. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7120624.stm Ecuador bids to quell oil protest President Rafael Correa of Ecuador has declared a state of emergency in an Amazon province where protests have cut oil output by about 20%. The demonstrators want the government to spend more revenue from oil on infrastructure in Orellana province. Mr Correa said he would not let a handful of "lunatics" harm the interests of 13 million Ecuadoreans. Oil accounts for about 40% of Ecuador's export earnings but protests in the oil-rich Amazon often hit production. Mr Correa also sacked the interior minister, Gustavo Larrea, saying he had failed to quell the protests and underplayed the problem in his reports. Mr Correa also forced the head of the state oil company, Petroecuador, to resign and ordered a high-level commission to investigate the unrest. Demonstrators began taking over oil wells in Orellana on Monday. They were reported to have cut communication lines and caused minor damage. "I am not going to permit more anarchy", the president said. "The irresponsible, crazy people who are behind these attacks on the whole nation must listen. We will punish any act of vandalism with the full force of the law." Under the rules of the state of emergency, public meetings and marches are be banned, and a curfew put in place. Petroecuador says it has given the authorities in Orellana province enough revenue to pay for the roads and electricity lines which the protestors are demanding. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/02/asia/AS-GEN-Philippines-Anti-US-Protest.php Protesters storm US Embassy before being pushed back by Manila riot police The Associated Press Published: December 2, 2007 MANILA, Philippines: About two dozen protesters stormed the American Embassy in Manila on Sunday, pounding a U.S. government seal at the gate with their fists and a brick before surprised policemen pushed them away. The protesters demanded the transfer to a Philippine jail of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith, who was convicted exactly a year ago of raping a Filipino woman but has remained under U.S. government custody at the heavily fortified embassy. Taking advantage of the absence of policemen, who usually stand guard outside the embassy, the protesters ran toward the gates and used their fists and a red brick to pound a bronze U.S. government seal on the wall, an Associated Press photographer at the scene said. Policemen later arrived and pushed them away but did not make any arrests. "It has been one year and he is still being protected by the United States government," said protest leader Vencer Crisostomo, adding that American soldiers should face the consequences of crimes they commit overseas. The protesters demanded the repeal of the bilateral Visiting Forces Agreement, which allows large numbers of American troops to join war exercises in the Philippines. A suburban Manila court convicted Smith last year of raping a Filipino woman in a van as fellow Marines cheered him on. The court sentenced him to 40 years in prison for the act, which was committed while he was on liberty after taking part in military exercises north of Manila. Smith, from St. Louis, claimed that the sex was consensual and has appealed the court ruling. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's government agreed to allow Smith to be detained at the U.S. Embassy during his appeal, angering women's groups and left-wing activists. Smith's conviction has been hailed as a victory for women's rights and Philippine independence. The Philippines is a former American colony. http://www.livinginperu.com/news-5219-miningenergy-peru-miners-protest-block-highway-during-riot 3 December, 2007 [ 09:00 ] Peru: Miners Protest and Block Highway During Riot (LIP-ir) -- Union workers for Los Quenuales Company, an operating unit of Yauliyacu, blocked the 114th kilometer of Carretera Central Highway last night in the Casapalca area, located in the province of Huarochiri, Lima. The protest is taking place two days after miners ended a strike on Friday and Peru's police cleared the highway of the rocks and debris protesting miners had placed to stop traffic. According to listeners that called RPP radio this morning, interprovincial buses and transport vehicles are stranded and unable to get past the blockade that mining workers have established on both sides of the highway. Miners are demanding that fifteen union leaders be given their jobs back after having been fired when they took part in a strike that took place on November 5. They are also requesting that negotiations begin on a list of demands being made by workers. Over 1,800 miners have worked for the company for over ten years in deplorable and inhumane conditions, exposing themselves to high temperatures and a toxic environment which continuously cause accidents, said Peru's National Federation of Mining and Metalworkers. Of the all the miners that work for Los Quenuales mining company, 1,800 are hired by contractors while only 250 are on the company's payroll, reported Peru's Labor Ministry. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712070123.html Nigeria: Trovan Test - Victims' Families Stage Protest in Court This Day (Lagos) 7 December 2007 Posted to the web 7 December 2007 Ibrahim Shuaibu Kano The civil case filed against Pfizer , the multinational drug company , at a Kano court took a different dimension yesterday as the presiding judge , Justice Sanusi Chiroma ordered a group of placard -carrying victims out of the court room for expressing their grievances openly right in the courtroom. They had stormed the court in their numbers to press home their demands for direct compensation from the company . Justice Chiroma stated that as much as people have the freedom to express their rights, it should not be exercised at the detriment of free and fair administration of justice . He noted that expression of grievances such as was being done should be carried out outside the court room . A hot argument later ensued between counsels to the plaintiff and defendants on the procedure for hearing the applications brought before the court after which the judge adjourned the case to January 28, 2008 for further ruling on the matter. Speaking with THISDAY after the court session, counsel to the plaintiff, Barrister Babatunde Irukere said his clients were not happy with the development in the court, alleging that the counsel to the defendant seems to working towards stopping the court from entertaining the case in Kano. Meanwhile, Pfizer yesterday described the decision by Kano state government to cease all communication with the company as unfortunate, while reiterating its resolve to reach an appropriate resolution of the matter. It also said that the Kano state's media campaign aimed at frustrating discussions between the government and the company would not stop its avowed commitment to talks genuinely aimed at achieving a rational and fair result. "While the comments by Kano officials are most unfortunate, they do not diminish Pfizer's commitment to dialogue conducive to resolving its differences with the Nigerian federal and state governments. We believe, however, that efforts to try these cases in the media or intimidate the company and the courts are an impediment to that process," said Pfizer Spokesman, Chris Loder. On the allegations against the trial's protocol, Pfizer reiterated that the 1996 trial was conducted with full knowledge and approval of the Nigerian government, consent of the participants' parents or guardians and consistent with Nigerian laws. It also said that conditions for honouring the Kano's government demand for monetary compensation had not been met . Pfizer had asked the government for documentation to support the extraordinary amounts of money requested. In addition, the company's requests for details regarding study participants that the government alleges suffered physical injury as a result of the trial have gone unanswered. "Pfizer rejects any attempts by Nigeria to collect money based on public intimidation, unsubstantiated allegations and for unspecified purposes. The company stands by the results of the 1996 trial and is prepared to vigorously defend it in court if need be," added Loder. Andrew Young seeks positive image for Nigeria Former U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN Andrew Young has decried the bad press publicity, which Nigeria was having abroad. In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) today in Lagos, Young called on Nigerian media to always highlight the positive aspects of their country. "What we get to hear about Nigeria in the U.S. is only 419 (advanced fee fraud), but you have hundreds of thousands of Nigerians who are honest, decent and hardworking," Young said. Young said Nigeria with a lot of talents, had the potential to be great and urged the government to tap from the wealth of experience of its citizens living abroad. "Invite your people to come home because they have done very well abroad " he said, pointing out that there were numerous Nigerian doctors and engineers, who had excelled in the U.S. "I think we have more Nigerian doctors and engineers in the U.S. than we have inNigeria," he said, attributing the development to the brain drain, which began in the military era. Young said Nigerians living abroad could assist in uplifting the national economy with the huge foreign exchange they remit home annually. "Nigerians in the U.S. have always remembered that they are Nigerians. They send home more than five billion dollars every year. "That is more than what comes in from the World Bank and from trade and foreign aid. "So, I have always felt that the hope for Africa lies in Africans in the Diaspora in the U.S, Canada, Caribbean and Brazil," he said. The former envoy called on Nigerians to support President Umaru Yar'Adua to make the country great. "President Yar'Adua is almost a saint. He is a wise and honest man and I think he is what Nigerians need. "Whether you voted for Yar'Adua or not, you're still a Nigerian and have to work with him to make your country succeed," Young said. He said as a Democrat in U.S., he had had cause to criticise Republican presidents, but still had to work with them to make the U.S. government to succeed. Young arrived in Nigeria on Tuesday with the inaugural flight of Delta Airline. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200711211926.htm AIYF observes 'protest day' across Kerala Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Pro-CPI All India Youth Federation(AIYF) observed on Wednesday as 'protest day' across the state to register its resentment over the arrest of its activists yesterday during agitation against multi-national retail chains. Activists held demonstrations in various places in the state and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere, police said. Meanwhile, a 12-hour hartal was observed in Alappuzha town. Private buses were off the roads and shops and business establishments remained closed. However, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation buses and boat services operated as usual. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200801071859.htm Violent protest against Meghalaya cabinet decision on power projects Shillong (PTI): Students ransacked shops and stoned buses as sporadic violence marred protests by a powerful students group of Meghalaya opposing the state cabinet decision to rope in private companies to develop power projects. Intensifying the protests over the cabinet decision, hundreds of supporters of Khasi Students Union (KSU) on Monday marched to the main secretariat here, shouting slogans against Chief Minister D D Lapang and Power Minister Mukul Sangma. Sporadic incidents of violence were reported as the agitated students ransacked some shops and pelted stones on buses at G S Road here during protest. Police however, said there were no injuries in the incident. Warning the state government not to take the KSU demand lightly, its President Samuel Jyrwa said "we are going to intensify the agitation if the government does not review the decision to hand over power projects to private companies." The KSU will also undertake a two-day office picketing from Tuesday. The student body, however, has called off the road blockade and bandh earlier slated for January 8 and 9 to suit some wedding dates and church programmes. Legislators, including some from the ruling alliance, and students groups have turned the heat on Lapang even as Lapang convened a cabinet meeting next week to discuss the issue. During a cabinet meeting on December 7, the government had decided to rope in some private companies to develop the state's hydel power projects. The KSU stir comes close on the heels of a number of MLAs, including six ministers, expressing reservations about the decision which was reportedly taken without having full quorum of the cabinet. http://allafrica.com/stories/200711220489.html Uganda: FDC to Protest in Kololo New Vision (Kampala) 21 November 2007 Posted to the web 22 November 2007 Geresom Musamali Kampala The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has organised a protest against what they described as the failure by the Commonwealth nations to fulfil the purpose for which the group was set up. FDC president Dr. Kizza Besigye yesterday said they will hold the activities at Kololo Airstrip today and tomorrow to, among other things, demonstrate, debate and hold rallies in protest against the Commonwealth. The Inspector General of Police, Kale Kayihura, yesterday gave the go-ahead for the function, but cautioned the public against moving to the airstrip in large groups that may disrupt traffic. Kayihura, in a letter to FDC, also demanded to know how many people they were expecting at the airstrip. But Besigye expressed surprise that Kayihura wanted the party to estimate the number of participants. Addressing journalists on Katonga Road, Besigye, flanked by Chapaa Karuhanga, said the activities would coincide with the Commonwealth summit that will take place tomorrow. "The Commonwealth has a set of values that it periodically evaluates and follows up. They include political management, social and economic welfare and the environment." Besigye encouraged former soldiers enlisted with the King's African Rifles to turn up and demonstrate against the failure by the Commonwealth to prevail on Uganda to pay them their gratuity and pensions. The soldiers, who fought alongside Britain in World War II, have sued the Government, which they say inherited the debt from the colonial government. Besigye has also called upon the Bunyoro leaders to attend. The Omukama Kabalega was exiled to the Seychelles during colonial rule. Part of his land was also donated by the colonial government to Buganda for helping it fight Kabalega. Others invited are environmentalists and the Luweero war claimants. Besigye, however, said the party was not boycotting CHOGM. "How can you boycott a function to which you have not been invited? Some individuals in the party were selectively invited to some functions. But as FDC, we have never been invited." He said the Commonwealth secretariat had also not responded to the issues they raised. "The Queen has never had an interest in Uganda. She has only had interest in the welfare of her British people. That is why she sent her people here to destroy and loot Bunyoro," he said. "The state of standards in the Commonwealth is appaling. They are condemning Zimbabwe because (Robert) Mugabe is taking away land from the whites and giving it to indigenous people. But they are condoning Uganda's taking away of land from local people to give it to foreigners." From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 16:21:50 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:21:50 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] CHINA: Unrest and protests, Dec/Jan 07-08 Message-ID: <00df01c8589e$f4b1cff0$0802a8c0@andy1> * Man beaten to death by "enforcers" for filming protest Death leads to further protests, march on city hall * Shanghai "middle-class" residents protest magnetic train, allege noise, health problems * Collapse of ant aphrodisiac investments leads to mass protests in northern province, demand refund * Supermarket "riot" (stampede) as food prices soar; FAO chief "was right about food riots" * Tibet: Hundreds protest for release of prisoners, destroy shops, state offices * Tibet: exiles plan march from India to protest Beijing Olympics * Students at military academy revolt over worthless diplomas * Hong Kong: protest over poll delay * Macau: thousands march for democracy, against corruption * Macau: "tourists riot over forced shopping" [one of those headlines you thought you'd never see] * Tibet/Australia: protesters storm Chinese embassy in Tibet protest * Workers demonstrate at steel plant * China/US: activists protest China olympic float over Falun Gong suppression, human rights abuses http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2238169,00.html Chinese man killed after filming protest David Stanway in Beijing Thursday January 10, 2008 The Guardian A man who used his mobile phone to film a violent clash between villagers and officials in rural China was beaten to death by public order "enforcers", Chinese state media reported yesterday, bringing more unwanted attention to the country's unruly hinterlands. The People's Daily reported that 24 residents of Tianmen, a city in central China's Hubei province, have been detained after Wei Wenhua, the general manager of a company owned by the local water resources bureau, was pulled out of his car and savagely beaten. Wei was driving through the area when he stopped to film the protests, which were triggered by a decision to build a rubbish tip close to a residential area. It was not clear whether he stopped on impulse or deliberately set out to record the clashes, in which villagers faced about 50 local officials and enforcers known as chengguan. But when it became clear what he was doing, the chengguan turned on him. He tried to flee but was beaten for 10 minutes, witnesses said. Among those being questioned by police is a senior government official, the state news agency Xinhua said. Witnesses also revealed that at least five other people were taken to hospital when the chengguan tried to put an end to an ugly confrontation that began at new year after the authorities reneged on a promise to shut down a rubbish tip built close to a residential area. Normally hired by local authorities to enforce relocation orders, crack down on "antisocial" behaviour and disperse crowds, the role of the chengguan has aroused concern about the power and accountability of Chinese officialdom. One indignant contributor to a local online discussion group said that they were "inhuman" and "out of control". Another, worried that the news will be suppressed by government censors, urged fellow internet users to spread the message as far as they could. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jIIdy5zxMVBl2M2k6Yu2H4DfR8tQD8U2DI0O0 Chinese Protest Beating Death By AUDRA ANG - Jan 9, 2008 BEIJING (AP) - The beating death of a passer-by who filmed a streetside fracas between villagers and authorities touched off protests in central China, in the latest incident to underscore public anger over abusive treatment by government employees. Residents angrily marched in front of city hall in Tianmen on Tuesday, demanding redress for the death of Wei Wenhua, a 41-year-old construction company executive, a relative and a company employee said Wednesday. "This is a spontaneous demonstration," said Chen Junling, Wei's brother-in-law. "What we want is for the killers to be severely punished." Chen said protesters numbered in the thousands - a figure that could not be independently verified - while a Communist Party official denied there were any demonstrations. Police had detained four people and were investigating more than 100 in the killing, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. An autopsy was being conducted on Wei's body, Xinhua said. The swift action reflected official concerns that such incidents could spill over into larger protests against authorities whose heavy-handed manner of dealing with civil disputes frequently arouses public anger. On Monday, Wei stopped when he saw local villagers squaring off against 50 urban administrative inspectors in Wanba, a village on the outskirts of Tianmen in Hubei province, his family and state media said. The villagers were arguing with authorities over the dumping of garbage by city trucks near their homes. The dispute evolved into a scuffle when residents tried to prevent the trucks from unloading, which Wei captured on his phone, Xinhua said. After Wei took out his cell phone to record the demonstration, officials turned on him, punching and attacking him for five minutes, Xinhua said. Wei was dead on arrival at a Tianmen hospital, the report said. The officials allegedly involved in Wei's death were not police, but workers from the Tianmen urban administration bureau who are responsible for keeping streets orderly and making sure vendors are properly licensed. A Tianmen government official who would give only his surname, Li, confirmed there had been protests Tuesday but refused to give any other details. But Zhang Beiping, spokesman for the Tianmen Communist Party office, denied any demonstrations took place. He said police were investigating and already have detained culprits, though he declined to say how many or further identify them. The passions unleashed by Wei's death, if left unchecked, could pose a problem for Chinese leaders, who have promised to deliver a more compassionate, law-abiding government. In 2003, the public outcry after police in the southern city of Guangzhou fatally beat a 27-year-old college graduate for not carrying proper identification prompted China's premier to restrict police powers of detention. In the central city of Zhengzhou last year, 1,000 college students scuffled with police and overturned cars after city inspectors beat a female student who had set up a street stall. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j98wxfo4uDB9-oWqDGlIwjZ5xrCgD8U5R6R80 Shanghai Residents Protest Maglev Train By ELAINE KURTENBACH - 2 days ago SHANGHAI, China (AP) - Protests by Shanghai residents angry over the proposed extension of a high-tech train line forced the government Monday to acknowledge widespread public concern, in the latest standoff between China's communist authorities and middle-class urban Chinese. Hundreds of people defied bans on public demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday over the potential health risks of the showcase project. The crowds staged what they called "strolls" through a busy square and at a popular shopping street to protest extending the magnetic levitation train line. "Oppose the maglev! Resist radiation! Save the children!" some in the crowd shouted, according to mobile phone videos posted on Chinese web sites and YouTube. Though Shanghai authorities did not directly comment on the demonstrations, a statement the city government posted Monday on the Environment Bureau's Web site said it was gathering opinions on the extension and taking public concerns "very seriously." The government spokesman's office struck a solicitous tone but also warned people against further protests. "City planning and environmental departments are very cautious and take very seriously these concerns," the statement said, urging the public not to "disrupt social stability." It was the second time in two years that the high-profile, costly German-made maglev has generated protests in Shanghai, China's commercial capital. And the government's response underscores how delicately authorities must tread in the face of Chinese who want a say in protecting the homes, jobs and other goods their rising living standards have afforded. In June, thousands of protesters massed on the streets of another prosperous Chinese port city, Xiamen, forcing the government to delay construction of a $1.4 billion chemical plant. Like the Shanghai protesters this weekend, the Xiamen demonstrators organized by mobile phone text messages and put photos and video of the marches on the Internet. "Before the Xiamen case, the general pattern was always that the big factory, or big road or big bridge would crush everything," said Ding Xueliang, a political analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Beijing. "Now, Shanghai residents have more confidence that their voices will be heard," he said. Shanghai has the world's only commercially operating maglev, which uses powerful magnets to suspend the train above a track and propel it at high speeds of up to 280 mph. But the showcase project has struggled to prove its viability. Opened in 2004, the line currently runs from Shanghai's Pudong International Airport 20 miles to a nondescript, out-of-the-way suburban subway stop. Plans to extend the line last year were shelved after residents mounted a letter-writing campaign and hung banners in opposition. Revised plans to take the train line through different neighborhoods 18 miles to the Hongqiao airport in Shanghai's western suburbs prompted the weekend protests. Among the protesters were those who said their homes would be affected by supposed radiation from the maglev. It is unclear if this concern has any validity. "We feel like we'd be living beside a big microwave oven," said a resident surnamed Tao whose apartment is 100 yards from the planned route. "My wife and I are delaying our plans for having a child until after this problem is resolved," said Tao, who would not give his full name for fear of retaliation by authorities. Several witnesses said some protesters were taken away by police on public buses. Government officials would not comment. Tao and others played down any confrontation. "We tried our best to keep social order but we hope the government can hear our voices," said another resident, who would only give her surname, Song. http://africa.reuters.com/world/news/usnPEK327579.html Hundreds protest Shanghai maglev rail extension Sat 12 Jan 2008, 11:08 GMT [-] Text [+] By Royston Chan and Sophie Taylor SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Hundreds of people marched through China's financial hub of Shanghai on Saturday protesting a planned extension of the city's magnetic levitation train, or "maglev", worried it would emit radiation and sicken them. Police initially detained dozens of people, bundling them into waiting cars, vans and buses, as protesters gathered in front of city hall shouting "We don't want the maglev" and carrying placards reading: "No to maglev -- bad for health". "We are afraid how the radiation will affect us. Why does the government not listen to our concerns?" said a protester surnamed Guan, adding the extension would pass within 100 metres (328 ft) of her house. As police cordoned off the city government in People's Square, once home to a race track in Shanghai's colonial heyday, demonstrators took off down the fashionable Nanjing Road shopping area. The protest was the largest the cosmopolitan and wealthy city has seen since thousands took to the streets in sometimes violent anti-Japanese demonstrations in 2005. "I'm marching against the proposed line as it's too close to town. It's going to be noisy and emit pollution," said another protester, who would only give his family name, Liu. "If you have a house near the line, you will not be able to sell it for as much money," he added. Some demonstrators handed out anti-Nazi resistance poems in German, while others sang the Chinese national anthem. In a prepared statement, a spokesman for the Shanghai city government said authorities had "persuaded" the protesters to disperse because they were affecting public order. He said the government was still in the process of showing to the public a proposal for the maglev project, which would help to improve the transport system of the city and the whole country. "We hope city residents will go through legal channels to express their opinions rationally, and not use methods that affect public order," he added. The protest gradually dispersed peacefully under a light drizzle in the early evening. The police kept their distance as people left. The country is grappling with an acknowledged rise in unrest, driven by anger at illegal land grabs, corruption, environmental woes and a rising rich-poor gap, though large scale protests in big cities are rare. "Yes, it's an illegal protest. But we've been pushed into a corner," said another protester. EXTENSION PLAN "SAFE" China has the only commercial maglev in operation in the world, developed and built by the government and a German consortium including industrial giant Siemens. Launched in 2003, the maglev floats on a magnetic cushion over a distance of 30 kilometres between an outlying part of Shanghai's financial district in Pudong and the international airport. The government wants to extend the train to downtown Shanghai, and then possibly to the nearby tourist city of Hangzhou. An environmental assessment report released by the Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences this month, compiled for the government after complaints by city residents, declared the extension plan was safe. The maglev line would not affect air and water quality, and noise pollution could be controlled, the official Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying. However, Xinhua also quoted the report as saying a greenbelt buffer zone around the track would only be 22.5 metres wide, though an original blueprint by the local government showed a buffer zone of 150 metres on either side, and German specifications required 300 metres on each side. Authorities planned to limit the maximum speed along the Shanghai section of the route to 200 km per hour, about half of the maglev's speed on the existing section of track from the international airport, Xinhua said. (Additional reporting by Andrew Torchia; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7188122.stm Well-heeled protests hit Shanghai By Quentin Sommerville BBC News, Shanghai China's new middle class usually tends to stay out of politics Rarely have protests in China been so well organised, or the protesters so well-dressed. The residents of Pingyang district, in the south of the city, say their health is at risk and their homes will become worthless if a planned extension to Shanghai's futuristic maglev railway goes ahead. They are part of China's new middle class. Many of them bought their first homes here, capitalising on China's new economic freedoms. The government is considering a 30km (19-mile) extension to its showpiece magnetic levitation train. The train, which floats on magnets, is the fastest commercial train service in the world, travelling at 430km/h (267mph). But local residents along the route - including those in Pingyang - say the electro-magnetic field is dangerous and that their homes are now impossible to sell. "Real estate agents won't come near now; we'll lose everything if this goes ahead," said one woman who did not wish to give her name for fear of official reprisal. "We're prepared to take the risk, because our health, and a safe living environment, is more important," she said. 'White elephant' The maglev is a controversial project. The original $1.4bn (?715m) line runs from Shanghai's international airport to the outskirts of the city. Shanghai protest broken up Despite its incredible speed, it is poorly connected to the rest of the transport network and it is often quicker to travel by taxi than use the maglev. Critics say the project is a white elephant and the government would be better spending its money on improving the city's ageing fleet of buses. China is a country with little patience for dissent. But in a little over a week, Pingyang residents and their neighbours have marched through the city, chanting and waving slogans. At the weekend many hundreds of them took their complaints to Shanghai's city hall - the seat of communist power. Dragged and shoved The largely middle class protesters are keen to downplay any political aspect of their defiance. They insist on calling their well-organised marches "going for a walk" events. Protests in China usually come from the landless and the poor. It is rare for China's newly rich middle class to take to the streets. Many have struck a bargain: in exchange for their new wealth, they stay out of politics. These protests are organised using email and text messages Largely ignored by official state media, the protesters are using their sophisticated organisational skills to grab what attention they can. Within minutes of our arrival in the neighbourhood, a couple of hundred people had gathered, marshalled by text message and email. And although the "walks" are centred on a single issue, they are unmistakable acts of defiance. On Saturday, dozens of demonstrators were detained by police. The next day others were dragged and shoved when they took their protest to a busy shopping street. Residents in the areas affected by the planned extension complain that local officials and police are trying to intimidate them, and that the government has set up video cameras to monitor activities in their neighbourhood. Boundaries tested The protests are the biggest Shanghai has seen since the anti-Japanese protests of 2005. Then, thousands of people, many of them students, demonstrated against Japan's perceived failure to apologise for its war record. However, those demonstrations, unlike the maglev protests, had tacit government approval. How can we go through official channels? There is no proper process Protester Around the Pingyang neighbourhood, police had come and removed their anti-maglev banners, replacing them with official looking slogans that instructed them to make their protests "through proper channels". But China is a country where laws are still being written and where there are few checks and balances against the authoritarian rule of the Communist Party. People have gained greater economic freedom under the government's opening up process, but they don't have the political and legal rights to match. "The email address they have given us isn't even a government address, it's a private email. So how can we go through official channels? There is no proper process," explained one man. Others complained that the consultation period for the train line had been too short or lacked transparency. The government says it will meet representatives from the neighbourhoods and that a final decision has yet to be taken on the project. As well as the email address, it has also set up a hotline to listen to people's complaints. Protesters' victory The Shanghai protesters have taken comfort from other public protests in China. Last June, protests in Xiamen, Fujian province, are believed to have led the local government to drop plans to build a chemical plant, because of health risks. The Xiamen decision has been hailed as a victory for people power in China and has featured widely in state media. The local residents in Pingyang are putting their faith in this new "listening communism" - one that promises to be more responsive and less corrupt by paying attention to people's complaints. "We love our government, we just want them to listen, and we'll keep marching until they do," a local resident said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/14/2137502.htm?section=justin Chinese police break up high-speed train protest Posted Mon Jan 14, 2008 7:40am AEDT Police in the Chinese city of Shanghai have broken up a second day of protests against a planned extension to a high-speed train service. Shanghai's police dragged and shoved dozens of protesters who had come to complain about a planned extension to the city's high-speed maglev train line. The train line is the world's fastest and a show piece for the city. It runs at 430 kilometres per hour and floats on electric magnets. The protesters are worried that the new line will run too close to their homes. They say it poses a health risk and will cause property prices to fall. -BBC http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=4d3224c6-07bd-4b36-aae7-590d2b23ca1a&k=24219 Magnetic train plans attract Shanghai protest Aileen McCabe - Asia Correspondent , Canwest News Service Published: Monday, January 14, 2008 SHANGHAI - Rare public demonstrations over the weekend in China's financial hub may actually make a difference to the proposed route of the high-speed maglev train through the heart of this city. A statement on the Shanghai government's Environment Bureau's website Monday gave a phone number and e-mail address for residents along the route to send their "proposals and opinions" about the project. It said the city was taking their concerns "very seriously." Email to a friend Printer friendly Font: The weekend protests were on a scale not seen in Shanghai in more than a decade. Saturday's march by hundreds of people who live along the proposed route proceeded relatively peaceably, although police briefly detained some demonstrators. Sunday, however, the security forces were ready for the smaller crowd that turned out and did their best to contain and disperse them quickly - successfully breaking up the demonstration. Residents along the 32-kilometre route proposed for the magnetic levitation train, or maglev, from Pudong to Hongqiao, Shanghai's inner city airport, are concerned about the environmental impact of the 400-km/h cars running by their doors, not to mention the impact it will have on house values. Chinese media managed to mostly ignore the protests, despite the fact several hundred decidedly middle-class residents took to the streets of central Shanghai on Saturday and Sunday to protest the planned extension route. The Southern Metropolitan Daily, based in nearby Guangzhou, dared to mention the marches, but said residents who lived along the planned maglev route went "shopping" on trendy Nanjing Road on Sunday after going for "a walk" in central People's Square on Saturday. It quoted one of the "shoppers," Daniel Zhang, saying: "This is a way of expressing opinions." The initial leg of the maglev already runs 30 kilometres towards town from Pudong International Airport, but most of the area it passes through is former farmland rapidly being redeveloped into industrial parks. The Shanghai government opened a token consultation process for the extension project on Dec. 29, but the map it posted on official websites was far from precise and people from all over the area were forced to scramble for information. In the end, residents of nearly 40 neighbourhoods joined in the weekend protests and called for consultation on the route to continue beyond this Friday's cut-off. Protests are not unheard of in China, although the government does its best to suppress news of them. In 2005, there were "officially" 87,000 "mass incidents across the country and, in 2006, the government said the number declined by 16.5 per cent, without giving an exact figure. The numbers for 2007 have not been released yet. A high percentage of these protests involve China's impoverished underclasses, demonstrating against working conditions, and they take place far from the big cities that are the motor of the "new China." The maglev protest is quite different, however, more akin to the demonstrations last spring in the seaport city of Xiamen, in southeastern Fujian Province. There, thousands of relatively well-off citizens came out to try to block a huge chemical plant slated for construction in a city suburb. The novelty of their action was not only that they weren't poor and uneducated, but that their tactics appear to have worked. The chemical plant has not been officially cancelled yet, but during two days of hearing late last year that were widely reported in the local media, residents opposed to the plant were allowed to voice their concerns publicly. With file from Jessie Zhao http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSSP70669 Thousands protest over China ant aphrodisiac scheme Wed Nov 21, 2007 6:53am EST (Adds byline and details, quotes in paragraphs 7-9, 13, 21) By Chris Buckley BEIJING, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Thousands of people in northeastern China have protested on the streets and surrounded government offices demanding help recovering money from a get-rich-quick scheme to raise ants to make an aphrodisiac tonic. Hundreds of anti-riot troops and police in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, were deployed to stop protesters reaching the provincial government and Communist Party headquarters, residents said on Wednesday. The irate investors from across Liaoning, a rustbelt province striving to attract investment, have demonstrated in Shenyang since Monday and sporadic clashes with police have broken out, they said. Several thousand protesters gathered near the provincial government offices on Wednesday, a resident told Reuters by telephone. The investors -- many of them laid-off workers or farmers -- put their savings into Shenyang's Yilishen Group for a scheme in which they raised ants to provide ingredients for a health tonic promising an aphrodisiac boost. For every 10,000 yuan ($1,350) they paid the company as "deposit", investors were promised a dividend of 3,250 yuan. The tonic was promoted on television by Zhao Benshan, the country's best-known comic who specialises in playing innocent bumpkins with a northeastern twang. But since October, the group has twice delayed payment of dividends, fuelling investor fears that it was on the brink of bankruptcy or that the government might have frozen its funds. "We strongly demand the government offer a way out for Yilishen!" read a banner held by protesters as they marched along a Shenyang street. A photo of the banner was posted on Internet and blog sites. China has seen rising protests from farmers and disgruntled workers as inequality and corruption stoke popular resentment The unusual origin of this latest uproar was a reminder that even as China's economy booms, there are pitfalls that can spark discontent from citizens eager for a share of wealth. Chinese media have said the scheme collected more than 10 billion yuan from hundreds of thousands of Liaoning residents. USELESS RUSE? Some local reports have said the ants were a useless ruse for an illegal scam, but the group has survived several probes in the past eight years and investors had previously received their dividends on time, protesters said. As they looked for reassurance, panicked investors have turned their ire on the government. "If Yilishen goes bankrupt, the government will be the chief culprit," said a message that appeared briefly on domestic Chinese Web sites before it was removed. "The government will be drinking our blood." A Shenyang resident told Reuters that about 1,000 people had collected in front of the company's head office on Wednesday. Repeated calls to the office by Reuters went unanswered. Investors said the group's good relations with the government and its commercials on state television had convinced them Yilishen was legitimate. "It has been out there for eight years and the government has given the company and the manager so many honours. We thought there mustn't be any problem," investor Li Dechun told Reuters. He said he had poured more than 200,000 yuan into the scheme. A spokesman for the Liaoning provincial government said officials had been talking to the protesters, and the company's failure to pay dividends was not due to any government action. "Most of the investors are from the lower class of society. Some have threatened to take more radical actions, such as blocking trains at the railway station," a local resident surnamed Cong told Reuters. Online discussions about the protests and the ant scheme were quickly removed from Web sites, as were recent news reports about Yilishen. The Group's Web site was also shut, announcing "service unavailable". (Reporting by Beijing office, editing by Nick Macfie and Roger Crabb) http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-30636220071122 Passions cool after China ant aphrodisiac protest Thu Nov 22, 2007 2:29pm IST BEIJING (Reuters) - Tensions have eased after thousands of people in northeast China besieged government offices demanding help to get their money back from a get-rich-quick scheme to raise ants to make an aphrodisiac tonic. Several thousand irate investors from across Liaoning, a rustbelt province striving to attract investment, demonstrated on the streets and surrounded the provincial government offices in the capital city Shenyang on Wednesday. "The provincial government has paid great attention to this situation," Zhang Yunqiang, propaganda director of the Liaoning provincial government, told Reuters. "The besieging of the office has gradually eased." The investors -- many of them laid-off workers or farmers -- put their savings into Shenyang's Yilishen Group for a scheme in which they raised ants to provide ingredients for a health tonic promising an aphrodisiac boost. For every 10,000 yuan ($1,350) they paid the company as "deposit", investors were promised a dividend of 3,250 yuan. But since October, the group has twice delayed payment of dividends, fuelling investor fears that it was on the brink of bankruptcy or that the government might have frozen its funds. "Due to internal operational reasons, the group delayed payment of dividends twice, and the third delay on Tuesday caused discontent among the investors," Zhang said. He did not mention anything about funds being frozen. The group was not available for comment. "The Yilishen Group is a private enterprise, and it takes full responsibility for its own profits and losses." Chinese media have said the scheme collected more than 10 billion yuan from hundreds of thousands of Liaoning residents. Some reports said the ants were a useless ruse for an illegal fund-raising scam. "The provincial government has no right to determine the nature of this scheme," Zhang said. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/25/wants125.xml Chinese protest at squashed ant investments By Richard Spencer in Beijing Last Updated: 1:44am GMT 26/11/2007 Pensioners and workers have been staging protests outside a company which offered shares in giant ants in the latest example of the effects of China's lopsided economic growth on ordinary people. The protesters had invested savings in a scheme that was intended to make an aphrodisiac tonic out of the ants. Some also paid to become ''ant farmers'', being given equipment selling on the ants as they grew. In common with a raft of similar schemes which have grown up in the last two decades of economic reform, several based on pyramid-selling techniques, investors were promised their money would grow dramatically in value. Such offers are tempting, particularly to small investors. With banks offering tiny interest rates for China's glut of personal savings, and investing abroad not allowed for most people, pensions have gone into property speculation, the highly volatile stock market, and in many cases small companies relying on local appeal. The latest case saw thousands of people, many laid-off factory workers, surround company and local government offices in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province in China's north-east, on several occasions last week. They were demanding compensation for money invested in Yilishen Group, which had promised a 30 per cent dividend on every deposit of 10,000 yuan (pounds 650). The tonic was promoted in advertising campaigns by a leading comic, Zhao Benshan, whose on-screen persona is of a ''Mr Ordinary'' with a north-east Chinese accent. The company made little secret of its good connections with local government, which to many investors is an important guarantee of reliability. The company, which is rumoured to have collected ten billion yuan (pounds 650 million) in investments, started holding back dividends in October, leading to fears it might be in financial or legal trouble. Its main product had been banned from sale in the United States, as it contained the active ingredient in Viagra while being sold as a health supplement rather than a drug. Posters visible in photographs published on the internet demanded the government intervene to rescue Yilishen and guarantee investors' savings. There is still no confirmation that the police are investigating this latest scheme, though a provincial government spokesman said: ''The government has paid great attention to this situation, and will take appropriate measures within the framework of the law.'' But there is a precedent for aggressive government intervention. A businessman was sentenced to death last year for swindling investors out of ?200 billion in a similar giant ant scam. http://www.dailyreckoning.co.uk/article/chinesesupermarketriotasfoodinflationhits1760617.html Chinese Supermarket Riot As Food Inflation Hits 17.6% Officially, prices are rising at a 6.5% annual rate in China. Even at the official rate, the Chinese have not seen so much inflation in nearly 11 years. But food is rising faster at a 17.6% rate. "This past Saturday in Chongqing", reports the New York Times, "people began lining up before dawn when a Carrefour store offered a discount on large jugs of cooking oil, an essential for a lot of Chinese cooking. When the doors opened, a stampede ensued, killing 3 people and injuring 31. China's commerce ministry responded on Monday by ordering a ban on limited-time sales promotions." Bill Bonner - Other articles Thu 15 Nov, 2007 Inflation is not supposed to be a problem. If it is not under house arrest it is at least wearing an ankle bracelet. But there is growing evidence that it is on the loose. As to why it is supposed to be under control, the usual explanation is that the entry of Asia into the world economy has reduced labour costs. Since labour is such a big part of both manufactured goods and services, it is reasonable to think that lower wages will lead to lower prices. As to why inflation may now be at large, we offer the following: the Asians have to eat too. Wages in mainland China are said to be going up at nearly 20% per year. In other words, the cheap labour is not as cheap as it once was.and getting more expensive each year. And now that these wage-earners are coming up in the world, they want a little more meat in their soup. Money, as we all knows, practically grows on trees. But food does not. (Readers can try to fix that metaphor on their own time.) And putting more Asians to work does not automatically increase the supply of farmland.or what grows on top of it.or what lies underneath of it. So, what we've been seeing is just what you'd expect. While increased industrial output has managed to hold prices down for manufactured goods, the rising supply of money has forced up prices for things that don't come out of factories. Gold, contemporary art, land, and cooking oil come to mind. Cooking oil comes to mind because it was in the news this week: ".this past Saturday in Chongqing," reports the New York Times, "people began lining up before dawn when a Carrefour store offered a discount on large jugs of cooking oil, an essential for a lot of Chinese cooking. When the doors opened, a stampede ensued, killing 3 people and injuring 31. China's commerce ministry responded on Monday by ordering a ban on limited-time sales promotions." Officially, prices are rising at a 6.5% annual rate in China. Even at the official rate, the Chinese have not seen so much inflation in nearly 11 years. But food is rising faster.at a 17.6% rate. This is a big problem in China. Because people don't earn much money; they have to spend a lot of it on food. That's why people got killed trying to get a good deal on cooking oil. We recall that Jacques Diouf, director general of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation had predicted only weeks ago: "If prices continue to rise, I would not be surprised if we began to see food riots." Well, there you are, Mr. Diouf. You were right. Meanwhile, let us turn back to the big picture. "The mortgage black hole is, I think, worse than anyone saw," said Tony James, president of Blackstone, the big private equity firm. "Deeper, darker, scarier. [The banks] are now looking at new reserves and my sense . . . is they don't have a clear picture of how this will play out and confidence is low." It looks to us as if there has been a big sea change in the world's markets. Yesterday brought more evidence.. Housing prices in Southern California have now fallen back far enough to erase the last 2? years of gains, says the LA Times. In Atlanta, 5,244 houses on going on the auction block next month.already, 53,365 houses have been auctioned this year.a total that is rising at about 36% per year. And the Chicago Tribune reports on a study by the Center for Responsible Lending that predicts a "foreclosure hit" equal to $223 billion. A hundred billion here.a hundred billion there.pretty soon you're talking real money. Americans are the world's biggest spenders - with a 20% share of total global consumption. They are the world's biggest users of oil. They are also the most indebted people in the world. And now, Americans are running out of money. Their houses are sinking in value. Their wages are stagnant or falling. Their dollar is so depressed it can't get out of bed in the morning. Again, yesterday, the buck took a beating. When is it going to get a break? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7118960.stm Last Updated: Thursday, 29 November 2007, 14:48 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version Chinese media reports Tibet riot Chinese state media has carried a rare report of disturbances in Tibet. Almost 200 people were involved in a riot following an argument between Buddhist monks and a local shopkeeper, Xinhua news agency said. Shops and government offices were reportedly destroyed in the riot, which took place more than a week ago. The agency said two Buddhist monks had been among seven people arrested. Xinhua gave no reason for the delay in reporting the riot. 'Ethnic tensions' The two monks were accused of robbing a Chinese-run motorcycle maintenance shop on 19 November in the town of Paingar, about 300km (190 miles) north-east of the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, Xinhua reported. Five other people were arrested for "fanning the riot" the day after the monks' arrest. About 190 people, including monks, gathered outside local government headquarters to demand the release of those arrested. The crowd then "destroyed shops and government facilities", Xinhua said. The agency reported that crowds had been "persuaded to return home later the same day by government workers". Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told Reuters news agency that that the situation in Tibet was now stable. "Anyone who tries to disrupt Tibet's stability and development will not have the support of the people and will not succeed," he said. Analysts say a growing population of Chinese settlers in Tibet has resulted in increased ethnic tensions in the province. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-tibet4dec04,1,7443856.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=1&cset=true Riot, arrests reported in Tibet 'The local social order is stable,' the official New China News Agency says. It's unclear whether incidents of unrest are on the rise. By John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer December 4, 2007 BEIJING -- Protesters in Chinese-controlled Tibet were arrested during a riot that erupted after two Buddhist monks were taken into police custody, according to the government's news agency. The monks were arrested after a dispute with a shopkeeper, and the subsequent unrest triggered a crackdown, according to the New China News Agency. The incident occurred in mid-November but was only recently reported in China. The news agency gave no reason for the delay but stressed that "the local social order is stable," citing statements by local government officials. Activists say the incident signals an upsurge in protests by the Tibetan majority against the Chinese military's presence in the Himalayan region. "It doesn't take much to spark things right now," said Brad Adams, the Asia director for Human Rights Watch. "There's a sense that the Chinese are being heavy-handed on a whole range of issues." Adams said it was unclear whether there was an increase in civil disobedience in Tibet or whether efforts to get news of such events to the outside world were more successful. "Even the people who know the most about Tibet aren't sure," he said. Tibetans in exile with ties to the Dalai Lama say China is trying to keep Tibet under tight control in the months leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. "If they want to improve their image for the Olympics, they can allow free media access," said Tsering Tashi, a London-based representative of the Dalai Lama at the Office of Tibet, a group that considers itself the government in exile. A group called Friends of Tibet said the Chinese had recently restricted travel among Tibetans in response to the protests. "The Chinese government is restraining travel because they fear Tibetans will spread the message of these protests to different places," said Tenzin Tsundue, a Tibetan writer and member of Friends of Tibet who lives in India. Tibetans have demanded more human rights as well as the return of the Dalai Lama, their spiritual leader, who fled into exile 48 years ago after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Tibet had de facto independence from the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911 until the arrival of Chinese communist troops in 1951. A Tibetan exile in India with family near the remote village of Paingar -- pronounced Palkar by Tibetans -- said that the two monks, both about 16, quarreled with the Chinese shopkeeper Nov. 19 and were beaten by the merchant. They were later arrested. Neither the exile nor the news agency described the nature of the quarrel, which seemed to suggest tensions between ethnic Tibetans and ethnic Chinese. The exile, who is a member of Friends of Tibet, said that more than 1,000 people showed up at police headquarters the next day and demanded the monks' release. Troops dispatched from Lhasa, 190 miles away, used force to disband the protesters, said the exile, who asked that his name not be used. According to the New China News Agency, 200 people, including some monks, "destroyed shops and government facilities." The news agency said five people were arrested for "fanning the riot." Crowds were "persuaded" to return home as authorities sought a third monk for questioning, the news agency said. Activists said the riots followed other incidents deemed politically sensitive by the Chinese government that had received attention in the Western media. In February, more than 30 Tibetans were sent to a labor camp after their attempt to flee their homeland across the Himalayas failed. Chinese border guards fired on and killed several members of the unarmed group, according to a survivor. In August, a nomad named Runggye Adak walked onstage at a horse-racing festival in a Tibetan area of Sichuan province and, as dumbfounded Chinese dignitaries looked on, led the Tibetan crowd in chants calling for the return of the Dalai Lama. He was arrested after a series of riots and sentenced to eight years in prison, according to Chinese news services. The protests also have spread outside Tibet. In October, two dozen Tibetan activists living in exile in India broke through the gates of the Chinese Embassy and painted "Free Tibet" on the building walls before being arrested. Activists say Tibetans also have turned to an unusual strategy: In October, when the Dalai Lama was honored by Congress in Washington, Tibetans lighted firecrackers and burned incense in celebration as monks whitewashed the walls of several monasteries in honor of the Nobel Peace Prize winner. "People are performing simple cultural gestures without making political statements," Tsundue said. "The Chinese have responded by trying to stop all fires, even garbage-burning. It's paranoia." Tashi said the Chinese acknowledged the Paingar riots only because of fears the outside world would learn the news anyway. "Protests are always suppressed, but the word gets out from tourists or others who escape Tibet," he said. "The outside world comes to know. Then the Chinese are forced to make a comment." http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/04/asia/AS-GEN-India-Tibet-Olympics.php Tibetan exiles plan to march from India into Tibet to protest Beijing Olympics The Associated Press Published: January 4, 2008 NEW DELHI: Hundreds of Tibetan exiles plan to march from India to Tibet to protest China's hosting of the Olympic Games, an exile group said Friday. The protest is one of a series in India against the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Games, which the Tibetan exiles say comes despite China's continued attempts to subvert Tibetan Buddhist culture and strengthen Beijing's hold on the Himalayan region. "The march to Tibet is an initiative by exiled Tibetans to strengthen Tibetan resistance by taking the struggle home," said Tsewang Rigzin, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress. India has been a center for the Tibetan exiles since the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled to there in 1959 after a failed uprising and set up his government in exile in the northern town of Dharmsala. Rigzin said hundreds of members of his organization would depart from Dharmsala on March 10, the day Tibetans commemorate the uprising, and try and walk to the Tibetan capital, Lhasa. He declined to give further details on the march, including the route they planned to take. It was also unclear what sort of reception the marchers would receive from the Chinese authorities. "The Chinese have said in the past that Tibetans are welcome to return home, so we are going to test that," Rigzin said. The Tibetan Youth Congress, which takes a more radical line in its protests against China than the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Government in Exile, said it had not consulted the Dalai Lama over the protests. The group called on all Tibetans to use peaceful means to protest the Games and Chinese plans to have the Olympic torch carried through Tibet. http://chronicle.com/news/article/3527/angry-students-riot-in-china November 30, 2007 Angry Students Riot in China Beijing - Thousands of students at a Chinese military academy rioted this week after learning that the government would not recognize their diplomas, Radio Free Asia reported on Thursday. The students were all enrolled at the Hefei People's Liberation Army Artillery Academy, in China's Anhui province, but as self-financing "contract students" with no military status. They became upset after hearing this week that their diplomas would not be recognized, despite their paying higher than normal university fees and more than their classmates with military status. China has experienced an increasingly competitive job market in recent years as a result of rapid growth in the number of students going to college. Major universities around the country have set up subsidiary programs at smaller colleges, offering students who fail in the competitive university exam a back-door way of obtaining a big-name degree. But the central government has begun to shut down such programs, leaving many students empty-handed upon graduation. The radio station said the rioting began on Wednesday and then worsened the next day. Windows were smashed, and classes had to be canceled. One photograph posted online showed the electric gate at the main entrance of the university completely turned over on its side. "The students rioted because they are angry that their diplomas are fake," a student surnamed Peng told Radio Free Asia, estimating that 6,000 to 7,000 self-financed students had joined the rioting. "The school sent military personnel to mediate. The students beat them and drove them away - even the military officers. Everyone is like an angry lion now." Phone calls to several dormitories went unanswered throughout Friday, an indication that some of the students involved in the rioting had fled the campus. Students and their relatives were active on the Internet, though, posting complaints about the program. The uncle of one student said his family had paid 9,650 yuan - or $1,300 - to a middleman to get his nephew accepted, 29,200 more yuan to the university, and then 8,800 a year in tuition. "But in the end all he got was a worthless piece of paper," he said. -Paul Mooney http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b70f8300-c210-11dc-8fba-0000779fd2ac.html Protest at Hong Kong poll delay By Tom Mitchell in Hong Kong Published: January 13 2008 20:01 | Last updated: January 13 2008 20:01 Democracy activists in Hong Kong on Sunday held their second mass rally in less than a month to protest at Beijing's recent decision to delay direct elections for the territory's chief executive until at least 2017. Organisers said more than 20,000 people marched to Hong Kong government headquarters, while police put the number of participants at 7,000. Hong Kong's pro-democracy camp wants direct elections to be held for the chief executive, who is currently selected by an 800-member rubber-stamp "election committee", and all 60 seats in the territory's legislature in 2012. "We are caught between a rock and a hard place," said Fernando Cheung, a pro-democracy legislator and member of the Civic party. "Reality tells us there won't be direct elections [for the chief executive] until 2017, but I don't think we can accept that." http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-31064820071220 Thousands march in Macau for democracy, clean govt Thu Dec 20, 2007 4:33pm IST By James Pomfret MACAU (Reuters) - More than 1,000 people marched through Macau streets on Thursday demanding an end to corruption and calling for greater democracy at a time of mounting tensions and social inequalities in the gambling haven. "Fight for democracy. Protect our livelihood," shouted the protesters, who brandished banners and shouted slogans denouncing what they called the authorities' poor and opaque governance of the former Portuguese enclave. The rally marked the eighth anniversary of Macau's reversion to Chinese rule, and came as the city of about 500,000 grapples with a raft of challenges that have accompanied an unprecedented boom in its casino industry. Earlier in the day, Macau Chief Executive Edmund Ho presided over a flag-raising ceremony to mark the anniversary. Macau's rich-poor divide has widened in recent years, and the city's biggest ever corruption trial, involving former secretary for transport and public works, Ao Man-long, has rekindled worries about endemic graft. "Do you think Ao Man-long is the only corrupt official in Macau?" opposition legislator Au Kam-san shouted through a loudhailer. The protesters yelled back "No". Since 2002, Macau has flung open its doors to Western gaming giants such as Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts and MGM Mirage, which opened a 600-room joint venture gambling hotel in Macau earlier this week. To feed the construction and hiring boom, Macau has had to import workers, and the marchers on Thursday protested what they called an influx of illegal labourers Police blocked off roads and kept close tabs on the protesters as they snaked their way for several kilometers through Macau's narrow streets. Earlier this year, during a May Day protest, a policeman fired warning shots into the air as riot squads struggled to disperse crowds demanding labour rights and an end to corruption. One bullet struck a motorcyclist in the neck several blocks away. Thursday's rally included labour unionists, members of professional and political groups, and ordinary residents. "There are old ladies in Macau who push around rubbish for nothing. Now that the government has money, why can't it help the poor? It's inexcusable," said Mike Tam, 24, who turned up with a group of friends. Macau reverted to Beijing rule in 1999, ending centuries of Portuguese control, two years after the next-door former British colony of Hong Kong was handed back to China. Thursday's rally was not as large or as heated as some of the previous demonstrations in Macau over the past year, but some observers said it showed that social disharmony was now spreading into middle-income homes. "More and more people are more concerned that the governance in Macau is not very ideal, not very transparent and not fair to the people, especially the grassroots," said Larry So, a Macau-based social commentator. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22875490-401,00.htm Tourists riot over forced shopping >From correspondents in Hong Kong December 05, 2007 04:33pm Article from: Reuters Font size: + - Send this article: Print Email MACAU riot police were called in to calm down 120 angry Chinese tourists on a wind-swept beach who had protested angrily to tour guides over an itinerary too packed with shopping. Around two dozen police with batons and riot shields faced off with the tourists from China's Hubei province for nearly five hours yesterday night in the booming casino enclave of Macau, Hong Kong cable television and the Apple Daily newspaper said. The tourists, pushing and struggling with policemen who detained two men and a three women, protested that the tour guides had taken them to too many shops and pressured them into buying things. The argument erupted after the tour guides took the group to the beach, and the tourists, complaining of cold, could not reboard their four locked coaches, the Apple Daily reported. Police arrived on the scene and called for reinforcements, and the stand-off ended when the tourists were persuaded to go to a hotel. Macau, the only place in gambling-mad China where casinos are legal, has seen annual visitor arrivals double since 2003, when the Chinese government began to loosen restrictions on individual travel. Some 22m people visited the former Portuguese-run enclave last year. Since a gaming monopoly expired in 2002, US gaming firms including Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts plus the James Packer owned Crown have rushed in to set up giant casinos, with Las Vegas-style shopping arcades and entertainment complexes attached. But some analysts doubt the extra attractions will catch on with Chinese visitors, who like to gamble solidly night and day. http://africa.reuters.com/odd/news/usnPEK371608.html Chinese protest over shop-till-you-drop Macau tour Wed 5 Dec 2007, 4:14 GMT HONG KONG (Reuters) - Macau riot police were called in to calm down 120 angry Chinese tourists on a wind-swept beach who had protested angrily to tour guides over an itinerary too packed with shopping. Around two dozen police with batons and riot shields faced off with the tourists from China's Hubei province for nearly five hours on Tuesday night in the booming casino enclave of Macau, Hong Kong cable television and the Apple Daily newspaper said. The tourists, pushing and struggling with policemen who detained two men and a three women, protested that the tour guides had taken them to too many shops and pressured them into buying things. The argument erupted after the tour guides took the group to the beach, and the tourists, complaining of cold, could not reboard their four locked coaches, the Apple Daily reported. Police arrived on the scene and called for reinforcements, and the stand-off ended when the tourists were persuaded to go to a hotel. Macau, the only place in gambling-mad China where casinos are legal, has seen annual visitor arrivals double since 2003, when the Chinese government began to loosen restrictions on individual travel. Some 22 million people visited the former Portuguese-run enclave last year. Since a gaming monopoly expired in 2002, U.S. gaming firms including Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts have rushed in to set up giant casinos, with Las Vegas-style shopping arcades and entertainment complexes attached. But some analysts doubt the extra attractions will catch on with Chinese visitors, who like to gamble solidly night and day. (Reporting by Dominic Whiting, editing by Nick Macfie) http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009365922 Riot Police Called In To Calm Down Tourists Held Against Their Will By Tour Guides December 5, 2007 12:35 p.m. EST Joseph Dela Cruz - AHN News Writer Macau, China (AHN) - Around 20 riot police were summoned to help pacify angry tourists in Macau, China who claimed they were being forced into shopping by being led to shops instead of being shown the country's cultural heritage. The tourists complained their guides were pressuring them to buy foods and other goodies instead of showing them more of the former Portuguese colony's historic sites. However, a melee was almost triggered when arriving at a windy beach, they were not allowed to get on board their bus to get warm clothing. Armed with riot shields and batons, the police quelled the five-hour standoff with 100 tourists in the newly-recognized gambling haven in Asia, arresting at least four of the tourists in the process. "Some tourists refused to let some of our colleagues go and attempted to use violence," one of the police officers said. http://livenews.com.au/Articles/2007/12/10/EXCLUSIVE_VISION_Chinese_embassy_protest_turns_nasty EXCLUSIVE VISION: Chinese embassy protest flares up John Barrington & AAP 10/12/2007 6:54:00 PM. VIDEO: EXCLUSIVE: Storming the gates Protesters have charged the gates of the Chinese Embassy in Canberra during a Human Rights Day rally. What started as a noisy but peaceful demonstration quickly turned into a scuffle with police, when a young man brandishing a Tibetan flag attempted to leap the fence. A crowd of people, including women and children, let their emotions and passions go, many throwing placards and flags and screaming at the embassy to stop the persecution of Tibetans. Police and fellow protesters managed to calm the scene and no arrests were made. One protester who was restrained by police, Pentap Dugeak, 26, said temperatures rose after the security guard at the embassy refused to take the letter. "The emotion ran really high and a lot of Tibetans wanted to pass the message directly to the embassy staff about what's happening in Tibet," he said. "The Chinese government don't have the guts to listen to one of the most peaceful people and I think a lot of young Tibetans nowadays across the globe are trying to tell the Chinese government to resolve the Tibet issue." About 200 people from the Australian Tibetan community had met outside the embassy this morning to call on the federal government to stand up to China over its human rights record. Protest organiser Tsewang Thupten said China continued to impose policies that were destructive towards the culture, environment and economy of Tibet, which it occupied in 1951. "We need to draw attention to the fact that the Chinese government for over 50 years has been relentlessly pursuing a policy of cultural genocide and repression of the rights of the Tibetan people under the illegal occupation," Mr Thupten said. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSPEK6549120071211 Sinopec workers stage pay protest at China plant Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:44am EST By Chen Aizhu BEIJING (Reuters) - Hundreds of workers demonstrated over pay for nearly a week at an eastern China refinery owned by Sinopec Corp, in a rare display of protest in the Communist country. Workers at the Qilu Petrochemical Corp in Shandong province staged peaceful protests from early last week outside the firm's management building, but the management persuaded them to disperse on Monday, sources at the Qilu plant told Reuters. The workers demanded higher pay amid rising inflation and record oil firm profits, company sources said. Beijing has been increasingly concerned about the widening wealth gap and possible social unrest this can cause as its economy gallops ahead. China is in the grip of decade-high inflation driven by higher food prices, and while this may have led to sometimes deadly stampedes in shopping centers, protests by workers are not common as unions are controlled by the Communist Party. "The protest started with the front-line workers who are having a very difficult life now, as pay increases very slowly but prices of everything rise so fast," said one source working at the plant, who had witnessed the protests but not taken part. "For a family of three with only one bread earner it is extremely tough," said a second source at the plant. It was not immediately known if workers' requests were met, they said. The protest gathered steam late last week when disgruntled former workers who had been laid off around 2001, when Beijing partially privatized the state oil firm, joined the demonstration. Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper reported on Tuesday that some demonstrators had distributed "anti-corruption" postboards and demanded the sacking of the company's chief. The report put the number of protesters at 4,000, but the sources said this was too high. A Beijing-based Sinopec Corp investor relations officer said he was not aware of the incident, adding that his department's job was dealing with financial information only. Spokespeople for Sinopec Group, parent of Sinopec Corp, were not immediately available for comment. Workers at the Qilu plant earned a monthly salary between 1,000-2,000 yuan ($135.5-$271), levels they said are below most other oil plants under the top Asian refiner on the coast, the sources said. Their frustration mounted as oil rocketed to near $100 a barrel and oil firms were reaping windfall profits this year. Despite Beijing's rigid control on retail fuel prices, Sinopec Corp, China's second-largest oil and gas producer, posted a 5.5 percent rise in third-quarter earnings as a big boost in revenue from its crude productions offset losses in refining divisions. (Editing by Michael Urquhart) http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/usworld/news-article.aspx?storyid=99099 Activists Protest Olympic Float at Rose Parade By Furnell Chatman KNBC/NBC News Channel Report PASADENA, Calif. -- The 119th annual Tournament of Roses parade delighted on-lookers and TV viewers but two groups used the occasion as a protest platform. Human rights activists protested a float honoring the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. More than 100 anti-war protesters led by "Peace Mom" Cindy Sheehan were also there. One float was not in line with the rest. Beijing China's float was tucked away on a short side street and under heavy security until it was time to roll. Hundreds of demonstrators turned out with signs along the parade route to protest Beijing's policies on human rights. Human rights activist John Li says "China is still persecuting people, and that is why we are coming here, to tell people the Olympics and the crime against humanity cannot co-exist in China." But there were also supporters who cheered and waved small flags as the Beijing float rolled along. Protesters had urged parade goers to turn their backs on the float that promotes the Summer Olympics in China, but that never seemed evident. Once the parade was over, the parade route was used by protesters. Likenesses of President Bush and his top administrators were marched through the crowd as war criminals. It was all sponsored by several anti-war groups who drew both cheers and jeers from the crowd. The march ended at Pasadena's City Hall with a brief rally condemning both the Bush Administration and Democratic congressional leadership. Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan says "they can't defend what George Bush and Dick Cheney are doing, so they call us names. We are the true patriots." From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 16:21:57 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:21:57 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Various global uprisings, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <00e001c8589e$f8abe0f0$0802a8c0@andy1> * BAHAMAS: Popular uprising in Bimini sparked by police shooting * EGYPT: Bedouin teenager wounded during protests against police * SOUTH AFRICA: Bophimira residents build burning barricades in protest over services * GUINEA: Presidential "coup" sparks youth unrest * ARGENTINA: Unrest by passengers over delays; airport ransacked * ITALY: Protest over rubbish dump, health hazard leads to insurrection in Naples After protests, residents expelled police from the area and burnt rubbish piles Protests later spread to Sardinia * CANADA: Protesters against university development occupy site, trash buildings * BURMA: Arrest of rapper sparks crowd uprising * AUSTRALIA: Partygoers resist police attack on forbidden rave * INDIA: Clashes during march by adivasis * ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIA: Unrest in Aurukun, Wadeye; media depicts as fighting between groups "Reform maybe, but basics first" (commentary) * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Killing of councillor sparks unrest * BAHRAIN: Oppressed Shiites burn tyres, police cars, and fight police in five days of unrest * SOMALIA: Protester killed during clashes as leader visits disputed region http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/national_local/290598093023282.php Monday, December 24, 2007 Local/National News Riot In Bimini; 'Uprising' triggered by death of resident shot by the police By ANGELO ARMBRISTER Freeport News Reporter What is being described as as an all-out riot erupted in Bimini on Saturday following what residents of that island are calling an unnecessary police shooting that claimed the life of one of their own. Initial reports issued by police on Saturday, Dec-ember 22, 2007, indicated that at about 12:15 that morning the victim, later identified as 43-year-old Aschal Dion Rolle of South Bimini was shot by the Police and succumbed to his injuries at about 3:15 a.m. Superintendent of Police Emrick Seymour, who led a team of officers out of Grand Bahama into Bimini, said that he would not call the situation a riot but rather an "uprising." However, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham responded to the turn of events describing them as deeply troubling and unacceptable. When contacted, Seymour explained that a large contingent of officers went into Bimini from both Grand Bahama and New Providence to restore order on the little island. "I don't know if you would call it a riot," Seymour explained. "I know there was maybe an uprising, an unrest. I will use the term an unrest, which was the result of a police related shooting which occurred the night before where the police was in-volved in an altercation with the suspect and he was ultimately shot. I guess their thing was that what the police did was unjustfied, so I guess they took to the streets, came by the police station in an effort to take the law into their own hands." Seymour explained that the residents chose to relay their message through some acts of violence, including setting fire to a number of government properties. "They did in fact set fire to the police dormitories. They set fire to the old administrators building. They set fire to the police boats and fire was set to one of the police jeeps," he said, adding that a police officer's car was also overturned by the agitated residents. It was reported that the residents did attempt to set fire to the police station but were unsuccessful. They did, however, cause some damage to the structure by breaking some of the glass. "There was significant damage to the buildings that I mentioned," Seymour said. "The roof of the dormitory was completely burnt away and all the officers that were living there, their belongings were destroyed. There were eight officers living there. The old administrators' duplex was completely des-troyed. All that, Seymour said, was done in an attempt to get at the officer involved in the shooting incident. "That was their thing. But we came over and quelled the uprising," he said. "Of course, after meeting with all the leaders in the community, we were able to successfully quell the uprising and order was restored yesterday afternoon." According to Seymour, the commotion began at around 8:30 that morning and subsided at about 5 p.m. Rumours that U.S. Coast Guards were called in to assist in bringing order, Seymour said was just that - rumours. "There is no truth to that rumour," Seymour insisted. "Bahamian police officers from Grand Bahama and New Providence were the only ones on the ground in Bimini, so I categorically deny that." Noting that a small contingent of Defence Force officers travelled to Bimini, Seymour said that they came as a support group but were not needed during the time of the uprising. Speaking with the Freeport News yesterday, the victim's cousin, Mariah Rolle, defended the actions of herself and other residents to rebel against the police on the island. "Everybody in Bimini is related in some way - directly or indirectly- and the whole community was upset," Rolle said. "Bimini was upset and outraged yesterday... I witnessed the riot, but not the shooting. But we got a call and I saw when they were putting him in the car to take him to the clinic." Claiming that police were not justified in their actions, Rolle defended the actions of the residents who lashed out at the officers in retaliation. "We didn't take a life," she said. "Everything that we did could be replaced. I feel like we had to do something. Something had to be done because it's not just hapening in Bimini, it's happening all over The Bahamas. It needs to stop." Asked whether anyone was arrested, Rolle responded, "it was a riot and if one person was arrested then the entrie island would have had to be arrested. The whole Bimini community was out there." Rolle said that there is a great need for mature and experienced police officers in Bimini. "Being on the island, the inspector is never here," she said. "All we have is these young constables running around. No one is over 30 and all of them have firearm and doesn't even know the law. I feel like Bimini is a small community and we need experienced police officers because with these people in Bimini you have to be the judge and the jury on the street. So I think they need more experienced police officers." Rolle said the victim is survived by his parents, Estelle and James Rolle; two brothers and two sisters; one daughter and one grandaughter. She said funeral arrangements have not yet been made, but it is most likely going to be held as soon as the police releases the body - 'more than likely on Saturday." AFTERMATH - Pictured is the Old Administrators Building in Bimini, which was burnt to the ground on Saturday by outraged residents over a police related shooting that claimed the life of one of their own.(Nassau Guardian Photo by EDWARD RUSSELL III) http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL30126852.html Friday, 30th November 2007 - 22:00CET Egyptian Bedouin teen wounded in protest A Bedouin teenager was shot and wounded during an anti-government protest near Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip today in disputed circumstances, security sources and Bedouin representatives said. The protesters were angry over Egypt's slowness in releasing Bedouin arrested in security sweeps but never convicted of any crimes. They also want Egypt to review judgments made against Bedouin in absentia and complained about poor living conditions. Members of the community said tensions were high because plainclothes security men had earlier scuffled with several Bedouin activists, prompting community leaders to postpone a planned peaceful march. But some members of the community decided to protest anyway. The 15-year-old boy, Ibrahim al-Hathithi, was shot and wounded during the protest in the Egyptian border town of Rafah in the Sinai peninsula, a Bedouin activist said. Members of the Bedouin community said he was shot by police, but police denied firing on the protesters. Relations between the police and the Bedouin have been strained since at least 2004, when the police detained thousands of local people for possible links to a group which bombed tourist resorts. Thousands of Egyptian riot police clashed with Bedouin protesting against the government in July and witnesses said several civilians were shot and wounded and a teen-aged boy was killed. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=nw20071206084546908C507055 Marchers arrested as protest turns violent December 06 2007 at 09:37AM Twenty-eight people were arrested on Wednesday in the Dryharts area of Taung in the North West when a community protest march turned violent, police said on Thursday. Police spokesperson Superintendent Louis Jacobs said the protesters were unhappy with a Bophirima councillor whom they said was not delivering on services. "They barricaded roads with burning tyres and they burnt a police vehicle," Jacobs said. Jacobs said the protesters - who were all in police custody - would appear in court on Friday and would be charged with public violence. The SABC reported that residents' unhappiness stemmed from Bophirima municipality's nomination as the Best Performing District municipality at the national Vuna Awards. Bophirima also won the award last year for good governance and outstanding performance. Residents said that this, however, was not the case on the ground. - Sapa http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-01-04-voa21.cfm Youths in Guinea Riot After President Dismisses Minister By Nico Colombant Dakar 04 January 2008 Colombant report - Download MP3 (727k) Listen to Colombant report Angry youth in Guinea have taken to the streets in the capital Conakry, burning tires and building barricades, after the president fired the communications minister. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from our West Africa bureau in Dakar. Black smoke rose over Conakry, while shops in the main Madina market closed down. Angry young men ran through the streets carrying stones and brandishing pieces of wood. They said they would not accept the president's decision to dismiss a minister without consulting the prime minister. The dismissal and protests follow a controversial new year's message signed by long-standing President Lansana Conte and posted on the website of Guinea's state news agency. It said the government of Prime Minister Lansana Kouyate has been a disappointment in many areas, and that Guinea needs to shape up in its 50th year after independence. The now-fired communications minister, Justin Morel Junior, a close Kouyate ally, responded to the new year's message by reading a statement on state television, saying the words attributed to the president were written by extremists "nostalgic for a past that no longer exists." Junior was fired Thursday by presidential decree and replaced by Issa Conde, until now the director of Guinea's national press agency. In December, President Conte signed a decree giving more control within the government to one of his closest allies, the presidency secretary-general, Sam Mamadi Soumah. A regional analyst with Brussels-based Crisis Group, Gilles Yabi, says Mr. Kouyate's power is quickly diminishing. "This is really the responsibility of the prime minister to coordinate the activity of the government, so from early December, it was very clear that we have seen a kind of shifting of power from Prime Minister Lansana Kouyate to President Lansana Conte again," said Yabi. "Of course, we can expect some reaction from the population and the civil society and perhaps the trade unions, after these signs of President Lansana Conte regaining full power after the events of January and February 2006." Mr. Kouyate was named prime minister with expanded powers last year after violent union-led protests demanded that President Conte reduce prices on staple goods, improve services and reduce his control of the government. Yabi says the current crisis comes as Mr. Kouyate was finally starting to bring improvement to the daily lives of Guineans, after a slow start where he spent most of his time abroad looking for aid. "There has been some clear improvement in social services, water, electricity, and all these issues were really the core reason of the general strike and the massive demonstrations last year," said Yabi. "So now we have a kind of mixed evaluation of the performance of Kouyate's government. Clearly, we cannot talk about real revolution, a kind of real break from Conte's system, but this is also due to the fact Prime Minister Kouyate did not have full powers and he has to get the approval and the signature of President Conte for all decrees," he added. The chain-smoking, diabetic President Conte, who can barely walk, has been in power since a coup in 1984, followed by successive elections, deemed by the opposition and foreign observers as fraudulent. New legislative polls are due this year. http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5g5FUGbcDz2WBtsAbJdDwTIL4liVg Near-riot strands dozens of Air Canada passengers in Argentina 2 days ago MONTREAL - Air Canada is hoping to fly dozens of passengers stranded by a near-riot in Buenos Aires back to Toronto over the next few days. An Air Canada flight from the Argentinian capital was forced to fly half full on the weekend after angry locals frustrated by a labour dispute brought a Buenos Aires airport to a standstill. Rampaging passengers smashed ticket counters, threw computers to the ground and attacked security guards. "They caused quite a bit of damage and they even blocked other passengers from getting through checkpoints and security controls," Air Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur said Monday. Arthur says about 50 of the stranded passengers were rebooked on other airlines while 40 others will take regular Air Canada flights over the next few days. Arthur said Saturday night's flight 093 was delayed as long as possible as airline staff tried to round up passengers and get them through security. She says the flight crew was approaching its maximum allowed time on duty when the flight was forced to leave. "The flight crews are under Transport Canada regulations which they must respect," Arthur said. "They cannot exceed a number of hours of flying time." Arthur said the airline will pick up the tab for hotel, meal and telephone expenses for stranded passengers. She added that the situation has stabilized at the Buenos Aires airport. The protests broke out after local airline Aerolineas Argentinas announced it was cancelling most of its flights on Saturday due to a labour dispute. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/24d0f39e-bd50-11dc-b7e6-0000779fd2ac.html Rubbish protest seals off Naples suburb By Guy Dinmore in Naples Published: January 7 2008 18:58 | Last updated: January 7 2008 18:58 Italian authorities lost control of an entire suburb of Naples to protesters on Monday as police and army failed to end a rubbish crisis that has turned the city into a smouldering health hazard and exposed again the weakness of the central government. Tonnes of uncollected rubbish have been spewing out of skips and across streets since late December when the last of the southern region's landfill sites, said to be stuffed to the brim, closed to further dumping. Several thousand residents of Pianura, in the hills behind Naples, barricaded their suburb with concrete bollards, trees and fencing to block access to a nearby old tip - closed 12 years ago for health reasons - that the authorities want to reopen. Police with batons charged the protesters on Monday. "We have to liberate the streets," one officer said. But they admitted failure and a line of trucks carrying tar to prepare the site had to turn back. People milling around their multiple lines of defences were furious at the police action, insisting their resistance had been peaceful. "It is urban warfare," said one protester. Most shops were shut and streets deserted. Steady rain dissolved smouldering piles of refuse into the gutters, raising fears of epidemics. Clusters of police admitted they had little control over Pianura and had trouble getting in and out. The government deployed small army units to clear rubbish so that children could go to school, as ordered by Romano Prodi, the prime minister. But some schools remained closed and local mayors resisted Rome's instructions to open after Christmas. Mr Prodi held crisis talks on Monday with several ministers of his fractious centre-left coalition, including Pecoraro Scanio, who is in charge of the environment and under strong pressure to resign, as is Antonio Bassolino, the communist governor of the region of Campania surrounding Naples. But there was no outcome reported and talks were to continue on Tuesday. Naples and its 2m people have been periodically plunged into garbage "emergencies", blaming their politicians, business community and the Camorra, as the region's mafia is known. Collecting and disposing of trash is a highly lucrative business and it is widely believed that Pianura's closed landfill - next to a national park - hides toxic wastes carried from all over Europe by Camorra- affiliated companies. Local experts on organsied crime, including author Roberto Saviano who is under police protection, believe the Camorra are capable of stoking such crises to squeeze more income from the authorities. Rome first appointed a special garbage commissioner in 1994. The result has been the further loss of millions of euros in public funds and the construction of just one incinerator. Cancer rates are far above the national average in the crime-ridden city. Carlo Ciampi, the former president who hosted a G7 summit to advertise a supposed revival of Naples in 1994, on Monday expressed his indignation and shame, saying the entire political establishment was to blame. Last night the police were reported to have pulled out of Pianura, but local media were convinced police would return in force as the authorities could not be seen to be held hostage by a suburb of 3,000 people. The European Commission issued Italy with a garbage warning last June and a second in October for breaching European Union rules on waste. Additional reporting by Andrew Bounds in Brussels http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iHdYGgFyVTKkhbtHxQWZR0y12g0wD8TV78T01 Garbage Crisis Stirs Protest in Naples By SALVATORE LAPORTA - Jan 4, 2008 NAPLES, Italy (AP) - Stinking mounds of garbage piled up on the streets of Naples on Friday and officials around the country blamed organized crime and bureaucratic red tape for the city's refuse crisis. Effigies of city officials, suspended from lampposts and trees, reflected the fury of Naples' citizens, who have had to live amid small mountains of their own refuse since Dec. 21, when collectors stopped gathering it because there was nowhere to take it. Residents have resorted to setting trash on fire, raising fears of toxic smoke. "Garbage is piling up outside our building," said Angela Sepe, a Neapolitan walking on the outskirts of the city. "I don't go downstairs any more to throw it away but throw it out the window because the garbage has already reached" as high as the second-floor window. Naples and other parts of the southern Campania region have been plagued by a series of garbage crises for more than a decade. Dumps fill up and local communities block efforts to build new ones or create temporary storage sites. In 2004, a garbage crisis prompted weeks of protests. On Thursday, angry residents in the Pianura neighborhood in Naples' outskirts blocked a street to protest the reopening of a long-closed dump. Fire officials said four empty buses in the neighborhood were set afire overnight - apparently in protest of the dump's reopening. About 100 young protesters marched Friday on City Hall. Some occupied a central balcony and the roof, where they hung banners protesting the reopening of the dump and demanding a full-fledged plan to improve recycling in the area, the ANSA and Apcom news agencies reported. Local, regional and national officials handed out blame for the southern city's chronic inability to properly dispose of its trash. Several lawmakers said the government's creation in 1994 of a special office of trash commissioner to deal with Naples' continuing garbage crisis was part of the problem. Leading Italian daily Corriere della Sera ran a lengthy investigation Friday detailing recent findings by a parliamentary committee that allege corruption and inefficiency in the commissioner's office. Environment Minister Antonio Pecoraro Scanio, who has been a harsh critic of the commissioner's office, also blamed what he called the "ecomafia," a reference to Naples' organized crime syndicate, the Camorra, and its hold on garbage collection. In an interview with the free daily E Polis, Pecoraro Scanio said the only way to escape the mob's hold on Naples' garbage was to get more Neapolitans to recycle and to build technologically advanced plants to dispose of the garbage in an environmentally friendly way. Pecoraro Scanio said the Camorra was taking advantage of the fires set by residents to get rid of toxic waste. "The ecomafias are behind the fires that are burning Naples and that are set to burn the accumulated trash," he said. "In the chaos that is created, the Camorra is always the victor." The effigies hanging Friday carried banners with slogans critical of Antonio Bassolino, the governor of Campania, and the city's mayor, Rosa Russo Iervolino, the Apcom news agency reported. There have been calls for days for Bassolino to resign. Prime Minister Romano Prodi chimed in, calling for "unity" and warning that finger-pointing was making residents have even less faith in the government's ability to deal with the crisis. http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKL0367814920080103 Neapolitans protest against garbage crisis plan Thu Jan 3, 2008 5:45pm GMT NAPLES (Reuters) - About 200 people on Thursday blocked the entrance to a waste dump in Naples which authorities planned to reopen to resolve a garbage crisis blamed on mismanagement, corruption and organized crime. Shoulder-high mounds of rotting, rat-infested garbage have accumulated in the southern city for months as delays have dogged the opening of a massive incinerator meant to end a 14-year 'state of emergency' for waste in the Naples area. An end-year deadline for opening the incinerator, designed to burn the waste, was missed and all waste dumps are full, forcing the authorities to try to reopen a landfill that was closed in 1996. Hundreds of garbage piles in Naples and surrounding towns have been set alight by frustrated residents in recent days, fire authorities said, prompting fears of high levels of cancer-causing dioxin emissions. Italy declared a state of emergency for waste in Campania, the region of which Naples is the capital, in 1994. But successive trash tsars appointed by the government have failed to end the crisis. Part of the problem is that organized crime -- rife in the Naples area -- has made illegal waste disposal an industry that was worth 5.8 billion euros ($8.6 billion) in 2006, according to a study by conservation group Legambiente. Mafia-controlled waste disposal -- by burial or burning -- has poisoned the environment so badly that people in some parts of the region are two to three times more likely to get liver cancer than in the rest of the country, according to Italy's National Research Council. Italy risks a legal suit from the European Commission, which has sent the government warnings about its failure to deal with waste in Campania. "The latest developments are a cause for concern and the Commission will look at it more closely in coming weeks," said Barbara Helfferich, Commission spokeswoman for the environment. (Additional reporting by Darren Ennis in Brussels) (Writing by Robin Pomeroy; Editing by Sarah Marsh) http://www.euronews.net/index.php?page=info&article=464279&lng=1 Sardinians protest over intake of Naples waste There have been scuffles in Sardinia as Naples' rubbish crisis spills over into other parts of Italy. The protest was against the island's decision to relieve Naples of some of the waste that's been piling up on its streets. Its governor said the rest of Italy had a duty to show solidarity with the city. Other areas of the country have agreed to take some of the waste and Naples is set to increase shipments it already makes to incinerators in Germany. Switzerland may also help out. Rubbish collection in Naples came to a halt before Christmas after dumps in the area were declared full. But analysts say the crisis is the result of decades of political weakness, corruption and heavy mafia involvement in waste disposal. The EU is closely following the dispute and an official said Rome could face accelerated legal proceedings if there is no breakthrough soon. One Neapolitan has come up with their own solution, putting the trash up for sale on Ebay. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=228738 UBC radicals vandalize buildings to protest development Group inspired by Vietnam war-era protestors Richard Warnica, Canwest News Service Published: Thursday, January 10, 2008 A team of self-styled "warriors" has declared "war" on the University of B.C., smashing windows and painting walls in protest over on-campus development. The group, whose name is an allusion to a radical Vietnam war era protest movement, has even issued a manifesto. "We, the warriors of the Wreath Underground, claim responsibility for the recent acts of targeted vandalism," reads the declaration e-mailed in December to the university's student paper, the Ubyssey. "To avoid UBC security deeming these actions random violence, we will declare ourselves here, our ethos and our aims." The manifesto claims the group is behind attacks on two campus buildings in December. One night, after classes were over for the semester, someone spray-painted an administration building and bashed windows and spray-painted walls at another complex. According to the declaration, the attacks are an off-shoot of a long-standing protest over commercial and residential developments in the heart of the university's sprawling Vancouver campus. But while the manifesto cites a repeated refusal to consider student input in campus developments, a UBC spokesman said that hasn't been the case. "There has been no dearth of dialogue with students and other members of the community on this project, both recently and over the course of several years,"said Scott Macrae. Even as what Mr. Macrae describes as "a relatively small number of people" were occupying a hill scheduled for demolition, administrators and planners were consulting with students next door in the student union building, he said. That, however, doesn't wash with one of the protest organizers. Nathan Crompton, an organizer with the UBC chapter of Students for Democratic Society (SDS), called the recent acts of violence "a bad tactic." But, he said, he can empathize with the motivations of those who carried them out. "Some folks are just very frustrated and feel that no matter what we do, the administration has its own agenda," Mr. Crompton said. "And the only solution, I guess, is to do these crazy things." The name "the Wreath Underground" is a reference to "the Weather Underground," a radical splinter group of the original Students for Democratic Society, a Vietnam War-era protest group that collapsed amidst infighting and rising militancy in the 1960s. "That's what frustrates a lot of people on the SDS," said Mr. Crompton. "We try to operate on consensus, which means members can't claim to represent the group without running it by everyone. So what's really problematic about this group is that they're claiming this connection to SDS and the history and the radical wing . . . and we all know how things went with the Weather Underground, not very well." Meanwhile, UBC RCMP said they are investigating. Staff Sgt. Kevin Kenna said police will likely interview members of the SDS. But, he added, they've had nothing but good relations with the group. "There's been no trouble out of them in the past," Sgt. Kenna said. "Whoever's involved with this (incident) seems to want to up the ante." http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=687 Riot at concert after rapper arrested Nov 19, 2007 (DVB)-Burmese rapper G-Tone was taken away by police as he left the stage at a concert last night after he showed a religious tattoo to the crowd during his performance, according to an audience member. During a hip hop festival at Mya Yeik Nyo hotel at around 9pm, G-Tone took off his shirt and turned his back to the audience to reveal a tattoo of two hands clasped in a prayer position holding prayer beads. Immediately after the gesture, police and fire brigade officials went towards the stage to arrest him, but were persuaded by other musicians to wait until the end of his set to avoid making a scene. As soon as G-Tone left the stage, he was arrested and handcuffed by the police, still in view of the crowd. The rapper's arrest provoked an angry reaction from the crowd, who started shouting at the police. In response, the police went into the crowd and began beating up audience members, who were mostly young people and high school students, including 8th and 9th graders. The incident grew into a riot as the audience became increasingly angry at the police. When other musicians tried to intervene to stop the police, they too were hit, including popular hip hop musicians Kyat Pha and Yatha, who was kicked when he tried to stop the police. Kyat Pha's band 9mm has been banned by the regime for distributing political songs by other artists at a concert. The manager of the Mya Yeik Nyo hotel told the other musicians to calm the crowd by telling them G-Tone had gone home and had not been arrested, and the show was brought to a premature end. It is not clear if G-Tone is being held by police or has been released. Reporting by Aye Nai http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Illegal-dance-party-of-1000-shut-down/2007/11/25/1195925648444.html Illegal dance party of 1,000 shut down November 25, 2007 - 6:04AM Advertisement Three people have been charged after riot police were called to an illegal dance party of 1,000 people at a factory in inner Sydney early on Sunday. After receiving a number of noise complaints, police shut down the rave, in McCauley St at Alexandria, about 12.30am (AEDT). The public order and riot squad was called to assist Redfern Police in closing the factory's doors and directing partygoers to Redfern Railway Station. A 22-year-old man from Kingswood was charged with three counts of resisting arrest, two counts of throwing a missile at a police officer, violent disorder, riot and affray. He will appear in Newtown Local Court on December 11. A 32-year-old Marrickville woman was charged with maliciously damaging a police vehicle and resisting arrest after allegedly kicking the door of the car. She will appear in Downing Centre Local Court on December 14. A 19-year-old woman from Penrith will appear on the same date to answer an allegation of assaulting a police officer. Inquiries are continuing into other revellers detained at the scene, while police want to determine who the organisers were and whether the party had gone ahead after forced entry to the premises. http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070033864&ch=11/24/2007%2010:14:00%20PM Guwahati: Quota protest turns violent Kishalay Bhattacharjee Saturday, November 24, 2007 (Guwahati) One person has died and 240 others injured in Guwahati as thousands of Adivasis, who are demanding scheduled tribe status, went on the rampage as they marched to the state assembly. Residents of a locality retaliated when the protestors started damaging their shops and vehicles. The situation spiralled out of control and the government has no answers why this happened. ''It was basically fighting between two groups. They damaged property, the police beat them up. Police was there but the presence was not sufficient,'' said Avinash Joshi, DC, Kamrup. Over the past few years, the Adivasis, who mostly work in the tea gardens, have been growing restless. They have several demands - the main one being scheduled tribe status. Saturday's violence sparked off by a section of the rallyists seemed to be well-planned. When the residents started retaliating, the perpetrators fled, leaving behind others, who seemed to have been taken by surprise. ''Yes, according to me it's a mistake but what to do. The boys who were informed could not understand. We are responsible. We can gain it (ST status) by non-violence,'' said Rajiv Soren, Adivasi activist. Such clashes are unusual for Guwahati. Now there is a fear of a backlash in Upper Assam where the Adivasi population is larger. But for now, it's been a rude shock for the administration and a reminder that they should be prepared for the worst. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/alcohol-fuels-200strong-riot/2007/12/02/1196530466117.html Alcohol fuels 200-strong riot December 2, 2007 - 2:04PM At least one person was taken to hospital and four others detained after police were threatened with baseball bats as they tried to break up an alcohol-fuelled riot in the Northern Territory. Police said the riot involving about 200 people erupted last night at Ngukurr, southeast of Katherine, following fighting between two families on Friday night in the community's swimming pool area. Officers were last night forced to withdraw after they were threatened with baseball bats, forcing them to call for backup from Katherine and Mataranka. Police have since taken four people into custody and investigations into the riot are continuing, with charges expected to be laid. At least one person was badly injured, police said. The citizen, whose sex has not been disclosed, received stitches for a head wound believed to have been caused by a glass bottle. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Rest_of_World/200_Aborigines_riot_in_Australian_town_after_drunken_brawl/articleshow/2595714.cms 200 Aborigines riot in Australian town after drunken brawl 5 Dec 2007, 0008 hrs IST,REUTERS SYDNEY: As many as 200 people, some armed with spears, knives and sticks, rioted in an Australian outback aboriginal town after a drunken argument in a tavern, police said on Tuesday. Fighting between feuding two families started on Monday night in the tavern at Aurukun, an isolated aboriginal community in northern Queensland, and when the brawl spilled out onto the street, onlookers joined in the fighting. "The argument started in the tavern and moved onto the street where about 200 people, some armed with spears, sticks and knives, started fighting," a police spokes-man said, adding that one man had suffered head injuries. About 15 people were armed with spears, sticks and knives and it took several hours to stop the fighting, said police. Five people were charged after the riot, the third in the community in the past year. The fighting in Aurukun is being fuelled by alcohol abuse in the isolated community, say local Aborigines. Australia's 460,000 Aborigines have high rates of unemployment, imprisonment, alcohol, drug abuse and domestic violence. Police inspector Russell Rhodes said tensions in the aboriginal community had been high for several years. "From time to time we enjoy very peaceful passages of time.. but at other times the most minor thing can trigger a dispute" Rhodes said. http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2007/12/27/2951_ntnews.html Riot erupts in remote NT town REBEKAH CAVANAGH 27Dec07 CHRISTMAS Day turned to chaos in the Territory's largest Aboriginal community as men armed with axes, spears and metal bars rioted in the streets. Residents said last night they spent the day "terrified" and that police were "powerless" to stop the violence. The riots broke out in the Wadeye community, about 350km southwest of Darwin, early Christmas morning and continued yesterday. One resident, who wished not to be named, said the gangs had been fighting since Sunday. "There is currently a full blown riot happening with gangs of youths trashing houses and infrastructure being destroyed," they said yesterday. "There are only four police officers in the community and for the last four days they have tried non-stop to quell the violence. "It's about time this s... was stopped. "People are terrified. "There needs to be some serious action to put a stop to this before someone is killed." Most of the rioting took place in the main street outside the community store. Wadeye Police said last night they had been called to "general disturbances" on a ``number of occasions'' since early Christmas morning. Officer-in-charge Sergeant Shane Taylor called a meeting with the traditional elders at the police station to resolve the problem yesterday. "It's no secret there are ongoing inter-family disputes in the Wadeye community," he said. "On this occasion, some disturbances started to flare up but there are no reported injuries and persons involved all fled when police arrived. "The elders all came together (yesterday) and we discussed the issues and some methods to resolve them and restore calm for the community." Sgt Taylor said no arrests were made as of yesterday and that elders were speaking with young perpetrators. http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/reform-perhaps-but-basics-first/2007/12/06/1196812914930.html Reform perhaps, but basics first Philip Martin December 7, 2007 The remote far north Queensland Aboriginal community of Aurukun has rioted for the third time this year. On Monday 200 people armed with spears, knives and sticks fought street battles before being subdued by tactical response police. The riot has been reported in the media as resulting from sly-grog boated in from Weipa on Sunday. Aurukun is one of the four Cape York communities in Noel Pearson's welfare reform program. Pearson's collaboration with the Howard government to shift the language of public debate on Aborigines from "rights-based" to "responsibility-based" has concealed many of the day-to-day problems that lead communities such as Aurukun to riot. On July 18 Pearson's plan to alter the conditions of Aboriginal people through a carrot-and-stick approach to welfare was supported by the indigenous affairs minister, Mal Brough, with $48 million in funding. In the same week I wrote in these pages that passive welfare was only one part of a larger problem. The plan Pearson sent to Canberra had omitted evidence that this was the case. The research I collected over six months living in Aurukun while working for Pearson's Cape York Partnerships showed Aurukun is chronically under-resourced in infrastructure and services. This a source of community frustration and a factor in its social breakdown. My work suggested that a range of issues affecting day-to-day lives would need addressing before a welfare reform program could succeed. One of these was chronic overcrowding in housing. Often more than 20 family members lived in one broken-down house. I listed many incidents of broken pipes flooding houses, making them uninhabitable. I wrote on children waiting in the mornings for 15 or more people to use the single shower before them, and being late to school or absent and how families could wait for months for plumbers or builders to show up, if at all. Other essential services are absent in Aurukun. These include: - No Centrelink officer charged with supporting people to get "real jobs"; - No AbStudy representative to respond to questions on education, and few people have phones; - No Department of Emergency Services officers; - No permanent drug and alcohol counsellor addressing the grog and substance abuse; - No permanent doctors; and - No dentist. The food trucked in is of low quality and up to four times as dear as in Cairns. Packs of wild dogs roam the streets. The services that are there - the school, the health clinic, the police - are under-staffed and under-resourced. Sadly, the Aurukun riots demonstrate the state's free licence in relation to remote Aboriginal communities. After the January 11 riot Aurukun went from having a police force incapable of responding to most call-outs through lack of manpower (the then sergeant-in-charge told me he needed 16 full-time officers, but had only six) to overnight having teams of special forces in troop carriers, in out-of-all-proportion black-body armour, balaclavas and semi-automatics. By January 13 the Aurukun airstrip went from hosting only the Royal Flying Doctor plane and the eight-seat charter, to police and government jets screaming in (and out). There were counsellors for state-service providers, police ethics inspectors asking questions of the community, and reporters in helicopters. A week after the January riots there were meetings between Aurukun Shire Council, clan elders, the acting Queensland police minister, Andrew Fraser, and the communities minister, Warren Pitt. Aurukun asked only for a permanent sports and recreation officer, extra community funding and better policing. It was a wretched wish-list from a community used to not getting much. The community was told it would be granted. Community pacified, job done, the ministers flew out, the papers stopped carrying the story, the public moved on. More than nine months later there is still no sports and recreation officer in Aurukun, the police numbers remain nine below what the former sergeant-in-charge requested, and half the permanent staff at the health clinic have gone. There have been two more riots, on September 19 and on Monday. The move from rights-based to responsibility-based Aboriginal welfare policy is tying Aurukun's people into ever-tighter relations of financial control, surveillance and regulation through welfare reform, while overlooking federal and state responsibilities to provide essential infrastructure. People in cities think that controlling Aborigines through welfare will work in their best interests, eventually. Riots such as Monday's seem to justify the need for neo-liberal interventions in Aboriginal communities. In fact they show that welfare reform cannot work without the Government also responding to community pleas for adequate policing and housing, at the least. Philip Martin worked as a family engagement officer on the Welfare Reform Project in Aurukun for Cape York Partnerships between November 2006 and May 2007. http://www.thenational.com.pg/120707/Nation%202.htm Killing of councillor sparks riot in Wabag By ANDREW ALPHONSE THE killing of a councillor in Wabag town yesterday sparked a riot with tribesmen seizing vehicles and equipment belonging to a company working on the town's water supply. Enga acting provincial police commander Senior Insp Albert Beli said John Kopiyo, who is also board chairman of Wabag Primary School, died after he was allegedly attacked by workmen working on the Wabag town water project. Insp Beli said the councillor had gone to the site to express his disagreement over the way in which water pipes were being laid over a piece of land. An argument developed and the workers allegedly attacked Kopiyo, seriously injuring him. He was taken to the Wabag Hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival. Angered by news of his death, Kopiyo's relatives ran riot in town, attacking the workers and seizing vehicles belonging to the Chinese company that is involved in the upgrade work. An all-out riot in town was prevented by quick police intervention. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hhipV1BcPwE0je8rfIhucuaYdAxg Bahrain hit by protests by majority Shiites Dec 23, 2007 MANAMA (AFP) - Bahrain has been hit by rioting in majority Shiite areas for a fifth consecutive day in demonstrations that have seen the death of one protester, press reports said on Sunday. Security forces have fired teargas and rubber bullets in Shiite villages in disturbances that erupted following the death on Monday of a young protester after a demonstration organised by the opposition, the reports said. The 22-year-old man died in hospital after being taken ill at his home after the protest at Jid Hafs during which he inhaled teargas, an opposition activist told AFP on condition of anonymity. Security sources cited by the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA) said the man had died of natural causes and that an investigation had been launched into his death. The Al-Wasat newspaper on Sunday reported a statement by the independent Bahrain Human Rights Association that security forces had made 39 arrests and around a dozen people had been injured during the demonstrations. An interior ministry official said in a statement carried by BNA that the people arrested were not being held for their political activism but for implication in theft of weapons and arson against a police car. Monday's protest was staged by Shiites -- the majority in the small Sunni Muslim-ruled Gulf monarchy -- seeking compensation for what they said were human rights violations between 1980 and 1990. http://www.pr-inside.com/hundreds-of-bahraini-shiites-clash-with-r352408.htm Hundreds of Bahraini Shiites clash with riot police on coronation day ? AP 2007-12-17 22:27:40 - MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) - Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Bahrain's Shiites holding a rally Monday outside the capital Manama marking the death of one of their countrymen more than ten years earlier, witnesses and rights activists reported. The demonstration, which may have resulted in a fatality, coincided with the tiny island kingdom's second day of celebrations marking the ruler's coronation. Abdul-Jalil al-Singace, head of the Haq human rights group, told The Associated Press by phone from London, that one protester, 30-year-old Ali Jassem, died after inhaling large amounts of tear gas. Family members who spoke to AP said Jassem died following his return home just minutes after taking part in the rally. The Bahraini Interior Ministry, however, said in a statement that the man died of ?natural causes? according to medical reports. ?There was no direct contact with the demonstrators,? Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Mohammed bin Daina said to AP, saying there was no evidence that the deceased had been beaten by police or even taken part in the demonstration. ?Regrettably, this gathering was illegal and not permitted,? he said describing the protesters as ?outlaws? who blocked roads forcing police to get involved. Late in the evening, hundreds of Bahrainis gathered in front of al-Salmaniyah Hospital asking for the corpse of Jassem. Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja, the head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights who was at the morgue said that bruises could be seen over Jassem's dead body. ?I am looking at blue marks and bruises on his hands and chest,? said al-Khawaja by telephone while he stood next to the body, ?but I can't tell that he was beaten, I am not a doctor. Jassem's brother Hassan spoke to the AP from the morgue saying ?I was told by several witnesses that he (Ali) was seen at the protest being beaten up by police. According to witnesses, security forces prevented the demonstrators from entering the capital and when protesters instead marched through three nearby villages, riot police fired tire gas and rubber bullets to disperse them. The demonstrations took place in al-Malkiyah village, some 12 kilometers (7 miles) west of the capital Manama, as well as Daih and Sanabis, east of the capital, where demonstrators set fire to tires and garbage bins. According to al-Singace, the crowd carried pictures for the 1990s martyrs and banners criticizing the royal family. The rally was held to commemorate the political upheaval that began in 1994 and lasted for several years, when more than 40 people, including Asian residents had died. Shiite Arabs, who make up a majority of Bahrain's population, waged an occasionally violent campaign that included arson attacks calling for a return to democracy and against perceived discrimination by the Sunni ruling family. The tiny Persian Gulf kingdom is a close U.S. ally. The oil-refining and banking island also hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i8rJlkiNMlOpOklGdkjjfPPNegXQD8TK3RJ03 Bahraini Shiites Clash With Riot Police Dec 18, 2007 SANABIS, Bahrain (AP) - Hundreds of Bahraini Shiites clashed with riot police Tuesday after the funeral of a protester who died after a similar confrontation a day earlier. Police used tear gas and chased the protesters through the streets of Sanabis, a village on the outskirts of Manama, capital of the small island kingdom. Protesters hurled stones at police and burned tires as the turmoil stretched into the evening. There was no official comment on the protest and no reports on injuries or arrests. The unrest followed the funeral of a protester who died Monday after a rally in which Shiites commemorated a deadly political upheaval that began in Bahrain in 1994 and lasted for several years. Abdul-Jalil al-Singace, head of the Haq human rights group, told The Associated Press by telephone from London that the protester, 30-year-old Ali Jassem, died after inhaling large amounts of tear gas. Relatives said Jassem died just after returning home from Monday's rally. However, the Bahraini Interior Ministry said in a statement that the man died of "natural causes" according to medical reports. Monday's demonstration coincided with the tiny island kingdom's second day of celebrations marking the ruler's coronation. Shiite Arabs, who make up a majority of the population in Bahrain, have waged an occasionally violent campaign against perceived discrimination by the ruling Sunni family. The Persian Gulf kingdom is a close U.S. ally. The oil-refining and banking island also hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. http://allafrica.com/stories/200801141499.html Somalia: Violent Protest Against Visiting Puntland VP in Sool Kills 1 Garowe Online (Garowe) 14 January 2008 Posted to the web 14 January 2008 The vice president of Somalia's semiautonomous Puntland region faced violent protests after briefly visiting residents and soldiers encamped at Tukaraq, a frontier town in Sool region where Puntland troops have been organizing to retake the provincial capital Las Anod. Vice President Hassan Dahir Afqura was accompanied by senior Puntland military commanders on his unannounced visit to Tukaraq yesterday, sources said. Puntland Vice President Hassan Dahir Afqura The vice president's visit to the frontline troops coincided with a bloody battle in parts of Sool between forces loyal to the separatist region of Somaliland and clan militias allied to Puntland. Tukaraq residents welcomed Vice President Afqura's delegation by throwing stones and demanding his withdrawal, local sources reported. He was quickly ushered to the military camp, where he addressed Puntland troops and stressed "defending" the region, the sources added. But the troops became frustrated with the Puntland vice president's speech. Some soldiers began protesting and the scene quickly transformed chaotic, according to witnesses. One Tukaraq soldier was killed by members of Afqura's personal guard, soldiers said.Relevant Links The Puntland vice president returned to the administrative capital Garowe later Sunday. A soldier in Tukaraq who spoke with Garowe Online on the condition of anonymity said the troops were displeased with Afqura's speech, which did not address Somaliland's control of Las Anod but centered around defending the rest of the Puntland regions. Somaliland and Puntland have battled for control of Sool region since 2002. Local residents fear the outbreak of a major clan war in northern Somalia, a region that has enjoyed relative peace and stability for more than a decade. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 16:28:14 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:28:14 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Revolts and protests over social cleansing and land rights, Dec/Jan 07-08 Message-ID: <00e101c8589f$d97bc230$0802a8c0@andy1> * SENEGAL: Uprising in the capital after crackdown on street traders forces government climbdown * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Street vendors fight back as soldiers attack market * TRINIDAD: Street vendors protest over police crackdown * US: New Orleans land grab leads to protests; police attack protesters prompting scuffles * INDIA: Residents in Mumbai occupy contested site in land grab row * INDIA: Slum dwellers stage dharna against eviction * INDIA: Bengal car launch marked by protests over land grab for factory * GREECE: Women enter male-only religious site in protest over land dispute * BRAZIL: MST landless protest repeatedly halts railway; two killed in clashes over GM * CAMBODIA: Rights day marked by protest against evictions * PHILIPPINES: Farmers stage protests after long march to claim land http://voanews.com/english/2007-11-21-voa56.cfm Senegalese Authorities Disperse Protest After Riots in Capital By Nico Colombant Dakar 21 November 2007 Colombant report - Download mp3 551k Listen to Colombant report Senegalese forces get testy with marcher Senegalese security forces broke up a union march after groups of young men rioted in several parts of the capital Dakar, erecting burning barricades, destroying market areas and attacking government offices. Protesters are complaining President Abdoulaye Wade is not doing enough to help workers and the poor, while trying to embellish the city for an upcoming summit of Islamic nations. VOA's Nico Colombant has more from Dakar. Senegalese security forces fire tear gas Hundreds of union members marched in central Dakar Wednesday despite a ban on their protest announced just as they were about to begin. The unions called on police to join them on their side. Instead security forces fired tear gas. A security official explained he was hoping to make the march secure, but was now under orders to stop it. Youths burned barricades in Dakar March organizer Cheikh Diop said this is not normal, and that he will plan a new protest when the city is calmer. He says the protest is against higher prices, low salaries, and inadequate employment policies, among other problems. Party official picks up scattered papers Another marcher and union leader, Fatou Samba, says Senegalese now only eat once or twice a day. She says many families are abandoning their children, while young men try to flee to Europe, and young women are turning to prostitution. An official at ruling party offices in the Medina neighborhood of Dakar shows how angry youths ransacked the place earlier in the day as he tried to pick up official documents which have scattered outside in the street. Man bikes in front of looted ruling party headquarters He says this is not protesting, but unnecessary anarchy. Nearby, a young street hawker says President Wade does not understand the plight of the poor. He says they have to work by any possible means to survive. The protests follow a decision by authorities to ban street vending and clear out informal market stalls along main arteries, which are being renovated ahead of a scheduled March summit of Islamic countries. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7105772.stm Street vendors riot in Senegal Police used tear gas and truncheons to disperse the rioters Police in Senegal's capital, Dakar, have fired teargas at hundreds of protesting street vendors who threw stones and burned tyres. The clashes came in response to police enforcing a new government policy to remove the vendors. Demonstrators blocked main streets and attacked cars. At least fifteen people were arrested - making it the most serious riot in Senegal for years. Thousands of people earn a living peddling goods on Dakar's streets. The violence broke out shortly after trades unions held their own demonstration against rising food and fuel prices. Plumes of smoke Old tyres, plastic rubbish containers and wooden stalls were used to light fires along Dakar's busy central business district. Plumes of black smoke rose above the city centre as riot police pursued youths down side streets choked with tear gas. Disturbances reportedly spread to neighbouring residential quarters. Police began evicting the thousands of street vendors on Thursday, three days after President Abdoulaye Wade sought an end to informal trading in the city. He said uncontrolled street vending had cost the country some 125m Euros because traffic jams were putting off investors. Dakar is to host the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit in March, and ahead of the meeting the city has been undergoing a major facelift - new hotels, conference rooms, bridges and roads are all being built. Worst riots in years hit Senegalese capital (21/11/2007) http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL2111892 Police fired tear gas at stone-throwing protesters who rampaged through the Senegalese capital Dakar on Wednesday, burning cars and looting government offices after authorities forcibly evicted street vendors. Several people were hurt and dozens arrested, witnesses said. The worst riots to hit Senegal in many years erupted after President Abdoulaye Wade's government ordered police last week to move on hawkers in Dakar, where thousands of people earn a living peddling goods on the crowded streets. After hours of disturbances, Dakar Governor Amadou Sy announced the creation of four new markets to relocate the traders, in a bid to defuse popular anger. "People are fed up. These are youths who sell things in the street who voted the president in and now he wants to chase them away," said Ouzin Diop, 28, watching from behind the iron railings of the supermarket where he works. "It's a long time since we've seen anything like this." Senegal has long been regarded as a bastion of stability in volatile West Africa, but social tensions have risen due to spiralling living costs and high unemployment. This has driven thousands of young people each year to risk their lives trying to reach Spain's Canary Islands in rickety boats. Since comfortably winning re-election in February, the octogenarian Wade has been criticised for pushing ahead with an ambitious infrastructure programme in Dakar to host an Islamic conference next year, while ignoring the plight of ordinary Senegalese, most of whom live below the poverty line. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L22482098.htm Riots betray unease in Senegal By: Reuters Published: 23 Nov 07 - 8:24 Shock riots which swept across Senegal's capital Dakar betray growing discontent in one of West Africa's most stable nations, where rising food prices and high unemployment are widening the gap between rich and poor. Hundreds of stone-throwing protesters rampaged through the city on Wednesday, blocking main avenues with burning tyres and rubbish as riot police firing tear gas fought to disperse them. Many market stalls and businesses remained shuttered on Thursday and groups of young men loitered in side streets. In the main Sandaga market police in riot gear fired tear gas as small fires burned and protesters hurled rocks, witnesses said. The unrest, which residents said was among the worst in almost two decades, erupted after President Abdoulaye Wade's government ordered police last week to evict thousands of street vendors whose stalls line the city centre's pot-holed streets. But wider discontent over unemployment, rising prices of rice and bread, and a perception that the government is building luxury hotels and highways while ignoring the poor, meant the trouble quickly spread. "Enough's enough," said the red-banner headline of Le Populaire newspaper. "Dakar joins with the evicted street vendors to protest their discontent with the government." Senegal was one of the first African countries to espouse multiparty politics in the 1970s and is one of only two nations in West Africa never to have seen a coup. Wade, an economic liberal, swept to power in 2000 with massive support from unemployed youths hungry for change after four decades of Socialist rule, telling his supporters it was "necessary to work: work hard". Similar promises to tackle youth unemployment were one of the cornerstones of his campaign for elections in February, in which the octogenarian leader won a second term. But Dakar's legions of jobless young are losing patience. "Wade pledged to help the youth if he got a second mandate," said Ibrahim Mbemgue, 28, crouched on the roof of his apartment block in a Dakar suburb late on Wednesday as clouds of tear gas and smoke from burning tyres rose from the street below. "He has betrayed the people. This is a general protest." WALKING THE STREETS Dakar Governor Amadou Sy announced the creation of four new markets for the evicted street traders in a bid to defuse popular anger. But the vendors complained the sites were far from the downtown crowds of potential customers. "We realise our wooden tables on the side of the road aren't acceptable. But walking the streets with two shirts on your arm to sell should be allowed," said street seller Mor Deme, 32. Cheikh Diop, president of the street vendors on the main Georges Pompidou avenue, said the hawkers should stay put until after the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, known locally as Tabaski, in December, to allow them to fund family celebrations. But whatever the outcome of negotiations over the hawkers, the broader malaise is likely to remain. According to the World Bank, 97 percent of new jobs created in Senegal between 1995 and 2004 were in the informal sector, meaning even the thousands of new graduates coming from Dakar's university each year struggle to find salaried work. Thousands of young men risk their lives each year trying to reach Spain's Canary Islands in rickety boats, in the hope of finding jobs in Europe. Wade's signing of a repatriation deal with Spain last year, which saw Senegalese migrants sent home while others remained, has been another source of popular anger. "We want to go to Europe but they won't even let us do that. Wade said the youth would work. But we see no work. Each day we get up and we can't afford bread for breakfast," said Mor Diop, 26, in the Grand Yoff district as riot police patrolled outside. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7109452.stm Senegal U-turn after hawkers riot Police used tear gas and truncheons to disperse the rioters The Senegalese authorities have reversed their policy of banning street vendors from the capital, Dakar, after two days of riots. They have been allowed to return to the streets until the end of the year "as long as they do not obstruct traffic". President Abdoulaye Wade had said there would be no about-turn on this policy, which he announced earlier this month. About 200 people were arrested in some of the biggest riots seen in Dakar for several years. Hawkers will be allowed to stay on the streets until after the holiday season, which includes the Muslim festival of Eid-el-Adha - due this year on 20 December - as well as Christmas and New Year. Thousands of people earn a living peddling goods on Dakar's streets. Earlier, the mayor had said that hawkers would be allowed to stay in some areas of the city. But a spokesman for the street vendors, Mbaye Mbengue, told Senegal's Sud FM radio that salesmen who are accustomed to meeting passers-by may refuse to be confined to a single spot. http://www.thenational.com.pg/121007/Nation%2024.htm Soldiers in brawl with city vendors By DENNIS ORERE The betelnut market at Boroko was raided by a group of Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) soldiers allegedly from the Taurama Barracks after a soldier was badly beaten an hour earlier last Wednesday. This was what eyewitnesses, who saw both incidents, said. One of them, a vendor, said four soldiers allegedly under the influence of liquor, were driving near the market when they almost hit a man in front of them. He said this frustrated the driver of the vehicle and hit the man with a can of beer. "This attracted the attention of others in the market and they attacked the driver (soldier). "The other three soldiers, who were in the car, tried to help their colleague but were also attacked by the by-standers, resulting in a big brawl. "The driver was badly beaten compared to the other three," he said. He said an hour later, about 15 armed soldiers arrived at the market and they raided the place. Another eyewitness, a nearby shop security guard, said the soldiers set fire on the tables and other wooden materials in the market. He said vendors and buyers were running everywhere, in fear of being bashed by the soldiers. Two soldiers from the Taurama Barracks, who were not involved in the incident, told The National that the four soldiers who were in the vehicle had drank beer before the incident happened. One of them said: "When the soldiers returned to the barracks after the brawl, they told a different story to the other soldiers, saying that they had attacked the man because he was pick-pocketing people around the market area when in fact, he was not." He said this made the other soldiers frustrated and they decided to raid the market. "We are supposed to protect our people and not to treat them like what happened. "That was a very bad approach by us, soldiers," he said. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_business?id=161254045 Street vendors protest over police clampdown Camille Bethel cbethel at trinidadexpress.com Saturday, December 22nd 2007 Christmas blues: Vendors protest yesterday at the corner of Queen and Henry Streets in Port of Spain. -Photo: STEVE McPHIE Street vendors in Port of Spain yesterday called on Prime Minister Patrick Manning to come to their rescue after they were told they could not sell their Christmas stocks on the streets of the capital. "I want Mr Manning to help us because we invested all our money on Christmas stocks. We need to sell our goods to survive this Christmas," one vendor said. The call was made yesterday morning after police officers from the Central Police Station came out in their numbers to prevent the vendors from setting up shop on the Henry and Queen Streets sidewalks. The angry vendors stood on the corner of Queen and Henry Streets crying out in frustration over the move which they said threatens to put a damper on their Christmas sales. "We want to sell today, we want to sell today!" the vendors kept on shouting to the police and to people in the Jimmy Aboud building where they say the instructions to stop them from selling came. "We spent all of our money in that store and now they telling us we can't sell our goods because the owner of the store say so. I have hungry children to feed and I spend thousands of dollars for this Christmas on stocks," one woman said. Trevor Ellis, one of the affected vendors, said the police told them that although they would not be allowed to sell on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, yesterday would be their day to sell. "The police passed earlier this week and told us that Wednesday and Thursday were the stores days but we could come out today and sell." Vendors said some of them had spent up to $20,000 in stock expecting to be able to sell their goods today. "All of the years gone by we have been given the opportunity to sell the days leading up to Christmas," one said. Another vendor, Sharon Shand, said she went to the grocery over the weekend and had to walk back out empty-handed because of the high food prices. "I could not afford the groceries on the shelf so I came out here today to try and make some money because I have my sick mother to take care of and my children to feed. The vendors said they were not going to the mayor's office because of the way he treated them. "The mayor talks to people like dog. I not going up there to talk to he at all," one vendor said. In a telephone interview yesterday, Gregory Aboud, president of the Downtown Owners Merchants Association (DOMA), said he sympathised with those persons who did not get a spot on Charlotte Street or at the Salvatori building or at Woodford Square to sell their goods. "A lot of space have been made available for vending this Christmas and I am not sure if any more space is being allotted. "I hope for the few days that remains everyone can have a chance to sell their goods and to do so within the generous guidelines that have been allotted for selling this year. Again, I do sympathise with those persons looking to make an extra living for Christmas, especially those who have been on the street all year," Aboud said. Calls to the Mayor Murchison Brown's cell phone went unanswered all afternoon. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/21/america/NA-GEN-US-Katrina-Public-Housing.php After clashes with police, protestors vow to press on against demolitions in New Orleans The Associated Press Published: December 21, 2007 NEW ORLEANS: Protestors, unfazed by violent clashes with police hours earlier, vowed to continue their battle against a plan to demolish 218 public housing buildings in New Orleans, a bid that has further highlighted the growing tensions in a city struggling to recover two years after Hurricane Katrina. On Thursday, police used chemical spray and stun guns on protesters who tried to force their way into a City Council meeting where the members voted unanimously to allow the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to demolish 4,500 public housing units. The confrontation was the most violent and tense of a string of protests that have brought attention to the plight of a growing number of homeless and the lack of inexpensive housing for people displaced by Katrina, which ravaged the city in 2005, displacing tens of thousands and reducing entire neighborhoods to rubble. The vote allows demolition crews to begin tearing down the buildings within weeks unless they are blocked in the courts. Lawyers fighting the demolition say they have not exhausted their legal options. Endesha Juakali, a protest leader arrested on a charge of disturbing the peace, said the confrontation with the council was not the last breath from protesters. Today in Americas Presidential front-runners differ in responses to prospect of U.S. recession Columbus also discovered syphilis, study indicates U.S. agency confirms food from cloned animals is safe "For everything they do, we have to make them pay a political consequence," Juakali said. He vowed that when the bulldozers try to demolish the St. Bernard complex, "it's going to be an all out effort." The issue would have been controversial under any circumstances. But a recent shift in the composition of the City Council that gave whites a narrow majority has added a racial overtone to the protests, particularly as those most likely affected by the demolitions would be blacks. For weeks, protesters have been gearing up to battle with bulldozers and have discussed a variety of tactics, including lying in front of the machinery. Jerry Brown, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said demolition crews should be able to get to work soon, although some final details may need to be hammered out and presented to city officials before that can happen. Developers chosen by HUD to do the US$700 million in redevelopment work said they were eager to get started and that the protracted fight over demolitions has stood in the way of building better communities. "To begin moving forward you need to do the demolition," said James Kelly, president and CEO of Providence Community Housing, a group associated with the Catholic church and chosen to redevelop the Lafitte housing complex. Police said 15 people were arrested on charges ranging from battery to disorderly conduct. Four people were taken to hospitals - two of them women who had been stunned with Tasers - and five others were injured and treated on the scene, police said. All four in the hospital were stable, police said. Protesters said they pushed against the iron gates that kept them out of the building because the Housing Authority of New Orleans had disproportionately allowed supporters of the demolition to pack the council's chambers. Dozens tried to force their way in. At the peak of the confusion, some 70 protesters were facing about a dozen mounted police and 40 more law enforcement officers on foot. One woman was sprayed by police and dragged from the gates; emergency workers took her away on a stretcher. Another woman said she was stunned by officers, and still had what appeared to be a Taser wire hanging from her shirt. "Is this what democracy looks like?" Bill Quigley, a Loyola University law professor who opposes demolition, said as he held a strand of Taser wire he said had been shot into another of the protesters. Most of the units HUD plans to demolish are vacant, and many suffered heavy damage in Katrina, but those who oppose their demolition say they should be improved instead. Critics of the plan say it will drive poor people from neighborhoods where they have lived for generations, but HUD denies that and says the plan will create an equal amount of affordable housing as existed before Katrina hit. The council promised to monitor the redevelopment and make sure the poor have places to come back to, but those assurances did little to assuage opponents. "The vote was already a done deal," the Rev. Marshall Truehill said. "There were no concessions." http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-12-13-no-public-housing_N.htm Demolition of public housing in N.O. draws protest By Rick Jervis, USA TODAY NEW ORLEANS - Federal officials began demolishing a local housing project Thursday despite protesters who angrily decried the destruction, saying the hurricane-ravaged city needs to preserve its affordable housing. About 30 protesters had stood Wednesday in the path of a two-story excavator, temporarily blocking the demolition crew's path into the B.W. Cooper housing development in central New Orleans. Thursday's gathering was less confrontational and crews began demolishing one section of the development. Another part of the complex will remain open. About 50 protesters marched from the housing project to City Hall and the New Orleans office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). "There is a terrible housing crisis in our city and the country needs to know about it," said Elizabeth Cook, a member of the Coalition to Stop Demolition, which organized the protests. Just behind her, the large excavator chewed into one of the four-story buildings. FIND MORE STORIES IN: New Orleans | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina | Department of Housing and Urban Development | BW Cooper HUD officials sealed most of the city's public housing projects following Hurricane Katrina and revived plans to demolish and replace them with mixed-income housing. Demolition was approved for four of the city's largest developments - B.W. Cooper, St. Bernard, Lafitte and C.J. Peete - which account for about 4,500 public housing units. Some of the properties, in decay already, were further battered by Katrina's floods. B.W. Cooper was the first of the projects to be demolished. Protesters and civil rights groups said some of the buildings are still habitable and new plans will lead to increased homelessness if more government-subsidized units are not included. About 5,100 families were living in public housing pre-Katrina, according to HUD. Knocking down dilapidated projects for mixed-income housing is a national trend that often leaves the poorest families homeless, said Sheila Crowley, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a Washington-based housing advocacy and research group. Debate over how much public housing to replace in post-Katrina New Orleans has even entangled two Louisiana senators. Legislation proposed by Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu calls for "one-for-one" replacement of the government-subsidized apartments. Republican Sen. David Vitter leads opposition to the bill, saying that with only two-thirds of New Orleans' population back since Katrina, the need for public housing has diminished. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/us/21cnd-orleans.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin Violent Protest Over Housing in New Orleans Alex Brandon/Associated Press Protesters clash with the police outside the New Orleans City Council chambers. Sign In to E-Mail or Save This Print Reprints Share By ADAM NOSSITER and LESLIE EATON Published: December 21, 2007 NEW ORLEANS - After protesters clashed violently with the police inside and outside the New Orleans City Council chambers on Thursday, the council voted unanimously to allow the federal government to demolish 4,500 apartments in the four biggest public housing projects in the city. But the council also called on the Department of Housing and Urban Development to reopen some apartments in the closed projects immediately, and to rebuild all of the public-housing units that it bulldozes. The agency plans to replace barracks-style projects, known as "the bricks," with mixed-income developments. "We need affordable housing in this city," said Shelley Stephenson Midura, who proposed the resolution adopted by the council. But, she continued, "public housing ought not to be the warehouse for the poor." Advocates for public housing residents contend that the agency's plan will not provide enough housing for the 3,000 families who lived in the projects before Hurricane Katrina, almost all of whom were black. Many of them have not been able to return to the city, and some protesters say they are being deliberately excluded from New Orleans. "The issue is and the question remains, who's in the mix," said Torin T. Sanders, pastor of the Sixth Baptist Church, referring to the plan for mixed-income housing. He and other speakers at the four-hour hearing that preceded the vote said that previous redevelopment efforts had shut out most public housing residents. The city's shortage of low-cost housing is only going to get worse in the coming months, as the federal government tries to move more than 30,000 people out of government-owned trailers, said Courtney Cowart, strategic director of disaster response for the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. But representatives of the residents' councils at three projects spoke earlier in the hearing, describing the poor conditions at the complexes before the storm and expressing their support for the new plans. "It's about being able to walk into a house and say this is a house, not a project," said Donna Johnigan, a resident at the B.W. Cooper Apartments, which the government began to demolish last week. The future of public housing in the city has been a subject of passionate debate in this storm-scarred city, involving race, money, history, the right to return - and who gets to make the decisions. That the three blacks and four whites on the council joined to support the demolitions seemed to echo a widely held feeling here, crossing racial lines, that the old housing projects were deeply dysfunctional, both for their residents and for the people who lived around them. Mistrust of the government was voiced by many of the speakers who opposed the demolitions, while supporters said most of the protesters were outsiders who did not live in New Orleans, much less in the four housing projects. Police officers on foot and horseback tried to keep protesters out of the council chambers once all the seats were filled. Demonstrators tried to push through some iron gates to get into the chambers when the police used what appeared to be pepper spray and stun guns; at least two demonstrators needed medical treatment. There was also a brief fight inside the chambers and the police ejected some demonstrators. About 15 protesters were arrested, the police said, mostly on charges of disturbing the peace. Adam Nossiter reported from New Orleans, and Leslie Eaton from Dallas. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/Residents_protest_to_reclaim_ground/articleshow/2644299.cms Residents' protest to reclaim ground 23 Dec 2007, 0455 hrs IST,Radha Rajadhyaksha,TNN MUMBAI: Citizens' power came to the fore on Saturday night when over a hundred residents of Gandhinagar, Bandra East, sat in dharna on the MIG Cricket Club playground, and refused to move out at the club-imposed deadline of 8 pm. They also stalled the construction of a stage on the ground for a forthcoming Christmas party by showing the police a letter from the BMC forbidding entertainment programmes on the ground. The ground, marked as a public playground in the Development Plan, has been mired in controversy from the start - while it is supposedly BMC property, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), which has planned the entire area, is said to have sold it to the club's general secretary Pravin Barve for a song, thereby depriving residents of their rightful open space. When the issue of open spaces in the city being gifted away to 'caretakers' exploded in the city recently, mayor Shubha Raul had even visited the ground and promised to set things right. The club has been keeping the ground open to residents for three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening but would change the closing time at its whim, a fact that residents were unhappy about. Besides, it would remain closed on Sundays, for cricket matches, entertainment events and from June to September. The Lower Economic Group (LIG) residents of Gandhinagar, who had been planning a stir for some time, on Friday took the plunge by going to the BMC office and getting a signed letter from the assistant commissioner. "When Barve called the police on being confronted with the dharna, we showed the police the letter. They then stopped the construction,'' says Neelima Vaidya, joint secretary of the LIG Residents' Association. The residents continued sitting in dharna till 10 pm, and say they will keep an eye on the playground to watch if construction starts again. When questioned, Barve claimed there had been no protest and that he had not received any communication from the BMC. Incidentally, the BMC letter, a copy of which is with TOI, is addressed to him, and is in reference to his letters to the BMC dated December 10 and December 12. "We are going ahead with the Christmas party inside the club," Barve told TOI. http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/28/stories/2007122860650300.htm Slum dwellers protest eviction; board says they are trespassers Staff Reporter Protesters stage a day-long dharna, officials to look into their claims today - Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P. SHELTERLESS: Slum dwellers of Chikkabommasandra of Yelahanka staging a protest inside the Karnatala Slum Clearance Board office in Bangalore on Thursday. BANGALORE: More than 120 families residing at the Chikkabommasandra slum attached to the Judges Colony in Yelahanka New Town were evicted by the staff of the Karnataka State Slum Clearance Board on Thursday. The family members alleged that they were thrown to the streets along with their belongings without any prior notice from the board. Protesting the eviction, the residents led by leaders of Samata Sainik Dal, gheraoed the slum board Commissioner's office and staged a protest for the whole of Thursday. The members withdrew the dharna in the evening after an assurance from the officials that the evicted families would be temporarily rehabilitated. They have decided to continue the dharna on Friday. "We have been staying in this slum for 20 years. After the board built houses under the Centre's Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY) here, we were promised that genuine slum dwellers would be allotted the houses but most of the 270 houses there have been allotted to people recommended by influential officials," Kamalamma, a resident said. M. Venkataswamy, Samata Sainik Dal president, alleged that the slum board officials had sold the VAMBAY houses for more than Rs. 3 lakh to people recommended by influential politicians. He said members of the Samata Sainik Dal along with the residents would resume their protest on Friday demanding that the allotment made to people who were not the genuine beneficiaries be cancelled. V. Ashok, Commissioner of the Karnataka State Slum Clearance Board, refuted the allegations and said that the protesters had unauthorisedly occupied the VAMBAY houses. "Before the VAMBAY houses were built less than 50 families lived in the slum and most of them have been accommodated," he said. He said he would meet the protesters on Friday and examine the genuineness of their claims. Title deeds sought Demanding regularisation of slums in the city and "hakku patras" (title deeds) for slum dwellers, members of the Karnataka Kolageri Nivasigala Hitharakshana Janti Kriya Samiti on Thursday staged a protest in front of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) head office. Most of the land where slums were located was owned by the urban local body of the area. Although the H.D. Kumaraswamy Government had directed all the officials to conduct a survey and grant ownership rights and title deeds to slum dwellers in January this year, slum dwellers were yet to get the benefits, Arul Issac Selva, samiti member said. The members submitted a memorandum to BBMP Deputy Commissioner (Administration) S.L. Manjunath, who assured them that he would fix an appointment for them with Commissioner S. Subramanya next week. http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?autono=310256&leftnm=3&subLeft=0&chkFlg= NGOs, activists to protest Tatas` Rs 1-lakh car 9TH AUTO EXPO 2008 Sreelatha Menon / New Delhi January 10, 2008 Tata will unveil the Rs 1-lakh car, also known as the lakhtakiya car, at the Auto Expo and an array of NGOs and activists from Singur, West Bengal, and other parts have lined up in Delhi for a not-so-grand reception with pamphlets and protests. The protests are meant to highlight the plight of the hundreds of sharecroppers of Singur besides the 12,000 landowners whose land was acquired by the Bengal government for the Tata factory which is to make the small car. NGOs have contended that the company has been given land in Singur, about an hour's drive from Kolkata, almost free to make the car. Among the prominent activists to attend the protests are Medha Patkar and Anuradha Talwar, who heads the Paschim Bangal Khet Majdoor Samiti (PBKMS). Several villagers from Singur who gave their land for the Tata car factory and activists from the New Trade Union Initiative (the mother organisation of the PBKMS), the National Alliance of People's Movement and the Delhi Forum for Solidarity will also attend. Talwar, who has been spearheading protests against the alleged dispossession of hundreds of sharecroppers, said the car has been "painted with the blood of the people of Singur". It is not clear whether the activists will actually protest inside the Auto Expo venue at Pragati Maidan. M V Vijayan, who is organising programmes to last till the end of the Expo on behalf of the Delhi Solidarity Forum, said, "We will be addressing the media tomorrow and we have a day-long demonstration at Jantar Mantar the day after." Activists will also be meeting political leaders of the CPI (M) and ministers in the central government to push the cause of the villagers of Singur. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ikKQ5ybisEQfamwHcvtqMvZh0Y-gD8U2HV280 Greece: Women Protest in Monk Sanctuary By COSTAS KANTOURIS - Jan 9, 2008 THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) - A group of female protesters locked in a land dispute with the Greek Orthodox Church defied a 1,000-year-old ban and entered the all-male Mount Athos monastic sanctuary in northern Greece, a police official said Wednesday. A police spokesman said on customary condition of anonymity that the small group of nearby villagers, including at least six women, climbed over a fence Tuesday and briefly entered the self-governing peninsula, where women are strictly forbidden. Parliament member Litsa Amanatidou Paschalidou was among the women who entered the sanctuary. She called it a "purely symbolic act," which was meant to send a message to the church to "pursue policies which serve the public and not its financial interest." The protesters, who say the monks are making illegal claims on their property, broke away from a rally of more than 400 people and evaded a police cordon, entering Athos grounds. No arrests were made, but the public prosecution service in nearby Thessaloniki requested details of the incident from police, officials from the service said. Monks at 20 monasteries on the Athos peninsula have imposed a strict ban on women for nearly 1,000 years. The ban is upheld by Greece's constitution, and violations are punishable by up to a year in prison. In the past, single female visitors are rumored to have entered the enclave disguised as men. Resident groups in the northern Halkidiki holiday resort area are at odds with several Athos monasteries over the ownership of land outside the sanctuary area. "If they are to take away our homes, then it might be better for us to go to prison, as we won't have anywhere else to stay," said Kyriaki Malama, spokeswoman for the Halkidiki citizens' movement. "We are fed up and angry about this land seizure and the monasteries' demands. It was an effort to persuade authorities to take action," she told The Associated Press. Paschalidou, the lawmaker, said the Athos land claims were based on titles dating back to the Middle Ages and the period of Ottoman Turkish rule. Greece has not completed a national land register, and land disputes are common. "I supported the women who wanted to make this symbolic gesture," she said. "The problem with the land has existed for years, not just here but all over Greece." Officials from the Greek Orthodox Church could not be reached for comment. http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN0756131020071107 Landless protest halts Brazil CVRD railroad again Wed Nov 7, 2007 11:27am EST http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN0756131020071107 RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Landless peasants halted railroad traffic on an important route owned by Brazilian mining giant CVRD on Wednesday in the third such protest in just about a month, the company said. The Carajas railroad run by CVRD (VALE5.SA: Quote, Profile, Research)(RIO.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the world's biggest iron ore miner, transports 250,000 tonnes of iron ore per day from its biggest open-pit mine in Carajas to coastal ports. A previous protest in mid-October disrupted iron ore shipments for two days and briefly left a pellet plant in Maranhao owned by the company without raw materials, but a CVRD spokeswoman said the pellet plant had enough stocks for now. CVRD said some 300 members of the leftist Movement of Landless Rural Workers, brandishing machetes and sickles, invaded the tracks near the town of Parauapebas in northern Para state in the lower Amazon basin early on Wednesday. "The traffic is disrupted. They stopped one train and damaged its breaks, so we cannot even remove the locomotive from there," the spokeswoman said. Last time, police dispersed the protesters and reopened the route. But the protesters moved their camp close to the railroad while they negotiated with the Para state government for an agrarian reform plan, credits for settled members, education and health care in settlements and other issues. The government said talks broke up this week even though the government had promised to satisfy most of their demands. CVRD said a riot police squad still remained in the vicinity and the company expected the government to use it to free the tracks soon. Some 2,700 train carriages normally circulate daily at the railway. The peasants' movement, known as MST, staged various protests across Brazil last month, including one that ended in bloodshed at a farm owned by Switzerland-based Syngenta (SYNN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) -- the world's largest agrochemical company An MST leader and a guard were shot dead there. The peasants accused Syngenta of financing armed militias, which the company denied. The MST and similar groups frequently occupy farms, block highways, torch crops, and stage rallies to pressure the government to give more land to the poor. Landowners often hire armed guards and hit squads to repel invasions. (Reporting by Andrei Khalip; editing by Walter Bagley) http://www.nwrage.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1947 Two people were killed during weekend clashes after landless peasants in Brazil occupied the farm of a multinational agrochemical company in the latest of several such protests over the past week. Police said on Monday a peasant leader and a guard were killed at the Swiss-owned Syngenta Seeds farm in the southern state of Parana after it was occupied by 200 landless militants on Sunday. Six protesters and three security guards were also wounded during the clashes, police said. The Landless Rural Workers' Movement (MST) and allied movement Via Campesina invaded the farm to protest its use of genetically modified seeds. Switzerland-based Syngenta is the world's largest agrochemical company. TWO KILLED IN BRAZIL LANDLESS PEASANTS' PROTEST SOURCE: Reuters AUTHOR: Andrei Khalip URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN2247157920071022 DATE: 22.10.2007 RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Two people were killed during weekend clashes after landless peasants in Brazil occupied the farm of a multinational agrochemical company in the latest of several such protests over the past week. Police said on Monday a peasant leader and a guard were killed at the Swiss-owned Syngenta Seeds farm in the southern state of Parana after it was occupied by 200 landless militants on Sunday. Six protesters and three security guards were also wounded during the clashes, police said. The Landless Rural Workers' Movement (MST) and allied movement Via Campesina invaded the farm to protest its use of genetically modified seeds. Switzerland-based Syngenta is the world's largest agrochemical company. The MST and similar groups frequently occupy farms, block highways, torch crops, and stage rallies to pressure the government to give more land to the poor. Landowners often hire armed guards and hit squads to repel invasions. Local police commander Maj. Celso Borges told Reuters that a few hours after the invasion on Sunday, some of the guards "returned, armed, to retake the farm." He said he did not know who started shooting first. Valmir Motta, one of the regional MST leaders, was killed with two gunshots in the chest. The MST described the killing as an "execution" and demanded a full investigation. The MST accused Syngenta of hiring security services that were used to form armed militias to evict and attack landless settlers. In a statement, Syngenta denied claims by the MST it had ordered the use of force, adding that its guards work unarmed by contract. The same farm was occupied for weeks last year. The protesters were still occupying the farm on Monday, but the situation was calm and police were patrolling the area, Borges said. "We have no information on them being armed now, although the shootout indicates they had guns," he said. On Thursday, police dispersed a large group of landless peasants that had blocked the tracks of a major railroad operated by Brazilian mining giant CVRD and thrown stones at a passing train. The protest, which was part of a broader campaign by the radical leftist group "in defense of agrarian reform and against imperialism," disrupted iron ore shipments and briefly left CVRD's pellet plant in Maranhao without raw materials. On Tuesday, landless militants briefly invaded tree plantations of Votorantim and Stora Enso paper companies, destroying saplings as part of a protest against multinational agricultural companies. ACTIVIST, GUARD KILLED ON BRAZIL BIOFARM SOURCE: The Associated Press, USA AUTHOR: Alan Clendenning URL: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hgS0bPjS8RzYmbdwwxKG9chWwc9Q DATE: 22.10.2007 SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) - Two people were shot dead when activists were confronted by armed men as they invaded a Swiss-owned farm that has been a flashpoint in the debate over biotech crops, authorities and the company said Monday. A security guard and an activist were killed by gunfire Sunday at the research farm owned by Syngenta AG, a global company with a heavy focus on genetically modified seeds. The official Agencia Brasil news agency said four activists and four security guards were injured. Details of the clash were still unclear, but the Parana state government said seven guards were arrested, facing possible homicide charges. Police were standing guard outside the farm Monday to prevent more violence, the state government said in a statement. Activists, including members of Brazil's Landless Workers Movement and the peasants rights group Via Campesina, shot off fireworks as they entered the farm, and a bus arrived later with gunmen, the Landless Workers Movement said in a statement. A shootout ensued, though Syngenta's contract with its security company required the guards to be unarmed, Syngenta spokesman Medard Schoenmaeckers said. He described it as "a quite dramatic and violent confrontation where we understand that indeed there were some deadly injuries," While Brazil's national government allows use of genetically modified seeds for some crops, Parana's state government recently outlawed genetically modified corn and has tried repeatedly tried to shut down the Syngenta farm. Landless Workers Movement spokeswoman Maria Mello said the Syngenta invasion was part of a push to target "multinationals in the agribusiness sector whose presence in Brazil delays the swift implementation of agrarian reform." The group also wants "to bring an end the evil effects of genetically modified products and their growing presence in Brazil," Mello said. The landless group, a strong political force in Brazil, uses invasions of private property to pressure the government to redistribute land to the poor. Via Campesina says it represents poor farmworkers and indigenous communities in 56 nations. About 300 activists first invaded the farm in March 2006, breaking down the gates and setting up tents to publicize their claim that research there into genetically modified soy and corn is illegal. They stayed until July, when Syngenta won a court order to expel them. The company, Schoenmaeckers said, "never did anything wrong or illegal in Brazil" and is still in the process of deciding the farm's future. He said no Syngenta workers were at the farm when the clash erupted. Syngenta was created in 2000 when Novartis AG and AstraZeneca PLC merged their agribusinesses. The company's Web site says that 60 percent of its corn and soybean seed has genetically modified traits. The clash at the Syngenta farm came just days after at least 1,000 Landless Movement activists blocked a railway used to export iron ore from a massive mine complex. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/10/2114923.htm?section=world Cambodians protest against forced evictions on rights day Posted Mon Dec 10, 2007 9:12pm AEDT Protesters threatened with forced eviction in Cambodia have been demonstrating to mark International Human Rights Day. Their action has coincided with the final day of a visit by the United Nations Special Representative on Human Rights in Cambodia, Yash Ghai. The Government has acknowledged the problem and has stepped in to prevent several instances of land-grabbing. Mr Ghai has strongly criticised the evictions, saying that poor people are losing their land to the rich and powerful. "There's an enormous amount of suffering, people are extremely anxious, fearful of the police and the courts who are very much part of this mechanism for appropriation of land," he said. "So the whole legal system has become enormously corrupt." - BBC http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=102922 National (as of 12/19/2007 10:05 AM ) Sumilao farmers continue protest Higaonon and Lumad tillers marched anew to the office of the Department of Agrarian Reform in Quezon City a day after President Arroyo placed the disputed 144-hectare property in Sumilao, Bukidnon under land reform, radio dzMM reported Wednesday. The farmers, who walked 1,700 kilometers for two months from their homeland to Metro Manila to claim the land, said they will continue the protest until the government gives them the land titles. On Tuesday Malaca?ang revoked the 1996 executive order issued by former executive secretary Ruben Torres converting the agricultural land into an agro-industrial area. The move consequently returned the land ownership to the Higaonon and Lumad farmers. The disputed land was owned by the Quisumbing family until it was sold to San Miguel Foods Inc. The company planned to build a hog farm, prompting the farmers to seek the government's help. The farmers asked DAR to immediately issue a cease-and-desist order to stop SMFI from constructing buildings for the planned hog farm. The new executive order was issued after Mrs. Arroyo promised during a Monday meeting with six leaders of the protesting farmers that she would return the property. Sergio Apostol, chief presidential legal counsel, said the would-be farmer-beneficiaries would have to pay Land Bank of the Philippines for the property while SMFI would have to be paid by the government. Apostol added that the distribution of the land among the farmers would be up to DAR. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 18:42:58 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:42:58 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] KASHMIR: Human rights and other protests, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <011701c858b2$abe78940$0802a8c0@andy1> * Dozens held in human rights protest in Srinagar * Military attack on hostage-takers at mosque prompts protests, shutdown * Indian forces shoot at protesters during Srinagar protest over mosque incident * Protests, roadblocks and clashes over college demand in Srinagar - police kill one protester http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2007/12/10/asia/OUKWD-UK-KASHMIR-PROTEST.php Dozens held in human rights protest in Kashmir Reuters Published: December 10, 2007 SRINAGAR, India: Police detained dozens of people protesting against alleged human rights violations by security forces in Indian Kashmir on Monday, officials and witnesses said. Hundreds of members of different Kashmiri separatist groups, many of them masked, marched in the capital Srinagar to mark Human Rights Day. The silent protesters carried placards that read "Stop human rights violations, stop custodial killings." "The law of the jungle prevails," said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chief of the region's separatist All Parties Hurriyat (freedom) Conference alliance. "They (security forces) kill with impunity." India denies any systematic abuses in the region and says at least 85 soldiers, found guilty of human rights violations in Kashmir, had been punished since the revolt against Indian rule broke out in the region in 1989. But the protesters said atrocities had gone up in the region where the insurgency has officially killed more than 42,000 people. Human rights activists put the toll at 60,000 dead or missing. "Atrocities in Kashmir have increased rapidly despite fake slogans by the ruling party," Mohammad Yasin Malik, the chairman of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, wrote to U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon. (Reporting by Sheikh Mushtaq; editing by Krittivas Mukherjee) http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/26/stories/2007122659661200.htm Local villagers protest against Palnoo mosque siege Shujaat Bukhari They say the mosque is damaged and allege atrocities by security forces; five photo journalists injured in "attack" by security forces Complete shutdown observed in the area DIG claims no major damage to the mosque AP The mother of one of the militants killed breaks down as his body is carried by local villagers at Palnoo on Tuesday. SRINAGAR: A day after five civilians were rescued and three militants killed in a 35-hour stand-off in Palnoo village of Kulgam district, thousands of people on Tuesday staged protest demonstrations in the area against the damage caused to the mosque and alleged atrocities by the security forces. As the midnight offensive launched by 62 Rashtriya Rifles and Jammu and Kashmir Police's Special Operations Group ended with the killing of three top Hizbul Mujahideen and the safe return of five civilians taken hostage by them, the people went on the rampage on learning that the mosque in which the militants were hiding had been damaged in the fight. They locals alleged that the security forces had "let loose a reign of terror against the population." Roads sealed A complete shutdown was observed in the area. The authorities, fearing a strong reaction, had sealed all the roads leading to Palnoo. The entry points from Bijbehara, Yaripora and Balsoo were sealed and the people were not even allowed to walk on the road. As the crowd demanding a "honourable burial" for the militants surged and sought to reach Palnoo, it led to a clash with the police. The security forces then resorted to lathi-charge and later used tear smoke shells to disperse the crowd. Pitched battles continued and at least 15 civilians were injured. Locals' charges A group of photo-journalists complained that they were prevented by the police from discharging their duties and were attacked by the SOG personnel. The injured were identified as Tassaduq Rashid, Zahoor Sodagar, Fida Hussain, Javed Shah and Basharat Ahmad. A local, Murtaza Ahmad, said the SOG personnel looted their houses and beat up people ruthlessly. Even as the police stopped people from converging, many thousands joined the funeral prayers of the militants who were buried in the local graveyard. DIG South Kashmir H.K. Lohia refuted the locals' allegations and said some vested interests, including Hurriyat leaders, were trying instigating the people. No major damage was caused to the mosque, he said and added that that the people should also realise that the militants had kept the civilians hostage for two days and made them human shields. A Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman, in a statement, paid tributes to the slain militants. "They preferred martyrdom to surrender and that speaks about the devotion of the Mujahideen to the cause," the statement said. Hostage account Two of the hostages who were rescued narrated their ordeal while talking to reporters and said that they had a tough time. Gowhar Ahmad, an MCA student, said he had come out to take food but was not allowed by the Army to go back. "They [the Army] announced on the public address system that Gowher fainted and cannot return," he said adding that another came out saying that he wanted water. Another young hostage Adil Najar then followed suit. The lighting arrangements were then enhanced, after which the forces burst tear gas shells into the mosque. Another hostage, Abdul Ahad Mir, came out and cried "we are civilians please do not fire." He said the Army observed restraint on that occasion and did not fire. Incident condemned Several separatist organisations have condemned the incident. The Harkat Jehadi Islami, the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Al Madinah regiment have in their separate statements paid tributes to the slain militants. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iefz9Fk1kXAYyI1lwaflUkHgNpWw Kashmir protest over mosque siege Dec 25, 2007 SRINAGAR, India (AFP) - Police fired shots in the air and tear gas at thousands of protestors in Indian Kashmir upset over damage to a mosque during a raid to free hostages seized by Islamic militants, a witness said. An AFP photographer who witnessed the demonstration in a village south of the state summer capital Srinagar said some of the protestors sustained minor injuries during a baton charge by police. Protestors started moving towards the village mosque when they were stopped by police firing in the air, the photographer said. Three suspected Islamic militants took five people captive on Sunday afternoon at a mosque in Kulgam. Three of the hostages escaped before police freed the other two on Monday during a raid and subsequent gunbattle in which the rebels were killed. Police said no one was injured in the protest Tuesday in Kashmir, the scene of an Islamic militancy waged since 1989 in the Himalayan region that has left tens of thousands dead. "There was some trouble and police had to resort to aerial firing after tear gas proved ineffective to bring the situation under control," a police officer who asked not to be identified said. He added that no injuries were reported and disputed protestor claims that the mosque had been badly damaged by bullets during the raid. Militants have often taken shelter in Kashmiri mosques in the past, leaving security forces with the dilemma of whether to risk a public backlash in the Muslim-majority state by pursuing them. A standoff at Kashmir's holiest mosque Hazratbal lasted 34 days in 1993, ending when rebels were given safe passage without their weapons. But a two-month siege in 1995 of another Muslim shrine, Chrar-e-Sharief, resulted in fierce fighting that killed 17 people and destroyed the holy site. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-kashmir_webdec16,1,1390466.story?ctrack=1&cset=true 1 killed at Kashmir protest The Associated Press 9:14 AM CST, December 15, 2007 SRINAGAR, India - Chanting anti-government slogans, demonstrators torched a government bus, a police vehicle and threw rocks at police and paramilitary soldiers who tried to disperse them, Ashiq Bukhari, a police officer, told The Associated Press. Police opened fire, killing 20-year-old Zahoor Ahmed and wounding five others, he said. Four policemen were also injured after being kicked and beaten with wooden sticks by protesters, who blocked the main highway connecting Srinagar - the summer capital of India's Jammu-Kashmir state - to the rest of the country, a police officer said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to reporters. The protesters also snatched four rifles from police, the officer said. The demonstrators were protesting the government decision on Friday rejecting their demand to set up a new college in Magam, a town 15 miles north of Srinagar. Clashes between government forces and Kashmiri people are quite common in the Indian portion of Kashmir. Rejecting Indian rule over Kashmir, nearly a dozen rebel groups have been fighting for Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with neighboring Pakistan since 1989. More than 68,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the conflict. The Himalayan territory is divided between India and Pakistan and both claim it all. They have fought two wars over its control since they won independence from Britain in 1947. AP-CS-12-15-07 0715EST From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 18:58:20 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:58:20 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Global pro-democracy protests, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <011b01c858b4$d25cbdf0$0802a8c0@andy1> * CAMBODIA: Monks battle police during protest over Vietnam repression * BANGLADESH: Teachers "pardoned" for involvement in unrest * BURMA/SINGAPORE: Burmese students protest Myanmar/Burma at ASEAN summit * ZIMBABWE: Police attack opposition protest in Harare * KURDISTAN/US: Hundreds rally against Turkish militarism during state visit * GLOBAL/HOLLAND: Rights groups protest at International Criminal Court * INDIA: Activists occupy train in Nandigram protest * TURKEY: "Anti-judiciary law" protested * EGYPT: Police cordon off vigil for jailed dissident * SCOTLAND: Students protest over Topshop "use of slave labour" * AUSTRALIA: Activist with poop-scoop targets outgoing PM * UK/SUDAN: British Muslims rally for teacher jailed in Sudan * EUSKAL HERRIA/SPAIN: Thousands protest against arrests, repression of Basque movements * CANADA: Smokers light up to protest local ban * INDONESIA: Journalists march against police violence * SOUTH KOREA: Candlelit vigil protests repression of the press * HONG KONG: Free press activists hold publicity event * TAIWAN: Chinese spouses protest attacks on their rights via new visa rules * MANIPUR: Sit-in protest over shooting * VENEZUELA: Protests at US embassy over alleged role in Argentinean elections * SOUTH AFRICA: Protests spread against ban on teens kissing * US: Ron Paul supporters call Giuliani "fascist" at hotel protest http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSBKK10830620071217 Nine hurt as Cambodian monk protest turns ugly Mon Dec 17, 2007 3:30am EST PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Three Cambodian Buddhist monks and six riot police were hurt on Monday in a fight that broke out when the monks tried to deliver a protest letter to the Vietnamese embassy in Phnom Penh, officials and witnesses said. About 40 saffron-robed monks were trying to demand Vietnam stop persecuting Buddhists. When their path was blocked, they started throwing bottles and hitting the 100 riot police positioned near the embassy compound. The riot police, who were not armed, chased the monks away with electric batons. One of the marchers, 20-year-old Thach Many, accused police of overreacting. "We just wanted to deliver a protest petition," he told Reuters. The petition urged Vietnam to free a jailed Cambodian monk called Tim Sakhorn, release five others disrobed by Hanoi early this year and respect the religious rights of the ethnic Cambodian minority in Vietnam's Mekong delta area. Tim Sakhorn, 39, was defrocked in June and sentenced to a year in jail in Vietnam on charges of upsetting Cambodia-Vietnam relations. Police accused the monks of staging an illegal and violent protest. "Monks hid stones in their bags and hit police, injuring them in the arms and legs," said police chief Touch Naroth. Nobody at the Vietnamese embassy was immediately available for comment. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7147981.stm Last Updated: Monday, 17 December 2007, 12:49 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version Cambodia monks clash with police By Guy De Launey BBC News, Phnom Penh Police say the monks brought stones to use as missiles Buddhist monks and riot police have been involved in a violent confrontation in Cambodia's capital. The monks were trying to draw attention to allegations of mistreatment of the Kampuchea Krom minority, who are ethnic Cambodians living in Vietnam. They were attempting to deliver a petition to the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh when police officers blocked their way. Human rights workers claim the police beat the monks with batons. The violence started after about 50 orange-robed monks arrived at the Vietnamese Embassy and staged a sit-down protest. The situation deteriorated as riot police ordered the monks to move on. The authorities allege that the monks tried to storm the embassy and had brought stones to throw at the police. Several members of each side were injured, none of them seriously. Sensitive topic The monks had been protesting about the treatment of ethnic Cambodian colleagues in Vietnam. Their petition asked for the release of a monk who has been jailed on charges of "undermining national unity". They also demanded the return of Vietnamese territory which they claimed belonged to Cambodia. It is a sensitive topic for the Cambodian government. Its links with Vietnam date back to 1979 when Vietnamese-backed troops ousted the Khmer Rouge from power. But many Cambodians dislike their larger neighbour and resent the loss of territory over the years, which includes modern day Ho Chi Minh City. Some Buddhist pagodas have become rallying points for protests on the issue. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSDHA23996020071210 Mon Dec 10, 2007 5:56am EST Bangladesh pardons jailed teachers DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh pardoned four university teachers on Monday, six days after they had been jailed for inciting violent student unrest in August, which forced the army-backed government to impose curfew in major cities. "President Iajuddin Ahmed has approved the clemency considering mercy petitions filed by their (teachers) respective wives," a senior official of the Presidential Palace told Reuters. The clemency came after a series of silent protests by teachers and students of major universities in the country. Although rallies and marchers were banned by the army-backed interim government that assumed power in January following weeks of deadly political violence, the teachers and students continued to wear black badges and held silent rallies on their campuses for last few days. A Bangladesh court sentenced the teachers of the Rajshahi University, located about 187 miles northwest of the capital Dhaka, last Tuesday to two years in jail for inciting violent student unrest in August. Four other teachers from the Dhaka University, the country's biggest, are being tried on similar charges by another court, officials said. The four have been detained for allegedly instigating student unrest in the capital. Following the clemency granted to their colleagues at Rajshahi, the four Dhaka University teachers are also expected to be exempted of the charges. A man was killed in Rajshahi and several hundred were injured there and in other cities as students fought battles with police, in defiance of a state of emergency in force since January. Authorities ordered an indefinite curfew in Dhaka and five other cities in late August following violence sparked by an alleged assault on some students by army troops during a football match on the Dhaka University campus. The curfew was lifted after a few days later but all major universities in the six cities remained closed for up to two months. (Reporting by Nizam Ahmed, writing by Anis Ahmed) http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2007/11/20/2003388678 Foreign students protest against junta AFP, SINGAPORE Tuesday, Nov 20, 2007, Page 1 International students from the National University of Singapore stage a peaceful vigil walk along a walkway on Orchard Road in Singapore yesterday. PHOTO: AFP A handful of foreign students demonstrated against Myanmar's junta on the fringes of the ASEAN summit yesterday, drawing close police attention as they tested Singapore's tough protest laws. Nine activists marched up the Orchard Road shopping strip in groups of three, to avoid arrest under strict rules that say any outdoor gathering of five or more people requires a police permit. Most carried candles and wore red T-shirts with the slogan "We pursue peace, justice and democracy for Burma." "We wanted to do something in some small way to show that the world hasn't forgotten," said Pia Muzaffar, a 22-year-old British student at the National University of Singapore. "We want to send a clear message." Protests are rare in Singapore -- and those by foreigners even more unusual -- but police have designated the meeting venues as "security zones," meaning a single demonstrator can be expelled if deemed to be creating a stir. The three groups were outnumbered by more than 35 police, some of whom recorded the proceedings on video. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view_article.php?article_id=102163 Myanmar citizens mount protest at ASEAN summit Agence France-Presse First Posted 09:59pm (Mla time) 11/20/2007 SINGAPORE -- About 40 Myanmar residents of Singapore held a brief vigil Tuesday night to protest what they said was an inadequate response to the crisis in Myanmar by Southeast Asian leaders meeting here. It was one of the largest public protests seen in recent memory in Singapore, which has tight rules against demonstrations. The group of mostly young men and women, all wearing red T-shirts, lined up silently in rows of three on the main Orchard Road shopping and tourist strip. Many held small printed leaflets that read "ASEAN -- Act with Honour, Action on Burma Now". Three people in front of the group held a large banner that read, "Listen to Burma's Desires, Don't Follow Junta's Order". Others had written messages on pieces of paper. "Respect Human Rights Now", said one. Another said, "We welcome professor Gambari on behalf of Burmese people." The United Nations special envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, arrived in Singapore Tuesday expecting to brief leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), who held their annual summit here Tuesday. But as Gambari flew to Singapore, the city-state's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the summit chairman, announced the briefing was cancelled after Myanmar complained the envoy should only report to the Security Council. Myo Myint Maung, 22, a spokesman for the demonstrators, said they were disappointed by ASEAN's response to the junta. "We want ASEAN leaders to be more effective and more active regarding their action on Burma," he said. "We are standing here to hold a vigil to protest their statement." The grouping has come under mounting pressure to rein in its errant member Myanmar after a September crackdown on mass protests, led by Buddhist monks, that left at least 15 people dead and sparked worldwide outrage. Myo Myint Maung said ASEAN has taken "a very passive stance" towards Myanmar. It is illegal in Singapore to hold a public gathering of five or more people without a police permit, meaning demonstrations are rare. Myo Myint Maung said the group did not have a permit for the vigil which occurred a few hundred metres (yards) from the ASEAN summit venue, and just outside a special summit security zone in which even one protester is not permitted. About 15 minutes after the vigil began, about 20 police converged on the group and asked if they had finished. They said they had, and peacefully dispersed as police recorded some of their names. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712070934.html Zimbabwe: Police Violently Stop NCA Protest in Harare SW Radio Africa (London) 7 December 2007 Posted to the web 7 December 2007 Tichaona Sibanda The National Constitutional Assembly reported Friday that 300 of its activists staged a demonstration in central Harare, before heavily armed riot police officers violently stopped it. In a statement the NCA said in an act of 'clear determination and courage,' their activists walked from the city's Copacabana area to the Parliament Building. 'They were however violently dispersed by riot police who were heavily armed. The police launched a severe attack on the activists and the general public who were in the vicinity of the area that they were marching,' the statement said. The activists chanted songs about the need for a new constitution braving the wet weather to march. The demonstration was against Constitutional Amendment Number 18, as well as the deteriorating situation in the country. 'The struggle to have a new, democratic and people driven constitution will continue as long as the issue remains unaddressed. We say no to willy-nilly amendments of the constitution. Rather, the people of Zimbabwe should be consulted so that they contribute to the process of making a new constitution,' the NCA said. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jP7tZ-z1PhvYMGD_mx62vRJPFs4w Kurds protest in Washington during Turkish premier's visit Nov 5, 2007 WASHINGTON (AFP) - Hundreds of ethnic Kurds called Monday on US President George W. Bush to press visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan not to launch military operations in northern Iraq to track down Kurdish rebels. To cries of "stop the Turkish invasion" and brandishing banners, several hundred men, women and children, many in traditional dress, gathered outside the White House, where Bush was due to meet with Erdogan. "We urge you, Mr President, to do all that you can to dissuade Turkey from carrying out military operations inside Iraqi Kurdistan and to continue calling for dialogue and diplomacy as a means to find a peaceful resolution to this issue," said a letter which the demonstrators handed in to the White House. "We want to send a clear message to President Bush not to give the green light for any invasion" by Turkish troops, said Isa Chalky, who had travelled to Washington from Tennessee for the demonstration. After attacks by suspected Kurdish rebels killed 15 Turkish soldiers in three days, the Turkish parliament voted on October 17 to authorize the army to conduct military incursions against bases of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq. A dozen Turkish protesters held up banners proclaiming "Stop PKK terrorism" on the pavement opposite the Kurdish demonstration at the White House. Police intervened quickly when the two sides looked as if they would come to blows. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20071210-0910-netherlands-humanrights.html Rights groups from Africa, Asia protest in The Hague about rape, other offenses By Mike Corder ASSOCIATED PRESS 9:10 a.m. December 10, 2007 THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Militias and foreign fighters are using rape as a weapon of war in lawless eastern Congo, activists said Monday, calling on the International Criminal Court to investigate sex crimes in the country. "The number of victims of sexual violence continues to increase each day and the cruelty used during the rapes exceeds any understanding," said Chouchou Namegabe, a journalist from the South Kivu province of eastern Congo, speaking on international Human Rights Day. Advertisement "But the international community is silent on this issue and the Congolese government does nothing to end this crime against humanity," she said. Namegabe was representing a group of non-governmental groups that appealed to the Hague-based international court - the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal - to do more to investigate rapes in Congo. The court has just two suspects in custody, both from Congo. One - Germain Katanga - has been charged with rape and sexual enslavement; the other, Thomas Lubanga, is expected to go on trial early next year on charges of recruiting child soldiers. Namegabe said foreign fighters, including members of the extremist Rwandan Hutu militia the Interahamwe, were responsible for many rapes. But she also blamed warlord Laurent Nkunda, a one-time general who defected from the army several years ago and formed his own militia soon after Congo's civil war ended in 2002, saying he needed to protect his minority Tutsi ethnic group from Rwandan Hutu rebels. Activists say that this year, more than 4,500 women have been raped in South Kivu province. The Congo activists were among groups that traveled to The Hague on Monday to protest on Human Rights Day, which marks the adoption 59 years ago by the U.N. General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Hague, home to several major international courts, brands itself as the world's legal capital. The rights to life, liberty, free speech, equality, education, health and work are among those enshrined in the declaration. It also condemns slavery, torture and arbitrary arrest. Other activists marched through the city with black sashes tied over their mouths to protest mass rapes in Bangladesh. A small group also protested in front of the Dutch Parliament calling for human rights for China's Uighur Muslim minority, and another group demonstrating outside the Foreign Ministry to draw attention to what they say are rights abuses by Indonesia against inhabitants of Maluku province. http://www.timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=4961 Patna train riot 12/17/2007 7:46:36 PM Hundreds of activists of the CPI(ML) party disrupted the lives of people wanting to travel on the Howrah-Dinapur express to Kolkata The activists boarded the train and occupied the seats that had already been reserved. When the passengers holding the tickets arrived, a scuffle broke out as the activists refused to give up the seats. Soon after, the Railway police took over and tried to bring the situation under control. Some of the angry party workers justified their action on the train. According to Krishna Kumar Mirmohi, a CPI(ML) party worker, "We are from the CPI(ML) party and we are having a rally in Kolkata from December 16 to 18. It is the start of our nationwide movement to protest against the atrocities at Nandigram and Singur." As another party worker Manoj Kumar puts it, "We had already alerted the public through newspapers, that our rally was going to take place in Kolkata, and they should make alternate arrangements to get to Kolkata." TIMES NOW spoke with A S Sidaqui, the Railway officer in charge of Patna Railway station, who gave an assurance that the passengers attacked would be compensated. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C10%5Cstory_10-12-2007_pg7_56 Turks protest anti-judiciary law ANKARA: Thousands of Turks protested on Sunday against a new law that opponents say will undermine judicial independence and demanded respect for secularist values in a new constitution being prepared by the Islamist-rooted ruling party. Lawyers and judges led the demonstration to protest against the law, which changes the appointment process for judges and prosecutors. The law introduces a justice ministry interview into the selection process. Critics say that opens the way for political interference. Opponents have also criticised President Abdullah Gul, a former member of the ruling AK Party whose role is to review legislation, for approving the law in just a few days. Gul's office said a review of the law had started before the draft went to parliament. "They do not know the importance of judicial independence ... but we will explain it to them, we will teach them," Turkish Bar Association Chairman Ozdemir Ozok shouted to the crowd in Ankara. The judiciary is traditionally a bastion of secularism and the march turned into a pro-secularist rally. It was reminiscent of massive protests earlier this year at which demonstrators accused the AK Party, whose roots are in political Islam, of undermining Muslim Turkey's official secular order. "Turkey is secular and will remain secular!" protesters shouted, waving Turkish flags and pictures of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern secular republic. reuters http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/05/africa/ME-GEN-Egypt-Jailed-Dissident.php Riot police cordon off candlelight vigil for Egypt's top jailed dissident The Associated Press Published: December 5, 2007 CAIRO, Egypt: Riot police cordoned off dozens of supporters of Egypt's most famous jailed dissident as they held a candlelight vigil marking two years since a judge ordered Ayman Nour be imprisoned. No violence was reported at the protest at the downtown Cairo headquarters of Nour's opposition party, called al-Ghad or "Tomorrow." Some 10 police trucks stood parked by the Talaat Harb Square as riot police cordoned off the party offices, while protesters crammed onto the balcony, the hallway and the street outside. Plainclothes policemen hurried passer-by away from the protesters, who held candles and chanted "Long live Ayman Nour" and "Down with state of emergency!" Nour is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly forging signatures on petitions to register his political party. He complained earlier this year of heart and eye problems, but an Egyptian court in July turned down his request to review whether his jail sentence was endangering his health. A diabetic dependent on insulin, Nour has also undergone cardiovascular surgery while in prison. Nour challenged President Hosni Mubarak for the presidency in 2005, finishing a distant second in Egypt's first contested presidential elections. International rights groups and Western governments rebuked Egypt for prosecuting him, adding weight to Nour's charge that his trial was politically motivated - an accusation Egypt denies. Nour has also been questioned this year on allegations of slander initiated by pro-government lawmaker and editor, Mustafa Bakri, who accused Nour of publishing "blasphemous" remarks in his party's newspaper. U.S. President George W. Bush, who has also criticized Nour's conviction, further railed Mubarak's government and some Egyptian media when the American leader met in June with leading human rights activist Saad Eddin Ibrahim and specifically criticized Nour's detention. Even though the United States has called for greater democratic reform in Egypt, it has lately eased off pressure on Cairo in what is perceived as U.S. effort to shield its leading Mideast Arab ally. http://news.scotsman.com/ViewArticle.aspx?articleid=3587720 Students protest over Topshop 'slave labour' View Gallery STUDENTS were today expected to hold a protest outside a Princes Street store. The Edinburgh University students were to target Topshop to campaign against the retailer's alleged use of "slave labour" overseas. The group, from the university's People and Planet society, will be joining a national Redress Fashion day that aims to expose the impact of business practices on wages and labour standards. Topshop, which is part of the Arcadia Group, was accused on the BBC's Newsnight programme of buying cotton from suppliers who used forced child labour. Sarah Waldron, Campaigns Officer at People and Planet, said: "If the Arcadia group is serious about conditions in its supply chain it must do more than send a code of conduct to its suppliers." http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22772068-662,00.html Police scoop up protest by union official against PM Article from: Font size: Decrease Increase Email article: Email Print article: Print Peter Jean November 17, 2007 12:00am A UNION official with a pooper scooper managed to get within metres of a stage where John Howard was giving a speech before being tackled by bodyguards. Australian Education Union organiser Ken Case approached the stage at the Adelaide Convention Centre as Mr Howard was beginning an address to Liberal think tank the Menzies Research Institute yesterday. Mr Case dropped the pooper scooper as he was dragged out of the hall by plain-clothed federal police officers. Another man in the audience held up a sign with the hand-written message "non core promises" and shouted the slogan at Mr Howard before leaving the hall. The PM ignored the incident and calmly went on with his speech to 300 Liberal Party members and supporters. As he was frisked by police outside the building, Mr Case denied he had been planning to harm Mr Howard. "I'm just collecting the non-core promises in a pooper scooper," he said. Police later released him without charge. "The man has not been charged over the incident and police described the incident as minor, with no threat to the Prime Minister," a South Australian police spokesman said. AEU branch president Andrew Gohl said Mr Case was on leave and the union did not approve of his involvement in the protest. "He participated as a private citizen. It was not authorised by the AEU and we don't support Ken's actions," Mr Gohl said. Mr Howard declined to blame the union movement for the protest and joked that Mr Case was probably not planning to vote for him at the election. Mr Howard said people were entitled to take part in political protests as long as they didn't hurt any one or break the law. Before the speech, Mr Case placed the pooper scooper, which was inside a torn brown paper bag, on a platform at the back of the hall set aside for television cameras. He sat with journalists before grabbing the scooper and moving towards the stage. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-7119346,00.html Muslims in jailed teacher protest Press Association Saturday December 1, 2007 5:28 PM British Muslims protested outside the Sudanese Embassy over the treatment of jailed teacher Gillian Gibbons. The small but noisy group demanded the immediate release of Mrs Gibbons, who is currently serving a 15-day prison sentence in Sudan after her class of seven-year-olds named a teddy bear Mohammed. Chanting "free, free Gillian" and "let her go, let her go", demonstrators attempted to hand over a "goodwill teddy" to the embassy, but a staff member refused to accept the gift. Some 20 British Muslims, including MP for Tooting Sadiq Khan and chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission Massoud Shadjareh, gathered outside the Sudanese embassy in Piccadilly. Leaders of the protest said they wanted to show that British Muslims supported Mrs Gibbons. Some arrived with their own teddy bears. The protest followed angry scenes in Khartoum on Friday in which knife-wielding fundamentalists called for the execution of Mrs Gibbons. At the London demonstration, Catherine Heseltine, a 28-year teacher and member of the Muslim Public Affairs Committee, condemned the action of hard-line Islamists. She said: "They are dragging the name of Islam through the mud. The overwhelming feeling in the Muslim community in the UK is that it is really sad the way Gillian Gibbons has been treated. I haven't met a single British Muslim who has taken the naming of the teddy to be an insult." Mr Shadjareh, chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, said: "I find it offensive that Islam is being used in this way by the Sudanese government and the media. "It is totally unacceptable by the Sudanese government and the press are trying to make this into another cartoon or a Salmon Rushdie issue." http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/02/europe/EU-GEN-Spain-Basque-Rally.php Thousands march in Spain's Basque region to protest arrests The Associated Press Published: December 2, 2007 MADRID, Spain: Thousands of protesters held a rally in the northern Basque city of Bilbao Sunday to protest the arrest of people for lending support to the Basque separatist group ETA. Several thousand protesters marched carrying placards reading "In favor of the Basque Country's democratic rights." Spanish police on Friday began detaining 56 Basques who went on trial in November 2005, were convicted of indirectly aiding ETA, and then released on bail pending sentencing. Those convicted were judged to have aided the armed Basque separatist group ETA through a network of outwardly legitimate social and political organizations. Police began the roundup to avoid the possibility of those convicted fleeing Spain before they were sentenced, officials said. Up to 37 people have been arrested, lawyer Jone Goirizelaia told reporters. The case ended in March. Judges are expected to begin meting out sentences later this month. The trial stemmed from an eight-year inquiry by Baltasar Garzon, Spain's leading anti-terror investigator. Garzon argued that ETA was not made up solely of armed commandos but was supported through political, financial and media organizations. The defendants were accused of belonging to these groups, some of which had been outlawed previously. The organizations, such as the banned youth groups Ekin and KAS, engaged in activities ranging from fundraising and helping ETA plan attacks to organizing street violence by separatist supporters, Garzon charged. The rally went ahead despite the death Saturday of Raul Centeno, a 24-year-old member of the Civil Guard and the serious injury of his colleague, Fernando Trapero, 23, in a shooting in France blamed on ETA. ETA declared a cease-fire in March 2006 but grew frustrated with a lack of concessions in ensuing peace talks with the government. It killed two people in a car bombing at Madrid airport in December 2006 and formally declared the truce over in June. http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iYHhWrzhhdn8EFXUY_haEzamTvyw Smokers light up in N.S. town to protest tough anti-smoking proposal Dec 8, 2007 BRIDGEWATER, N.S. - Several dozen people lit up on this Nova Scotia community's two bridges Saturday to protest tough anti-smoking measures that, if adopted, would make it illegal to smoke in almost all public places within the town's limits. Because they are provincially owned, the two bridge's that span the LaHave River would be the only public places in Bridgewater that smoking would be allowed under a proposed bylaw. Otherwise, it would be illegal to smoke while walking on the sidewalk or driving in a car. The police said Saturday's protest, which alternated between the two bridges and at its height saw about 60 puffing away, was peaceful. Sgt. Al Cunningham said reporters almost outnumbered the smokers. Town council recently voted to order staff to draft the bylaw. However, the proposal's future is uncertain, as the most recent vote only passed 3-2 with two councillors absent. Mayor Carroll Publicover has said the proposal would be an unreasonable restriction, arguing it would be impossible to enforce the rules on the town's 66 kilometres of streets and 34 kilometres of sidewalks. Bridgewater, a town of about 8,000 people along the province's south shore, is the second Nova Scotia community to make headlines by proposing tough anti-smoking measures. Council in Wolfville, N.S., recently passed a bylaw that bans smoking in a vehicle when a child is present. Last week, Nova Scotia's ruling Conservatives said they would support an opposition bill that would effectively extend Wolfville's ban across the rest of the province. A similar private member's bill has also been proposed in Ontario, though Premier Dalton McGuinty has signalled the legislation would not have the government's support. And on Friday, the Canadian Medical Association urged governments across the country to ban smoking in cars carrying children. http://www.etan.org/et2007/december/08/08soharto.htm The Jakarta Post Saturday, December 8, 2007 Journalists protest police violence JAKARTA: Dozens of journalists gathered in front of the National Police Headquarters in South Jakarta on Friday, protesting violence against journalists. "We want the National Police chief to punish Sr. Comr. Julius Srijono, who forcibly seized the camera of a Jawa Pos reporter," Suparni, from the group Jakarta Journalist Axis, said as quoted by Detik.com news portal. The reporter, Farouk Arnaz, was covering the police reconstruction of a crime in Depok, West Java, on Monday, when Srijono, head of a narcotics unit at the National Police, allegedly confiscated his digital camera and deleted the pictures he had taken. The group of reporters protesting on Friday also demanded punishment for Depok Police chief Sr. Comr. Imam Pramukarno for allegedly intimidating three journalists in a separate incident. The incident occurred when the journalists were covering a church service at a shopping mall last Friday, when a mob arrived and forced the service to halt, claiming it was unauthorized. (JP/lva) http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200712/200712070013.html Police Reporters Protest Pressroom Closure Reporters on the National Police Agency beat on Thursday issued a statement of protest after all-night sit-ins since Nov. 30 failed to prevent the closure of their pressroom. "It is people's right to know that we are determined to defend," they said and called on the agency to end attempts under a draconian new government press policy "to obstruct press monitoring." Reporters on the National Police Agency beat read a statement against the closure of their pressroom in an unlit pressroom on Thursday afternoon. "Reporters have been sticking it out with candles" in the pressroom when electricity and heating were cut off, the statement said. "This shows they are willing to defend the freedom of the press against those in power. With about 10 days remaining until election day, we reject the government's attempt to close down pressrooms." They said police "cut off communication, electricity and heating to the pressroom. They disconnected all equipment necessary for reporters in gathering information and writing and filing stories. This government, which owes its mandate to a candlelight vigil" -- a reference to an anti-American protests in 2002 that fueled enthusiasm for the Left - "is now attempting to blow out the candles in the pressrooms." But the reporters said the government can do nothing "to prevent new candles from being lit everywhere near them." The statement was signed by reporters from a total of 16 press organizations including the Chosun Ilbo, the Dong-A Ilbo, the JoongAng Ilbo, Yonhap news agency, KBS, MBC, SBS, and YTN. Meanwhile, the NPA, while making energetic efforts to shut down the pressroom, has been dragging its feet in disclosing information. The NPA has disclosed a mere nine pieces of information through the open government website launched in April 2006 to give people access to public information. That is minuscule compared to the Supreme Prosecutor's Office (310,461 pieces of information disclosed), the Korea Customs Service (191,590), the Public Procurement Service (147,507), the Rural Development Administration (80,119), and the Military Manpower Administration (67,234). In 2006, the Office for Government Policy Coordination gave the NPA an "unsatisfactory" mark, the lowest among government agencies, for information disclosure. http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-30908720071210 Free press campaigners protest at China block Mon Dec 10, 2007 1:57pm IST HONG KONG (Reuters) - Five press freedom campaigners from France who said they were denied visas to China unfurled a huge flag depicting handcuffs arranged as Olympic rings in front of Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong on Monday. The protesters, from media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, had originally planned their international human rights day demonstration to take place in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, but on Friday they were barred from visiting China and two said they were blacklisted. "We have eight months before the Olympic Games start to do something to improve the situation. One of the things we ask the Chinese authorities is to release journalist prisoners," said Robert Menard, secretary-general of the group. The Games begin on Aug. 8, 2008. The rights group sent an open letter to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge last week detailing what it described as abuse of journalists and accusing him of allowing it to happen by remaining silent. China responded by reiterating that foreign journalists would be welcome to cover next year's Beijing Olympics "in a fair and objective way". A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said the Paris-based group had "consistently attacked China". Vincent Brossel, another of the campaigners who was denied a visa, said on Monday: "We are a press freedom watchdog and we have this campaign -- they don't like it. Maybe that's the reason they put us on the blacklist. "But if they don't like the critics, how can they improve their standards in terms of freedom of expression? If they don't accept critics they are totally against the Olympic values ... You cannot prepare the Olympics in China without mentioning human rights issues." Reporters Without Borders called on other countries and Olympic sponsors to apply pressure on Beijing ahead of the Games. At the start of the year, China relaxed its rules to allow foreign journalists to travel around the country without the usual need for official approval. Some local officials and police, however, have often proved reluctant to comply. Chinese reporters are still subject to censorship. The IOC has said it is confident China will deliver on its commitment to allow freedom to report in line with that enjoyed at previous Games. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/12/22/2003393634 Chinese spouses protest 'declining human rights' 'UNREASONABLE POLICIES': Since September Chinese spouses wishing to enter Taiwan after getting married have been required to produce health certificates STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA Saturday, Dec 22, 2007, Page 4 Chinese spouses of Taiwanese, accompanied by members of a social activist group, filed a protest yesterday against what they called "declining human rights" in Taiwan. Several Chinese spouses said at a news conference at the National Immigration Agency that unreasonable policies -- including the interview policy upon arrival, a long waiting period for citizenship and restrictions on working -- have made their lives difficult. Members of the Chunghua Cross-Strait Marriage Consultation Association, which called the news conference, asked the government to respect the rights of Chinese spouses. They said that since the government opened the door to cross-strait marriages in 1987, Chinese spouses have endured discrimination. For example, the Mainland Affairs Council proposed in 2002 that the waiting period for Chinese spouses to obtain Republic of China (ROC) citizenship be extended from eight years to 11 years, although the proposal was later dropped, they said. The council then imposed a quota system for their citizenship application, they said. The government also launched an interview policy in recent years to screen Chinese spouses with questions that were considered to infringe upon their privacy, the group said. In June, the Ministry of the Interior published a demographic white paper that reduced quotas for Chinese spouses settling in Taiwan, they said. Since Sept. 1, Chinese spouses intending to enter Taiwan after marriage have been required to produce health certificates from state-run hospitals, licensed private hospitals or university-affiliated hospitals and certified by a Chinese notary agency, they said. The clean bill of health must then be certified by the Straits Exchange Foundation to prove the document's validity, they said. The association said that of the 250,000 Chinese spouses living in Taiwan only about 30,000 have ROC identity cards. In response, the National Immigration Agency said it would conduct a thorough review to address the grievances. Regarding a suggestion by association members that the agency revise the regulations on the interview system and the waiting period, the agency said that draft revisions were sent to the Executive Yuan for approval in October. On the provision of a financial statement, officials said that all Chinese spouses of Taiwanese nationals have to be interviewed, but the requirement to provide a financial statement is decided on a case by case basis. They said that when Chinese spouses enter Taiwan, they do not have work permits issued by the Council of Labor Affairs, meaning that Taiwanese nationals have to provide their living expenses. http://www.e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=11..231207.dec07 Sit-in-protest Source: The Sangai Express Imphal, December 22: In protest against the act of shooting Executive Engineer of IFCD Division I Soubam Dhanabir of Thangmeiband Sinam Leikai at his residence yesterday by some unidentified persons grievously injuring the engineer, a sit-in-protest was staged today at Thangmeiband Sinam Leikai. During the protest sitting held under the aegis of Thangmeiband Sinam Leikai Nupi Marup, the protesters held placards which read as, "We condemn armed assault against the IFCD engineer", "We hate gun culture", "We want peace" etc. The women protesters while observing that the attack has caught the local people in a panicky situation, demanded that the perpetrators should give an explicit explanation for the armed assault. Meanwhile, a press release issued by the Employees' Union of Irrigation and Flood Control Department has strongly condemned the act of shooting and grievously injuring EE Dhanabir. It also appealed to all concerned not to repeat such brutal acts in future. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/21/content_7289228.htm Venezuelans protest at U.S. embassy over allegations relating to Argentine elections www.chinaview.cn 2007-12-21 12:52:34 Print CARACAS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Johnny Yanez, governor of the Venezuelan province of Cojedes, protested Thursday at the U.S. embassy against U.S. charges that Venezuela has sent a suitcase stuffed with greenbacks to help Argentine President Cristina Fernandez win her campaign. Yanez headed a parade to the U.S. embassy located in the Valle Arriba neighborhood in eastern Caracas and handed over a letter repudiating the charges he said were not true. Venezuelan-U.S. entrepreneur Guido Antonini Wilson was seized in August with a suitcase containing 800,000 U.S. dollars at the Argentine customs. The suitcase was taken on Dec. 12 to a court in Miami, Florida, where three Venezuelans and a Uruguayan were accused of trying to cover up a "scheme" to bring 800,000 dollars in cash to Argentina. According to U.S. prosecutors, the money was aimed to help her win the presidential poll in October. Yanez in return said the United States has violated their legitimate rights by holding the Venezuelans under arrest. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/05/AR2008010501678.html?hpid=topnews S. Africa's Teens Give New Law the Kiss-Off Anti-Intimacy Measure Sparks Online Outrage Bianca Secchia, 14, and Attie Nortje, 17, joined an ice-rink protest against the strict "kissing law." (By Craig Timberg -- The Washington Post) By Craig Timberg Washington Post Foreign Service Sunday, January 6, 2008; Page A12 JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 5 -- The lights dimmed. Couples skated purposefully onto the ice. And at the command of an unseen deejay, teenage lips touched in defiance of what even authorities here have grudgingly come to call "the kissing law." "The law to me is nothing. I don't think it's going to stop anyone," said Bianca Secchia, 14, who participated in the demonstration Saturday and shared another, less political smooch afterward with her boyfriend, Attie Nortje, 17, at the darkened Northgate Ice Arena. The protest on the northern suburban fringe of Johannesburg was hardly a signal moment in South Africa's storied history of liberation politics. Most of the two dozen young demonstrators settled for scattered group hugs that prosecutors would have struggled to deem criminal even under the new law, which prohibits physical romantic contact involving anyone under 16, regardless of consent. But the controversy generated by news of the looming event -- first on the social networking site Facebook, then in radio and newspaper reports -- led authorities to announce that they had no intention of arresting or prosecuting anyone for violating a law enacted just three weeks earlier. It amounted to quite a victory for legions of cyberlinked high school students not yet old enough to drive themselves to their own protest. Strictly speaking, the law criminalized for those under 16 a remarkably broad range of behavior, including mouth-to-mouth contact and any other form of touching that could cause sexual arousal. In fact, actual prosecutions of consensual encounters between teenagers under 16 are unlikely under the law, requiring explicit approval from the country's top prosecutor. Authorities said the measure was intended to make it easier to prosecute sexual liaisons between adult men and much younger girls, and assaults on the mentally disabled. Yet news of the law triggered a backlash among thousands of students armed with little more than computers, Facebook accounts and an acute sense of outrage at what they regarded as the clueless behavior of repressive adults. Many teens also posted pictures of themselves engaged in amorous, but largely PG-rated, exchanges. "We're young. We need to experiment," Natalie Winston, 12, said before the protest here. "When you're 21, you're old already, and ugly." The organizer, or at least instigator, of the movement was Frances Murray, 14, an exuberant denizen of online-networking sites who has long, dark hair and wears braces and black nail polish. Shortly before Christmas, with just a few weeks to go before she started 10th grade under South Africa's school calendar, she learned about the law from a friend while instant messaging, she said. "When I checked it out, I thought 'Okay, how am I going to go out and break this law?' " recalled Frances, who dreams of becoming a rock star or, in light of recent events, a political organizer. After downloading a few news stories, Frances created a Facebook group called "Everybody Against the New Kissing Law." The description of the group included information on the law's effect and a passionate call to action: "Lets band together and stop this law!!!!! It's takin away our freedom of choice and is against Our Human Rights." Frances said she messaged many of her friends, urging them to take up the cause. After one day, 166 people had joined the group. By the second day, there were 664, and she soon began suggesting in her postings a mass action of some sort. A couple of news reports took note of the burgeoning outrage on Facebook. As the New Year arrived, postings by other teens began calling for public kissing demonstrations at malls across the nation, at noon every Saturday in January. Frances's group, meanwhile, now has more than 14,000 members. Many of the protest plans fizzled. One group organizing an event at a mall in a nearby suburb postponed its action for a week. Elsewhere, teens posted messages expressing regret that they could not arrange transportation or were traveling abroad. Amid rumors of teens being fined for breaking the law, some would-be protesters got cold feet. Armand Stoop, 17, who has a crew cut and a faint goatee, said his 15-year-old girlfriend had called off all kissing since hearing the news. "She's really law-abiding," Stoop said with a hint of sadness mingled with frustration. "She doesn't want to get me in trouble." In interviews, authorities said most teens had little to fear. A Justice Department spokesman said of kissing by those under 16, "Technically it is illegal, but obviously those children are not going to be charged." Assistant Police Commissioner Tertius Geldenhuys said that the reported demonstrations merited no special deployment plans and that officers would take complaints but not initiate action even if they came across necking 14-year-olds. "Your innocent children will not be prosecuted, and the police will not take note of it," he said. "We have much bigger issues to concern ourselves with." Yet at Northgate Ice Arena, redolent with the heady scent of old socks and young love, the protesters girded themselves with brave words. "The police are here! The police are here!" Frances exulted when two police officers appeared shortly before the demonstration was due to begin at 1 p.m. But the officers took no apparent notice of the dimly lit maneuverings on the ice, where Frances grabbed a platonic friend for a symbolic protest hug. Then, as a couple of news cameras trained on her as she stood rink-side afterward, she put her arm around a second platonic friend, Joe Tewson, 14, and kissed his cheek. http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2007/12/09/politics/fromtheroad/entry3596224.shtml Paul Supporters Protest Giuliani Posted by Joy Lin| 33 (CBS) >From CBS News' Joy Lin MIAMI -- "Fascist! Fascist!" shouted a handful of Ron Paul supporters at Rudy Giuliani as he left a hotel and got into his car. Giuliani donned his signature grin while someone screamed at him and his staff, calling them "traitors to the constitution, all of you!" Another guy yelled, "Pathetic!" "Sell-outs! Got to war, you hypocrites! Cowards! Where's your support? You don't have anybody!" one protestor continued. That man was Frank Gonzalez, who noticed Giuliani's "suits" at the hotel entrance earlier while he and others picketed along the South Dixie Highway in Miami. Gonzalez, a self-proclaimed "Ron Paul Democrat" has unsuccessfully run for Congress three times. What's the difference between a Ron Paul Democrat and a Ron Paul Republican? If there's no difference, is Ron Paul a Republican? "Good question. What addresses that more than anything is the underlying philosophy," explained Gonzalez. "Ron Paul is, what they were calling until now, a Goldwater conservative, or a Ronald Reagan conservative, but the real definition of what Ron Paul is all about is libertarianism... By that definition, anyone can run, really, in either party - Ron Paul can run as a Republican, I ran as a Democrat, but our issues are identical, with very, very, very few exceptions." He listed abortion as one area of difference, although that could be resolved because Ron Paul believes the federal government "has no business" deciding whether abortion is legal or illegal. By 3 p.m. - four hours before the debate was scheduled to begin - about 25 Ron Paul supporters were baking under the sun, holding up signs across the street from where the Univision debate would be held. Every minute or so, a car would honk as it passed by. John Bulten and his wife Penny brought their two children - ages 2 and 7 - to the gathering, which had been organized via a MeetUp group. Their daughter, Hannah, was wearing a Ron Paul t-shirt she had made as, her father said, "a home school project." Among the many Ron Paul tenets she had painted on the t-shirt were pictures of flowers, grass, and sunshine. Bulten asked his daughter why Americans should vote for Ron Paul. "Lower taxes, less government, more protection for our borders, and um.get our troops home" she said. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 19:09:56 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 03:09:56 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Anti-racism, migrant rights, and anti-discrimination protests, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <011c01c858b6$702ae290$0802a8c0@andy1> * UK: Protest disrupts Nazi David Irving's talk at Oxford * INDIA: Dalit Christians protest discrimination * INDIA: Dalits protest bonded labour, state inaction * INDIA: Adivasi protesters rally, demanding affirmative action * CANADA: Indo-Canadians blockade attempt to deport Sikh immigrant with a disability * NORTHERN MARIANAS: Migrant labourers stage massive rally against attack on rights * US: Hundreds protest after nooses found at campus * US: Locals protest land grab and ecological destruction for border fence in Arizona * US: Hmong migrants protest green card delays, "terror" label * US: Immigrant rights activists rally against crackdown in Phoenix * PHILIPPINES: Solidarity rally over deportation of trade unionists from Korea * CANADA: Apology averts Islamic protest over genocidal remarks * US: Protest march over police shooting * US: Protest over senior staff change at Maritime Academy, Baltimore http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/27/2102983.htm?section=world Protest postpones Holocaust denier's debate Posted Tue Nov 27, 2007 7:20pm AEDT Hundreds of protesters at Britain's Oxford University have disrupted a debate that included Holocaust denier David Irving. About 500 protesters staged a sit-in, forcing officials to delay the debate and alter its format. It is the first time Mr Irving has been allowed to speak at Oxford despite being invited on seven previous occasions. The head of Oxford's Student Union, Martin McLuskey, says the university has given Mr Irving a chance to gain respectability. "We have real concerns about adding legitimacy and credibility to the views of people who are really quite abhorrent," he said. "This is putting them on a platform, a very prominent platform that's been shared in the past by people like Mother Theresa and the Dalai Lama, and saying we believe that the views that you're espousing here are something that's useful to hear." - BBC http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/02/stories/2007120256191200.htm Dalit Christians to stage protest Special Correspondent NEW DELHI: The National Council of Dalit Christians on Saturday urged the members of the community to march to their district headquarters on December 10 to mount pressure on the government to grant them Scheduled Caste status. According to a statement here, Dalit Christians will observe December 10 as 'Black Day' to protest the "delaying tactics" of the Union government. "Even after the positive recommendations of the Justice Ranganath Misra Commission for conferment of SC status on all Dalits irrespective of religion and the deletion of Para 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order, 1950, and making reservation and SC status religion neutral, the government is silent and indifferent to the issue," the statement said. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200712061590.htm Dalits stage protest in Chandigarh Chandigarh, (PTI): Scheduled-castes from across the State on Thursday staged a demonstration here protesting against the alleged failure of the government in preventing bonded labour and implementation of SCs atrocities act. The dalits owing allegiance to a Punjab-based NGO, Dalit Dasta Virodhi Andolan, staged a protest march in the city and later submitted a memorandum to Punjab Governor Gen (Retd), S F Rodrigues. The NGO claimed there were around five lakh bonded labours in the agrarian sector. "Lot many atrocities are committed upon us," said Jai Singh, head of the NGO. He criticised the government's failure in filling up of backlog vacancies for SCs in public sectors. "Since long, we are working to get released various bonded labours from different places of Punjab. So far the number of such labours stood at around 9,000," said Swami Agnivesh, a social worker. http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/02/stories/2007120251620300.htm Protest against attack on Adivasis Staff Reporter -Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma Protest: Activists of AllIndia Progressive Women's Association and the AISA holding a demonstration outside the Assam Bhawan in New Delhi on Saturday. NEW DELHI: Activists of the All-India Students' Association, All-India Progressive Women's Association and several citizens' groups staged a demonstration near Assam Bhavan here on Saturday protesting against the brutal attack on Adivasi protesters in Guwahati recently during a rally demanding grant of Scheduled Tribe status for them. The demonstration also protested against the public stripping and humiliation of a young tribal girl by the mob. Addressing the demonstration, AISA national general secretary Ravi Rai pointed out that the tea tribes from other States had been forced by the British colonial powers to work as indentured labour on tea plantations and that there could be "no ground for denying them the Scheduled Tribes status". Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president Sandeep Singh said the incident was a "matter of shame" for the Congress regime in Assam and at the Centre. AIPWA general secretary Kumudini Pati said her organisation had declared a State-wide Protest Day on the issue in Jharkhand on Monday. Later the protesters submitted a memorandum signed by several signatories to the Resident Commissioner of Assam demanding resignation of the State Chief Minister and a judicial enquiry into the events. Bandhua Mukti Morcha leader Swami Agnivesh and Radhika Menon of the Forum for Democratic Initiatives also took part in the protest. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200712051223.htm Indo-Canadians protest as paralysed Sikh faces deportation Toronto (PTI): A paralysed Sikh man seeking refugee status in Canada is facing deportation after the immigration office rejected his plea to stay in the country on compassionate grounds, prompting the Indo-Canadian community to come out in his support and stage protests. Laibar Singh, who entered the country in 2003 on a false passport, suffered a brain aneurysm last year, leaving him bed-ridden and unable to feed himself. He appealed to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada to let him stay on humanitarian grounds, saying returning to India would be akin to a death sentence as he would not receive proper treatment. He may be deported to India on December 10 if his appeal against the decision is rejected by Federal Court of Appeal. The Canadian Labour Congress, British Columbia Coalition of People with Disabilities, the British Columbia Hospital Employees Union, the Multifaith Action Committee, and the gurdwaras have decided to oppose the government's action. They staged a rally in Singh's support at the local immigration office in Surrey on Sunday and plans another protest demonstration at Vancouver International Airport when Singh would be deported on December 10, which also happens to be the World Human Rights Day. When 48-year-old Singh was about to be deported in July this year, he was taken out of hospital by his supporters and given sanctuary at a gurdwara in Abbotsford in British Columbia. The police didn't enter the shrine keeping in view the religious feelings of the Sikhs. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/12/10/bc-singhdeportaion.html Deportation order for Vancouver refugee claimant delayed Last Updated: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 | 1:10 PM ET CBC News Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: S M L XL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACK Paralyzed refugee claimant Laibar Singh can stay in Canada for the time being after more than 1,000 people protested his scheduled deportation at Vancouver International Airport's departures terminal Monday morning, blocking traffic and causing delays. Laibar Singh came to Canada in 2003 on a forged passport and suffered a massive stroke last year that left him a quadriplegic. (CBC) The removal order for Singh has been delayed for "safety and security reasons," Derek Mellon, a spokesman for the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) told CBC News from Ottawa Monday afternoon. "As to when to enforce the removal order of Mr. Singh, I cannot discuss the details," Mellon said. Protesters, some holding placards reading "Deportation is death to Singh," blocked the lane to the Vancouver airport departures terminal in support of Singh, who had been scheduled to be deported to India on Monday. Protesters surrounded a taxi with Singh in it at 11 a.m. PT. More than 1,000 protesters at Vancouver International Airport's departure terminal attempted to block the deportation of Laibar Singh on Monday. (CBC) At around 3 p.m., the taxi pulled away slowly to the cheers of the crowd, following the CBSA's decision to delay removing Singh from Canada. The plane he was supposed to be on, Cathy Pacific Flight CX839, left at around 2:30 p.m. No One Is Illegal, a group that advocates on behalf of refugees, which helped Singh get to the airport, said it will take care of Singh while he's in Vancouver. Singh granted 60-day stay in August The federal government granted Singh a 60-day stay of his deportation order on Aug. 19, the day before he was expected to be deported. His deportation was later scheduled for 10:30 a.m. PT Monday at Vancouver airport. Singh came to Canada in 2003 on a forged passport. He suffered a massive stroke three years later that left him a quadriplegic and unable to care for himself. He has since argued that he will die if he is deported to India because he won't be able to get proper medical treatment. Singh initially sought refugee status in 2003 on the grounds that he would be persecuted by police in Punjab, where officials have accused him of links to separatist militants, but his refugee claim was denied that year. Appeals turned down His appeals to stay in Canada were turned down by immigration officials, who ruled Singh couldn't remain because he doesn't have adequate community ties. Harsha Walia, of No One Is Illegal, said that finding is outrageous, based on the support the community has already shown for him. Walia said 40,000 people have signed a petition urging Ottawa to allow Singh to stay in the country on humanitarian grounds. This is the third time Singh has avoided deportation. He was first scheduled to be deported on July 8, 2007, but sought sanctuary at the Kalgidhar Darbar Sahib Society temple in Abbotsford instead. The Canada Border Services Agency then arrested Singh on Aug. 13 at an Abbotsford, B.C., hospital, after he left the Sikh temple to seek medical attention. http://www.straight.com/article-124546/community-rallies-against-deportation-of-laibar-singh Straight Talk Community rallies against deportation of Laibar Singh Straight Talk By Carlito Pablo Publish Date: December 13, 2007 login or register to post comments | email this page | printer friendly version Many in the South Asian community are dismayed by the Conservative government's insistence on immediately deporting paralyzed refugee claimant Laibar Singh. "Why is it not taking any interest in the community's demand?" Radio India host Harpreet Singh asked. He spoke with the Straight two days after a December 10 protest at Vancouver International Airport stopped the Canada Border Services Agency from enforcing a deportation order on Singh. Harpreet Singh stressed that the community doesn't condone illegal immigration. Laibar Singh came to Canada on a forged passport in 2003. The Immigration and Refugee Board rejected his claim that he would be tortured if he returned to India. He later suffered a stroke in 2006 that left him paralyzed. "We are just demanding that in this time when his health is not good, he should not be sent back," Harpreet Singh said. "Another two, three, six months till the time he gets back and the day he's fine, send him back. We are just asking on compassionate grounds that this man who is not in a good condition should be allowed to stay here till the time he recuperates." On December 11, NDP MP Bill Siksay faxed a letter to Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day asking him to reconsider immediate deportation. Siksay told the Straight that Citizenship and Immigration Minister Diane Finley has plenty of discretion to let Singh remain here on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Siksay explained that any evaluation of humanitarian and compassionate grounds focuses on what could happen to a person outside of Canada. But he also said that in some cases, such a review takes into consideration the community ties a person has built while in Canada. "The appeal can be made to the minister for all kinds of different reasons," Siksay said. "The minister does have some personal ability to make that kind of declaration." He noted that Laibar Singh's case is significant because of the strong support from the community, including the Sikh temple in Abbotsford that had previously provided him sanctuary. "People don't take that lightly," Siksay said. "They know it's a form of civil disobedience in a way. You're saying you disagree with the decisions of the government. I try to be very supportive of a community that takes that step." http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hvzXpUgMv-1PwfEVr7wnbQekq2GA Thousands protest US labour reforms in Northern Marianas Dec 8, 2007 SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands (AFP) - Thousands of migrant workers have rallied in pouring rain in the Northern Marianas to protest a new US labour law that denies them the right to change employers. The law will also force them to leave the US-administered territory in the western Pacific Ocean and go home for six months every three years. Most of the protesters at Friday's rally were lowly paid workers from the Philippines although they included several professionals. "I'm an alien," a Canadian doctor who gave his name only as Dr Gotasky said Saturday when asked why he had joined the rally. "I am a doctor from Canada. This law sends a strong message that we're not wanted here." While the protestors objected to the new labour law they also demanded the US Congress support an immigration bill granting non-immigrant status to people legally employed in the island chain for at least five years. If this change of status is approved it would allow the migrants to freely travel, work and study anywhere in the United States. The two bills are before the US Congress which is seeking to place Northern Marianas immigration policy under federal rather than local laws. "We've had rallies before but never a march of this magnitude," said Wendy Doromal, a Florida-based teacher and human rights activist who flew to the island for the rally. "This rally can make a difference in several ways. People will understand that this isn't about us (migrant workers) versus them (locals). Everyone has to work together." Federal labour ombudsman Jim Benedetto, who also joined the three-mile march, said the situation in the islands was being closely monitored in Washington where officials would be aware of the size of the protest. "I would say there are about 5,000 to 6,000 people here," he said. There are more than 20,000 migrant workers in the Northern Marianas, most of them from the Philippines and China. The remote islands, with a population of about 80,000, are heavily reliant on the garment and tourism industries. http://www.mlive.com/news/saginawnews/index.ssf?/base/news-25/11970949463390.xml&coll=9 Busloads protest nooses on CMU campus Saturday, December 8, 2007 AMY PAYNE THE SAGINAW NEWS MOUNT PLEASANT -- The message that more than 200 protesters delivered Friday wasn't easy to hear, Isabella County's top law enforcer says. But Prosecutor Larry J. Burdick also cautioned against a ''rush to judgment'' against the student who hung four nooses in a Central Michigan University classroom in mid-November. ''The message I take from this rally is that symbols can hurt. Symbols do matter. And we should all acknowledge the symbolism of a hangman's noose,'' Burdick said in a statement released hours after Friday's protest ended. Around midday, more than 50 students, faculty and members of civil rights groups marched a mile from CMU's Warriner Hall to the County Courthouse at 200 N. Main, chanting ''No justice -- no peace!'' The crowd cheered as two charter buses and several cars and vans unloaded another 150 supporters from Grand Rapids, Detroit, Benton Harbor, Kalamazoo and elsewhere around Michigan. The protesters said the noose is a clear symbol of hatred and a reminder that the lynching of blacks was a shameful part of America's history, and they expressed frustration at the pace of Burdick's probe. The student who made the nooses from flexible plastic tubing has told authorities it was a prank with no racial implications, and Burdick said he needs more time to determine if a crime was committed. Kierre Majors, president of the campus group Students Against Discrimination, said she was outraged at the Nov. 12 discovery of the nooses. The Detroit native helped organize Friday's rally. ''We don't pay our tuition to have someone take equipment out of the classroom and hang a noose,'' said the 21-year-old elementary education student. ''If I don't feel 100 percent safe on campus, how are my tuition dollars being spent?'' Staff members watched from Burdick's third-floor office window as the crowd chanted ''We want justice!'' shook their fingers at the building and urged Burdick: ''Larry don't be lazy; don't be a loser; do your job!'' Many carried signs, among them: ''What a NOOSEance,'' ''Do the right thing, Mr. Burdick,'' and ''We are all strange fruit hanging from the same tree,'' alluding to the Billie Holiday song condemning lynchings. ''We have some people here studying law, but a bad example is being set here,'' said Robert S. Womack, a Grand Rapids talk show host on WJNZ-AM, 1140. A student found the hangman's nooses in Room 228 of the Engineering and Technology Building. Burdick has said that his office still is investigating whether the suspect should face prosecution under Michigan's ethnic intimidation law. FBI officials also are working on the case. ''(Burdick) sees a clear crime and says it's a joke?'' Womack said. ''If it was a swastika and he called it a joke, there would be a lot more people out here. ''Any adult male knows what he's doing when he hangs a noose.'' CMU officials have said the dean of students and the university's affirmative action office are looking into the case for possible disciplinary action against the student. The Detroit-based National Council for Community Empowerment and other groups that have met with CMU are generally pleased with how the university is handling the incident but still want to see the student in court, said R. Chester Gulley, assistant recording secretary of the Dallas-based National Missionary Baptist Convention of America. ''I don't hate the young man who hung the noose,'' said Gulley, who also serves as pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church in Benton Harbor. ''But we cannot allow it to go unprosecuted.'' v Amy Payne is a staff writer for The Saginaw News. You may reach her at 776-9687. http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/border/71365.php Government takes testimony on Texas border fence as hundreds protest The Associated Press McALLEN, Texas - Gloria Garza doesn't know whether submitting her comments to the government about a plan to construct 70 miles of fence along the U.S.-Mexico border will help stop it. But she said it's the best thing she can think of to do. Garza was among hundreds of people who protested the fence Tuesday at a rally that coincided with a federally sponsored open house to gather public comment on a draft study of the fence plans for the Rio Grande Valley. "I'm here to protest against this wall because it's going to destroy homes," said Garza, 25, a McAllen resident. "There's a better solution." After attending the rally, Garza said she planned to wait in line to put her opinion about the fence on the federal record. Tuesday's open house was the first of three meant to gather public input on the draft Environmental Impact Statement assessing the potential effects of proposed fencing that would span 21 different sections of the Valley and total about 70 miles. At the event, four stations were set up with poster-sized maps and bullet points, with officials from agencies like the U.S. Border Patrol on hand to answer questions. In another area, people could submit handwritten or typewritten comments or get their comments transcribed. "We're here to listen, that's what it's all about," said Barry Morrissey, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is an agency of the Department of Homeland Security. Morrissey noted that the open house was to take comment on the impact statement. Still, he said all comments were welcomed and expected many to be on whether a fence should be constructed at all. While much of the rally was about opposition to the fence as a whole, some people had worries about possible impacts in specific areas. Carmen Perez Garcia, 60, of McAllen, said she's worried about wildlife. "We're going to destroy precious habitat," she said. "I think our environment would be horribly damaged." Other open houses were set for Wednesday in Brownsville and Thursday in Rio Grande City, Morrissey said. Pat Ahumada, mayor of Brownsville, said city leaders were scheduled to meet with Homeland Security officials at noon Wednesday to discuss the border fence. Ahumada plans to submit an alternative plan for a "virtual fence" that he says would be more effective. A protest against the border fence is planned for later in the day. Early during Tuesday's open house, several of the ralliers interrupted, yelling over a short presentation being given about the impact statement and opportunity to comment. "I'm making my comment," yelled Ruben Solis, who held a "No Border Wall" sign, when told he could make his remarks another way. A few of the others who were there to give their opinions on the fence clapped. Others shouted back. "I live here and I want a wall," said Alton Moore. "I believe we should be a nation of laws. I think he (Solis) should follow normal channels." After several minutes, the protesters left. Greg Gephart, deputy program manager for tactical infrastructure for Customs and Border Protection, said a final impact statement will be released in February. "Will it (fence placement) change? It may, it may not," Gephart said. "These are not final locations." McAllen Chamber of Commerce President Steve Ahlenius said he didn't think the federal government was taking the open houses seriously. "From our perspective they're just going through the motions," Ahlenius said. Morrissey said that by holding three open houses instead of just one, the government was going beyond its responsibility to gather public comment. Ahlenius said the idea was for the protesters to show up for the rally and then stay to testify to "lay a foundation" that residents oppose the fence in case residents or city officials decide to sue the government later. The government will take public comment until Dec. 31, Morrissey said. The heavily populated Rio Grande Valley has been the center of opposition to the planned fence, a combination of steel fence and "virtual fencing" designed to stop illegal immigration and smuggling. But landowners and government officials complain the fence will cut them off from the Rio Grande, a historically significant waterway to Texas and the only source of fresh water in the region for livestock and crops. They also say it will do little to stop illegal immigration and smuggling and essentially cede miles of riverfront land to Mexico. Federal officials, however, say that without immigration reform legislation, the fence is the only acceptable way to secure the border. Some senators are questioning a decision by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to conduct an environmental impact statement for Texas, but skip one for Arizona, where the fence will traverse the San Pedro Riparian Conservation Area. In October, Chertoff invoked power given to him by Congress to waive 19 environmental laws after a court blocked construction of the 2-mile fence in the Arizona conservation area. About a month earlier, the Homeland Security Department announced it was preparing an Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, to study possible effects of fence construction along 70 miles of the Texas-Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley. An EIS requires public hearings and is a more thorough study. Environmental assessments have been ordered for fencing planned on other parts of the Texas-Mexico border. The Homeland Security Department did an environmental assessment for Arizona, a study that does not require as much public input and is not as in-depth. http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_7738302 Calif. Hmong protest green card delays due to Patriot Act The Associated Press Article Launched: 12/16/2007 01:24:19 PM PST STOCKTON, Calif.-About 1,800 Laotian immigrants, including more than hundred Hmong veterans who fought for the United States against the Vietnamese, protested what they consider the unfair application of certain provisions of the Patriot Act to Hmong refugees. State and local officials from the Central Valley heard how Hmong residents resettled from Laos and Thailand have had difficulty obtaining green cards, driver's licenses and passports because they or their relatives aided the U.S., said Srida Moua of Hmong National Development, a Hmong advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. Under the Patriot Act, Hmong aren't specifically listed as terrorists, but refugees may be denied entry to the U.S. if they are found to have provided material support to terrorists, defined under the act as having engaged in unlawful activity against their country, Moua said. "Terrorism's defined as an unlawful activity committed under the laws of the place where it's committed," Moua explained. "In the case of the Hmong, those who took up arms to fight alongside U.S. soldiers fall under this definition. Two bills are currently pending in Congress that would remove the material support from applying to Hmong seeking asylum or permanent residency. "We, the Hmong people, are not terrorists and should not be labeled terrorists," said Noah Lor, the first Hmong city councilman from Merced. >From 1961 to 1975, the CIA recruited thousands of Hmong soldiers to Advertisement fight against the Vietnamese and Lao communists. Rocky Vang, 54, who organized a Sacramento-area contingent for Saturday's gathering that included four busloads and more than 100 private cars, said he was one of them from 1969 until Laos fell in 1975. "I've been worried about this a lot," said Vang. "We have a problem with the DMV holding the licenses of our kids until Homeland Security completes their investigation." Zang Fang of the Southeast Asian Resource Action Center said that many of the 16,000 recently resettled Hmong refugees are facing long delays into getting their green cards approved. "Over 4,000 applications are on hold because of material support," Fang said. http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=7518861 Immigrant-rights activists protest changes to police policies Associated Press - December 19, 2007 6:24 PM ET PHOENIX (AP) - Phoenix police say about 85 to 100 people marched from an east Phoenix furniture store to city hall today. Officers and detectives from Phoenix P.D. accompanied the walkers. Police report there were no significant incidents reported and the Phoenix Police Department did not make any arrests related to the walk or the arrival at City Council Chambers. Organizer Salvador Reza says the march is a message to Mayor Phil Gordon after the mayor appointed a committee to look into changing city police policy barring officers from asking people they contact about their immigration status. Reza wants the Council to put a stop to any change. He says if officers are given authority to question people about their legal status it will lead to racial profiling. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1219earlymarch-ON.html?&wired Immigrant advocates protest Gordon move 100 march to City Hall Daniel Gonz?lez The Arizona Republic Dec. 19, 2007 05:00 PM About 100 immigrant-rights advocates marched from a Phoenix furniture store to City Hall on Wednesday to protest Mayor Phil Gordon's efforts to have Phoenix police take a more aggressive approach toward arresting undocumented immigrants. The march took place on the day of the last City Council meeting of the year. Marchers spoke out against Gordon's decision to change a 20-year-old policy that restricts officers from asking people about their immigration status during routine encounters. "I implore you to maintain the policy so the immigrant community can maintain trust of the police," said Rev. Liana Rowe of Interfaith Worker Justice of Arizona, one of 25 people who spoke to the council opposing the policy change. advertisement Facing growing political pressure from anti-illegal-immigration groups threatening a recall, Gordon last month asked a panel to come up with a new policy by year's end that would give police more authority to enforce immigration laws. Gordon asked the panel to come up with a policy that also includes protections against ethnic profiling and discrimination. The decision marked a reversal from Gordon's earlier support for the policy, known as Operations Order 1.4. The reversal has put the mayor at odds with Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris, who says arresting illegal immigrants would divert resources away from fighting violent crime. It has put Gordon more in line with rank-and-file officers who through the police union are pushing for more leeway to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement when they encounter undocumented immigrants, and with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio has been using ICE-trained deputies to crack down on undocumented immigrants for months. Immigration-rights advocates and many Latino community leaders fear that using local police to enforce immigration laws will lead to widespread ethnic profiling and civil-rights violations. They also are concerned that immigrants, many of whom already are wary of police, will become more reluctant to report crimes out of fear that they will be arrested and deported. "We want the mayor to listen to his police chief and not change Operations Order 1.4," said Salvador Reza, who organized the march. As Phoenix police officers kept watch and managed traffic, the marchers made their way about six miles from Pruitt's Home Furnishings on Thomas Road near 35th Street to downtown. The furniture store has become a flashpoint in the national debate over illegal immigration, with weekly protests by advocates of day laborers and members of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and other anti-illegal-immigration groups. Some pro-immigration marchers carried signs with slogans that read, "No human being is illegal." Along the way, they were met with small groups of anti-illegal-immigration protesters, which led to some verbal confrontations, but no arrests by police. "If you are illegal, go home," yelled Bobby Wright, 30, of Buckeye, as the marchers passed. "Get legal or go home. You are all terrorists." About 30 anti-illegal-immigration advocates also were waiting for the marchers outside the City Council chambers. Rich Martin, 65, of Phoenix, said the killing of Phoenix police Officer Nick Erfle by an undocumented immigrant in September showed the need for police to have more authority to enforce immigration laws. "We need to protect our police and make sure they don't have to die at the hands of illegals," Martin said. Reza told undocumented immigrants to stay away out of fear they could be arrested and deported. Reza accused Arpaio of trying to intimate marchers by sending deputies to patrol areas along the route. A sheriff's van with a billboard on the side that said "stop illegal immigration" trailed protesters most of the way. Arpaio denied that he was trying to intimate protesters. Sheriff's deputies arrested nine people, seven of whom turned out to be undocumented immigrants, said spokesman Paul Chagolla. The arrests were made during traffic stops near Pruitt's, Chagolla said. http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view_article.php?article_id=107537 OFWs protest crackdown on migrants' union in South Korea By Veronica Uy INQUIRER.net First Posted 12:40pm (Mla time) 12/18/2007 MANILA, Philippines -- Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and organizations working for their welfare staged a rally outside the South Korean embassy on Makati Avenue Tuesday to protest a crackdown in that country on the Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants Trade Union (MTU). The protest coincided with the commemoration of International Migrants Day "We, representatives of various labor unions and migrants rights organizations who came together under the Philippine Solidarity for Migrants Trade Union in Korea (PS-MTUK).manifest our protest and indignation to the South Korean government for its blatant violation of the labor and human rights of migrant worker-leaders of the MTU," according to a letter the protesters sought to deliver to the South Korean Ministry of Justice through the here. Ellene Sana, executive director of the Center for Migrant Advocacy and among the protesters, said MTU president Kaji Man, vice president Raju (both Nepalis), and general secretary Masum (a Bangladeshi) were arrested and detained on November 27, and summarily deported on December 13. "This is in total disregard of their human rights and due process under the Korean legal and justice system," she said. Sana said the MTU looks after the welfare of both documented and undocumented migrant workers in South Korea. She said it seeks to promote decent jobs and uphold migrant workers' dignity regardless of one's immigration status. "MTU initiatives.[are] an inspiration not only to the more than 400,000 migrant workers in Korea.but also to all the millions of toiling migrant workers around the world," said the letter. After the tightening of immigration rules in Japan, Filipinos who traditionally went to Japan went to South Korea instead. Philippine government estimates put at 70,000 the number of Filipinos who work and live in South Korea, broken down into 5,600 permanent residents, 50,600 temporary workers, and about 14,000 irregular workers. According to the letter, the MTU was formed in 2005 but the Korean Ministry of Labor denied its application for official accreditation as a trade union. Even then, the Seoul Appellate Court upheld MTU's right to form a trade union for migrant workers regardless of their immigration status. "We hailed the decision of the Appellate Court," said the letter signed by at least 10 OFW organizations, including Akbayan Citizens' Action Party, Alliance of Progressive Labor, Alliance of Progressive Labor Hong Kong, Kasapi Hellas (the Union of Filipino Migrant Workers in Greece), Partido ng Manggagawa-National Workers' Party, and even the moderate Trade Union Congress of the Philippines. The most recent crackdown and arrests are not the first attempts at suppressing the MTU's union activities, the letter said. Immediately following his election as first MTU president in 2005, Bangladeshi migrant worker Anwar Hussain was also arrested and detained. He was released only early this year for health reasons. He voluntarily returned to his home country this July only to face continued harassment from his own government for his alleged "anti-Korean and anti-government activities." Calling for an end to the crackdown, the migrant workers' group said attacks on MTU are meant to "prevent the forging of a strong alliance and solidarity between migrant workers and local Korean workers affiliated with the 15-million-strong Korean Confederation of Trade Unions." These policies and actions "bring shame" to the South Korean government and its commitment to peace, democracy, and human rights, the Philippine group said. South Korea is a democratic country that is seen as counterfoil to its communist neighbor North Korea. http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=7c580a19-a704-474e-b812-30585a72e46b&k=95611 Western Standard's apology averts Islamic protest CanWest News Service Published: Saturday, December 22, 2007 CALGARY -- A protest planned for Friday afternoon in Calgary to condemn alleged violent and racist postings has been cancelled after an apology from the Western Standard magazine. Two human rights complaints against the online magazine also were dropped after the Western Standard's owner apologized, said the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada. "In the spirit of Eid al-Adha and Christmas, Imam Syed Soharwardy has decided to withdraw his complaint from the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission and the Canadian Human Rights Commission in Ottawa," the group stated in a press release. Soharwardy said he had invited Matthew Johnston, owner of the Western Standard, to visit Al Madinah Calgary Islamic Centre and talk to the Muslim community on any Friday. The comments appeared on the Shotgun Blog of the Western Standard website. The entry, dated Dec. 5 and written by a user calling himself 'Templar,' said, "there is no such thing as innocent Muslims." Templar went on to write, "They must all be killed. All of them." "This is absolutely pure hate-mongering," said Soharwardy earlier this week. "It's an abuse of freedom of speech. It's against Canadian (hate) laws." The original Dec. 2 posting that sparked the user comments was written by former Western Standard publisher Ezra Levant. He was discussing complaints by the Canadian Islamic Congress against Maclean's magazine. It was the anonymous response to Levant's posting that angered Muslim leaders. Levant, who no longer owns the website or the Western Standard name, said he doesn't personally agree with the comments, but argued they should be protected as free speech. The Western Standard website initially said the comments were protected by the principle of freedom of speech, but added changes were in the works for the blog. Calgary Herald http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jqle9Ha7YXVzLv_fxoB7p-Cx0p4AD8U005T00 Sharpton Leads Protest in Shooting Case Jan 5, 2008 RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) - The Rev. Al Sharpton led a rally Saturday to protest the conviction of a black man in the fatal shooting of a white teenager on Long Island, saying the prosecution of the case was unjust. The civil rights activist was joined by John White, who was found guilty of manslaughter last month but is free on bail pending sentencing. Several hundred people gathered outside the courthouse where the case was tried. The teenager, Daniel Cicciaro Jr., had shown up at White's home on Aug. 9, 2006, with a group of angry friends. Sharpton has described Cicciaro and his friends as a "mob" that had threatened White. White has said he was trying to protect his home and family when he grabbed a gun and went to face the teens outside the house in the predominantly white community of Miller Place. The conflict began with a bogus MySpace posting claiming White's 19-year-old son, Aaron, wanted to rape a female friend of one of the white teens. John White claimed the gun fired accidentally when Cicciaro lunged for it, killing the 17-year-old. Prosecutors argued that White was rash to confront the teens, rather than locking the door and calling police. The teens, who were unarmed, were not prosecuted. White, 54, faces a potential prison term of five to 15 years. He has said he will appeal. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-maritime0102,0,3538141.story?coll=bal-howard-alsosee Students, parents protest removal of Maritime administrators Stephanie Hurt, 14, a ninth grader at P.S. 431, the Maritime Industries Academy, holds a sign protesting what parents and students say was the forced resignation of their principal, Dr. Marco Clark. (Sun photo by Kim Hairston / January 2, 2008) By Sara Neufeld | Sun reporter 8:51 PM EST, January 2, 2008 This was supposed to be an exciting week at Maritime Industries Academy, with students preparing for a Jan. 9 visit from the secretary of the U.S. Navy. Instead, the little Baltimore high school -- located in a strip mall in the 700 block of W. North Avenue -- is in turmoil, railing over the sudden departure of the principal and the assistant principal. Dozens of parents and students marched about 10 blocks to school system headquarters Wednesday morning in support of Principal Marco T. Clark, who has resigned, and Assistant Principal Kevin Brooks, who was placed on paid administrative leave. System officials declined to give a reason for what happened because the matter is a personnel issue. But several sources with knowledge of the system's investigation said that Clark faces an allegation that a student's grades were falsified for the student to graduate, while Brooks has been cleared of wrongdoing. Efforts to reach Clark and Brooks were unsuccessful. But system spokeswoman Edie House confirmed Wednesday night that Brooks will be reinstated Thursday, acting as managing assistant principal. He will oversee the daily operations of the school, pending school board approval. The 300-student school formed in 2004 as a result of the breakup of Walbrook High, where Clark had been assistant principal under former mayoral candidate Andrey Bundley. Bundley was removed as Walbrook's principal that year and transferred to a central office job amid accusations that he allowed students to graduate or move to the next grade without meeting requirements. The parents and students protesting Wednesday, the first day back from the winter break, were angry that the system had not explained what happened to Clark and Brooks. Both left abruptly two days before the break started. On the last day before vacation, Dec. 21, the protesters said, the school was in chaos as central office administrators and school police arrived in large numbers. Many teachers didn't show up to work; others were crying. "It was crazy," said 17-year-old Kenjah Henry, a junior at the school who participated in the protest. Of Clark, she said: "For a lot of us, he's like a father figure. We all know he would never resign. He would never just leave us. We're like his children." The parents and students also said the school is typically far more orderly than several of the city's other neighborhood high schools. There is no school police officer regularly assigned there. The school last year reported a 99 percent graduation rate, according to literature it distributed. But until recently, the school did little to emphasize its maritime theme. Now, getting the school to live up to its mission has become a pet project of U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, the Baltimore Democrat who is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. "The school is four blocks from my house," the congressman said. "When I found out about it, I said, 'This is perfect.' This is a school located in one of the largest port cities in the country. We've got so many assets here and so many jobs that a lot of these kids don't have a clue about. ... Many of these kids had never been to the port but yet they were in a maritime high school." Since beginning work on behalf of the school this summer, Cummings said, "it has been one of my top priorities." The school now has weekly speakers from the maritime sector. Next week, the speaker is scheduled to be U.S. Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter, though officials were contemplating Wednesday whether to postpone the visit. Adm. Thad W. Allen, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, is scheduled to speak next month. Other changes that Cummings cited: The school has implemented a junior ROTC program. Seniors will be placed in maritime-related internships. A maritime curriculum is being developed. A few months ago, Cummings convened a board of local maritime leaders to help govern the school, including former Rep. Helen D. Bentley. He also arranged for the school to be taken out of the jurisdiction of an administrator overseeing neighborhood high schools and placed under the ad ministrator overseeing charter and innovation schools. Maritime is not yet a charter, a public school that operates independently, but the new governing board is weighing whether to apply to convert into one. Now designated as an "innovation" high school, Maritime is no longer required to admit students who aren't interested in maritime careers, Cummings said. "It was in name only a maritime school," said one of the board members, George "Bud" Nixon Jr., chairman of Baltimore's private-sector port coalition. "We've been working with Dr. Clark and the whole staff trying to improve the school and make it more representative of the Port of Baltimore. Needless to say, I was shocked when I got the news about what's going on and still don't have it straight in my mind why it is." Nixon said he was "more than a little impressed" with both Clark and Brooks. But even with Clark's departure, he said, "we're not going to give up our efforts on the school... One or two people will not make or break what we're trying to do." From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 19:34:00 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 03:34:00 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Health and welfare protests, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <013701c858b9$cd091e20$0802a8c0@andy1> * IRELAND: Over 2000 protest cuts at Roscommon hospital * SPAIN: Hundreds of thousands protest Barcelona train service due to mass suspension * AUSTRALIA: Protests over hospital closure intensify * INDIA: Flight delays cause passenger protest in Kozhikode * US: New Orleans public housing protesters target mayor's house * UK: Shropshire ambulance centre cuts protested * IRELAND: Protest at parliament over breast cancer misdiagnosis scandal * AUSTRALIA: Nurses protest over staff shortage * INDIA: Massive protest, boycott in Mumbai over poor state of train network, "carriages like torture centres" * CANADA: Thousands rally for healthcare in Brampton * US: Protesters pour mineral water in protest over supplier's grab for town's water * INDIA: Protest over lack of gas * INDIA: Villagers protest defects in food ration system * UK: Passengers plan refusal to pay in rail timetable protest * CANADA: OCAP stage protest against attacks on panhandlers, ban on sleeping rough * IRELAND: Rally against closure of hospital * AUSTRALIA: Protesters march across bridge to defend hospital * HUNGARY: General strike targets health service privatisation * PAKISTAN: Socialists organise protests against increasing flour prices * INDIA: Protest movement organised against "power famine" in Gaya * US: Elderly people protest funeral parlour across street from old people's home * MAURITANIA: Newspapers strike over rise in printing costs http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/ireland/article3172025.ece Over 2,000 protest removal of acute services at Roscommon Hospital Saturday, November 17, 2007 Up to 2,000 people took to the streets of Roscommon today to protest against the removal of acute services at Roscommon County Hospital. It comes as the Health Service Executive continues its review of the hospital, which is due to be published in the New Year. Among those addressing crowds at today's rally were three consultants working in Roscommon. Senior Consultant Pat Mc Hugh said that lives would be lost if services in Roscommon are downgraded http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=200309&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30243 Week-long jobs protest Gulf Daily News A SIT-IN by three men outside the Civil Service Bureau (CSB), Juffair, will today reach the one-week mark. The three unemployed Bahrainis have been living outside the building since last Sunday protesting against not having a job. They claim they were promised jobs more than five years ago by the CSB, but are still waiting. "We will do whatever it takes for us to be given our rights - even it means that we have to live under the... http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iChW_wnbyf7DIXfG8hm0xrJaqhwg Hundreds of thousands protest Barcelona train service Dec 1, 2007 BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Barcelona on Saturday to protest against the recent chaos in the local train system after service was suspended for 42 days. The platform the Right to Decide (PDD) called for the protest to demand that infrastructure management in Catalonia be transferred to the autonomous government there, and also demanded more "respect" for the northeastern region of Spain. Organisers estimate that 700,000 turned out, while police held the figure at 200,000. "We are a nation and we say 'that's enough'. We have the right to decide our infrastructure," according to PDD organisers. The marchers are calling for trains to be put on track again after 42 days of suspended service due to a landslide triggered by work on high-speed train lines. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/19/2094286.htm Hospital site protest to intensify Posted Mon Nov 19, 2007 8:41am AEDT Map: Bega 2550 A meeting held at Merimbula on the weekend, to protest against a decision to centralise hospital facilities in the Bega area, has voted to take the fight to State Parliament. Various estimates say there was up to 300 people in attendance. It was called by local health professionals who say that the decision to close the Pambula Hospital in favour of a new regional facility near Bega will severely disadvantage people in the southern half of the Bega Valley Shire. Organiser Dr Frank Simonson says Saturday's meeting was just the start of a campaign, which will include further meetings and petitions which aim to have the New South Wales Government reconsider the decision. "The petitions are going out and the feedback that we've had has been very strong," he said. "Later in the year we'll collect those petitions and we'll take them to Sydney and we're hopeful that we'll be able to meet the Minister for Planning and the Minister for Health and persuade them to revisit the decision and then to engage in wider community consultation." http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200711182173.htm Agitated passengers protest at Kozhikode airport Kozhikode (PTI): Agitated over the inordinate delay in flight services caused by fog over the airport at Dubai, passengers staged a protest at the International airport here on Sunday after the Air India Express flight arrived 24 hours behind schedule. Passengers of the delayed flight included former Kerala Minister and Muslim League leader M K Muneer who led the protest before the Airport's Emigration Counter for a while. The agitated passengers complained that the airline authorities did not even bother to treat them properly despite the severe inconveniences they had to face, due to the delay. They said it was after issuing boarding passes at Dubai that the airline authorities informed them of the delay in flight schedule and it took another three hours for them to be accommodated in hotels. The flight, scheduled to arrive early here in the morning, reached here at 4 am on Sunday. "It was a harrowing experience. We were not even provided seats to rest at the airport," a passenger said. A visibly agitated Muneer told the media that the issue would be brought to the Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's notice. "What we have here is a small section of people coming from the Gulf who have been facing problems for a long time. We will not rest until things are improved," he said. Meanwhile, the Air India Express Dubai-Kochi flight, which was scheduled to arrive on Saturday at 5.10 am landed at Kochi international airport only at 4.20 am on Sunday. The passengers initially refused to disembark, protesting the delay. Air India was making all efforts to bring the passengers home as quickly as possible as soon as the weather conditions improve in the UAE, an Air India official, said at Kochi. Jude Crasto, Station Manager, Kochi and Michael Joseph, Airport Manager, Air India, Kochi, told reporters that due to adverse weather conditions in the UAE, almost all flights operated by various airlines into and out of UAE were disrupted. "The adverse weather, especially the fog, has led to delays of all Air India and Air India Express flights in the Kerala Region," Crasto said. In addition to the weather conditions, flight duty time limitations and closure of Kozhikode airprt from 2200 hours to 0600 hrs added to the disruption, Joseph said. It was understood that "there are thousands of passengers for different countries stranded at Dubai Airport," he said. Referring to the passengers protest earlier, he said "it is their right to protest but that will aggravate the situation since the flights will get delayed.Air India is committed to solving the problems of the passengers, he said." http://wgso.com/content/view/3436/40/ Plans to Raze Public Housing Sites Spark Protest at Nagin's Home By The Associated Press Monday, December 10 2007 NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Public housing residents and advocates went to Mayor Ray Nagin's house to protest the planned demolition of four public housing developments. But they never got to see him. Sunday's protest came days after a local civil rights attorney was taken from City Hall in handcuffs after housing advocates disrupted a City Council meeting; it was peaceful. Some current and former public housing residents and their supporters claim the redevelopment plan is an effort to rid the city of its poorest residents. Housing officials want to raze the four developments to make way for mixed-income neighborhoods. Demolition is planned to begin Saturday. The intent of Sunday's protest, participants said, was to ask Nagin to support the city's working poor and to help bring those still displaced, home. The city's Housing Conservation District Review Committee was scheduled Monday morning to review local housing officials' requests to demolish three of the sites. The fourth site is not in a neighborhood considered historic and not under the panel's jurisdiction. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7123541.stm Protest to save 999 control rooms Staff from the centre will be moved to regional bases About 100 people protested against the closure of Shropshire's ambulance control centre on Sunday. West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) is shutting the Shrewsbury base and another near Worcester and moving staff to Brierley Hill and Stafford. Campaigners fighting the move gathered outside the Shropshire site, in Abbey Foregate, from 1430 GMT. They claim the decision will mean ambulances being frequently diverted from rural towns to cover urban areas. 'Public support' But WMAS, which made its decision on Wednesday, said it would phase in the closures with checks to ensure rural areas were not left without emergency vehicles. Steve Jetley, a former ambulance technician who quit over the controversy, said he was delighted with the turn-out. "There's 100 people here that have come out on a cold, wet Sunday afternoon. People care, there is so much public support in Shropshire for this," he said. "We lost a battle, the decision was made and it appears they are going to close it. But we haven't lost the war, not yet." Shrewsbury and Atcham Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski also took part in the protest. He said he hoped trade unions would help to fund a judicial review in a bid to stop the closures. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/ireland/article3221080.ece Protest to highlight anger over breast cancer debacle Tuesday, December 04, 2007 A protest rally is due to be held outside the Dail this morning to highlight anger over the recent cancer misdiagnosis scandal at Portlaoise Hospital. The demonstration has been arranged by the National Women's Council to show public dissatisfaction with the way the Government and the HSE have handled the debacle. The council claims people have lost all confidence in the cancer care system and says it is concerned about the effect that this will have on women across the country. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/04/2108818.htm Nurses protest over staff shortage Posted Tue Dec 4, 2007 10:25am AEDT The NSW Nurses' Association is threatening strong industrial action if staffing levels at the Coffs Harbour Hospital are not boosted. Off-duty nurses are holding a protest rally in the mid-north coast city this morning. They are angry about chronic low staffing levels and excessive nursing workloads in the emergency department. The union says hospital management has failed to deliver on promises for more nursing. It says if today's rally does not achieve any results the next step will be a stop-work meeting http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai_gears_up_for_record_protest/articleshow/2605053.cms Mumbai gears up for record protest 7 Dec 2007, 1858 hrs IST,Vasundhara Sanger,INDIATIMES NEWS NETWORK MUMBAI: In what may turn out to be unprecedented and unique in the history of mass movements in the world, nearly three million local train commuters, from Virar to Mira Road, in the western suburbs of Mumbai, are expected to boycott train services on December 10 to register a peaceful protest against the Railways' failure to introduce more services on the Virar-Churchgate route. Political parties, local organisations and pressure groups have appealed to the millions of commuters on the route between Virar and Mira Road to not to board any of the trains in the rush hour between 6 am to 6 pm to mark their protests and to make a symbolic gesture, as the day is also the World Human Rights Day. They call it unique because it's going to be peaceful and voluntary in nature. Trains akin to torture chambers The protesters are demanding introduction of a trains services every five minutes, on the route. Currently, there is a gap of 10-15 minutes between each service, resulting in overcrowding in trains. Hundreds of deaths have occurred due to overcrowding and elderly and children cannot even dream of boarding any of the trains. The commuters from this area are having a harrowing time. Protesters complain that the railway authorities are insensitive to the plight of the commuters from the hugely populated suburbs who, are forced to travel in crammed compartments due to less services on the route. Terrorists took advantage of the cover provided by this overcrowding and stimulated a series of coordinated bomb blasts in seven trains on July 11, 2006, on this route. The blasts killed 187 people and injured hundreds of others. People living in the Vasai-Virar region are solely dependent on trains due to the absence of any direct road route (except for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway) connecting them to the main city. Voices should reach Delhi As a result of the mass boycott, the protesters hope their voices would be heard by those occupying the seat of power in Delhi , especially the Union Minister for Railways, Lalu Prasad Yadav, who, in July this year, inaugurated the fourth railway track line on the route promising to take care of the woes of regular train travellers. At the time the railway authorities too had promised to introduce more services but, barring introduction of some services at odd hours, nothing more was done. Miffed with the railways In an interview to the TOI this week, a senior railway official said, as per the protesters' demand, it would be possible to introduce a train service every five minutes only in the next 4-5 years. He also accused the protesters saying that they were organising the mass movement for the sake of publicity. This elicited sharp response from Shailendra Kamble of Democratic Youth Federation of India, one of the groups taking part in the protest. He said, "The railway authorities sit in their air conditioned cabins in the city and even if they have to travel this far, they do so in the motorman's cabin. What do they know about the problems of the commuters?" On whether there was any response from the railways Kamble said, "We have given them a memorandum but till now they have showed no interest in it." However, he is certain that a large number of commuters will voluntarily join the protest and make it successful. "We have distributed pamphlets in large numbers, asked local groups as well as political parties to mobilise their cadres and workers to enlist citizens' support and also approached the general secretaries of housing societies to inform their members during the society meetings." The preparation for December 10 On December 10 they will hold public meetings and have requested the police to deploy adequate forces in order to ward off any anti-social elements from taking advantage of the situation. Outside the railways stations on the routes the groups will hold public meetings. "We will not force anyone to join the protest, as we want it to be voluntarily and peaceful," assured Kamble. Ahead of the mass protest on Monday, commuters were heard discussing the impending event on Friday as they waited on the platform for their trains. Majority of them were in favour of the protest and said that everybody should show support, as it was being organised for their benefit. To gather momentum for the mass movement, volunteers were seen distributing leaflets at the railway stations lining the Virar-Mira Road route. On being contacted the office of the Deputy Superintendent of Police in Vasai (Thane rural) confirmed there would be police deployment on that day with the Railways Police and possibly the force from the city pitching in to maintain law and order and avoid untoward incidents. The police personnel was unable to confirm on the number of policemen to be pressed into duty, as a meeting was yet to be held to take a final decision. Two years ago a similar protest was launched by pressure groups and political parties to force the railways to complete the quadrupling of tracks project. Following a Bombay High Court order on a PIL, the authorities were forced to complete the work. Thousands of people had joined the demonstration then which had turned violent with the police resorting to lathi charge. Hundreds of protesters were put behind bars and the cases registered against them are still going on in different courts. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Novel_protest_Mumbai_boycotts_local_trains/articleshow/2612703.cms Novel protest: Mumbai boycotts local trains 11 Dec 2007, 0024 hrs IST,TNN MUMBAI: They did not hesitate to board the train the very morning after terror struck Mumbai's lifeline in July 2006. But a section of the same intrepid Mumbaikars, residents of the Dahisar-Virar stretch, stayed away from trains - and work - on Monday, World Human Rights Day, to demand travelling conditions fit for human beings. Churchgate-bound trains originating from Virar and Bhayandar, each used to transporting around 5,000 people during the rush hours, ferried a couple of hundred commuters on Monday. Around 5 lakh of Western Railway's 32.5 lakh daily commuters stay on the Dahisar-Virar stretch and an overwhelming number responded to the train-boycott call given by the Pravaas Adhikar Andolan Samiti (PAAS). The commuters, forced into rioting several times in the past, had one key demand: run a train to and from Virar, the last of the stations serving Mumbai's north-western suburbs, every five minutes. WR officials claimed protesters scared away commuters by locking doors of trains and physically preventing them from boarding trains. But TOI reporters, who travelled between Virar and Dahisar throughout Monday, found that Monday's protests were overwhelmingly voluntary. Malad resident and teacher of an engineering college in Vasai, Vaishali Maskar, was one such peaceful protester. She came to Borivli station unaware of the boycott call. But, once she learned about the issues involved, she found it difficult to ignore the call. Maskar, like lakhs of other commuters, returned home. "My work can wait but an improvement in travelling conditions is an absolute must," she said. Maskar was not exaggerating. Thousands of commuters die every year on Mumbai's trains; most fall off while boarding or after boarding as they fight for some square centimetre of imagined space. The death count this year has already crossed 2,900. WR, thankfully, did not use force against protesters on Monday. The last such people's agitation, on the same day in December 2005, ended in violence as police - adding insult to injury - lobbed tear-gas shells and cane-charged demonstrators. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Train_boycott_to_hit_Mumbaikers/articleshow/2609452.cms CPM calls rail protest on Dec 10 10 Dec 2007, 0059 hrs IST,TNN MUMBAI: Commuters between Virar and Borivli are chalking out alternative plans to reach their workplace on Monday as train services in the section is likely to be disrupted owing to a protest by the Democratic Youth Federation of India. The youth wing of the CPM has called a rail protest on December 10, which is incidentally the Human Rights Day, to protest against the plight of train commuters on the Virar belt. The agitators, including various residential associations, will request commuters not to board trains on the Western Railway section between 6 am to 6 pm. The agitators are demanding better frequency of trains to Virar, that is, instead of a 15-minute gap, there should be a Virar train every five minutes. "A few additional trains here and there is of no help. Every day, I have to let go of four to five trains before I can board one. The coaches are so crowded that we can hardly stand,'' said Vasai commuter Raymond Menezes. While some residents in the belt have decided to take the day off, others plan to stay at friends and relatives' places near their workplaces so that they do not have to take the train. "I work in Mindspace in Malad. I will stay at a friend's home, which is near my office. This way, my protest will be re-gistered and at the same time, I will not miss work,'' said a Virar commuter Rajan Brahme. Students in the area may have to stay away from their schools and colleges owing to the demonstration. Bombay University has not changed the first year exam date of the law department that is supposed to be held on Monday. "The exam will be held at 10.30 am on Monday, as scheduled,'' said A D Sawant, the pro-vice chancellor of the university. Students, staying in the protest zone, are worried over how they are going to reach their exam centre. Their counterparts in other colleges, however, are not so bothered. "Since, the agitation is meant for a good cause, I don't mind bunking college on Monday," said Rupali Shukla, who travels from Vasai to Mira Road. She studies in Royal College. DYFI activist K K Prakashan said the protest would be peaceful and they would not force anyone not to get on a train. They would merely request the commuters to stay away from the transport system for a day. "By boycotting the trains for one day, we can highlight the commuters' plight,'' said Prakashan. The demonstration will be in the lines of a similar agitation held by the DYFI on December 10, 2005. Radheshyam Pathak of Uttar Bharatiya Ekta Manch said there would be 500 men in different stations, asking commuters to stay away from trains. But, schoolchildren will be spared, he said. http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_17522.aspx Thousands Protest Healthcare Issues In Brampton Sunday December 9, 2007 CityNews.ca Staff A sea of bodies worked its way down Brampton streets Sunday, as some 3,000 locals gathered to protest what they feel is a lacking commitment to health care in their ever-growing city. "Issues are related to the manner in which people are receiving services," said Raj Sharda, co-chair of Bramptonians for Better Healthcare. "Issues are related to the capacity of the hospital." The hospital in question is the newly-built Brampton Civic Hospital, a new supposedly state of the art facility. But protestors say that bed shortages and severe understaffing are preventing the building from operating at optimal efficiency. The family of Harnek Singh Sidhu led the march. The 52-year-old died November 19th after, the family alleges, he waited for hours in emergency before being seen by a doctor. "If it's emergency, why are you waiting for a dozen hours?" asked Sundeep Sidhu, Harnek's son. "You're better off going to your family doctor, you'd wait less time." The hospital is a so-called "P3 Project," meaning it was built with both public and private funding. Brampton families contributed millions, including $25,000 from the Sidhu family. CityNews' Melissa Grelo couln't get comment from anyone at the hospital, but the William Osler Health Centre, which runs it, issued the following statement Wednesday: "We ackolwedge that wait times in the emergency department at Brampton Civic and Etobicoke General like most in major centres in Ontario are longer than we would like ... no individuals have passed away while awaiting care in a BCH waiting area." Organizers of Sunday's protest will be holding a town hall meeting in January with the hope that government officials will join to discuss their concerns, otherwise, they say, more protests are likely to follow. http://www.sunjournal.com/story/242404-3/OxfordHills/Poland_Spring_water_poured_out_in_protest/ Poland Spring water poured out in protest By Terry Karkos , Staff Writer Sunday, December 9, 2007 FRYEBURG - More than 50 people attended an elderly Fryeburg man's protest on Saturday against Poland Spring's withdrawal of millions of gallons of water from the town's aquifer. The protest was marred by two lukewarm confrontations between Howard K. Dearborn, 89, and two Poland Spring officials who quietly but purposely crashed the event, only to get booted out by Dearborn. Although Dearborn offered $10 to the first 50 people who joined him in pouring Poland Spring water into the pond, most donated their ten-spots to a group of East Fryeburg residents who are fighting the company's proposals to build a bottling plant and truck-loading facility in Fryeburg. Many attendees, of varying ages, participated just to protest, but several helped Dearborn conduct his version of the Boston Tea Party. Standing on a wooden footbridge adjacent to the local business owner's house overlooking the pond, they poured several bottles of Poland Spring water into an inlet draining into Lovewell Pond. "It felt good, especially since when I open my faucet, I get the water right back," Scot Montgomery of Fryeburg said. According to Dearborn, water in the Fryeburg aquifer flows into Lovewell Pond through many small springs. Pond water then flows into the Saco River through a natural channel. Dearborn said he was pleased that so many participated in his symbolic rejection of Poland Spring, a subsidiary of Nestle Waters North America Inc. According to Dearborn, ever since Poland Spring began withdrawing water from the aquifer, natural springs that feed the pond have gone dry. Additionally, he says the water removal has changed the pond's natural ecology and purity of its water by allowing an increased phosphorous load to spur plant growth on the pond's bottom. That's why he's fighting back. "Howard once said to me a year ago on this, 'I don't want to leave this world without knowing Lovewell Pond is safe,'" protester Jim Wilfong of Stow said. "That's his motivation. He cares about the ecology of the pond." While people socialized before "The Big Pour," Poland Spring environmental manager Ron Dyer of Poland and Elizabeth Swain breached the crowd. "I didn't want (Dearborn) to think we were sneaking in. We wanted to be clear," Dyer said. Swain is president of Barton and Gingold of Portland, the environmental and public policy management firm that represents Poland Spring. They were met by a few hecklers. When he spotted Dyer, who was wearing a green Poland Spring jacket, Dearborn quickly braced him. "We're not here to discus your problems," Dearborn told him. "Let's let science solve this," Swain shot back. While the men and Swain jousted verbally, Dearborn reached out an arm and grasped Dyer's left shoulder with a gloved hand, removed it, then put both hands on Dyer's shoulders and gently shook them. He then walked away. Afterward, Dyer said he didn't expect to be confronted. He was only there to argue his employer's side of the Lovewell Pond/Fryeburg aquifer issue. "It broke my heart to see water being dumped out," Dyer said. Everything the company has reviewed, he added, tells them that the lake is just going through its life cycle of natural succession from lake to pond, pond to marsh, marsh to meadow and meadow to dry land. Lakes in Maine also get into trouble with increased lake fertilization through nonpoint-source erosion, which boosts a lake's biological production, Dyer said. "People have strong opinions, but we're pretty calm about this. It's really a science question, and we want to look at it deeper," he added. However, he never got to elaborate. At 1:15 p.m., Dearborn returned. "I think you ought to leave. No counter-talks. Leave before I get mad," Dearborn said, then watched Dyer quiet a rising outburst from Swain as they headed for their car. Afterward, Dearborn said to friends, "I was very nice. I didn't hit him." http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C10%5Cstory_10-12-2007_pg7_52 Karak residents protest lack of gas facility Staff Report KARAK: Residents of Banda Daud Shah tehsil took to the streets on Sunday against the non-availability of gas in the area, and also blocked the Karak-Bannu Road for a while. During the demonstration, residents of Makoori, Mansoor Ghar and Ahmadi Banda villages demanded the government provide them with natural gas. They accused Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and foreign gas exploration company MOL of not honouring their commitments to supply gas to Banda Daud Shah tehsil by September 31. They also complained that the SNGPL had supplied insufficient pipes for the supply of gas to the Terri, Makoori and other areas of the tehsil. The protesters demanded SNGPL sub-office in the tehsil to solve public problems at the local level. They currently have to go to Kohat to register their complaints. They also demanded the recruitment of local people in the office, and immediate gas supply to around 36 villages of Banda Daud Shah tehsil. Later, the protesters dispersed when Banda Daud Shah Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Noorul Qamar and Tehsil Nazim Hameedullah visited them. The DSP and nazim assured them that the MOL and SNGPL authorities would visit Banda Daud Shah on December 11 to talk to local elders for a solution to their problems. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20071208233829&Page=K&Headline=Defects+in+BPL+%26+APL+card+lists%3A+Villagers+stage+protest&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0 Defects in BPL & APL card lists: Villagers stage protest Sunday December 9 2007 09:59 IST Express News Service Shaadi.com Matrimonial - Register for FREE SOMWARPET: Residents of 7th Hoskote near Kushalnagar have staged a protest while taking photographs to distribute ration cards. The villagers said that before taking photographs, the authorities should rectify the defects in BPL and APL card lists. They also stalled the photographing process. Later, the protest was withdrawn following assurances of the deputy director of the Food department, Mante Swamy, who promised the villagers to rectify the defects. ZP member V P Shashidhar, TP member C L Vishwa and GP president Latha Harish were present. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/7141755.stm Rail timetable protest threatened First Great Western has promised that services will improve Rail passenger are threatening to protest against First Great Western's new train timetable. Many have complained that since it was introduced on Monday, services have been late, cancelled or overcrowded because of a shortage of rolling stock. The train operator admitted there were problems but claimed services would improve over the coming days. On 22 January, a protest saw some 2,000 commuters refusing to pay fares on services between Bristol and Bath. Simon Carpenter, from the group More Train, Less Strain, said: "I think we're looking at another protest. "That seems to be the only way First Great Western actually listens to us. "Not only have we had problems with the timetable changes, we've still got the overcrowded trains and we're not looking forward to a fare rise in the new year." http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071212/mass_panhandle_071212/20071212?hub=Canada OCAP panhandle protest ends peacefully Updated Wed. Dec. 12 2007 1:30 PM ET toronto.ctv.ca Dozens of police officers and security guards kept a close eye on a panhandling protest in Toronto's financial district on Wednesday, but the demonstration ended up being much smaller than authorities had anticipated. Only about two dozen protestors attended the rally held in the city's underground PATH walkway. The event was organized by the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty. Police and businesses in the area were expecting a massive rally. As a precaution, dozens of officers were stationed throughout the downtown core and underground walkway, while businesses hired extra security guards. The rally was short and ended peacefully. The event began with protestors handing out soup and bread to the homeless and ended with a march through the PATH system, described as the world's largest underground shopping mall. Organizers described the rally as an "information demonstration" to shed light on the city's shortage of shelter and hostel beds. "People talk to me and tell me they're being turned away," OCAP's Gaetan Heroux said. "People are telling us the overcrowding is bad, the bed bugs are impossible. "A lot of them would rather stay on the street." Another demonstrator said he knows firsthand that the homeless are not getting proper shelter. "I've been in those places where they don't get the beds," the activist said. "We obviously need better shelters and more shelters." Before the demonstration, Heroux told CTV Newsnet social assistance rates and the minimum wage are both too low. "We want people to understand that these issues, where you see homeless people begging on the streets, are social issues," he said. "In a large city like Toronto, we do not have the social housing that's necessary to house people." Heroux said charity alone can't solve the homelessness problem, which he said really took flight starting in 1995. "People want housing. People need a safe place where they can lay down," he said. Right now, homeless people can be fined $125 for sleeping on the street. But the shelters are overcrowded, he said. "To me, it says we lack leadership," Heroux said. Toronto should start by not enforcing the bylaw against homeless people sleeping on the street, and Ottawa should spend money on social housing rather than fighting a war in Afghanistan, he said. With a report from CTV's John Musselman http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/1215/breaking33.htm Protest over closure of hospital The proposed closure of a Dublin cancer hospital is an indictment of government policy on health, an MEP claimed today. At a rally calling for the retention of services in St Luke's Rathgar, Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald accused Minister for Health Mary Harney and her colleagues of pulling the rug from under cancer patients and their families. "St Luke's Hospital as a provider of cancer care services in Dublin has an excellent reputation," the Dublin MEP said. "It is this reputation that made it possible for the Friends of St Luke's to raise 22 million euro for the hospital. "Any sensible administration with a modicum of sense and compassion understands that a consistently high standard of care in a fully resourced environment is critical to a cancer patient and their family. St Luke's Hospital provides this, in spades. "There has been minimal consultation with the staff and patients on its proposed closure which is all the more aggravated by the Department of Health's plan to move the hospitals services to St James and Beaumont as part of the government's co-location plans." The minister has plans to close the specialist hospital and sell the site, moving the facilities to St James' Hospital. However, a national 'Save St Luke's' campaign has been set up bringing together groups of patients, families and locals who want to save the public hospital and see it expanded. Protesters marched from the hospital today to the Central Bank demanding a government U-turn. Ms McDonald told them: "This Government has had at their disposal resources undreamed of by any previous government. "Yet they have presided over a failing, chaotic and inequitable health services. They have failed to meet the needs of the people at national, regional and local level. PA http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22934771-2862,00.html December 17, 2007 12:00am HUNDREDS of protesters marched across the San Remo bridge to Phillip Island yesterday in an effort to keep the Warley Hospital alive. The 84-year-old hospital, with 13 acute-care beds, 80 staff members and 35 aged-care beds, does not have enough funding to stay open. Hospital board member Tony Zoanetti said the hospital's dire financial situation led to the decision to close its acute-bed services from January 31. Mr Zoanetti said he hoped the protest would send a clear message to the State Government. "We need assistance," he said. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/17/europe/EU-GEN-Hungary-Strike.php Many of Hungary's train services stopped to protest health sector privatization The Associated Press Published: December 17, 2007 BUDAPEST, Hungary: Around half of Hungary's state-owned train services were affected Monday by an open-ended strike against the Socialist-led government's intention to privatize health insurance services and lower pensions from next year, officials said. Shorter strikes also were held at several hospitals, hundreds of schools and some regional bus services. Anti-government protesters formed one-lane roadblocks to slow traffic at about three dozen locations around the country. A two-hour, early morning strike at Budapest's Ferihegy Airport did not cause any flight delays, airport spokesman Domokos Szollar said. While state-owned railway MAV said less than half of scheduled trains failed to run, union officials said the railroads were practically at a standstill, and even those trains that ran were mostly empty, as commuters looked for other means of transport. A request by MAV to declare the strike illegal will be reviewed by the courts, with a decision expected within five days. Today in Europe Despite the strike, Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany said he was confident the much-disputed health sector bill would be approved in parliament Monday by deputies of the two governing parties. The push for privatization in the health sector has been a key policy of the Alliance of Free Democrats, the Socialists' coalition partners. Disputes went on for months between the two parties over how to implement much-needed reforms in the state health services. While most services in the system are nominally free of charge, many patients still pay illegal "gratuity fees" to doctors and there are large regional differences in quality of service. Opponents, including the Hungarian Chamber of Doctors, say private health insurers, by seeking to make profits in the sector, would break with a long-standing tradition of "social solidarity" and would leave the poor and those already suffering from health problems without adequate coverage. Government officials dispute that contention. Last year, Gyurcsany's government began to implement a wide range of reforms in the state sector, including the closing of secondary railway lines, the introduction of daily fees for doctor's appointments and hospital stays, as well as university tuition fees, and the firing of tens of thousands of state employees. Hungary's struggle to cut what was the European Union's highest state budget deficit in terms of gross domestic product in the past few years has resulted in a higher inflation rate - an annual 7.1 percent in November - and low growth. Hungary's economy expanded by an annual 0.9 percent in the third quarter of 2007, the lowest figure in 11 years. The reforms have also helped erode the popularity of Gyurcsany and his coalition. According to a Gallup poll released last week, support for the Socialist Party among all respondents was 13 percent, while the Free Democrats stood at 2 percent. Fidesz, the main center-right opposition party, was supported by 38 percent of respondents, while 44 percent of the 1,010 people asked said they would not vote or were uncommitted. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Parliamentary elections are set for April or May 2010. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C20%5Cstory_20-12-2007_pg7_13 LPP to protest against flour price hike from 26th LAHORE: The Labour Party Pakistan (LPP) is planning to start a nationwide protest campaign against price hike of flour from December 26. The party has urged the masses to boycott the coming elections as a protest against price hike of consumer products, especially flour. LPP spokesman Farooq Tariq told Daily Times that through the campaign, the party would raise awareness among the masses regarding sudden price hike of flour. He said various seminars and rallies were part of the nationwide campaign, especially in three major cities of Lahore, Karachi and Multan. "The LPP will distribute literature among the masses on how the flour price increased so much in only a month. We will also give facts and figures to show the government's incompetent economic policies," he said. He said the government had decided to import wheat at a time when its price in the international market was rising. "This decision has resulted in a loss of Rs 12 billion," he said. staff report http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Patna/Differences_over_protest_symbol/articleshow/2651111.cms Differences over protest symbol 26 Dec 2007, 0333 hrs IST,TNN GAYA: Differences have reportedly cropped up among members of the Vidyut Upbhokta Sangharsh Samiti, the umbrella organization agitating against power famine in Gaya, on the issue whether 'lantern' or 'candle' should be adopted as the symbol of power cut. The sangharsh samiti has planned a protest demonstration during the CM's visit to the town scheduled for December 30. Before that, a bandh call has been given for December 27 on the power issue. Whereas a section of the sangharsh samiti activists favour a lantern demonstration during the CM's visit, a sizeable section including the representatives of Central Bihar Chamber of Commerce, is opposed to the lantern demonstration on account of the political connotations of the lantern demonstration. Lantern is the election symbol of the RJD and these activists want the agitation to remain apolitical as it is a people's agitation, and anything even remotely connected with political parties and politicians will rob it of its moral high ground. Peeved with prolonged power cuts going upto more than 20 hours a day, different organizations including Central Bihar Chamber of Commerce, Bar Association, IMA and independent activists have joined hands to register protest and fight for the fulfilment of the NDA promise of uninterrupted power supply. Downplaying the differences and the lantern vs candle controversy, activist corporator Lalji Prasad says that sangharsh samiti was united on the issue of power and no politician or political party will be allowed either to sabotage the agitation or take credit for it. 'We are very vigilant on this issue," said Prasad. According to reports filtering out of the samiti, though there is unanimity on the issue of keeping the agitation totally apolitical, a section believes that lantern is a very impressive symbol of electricity crisis and its psychological impact is bound to be much more than that of the candle. But the vast majority wants to leave no scope for any controversy and as such favours candle as the protest symbol. A third view floated by some samiti activists favours 'dhibri' (small oil lamp) as the protest symbol, as it would also highlight kerosene scarcity and its high price rising above the Rs 35 per litre in the blackmarket. The dhibri requires very little kerosene. The district administration, on its part, has already apprised the state govt about the simmering discontent on the power issue and its apprehended violent manifestation, causing a law and order problem in the town. The BSEB officials including the Magadh area board general manager Md Yaqub are not in a position to give any deadline for the restoration of the power supply to the pre-crisis level. The crisis began about three months back and it has aggravated further in the last three four weeks and the people's patience appears to have worn thin. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j01uYx92laLsGWYYkwInSzTtc1NwD8TULRLG0 Seniors Protest Proposed Funeral Home Jan 3, 2008 COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) - Several older residents of this town are protesting plans to open a funeral home across the street from a senior center, saying it would be a little too close for comfort. About 100 people have signed a petition calling on the City Council to deny James Asper and Mary Hansen, partners in Aspen Funeral Home LLC, a special use permit giving them the right to lease the building across the street from the Lake City Senior Center as a funeral home, senior center manager Vickie Harrison said. They plan to present the petition at a Feb. 5 hearing on the matter, she said. "I don't like it at all. It kind of gives you an uncomfortable feeling," said 65-year-old Marg Dunkle, who signed the petition. The city's planning commission approved a special use permit in December for the business, but a neighbor appealed the decision, citing concerns over traffic and parking. Hansen said the building was chosen because it suited the business' needs, not because of its proximity to the senior center. "We find it a little disconcerting that they would think that location is intentional," Hansen said. Some, like 81-year-old Doy Seng, had a practical view of the proposed funeral home. "We're old here. We're all ready to go," she said. "I think it will be handy." http://www.afriquenligne.fr/news/daily-news/mauritania-private-press-orders-black-out-to-protest-high-printing-costs-2008010114283/ Mauritania private press orders black out to protest high printing costs Dakar, Senegal - Eighteen privately-owned newspapers in Mauritania have decided not to publish their papers until further notice to protest against a steep rise in printing costs announced by the Government publications office. A communiqu? reaching PANA in Dakar on Tuesday said 2008 began with the private newspapers being absent from the newsstands. The Government publications office said that the rise in its tariffs was necessary because "the state did not pay the promised grants". The private newspapers are also to launch a campaign to protest against "the excessive slow pace" of the implementation of press reforms, total absence of grants in the year 2007 and absence of transparent mechanisms for the granting of subscriptions and public advertisements. The privately-owned press also denounced difficulties related to access to sources of information, the predominance of anarchy in the sector and non-compliance with the provisions laid down by the press-enterprise- creation Act. A law abolishing censorship was passed in Mauritania in October 2006 during the military transition. However, private publishers say several provisions in the new law have not yet been implemented. Dakar - 01/01/2008 Panapress From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 16 19:49:35 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 03:49:35 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Workers' protests, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <013801c858bb$fa489ad0$0802a8c0@andy1> * UGANDA: Worker unrest over pay at sugar corporation * BANGLADESH: Garment workers injured while trying to spread strike * GREECE: Teachers rally, plan strikes against pension "reform" * SLOVENIA: Workers stage mass protests for pay rises, income equality * SOUTH AFRICA: Miners strike over safety at work * US: Prior Lake teachers work-to-rule over contract insecurity * US: Hollywood writers strike, thousands attend protest * BULGARIA: Teachers protest against budget * TRINIDAD: Senior nurses protest for more pay * INDIA: Doctors protest against compulsory rural service * ISRAEL: Universities shut down by weeks-long strike * TAIWAN: Migrant workers protest for rights * ISRAEL: Teachers protest against anti-strike injunctions at official event * ZIMBABWE: Exam markers protest poor allowances * HONG KONG: Flight crews drop strike warning, but hold rally * UK: Workers protest against factory closure in Sunderland * UK: Protest against plans to close historic chocolate factory * INDIA: Staff at religious site protest "robes only" dress code * INDIA: Nurses protest against staff suspensions after kidnapping * EGYPT: Tax workers end wage protest after government backs down * UK: Tate art gallery workers stage wage protest * NEW ZEALAND: Protest over possible job losses at port * UK: Christmas Carol protest over Cadbury's closure * INDIA: Journalists stage relay hunger strike over pay relief * AUSTRALIA: Health workers protest at industrial relations hearing * NIGERIA: Airways staff protest underpayment * TRINIDAD: Workers rally against state pay body * INDIA: Teachers block road during protest against work during holidays * US: "Scuffle" at picket of waste disposal site * US: New York Catholic teachers protest job contract * UK: Birmingham council workers rally over pay * GLOBAL/US: United Nations tour guides protest pay and conditions * INDIA: Call centre staff rally over abuse * UK: Hundreds join protest against closure of rural post offices http://www.food-business-review.com/article_news.asp?guid=70B289B4-B41B-4AC2-A59B-9C02C3527567 SCOUL workers riot over pay issue 22nd November 2007 By Staff Writer Workers at the Sugar Corporation of Uganda rioted and burnt part of the company's sugar plantations because of a pay dispute with company officials. RELATED ARTICLES ? SCOUL workers riot over pay issue 22 Nov 2007 Hassan Kasingye, spokesman for the Ugandan police, said that the fire damaged up to 100 hectares of cane plantations. An official from the Sugar Corporation of Uganda (SCOUL) said that the workers were demanding an increase in pay to UGX100,000 a month from the current UGX60,000, but added that this had been rejected. The sugar producer's operations have not been affected by the riot as it has been receiving cane from other farmers. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/15/content_7422226.htm Dozens of garment workers injured in protest clashes in Bangladesh www.chinaview.cn 2008-01-15 01:09:38 Print DHAKA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of people were wounded in violent clashes on Monday as garment workers were demonstrating in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka in favour of higher income. The private news agency UNB cited witness as saying that the garment workers of a factory named MBM took on the street and asked workers of adjacent garment factories to join them in the protest. "At one stage, the MBM workers attacked the workers of Opex Group as they didn't pay heed to their call for violence at about 4 p.m., plunging the area into violence," a witness was cited as saying. Police thus rushed in and chased the MBM garment workers with the officials and workers of Opex Group, setting off widespread clashes. According to UNB report, the workers damaged at least 10 vehicles, forcing vehicular movement in the area to halt. The police charged baton on the violent MBM workers. They also fired some 80 teargas shells and 30 rubber bullets. A female garment worker was injured seriously during the melee and was admitted to hospital. However, the workers and owners reached a solution following a meeting at the MBM office with the presence of the police. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/26/europe/EU-GEN-Greece-Teachers-Strike.php Greek teachers rally against pension reforms as nationwide strikes loom The Associated Press Published: November 26, 2007 ATHENS, Greece: Greek schoolteachers went on strike Monday, and more than 1,500 of them marched through central Athens in the first of several planned protests over social security reforms. The demonstration ended peacefully. Protesters called on the conservative government to shelve the draft reforms, which would merge about 150 pension funds into fewer than 20. A smaller march was held in the northern city of Thessaloniki, as state schoolteachers staged a 24-hour nationwide strike. The journalists' union will strike over the planned pension reforms Tuesday, and also planned a march in downtown Athens. Unions representing most public and private sector workers have called a nationwide general strike for Dec. 12. They argue the reforms could cut benefits for millions of future pensioners and raise retirement ages for Greece's aging population. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/18/content_7097318.htm Slovenian workers stage mass protest for higher salaries www.chinaview.cn 2007-11-18 05:08:39 Print BELGRADE, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of workers from all over Slovenia staged a mass protest rally in the capital Ljubljana on Saturday to call for higher wages and greater equality between the rich and poor in the tiny former Yugoslav republic. Police said that about 15,000 protesters arrived in the capital by bus from all over the country, while organizers estimated that the turnout was 70,000 people. The protesters wearing red bibs converged on one of Ljubljana's main squares, where heads of all six trade union associations urged the employers, who have so far refused to budge on wage demands, to heed the calls for change. Addressing the crowd, union leaders repeated the threat of a general strike if no progress was made in the talks with employers on wage increases. "We hope that the employers will come to their senses. If there is no progress in negotiations, we will be forced to stage a general strike," said Dusan Semolic of the ZSSS, the largest trade union in Slovenia, "this rally is the last warning for the employers." The protesters were joined by representatives of students and pensioners. They walked down Ljubljana carrying banners which condemned employers' policy and salaries which lag behind inflation and living costs. Unions demand a minimum 3.6 percent salary increase. The average monthly salary in Slovenia is a net 820 euros (some 1205 U.S. dollars). Unions claim the social differences are increasing, while pensioners' organizations say that one-fourth of pensions are below 300 euros (some 441 dollars), which is why they supported the demonstrators. The protest was joined by some government officials and the newly elected Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk. Tuerk called both sides to sit back at the negotiating table to work out a solution. He said he had taken part in the rally because he viewed this as an important issue and sympathized with those who had to survive on a monthly wage of less than 400 euros (588 dollars). Among the government officials, Labor Minister Marjeta Cotman was there to show her solidarity with the demands. According to her, the employers should sit at the negotiating table, while the unions have a legitimate case in calling for higher wages. According to the police, there were no major incidents during the demonstrations. Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa recently said the protests were an attempt by the unions to show their power, but they were not demonstrating in the right place and that "a linear salary increase" on the state level was not realistic. http://news.smh.com.au/s-africa-miners-to-down-tools-in-protest/20071128-1da2.html Africa miners to down tools in protest November 28, 2007 - 7:46AM Around 200,000 mineworkers are set to down tools for one day in South Africa next week in protest over the high death toll in the country's mines. The National Union of Mineworkers has called on workers at all gold, diamond, platinum and coal mines around South Africa to strike on December 4 in protest over the death of a little over 200 miners at work so far this year. NUM has been threatening strike action for months as mining companies' promises to improve safety fails to translate into fewer deaths. Mining deaths actually increased this year, from 199 in 2006. This was despite government, the mining industry and unions agreeing in 2003 on a target of a 20 per cent, year-on-year reduction in mining fatalities. NUM safety spokesman Peter Bailey blamed high commodity prices for the poor safety. "When you have good commodity prices everyone wants to benefit so they shove up production targets, neglecting safety in the process." Gold mining, one of South Africa's chief foreign exchange earners and employers, is the most deadliest, according to Bailey. Prices of gold have surged to near-record in recent months driving miners deeper underground in search of new seams. An estimated 60 mining companies will be affected by the work stoppage which comes less than two months after an accident left 3,200 workers stranded 2.4km down a gold mine outside Johannesburg, some for over 36 hours. In October 23 illegal miners were also killed in a fire in a disused gold mine shaft in Free State province. http://www.plamerican.com/node/4087 Teachers union puts limitations on work to protest lack of contract settlement Submitted by Lori Carlson on November 27, 2007 - 4:26pm. Members of the teachers union in the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District have begun "working to rule" and resigning from voluntary committees as a show of their frustration over the lack of a contract settlement. Deb Johnson, president of the Prior Lake-Savage Education Association, wrote in a letter to the newspaper Tuesday that the teachers "are taking these steps because our negotiators have met 20 times for over 45 hours since May, including a full day with a state mediator on Nov. 19, and still have not been able to reach a fair and equitable settlement." Teachers are working their contracted eight-hour days but nothing extra. Work done before or after school will not be done, and teachers will not take work home, Johnson wrote. At Monday's School Board meeting, Vice Chairwoman Lee Shimek read a prepared statement: "Negotiations with the teachers union continue to move forward. We met with a mediator on Nov. 19 and have another all-day session with the mediator scheduled for Dec. 5. We continue to strive for a fair settlement that is also fiscally responsible. The challenge we are facing, like so many other employers, is the rising cost of medical insurance. The board committee is exploring options to help address this difficult issue and remains optimistic that a solution can be reached." Look for more on this story online later this week and in our Saturday, Dec. 1 print edition. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hMCNHDBUWUNkXnc6DeIJq-lNR1qQ Thousands protest as Hollywood writers strike enters fifth day Nov 9, 2007 LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) ? More than 3,000 film and television writers demonstrated here Friday as the strike over new media sales rumbled into a fifth day with no prospect of a resolution in sight. Thousands of writers brandishing placards and clad in red t-shirts gathered outside Fox Studios in Century City to protest, the biggest single demonstration since the strike began on Monday. The writers' stance has earned sympathy from many celebrities this week, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus of "Seinfeld" fame, "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria and Kelsey Grammer of "Cheers" who also attended Friday's rally. "Now people are, you know, drawing their lines and I'm hoping that the lines can be blurred enough that people come back together and start talking," Grammer told ABC7. "It affects the economy of Los Angeles." The Writers Guild of America (WGA) pressed ahead with a strike after last-ditch talks with Hollywood producers over the issue of payment from Internet sales and downloads broke down on Sunday. The industrial action is the first by the WGA for nearly 20 years and has plunged the industry into turmoil, halting production on hit television shows like "Desperate Housewives" and forcing the postponement of "24." Popular late night chat shows hosted by Jay Leno and David Letterman have also gone into shutdown this week because of the strike, which industry analysts believe may last several months. Most major movie studios have sought to insulate themselves from the strike by stockpiling scripts. However the longer the dispute goes on the greater the risk of film productions being disrupted. The Los Angeles Times reported on Friday that the entertainment industry's top five talent agencies -- William Morris, International Creative Management, Creative Artists Agency, United Talent Agency and Endeavor -- have met WGA leaders to help find a solution. Meanwhile, popular comedienne and 2007 Oscars host Ellen DeGeneres was lambasted by the WGA's East Coast chapter for continuing to broadcast her daytime chat show despite the strike action. "The WGAE is extremely disappointed to see that Ellen has chosen not to stand with writers during the strike," a statement read. "Ellen's peers who host comedy/variety shows have chosen to support the writers and help them get a fair contract. Ellen has not. "On her first show back, Ellen said she loves and supports her writers, but her actions prove otherwise." http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/teachers-to-protest-again-in-bulgaria/id_26256/catid_66 TEACHERS TO PROTEST AGAIN IN BULGARIA 11:50 Wed 21 Nov 2007 - Elitsa Savova On November 21 2007, the teachers? strike committee organises national protest against the draft-budget 2008. The protest was being held in front of the Parliament, where the draft-budget would be discussed on first reading, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported. The teachers unions disagree with the sum allocated for education in Budget 2008. According to the draft-budget, the education system would receive 4.2 per cent of the GDP, while the teachers? unions demand the sum to be at least 4.7 per cent of the GDP. Bigger percentage of the GDP allocated for education would guarantee increase in the allowance for one student from 933 to 1381 leva. The Cabinet was ?condemning the education system employees to low income? in 2008, unions said. The strike committee expected nearly 3000 people from all over Bulgaria to take part in the protest on November 21, BTA said. The protest would not affect classes, it said. Representatives of Bulgarian universities and the Bulgarian Academy of Science and young scientists would also in Sofia, respectively in front of the monument of St. Kliment Ohridski and in front of the Parliament, Focus news agency said. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161240621 Senior Tobago nurses protest pay Elizabeth W Allard Tobago Bureau Saturday, November 24th 2007 Hospital wards at the Scarborough Regional Hospital in Tobago remained short-staffed for several hours yesterday as senior nurses embarked on strike action. About 15-20 nurses picketed just outside the hospital complaining that junior nurses, employed by the Tobago Regional Health Authority were being paid higher salaries. They said if their demands for equal treatment were not met they will step up protest action and further disruption hospital operations. Industrial Relations Officer of the Public Service Association Joan Bourne Shepherd said there was a dual track system in Tobago where senior nurses belonged to the Tobago House of Assembly while junior nurses were employed to the Tobago Regional Health Authority. Shepherd said, "At this time the TRHA offered junior nurses a professional allowance representing 25 per cent of their salaries and the agreement between the Public Service Association and the Chief Personnel Officer says the TRHA also gives the same increase, so therefore senior nurses are now receiving less remuneration than juniors nurses." Shepherd said the PSA has approached the CPO on this issue for over a year for a resolution of the matter and to date the situation has worsened because of the new salary increase. The PSA is calling on the CPO to ensure that there is equity, comparability and relativity with salaries at the Scarborough Hospital. "There have been many instances where nurses have been in acting positions for over ten years in positions such as head nurses, supervisors and administrators and to date they cannot receive their appointments," Shepherd said. Shepherd said it has been alleged that the Health Administrator with the Tobago House of Assembly Gregory Smith has sent a note to Cabinet for VSEP packages in Tobago for senior nurses. Nurses are against that move and are asking that all parties sit down and discuss the issue. Efforts to contact Smith on the matter yesterday were unsuccessful. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Patna/Docs_protest_rural_service_proposal/articleshow/2593318.cms Docs protest rural service proposal 4 Dec 2007, 0240 hrs IST,Sanjeev Kumar Verma,TNN PATNA: Hundreds of junior doctors in Bihar hit the roads on Monday to register their protest against the proposed Bill of the Union government which proposes one-year compulsory rural service for obtaining a degree of MBBS from March next year. The said one-year duration would be in addition to the five-and-a-half years that the medicos have to spend to become a qualified doctor. Terming Union health minister A Ramdoss? move as "discriminatory", the protesting medicos took out a procession from the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) which culminated into a meeting at Dak Bungalow Chowk. "The Union government appears to be hell bent on adopting a discriminatory approach against the medical students, otherwise, it would not have come up with this anti-student proposal," said Junior Doctors? Association president Anil Kumar Singh. Singh said if the government is really interested in extending services of qualified doctors in rural areas, it should go for regular appointment of medicos instead of resorting to arm-twisting tactics. Throwing more light on the practical problems the medicos would face in case such a Bill is passed by Parliament, MBBS final-year student of Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) Fahad Faiz said such a provision would only stunt the career of medicos because they would have to spend an additional period of one year at the undergraduate level before opting for a postgraduate course. He said Monday?s protest march was only the beginning of a series of protest movements which the medical students of Bihar intend to launch after establishing due co-ordination with protesting medicos of other states. It may be recalled that Ramdoss had issued a press statement on November 7 claiming that a Bill will be introduced in the winter session of Parliament for making one year rural service compulsory for students pursuing MBBS course across the country. The statement led to protests by medical students in many states. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/930013.html Striking lecturers to increase protest measures, partner with junior staff By Tamara Traubmann Tags: Universities, Students Striking senior university faculty members are planning to increase coordination with junior staff members and students, and to take more visible protest measures, as their strike enters its fourth week today. The Coordinating Council of Faculty Associations is planning steps including shutting down the Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University campuses for a day this week. Student representatives said they hope these the plans mean the senior staff is changing the nature of its strike, which had been generally quiet and without protest activities. On Monday, students will lock the gates of both the Mount Scopus and Givat Ram campuses of HU for 24 hours, barring students and faculty from the libraries, laboratories and classrooms. In addition, students and teachers will conduct a public lecture on the state of higher education in Israel in front of the Prime Minister's Residence. On Wednesday, the TAU senior and junior faculty unions, along with the student union, will shut down their campus. On Thursday, students and teachers from colleges and universities around the country plan to converge at TAU for a demonstration. The protest activities are coming after students put heavy pressure on lecturers, said Shlomit Atzava of the HU student union. Students at a few universities told striking faculty members, "We still have the chains from our strike last year, just say the word and we'll shut down the campus," but the teachers preferred a quiet fight. Students, junior faculty members and some senior faculty have complained that the protest has not been broad enough, and is focused only on the erosion of senior faculty members' salaries. "We support their struggle, it's the method that bothers us," Atzava said. "They told us they must reach their objectives through negotiations and see no reason for demonstrations, but we have been telling them that it's not enough. More than 2,000 students signed a petition saying, 'Teachers, this is your struggle, go into the streets and fight!'" "The faculty is still asleep," said the chair of the Technion student union, Zvi Zitter. At other universities as well, the main force behind the protest is the student associations, he said. "We sent lecturers a letter telling them we expect them to take the lead, and that they shouldn't expect us to lead them," Zitter says. "At the Technion, we decided we would have no problem going to war - if we bind our fates together. That means the teachers must denounce the recommendations of the Shochat Committee (calling for increasing tuition - T.T.), and they didn't do that." Students and teachers at TAU, however, say their cooperation is strong. They formed a joint headquarters, and plan to raise their demands with the cabinet and the university administration this week. These include increasing higher education budgets; changing the injurious hiring policies for adjunct faculty, junior faculty, contracted cleaning and maintenance workers and cafeteria workers on campus; increasing access to academic studies; and giving students and faculty a greater say in how the universities are run. However, in response to a question about changing the nature of the fight, the chairman of the Coordinating Council of Faculty Associations, Zvi Hacohen, said, "There is no essential change. We feel we are approaching critical moments and thus must apply maximum pressure. The students and the junior faculty are more willing to cooperate, so there are more things [happening]." The negotiations ran aground once more last week. Prof. Ben Tzion Munitz, chair of the Senior Faculty Association at TAU, said regarding meetings with Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel and officials from the Prime Minister's Office prior to the Annapolis summit last week, "Reasonable ideas were raised that could serve as the outline for serious negotiations. The talks did not continue last week because [the parties] went to Annapolis. The message coming from the treasury last week was the exact opposite, with proposals that set us back thousands of kilometers before the starting point," Munitz said. Finance Ministry officials told faculty representatives that if they insist on a double-digit salary hike, then they must accept measures enabling greater administrative flexibility at the universities, such as personal contracts and higher-than-usual salaries for certain teachers, or the option of firing unproductive researchers. The faculty unions halted negotiations with the treasury in response. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/12/09/2003391794 Migrants protest working conditions VACATION: Labor organizations will stage a march today to seek vacation rights for foreign caregivers as part of a three-day international conference on human rights By Loa Iok-sin STAFF REPORTER Sunday, Dec 09, 2007, Page 2 "[Migrant workers] should be considered assets, not burdens." Tessa Cheng, social worker for migrant workers Long work hours, fewer days off, limited freedom and discrimination are some of the issues that have worsened work conditions for migrant workers in the country, activists said yesterday. "A lot of migrant workers -- especially those who came as caretakers for the eldery -- work extremely long hours, often without a day off. And a lot of them are not allowed to lock their doors when they sleep at night," Lorna Kung (???), executive director of Scalabrini International Migration Network Taiwan, told the audience attending a conference in Taipei hosted by several domestic and foreign migrant rights advocate groups. Tessa Cheng (???), a social worker for migrant workers, said that in the case of most migrant caretakers she has worked with, "they don't event have their own rooms; they usually have to sleep in the same room with the aged people in their care." "They really have very limited freedom," she said. She also said that discrimination often makes the conditions worse. Tseng said many Taiwanese consider migrant workers "outsiders" and think they should accept any working conditions, "or they should just leave the country." The government's lack of assistance also frustrates social workers, she said, naming three major problems in government institutions that deal with migrant worker affairs. "First, staff members lack the language ability to talk to migrant workers directly. Second, they don't have enough knowledge on laws relevant to migrant workers. And third, they lack the human rights awareness -- most of them only want to `get rid of the case' quickly when migrant workers seek assistance from them," she said. A change of attitude is key to improving working conditions for migrant workers, she said. Cheng said: "These migrant workers make significant contributions to Taiwanese society. They should be considered assets, not burdens." Migrant rights groups will stage a march today to seek vacation rights for foreign caregivers. The march will begin at 1pm from the Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT Station in Taipei and end at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. The "I Want a Vacation" march is part of a three-day international conference held by the Migrant Empowerment Network in Taiwan at National Taiwan Normal University to discuss globalization and the human rights of migrants. The conference began on Thursday and ended yesterday. Secretary-General of the Taiwan International Workers' Association Ku Yu-ling (???) said some families that hire foreign caregivers refuse to give their employees a vacation, claiming that they have no money to cover the cost of hiring a substitute in their absence. Not every family that employs a foreign caregiver is wealthy, Ku said, adding that the labor authorities use its managed employment fund to hire Taiwanese caregivers who can substitute for foreign caregivers when they are on vacation. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/933193.html On the street: Teachers protest injunctions In the hotel: Olmert, Bar-On refuse to budge By Or Kashti Two long discussions on education were held yesterday at the Israel Business Conference organized by the Globes newspaper in Tel Aviv: one took place in the conference room of the David Intercontinental Hotel, among the politicians and business people gathered there; the other was on the streets around the hotel, among a thousand or so striking secondary-school teachers who came to demonstrate against the government and the back-to-work orders it had the National Labor Court issue. The injunctions go into effect this Thursday. The connection between the two discussions was slight, which only underscored the great distance between the two worlds. The first demonstrators arrived at 9 A.M. at the plaza outside the hotel, dressed in the red and white colors that have accompanied their campaign since it began, exactly two months ago. The stream of protesters grew as the time drew near for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's speech at the convention, taking up one side of the street, then filling the other, and eventually nearing the hotel entrance, which had been blocked off by police barriers. Amid the various protest chants, one slogan stood out: "This struggle cannot be stopped," the teachers shouted, "We have to go on fighting, we have to go on fighting." The insistence on reducing class sizes and restoring slashed study hours, which typified the teachers' protests until last week's court order, has been replaced by a sense of insult. Many demonstrators insisted they will not return to school on Thursday. "There are moments when every teacher must obey his conscience and not a court order," Shuki Einhorn, a teacher at ORT Melton in Bat Yam, said. "True, we are not a public that violates orders, but now we are at war," added Meital, a teacher from the Rabin High School in Mazkeret Batya. "This is not an easy decision, but it is even harder to return to work under injunctions." Inside, Olmert and his finance minister, Roni Bar-On, heckled unsuccessfully by teachers in the audience, repeated their positions - they understand the teachers plight, but problems accrued over years cannot be fixed in a day - and firmly refused to divulge details of the government's pledge to reduce overcrowding in classrooms and restore instruction hours. There was no real change in the government's position of two weeks ago. "There are constant attempts to divert the discussion from the arena of labor relations into the arena of the government's education policy," Bar-On said. "The court also holds that this line detracts from the ability to end the crisis. We will lead a reform in education, but not by formulating 'an emergency plan' under strike pressure." Olmert was full of empathy for the strikers - up to a point. "The teachers are right when they demand an improvement in their wages and especially in rehabilitating the status and honor of their profession. And they have a solid basis for expecting the government to work on these matters quickly and determinedly," the prime minister said. "The government is right when it insists on a general reform in the school system, and not settling for wage hikes that might undermine wage agreements in the economy." Later he added that "the teachers outcry touches my heart. I know how hard their mission is. It must be improved. The teachers organization has managed to touch the most sensitive spots in Israeli society, and to arouse spontaneous sympathy among many. Now they must finish the negotiations and return to school." Afterward, the teachers union leader, Ran Erez, went outside and told the protesters: "Instead of this government serving the country, it wants the people to serve it. We do not agree with that way, and so we shall go on fighting." http://allafrica.com/stories/200712100946.html Zimbabwe: Zimsec Exam Markers Protest Poor Allowances Zimbabwe Standard (Harare) 9 December 2007 Posted to the web 10 December 2007 Nqobani Ndlovu Bulawayo Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) markers downed their pens and pencils last week protesting against low allowances and poor working conditions. The markers, most of them teachers, are also protesting against the late payment of their food allowances. The industrial action comes weeks after the council warned it was not certain the 2007 examinations would be marked due to inadequate funding. Zimsec depends entirely on government grants and examination fees paid by candidates sitting for Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations. Over the years, Zimsec has been constantly hit by financial problems and lack of resources. The Standard learnt that the markers were also protesting a move by the cash-squeezed council to pay them 25% of their outstanding allowances next year when examination results are released. Markers are being paid 75% of their allowances. Markers based at the Bulawayo Polytechnic said in interviews they wanted allowances for both lunch and supper increased to more than $3 million a day, up from the paltry $500 000. A plate of sadza in Bulawayo and Harare costs anything between $1.5 million and $2 million. The markers said they wanted allowances for marking examinations increased from $150 000 a script to at least $1 million. "Zimsec had promised to pay us the allowances for food on arrival at Bulawayo Polytechnic last week but to date, we still have not received anything," said a teacher, speaking on condition of anonymity. Another said: "Zimsec should increase allowances for food and marking. What they are promising us is just peanuts. The free food of boiled cabbages and beans we are served at Bulawayo Polytechnic is sub-standard." Zimsec spokesperson, E Pasipamire had not responded to questions at the time of going to press. Raymond Majongwe, the Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary-general, confirmed the markers had gone on strike. He said members of his union had quit the marking altogether. "This is just too bad and it compromises the already compromised marking of examinations," he said. "Teachers are not treated as professionals. Teachers should just boycott the marking exercise to send a message to the government." Zimsec director, Happy Ndanga told a parliamentary committee recently that the examinations body was allocated a meagre budget, not enough to ensure smooth running and marking of examinations. There have been calls to the government to overhaul the council after concerns raised over deteriorating standards, flagrant breach of security, confidentiality of examination papers and delays in the issuance of certificates. Frequent leakages of papers and mix-ups of results by the council, mandated to run examinations in 1998, have raised fears that education standards could be seriously compromised. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/10/asia/AS-GEN-Hong-Kong-Cathay-Dispute.php Cathay Pacific cabin crew hold protest rally but drop strike threat The Associated Press Published: December 10, 2007 HONG KONG: Hundreds of flight attendants for Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. staged a protest rally in downtown Hong Kong on Monday over a new medical insurance policy that requires all staff to pay a fee for doctors' visits. The Flight Attendants Union, however, pulled back from an earlier threat of a strike over the new medical plan, which comes into effect Jan. 1, 2008. Cathay welcomed the union's decision not to press ahead with a strike, but said it had no plans to change the medical policy. About 500 cabin crew marched to the office of the Hong Kong-based carrier's parent company, conglomerate Swire Pacific, to call for the policy to be withdrawn. They said they were "informed" but not consulted on the policy, which requires all staff to pay a standard fee to see either a doctor or specialist, according to a union statement. Staff did not have to pay for doctors' visits under the previous policy. Cathay has defended its new insurance plan, saying it provides better coverage for staff. The airline lowered the rates junior staff have to pay for doctors' consultations to HK$30 (US$3.85; ?2.60) and to HK$50 (US$6.40; ?4.35) for specialists, after protests from employees. Senior staff pay HK$50 for consultations with a doctor, and HK$100 (US$12.85; ?8.75) to see a specialist. Staff were still paying for the "so-called increased benefits from our own pockets," the union statement said. The union said last week that its members might strike over the co-payment policy, including refusing to serve passengers during the busy Christmas period. The statement said they were no longer considering that action. Cathay was pleased the union had stepped back from strike action, a company spokeswoman said. The airline will continue to consult with employees about the new medical policy, but will not withdraw it, the spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity in line with policy. Hong Kong is the key regional hub for Cathay, with over 100 flights daily to Asia, the U.S. and Europe. http://www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/business/news/display.var.1892549.0.workers_protest_against_scandalous_plans.php Workers protest against ?scandalous plans? Comment WORKERS at a Rolls-Royce plant in Sunderland will hold a protest today against plans to cut jobs on Merseyside. They will hold a solidarity protest outside the Wearside factory in support of workers at Bootle. They will be joined by workers taking similar action at other UK plants. The Unite trade union said that more than 200 highly skilled engineers would lose their jobs at the Bootle site, which makes turbines for the oil and gas industries, if Rolls-Royce's plans to shift production to Mount Vernon, in the US, go ahead. The union has launched a campaign to fight the changes. More than 10,000 people on Merseyside have signed their petition. Ian Tonks, from Unite, said: "It is scandalous that a global employer like Rolls-Royce can abandon its loyal workforce and shift production abroad. "We are doing everything in our power to defend our members' jobs on Merseyside, and we will take on any company that attempts to exploit the UK's weak employment laws because it is cheaper, quicker and easier to cut jobs here compared to the jobs of workers in other countries. "Unite will continue to fight this closure and prevent the loss of further jobs and skills being sent abroad." http://www.politics.co.uk/press-releases/unite-calling-noticecadbury-workers-stage-hq-carol-service-protest-against-factory-closure-$482870.htm Unite: Calling notice:Cadbury workers stage H.Q. carol service protest against factory closure Monday, 10 Dec 2007 10:12 Calling notice: Cadbury workers stage H.Q. carol service protest against factory closure Sing to stop Cadbury production being moved out of UK Monday 10th December, 12 noon, 25 Berkeley Sq, London, W1J 6HB. Carollers from the chocolate town of Keynsham sing to save their factory from closure outside the headquarters of confectionary giant CadburySchweppes, Berkeley Square, London. Led by Industrial Chaplain Rev. Harold Clarke, the festive protest blends the old with the new as Christmas favourites such as The First Noel and O Come All Ye Faithful are given a lyrical overhaul to reflect the anger of workers, the community and Church at Cadbury?s decision to halve their UK workforce, break its 200-year strong bond with Keynsham and relocate to Poland. The Bishop of Bath and Wells supports the protestors saying; ?Decisions made on the basis of seeing human beings simply as units of production is destructive to the human condition, and flies in the face of the Quaker principles of the founders of the Cadbury Schweppes empire. I believe that the destruction of the fabric of community life is inevitable once a significant employer closes a factory such as Somerdale. I have expressed my opposition to this closure in the strongest possible terms . . . I wish you success in your campaign?. The strong coalition between The Church of England, Cadbury workers? union Unite and thousands of locals who oppose the factory closure says shutting Somerdale heralds the end of UK chocolate manufacture and puts the future success of Cadbury in jeopardy. Transport Watch UK has highlighted the move to Eastern Europe will add an annual seven million food miles to the carbon footprint of British chocolate favourites like Crunchie, Fudge and Milk tray. Unite claims the decision to close the Somerdale factory has been made in haste by Cadbury despite a strong case for keeping production in Keynsham: 1. Cadbury has not assessed the impact of the move to Poland upon the taste and quality of its products. Unite claims that consumers will notice the difference. British chocolate has a unique flavour and Cadbury's brand value is tied up in its UK heritage. 2. The Somerdale site is profitable and productive and current sales are, in Cadbury's own words, ?simply stunning?; 3. The decision to move is environmentally unsound. 98% of chocolate made at Somerdale is consumed in the UK and moving production to Poland will add 7 million food miles to products like Fudge, Crunchie and Fry Turkish Delight; 4. Closure could put the supply chain at risk. Currently it takes just 6 hours for a chocolate bar to be made at Somerdale, transported and available for sale; 5. Keynsham has a two hundred year history of chocolate manufacture, and the closure will devastate the town, resulting in 700 direct and up to 1,000 further indirect job losses. ENDS Unite was formed on 1st May 2007 from a merger of amicus and the Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) For further information please contact Lydia Hayes on 0773 992 1669 http://209.85.135.104/search?q=cache:qR_arhgrDMUJ:www.dnaindia.com/report.asp%3Fnewsid%3D1138351+Sabarimala+staff+protest+undress+code&hl=en Sabarimala staff protest undress code Don Sebastian Monday, December 10, 2007 10:05 IST Staff deputed to keep track of cash, gold must not wear undergarments THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Already in the news for not being open to women between the ages of 10 and 50, the Sabarimala shrine is facing another controversy. The men who count the money the devotees offer can only wear dhotis. Underwear is banned. Apparently to prevent people from making off with the loose change. This pilgrimage season, which began in mid-November, authorities caught four employees trying to sneak out of the temple with cash. Employees of the Travancore Devaswom Board which runs the temple are up in arms against this dress code terming it demeaning. ?We have been voicing our protest against this inhuman practice at the board meetings for long. But the authorities ignore it,? says the employees? confederation president Shaji Sharma said. ?There?s a chance of money being stolen from the temple. But modern surveillance methods, like those used in airports, must be put in place.? Mohan Lal, the president of another staff union, says the union will approach the Kerala State Human Rights Commission against the practice. ?The dhoti-only rule is applicable only to the lower-cadre staff at the temple. Officers can come and go as they please. We want the board to end this discrimination,? says Sharma. Though a proposal to install an x-ray system at the temple was mooted, nothing came through, employees said. Recently, Kerala?s temple affairs minister G Sudhakaran and Travancore Devaswom board president CK Guptan had insinuated that an invincible mafia was grabbing pilgrims? money. At any rate, the Devaswom president has denied the imposition of the no-underwear rule. ?I am not aware of any such practice in Sabarimala. Maybe the people who raised the allegation know better,? Guptan said. ?We have closed-circuit cameras at the counting centre and that?s our only safeguard against pilferage.? The employees have also accused the board of being soft on offenders. They said that some of offenders have been reinstated in service even though cases are against pending against them in courts. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C12%5Cstory_12-12-2007_pg11_2 HFH nurses protest suspension of staff RAWALPINDI: The Holy Family Hospital (HFH) nurses staged a protest demonstration in front of Medical Superintendent (MS) Syed Abid Hussain Shah?s office on Tuesday against suspension of two nurses from service. They also staged a strike for more than one-hour and did not attend the patients. According to details, the MS suspended the services of two nurses for dereliction of duties when a three-day old child was kidnapped from the hospital. The two nurses were on duty when the child was kidnapped from the ward on November 9. More than 70 nurses participated in the protest demonstration and demanded that the MS reinstate the suspended staff. They also chanted slogans against the hospital administration. They threatened that the nursing staff of all the city government hospitals would go on strike if their demand for reinstatement of nurses were not met. Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Litafat was not available for comments. staff report http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/14/africa/ME-GEN-Egypt-Protest.php Egyptian tax workers end protest demanding higher wages The Associated Press Published: December 14, 2007 CAIRO, Egypt: Employees from Egypt's tax department ended a 10-day-old protest after officials promised to meet their demands, including wage increases, the protest leaders said. The protest was the latest in a series of labor actions complaining over low wages and increasing prices in Egypt, where many of the poor and shrinking middle class complain that economic reforms have not brought them prosperity. Hundreds of employees of the Real Estate Taxes' Department chanted slogans Thursday outside the Cabinet building in downtown Cairo, where the protesters have been holding a round-the-clock sit-in for the past 10 days, sleeping on sidewalks. They carried banners reading, "Our salaries do not even allow us to get a pair of shoes" and shouted for the finance minister and prime minister to hear them out and meet their demands. Police surrounded the protesters with metal barricades to prevent them from reaching the Cabinet building. Around noon, one of the protest leaders, Abdul-Qader Nada, emerged from a meeting with the finance minister, saying the employees had agreed to end their protest after the minister "promised us he will look into our demands." The protesters were demanding a pay hike or that they be incorporated into the Finance Ministry, where wages are higher, rather than local administrations. Later Thursday, the state-run news agency MENA, reported that Finance Minister Youssef Boutros Ghali has accepted to move the 55,000 Real Estate Tax employees to his ministry. "We were asking for our rights, we do most of the taxes' work and we get almost nothing," said Nada. He said a new employee of the real estate tax authority starts out with a salary as low as $45 a month. Nada said that he, a 20-year veteran of the agency, makes only $70 a month. In September, the World Bank ranked Egypt as the world's most improved economy for investors in 2007, thanks to the new government's wide-ranging economic reforms. The country has seen an average growth rate of 7.2 percent for last three years, double what it was previously. But even government officials have acknowledged in recent months that the improving economy has not trickled down to the majority of Egypt's 77 million people. During the first half of 2007, inflation was as high as 12 percent. Though the government says it fell to 8 percent later in the year, independent economists put the real rate at about twice that. Unemployment remains officially at 12 percent, and the poverty level more than 20 percent, according to the World Bank. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7145429.stm Tate workers stage wage protest Contract workers say the minimum wage does not reflect London living Cleaners and caterers took over the main hall of the Tate Modern gallery as part of a pay protest. Contract workers at the south London gallery say their wage does not cover the true cost of living in the capital. Led by the South London Citizens group, dozens of protesters linked hands and sang in its turbine hall on Friday. A Tate spokesman said: "Tate ensures all its contractors must comply with the statutory requirement to provide at least the national minimum wage." Contract workers at the gallery currently receive the national minimum wage of ?5.52 per hour. They want this increased to ?7.20 per hour, which is known as the London Living Wage - a wage level suggested by mayor Ken Livingstone to reflect the extra cost of living in the capital. South London Citizens spokesman Michael Faulkner said: "Everyone recognises that living in London is more expensive than living anywhere else. "We believe that the Tate as a major and very successful employer ought to be recognising their responsibilities to make sure that all their employees are properly remunerated for the work that they do." http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1505560 Napier dock workers protest job losses Dec 15, 2007 11:10 AM The Council of Trade Unions is backing the Maritime Union's campaign to save jobs at the Port of Napier. Workers have downed tools this morning to protest the potential loss of 85 jobs. It follows a decision to change contractors, without securing employment protection for current workers. CTU spokeswoman Helen Kelly says the workers are not disposable units that can be tossed about in the pursuit of a quick buck. She says the impact of a change of contract on these workers would be incredibly severe. Kelly says the long serving dock workers on the Port of Napier deserve better. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7151714.stm Last Updated: Wednesday, 19 December 2007, 16:51 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version 'Carol protest' over Cadbury cuts Christmas songs were given a "lyrical overhaul" Campaigners fighting to save up to 700 jobs at Cadbury have taken part in a demonstration at a tourist attraction. They held a Christmas carol concert outside Birmingham's Cadbury World to protest against job losses. About 40 workers from Keynsham near Bristol joined about the same number of colleagues from Bournville, Birmingham. The company wants to shut the Keynsham plant and transfer production to Poland with the loss of 500 jobs. An extra 200 jobs would go from Bournville. Beeping horns Cadbury has said it is still in talks with the Unite union. Officials from Unite, who organised the protest, said traditional Christmas songs were given a "lyrical overhaul". In one example "O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant" was replaced with "Don't close down Cadbury - England's finest chocolate". Campaigners also sang to workers in the social club at the Bournville factory during the protest, which lasted for about three hours. Unite spokesperson Lydia Hayes said there was plenty of public support. She said: "People were beeping their horns at us and coming up to us and laughing at some of the songs." The campaign has been previously backed by the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Rev Peter Price, who said that closing the factory would "fly in the face" of founder John Cadbury's Quaker principles. Film-maker Ken Loach also led a rally in protest against the plans earlier this month. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200712180322.htm Journalist, non-journalists stage protest Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Journalists and non-journalists of newspapers and news agencies in Kerala on Monday staged a relay hunger strike in front of the Martyrs' Column here, demanding announcement of interim relief. The fast was organised by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists and Kerala Newspaper Employees Federation. KUWJ president, P P Sasidharan, KUWJ general secretary, N Padmanabhan, and KNEF president, K N Lathanathan, were among those who spoke on the occasion. The protestors demanded that the Justice Narayana Kurup Wageboard submit its recommendation without delay. They also demanded that employees of the visual media be also included within the purview of the Wage Board. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/18/2122046.htm Health workers stage protest Posted Tue Dec 18, 2007 4:00pm AEDT Map: Melbourne 3000 About 250 health professionals have protested outside the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) as it begins hearings on the union's work bans. Four thousand health professionals, including physiotherapists and radiation therapists, have staged rolling stoppages in their battle for better pay and conditions. The Victorian Hospitals' Industrial Association, the umbrella group representing the state's public hospitals, has taken the Health Services Union (HSU) to the IRC, to try to have the bans lifted But the union's Kathy Jackson says health workers have been forced into taking the action. "The waiting lists are growing and the government has done nothing to rectify those problems and I'm astounded by the shear hypocrisy of this Labour Government who use work choices in this fashion," she said. Alec Djoneff, a spokesman for the hospitals, says the bans are causing widespread disruption to services. "We are seeking orders to prevent the interruption to patient treatment which has been quite extensive," he said. "The half-day rolling stoppages have been very damaging and very concerning and we have to bring them to a stop." http://allafrica.com/stories/200712270907.html Nigeria: Nigeria Airways Staff Protest Underpayment Daily Trust (Abuja) 26 December 2007 Posted to the web 27 December 2007 Samson Ojo Lagos Some sacked workers of the liquidated Nigeria Airways have petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for underpayment of their entitlements. The sacked workers said they were underpaid by as much as N500,000 each and have decided to officially notify the EFCC of the fraud. One of the aggrieved workers, Mr. Garba Bawa, said he and some of his colleagues were employed in 1993. He expressed shock that he was paid N1.5 million while some of his colleagues received N2 million. Responding to the explanation of one of the union leaders, Mr. Kabir Lawal, that he (Bawa) might have been among those employed in the second batch, Bawa said: "It is a blatant lie. They are just trying to cover their mistakes. They don't want the truth to be known. They want their mistakes to be exposed. "I'm from Kaduna State and all of us from Kaduna State were in the first batch. That was in March, 1993. The second batch came later in September, 1993 and there is no way I will receive N1.5 million and some of my colleagues will receive over N2 million. Even those employed in September received N1.9 million," he said. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_business?id=161256450 Dozens of workers protest Aretha Welch Saturday, December 29th 2007 THREE dozen workers and trade union representatives gathered yesterday to protest and show their dissatisfaction with the workings of the Government appointed, Public Sector Negotiating Committee (PSNC). Organised by the Banking and General Insurance Workers Union, the angry labourers took time out of their end of year schedules to march outside the Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Finance Company's office at Dundonald Street for several hours. Representatives of a number of recognised union bodies took part in the march which Mario Als, deputy president of BIGWU said, "Was organised to let the PSNC know that both the union and the workers they represented did not appreciate the presence of the committee in wage negotiations with public or state owned companies as all the committee does was frustrate the process and the workers." Presently, BIGWU and the management of TTMFC are involved in wage negotiations for salary increments for a vast majority of TTMFC's workers. However, the union is saying that the inclusion of the PSNC in negotiations has been making it difficult for the wage disagreement to be settled as the employers are saying they cannot submit proposals without the go-ahead from the PSNC who is in turn not willing to give the necessary approval. Up to press time no members of the PSNC could be reached for comment. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Teachers-block-highway-to-protest-against-training-during-vacations/255754/ Teachers block highway to protest against training during vacationsFont Size - -A +A Anupam Bhagria Posted online: Sunday , December 30, 2007 at 12:00:00 Print Email To Editor Post Comments Updated: Sunday , December 30, 2007 at 01:45:52 Print Email To Editor Post Comments Ludhiana, December 29 Continuing their boycott of training seminars during winter break, hundreds of government teachers today held a massive rally at Mini Secretariat and blocked traffic on the National Highway on Ferozepur Road for around half-an-hour. The call for a rally was given by the Sarkari School Sikhya Bachao Manch Punjab, a joint platform of more than 15 teachers? organisations. The Manch has been protesting against the Education department and the state government for conducting training seminars during winter break. The protesting teachers were also demanding that nine teachers, who were put under suspension for protesting against the seminars at Mohali, be reinstated. Addressing a protest rally, Baldev Singh Mangat, president of the Government Teachers? Union, said if the state government didn?t reinstate the suspended teachers they will intensify their struggle. The eight-day long training seminars started on December 24. From day one, however, teachers have completely boycotted the seminars. After taking out a rally in the forenoon today, the protesting teachers blocked traffic on Ferozepur Road in front of the Deputy Commissioner?s officer. The protesters stopped traffic for half-an-hour. Sher Singh, Bhajan Singh, Amandeep, Bhushan Lal Khanna, Charan Singh Halwara, all office-bearers of different teachers? associations, addressed the agitating teachers. While approving the protest of government teachers, Sudesh Bajaj, District Education Officer, Secondary, said the teachers? protest was justified ?because resource persons should be well-informed and aware about the topics on which they are to training the teachers in-service?. ?There shall be small groups of teachers for conducting the seminars. Calling all the teachers for attending the seminars and that too in holidays is not right,? Bajaj added. Meanwhile, the commuters say they had to face inconvenience because they had to take different routes to reach their destinations. Fearing traffic blockages, many bus drivers asked the passengers to get off near Bharat Nagar chowk. Krishna Kumari, a Jagraon-bound passenger, said: ?It?s difficult to board another bus with small kids. The VIPS as well as the government teachers should not create such hindrance for public.? Meanwhile, the Manch has decided to hold a meeting on January 2 at Mini Secretariat to chalk out its future course of action. Joginder Aazad, general secretary of the Democratic Teachers Front, said, ?Our protest is also against not fulfilling 40,000 vacancies of teachers, for increasing the school timings, for not regularising computer teachers, and for not bringing the schools of Zila Parishad under the District Education Department.? Somerville - At approximately 1 a.m. his morning, members of Teamsters Local 25 established a picket line at F.W. Russell Disposal Company located at 120 McGrath Highway and Broadway Brake at Broadway and Lombardi Way. http://www.bloggernews.net/112882 Russell Disposal is the contractor providing trash removal services for the city of Somerville. Protestors bused into the scene padlocked the front gate and parked a trailer in front of it so Russell?s employees could not enter and the trucks could not leave. At approximately 8:15 a.m. Thursday morning, acting Chief Robert Bradley gave the order for police to push back the picketers who had been bused into the site. Somerville Police were backed up by Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (a regional force from other cities) which includes a SWAT Team. Officials from Peabody, Concord, Pepperell, North Andover, Watertown, Bedford, Chelmsford, Lexington and Woburn staged in the Target parking lot and marched to the site in full riot gear. As police pushed picketers back, a scuffle broke out. Ten picketers were arrested. ?There is no riot. There never was a riot. We do not have a riot. We have a labor dispute,? Somerville Police Capt. Upton said this morning. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5444340.html Jan. 10, 2008, 2:38PM NY Catholic Teachers Protest Contract By ULA ILNYTZKY Associated Press Writer ? 2008 The Associated Press NEW YORK ? Nearly all of the 375 unionized lay teachers at 10 high schools run by the Archdiocese of New York called in sick Thursday in a contract dispute. Eight of the 10 schools, serving about 5,000 students in the city and northern suburbs, decided to send their students home early after 347 teachers represented by the Lay Faculty Association failed to show up for work, the archdiocese said. Archdiocese spokesman Joe Zwilling said all the one-day sickout would do is disrupt the day for the students and cost teachers a day's wages. Union business manager Henry Kielkucki defended the action. "It's the best thing we've ever done," he said. "It's too bad that students lost education over it and that the teachers lost money. There's no reason that this couldn't be hammered out at the negotiating table." The teachers have been without a contract since Aug. 31. Zwilling said the two sides last met with a mediator in December. He said the union rejected its "last, best and final" offer, which called for salary increases of 17 to 19.5 percent over three years, based on years of experience, for a top salary of $58,000. Top-paying teachers now make $54,000. The offer also called for teachers to contribute to the cost of their health care. Kielkucki said the union was asking for a top salary of $60,000 for teachers who hold master's or doctorates, and added that any raises would be lost to health care premiums. In comparison, the top salary of a city public school teacher with a master's degree and 22 years on the job is $95,000. The average salary is $68,000. Zwilling said the number of teachers who stayed out ranged widely from school to school. Seven out of 39 teachers stayed out at John F. Kennedy High School in Somers in Westchester County, and 46 out of 52 called in sick at Our Lady of Lourdes in Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County. Only Kennedy, and Moore Catholic High School on Staten Island, kept students for the entire school day. A total of 420 teachers, including the 375 union members, work at the 10 schools in Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, Goshen, Poughkeepsie, Hartsdale, White Plains and Somers. Kielkucki said the union would wait before planning any other action but would not do anything for at least the next seven days when students will be taking their midterm exams. The union went on strike in 2001 in a dispute over salaries and benefits. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7185150.stm Council workers protest over pay The council employs about 40,000 people Hundreds of council staff have held a protest about plans to restructure pay. The Birmingham workers staged a rally in the city's Victoria Square, outside the council offices. Birmingham City Council is holding a review of wages paid to its 41,000 workers amidst union claims that some staff will be left worse off. The council has said about 45% of its staff would receive a "considerable increase". Staff are being balloted on strike action. Unions have said some workers, mainly women, could be left worse off by a few thousand pounds a year. Unison spokesman Tony Rabaiotti, said Birmingham was the biggest local authority in England and as such would be watched by many authorities elsewhere to see what happened. Council chiefs have said they are legally obliged to carry out the plans and that it is amongst authorities across England asked by the government to bring pay schemes in line with equal pay legislation. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jATey6oU4_xbGy6tnb4LOLGTrp6QD8TCFCDO0 UN Tour Guides Protest Pay, Conditions By EDITH M. LEDERER ? Dec 6, 2007 UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? Twenty-two tour guides called in sick on Thursday to protest the U.N.'s failure to deal with their demands for better salaries and working conditions, forcing all but large, prearranged tours to be canceled. The United Nations employs about 50 guides, who each work around 30 hours a week, showing visitors around the headquarters building in New York. Only six are staff members, said Emad Hassanin, first vice president of the U.N. Staff Union. The rest are paid on an hourly basis and don't have regular contracts, vacation, or sick leave, he said. U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said the job action "is apparently related to a number of issues that the tour guides have raised with management in recent weeks." Hassanin said a previous agreement to establish a working group to discuss contracts and working conditions for the tour guides was thrown out by the new Undersecretary-General for Public Information Kiyotaka Akasaka. But Okabe said a meeting with the tour guides had been scheduled for Thursday afternoon to again discuss creating a working group. It was unclear if any of the tour guides showed up, but Akasaka later informed U.N. officials by e-mail that he had set up a group. It includes three representatives of the tour guides and two staff representatives of the Department of Public Information. Hassanin said the Staff Union leadership had pointedly been excluded. The old agreement had called for union leaders to be included. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, asked about the tour guides, said the fact that 22 called in sick "must have caused some inconvenience to the tours." "Tour guides are very important (in) connecting the United Nations and the outside world ? they have been playing an important role," he said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/BPO_staffers_hold_protest/articleshow/2602671.cms BPO staffers hold protest 7 Dec 2007, 0344 hrs IST,Dipak Kumar Dash,TNN GURGAON: While Gurgaon has emerged as a success story with its concentration of bustling BPO offices, small call centres sacking their employees and refusing salary payments has started sullying the industry?s name. In fact, on chilly Wednesday night, about 35 voice call executives, including women, had to stage a noisy two-hour-long protest outside their call centre office in Udyog Vihar, phase-V demanding their salary. As the situation got worse, even the police rushed to the spot and intervened to defuse the crisis. According to the executives of Voicekraft Infosole, they were suddenly dismissed from their services after they reached office on Wednesday. "They called us and said that we did not meet their expectations and hence we were sacked. But this seemed to be a well-conceived move by the company since the date of paying the salary was approaching. We worked all these days to get the salary and now we have to pay rent. Where will we stay, if we are thrown out of our rented accommodation?" asked one of the employees. All those who have been sacked, including women, were told to make their own transport arrangement to return home. Finally, they called up the local police and in their presence a fleet of cabs took these employees home around 1.30 am. After the police intervened, the BPO promised that they would hand over salary cheques to the sacked employees by 5 pm on Thursday. But till late Thursday night, over 50% of them said that the promise was not kept. Piyush, a partner of this BPO said: "All of them have not yet got the employment letter from the company. They have got the intent letter and the condition clearly says they would be employed only when they are deemed professionally fit. When they can?t work for outbound business, how can we keep them?" http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/headlines/display.var.1892788.0.hundreds_join_post_office_protest.php Hundreds join post office protest By Katie Adams Protesters in Lacock on Saturday HUNDREDS of campaigners in Lacock were joined by MP James Gray over the weekend to protest about the impending closure of rural post offices. In October hundreds of post office staff were asked to sign documents forbidding them from telling customers their branches were under threat but news of the gagging orders emerged as Royal Mail prepared to announce which services would face the axe. On Saturday around 300 people gathered at the village stores in Lacock to protest the cuts and tomorrow Royal Mail will instigate a six week consultation period on the closures which will effect post offices in large parts of the West with as many as one in five in the region facing closure. Lacock sub-postmistress Emma Hands defied the confidentiality agreement to speak out. She said: "I was told earlier this year that I would know in October. A man from the post office came round but before he told me anything he made me sign this confidentiality agreement. "They told me I would get financial penalties for breaking it, but I don't care. It's about free speech and they put me in a very awkward position." From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 13:54:50 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 21:54:50 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Peace protests, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <009501c85953$9603fae0$0802a8c0@andy1> * SCOTLAND: NATO summit "not quite stopped" * BAHRAIN: Hundreds protest Bush visit, military bases * CZECH REPUBLIC: Hundreds protest against US radar base in Prague * ITALY: Vicenza military base protests continue * US: Stanford students protest Rumsfeld appointment * US: Direct action at Olympia port - military shipments blockaded * US: Peace protests on fringes of Rose Parade in Pasadena * UK: Turner Prize goes to reconstruction of Brian Haw's banned Parliament Square protest camp * US: Activists protest war through music * US: Church slaughter commemoration used to protest war * AUSTRALIA: Protesters demand withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, protest government foot-dragging * US: Students protest against war in Seattle * US: Activists target Middle East "peace summit" in Annapolis * US: Twenty thousand attend annual School of Americas protest, eleven arrested for trespassing * LEBANON: Dozens protest cluster bombs in Beirut sit-in * PAKISTAN/KASHMIR: Kashmiris protest for cross-border truck service * SOMALIA/US: Protest against Ethiopian invasion in Seattle [OLYMPIA: Notice how the statists insist on unconditional obedience, which is a total negation of rights - this shows how absolutely unreasonable they are] NATO not quite stopped About fourty activists protested against the NATO summit at the Craigiehall Army Barracks near Edinburgh in Scotland. The demonstrators blocked the main road to the meeting, which was attended by defence ministers from eight NATO countries and other senior political and military officials to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan. Reports of protests on Indymedia Scotland and IMC UK: [ report of early morning actions | report and pics | leaflets in NATO hotel | Indymedia Scotland feature | details of protest | announcing article ] Background links: [ The Senlis Council | RAWA on US worsening human rights situation | Taliban control more than half of Afghanistan: IMC Germany | Womankind: Taking Stock | Canadian Peace Alliance | Imc Germany: There is no end to Afghanistan | Le Monde Diplomatique french/german/english | icasualties | Why are we in Afghanistan? | Just Foreign Policy ] http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/world/middle-east/article3331863.ece Hundreds of demonstrators protest at Bush in Bahrain Saturday, January 12, 2008 Several hundred demonstrators have take to the streets of Bahrain as George Bush arrived in the country. Protestors waved placards calling on the US to withdraw its military bases from the state. The American President's visit is part of a tour of the Middle East. Earlier he held talks at a base in Kuwait with his commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/18/content_7097299.htm Demonstrators protest against U.S. radar base in Prague PRAGUE, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Several hundred people rallied Saturday in the city center of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, to voice disagreement with the planned stationing of a U.S. radar base in the country. The demonstrators demanded a referendum on the issue and criticized the position of the coalition government over the radarbase. The protesters unfolded the banners saying "War is the biggest business," "No missiles are peaceful" and "Trokavec and 70 percent of Czechs want to live without the radar." Jan Neoral, mayor of the village of Trokavec, situated near the planned site of the radar installations, said: "We will be ruled again by corrupt and base people." The rally was called by the No to Bases group at Prague's Wenceslas Square. It was attended by trade union activists and deputy chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Bohuslav Sobotka. Washington initiated the plan to deploy an anti-missile radar base in the Czech Republic and a missile interceptor base in Poland earlier this year. A recent opinion poll showed that most of Czechs oppose the establishment of the base, which is to be built on the Brdy military grounds some 90 kilometers southwest of Prague. http://roadstorome.blogspot.com/2007/12/no-military-base-in-vicenza.html No Military Base in Vicenza There was a multi-day protest in the Northern Italian town of Vicenza against the development of a military installation known as 'Dal Molin'. The United States Military has been trying to build a new military base there, because they definitely need another one. The efforts have been thwarted by activists. And just a few days ago a protest and march expected to attract 40,000 people was attended by double that amount. The massive march culminated in a square with speeches by, among others, playwright Dario Fo and 80 year old Catholic priest Don Gallo. Read an excellent report about it on AfterDowningStreet. Of course US Citizens for Peace and Justice were among the ordinary people standing up for the cause of peace. Nice to see that protest politics are alive and well, and the people can make their voices heard when 80,0000 strong join together to march, sing, and gather: that's what the holidays are about. http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0828745020071109 Stanford students protest Rumsfeld appointment Thu Nov 8, 2007 10:47pm EST STANFORD, California (Reuters) - More than 100 Stanford University students demonstrated on Thursday against a decision to make former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution amid campus discontent over a symbol of U.S. failings in the Iraq war. To date, nearly 4,000 Stanford faculty, students and alumni have signed a petition begun by a faculty member to reject Rumsfeld's appointment announced in September, but John Raisian, the institute's director, said Rumsfeld deserved the honor of being a "distinguished visiting fellow." "Donald Rumsfeld has a remarkable record of achievement," Raisian told the Stanford Faculty Senate. "Like it or not, he has had a distinguished career." Rumsfeld twice served as defense secretary under President Gerald Ford and President George W. Bush. He also served under President Richard Nixon; in the House of Representatives; as an ambassador to NATO; and as chief executive of two Fortune 500 companies. "The concern with Secretary Rumsfeld is that he might be distinguished for the wrong reasons," said David Spiegel, a professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. "The fact that he is available for this appointment speaks to his difficulties." The position does not require residency in the San Francisco area, one of the hotbeds of anti-Iraq war sentiment since Bush launched the war that toppled Saddam Hussein. "If you consider his entire career, you could make an argument for the title distinguished," said Debra Satz, an associate professor in the department of philosophy. "But really, we're talking about the last six or seven years and I think across the board, he has been an incompetent secretary of defense." (Reporting by Clare Baldwin; writing by Adam Tanner; editing by Todd Eastham) http://www.theolympian.com/570/story/268949.html Tempers cool at site of Olympia war protest Turmoil eases at port; protesters at forum criticize police actions Heather Woodward The Olympian OLYMPIA - Iraq War protesers clashed with police early Sunday morning as criticism of police crowd control tactics mounted. Olympia police arrested three people and sprayed at least two others with pepper spray Sunday morning. Twelve people were arrested Saturday. Demonstrators who carried "Support the troops" signs gathered across the street from those protesting military-cargo shipments at the Port of Olympia, but the rest of Sunday was relatively quiet, police said. Sunday night, roughly 100 people attended a standing-room-only forum at Olympia City Hall organized by City Councilman TJ Johnson to discuss whether police have gone too far in their use of batons and pepper spray at the recent protests. Johnson told those who attended to fill out citizen complaint forms, which were available at the forum, if they wanted to report something they perceived as improper behavior by a city of Olympia employee. Olympia police Cmdr. Tor Bjornstad said police have not swung their batons at anyone but have used them to push back protesters trying to block roadways. And he said everyone who was sprayed with pepper spray was warned at least four times beforehand. Some who attended Sunday night's forum said they were sprayed without warning. Police response But Bjornstad said: "No one got sprayed that didn't know it was coming." Though he stopped short of accusing police officers of misconduct, Johnson called the situation a "significant crisis" and said he decided to organize the forum because he was concerned by police acts he'd witnessed and heard about. Olympia Mayor Mark Foutch released a written statement Sunday that said any reports of excessive police force that are filed with the city will be "thoroughly and impartially" investigated. But he said police reported that some demonstrators have acted in ways that exceeded their rights to use public roads for political expression. And he said demonstrators need to "express their opinions in ways that do not block the public rights-of-way for unreasonable periods and to respond promptly to lawful requests and orders of police officers on the scene." A week of unrest Monday The USNS Brittin lands at the Port of Olympia to unload equipment that was used in Iraq by the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team). Tuesday About 150 protesters carry signs and chant as they march from Percival Landing through downtown, backing up traffic on Fourth Avenue as they make their way to the fenced-off area where the USNS Brittin is docked. There is little interaction between protesters and police. Wednesday Two people are arrested Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. Protests start out calm but escalate as the evening progresses and protesters chase or jump in front of combat vehicles leaving the port. Police use batons and drag protesters out of the road. Thursday Protesters gather at the port entrance, but no convoys leave the port and there are no confrontations with police. Police report the extra response to the protests cost the city $10,000. Friday At 4 p.m., about 40 people block the paths of two trucks carrying a Stryker and cargo containers. The Olympia Police Department does not have enough officers to remove the protesters. Protesters remain at the port entrance all night and build a barricade of garbage cans and a truck axle at the Market Street and Marine Drive entrance. Port workers appear to cleared the barricade at about 8:15 a.m. Saturday. Saturday . 10:20 a.m.: Police force a line of protesters to move away from the Market Street port gates. No one is arrested. . 12:15 p.m.: Police arrest at least three people near Plum Street and Fourth Avenue after protesters jump in front of a truck. . 12:30 p.m.: Police arrest nine more people who had linked arms through PVC pipe, partly blockading Plum Street near Union Avenue in an attempt to keep a convoy from getting onto Interstate 5. . 2:30 p.m.: Olympia Port Militarization Resistance members meet to discuss upcoming plans and vow to continue to resist any shipments. http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/thebigblog/archives/126021.asp Protest du Jour: Anti-war movement turns up the heat For more than a week now, anti-war protesters have been marching on the Port of Olympia, where equipment from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, the Stryker Brigade, is being unloaded for return to Fort Lewis. Protest organizers initially said they were looking for a peaceful demonstration, even asking supporters to bring their families. But Tuesday night, 50 protesters were arrested in a clash with police. This new Thursday morning from The Associated Press: Military equipment is on the move again at the Port of Olympia and so are anti-war protesters. At least three semi-trucks have left the port carrying Stryker vehicles used in Iraq back to Fort Lewis. Anti-war protest leaders say they're mobilizing again, and a squad of police in riot gear is at the scene. It was relatively quiet overnight, but in the past week 60 anti-war demonstrators have been arrested trying to block military equipment that is being unloaded. And in Seattle, two anti-war marches on Friday could delay afternoon traffic and part of the evening commute, city officials warned. A March Against the War will begin at 12:30 p.m. at the south plaza of Seattle Central Community College, at Broadway and East Pine Street. The march will move west on Pine to Westlake Park on Fourth Avenue and is expected to last 30 to 45 minutes. About 250 people are expected to take part. A second protest march, Youth March for Books not Bombs, will begin at 2:15 p.m. at Westlake Park. It will move west on Pine Street to Second Avenue, south on Second to Jackson, east on Jackson to 23rd Avenue South, south on 23rd to Dearborn Street and then west on Dearborn to Judkins Park. As many as 3,000 people are expected to participate, according to a city announcement, which said anyone traveling into or out of the downtown core area "should plan on delays in their commute as the peak afternoon traffic will be impacted." Posted by Candace Heckman Candace Heckmanat November 15, 2007 9:03 a.m. Categories: News updates, Protest Du Jour Comments #67194 Posted by unregistered user at 11/15/07 9:51 a.m. >From the Associated Press: On Friday, protesters, including several small children, were able to keep two trucks from leaving the port. Olympia police said the department did not have enough officers available to remove the protesters Friday, and that they were not prepared to physically remove children. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/14/america/NA-GEN-US-Anti-War-Protest.php Dozens arrested in US anti-war protest The Associated Press Published: November 14, 2007 OLYMPIA, Washington: More than 40 people were arrested as anti-war protesters again tried to block shipments of military gear to a local U.S. Army brigade, even pouring cement on railroad tracks in a failed effort to stop trains. Police wearing riot gear fired pepper spray projectiles into a crowd of more than 150 protesters Tuesday night at the Port of Olympia, and several military convoys eventually moved out. Olympia police spokesman Dick Machlan said 43 people were arrested and then released while prosecutors decide whether to charge them. Andrew Yankey, a spokesman for the anti-war Olympia Port Militarization Resistance, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the demonstrators were not protesting the soldiers, who had recently returned from Iraq, but the equipment that he said likely will be shipped to war again. "The soldiers have made it home, and we're really glad about that," he said. "This is about the military equipment. As long as the government refuses to listen to the will of the vast majority of people who want an end to this war, it's not safe to allow the military to have its hands on this equipment because it will continue to support the war in Iraq." The protests, with other arrests, began last week. Costa said the crowd was warned five times Tuesday that pepper gas would be used. "We're going to keep moving equipment as long as we can," Costa said. Officials with the port did not immediately return phone calls Wednesday, and it was unclear whether more shipments would be unloaded Wednesday night. Also present Tuesday were 30 to 40 counter-demonstrators who said the protesters were a disgrace and that the returning troops should be welcomed home without being denied their equipment. Jill Wolf said she strongly opposes the war in Iraq but took issue with the protesters' tactics and described them as criminals. "I would suggest that today's protesters are making Olympia look ridiculous while wasting thousands of dollars in taxpayers' money," Wolf said. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/31/content_7342651.htm U.S. anti-war activists plan protest on sidelines of Rose Parade LOS ANGELES, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. anti-war activists said Sunday they plan to protest on the sidelines of the Rose Parade in Pasadena on New Year's day, calling for an end to the Iraq war and the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. A group call itself the White Rose Coalition said its members would demonstrate in front of the TV camera platforms from 6 a.m. on New Year's Day, two hours before the famous annual holiday event begins. Organizers plan to start demonstrating during pre-parade telecasts, according to Peter Thottam, the coalition's spokesman. "Everything we are doing is strictly within our First Amendment rights, and we do not want to interrupt anyone's enjoyment of the parade," he said. "We have made it clear to every participant that we want to be respectful." "We are a decentralized group simply trying to get our message out through the mainstream media blockade, especially about the impeachment of the president of the United States," said Thottam, a lawyer and former political candidate for the Green Party. The White Rose Coalition, which takes its name after a short-lived resistance movement to Nazi power in Munich in 1942, said on its website that activists will unfurl a banner and demonstrate as the Port of Los Angeles float passes by the grandstands on Colorado Boulevard at about 9 a.m. According to Tottham, California peace activist Cindy Sheehan reportedly will also attend. The spokesman said that protest organizers have been promised by police and Tournament of Roses officials that they will not be arrested if they do not hold up signs as to block other persons' views. About 1 million people from across the United States are expected to attend the 119th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade, which will be broadcast live by major U.S. television networks and watched by millions of people around the world. http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article3220962.ece Praise for Turner jury as prize goes to war protest By Arifa Akbar, Arts Reporter Published: 04 December 2007 It is the country's foremost visual arts prize which never ceases to generate outrage for honouring conceptual works that are accused of bearing little relevance to real life. But last night, Mark Wallinger won the Turner Prize by delivering a searing attack on the Iraq war with his installation, State Britain. The work, composed of 600 anti-war banners, photographs and placards, meticulously recreates the "peace camp" set up by Brian Haw in Parliament Square. Picking up the ?25,000 prize presented at Tate Liverpool by the actor and art collector Dennis Hopper, Wallinger praised Mr Haw for his campaign and called for an end to occupation in Iraq. "Brian Haw is a remarkable man who has waged a war against the folly and hubris of our government for six-and-a-half years. He is a last dissenting voice. Bring home the troops, give us back our rights, trust the people ... It's important that these freedoms are fought for and preserved," he said. Mr Haw, who still camps outside Parliament Square and was present at the ceremony, said: "Art can't get more real than State Britain." He said he was not initially convinced by the idea when Wallinger approached him. "I politely told him to 'piss off'. I get so many people coming up to me. But we sat down to chat and I thought that he shared the same heart as I have, he cared for people," said Mr Haw. He said Wallinger took hundreds of photographs of his 40-metre-wide protest camp, just days before it was dismantled in May last year, under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act prohibiting unauthorised demonstrations within a kilometre radius of Parliament Square. Faithful in every detail to Mr Haw's peace camp, it reproduces everything from the makeshift tarpaulin shelter and tea-making area to hand-painted placards and teddy bears wearing T-shirts with peace slogans. In bringing a reconstruction of Mr Haw's protest back into the public domain, Wallinger was seen to be raising questions around issues of freedom of expression and the erosion of civil liberties. It was described as "visceral and historically important" by Tate jurors and commended for putting the "viewer in the emotional field of the loneliness of protest". A Tate statement added that it " combined a bold political statement with art's ability to articulate fundamental human truths". It will undoubtedly be welcomed by those who have criticised the prize for losing its connection with social reality over the years. Wallinger, 48, had been the critics' choice on a shortlist that included Mike Nelson, who had previously been nominated for the prize in 2001, and whose work included the recreation of a photographer's darkroom; Nathan Coley, who focused on belief systems, and Zarina Bhimji for her footage dealing with themes of colonial history and immigration. http://media.www.dailytargum.com/media/storage/paper168/news/2007/12/10/University/Activists.Protest.War.Through.Night.Of.Music-3140253.shtml Activists protest war through night of music Rutgers Against the War brings political issues to the fore with local artists, poets M. Aasin Pena / Staff Writer Issue date: 12/10/07 Section: University Print Email DoubleClick Any Word Page 1 of 1 Some activists voice their opinions at protests and marches, but for those attending the Drop Beats Not Bombs event on Saturday night, music was the preferred medium. The event, which took place in the Red Lion Caf? of the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus, was hosted by Rutgers Against the War and was designed to show an alternative sound that is not commonly heard in the mainstream media. Students who attended were able to hear local political music artists, hear spoken-word from fellow students and learn more about issues that often go unaddressed in the media. Although the show was organized by RAW, board member Tiffany Cheng, a School of Arts and Sciences student, said she felt the show was more than just a protest against the Iraq war through music. "Our issues are not just about the Iraq war because we are going to be talking about other social issues and just the way in which music and other things like spoken-word can be an outlet for . your opinions," Cheng said. Music is just one of the many ways people can show how they really feel about the war, said RAW member Sumia Ibrahim, a Rutgers College senior. "There are a lot of ways people are expressing how they feel about this war alongside the U.S. policy around the world, and music is one of those ways that it is being expressed," Ibrahim said. "We wanted to bring out one of the more entertaining aspects of the anti-war work that is being done, and we also wanted the people to listen to the music and get the message but also have a fun time." School of Arts and Sciences first-year student Sean Battle said shows like these make people more aware of the issues affecting the world around them. "I feel that people sometimes don't read the newspapers or watch the TV news because it is too depressing for them," said Battle, a member of Verbal Mayhem, which is a student group that performs spoken-word and poetry. "I think that through events like these where it is a form of entertainment, it will be entertainment to them. But at the same time, it opens their eyes to what is going on out there in the world." Son of Nun, one of the hip-hop artists performing at the event, said he felt it was good that students came to show their support for the anti-war movement, and he hoped it would help to broaden the scope of their political aims. "When you see blacks protesting, it's about the death penalty or the prisons. Yet, when you see white people protesting, it's about the war," Son of Nun said. "[Government officials] are not a single issue group in the White House, and we can't afford to be either." RAW is part of a coalition of various student organizations at the University that is part of the anti-war movement dedicated to helping end the U.S. occupation in Iraq. http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/thebigblog/archives/128449.asp Protest du Jour: Feast of the Holy Innocents Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Bellevue will host a special Greater Church Council service Friday evening to remember civilians who have suffered and died because of the war in Iraq. In Catholic, as well as Lutheran, tradition, Dec. 28 marks the Feast of the Holy Innocents. It represents a day to commemorate the slaughter of the children of Palestine at the hands of King Herod and the Roman Empire when rumors spread throughout the Holy Land of the coming Messiah. The gathering will take place at the church at 4315 129th Place S.E. in Bellevue from 6 to 7:30 p.m. According to event organizer, Bill Grace, "We anticipate leaving this gathering touched deeply by the pain of our time and renewed in our conviction to engage the powers of this world and call an end to this unjust war." And if the religious context is too heavy for you, but you would still like to end 2007 sticking it to The Man over Iraq, here are a couple of other protests Friday. Bremerton, 5:10 - 6:40 p.m., corner of Washington Avenue and First Street, a group will be greeting two ferry commuter boats. Redmond, 6 to 7 p.m., at Anderson Park, Redmond Road at 168th Street. Bring signs. This group is affiliated with Evergreen Peace and Justice and SNOW Sound Nonviolent Opponents of War. And, oh yeah, it's also Critical Mass Friday downtown. Enjoy! http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/09/2113724.htm Campaigners protest Iraq, Afghan deployments Posted Sun Dec 9, 2007 5:06pm AEDT A spokeswoman for Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon says Labor recognises the importance of the work being done in Afghanistan. (File photo) (ADF) Related Story: 'No decision made' on Afghan deployment A anti-war group says it will lobby the Federal Government to withdraw Australian troops from Afghanistan as well as Iraq. The Stop The War Coalition held a small demonstration outside Sydney's Town Hall this afternoon to protest against Australia's involvement in overseas conflicts. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is planning to have all combat troops in Iraq withdrawn by the middle of next year. But the Coalition's Alex Bainbridge says he should go further. "The Stop The War Coalition is very pleased to see the end of the Howard government, but we're continuing our campaign because we want to see an end to both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. "So far, Rudd's promises fall a long way short of that." 'No formal decisions' Fairfax newspapers today quoted officials from the Dutch Government, who say they have extended the deployment of their troops until 2010 partly because Australia has made the same commitment. A spokeswoman for Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon says no such decision has been made. She says Labor recognises the importance of the work being done in Afghanistan and the Government will consider further reasonable requests for more assistance. The Sunday Age says it does not know whether the reported decision to keep troops in Afghanistan was made before or after the federal election. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004018413_webprotest16m.html Friday, November 16, 2007 - Page updated at 11:01 PM E-mail article Print view Share: Digg Newsvine Student protesters march through downtown Seattle By Seattle Times staff PREV 1 of 3 NEXT THOMAS JAMES HURST / THE SEATTLE TIMES Matthew Rousseau, center, chants anti-war slogans with a couple hundred protesters who marched through downtown Seattle. ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES Hundreds of students who walked out of class Friday to protest the war in Iraq, including Max Supler from The Center School at The Seattle Center, chant at Westlake Park before marching to Judkins Park. Supler left his science class and said four to five dozen of his classmates walked out as well. ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES Seneca Harper rallies a group at Seattle Central Community College Friday afternoon before Iraq war protesters marched to Westlake Park, where a larger crowd gathered. A crowd of roughly 400 anti-war demonstrators - most of them high school and college students - marched through downtown Seattle today, carrying signs and chanting slogans such as "This is what democracy looks like!" >From Westlake Center, they made their way to Jackson Street and 23rd Avenue, where they staged a brief sit-in in a parking lot outside of military-recruiting offices. The offices were closed today, apparently because of the protest. Dozens of Seattle police officers escorted the demonstrators while others, armed with long sticks and pepper spray, stood behind fences and police tape outside the recruiting offices for the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps. No one was arrested and the young people continued their march to Judkins Park, their numbers shrinking to about 200 by the time the demonstration wrapped up about 3:30 p.m. http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070034181&ch=11/28/2007%208:40:00%20AM Activists protest outside peace summit Associated Press Wednesday, November 28, 2007 (Annapolis) More than 100 activists demonstrated outside the US Naval Academy gates, offering their very public take on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute as diplomats met inside to chart a course toward peace. The rallies on Tuesday ran the gamut from a costumed protester mocking Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to a peace activist who was hopeful the talks would foster further peace negotiations such as those outlined by President George W Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. ''We need to make sure that their voices can be heard thousands of miles away,'' said Erin Pineda of One Voice Movement, which supports Israeli-Palestinian efforts leading to a Palestinian state. Officer Kevin Freeman, a spokesperson for the Annapolis Police Department, said there were no arrests during demonstrations. ''Everything went very smoothly,'' he said. ''There were no conflicts with police.'' Edgar Moreno, assistant director of domestic operations for diplomatic security at the US State Department, said there were no problems in Annapolis. ''Everything went well,'' he said. The demonstrations in chilly, blustery downtown Annapolis were lightly attended compared with the tens of thousands of Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip who rallied on Tuesday in opposition to the conference. The one-day Annapolis conference was officially announced only a week in advance. The tight schedule and short notice made it difficult for interest groups to rally large numbers of people. Authorities, including officers from the city and the Maryland State Police, stood by to make sure the demonstrations were orderly. When demonstrators marched from St Anne's to the historic City Dock, they encountered rival protesters and several shouting matches broke out. The different groups soon went their separate ways and the formal demonstrations were over by mid-afternoon. After the daylong portion of the conference held at the academy ended on Tuesday evening, authorities reopened streets near the campus. http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/68356/ Twenty Thousand Protest at Fort Benning: Eleven Face Federal Criminal Trials By Bill Quigley, TruthOut.org. Posted November 19, 2007. Over 200 people have done time in federal prison time for previous protests.. In what has become the nation's largest annual gathering for peace and human rights, over twenty thousand people protested outside the gates of Fort Benning, GA, on November 18, 2007. Eleven people were arrested on federal criminal charges and face up to six months in prison. Fort Benning is the site of the internationally notorious US Army training school for Latin American military and security personnel. For decades it was called the School of the Americas (SOA) - it is now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC). The school has graduated hundreds of military officers who have led or participated in nearly every human rights atrocity in the hemisphere. Organizations across the world, including Amnesty International USA, have called for its closure since discovering copies of torture manuals used at the school. In June 2007, 203 members of the US House of Representatives voted to close the scandal-ridden school - six votes shy of the margin of victory. Thousands listened quietly as Adriana Portillo-Bartow told how her father, stepmother, sister, sister-in-law and two daughters, ages nine and 11, were "disappeared" in Guatemala in a war directed and carried out by graduates of the US Army School of the Americas. Thousands moved towards the gates of the Fort and called out "presente!" as the names of hundreds of other victims of graduates of the school were sung out. Veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the never-ending Gulf Wars marched side by side with Catholic sisters and Buddhist monks. Flowers, posters, pictures and thousands of small white crosses bearing the names of people executed by graduates of the school were put on the closed padlocked gates topped with barbed wire. Thousands of college and high school students chanted and prayed Grandmothers for Peace as military loudspeakers blared warnings and law enforcement helicopters hovered overhead. Huge puppets, singing children and drum circles alternated with the spirited calls of priests, rabbis and ministers of many faiths and races. Songs in many languages, indigenous chants, guitars, horns and mountain flutes filled the air. The eleven people who crossed onto the grounds were arrested by military police. The eleven, ranging in age from 25 to 76, are scheduled for federal criminal trial January 28, 2008, for trespass - punishable by up to six months in federal prison. Over 200 people have served federal prison time for civil disobedience at prior protests - dozens of others arrested have served years of supervised federal probation. The movement to close the school started in 1990 when about 20 people held the first protest outside Fort Benning. Even if the US government is reluctant to close the school, Latin American countries look like they will do it themselves. Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Uruguay and Venezuela have announced they are withdrawing their militaries from the school. Crimes by graduates continue. Colombia recently arrested five high-ranking military officers who received training at the US Army School of Americas and two additional officers who were instructors at WHINSEC. All are charged with providing security and troops for the major drug cartel in Colombia. Simultaneous protests occurred in Santiago, Chile, Tucson, Arizona - outside of Fort Huachuca - where three people were also arrested and face federal criminal charges, Toronto, Canada, as well as Berkeley and Monterey California. For more on the movement to close the School of the Americas see SOA Watch. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/05/africa/ME-GEN-Lebanon-Mines-Protest.php Dozens of Lebanese protest cluster bombs with sit-in in Beirut The Associated Press Published: November 5, 2007 BEIRUT, Lebanon: Dozens of people held a sit-in protest Monday in downtown Beirut against the use of cluster bombs and mines that have killed and wounded scores of Lebanese over the past years. Some 70 protesters lit candles on Parliament Square which was decorated with posters of victims of cluster bombs and mines, as well as pictures depicting different types of the bombs. An undetermined number of mines and cluster bombs are still believed to be scattered across Lebanon, left behind from the 1975-90 civil war, the Israeli occupation and the 34-day conflict in the summer of 2006 between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group. U.N. ordnance-clearing experts say that up to 1 million have failed to explode and now endanger civilians in the area. Members of the nongovernment Norwegian People's Aid organization took part in the Beirut sit-in. Earlier Monday, a seminar about the bombs was held at the parliament. Lawmaker Abdul-Latif el-Zein accused Israel of making the work of the Lebanese troops and volunteers difficult by not providing maps of mines planted during the Jewish state's 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon that ended in 2000. "We are in bad need of the maps but Israel ... makes the mission of people who work in this field and the Lebanese army very difficult," el-Zein said. Legislator Michel Moussa, who heads the parliament's human rights committee, said the "use of such deadly weapons should be banned." Dalya Farran, a spokeswoman for the U.N.'s Mine Action Coordination Center, or MACC, has said that since the end of last year's Israel-Hezbollah war, 25 civilians were killed and 185 wounded by cluster bomb and other ordnance explosions. Thirteen mine experts have also died during minesweeping operations. The most recent fatality was a British expert who died in an Oct. 11 blast. http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-30774420071130 Pakistani Kashmiris protest for truck service Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:09pm IST MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - Activists from an independence movement held a protest in Pakistani Kashmir on Friday calling for a truck service to be started between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir. Around 100 people joined the demonstration in Muzaffarabad, before around three dozen took the protest to Chakothi, a small town close to the ceasefire line, or line of control, dividing the disputed Himalayan region. They were blocked from going any further by police. "A truck service between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar must be started soon if the two governments are sincere in helping Kashmiris. Otherwise we are right in believing that they are paying lip service to us," said Farooq Niazi, one of the demonstrators. The protesters belonged to the All Parties Nationalist Alliance, an umbrella organisation for nearly a dozen pro-independence Kashmiri groups. Residents in Chakothi said the protesters made speeches calling on India and Pakistan to let Kashmir become an independent nation. Indian Kashmir has been beset by separatist violence for years, but some Kashmiris in the Pakistani portion have also agitated peacefully for independence. India and Pakistan, which have fought three wars since partition in 1947, agreed in May 2006 to start a truck service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, one of many confidence-building measures undertaken since the two sides began a peace process in 2004. Several rounds of talks were held and the two sides have exchanged lists of items to be traded, but traders have been left waiting for the service to start. http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/thebigblog/archives/128158.asp Protest du Jour: March for Somalia More than 500 people are expected to gather in Occidental Square, then march to the Jackson Federal Building Friday afternoon to bring attention to Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia a year ago. Ethiopian troops, with the United States' backing, marched into Mogadishu last December with a peacekeeping mission to support Somalia's fragile new government. But fighting between joint Ethiopian and Somalian forces and a fierce insurgency has created what the United Nations is calling one of Africa's worst humanitarian crises. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi this week defended his army's actions (Ethiopian troops have been accused of firing at civilian targets), and told the BBC that the UN's recent security assessment was an exaggeration. In Seattle, "Ethiopia's Illegal Invasion in Somalia Peaceful March" will begin at 2 p.m. Here are the details: At 2:30 p.m., marchers under Seattle police escort, will head east on Main Street to Fourth Avenue South, go north toward Madison Street, then west to Madison and Second Avenue. The march is expected to take about 45 minutes, and will block traffic downtown. City transportation officials warn motorists to expect delays. Posted by Candace Heckman at December 21, 2007 9:12 a.m. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 13675 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 14:21:07 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 22:21:07 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Ecological protests, global South, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <009d01c85957$41aa0f30$0802a8c0@andy1> * BRAZIL: Protests against Amazon dam project * INDIA: Protesters hold up river diversion project, demand flood protection * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Greens protest logging project * OAXACA: Wind farm scheme hit by local direct action * ARGENTINA: Protests continue over Uruguayan pulp mill * INDONESIA: Conference unites Muslims, Hindus, indigenous peoples to call for traditional ecological knowledge * PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Conservationists oppose palm oil project on biodiverse island; islanders protest scheme * INDIA: Repeated protests against steel plant, clashes with supporters * INDIA: Villagers' resistance holds up Yavatmal dam * TRINIDAD: Residents stage 40-day fast to protest steel plant, health problems * KENYA: Yiaku ethnic minority protest against deforestation of their homeland * KENYA: Villagers protest aerial spraying; attacked by riot cops * NIGERIA: Protest in Lagos against deforestation * BRAZIL: Bishop on hunger strike in protest against river diversion * INDIA: Ecological protests over use of plastic bags in river sandbagging * INDONESIA/US/GLOBAL: Indigenous protesters challenge Bali "carbon scam" * INDIA: Thousands protest threat to historic bridge http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/12/10/brazil.dam.ap/ Protest fails to halt push for Amazon dam SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- A Brazilian consortium won an auction Monday to build and operate a major dam in the Amazon rain forest following a bidding process disrupted by protesters who claim the project will displace thousands and harm the environment. Consorcio Madeira Energetica, a group that includes participation by big construction company Norberto Odebrecht SA, beat out two other consortiums with participation by Spain's Endesa SA and Franco-Belgian utility Suez. Brazil's government expects it will cost $5.3 billion to build the Santo Antonio dam on the Madeira River near Bolivia. Consorcio Madeira Energetica said it will sell electrical power from the dam for 78.87 reals ($43.82) per megawatt hour. The auction was delayed for hours while riot police removed about 80 protesters who stormed the Brasilia offices of Brazilian electric power agency Aneel before dawn. Brazil's Movement of Dam-Affected People organized the protest along with groups representing landless workers, saying the 3,150 megawatt dam and another one nearby could force 10,000 people from their remote rural homes. Police arrested eight demonstrators, and several hundred marched later from the agency's office toward Congress. Environmentalists say the dam could harm a pristine part of the Amazon, but the government says it is needed to help prevent electricity shortages in Latin America's largest country. The dam projects are Brazil's first large hydroelectric expansion since the Xingo dam on the Sao Francisco River was completed in 1994. About 75 percent of Brazil's electric energy is supplied by hydroelectric dams. In May, the government is expected to open bidding on the Jirau dam -- along the same stretch of the Madeira River as the Santo Antonio dam -- which is expected to generate 3,326 megawatts of energy. Together the two dams are expected to supply 8 percent of the country's energy needs. The Santo Antonio dam is expected to come on line in 2012 and the Jirau in 2013. The government says they are necessary to meet Brazil's growing energy demands and says they are designed to avoid creating large reservoirs, which previously have caused environmental disasters in Brazil. But critics say the new design leaves the dams more vulnerable to reduced electricity generation in times of drought, an increasingly common phenomenon in Amazon. The dams' long distance from the country's industrial southeast means they will require thousands of miles of transmission lines through the western Amazon, creating environmental concerns and substantially raising power costs. Scientists with the National Institute for Amazon Research have said the area to be flooded by the Jirau could be nearly twice as much as planned. They also warn the dams could lead to the extinction of ecologically and economically important fish species and lead to an increase of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. http://orissadiary.com/Shownews.asp?id=4759 Protest in Bhawanipatna to stop water release into Hati river Monday, November 05, 2007 Bhawanipatna: Thousands of people assembled under the banner of Kalampur Bikash Manch, staged a demonstration and forced the Mangalur barrage authorities of the Indravati project to temporarily stop the release of water into the Hati river. They breached the security barricade demanding closure of the barrage gates since their long standing demand for a bridge over the Hati river at Karmel Ghat is yet to be fulfilled. Significantly, the local leaders belonging to all the political parties including the (Member od Legislative Assembly) MLA Mr Himanshu Mehera, the zilla parishad chairman Mr SC Naik,the block chairman Mr Sudhansu Sekher Panda and others led the agitation. It may be noted that way back in 2004,the chief minister Mr Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for the bridge at Karmel Ghat and it had received administrative approval. The bridge was estimated to be built at a cost Rs 349.92 lakh and tenders were floated as many as four times. But each time there was lack of response and there was one single tenderer leading to cancellation and calling for fresh tender. Locals have been voicing their demand for the bridge at various platforms since long and many felt that the 2004 foundation was just a poll gimmick. Today the villagers including large number of women organized under the Bikash Manch banner demonstrated reiterating the demand for a bridge and embankments on both sides of the river to check inundation of several villages. They warned the government that unless and until their demand was fulfilled, they would continue to check the release of Indravati multipurpose project water from Mangalpur barrage to Hati river. The Bikash Manch alleged that the surplus water of Indravati Project from power channel is discharged into Hati river through Mangalpur Barrage. This, according to them is causing floods every year damaging crops and communication to their villages on a large scale. The sub-collector of Dharamgarh Mr Jagannath Mohanty who is camping at the troubled site claimed that the situation is under control and totally peaceful. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10474533 Greens protest against PNG logging 1:55PM Wednesday November 07, 2007 Green party leaders have taken a campaign against the logging of rainforest in Papua New Guinea to the streets of Dunedin and PNG's capital, Port Moresby. In Dunedin, Green co-leader Russel Norman lead a protest outside the George Street ANZ at midday, calling on the bank to stop financing the destruction of rainforests in PNG. ANZ has provided finance to Rimbunan Hijau, a Malaysian company involved in logging the rainforests. Green MP Metiria Turei, who is in Port Moresby, has been drawing attention to the proposal to destroy most of the remaining rainforest on Woodlark Island and to convert it to palm oil plantations. The island is home to a vast array of endangered plants and animals including the Woodlark Cuscus. "We are fighting the battle to save the last of the great tropical rainforests of the world. "In PNG, illegal logging is destroying the rainforests and converting it into kwila furniture and palm oil plantations,"Mr Norman said "Landowners are trying to stop the logging companies felling their forest but are fighting a losing battle and they need our help," Mr Norman said. "Tropical rainforest destruction is the single biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and is at the frontline of attempts to stop human induced climate change," Mr Norman said. http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=59&ItemID=14212 Grassroots Resistance to the Plan Puebla Panama: Contesting Wind Mill Construction in Oaxaca, Mexico by Sylvia Sanche November 07, 2007 Printer Friendly Version EMail Article to a Friend Introduction The government of Mexico, in conjunction with multinational corporations, the Inter American Development Bank and World Bank, has undertaken a massive windmill building project in Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca. The construction of these wind farms - known in Spanish as parques eolicos - is being increasingly resisted by local communities, such as La Venta and La Ventosa, which are in and around Juchitan of southern Oaxaca. The Mexican government, the CFE (Comision Federal de Electricidad, or Federal Electricity Commission) and SIEPAC (Sistema de Interconexion Electrica de los Paises de America Central, or System for Interconnection of Electricity in Central American Nations) consider the wind farms to be essential components of Mexico's southern regional development plan, the Plan Puebla Panama. As will be discussed in more detail below, the PPP is a massive development program that aims to integrate the economies of southern Mexico with Central American nations to bring trade, industry and "development" to the region. At first glance, the mounting resistance of local communities and landowners to wind farm construction seems counterintuitive or even out of step with the prevailing global mood of increasing environmental consciousness. Wind energy is decidedly more "clean" than fossil fuels, and in an era in which global warming has finally moved to the forefront of international concerns, the decision to pursue a clean energy certainly seems laudable. Yet, if one scratches the surface of this "new" clean energy venture in Mexico, it becomes clear very quickly that, like most things in life, it is actually a juncture of the "old" and the "new." Yes, the government of Mexico is being forward looking in its search for clean energy alternatives to greenhouse gas producing fossil fuels. On the other hand, it appears as though the implementation of this new energy infrastructure has been taking place, to date, through a familiar prism of multinational influence, intimidation and oppression. This is apparent in the deference given to multinationals in dictating the terms of wind farm construction, the treatment which local farmers and landowners are receiving from the CFE, and the uses to which this new "clean" energy will ostensibly be put; namely, to provide energy to industrial parks or other commercial centers, allowing the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. As will quickly become clear, the questions which local communities are now putting forward - to the government, the CFE and the international community - are important and fundamental ones: What is the purpose of the Plan Puebla Panama? If wind farms are being constructed on community held lands, why aren't local communities beneficiaries of increased electricity production? Why, in this era of "new" clean energy is the Oaxacan government using familiar repressive tactics of the "old" Mexican regime? NAFTA and the formal opening of the Mexican economy was supposed to encourage transparency, accountability and democratic forms of government, but under Mexico's deepening neoliberal regime, the opposite sometimes seems to be the case - particularly in Oaxaca in recent years. The growing resistance to wind farm construction in southern Oaxaca, then, is based on local landowners' negative negotiating experiences with the CFE, discomfort with the broad freedoms seemingly granted to multinational corporations and an increasing concern about the possible environmental consequences of the wind farms themselves - particularly with respect to migrating and autochtonous bird populations. Wind farms and the Plan Puebla Panama It is impossible to understand the rationale behind wind farm construction without situating it within the larger context of the Plan Puebla Panama. The Plan Puebla Panama is a southern Mexico regional development project which aims to "develop" the seven states of southern Mexico and neighboring Central America. From the perspective of many local communities, of course, the only viable function of the PPP is to underdevelop the region. Initiated in 2001 by the Fox administration, the program has been funded largely by the Mexican government and the Inter American Development Bank, while the World Bank has been influential in funding the wind farms of southern Oaxaca. Early on, the plan was shrouded in secrecy and rumors and the enormity of the program has only become apparent with the plethora of both small and large scale development projects taking place throughout the region. These different development projects initially seemed disconnected from each other, but since have come to make sense as part of a larger blueprint for the future of the region. The master plan of the Plan Puebla Panama hinges largely on the development of the infrastructure of southern Mexico and Central America, and connecting that infrastructure regionally so that the entire area can provide greater support to industry and trade. In terms of industry, the goal is develop maquila zones or industrial parks, similar to the ones that have existed for thirty plus years on the northern Mexican frontier. As will be discussed below, the construction of reliable electricity infrastructure is considered essential to the development of manufacture throughout the region. The logic behind the goal of attracting manufacturing plants is that it will improve the income earning opportunities for southern Mexican populations and bring them development through a deeper connection with modern apparatuses of production. This logic is advanced in spite of the ample evidence that exists demonstrating that the sole function of maquiladora parks is to provide cheap labor to foreign owned companies, and that higher income earning potential has certainly failed to bring any form of socially or environmentally sustainable development to the border region. The second, though equally important, goal of the PPP is to develop the infrastructure of southern Mexico and neighboring Central American states so that it can support greater trade and transportation. There are two primary ways in which the PPP aims to do this. One is through the construction of an extensive grid of highways that connect the north with the south (including completion of the Pan American highway through the infamous Darien rainforest between Southern Panama and Northern Colombia) and east with west, ultimately hooking up all smaller highways with the Pan American Highway. A second infrastructural project involves the building of one or more "dry canals" to replace the increasingly outdated (and now under Panamanian control) Panama Canal. Dry canals are essentially railroads that connect with deep sea ports at either the Atlantic or Pacific ends. Potential dry canal sites are being investigated in Nicaragua, Honduras and the narrow Isthmus de Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, which is where the wind farms are located as well. In Mexico, they form part of a larger project within the Plan Puebla Panama called the Megaproyecto del Istmo de Tehuantepec (Megaproject of the Isthmus de Tehuantepec). (It should be noted that, with typical irony, many Mexicans have come to refer to the PPP as "Plan Pueblo Pagara;" meaning that the citizenry will be footing the bill for a very long time.) The wind farms are clearly an important component of the PPP for the electricity that they are alleged to provide. They fit within the broader electricity generating program of SIEPAC. SIEPAC aims toward the construction of an entire electricity grid blanketing all of southern Mexico and integrally connected with the Central American countries. In addition to wind farms, hydroelectric dams figure highly in the project, with plans to dam the Usumacinta river which divides Guatemala and Mexico, and more than seventy dam sites being explored in the Chiapas region alone. The construction and management of the parques eolicos of southern Oaxaca are contracted out to foreign own companies, principally Iberdrola of Spain and Electricite of France. Cemex of Mexico apparently wants to be a part of the game but, as yet, it is unclear how big (or little) of a role that it will play. Thus while it is the Mexican run CFE that orchestrates and organizes wind farm construction locally - including engaging in negotiations with property owners and communities - the bulk of the work is farmed out to foreign owned companies. Given this division of labor, it becomes easy to see why there is a growing popular perception that the CFE works on behalf of foreign, rather than local and national, interests. SIEPAC itself receives funding primarily through the InterAmerican Development Bank, which has nominal requirements for public participation in order for an organization to receive funds, but which have been poorly implemented - if at all - to date under SIEPAC, and with respect to wind farm construction. Not surprisingly, as the myriad development projects associated with the Plan Puebla Panama have continued, so has resistance. Communities throughout the southern Mexico and Central American regions are organizing increasingly effectively as the magnitude of the project has become apparent. Organizations that have come out in opposition to the PPP run the gamut from the internationally recognized and long-standing Zapatista movement down to little known and newly emergent organizations, such as the Grupo Solidario de la Venta that formed in explicit opposition to continued building of wind farms. The PPP has become increasingly associated with a downward spiraling globalization in which the rich get richer and the poor become systematically more impoverished. In Mexico, this impoverishment took its present, institutionalized and legal form under NAFTA, and PPP is seen largely as a continuation of that, particularly in terms of its effects on racially or ethnically marginalized populations, and the popular classes more broadly. Although the official language used to put the Plan Puebla Panama in place rings of the many tired epithets of "sustainable development," at this point there seem to be few in this region who are buying into it. Twenty five years worth of free trade based "development" in Latin America has given these populations ample empirical evidence to dispute the claims of the neoliberal orthodoxy, and even World Bank reports increasingly acknowledge the failures of this development model. Wind Farm Construction and Resistance on the Isthmus de Tehuantepec The region that has been selected as the primary site for the building of wind farms is called the Isthmus de Tehuantepec, and it is located in the southernmost portion of Oaxaca. Like Chiapas, Oaxaca is well known for the high presence of indigenous groups in the region, and it is also one of the poorest states in the country. The wind farms are currently located in and around a set of rural towns - principally La Venta and La Ventosa - located within the larger municipality of Juchitan. Juchitan is famously the seat of COCEI, a unique and influential popular movement that emerged in the seventies combining socialists, peasants, students and indigenous groups. It is also the birthplace of famed Mexican artist Francisco Toledo. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an extremely narrow stretch of land (which is why it has also been sited for a dry canal) and during the windy season, which lasts roughly from November through March, the wind blows so furiously that cars are sometimes knocked from the roads and, in one recent year, a wind tower itself was blown over. Existing parques eolicos are located on a narrow stretch close to the Pacific Ocean, while planned farms are located right on the sand bars of the ocean itself. As will also be discussed below, one of the more controversial aspects of the wind farm construction has to do with its existing - or potential - impact on migrating and indigenous bird populations. As the narrowest stretch of the MesoAmerican Corridor, it is an essential flyway for migrating birds - some of which are endangered species. Wind farm construction in and around La Venta and La Ventosa of Juchitan consists of a set of seven different existing or planned "parque eolicos" or wind parks. The existing and proposed parks are numbered in a series, going from Venta I through Venta VII. The first wind farm was a pilot project constructed right across the highway from the small town La Venta, of 3,000 people, in 1994. This first project consisted of only seven windmills, and while it was supposed to be experimental, it was followed almost immediately by plans for Venta II. Venta II is located on the same plot of land and is thus directly adjacent to Venta I. To date, it is only about 80% complete because the farmers are disputing it. The goal of the Mexican government and the CFE is to eventually build 3,000 windmills, which would essentially cover the entire area of this narrow isthmus. Ironically, part of the oft-stated logic behind the Plan Puebla Panama is the greater integration of southern Mexico populations into the global economy. Such logic is disingenuous however; in La Venta alone, an estimated 10% of the population must work in the US in order to support the local community - a migration made necessary by the crushing effect of NAFTA on rural livelihoods and the failures of the trade agreement to deliver local jobs. Sadly - yet consistently - the windfarms constructed to date also fail to employ local workers and, instead, bring them in from elsewhere. In spite of rising discontent among farmers, not to mention incomplete environmental impact assessments and possible violations of international law, the government of Felipe Calderon has plowed ahead with plans for the next in the series, Venta III, which is due to be constructed near the neighboring town of La Ventosa. Bidding for Venta III had been opened by the summer of 2007. Similarly, he flew to la Venta in late March of 2007 in order to conduct an inaugural ceremony for the wind projects; in preparation for his visit, the squatter camp of Tres de Abril that had been set up to resist continued construction of Venta II had to be forcibly removed with federal police. Simultaneously, the CFE - or alleged representatives of the CFE (see below) - are moving ahead in their efforts to secure land for the development of more parks. Not only do they regularly approach and negotiate with individual landowners from La Venta and La Ventosa, but also from the surrounding communities of Union Hidalgo and Santo Domingo de la Blanca. Moreover, they are beginning to approach the beach communities as well, particularly San Dionisio, San Mateo and San Francisco, in order to begin lease negotiations there. In these areas, the windmills are scheduled to be built on sandbars, which would disrupt the natural redistribution of salty and fresh water, and the particular aquatic life that supports local fishing communities of the area. In short, in spite of mounting resistance from all of these communities, the government of Calderon, the CFE and the multinationals continue to plow ahead with plans for more and more windmills. What then, precisely, are the concerns of local resistant farmers and landowners? The complaints of this newly mobilizing force can be divided roughly into two major categories for the purposes of this short article. The first category has to do with the negotiating practices of the CFE and, as a corollary, the terms of existing or planned contracts. A second concern has to do with the environmental impacts of the wind farms themselves. This latter concern includes, but is not limited to, a preoccupation with the impact on migrating and indigenous bird species. First, it is important to point out that many landowners and ejiditarios of the local communities were originally very amenable to working with the CFE and leasing their lands. It is only based on their experiences with the CFE and the wind farms to date that resistance and disillusionment has mounted. In the beginning period of negotiations and construction, the CFE promised that the parks would bring more employment and greater development to the area. Neither of the two has happened since the owners of the wind parks bring in employees from elsewhere and the wind parks themselves by definition cannot bring greater "development" because they are more closely linked with extra-local (foreign and national level) interests than local interests. In short, the only "benefit" which the farmers received was the amount paid for the lease of their lands. It is widely reported that the initial amounts agreed to were later reneged on by the CFE, thus putting into motion the acrimonious relations that prevail between the institution and the local community today. Moreover, as time has passed it has become increasingly clear that local farmers are paid a penance of what is paid to those who lease their lands for wind park construction in other parts of the world. Currently, a farmer is paid 12,500 pesos (or roughly 125.00 dollars) annually for the lease of a single hectare of land which supports a single windmill. According to Alejo Giron Carrasco, leader of Grupo Solidario de la Venta, that is 10 to 20 times less than what people are paid in other parts of the world.[1][1] While one might immediately conclude that the cost of living in rural Mexico is ten to twenty times less than what it might be in a "developed" economy, the fact of the matter is that NAFTA has sent the cost of living soaring, producing a growing disparity between real wages and purchasing power which these low rental prices reflect. Sadly, it is rural areas like La Venta and La Ventosa which have been hardest hit. Additionally, it is widely reported that the people who go around house to house trying to negotiate contracts do not work for the CFE directly but, rather, are hired personnel who essentially act as harassing thugs. As one person relayed it to me, they exist in Juchitan under the office name of Maderas y Granos de la Laguna. Maderas y Granos is a cover name for this speculation company whose representatives go around trying to arrange contracts to allow the CFE and foreign companies to lease the land, all while saying that they work for the government. This assessment of the fraudulent nature of these "representatives" has been backed up by Ucizoni leader, Carlos Beal, in his article Los Negocios Sucios de la Energia Limpia (Dirty Negotiations for Clean Energy).[2][2] Perhaps even more ominously, there have been widespread reports of harassment and threats when landowners did not readily sign over their lands. There are additional and seemingly systematic problems with the contracts and negotiations themselves. In the summer of 2007, members of the community of Union Hidalgo reported in a meeting in La Venta that the "representatives" had been coming around house to house trying to get individuals to sign over their lands. Some of them had agreed to the contracts, only to find that when the representatives returned with the "official" copies of the contracts and their own public notaries from Mexico City, many key terms had been changed, endless clauses added, and the term of the lease had been changed from twenty to thirty years. Under pressure and intimidation, the farmers might still sign with a Mexico City notary looking on. These types of egregious legal abuses, including lying about the social benefits of leasing and never following up or returning copies of contracts to landowners, seem to be chronic and widely reported in many landowners' dealings with the CFE and its alleged representatives. The fact that these lands are leased essentially to foreign companies for a period of thirty years has additionally brought up the question of whether or not these arrangements are in violation of Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution, which prohibits the selling of land to foreigners. It increasingly seems that the proper authorities seem to skirt this issue by using the language of leasing - even if for a period of decades - rather than selling. A second major concern which local communities have pertains to the environmental impact of the windmills. The possible deleterious effects of the windmills on bird populations is a pressing question here, but there are other concerns as well. Briefly, approximately six million birds fly through the Isthmus de Tehuantepec each year. Estimates of the numbers of endangered species within this group run as low as three and as high as thirty-two. There have already been many anecdotal reports of high levels of bird deaths, determined primarily by the discovery of carcasses in and around the wind farms. Many of these are pigeons, but it is not yet known how many other bird species may be affected. Additionally the area around La Venta and La Ventosa are virtually saturated with wetlands areas and accompanying aquatic species. Because Mexican ornithologists - as elsewhere in the world - are still in the process of identifying which habitats are essential to protected species, the role that these wetlands or other areas may play in the survival of both endangered and other species is not yet known. According to a 2003 environmental impact report commissioned by the CFE itself, the greatest danger of the parques eolicos is to the bird population. While the report acknowledges that insufficient information exists to determine precisely the effects of the windmills on the birds, the wind farms were reported early on to be "highly risky." This is precisely the problem. Windmill construction has gone ahead without ascertaining precisely what the impact on indigenous and migrating bird populations might be. While scientific knowledge is always going through a process of accumulation and revision, it seems that with 100 windmills already in place, this would be a good time to stop and take stock of the impact on bird life before proceeding with the construction of 3,000 windmills. Residents who live in the area report that during the migrating season, you can't even see the sky for all the birds flying directly overhead. In addition to this thorny issue about the possible effects on birds, local landowners have other concerns that have yet to be answered by environmental impact assessments. While this may be the case because the use of large wind farms is fairly new and long term studies are not yet available, it doesn't detract from the soundness and sensibility of questions that concern all of us: What might be the long term climatic effects of the wind farms? If they are being built in response to global warming, what effect might they inadvertently have to stir up the warm winds and skies that contribute directly to hurricanes and tornadoes (precisely the types of whether conditions that can afflict Caribbean and Central American nations) ? What might the effects of soil erosion be, and can these lands ever be cultivated again? What about bats? If the windmills kill birds they likely kill bats, and if bats are being killed what kind of plagues of insect populations loom in the future? If the windmills are already, as suspected, affecting bird populations, then what kind of chain ecological reaction is being set loose that we have no way as yet of understanding? Could that chain reaction have as disastrous effects as global warming itself? Conclusion: Community Demands for Social Change Local communities have a set of demands and concerns that are perfectly reasonable and at least as "forward looking" as green energy itself. Tellingly, in the form of a community that thinks in a truly "sustainable" manner, these demands speak to both environmental and social concerns. These demands can be summarized as follows: There should be an environmental impact study (or studies) conducted by serious and neutral scientific institutions, and these studies must be conducted with the participation and input of the local community. There should be more transparency about the benefits of the wind farms for the CFE and Mexican government. Why are they so eager to construct them, why are they being so accommodating of multinational interests, and what is in it for them? For the obverse, what is in it for local communities? To date, they have never received electricity at reduced rates, nor have local populations been employed by the wind farms. If future wind mills are going to be constructed, there must be direct and tangible benefits written in contracts: schools, pavement, jobs, health care - in short, the "sustainable development" that is always promised but never delivered. The local community must be seen as more than a resource from which land can be extracted, because the local community is the land. Conditions of going into a contract or lease agreement with the CFE would have to be completely different - with greater transparency, accountability, and legality. Those who do not want to lease their lands will have their decisions respected, and they will be free from pressure or harassment. There must be an established space for ongoing discussion and negotiation (mesa de dialogo) so that affected communities can legally ensure that they are the recipients of public works. There must be a permanently established conflict resolution forum that allows for any conflict to be resolved legally and fairly. Community members should receive a discount in electricity prices. On September 22 of 2007, the Grupo Solidario de la Venta and UCIZONI gathered together dozens of groups in La Ventosa for the third regional forum to discuss the matter. Along with laying plans for future steps to be taken, the groups issued a formal declaration of protest against the Plan Puebla Panama and ongoing wind farm construction. In addition to the demands listed above, organizations additionally maintained that the Calderon government has been violating the rights of indigenous peoples, causing both environmental and cultural destruction; that the intent of the PPP and wind park construction is to turn the Isthmus into an industrial corridor; that substantive information about the PPP be shared with local communities and they be engaged in a legitimately participatory fashion; that all neoliberal projects that destroy indigenous cultures and lands be halted immediately; and last, but not least, the release of political prisoners and an end to the militarization of the region under the pretext of drug war. The full text of the Declaration, in both Spanish and English, can be found at the end of this article. Additional information: For those interested in learning more about the wind farms of Oaxaca, please visit the following sites: http://www.ucizoni.org.mx/ www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/05/08/oaxaca-braces-for-new-protests/ http://kirbymtn.blogspot.com/2007/03/against-giants-in-oaxaca.html http://asej.org/ACERA/ppp http://www.oaxacalibre.org http://www.narconews.com http://www.apiavirtual.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=12122 For those interested in learning more about birds of Oaxaca, visit www.tierradeaves.com To learn more about the Plan Puebla Panama, visit some of these sites: www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/mexico/ppp/ppp.html http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=3953 http://ppp.sre.gob.mx/ If you would like to help or gain further information, please contact the following people: English speakers: Sylvia Sanchez at ssanchez50 at yahoo.com Spanish speakers: Alejo Giron Carrasco at carrascogiron_a at hotmail.com Roberto Giron Carrasco at duroventero_68 at hotmail.com Carlos Beas at carlos_beas at yahoo.com.mx> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7089226.stm Argentines in pulp mill protest Protesters say the mill will pollute the river Tens of thousands of Argentines have marched to the Uruguayan border in one of the biggest protests so far against a controversial pulp paper mill. They have been demonstrating against the construction of the factory for more than two years, saying it will pollute the environment. This week Uruguay President Tabare Vazquez said the mill could start work. Correspondents say this has plunged Mr Vazquez' already difficult relationship with Argentina to a new low. Protesters marched waving banners that read "no to the paper plant". We have lost the battle, but not the war Javier Castel Protester Thousands of cars hooted as they crawled towards the bridge that links Argentina with Uruguay and from where they could see the huge Finnish-built factory they say will pollute the river that separates the two countries. Protest boats took to the water and demonstrators fired flares and shouted through megaphones. "We have lost the battle, but not the war," protester Javier Castel told the Associated Press news agency. They have been demonstrating for more than two years in a bid to stop the plant being built. Argentina has taken the case to the International Court of Justice in the Hague and is awaiting a final ruling. But Uruguay says the $1.2bn enterprise - the biggest in the country's history - is using the latest technology and will not pollute. Uruguayan police are guarding the plant and have partially closed the border. The dispute cast a shadow over the Ibero-American summit in Chile, where Mr Vazquez gave approval for the pulp mill to start operating. His Argentine counterpart, Nestor Kirchner, accused him of punching the Argentine people in the back. The BBC's Daniel Schweimler in Buenos Aires says the two men had hugged earlier in a rare show of friendship, but now they are again snarling at one another. http://cempaka-green.blogspot.com/2007/11/religious-traditional-wisdom-urged-for.html Religious, traditional wisdom urged for green protection The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Religious and ethnic leaders expressed concern Thursday over global warming, asserting no spiritual teachings or traditional beliefs allowed the unchecked exploitation of nature. Environmental damage caused by human activities is against all spiritual and traditional values, which teach people to preserve and live in harmony with nature, Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin said during a discussion here. The event was organized by Muhammadiyah, one of Indonesia's most influential Muslim organizations, to seek a common ground among different groups prior to the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali from Dec. 3 to 14. World representatives will convene at the UN conference to negotiate a global treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. Religious and ethnic leaders will also be involved in the negotiations aimed at pushing developed countries to reduce carbon emissions produced by industrial activities and to shoulder the responsibility for any failure to meet reduction targets. Present during Thursday's meeting were representatives of Indonesia's five biggest religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism and Hinduism. Ethnic tribal leaders from Banten, Sumatra, Papua, Madura and Borneo also were in attendance. Buddhist priest Tadisa Paramita said human greed was behind the environmental degradation that has translated into natural disasters such as floods and drought. He said humans had benefited from industrial activities at the expense of the environment, ignoring nature's protests sent through a number of disasters. "Nature responds according to what humans do. We believe that nothing comes as a coincidence ... people reap what they sow." Father Ismartono of the Indonesian Bishops Conference said: "Humans are not the owners of this earth and have no right to exploit nature the way they do. God is the creator of this earth and humans are the steward." Indonesia has seen some of the worst environmental damage in the world, with some 50 million hectares of forest throughout the country heavily exploited. The country has been cited for its rapid rate of deforestation, and has been called one of the main contributors to global warming. Al Azhar, representing the Riau Malay tribe from Sumatra, told the audience how forests in his region were exploited by timber companies despite protests from indigenous people. "Indigenous people will plant one tree if they cut down one tree ... but the companies come and take everything from the forest without any effort to replace it." Leonard Imbiri from Papua said the forests in Papua had been devastated. "People know of Papua as having amazing and wild forests ... but you can come and see now, the forests and nature there have been badly damaged. Gone are the indigenous people's efforts to preserve them," he said. (lln) http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2007/12/30/scientists-to-study-island-thats-site-of-proposed-palm-estate Scientists To Study Island That's Site Of Proposed Palm Estate By Alexander Rheeney in Port Moresby Sunday: December 30, 2007 SUBSCRIBE TO Pacific Magazine PRINT Woodlark Island in Papua New Guinea's Milne Bay province will become the subject of a study by U.S. scientists early next year. The island is currently at the center of a tussle between Malaysian oil palm developer Vitroplant Ltd. and villagers who oppose the development of a 60,000 hectare oil palm estate. - ADVERTISEMENT - It is understood that scientists from the Syracuse University in New York, the University of California-Santa Barbara, and the University of Texas will conduct a geological investigation into ultra high-pressure metamorphic rocks on the island. The rocks are being exhumed naturally from depths of about 100 km to the surface; a geological process that scientists say continues today but is poorly understood. Coincidentally, the island is also home to megaliths, large stone structures dating back approximately 1,200 years BP that Woodlark Islanders attach strong cultural significance. Ironically the 85,000 hectare island is state-owned land, the result of a transaction in the 1880s between the islanders' forefathers and one of Papua New Guinea's then colonizers Great Britain. While the potential of economic benefits flowing on from the proposed project is there, the islanders fear such a large-scale development could endanger the ancient stone structures as well as species endemic to the island. At risk is the habitat for the Woodlark Island Cuscus, a medium sized marsupial which prefers to live in primary and secondary lowland dry forest. But according to the Mongabay.com environmental website, it is not the only species endemic to the island. Others include a rodent, which has not yet received a scientific name; a gecko (Cyrtodactylus Murua), which was only described by science in 2006; another lizard species; two species of frog; and, fourteen mollusks. Additionally, four endemic insect species live on Woodlark - two damselflies, a water bug and a riffle bug. Despite the villagers' concerns, the PNG government has gone ahead and advertised Vitroplant's environmental plan in local newspapers to confirm that it intends to go ahead with the project, which includes the building of a US$300 million 100,000-tonne capacity oil palm methylester plant in the Milne Bay provincial capital Alotau. The plant will convert palm oil into biodiesel for sale in both the PNG and international markets. Vitroplant's parent company, ASX-listed Overseas & General Limited (OGL), has signed agreements with British Virgin Island-registered Quantum Logistics Ltd. to develop the site and Malaysian firm Desa Lebu Sdn Bhd to plant the oil palm. But work is yet to start at the project-site as villagers, led by medical officer Dr. Simon Piyuwes, continue to oppose it. "If the project goes ahead the people in the villages on the island could rise up against it," Dr. Simon and two other landowners warned during an interview with Pacific Magazine. Samarai-Murua MP Gordon Wesley has prepared a petition to table in Parliament that would appeal for the return of the land to its traditional owners. http://news.mongabay.com/2007/1112-hance_woodlark.html Biofuels versus Native Rights: Planned logging of Woodlark Island for biofuels opposed by islanders and scientists Jeremy Hance, special to mongabay.com November 12, 2007 On Woodlark Island, one-hundred and seventy miles from Papua New Guinea, a struggle is occurring between islanders and biofuel company Vitroplant Ltd. The company is planning to clear much of the island's forest for oil palm plantations to produce biofuels. Vitorplant Ltd.'s contract specifies that they would deforest 60,000 hectares of land for plantations; Woodlark Island is 85,000 hectares in total, meaning over 70% of the island would be converted. Last week, one hundred islanders (out of a total population of 6,000) traveled to the capital of Milne Bay Province, Alotau, to voice their concern over the plans to turn their forested island into plantations. Leading the opposition is medical doctor Simon Piyuwes. Dr. Piyuwes was born and raised on the island and returns every holiday. On his most recent homecoming, Dr. Piyuwes found himself taking on a new role. He says that "every individual Woodlark Islander opposes the project. However it appears that the LLG president who was supposed to represent the people was pushing for the project. Compelled by this I felt the responsibility to talk for my people." Dr. Piyuwes outlines several reasons why Vitroplant Ltd.'s plans are unacceptable to the islanders. He states that the logging would destroy the island's endemic ebony, cause extinctions of rare species, and threaten marine life by waste from the project. Not only does he foresee environmental disaster, but also disintegration of the native culture, stating that the company's plans would bring "socially unacceptable behavior on the island". And that all the islanders would eventually be threatened with "starvation" since "there will be no space for gardening and hunting". Dr. Piyuwes admits that while there may be some economic and infrastructure benefits to the island, he believes the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages. Map modified from Google Earth According to the islanders, they were never consulted regarding the plans until after the government had already granted the lease to Vitroplant Ltd. "We were shocked to hear the announcement that the oil palm project is set to begin in few months time," Dr. Piyuwes states, adding that "we were simply told that the land belongs to the government and we have no right to talk." But the people of Woodlark argue that the land is theirs by right. It was initially taken away in the 1880s by colonial powers, during this period Dr. Piyuwes stresses that the population was illiterate and communication regarding the ownership of the land "doubtful". To bolster the case that the island belongs to its inhabitants, the Woodlark islanders point to several former ministers that promised to return of the land to the islanders. Woodlark Islanders currently live by gardening of such crops as yams, taro, sweet potatoes, and bananas. Fishing and hunting play a smaller, though important, role in their diet. Chris Norris, a zoologist and paleontologist who visited Woodlark Island in 1987, describes it as low-lying, aside from a chain of hills in the middle. He states that "apart from some of the coastal areas, most of the island is covered in dense lowland rain forest." Dr. Piwuyes adds that his homeland is "a beautiful island with virgin forest". A Gold Mine of Endemic Species It is not just Woodlark Island's natives who are worried over Vitroplant Ltd's plan. Numerous scientists and conservationists share their concern. Woodlark Island is home to a number of species found nowhere else in the world. A transformation from forest to plantations would cause several species, now abundant, to become threatened. In the worse case scenario, the lack of habitat could create widespread extinction. Could the Woodlark Cuscus go the way of the dodo? Photo by Tim Flannery The most well-known endemic animal to Woodlark Island is the Woodlark Cuscus. Cuscus are medium-sized nocturnal marsupials. Dr. Kristopher Helgen, a mammalogist who focuses on species in the Papua New Guinea and its islands, describes the species as "the most visible and charismatic of the endemic animals of Woodlark. It is a very distinctive species and is reliant on forests." Long thought to be rare, the species' population was studied in 1987 by Dr. Norris. Dr. Norris found that the Woodlark Cuscus was more abundant than had been believed. The people of the island do not threaten the Cuscus through their small-scale gardening and hunting, and the species is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, but Dr. Norris states "any significant clearance of forest, such as would be required for the Vitroplant proposal, would pose a grave risk of extinction." The Woodlark Cuscus is not the only species endemic to the island; in fact the island, which was never connected to the mainland of Papua New Guniea, contains a vast number of endemic species, including a rodent, which has not yet received a scientific name; a gecko, Cyrtodactylus murua, which was only described by science in 2006; a second lizard species; two species of frog; and fourteen endemic mollusks. Additionally, four endemic insect species live on Woodlark-two damselflies, a water bug, and a riffle bug. Two of these insects are confined solely to forest habitat. Dr. Polhemus, an entomologist who surveyed the island in 2003, discovering two insect species, states that "it is all but certain that there are other endemic species in the material" gathered during his survey. Despite the many endemic species already described on Woodlark Island, Dr. Norris concurs with Polhemus, "because of its relative remoteness, Woodlark Island's fauna and flora has been very poorly surveyed [...] I would say that there is a strong probability of more endemic plants and animals that have still to be described." Under current plans-to deforest over 70% of the island-it is impossible to imagine how these species could be sufficiently protected. When asked to consider the issue, Dr. Norris had this to say, "obviously there are various factors that have to be weighed up when calculating the benefits of a scheme like this, but personally I find it ironic that 'saving the planet' could be used as a justification for the extinction of endemic rainforest species like the Woodlark Island cuscus." The Big Picture: Biofuels and Deforestation Beginnings of an oil palm plantation. Courtesy of UNEP The situation of Woodlark Island is representative of much of Southeast Asia where large swaths of forest have been recently destroyed to produce biofuel crops. Two of the largest palm oil giants, Malaysia and Indonesia, have seen massive growth in palm oil production coupled with deforestation. In Indonesia oil palm plantations have expanded from 600,000 hectares in 1985 to more than 6 million hectares. This production is expected to reach 10 million hectares by 2010. Malaysia shares a similar story: palm oil production has risen from 151,000 metric tons in 1964 to 16.5 million metric tons last year. Currently, there is little suitable land left on the Malaysian peninsula, so future growth in the industry is expected to occur in Malaysian Borneo and Kalimantan. The biofuel industry is one of the few linked to global warming where it is believed money can be made quickly and easily. The USDA reports that in 1994 palm oil stocks were at 1.25, by 2006 they had climbed to 3.67. They have dropped in the last two years, but it is uncertain if that trend will continue. PAst and projected forest cover in Borneo according to WWF While the palm industry grows, questions have risen regarding its efficacy in fighting global warming. Research has shown that in a twenty year time span a palm oil plantation will store 50-90 percent less than the original forest. From this fact alone it seems that palm oil plantations built on what was once forest is actually contributing to global warming. When asked about forest versus palm oil, Dr. Norris pointed to a statement released this past March by several giants of the conservation movement-Greenpeace, Oxfam, RSPB, World Wildlife Fund, and Friends of the Earth-which states that the "dash for biofuels is ill thought out, lacks appropriate safeguards and could be creating more problems than it solves." Ed Matthew of Friends of the Earth puts it even more succinctly: "It doesn't seem possible that the [U.K.] Government could design a system for developing the biofuel industry that could actually make climate change worse but they seem to be managing it." Current measures of climate change state that 20% of annual greenhouse gases is due to deforestation. Carbon storage of oil palm plantations versus natural forests, based on various sources. From Oil palm does not store more carbon than forests Even if biofuels were better at storing carbon than forests, there would still be more to consider in the decision to clear forests. Currently, the planet is not only facing global warming, but a possible mass extinction, the sixth in Earth's history. Estimates of extinction rates vary, but few biologists would deny that it is underway. In places like Southeast Asia, there is no question that palm oil plantations are contributing to a decline in species. For example, the U.N. Environmental Program recently estimated that by 2022, 98% of lowland forests in Indonesia will be gone, threatening innumerable species. Dr. Helgen describes the palm oil industry as having "devastating effect on wildlife in general and on endangered species, such as orangutans, in particular. Whereas primary and secondary forests in southeast Asia can support a tremendous wealth of animal and plant species, oil palm plantations usually support relatively few species by comparison, and usually only the common ones. One only needs to see a new oil palm plantation to understand why it does not support a great deal of biodiversity." Forest cover in Indo-Malaya (2000): 39% Biofuel production may cause even more general environmental degradation. Dr. Helegen lists a number of problems: "clearance for oil palm may be a veiled excuse for wholesale logging in many cases. Land is often cleared with fire to prepare it for plantation use, which can cause widespread burning of forests. Oil palm generates a lot of run-off and pollution, and creates new habitat for some invasive species (like rats). It also fragments forests and often fosters new opportunities for illegal hunting and trading of wildlife by plantation workers." As well, biofuel production has caused deforestation in the Amazon by proxy. A large growth of soy production in Brazil, requiring a lot of land, has pressed ranchers and small-farmers even deeper into the forest. The soy industry has also built infrastructure in and around the forest, granting access to more slash-and-burning. The environmental costs of the biofuel industry worldwide have been little reported in the U.S., even as congress begins to debate an energy bill that would include great support for the use of biofuels. Other nations, like the Netherlands, are attempting to enact legislation that would ensure the biofuels used in their countries met high environmental standards, including not contributing to deforestation or species loss. Back to Woodlark Island As seen from the conflict on Woodlark Island the palm oil industry can take its toll on the human community as well. Rumors have been flying around the island over the past week that Vitroplant Ltd. may be pulling out. So far, however, they are just that: rumors. Dr. Piyuwes states that amid these rumors, including an erroneous announcement over the radio, "the Vitrolplant agents convened a meeting at Masurina lodge" and displayed "interest to proceed." While they wait to see how their demands are met, Dr. Piyuwes states that islanders have "promised to ensure this project does not arrive on Woodlark". Unfortunately, Vitroplant Ltd. proved unavailable for response. Where rainforest once stood in Malaysia now stands row after row of oil palms. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. In Woodlark Island's situation, Dr. Helgen sees a bleak future for the whole country: "I have been worried that like Malaysia and Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, which supports some of the most remarkable wilderness areas on earth, might become heavily involved in oil palm production. I understand that plantation conversion has increased in eastern coastal areas of the country in recent years, and the plan to convert Woodlark's forests to plantations confirms this as a valid fear." The islanders of Woodlark have spent a lot of time trying to draw international attention to this issue. Dr. Piyuwes believes such attention is essential since "we do not have money to fight the giant. We only hope for the support from the NGOs, and the mercy of the government to withdraw the project." In the meantime, the islanders continue to wait, either for victory or a long struggle. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/12_injured_in_protest_against_POSCO_plant_in_Orissa/articleshow/2570229.cms 12 injured in protest against POSCO plant in Orissa 25 Nov 2007, 2232 hrs IST,PTI Print Save EMail Write to Editor PARADIP: At least 12 people, including two women, were injured on Sunday in a clash between supporters and opponents of POSCO's proposed Rs 52,000 crore greenfield steel plant near here, police said. The two sides fought a pitched battle using sharp edged weapons and sticks besides indulging in stone pelting near Nuagaon village in the proposed project site, causing injuries to members of both groups, police said. Trouble erupted when several PPSS activists were proceeding nearby Nolia Sahi to invite people for a meeting of anti-project camp at Dhinkia as they were challenged by a group of steel plant supporters, they said. What began as a verbal duel and minor scuffle soon snowballed into a violent clash, they said, adding anti-POSCO group was angry over entry of seven employees of a dredging firm into the area with the backing of project supporters. As situation in the entire area remained tense, police maintained a close vigil to prevent any further flare up, they added. http://www.indiaenews.com/politics/20071229/88712.htm Steel plant supporters stop Communist leader's protest march Forward Print Download PDF Comments (0) >From correspondents in Chhattisgarh, India, 08:30 PM IST Supporters of the proposed Tata Steel plant in Chhattisgarh forcibly stopped Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Gurudas Dasgupta Saturday from leading a protest rally near the plant site. Dasgupta was scheduled to head an anti-Tata protest march in Bastar district where the steel major has a Rs.100 billion investment deal to set up an integrated five million tonne per annum plant in Lohandiguda block under Chitrakote assembly segment. 'Besides a march, Dasgupta was scheduled to attend a meeting of farmers in the district affected by the Tata Steel plant in the district but hundreds of plant supporters and state's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters as well a section of opposition Congress cadres did not allow him to enter Jagdalpur, the district headquarters,' Manish Kunjam, a former CPI legislator and a local tribal leader told IANS. 'The supporters stopped Dasgupta's convoy at Bhanpuri close to Jagdalpur city and rejected his plea that he wanted to lead a peaceful march against blind industrialisation of mineral rich Bastar at the cost of driving out indigenous tribals from their native farm lands,' Kunjam said. He added that plant supporters forced Dasgupta to return to Raipur, which is 300 km from Jagdalpur. The supporters have recently formed Bastar Vikas Manch under the guidance of Bastar MP and BJP leader Baliram Kashyap to 'flush out people from Bastar opposing industrialisation and development'. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Nagpur/Protest_against_dam_in_Yavatmal/articleshow/2568475.cms Protest against dam in Yavatmal 25 Nov 2007, 0210 hrs IST,TNN NAGPUR: In what may appear to be signs of an intense showdown against an irrigation project ahead, residents of 85 villages affected by the proposed Lower Painganga project in Yavatmal district are gearing up for a 'jail bharo strike' if the government initiates construction activity at the dam site. Due to the stiff resistance of the villagers, the project has been unable to take-off in full swing since 1997, when it was initiated. On November 19, around 1,105 project-affected-persons tonsured their heads together, which is said to have been a record in itself. Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar had also visited the site during 2003 to express solidarity towards their stance. In July, a mob of villagers had allegedly manhandled an engineer, who was stripped in public. Cases were filed against 300 persons after this incident. Now, after receiving messages to initiate discussions on rehabilitation, the villagers have once again expressed their strong opposition to the project unless it is implemented on the pattern suggested by them. President of Nimna Painganga Dharan Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti Pralhad Jagtap said that, out of 95 villages affected by the project, gram sabhas in 85 villages have passed a resolution opposing the project in the present form. If the dam is built it would lead to submergence of 50,000 acres of land, destroy 2,500 acres of forest land and affect close to one lakh person in the area. However, if barrages are constructed instead, then the project can be set up without submergence of farm or forest land, and there would be no need for the locals to be displaced, said Jagtap. The samiti claims that even the goverment officials have acknowledged that barrages could be a better option. It would reduce the cost to around Rs 500 crore. The present cost is Rs 4,000 crore. Moreover, the court has also directed the state government to keep the project on hold till all the relevant agencies clear it. However, even though several clearances are yet to be obtained, state officials have once again initiated work. This had led to the incident in which the engineer was allegedly manhandled. "If they continue, the villagers will reach the construction sites to stop work and court arrest. They may also go on indefinite hunger strike in the jails itself. There are also plans for the womenfolk by to on hunger strike in front of the respective gram panchayat offices," said the samiti's secretary, Pralhad Gawande. Several affected villagers are inhabited by adivavis, who each only own between 2 and 10 acres of farmland, all of which would be submerged. Moreover, the land, which spreads from Yavatmal to the bordering areas of Nanded district in western Maharashtra, has some of the best soil, due to which the belt has been least affected by farmers suicides in the otherwise suicide-hit Yavatmal, said Gawande. The project is meant for irrigating areas in Chandrapur, dry areas of Yavatmal as well as Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161248241 Residents stage 40-day fast to protest steel plant Kimoy Leon Sing South Bureau Monday, December 10th 2007 day five: Pranz Gardens residents protesting outside the National Energy Corporation at Couva on Friday. -Photo: DAVE PERSAD PRANZ Gardens residents on Friday observed the fifth of a 40-day fast outside the National Energy Corporation building Couva to continue their protest of the construction of a steel plant in the area. Some 15 placard waving residents sang: "We don't want a steel plant here," and pledged to continue the fast until they are heard. They distributed fliers describing the negative effects of the steel plant. CCOPG spokesman Sahadeo Puran said: "We will not leave here until the NEC give us some answers." He said the protesters were rotating in shifts day and night. Puran said in a previous meeting Dr Lenny Saith, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, promised that Government would have to looked into the issue. Saith also assured them that he would put forth their issues to the NEC. When Puran met with NEC president Prakash Saith, Ken Julien and other board members, however, he was not satisfied with what they had to say. The disgruntled residents installed red, white and black flags on electricity posts along the Rivulet Road, Couva and signs warning "No Steel Plant," in the area. The residents are concerned because of long-term health effects. They do not want to be relocated. Ryan Sant, 28, a resident of Savonetta, for the past two years, said: "The steel plant is a very dirty industry, but we are standing up for our lives and the lives of our children. If it is so safe why do they want to relocate us?" The residents were supported in their protest by University of the West Indies (UWI) lecturer, Dr Wayne Kublalsingh and Industrial Agricultural Physicist and UWI lecturer, Dr Peter Vine. Stacy Lewis, a mother of two, has been living in Pranz Gardens for seven years. She said: "The plant has not even gone up yet and there is dust, noise and flooding from just clearing of the site. If this is for betterment why not build a school or hospital for the people of the community?" Essar's Human Resource Manager Prem Singh said: "Plans for the steel plant are going good." He added that the company would be offering employment opportunities to residents. He assured them that Essar had met all the regulations from the Environmental Management Authority (EMA). "The plant is very safe and plans to go on stream," he stressed. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712131242.html Kenya: Communities Protest 14 December 2007 Posted to the web 13 December 2007 Job Weru And Antony Gitonga Nairobi Members of Kenya's minority ethnic community, the Yiaku, demonstrated against the destruction of a forest in which they live, in Laikipia North District. On Tuesday, they marched to the local DC's office to express their concern after government officials allegedly allowed a timber trader to cut trees in Mukogodo Forest. The twig and placard-waving protesters, led by their chairman, Mr Issa Supuko, walked to the DC's office, where they presented him with a copy of grievances. They accused the trader of cutting trees and transporting them without their consent. They also accused the police of according the trader protection. Studies have shown that the Yiaku, who live exclusively in the forest, are about 5,000 in number. They are also the only community in Kenya who have been given rights by the State to live inside a government forest. The forest, measuring about 30,189 hectares, has been ranked the best community conserved forest for its wealth in indigenous trees. The DC, Mr Amos Mariba, said action would be taken against individuals encroaching into the forest. "The forest is the best conserved natural resource in Kenya, and we will not allow a few greedy people to destroy it," he said. He noted that the permits, which were given to the investor allowing him access and permission to cut and transport trees would be investigated. He added that the Forest Act of 2005 gave community rights over policing and conservation of forests in collaboration with the area environment committee. Elsewhere, more than 5,000 families of the Isahakia community living in Naivasha have called on Vice-President Mr Moody Awori to intervene and have them resettled. Having been evicted 35 years ago, the community has called on the V-P to keep his promise that they would be resettled on their ancestral land next to the Naivasha Prison. Through their leaders, the squatters wondered why senior land officers were curtailing their efforts to get a land title despite the Ministry of Lands approving their resettlement. According to their chairman, Mr Ali Farah, the families had been turned into refugees after the 1972 eviction near the Lord Delamere land. "The Vice-President has been on the forefront in assisting us and we urge him to act now as some government officers are giving us a raw deal," he said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712140991.html Kenya: Villagers Protest Against Company The East African Standard (Nairobi) 15 December 2007 Posted to the web 14 December 2007 George Olwenya Nairobi Hundreds of residents of Siaya and Bondo districts demonstrated against the American owned Dominion Farms for allegedly using an aerial spray that was killing their livestock and damaging their crops. They were also protesting against the blocking of access roads on the Yala Swamp. Riot police had to be called in to disperse the villagers. They claimed that the herbicides used by the company had damaged several acres of onions and kales in adjacent farms and demanded compensation. A report from the Usigu Divisional Agricultural Extension Officer, Mr I L Otiang', confirmed that tomatoes worth Sh180,000 and kales valued at Sh4,000 had been damaged. The villagers' spokesman, Mr Charles Okeyo said complaints to the company had gone unanswered. "We want the Government to intervene because the spray has contaminated our water, killed our animals and damaged crops," said Okeyo. On Friday, the villagers also complained that they were unable to reach local markets after the firm blocked the road passing through the swamp. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712120669.html Nigeria: Lagosians Protest Against Deforestation This Day (Lagos) 11 December 2007 Posted to the web 12 December 2007 Chinazor Megbolu Lagos Various residents of Ikoyi, Lagos State have staged a protest against moves by a construction giant, Julius Berger Plc to cut down over 2000 trees in the area, in a bid to complete a Lagos State Government road dualisation project. The protest, which occurred during a world carnival/conference organised by environmentalist and founder of Fight Against Desert Encroachment (FADE) Dr. Newton Jibunoh, took place at the grounds opposite Abebe Court, Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi, as part of his efforts to draw national attention to the climatic change posed by desertification, drought and desert encroachment. Jibunor, who spoke to THISDAY at the weekend, said the protest was organised to pass a message across to the government to desist from doing so because it will destroy lives, shade, water and rainfall. Jibunor who has crossed the desert twice and is preparing for the third expedition said he has been trying in the last 40 years to find solution to building and making trees in Sahara Desert, and that he was surprised to hear that trees in his area has been marked for destruction. On if the protest will make them stop the idea, he said that if they don't stop, they will have the people and the environment to cope with and probably wait for when the consequences will come, which he added will come in a different form that will not be good. Speaking further, Jibunor said if it were possible, he would want those involved to stop cutting the trees but, if they want to destroy the people, let them go ahead and do so. The FADE crusader also insisted that trees should not be cut because half of the species of plants and animals in the world live in the rain forests which provides habitat, food chain as well as helping to stabilise the ecosystem. "When the forest is removed, heavy rainfalls which usually occur in the tropics land directly on the ground and wash away the soil. These cause flooding and landslides and make surrounding areas unsafe for people to live in," he said. Also, popular Nigerian musician, Lagbaja (real names Bisade Ologunde) who made a surprise appearance at the venue said it was important for him to come and identify with FADE even though he is not living in the area, but because he believes in their cause. He added that the problem, which is very common, is that until something concerns the people personally, they always think it is not their problem. "But really, it is our problem and the environment. Even if I will die one day and go but the generations of Nigerians yet unborn will feel the impart of how we destroyed the earth so, it is of direct importance to me," he said. Lagbaja however advised the government on the need to keep its main trees and to plant more, adding that those in charge are not planting more so, they should not even be thinking of cutting. The conference was part of Jibunor's efforts to draw national attention to the climatic change posed by desertification, drought and desert encroachment; and to sensitise Nigerians and other nationals on the dire effect of indiscriminate tree cutting, especially in urban areas like Lagos and Abuja. According to Mr. Kunle Idowu, media consultant to the Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGO), Jibunoh who turns 70 on January 1, 2008, is expected to undertake his third and final expedition with a group of four persons. These include Miss Ebun Olatoye (Journalist/Publicist), Titi Laoye (Film Maker), Joshua Adegbabu (an Auto-mechanic), and Afam Ugah (an IT Specialist). http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN17414308 RPT-Bishop's hunger strike on Brazil project wins support Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:51pm EST By Raymond Colitt BRASILIA, Dec 17 (Reuters) - The health of a Brazilian bishop who is on a hunger strike to protest against a government irrigation project has deteriorated considerably, aides said on Monday. "He is visibly worse today, he's lost 8 kilo (18 lbs) and has hypertension," Clarice Maia, a spokeswoman for Bishop Luiz Cappio, said by telephone from northeastern Bahia state. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has asked the Vatican to renew efforts to end the fast by Cappio, who stopped eating on Nov 27. The project, Brazil's largest public works venture, aims to pump water from the Sao Francisco River through 435 miles (700 km) of canals to residents and farms in the arid and poverty-plagued northeast, where Lula was born. Critics including Cappio say the project is too expensive and authorities would have difficulty ensuring the fair distribution of water. Environmentalists fear reducing the river's level could affect navigability, fish migration and biodiversity. Lula told leaders of the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops last week that the government would not cancel the project despite the hunger strike. Critics said Lula was trying to arm-twist parts of the church. The Vatican's representative in Brazil as well as the archbishop of Salvador already urged Cappio last week to stop the hunger strike, which they said contradicted Christian principles. The Catholic church in Brazil has called on Christians to express their solidarity with the protest by fasting. Dozens of supporters of Cappio held vigils and prayed before Congress in the capital Brasilia on Monday and similar events were expected throughout the country. Thousands of protesters held vigils in three Bahian cities during the weekend, event organizers said. The Supreme Court is to decide on Wednesday whether to uphold an injunction by a lower court that last week halted construction of the project. The judge questioned whether the government had proper authority for land and water use. (Editing by David Wiessler) http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Environmentalists_protest_use_of_plastic_along_river_banks/articleshow/2645076.cms Environmentalists protest use of plastic along river banks 23 Dec, 2007, 1445 hrs IST, PTI KALPETTA (KERALA): The use of sand-filled plastic bags to strengthen river banks is posing a threat to the ecologically sensitive Wayanad district in Kerala, environmental campaigners have said. Long stretches of river banks of Kabani in Meengangadi panchayat have already been laid with thousands of sand-filled plastic bags as part of the work under the National Rural Employment Programme. "If this is allowed to go on, the consequences would be trully disastrous not only for Wayanad but for the adjoining areas of Karnataka which are inter-linked by the Kabani, a tributary of Cauvery," campaigner Abraham Benhar told reporters. The sand-filled plastic bags could easily fall apart or get melted under the scorching sun leaving its polluting contents in the river. This would choke natural flow of the river, harm fish breeding and growth of water vegetation, which is essential for the health of rivers, argued the campaigners. "One is really at a loss to know as to who is behind this strange idea. The strategy being followed to protect rivers the world over is the use of geo-textiles like coir or cultivation of water plants," they said. As many as 3140 bags were used for a stretch of 40 metres and work in a few kilometres had already been completed in areas like Muradippalam, Mailampadi and Pannimunda. http://arizona.indymedia.org/news/2007/12/71094.php Navajo and Mohawk in Bali Challenge World Bank Carbon Scam by Brenda Norrell Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2007 at 2:45 PM BALI, Indonesia -- Navajo and Mohawk representatives of the Indigenous Environmental Network are now in Bali at the 13th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Jihan Gearon, Dine' Navajo Nation, IEN energy & climate campaign organizer and Benjamin Powless, Mohawk, Six Nations, Ontario, Canada, IEN youth representative, are gathered with other Indigenous Peoples and taking on the world's super powers and carbon scam. BALI, Indonesia -- Navajo and Mohawk representatives of the Indigenous Environmental Network are now in Bali at the 13th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Jihan Gearon, Dine' Navajo Nation, IEN energy & climate campaign organizer and Benjamin Powless, Mohawk, Six Nations, Ontario, Canada, IEN youth representative, are gathered with other Indigenous Peoples and taking on the world's super powers and carbon scam. Gearon, writing from Bali, said, "What I am saying is that Indigenous People need a much bigger and better seat at the table. Our communities and livelihoods are the first affected by climate change. We are also the most affected by the unsustainable solutions being proposed to solve climate change - nuclear power, clean coal, carbon sequestration, reforestation, carbon trading, etc, etc, etc. Yet, instead of having real input in the UNFCCC process, we have to spend our time picking through words. And while we're busy doing that, those people who want to sacrifice us to put some dollars in their pockets, make the decisions. "This past September 13th, the UN General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which protects the rights of Indigenous Peoples to their lands, territories and environment. Yet through the faulty process and false climate change solutions of the UNFCCC, it's these fundamental human rights that are being violated. "The Indigenous Peoples here in Bali are asking the UN to live up to their words, to listen to us, and to stop with the false solutions that devastate our lands, threaten our ways of life, and deny our human rights." Tom Goldtooth, IEN executive director said, said Gearon arrived this past weekend, while Powless has been there since the week before. The UNFCCC climate meeting ends Friday. Both Gearon and Powless are helping the Indigenous Peoples Caucus draft the final intervention on Friday. IEN is working with the Environmental Justice Climate Change (EJCC.) Gearon's reflections are at this site: http://climatejusticenow.wordpress.com/ http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/thousands-protest-in-delhi-against-sethusamudram-project_10010758.html Thousands protest in Delhi against Sethusamudram Project December 30th, 2007 - 9:45 pm ICT by admin - Email This Post New Delhi, Dec 30 (ANI): Thousands of supporters of Hindu religious groups participated in a massive rally here today to protest against the controversial Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project. The protest was organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to protect the mythological bridge 'Ramsetu'. The Hindu groups believe that the project that aims to carve a shipping channel in seas off the south coast would destroy the mythological bridge built by Lord Ram. Over 50,000 supporters from across the country reached the protest site on the outskirts of New Delhi. They held banners that read "Save Ramsetu". VHP General Secretary Praveen Togadia said that the organisation would not let "the sacred bridge" to be broken. RSS 'Sarsanghachalak' K S Sudarshan cautioned the Central government against going ahead with the project. "Ram Sethu signifies India's cultural heritage. We will not allow the government to go ahead with the project." Sudarshan said. Bharatiya Janata Party President Rajnath Singh and party General Secretary Arun Jaitley were also present at the rally. The 560-million dollar project, approved by the government in 2005, plans to dredge a channel in a narrow strip of sea between India and Sri Lanka, reducing distances and cutting costs for freight traffic. However, according to the Central Government, research has shown that the "Ramsetu" was a series of sand shoals created by sedimentation and therefore no religious sentiments should be attached to it. When the project is finished, ships sailing between India's western and eastern coasts will not have to go around the south of Sri Lanka, and is expected to save up to 36 hours of sailing time. (ANI) From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 14:31:52 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 22:31:52 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Ecological protests, global north and semiperiphery, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <009e01c85958$c1fbd500$0802a8c0@andy1> * US: Police attacks, protests, tree-sit continue at Berkeley * IRELAND: Police attack Rossport sit-down protest * NEW ZEALAND: Environmental activists target bank over Papua and Tasmania logging * AUSTRALIA: Colourful protest opposes attack on Murray red gum forest * UK: Protesters claim political betrayal over historic station preservation * AUSTRALIA: Greenpeace scale coal-fired power station * CANADA: Anti-nuclear protest in Alberta opposes new plant building * SCOTLAND: Golf resort building plans opposed * UK: Sizewell nuclear plant hit by lockon blockade * GLOBAL: Protests mark climate conference in UK, Taiwan, Finland, Philippines, globally * CZECH REPUBLIC: Greenpeace scale power plant in emissions protest * AUSTRALIA: Protest halts logging in Tasmanian forest * US: Bicycle activists target city hall in San Francisco over broken promises * ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIA: Mining on Aboriginal land protested; title deed signing opposed * US: Nevada plans for new coal plant protested in Utah * US: Tree clearing at Mount Pleasant cemetary protested * IRELAND: Plan for pylons in northeast opposed by locals * WALES: Port Talbot power station protest group powers forward with funding * WALES: Last-ditch protest planned at Ty Du greenfield site, against business development * UK: Green protest over Tate gallery links to BP * FRANCE: Farmer Jose Bove on hunger strike over government GM crops goahead * ISRAEL: Swimmers protest to save historic pool http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_7407937?nclick_check=1 Students protest peacefully day after arrests on USCS campus The Associated Press Article Launched: 11/08/2007 03:52:29 PM PST SANTA CRUZ, Calif.-Students protesting an expansion plan at UC Santa Cruz held a peaceful vigil a day after police arrested six protesters and used pepper spray and batons to hold back others. A few dozen protesters on Thursday made chalk drawings, passed out flyers and sent supplies to tree sitters who wanted to stop redwoods from being cut down to make room for a new building. A day earlier, about 500 students gathered and pushed over a temporary fence around the redwoods. Police said they didn't have enough men to secure the area, and that's when pepper spray and batons came out. Senior Aaron Dankman, a politics major, said Thursday that since the police left, everything's been going well. Campus spokesman Jim Burns said the tree sitters are trespassing, but the university is currently just weighing its options. http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_7476102 Three arrested in scuffle near UC Berkeley tree-sitting protest The Associated Press Article Launched: 11/15/2007 08:01:54 PM PST BERKELEY, Calif.-Three people have been arrested after a scuffle with campus police near the site of a long-running tree-sitting protest at the University of California, Berkeley. The incident began late Wednesday night after about 50 people went to the protest site in support of the tree-sitters. Protesters say one tree-sitter was accused of trying to cut through a fence, and two supporters were arrested from the scuffle that ensued. The three face vandalism and other charges. Tree-sitters have been perched in an oak grove since last December to protest plans to cut down most of the trees to make way for a new sports center. A judge has ruled that the university can evict the protesters, although campus officials have not tried to forcibly remove them. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2844013.ece November 10, 2007 Police break up gas plant protest Several hundred police overpowered about 300 protesters who tried to block construction of a natural-gas processing plant in western Ireland. Three protesters were arrested and another was taken to hospital as officers cleared a sit-down protest at the gates of Royal Dutch Shell's planned refinery in the unpopulated bogland of Bellanaboy, Co Mayo, police said. Shell to Sea, a group that has mounted several similar protests since construction of the Bellanaboy facility began 13 months ago, said that a lorry carrying Shell workers ran over a protester's foot. The protest was timed to coincide with the 12th anniversary of the execution in Nigeria of nine antiShell campaigners, including Ken Saro-Wiwa, the writer. The Green Party, which opposed the project while in opposition, has accepted it since joining the Government in June. Shell is building a pipeline to deliver raw natural gas from the Corrib field, about 80km (50 miles) off northwest Mayo, to Bellanaboy. (AP) http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/article_1380363.php/Environmentalists_protest_bank_over_logging Environmentalists protest bank over logging Dec 12, 2007, 7:49 GMT Wellington - Environmentalists in Australia and New Zealand staged protests outside branches of the ANZ Bank on Wednesday calling for it to stop funding logging operations in the island state of Tasmania and on Papua New Guinea. The Wilderness Society of Tasmania and New Zealand's Green Party organised the protests to coincide with the United Nations climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia. Wilderness Society spokesman Paul Oosting said logging and land-clearing in Tasmania already accounted for at least 30 per cent of the state's greenhouse gas emissions, and a proposed new pulp mill was conservatively estimated to add 2 per cent to Australia's annual emissions. 'Both governments and banks have a global responsibility to help cut greenhouse gas emissions,' he said. 'This starts with refusing support for destructive logging practices and moving to help protect intact native forests.' In New Zealand, Green Party co-leader Russel Norman called on ANZ customers to pressure the ANZ banking group, which is considering investing in the proposed new Tasmanian mill, not to 'provide finance for forest destruction' in the state. Oosting said Tasmanian forests were some of the most 'carbon rich' in the world and ancient trees 70-80 metres tall were being felled in the state's Styx Valley, in a woodchip-driven logging operation. He said the proposed new pulp mill would consume up to 4.5 million tonnes of wood a year, creating greenhouse gasses equivalent to putting an extra 2.3 million cars on the road annually. Oosting said that the Malaysian company Rimbunan Hijau, an ANZ client, was carrying out logging in Papua New Guinea that had been condemned internationally. Bob Brown, leader of the Australian Greens said, 'ANZ has a fantastic opportunity to behave as a good corporate citizen. It must take a strong stance against bankrolling the disastrous proposed Tasmanian mill, and refuse to support the unsustainable and illegal logging of rainforests in Papua New Guinea.' ? 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/gum-nut-babies-in-murray-protest/2007/12/10/1197135346935.html Gum nut babies in Murray protest Paul Bibby December 10, 2007 - 2:08PM Office workers on their lunch break in the Sydney CBD have been greeted by a gathering of gumnut babies and women dressed as trees at the entrance of Governor Macquarie Tower. The strange assembly is a protest by members of the National Parks Association and the Wilderness Society against the logging of old growth red gums on the banks of the Murray River in the Riverina region of NSW. The 30 protesters - who have attracted a crowd of curious lunchers - are attempting to get the attention of the NSW Premier, Morris Iemma and his Cabinet, the offices for which are located on the upper floors of the Bent St building. While the logging of River Red gums in Victoria is set to be protected through the creation of a series of national parks, the NSW Government has so far rejected demands to do the same in its jurisdiction. The association launched legal action against the Government in the Land and Environment Court in a bid to stop the logging and - with the aid of a blockade in the Moira State Forest - has achieved a temporary halt in the highest conservation areas. "The public forests in the Riverina have been logged for red gums and that is having a devastating affect on the local ecosystem," the association's biodiversity protection officer, Georgina Wood, said. "The Riverina is the only major forest district in NSW without a forestry agreement. There is not one national park alongside the Murray River in NSW, they need to start identifying which areas will be protected." The protesters say the red gum forests are home to a number of threatened species, including the squirrel glider and the grey-crowned babbler. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22845199-2862,00.html Setback in station protest Article from: Mary Bolling November 30, 2007 12:00am CAMBERWELL residents say they have been betrayed by Planning Minister Justin Madden after his move to swing a legal fight in favour of developers. The move comes as developers submit ultra-modern plans for the Camberwell station redevelopment, devastating residents who have fought for four years to maintain its heritage aspect. Mr Madden has intervened in a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal case to back a controversial 14-storey project on the Henley Honda site on Riversdale Rd. A spokesman for Mr Madden said the interference was because of the site's strategic significance to the successful implementation of the Melbourne 2030 strategy. Boroondara Council, which knocked back developer FKP, and residents have criticised the move, which Mayor Phillip Healey said was surprising. "He has not chosen to involve himself in other key 2030 developments in Boroondara, so one has to wonder why he has chosen to in this one. "The minister should allow his policy to be debated by the parties without seeking to influence proceedings himself." While Mr Madden's spokesman said the move was not about taking sides, activist Mary Drost said it was a betrayal, considering the minister this week discussed planning issues with her and others. "We sat there with him this week and he didn't say a thing about stepping in at VCAT. "And to talk about enforcing Melbourne 2030 -- that policy says development will respond to its surroundings. On this site, the surrounds have just been completely ignored," she said. Melbourne 2030 promises "bottom-up initiatives, shaped by the community", but Ms Drost said the Camberwell station plans were an example of deserting that commitment. Developer Tenterfield, selected as preferred developer for the site in 2002, yesterday outlined plans for a public plaza, as well as a six-storey apartment block and three buildings of three storeys. Local celebrities Barry Humphries and Geoffrey Rush have previously joined other residents to protest against plans for a large commercial and residential development over the station. Ms Drost said the grassroots protest movement would rise up again after seeing the plans. She said Mr Madden's response to the Camberwell Junction site was a blow to their confidence. "We'll fight this until the end, and to the picket line if we have to," she said. "It is just devastating to know that in the end, Madden will be able to step in without a care for the residents and shut us down again." Boroondara Council will consider Tenterfield's application, while a lawyer for Mr Madden will go in to bat for FKP against the council at VCAT next week. http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/NSW-coal-protest-ends-with-15-arrests/2007/11/15/1194766808386.html NSW coal protest ends with 15 arrests November 15, 2007 - 7:54AM Greenpeace activists who chained themselves to a NSW coal-fired power station and painted it with "coal kills" slogans say they are satisfied with the attention their protest attracted. Police arrested 15 protesters at the Munmorah power station, on the state's Central Coast, early on Thursday. Some protesters climbed on the roof of a building and used black paint to daub "coal kills" slogans, while others chained themselves to conveyer belts which feed coal to the plant. Workers at the plant were evacuated for their safety but operations were not disturbed by the protest, said a spokeswoman for Delta Energy, which operates the plant. The Munmorah facility has been ranked number 20 in a list of Australia's top carbon dioxide polluters published by Fairfax newspapers, after a survey of 50,000 power stations worldwide. "Munmorah is one of the oldest and dirtiest in Australia," protest organiser Stephen Campbell said. "We have taken this action to show that this is exactly the kind of facility we need to be closing to move toward a cleaner energy future." Officers from the public order and riot squad, rescue squad and general duties arrived at the power plant just before 6am. Seven men and eight women were arrested, ending the protest about 10.45am (AEDT). The protesters are expected to be charged with trespass and malicious damage offences. Mr Campbell did not rule out the possibility of protests at other coal-fired plants in the lead up to the November 24 federal election. "We will be looking at various coal facilities ... because really that's the message we need to get through," he said. "We think we've done very well to get the message out to the political parties and general community that Australia is not pulling its weight ... and we demonstrated what this country needs to do - close these coal-fired power stations and use cleaner energy." No-one was injured during the protest and Mr Campbell described the action as non-violent. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/16/2093074.htm?section=justin Activists charged over power station protest Posted Fri Nov 16, 2007 2:04pm AEDT Fifteen Greenpeace activists have been charged by police after a protest at the Munmorah Power station on the New South Wales Central Coast. The activists entered the site yesterday morning and several chained themselves to the conveyor belts used to feed coal into the facility. Another managed to get on the roof of the station and painted the slogan, 'Coal Kills'. They have been charged with trespassing and risking the safety of others by climbing a building. The group will appear in court next month. http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jx_SZt9Gf8On0ShxjbEKpbLoDhiw Anti-nuclear protest at Alberta legislature draws 200 adults, children Home National News By: THE CANADIAN PRESS EDMONTON - More than 200 protesters, including several families with children, rallied in front of the legislature Monday to protest plans to build nuclear power plants in northern Alberta. The crowd waved placards that read "Keep Alberta Nuclear Free" and "Forever Deadly Toxic Waste" as various speakers denounced proposals for Alberta's first nuclear reactors. Several groups were involved in the protest, including Greenpeace and the Peace River Environmental Society. The Peace River group fears a proposed reactor would taint local water supplies, posing a health risk to northern Alberta residents. NDP environment critic David Eggen had the crowd chanting "No Candu" as he warned them that nuclear firms have what he called "lots of money to make secret deals" to build power plants. A Calgary-based firm and a French company have been exploring the idea of building nuclear plants in several northern communities, but nothing has been formally approved. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/7098642.stm Trump critics hold beach protest Demonstrators carrying placards took part in the march A march in protest against Donald Trump's plans for a ?1bn golf resort in Aberdeenshire has taken place. Councillors are still to decide whether the complex on the Menie estate at Balmedie should go ahead. Pressure group Sustainable Aberdeenshire organised the demonstration which was attended by about 200 people. US property tycoon Mr Trump has said he has won the backing of a number of business, tourist and golf experts. The march - which left the Ythan Estuary at 1100 GMT on Saturday - was aimed at highlighting what objectors say would be the local implications of the development. Mickey Foote, a spokesman for Sustainable Aberdeenshire, said he was concerned about the impact the project could have on what is an environmentally-sensitive coastal area. The Trump International Links will feature two championship golf courses alongside 950 holiday homes and several golf villas, if it is approved. The US billionaire wants to build "the world's greatest" golf attraction. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/suffolk/7122475.stm Nuclear power protesters moved on Protesters chained themselves together to block an entrance Protesters blocking the entrance road to a nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk have been moved away. Police said three women and a man had "locked" themselves into place outside the power station using concrete. Officers said a small group also gathered at the site to offer the protesters support, and people arriving for work had found the way in blocked. A spokesman for the protesters said they were reacting to suggestions more nuclear power stations could be built. If Gordon Brown wants to expand the nuclear industry he should realise that he will face an awful lot of opposition Mell Harrison A police spokesman said: "A group of four people locked themselves down using concrete around their arms. "No-one has been hurt, no arrests were made and after negotiations the people unlocked themselves." A spokesman for the protesters said various groups opposed to nuclear power and the development of Sizewell had been involved. "The protest is being staged because British Energy suggested last week they aim to build four nuclear power stations at their sites in the UK," he said. "We want to show them that it isn't going to be quite as simple as that." Explore alternatives A Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament spokeswoman said the group wanted to spell out the dangers of nuclear expansion to Prime Minister Gordon Brown. "We were lying across the road for 15 minutes fastened together before the security guards came," said campaigner Mell Harrison, 36, of Bungay, Suffolk. "We were 200 metres from the reactor, if that. If we can do it so can terrorists. Imagine that. We didn't get inside the fence. But protesters have done that before. "If Gordon Brown wants to expand the nuclear industry he should realise that he will face an awful lot of opposition. All the old problems with nuclear power have not gone away. "The Government will discover that an awful lot of people have concerns and people will protest. The answer isn't nuclear power. We must explore alternatives." British Energy announced earlier in the week it had earmarked eight of its sites as possible locations for "next-generation" nuclear plants, as part of a review of work needed to counter the impact of climate change. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iFqzcjLADdO_Mp3yC0SylsPo1vNgD8TDKSG00 World Climate Change Protests Kick Off By RAPHAEL G. SATTER - Dec 8, 2007 LONDON (AP) - Skiers, fire-eaters and an ice sculptor joined in worldwide demonstrations Saturday to draw attention to climate change and push their governments to take stronger action to fight global warming. >From costume parades in the Philippines to a cyclist's protest in London, marches were held in more than 50 cities around the world to coincide with the two-week U.N. Climate Change Conference, which runs through Friday in Bali, Indonesia. Hundreds of people rallied in the Philippine capital, Manila, wearing miniature windmills atop hats, or framing their faces in cardboard cutouts of the sun. "We are trying to send a message that we are going to have to use renewable energy sometime, because the environment, we need to really preserve it," high school student Samantha Gonzales said. "We have to act now." In Taipei, Taiwan, about 1,500 people marched through the streets holding banners and placards saying "No to carbon dioxide." Hundreds marched outside the conference center in Bali. At a Climate Rescue Carnival held in a park in Auckland, New Zealand, more than 350 people lay on the grass to spell out "Climate SOS." At the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, ice sculpture artist Christian Funk carved a polar bear out of 15 tons of ice as a memorial to climate protection. Christmas markets throughout Germany were switching off the lights for five minutes, and British cyclists pedaled into Parliament Square in London. In Helsinki, Finland, about 50 demonstrators ground their skis across the asphalt along the main shopping street, calling for decision makers to give them their snowy winters back. Fire-eaters blew billowing clouds of flames at a rally in Athens, Greece. In London, demonstrators braved the cold, rainy December weather to descend on Parliament Square, wielding signs marked: "There is no Planet B." Bikers circled the square earlier in the morning to protest the city's traffic and its effect on global warming, organizers said. The London protest has singled out one particular target - President Bush - calling his administration the biggest obstacle to progress at the Bali talks. Organizers plan to underline the point by ending the protest in front of the U.S. Embassy. "Bush has been forced to change his language on climate, but continues to be the major obstacle to progress," said Britain's Campaign against Climate Change. "We will not just stand by and allow Bush - or anyone else - to wreck the global effort to save billions of lives from climate catastrophe." Washington has found itself increasingly isolated at the climate talks. The U.S. position that technology and private investment - not mandatory emissions cuts - will save the planet has drawn criticism. But Americans too protested Saturday. In Massachusetts, about 50 demonstrators took a quick "polar bear" plunge into the bracingly cold waters of Walden Pond. "We want our elected leaders - the congressmen, senators and the president - to realize that global warming is a serious problem that needs their leadership," organizer Roger Shamel said. Three protesters dressed in polar bear costumes carried banners that read: "Please save the Earth for our babies." http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gK2zeQnblyff--UU1HwciCZYv2EQ Greenpeace members end Czech power plant protest Dec 7, 2007 PRAGUE (AFP) - Greenpeace activists Friday ended a two-day protest on top of the chimney of the biggest thermal power plant in the Czech Republic, which they say is the country's biggest polluter. "We succeeded in attracting attention about the links between the biggest Czech thermal plant which emits the most carbon dioxide, the company CEZ, carbon extraction and the Czech position on climate change," spokesman Jan Pinos said. The Prunerov II plant in the north of the country near the German border is considered to be the country's biggest polluter, spewing out 8.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Eleven activists from Britain, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic scaled the 150 metre (495-feet) chimney on Thursday morning. Five came down on Thursday evening. The demonstration coincided with the international climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia, where world leaders will try to chart out the next steps to curb the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. The protesters are due to meet Czech Green party leader and environmental leader Martin Bursik on Saturday before he departs for the Bali summit. Bursik has attacked CEZ for not investing in the latest clean technology and spending its profits on an acquisitions spree in other European countries. http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2007/12/06/afx4412672.html Greenpeace in protest against Czech CEZ's greenhouse gas emissions 12.06.07, 11:51 AM ET PRAGUE (Thomson Financial) - Environmental organisation Greenpeace said a group of its campaigners have scaled a chimney of a power station owned by CEZ in Prunerov, Czech Republic, to protest against greenhouse gas emissions. The campaigners said the Prunerov II power station, owned by CEZ, which is majority owned by the State, is the country's main polluter, emitting '8.9 mln tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, or 6.5 pct of carbon dioxide emissions in the Czech Republic'. Jan Pinos, coordinator of Greenpeace's campaigns in the Czech Republic said the protest should send a message that the Czech environment minister could convey to the Bali conference on climate change. http://news.smh.com.au/protest-halts-logging-in-styx-valley/20071210-1g2k.html Protest halts logging in Styx Valley December 10, 2007 - 1:27PM Protesters claim to have stopped logging in the Styx Valley forest in their campaign for World Heritage protection for Tasmanian forests. Up to 10 activists walked into an area known as coupe SX10F of the Styx Valley, west of Hobart, automatically stopping logging, Still Wild Still Threatened spokeswoman Jess Wright said. She said the action was a peaceful occupation of the coupe to highlight the ongoing devastation of Tasmania's heritage valued forests, and the protesters would stay in the area for as long as possible. "This is a pristine tract of ancient forest, it has outstanding conservation value and has been visited by thousands of people - it's an iconic part of Tasmania's forest heritage," Ms Wright said. "Bulldozers are starting to rip it apart - this is an irreplaceable ecosystem and we are simply trying to highlight this devastation." Still Wild Still Threatened is also calling on the new Rudd government to stop logging in the state's old growth forests. "World leaders are meeting in Bali but the Rudd government has so far been silent on old growth forests," Ms Wright said. "We are hoping, after Bali, that Rudd will make a sensible announcement that Tasmania's forests will be protected from this senseless devastation. "It's irresponsible for any person to say they will be a leader on the issue of climate change but not act to stop unnecessary logging." A Forestry Tasmania (FT) spokesman said the company was legally allowed to log the coupe, adding the protesters were twisting the facts to suit their own goals. "These anti-forestry individuals create the impression that the Styx Valley is an area of untouched old growth," Derwent District Forest Manager Steve Whiteley said. "This perception may suit their agenda, but it is simply not true - the Styx has been harvested and regenerated for more than 60 years and contains a variety of different forest growth stages." Police had been called in after the protesters were asked to leave but refused, he added. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/11/BAGN1TS1PJ.DTL Bicyclists to protest delay for bike plan Rachel Gordon Tuesday, December 11, 2007 Bike activists plan to rally on the steps of City Hall at 1 p.m. today to protest what they view as official foot-dragging in completing a court-ordered environmental review of the city's bicycle plan. Until the review is done, the city cannot enact the plan. That means, for the time being, there will be no new bike lanes or new bike racks on public property. The long-planned pilot project to allow two-wheelers on the Muni streetcars also is on hold. The projects were frozen in 2006, when a Superior Court judge, responding to a citizen's lawsuit, granted an injunction against implementation of the San Francisco Bicycle Plan until the effects of the proposed projects are more thoroughly scrutinized. The study originally was anticipated to have been wrapped up next year, but now may not be done until 2009. "The delay in action on the bicycle plan is unacceptable for a city that calls itself a green leader. ... We urge the mayor and city leaders to commit every available resource toward getting this bike plan on track," said Leah Shahum, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, who also serves as an appointee of Mayor Gavin Newsom on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors. A spokesman for Newsom said the administration also is eager to see the environmental review wrapped up, but noted that the court-stipulated analysis takes time. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/12/2116599.htm Protest planned over native title mining deal Posted Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:40am AEDT A group excluded from negotiations for a native title deal plans to protest when the agreement is signed in Ceduna next week (file photo). (ABC News: Lew Chinner) Map: Ceduna 5690 An Aboriginal group says it is planning to protest when a native title agreement is signed at Ceduna in the far west of South Australia next week. Members of the Kokatha Mula people have been fighting against an agreement between mining company Iluka Resources and the West Coast Native Title Group which supports mining in the area. The Kokatha Mula people blockaded Iluka's mining interests earlier in the year and have vowed to keep agitating. Group member Bronwyn Coleman-Sleep says the native title agreement will destroy the Aboriginal lands of far west SA. "There's disturbing the flora and fauna. There's disturbances of the soil," she said. "The other thing is that, while there might be a 200 metre buffer zone around special places, it's insufficient. "I feel very, very sad for the people who are making the decision and signing. I feel sad for the environment. I feel sad for the tourists who enjoy travelling through the country. I feel sad for our underground water." http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/18/2122025.htm Silent protest at native title signing Posted Tue Dec 18, 2007 3:46pm AEDT Updated Tue Dec 18, 2007 3:52pm AEDT A group has held a silent protest during a native title signing at Ceduna in SA (file photo). (ABC News: Lew Chinner) Map: Ceduna 5690 An Aboriginal group has staged a silent protest during the signing of a native title agreement in the far west of South Australia. The Kokatha Mula Nation is opposed to an agreement between the Far West Native Title Group and Iluka Resources which allows the mining company to establish a zircon mine in the Eucla basin. The agreement has been formalised in a ceremony at Ceduna. Group member Sue Coleman-Haseldine says they oppose any mining on traditional lands. But she says the group is determined to continue its fight. "We're not giving up. They've just made us stronger, so we'll oppose anything that is a threat to our land and our waters and our culture," she said. "There's no respect for our culture, there is none." The mining company says it has gone through an exhaustive two-year native title process with the legitimate claimants, who have unanimously approved the agreement. http://www.sltrib.com/ci_7748974 St. George protest decries proposed coal-fired plant just across border in Nevada By Mark Havnes The Salt Lake Tribune Article Last Updated: 12/18/2007 06:49:54 AM MST Craig Booth, at top, a physician and former medical... (Mark Havnes/The Salt Lake Tribune ) Dec 18: Letter: Toquop's environmental safeguards mitigate any concerns ST. GEORGE - Be nice, not naughty. That is the plea from a group of St. George residents to Nevada's governor this holiday season about plans to build a coal-fired power plant 40 miles away in the Silver State. About 100 residents rallied in a St. George park Monday in front of a sign that read, "No Coal for Christmas." There, they signed a large card that will be mailed to Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons expressing their opposition to the 750 megawatt plant. Craig Booth, a doctor and former medical director at Dixie Regional Medical Center in this southwestern Utah city, told the gathering that pollutants, including sulfur compounds, spewed from the plant would hurt the health of the community. "If it's so clean, why not build [west] of Mesquite or in Las Vegas?" Booth asked to cheers. Springdale City Councilwoman Louise Excell also worries about emissions threatening the health and welfare of residents. "It's nasty stuff," she said. Springdale's City Council passed a resolution against the Toquop Energy Project. Frank Maisano, a Toquop spokesman, said Monday that the company plans to tap the latest technology for the $1.3 billion plant, significantly lowering pollutants while boosting the region's economic vitality. He noted Utah receives 85 percent of its power from coal and ought not be telling Nevada how to produce electricity. "The demand for power in the region, including St. George, is desperate," Maisano said. "This [Toquop] project will keep the lights on in St. George, Mesquite and Las Vegas." A call to the Nevada governor's office was not returned Monday. Meanwhile, in southern Utah, Washington County Commissioner Alan Gardner said the commission believes the proposed plant's high-tech upgrades will keep it from harming residents. Instead, he said, the facility will help meet the area's surging energy demands. "Coal has to be part of our energy future," Gardner said. A letter in support of the plant by members of the Washington County Commission was published earlier this month in the area's daily newspaper, The Spectrum. mhavnes at sltrib.com http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2007/12/18/residents-protest-tree-clearing-at-mount-pleasant-cemetery.aspx Residents protest tree clearing at Mount Pleasant Cemetery Posted: December 18, 2007, 9:56 PM by Barry Hertz City Mount Pleasant Cemetery began clearing trees to make room for a new visitation centre yesterday, as angry Moore Park residents protested the decision to cut down a part of "Toronto's urban forest." The Post's Natalie Alcoba reports: About two dozen people watched in horror as "tree after tree after tree" was dropped into a wood chipper, said Margot Boyd, a member of the Moore Park Residents Association executive. She said she believed 39 trees were to be knocked down to accommodate a 2,400-square-metre visitation centre and a parking lot. A spokesman for the Mount Pleasant Group Cemetery has said 97 trees will be planted as part of the project. Josh Matlow, a public school board trustee who lives in the area, said workers yesterday were "dismissive and rude" to protesting residents. He said they were warned to stay off private property, or face arrest by police who were on scene. No one trespassed, he said. "The objection the community has is the cemetery was, in spirit and practice, built to provide a greenspace for people in the city," Mr. Matlow said. Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries describes itself on its Web site as a "not-for-profit, non-share capital corporation" that exists "to provide a service to the community." In the National Post last year, president and CEO Norris Zucchet said government legislation deems MPGC a private corporation, and it has "abided by the rules of incorporation." The city rejected the project, but the Ontario Municipal Board approved it. http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1230/pylons.html Thousands protest over pylons Sunday, 30 December 2007 22:25 Thousands of people from Meath, Cavan and Monaghan have taken part in a protest against proposed electricity pylons in the north east. The protestors linked arms on the banks of the River Boyne this afternoon. They are objecting to EirGrid's proposal to place 400 high power electric cables on pylons from Woodlands in Co Meath to Kingscourt in Co Cavan. http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/south-wales-news/port-talbot/2007/12/27/protest-group-powers-forward-with-fundraising-91466-20273867/ Protest group powers forward with fundraising Dec 27 2007 by Andrew Pugh, Port Talbot Guardian CAMPAIGNERS against a Port Talbot power station, who are hoping to take their case to the High Court, have already raised more than ?3,000 to fund their legal battle. Port Talbot Residents Against Power Stations (PTRAPS) vowed to keep up their fight, despite Prenergy's power station plans being approved by central Government. The activists have employed the services of Swansea-based solicitors John Collins, who specialise in environmental cases. This is the same legal firm which advised campaigners during their unsuccessful fight against the incinerator plant at Crymlyn Burrows. But taking the case to the High Court will not be cheap. An initial ?3,000 is needed to employ the services of a barrister, with a further ?4,000 in solicitors' fees. And if the case makes it as far as the High Court, further funding will be needed. Nevertheless, PTRAPS members are hopeful they can take their fight to the top and finally force a public inquiry into the 350MW woodchip-burning power station. They believe their case rests on getting involved in the Integrated Pollution, Prevention and Control (IPPC) consultation. Prenergy must obtain an IPPC permit from the Environment Agency before it is allowed to operate. The application involves a consultation process, during which PTRAPS hope to present their concerns to the Agency. Group member Jeremy Bailey said: "Any money given will be entirely devoted to these legal costs. "We are opening a bank account and will handle all money with absolute integrity, keeping careful records and giving receipts whenever donors request them." Mr Bailey added that, despite support from MPs and councillors, ordinary Port Talbot residents had been the greatest supporters of the campaign. "It is the health of residents that has always been, and remains, our main concern. We believe that this power station, if built, will seriously affect the already polluted air of the town, leading to further health problems. "We also believe that it is not environmentally friendly or truly green. It will be the biggest biomass power station in the world, and it is literally on the doorstep of our town, close to the huge tourist attraction of our seafront." For more information, or to make a donation, phone 0785 467 8388 or e-mail info at pt-raps.co.uk http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2007/12/29/last-ditch-protest-planned-at-development-site-91466-20294193/ Last ditch protest planned at development site Dec 29 2007 by Jean Parry, South Wales Echo POSTERS are going up inviting residents to join a final peaceful protest over plans for a huge business development near their village. The future of the huge Ty Du site at Nelson in Caerphilly county is due to be decided in the new year and campaigners are gearing up for a last push to save it. Pat Lapsa, one of the original campaigners, said: "I am in the process of printing posters letting everyone know of the latest happenings and inviting residents to join a final peaceful protest at the roundabout." A decision on what will happen to the 47-acre, greenfield Ty Du site has been hanging over Nelson for decades but successive political regimes have eyed it as one of the most significant development sites in South Wales. The majority of residents have continually opposed the plans, believing the development would turn Nelson from a village into a traffic-choked town. Mrs Lapsa said: "To date planning officers have been most helpful with as many details as they have to hand, but they were unable to tell me how much of the 47 acres will be covered. "They envisage access to the site to be off the roundabout on the A472 which is Bowen's haul road to its quarry and only a small area of the proposed site." A site meeting by all planning committee councillors is due to take place on Monday, January 7, at 11am. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7172579.stm Green protest staged at the Tate By Alex Ritson BBC News Protesters faked their own deaths on the gallery's steps London's Tate Britain gallery has been invaded by a group of green campaigners protesting at a sponsorship deal with the oil company, BP. A dozen campaigners wearing anti-BP slogans protested at a display of Turner watercolours. Security officials failed to stop the protesters from collapsing in a pile and pretending to be dead. The Tate said that the support given by sponsors is essential, because of scarce funding. Campaigners from London Rising Tide handed out leaflets at the exhibition. 'Moral behaviour' A spokesman, Iggy, said: "It's outrageous that BP should be trying to improve its reputation by sponsoring these beautiful landscapes - landscapes which these days are being polluted by oil companies. "BP destroys beautiful places, spilling oil in Alaska and contributes massively to global warming. "The Tate should consider the ethics and moral behaviour of its sponsors." The Tate said sponsors' money was crucial BP's former chief executive, Lord Browne, was appointed a trustee of the Tate Gallery last year. BP was fined $373 million in the United States for fraud and environmental crimes, relating in part to an oil spill in the Alaskan wilderness. The Tate said support given by organisations was 'extremely important', because funding is scarce. A spokesman said: "The Tate Trustees agreed a sponsorship policy in 1991 and regularly review it. "BP, who have worked with Tate for 15 years, fit within these guidelines and their support has been instrumental in helping Tate develop access to the Tate Collection and to showing work by a wide range of artists." BP refused to comment on the protest. http://news.scotsman.com/world/Farmer-on-hunger-strike-in.3640416.jp Farmer on hunger strike in GM protest By Tamora Vidaillet FRENCH farmer Jos? Bov?, who became a worldwide celebrity for his fight against junk food, went on a hunger strike yesterday with around 15 other activists to try and get the government to do more to ban genetically modified crops. Mr Bov? said the government had promised to write to the European Commission saying the country would suspend the use of GM crops until scientific studies proved they could be cultivated safely. But the government had not sent the letter and had only suspended the commercial use of maize seeds reliant on GM technology, he said. In an interview, Mr Bov? said: "What I hope is that the political will (of the people] will be respected." While GM crops are becoming common in the United States, France - Europe's biggest grain producer - along with other European nations remains uncertain of their merits. Last Updated: 04 January 2008 12:47 AM http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/02/europe/gmo.php Hunger strike in France to protest gene-altered crops By James Kanter Published: January 2, 2008 PARIS: The militant French sheep farmer Jos? Bov? and as many as 15 of his supporters began a hunger strike Thursday aimed at raising pressure on the French government to impose a long-term ban on growing genetically modified crops. Bov? captured worldwide attention for helping to organize the ransacking of a McDonald's restaurant nine years ago to protest the influence of multinational corporations. Since then he has served time in a French prison for damaging gene-altered crops. "We will hold out for as long as it takes," the Associated Press quoted Bov? as saying Thursday, after starting the protest. While his campaigns have struck a sympathetic chord in many parts of France and Europe where gene-altered foods are widely mistrusted - and where Bov? is something of a folk hero - the latest protest against altered crops comes as divisions over the potential benefits of the technology appear to be deepening across the region. Some European Union officials remain wary of using products that could endanger insects and fish and disturb ecosystems, but others have redoubled calls to ease restrictions on altered seeds as a way of keeping farming globally competitive at a time of skyrocketing food prices. The European agriculture commissioner, Mariann Fischer Boel, warned farm ministers in November that Europe's resistance to importing genetically modified products like livestock feed was contributing to the rising cost of raising pigs and chickens and could pose a threat to the meat industry. In October, the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, disappointed supporters of a long-term ban by announcing a temporary freeze on genetically modified seeds pending the outcome of a review of the technology that is expected early this year. Bov? has said he is undertaking his hunger strike to push the French government into making a much longer-term commitment to end seed cultivation. Genetically modified corn is already imported into several EU countries, including France and Germany, where it is used to feed animals like cows and chickens. But only one genetically modified crop is currently grown in Europe, a form of corn produced by Monsanto and nine other companies called Mon 810 that is the main target of Bov?'s protest. Austria, Hungary and Poland are among countries that already have banned the Monsanto corn. A long-term ban "is the only thing that will put an end to this hunger strike," Bov? told the French daily Sud Ouest in an interview published Wednesday. "Promises won't be satisfactory." Bov? told Sud Ouest that he would conduct the hunger strike in a well-known public location in Paris where he would not cause any security problems. He declined to reveal the whereabouts of the location before Thursday. Bov? began reducing his intake of alcohol, meat, eggs and cheese at the end of December to start accustoming his body to the fast, during which he said he expected to lose half-a-kilogram, or about one pound, of weight each day, he told another French newspaper, Midi Libre. "This hunger-strike is a well-considered commitment, not a suicidal act," Bov? told Midi Libre. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/941588.html Last update - 09:53 04/01/2008 Swimmers protest destruction of Tel Aviv's Gordon swimming pool By Yigal Hai, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Gordon swimming pool Veteran patrons of the Gordon swimming pool slammed the Tel Aviv municipality Thursday for razing the 54-year-old building and famous landmark on Wednesday without any prior warning. The municipality said that the pool will be rebuilt, although on a smaller scale, and that the new construction will allow contiguity along the beachfront promenade. >From the start the discussions revolved around repairs to the existing pool and not tearing it down," Maira Mor, an architect and chair of the Pool Loyalists non-profit organization, said Thursday. "The Gordon Pool has a history. The forceful manner by which the municipality has conducted itself, without any manners or sensitivity, is revolting and removed from the democratic pluralism of its citizens." According to Hillel Partok, the municipality's spokesman, "the municipality acted on the basis of a June 2006 decision of the local planning and construction committee which was reached without opposition. "The new Gordon Pool will be opened in the summer to the general public and not to a few." From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 14:37:06 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 22:37:06 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Protests over animal rights and conservation, Nov-Dec 07/08 Message-ID: <009f01c85959$7d5ff060$0802a8c0@andy1> * UK: Restaurant targeted over foie gras geese torture * US: Store selling fur protested * US: Trial for monkey liberation action marked by monkey-suit protests * US: Protests over Point Reyes deer-killing programme from animal activists and locals * JAPAN/PACIFIC OCEAN: Sea Shepherd, Greenpeace, and Australian animal rights groups target Japanese whale hunt * US: Anglers protest mass netting of fish * UK: Hindus protest killing of ill cow at temple [Talk about WHINING. how can this man claim to be the victim of harm when he supports torturing geese?!] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article2951153.ece November 27, 2007 Police accused over foie gras protest GLOUCESTER A restaurateur has accused police of failing to protect his customers and staff from intimidation by animal rights protesters campaigning against the sale of foie gras. Glen Tanswell said that he had been bullied into taking the delicacy, made from the livers of force-fed geese, off the menu of the Bearlands Restaurant in Gloucester, close to the police station, after "constant harassment and intimidation". He said: "My main gripe is not with the protesters, it is with the police. I tried to get their help numerous times. Customers were saying they felt intimidated. We had cancelled orders and I had to pull it to save the business." A group called Gloucestershire Animal Action claimed that it has succeeded in having foie gras withdrawn from the menus of 40 restaurants in the past three years. The group said: "Our campaign has not been without its hardships. We have had 13 arrests in the past year for campaigning against foie gras." Gloucestershire Police said: "We are aware of this situation and are monitoring it closely." http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/01/07/18470932.php On-going Protest of Fur Shop Kicks Off on Fur-Free Friday Mon Jan 7 2008 J. Malnick's in Oakland Targeted as the Only Major Fur Retailer in the East Bay On Friday, November 24th, ("Fur-Free Friday") approximately 10 individuals protested the selling of fur at J. Malnick's at 1901 Broadway in Oakland. Protesters educated passers-by about the horrors of the fur industry, including how animals are commonly killed using cruel methods including poisoning, gassing and anal electrocution and how cat and dog fur is often mislabeled as coming from another animal. During the peaceful protest, potential customers actually decided not to enter the shop that sells both fur and non-fur items on what is the busiest shopping day of the year. The owner, Mr. Warren Malnick, obviously not pleased that customers might find out about this dirty business, tried to dissuade the protesters, first by calling the police. When the police arrived and told him that the protesters were not breaking the law and were welcome to voice their opinions, Malnick then got visibly angry and hurled insults at the protesters. Further demonstrations have been regularly scheduled. http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/409493.html Posted on Tue, Dec. 18, 2007 10:15 PM A Kansas City woman accused of taking three monkeys from an animal sanctuary appeared Tuesday in court, drawing a group of protesters wearing furry ape suits. Catherine M. Montes, 44, faces one count of burglary and two counts of stealing. The animal sanctuary, Monkey Island Rescue, sits along Missouri 150 in southeast Jackson County. According to court documents, the owner of the sanctuary told police that a surveillance video showed Montes taking the monkeys. The protesters held signs including, "Where's our stolen monkeys?" A judge ordered Montes to stay at least 2,000 feet from Monkey Island. Her next court date is Jan. 23. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/22/BADQU2UIM.DTL Politicians protest Point Reyes deer-killing program Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer Saturday, December 22, 2007 Printable Version Email This Article (87) Bay Area politicians have joined a chorus of outrage over the mass killing of exotic deer in the Point Reyes National Seashore, but a big part of the hunt has been completed and federal officials said the eradication campaign is expected to continue. State Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, sent a letter Thursday to U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein asking for a moratorium on shooting deer in the national park until 2010. The letter, in which Migden characterized the shooting of hundreds of nonnative deer as unnecessary and inhumane, was also addressed to Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, who previously demanded a halt to the killing. The National Park Service approved a plan last year to get rid of about 1,100 fallow and axis deer using a combination of contraception and high-powered rifles. A Connecticut company, White Buffalo Inc., was hired to do the shooting. About 400 deer were killed in the late summer and fall, park officials said. "We have reason to believe (White Buffalo) has unnecessarily risked the safety of local residents and park visitors," Migden wrote. "We are concerned about ... the inhumane killing of wildlife." Animal rights activists and local residents have complained about finding deer carcasses near residences and trails, with apparent gunshot wounds to their stomachs and other vital regions, indicating the animals endured slow, painful deaths. Pat Martin, 60, a rancher who lives in the park, said White Buffalo has left dozens of dead deer lying in the fields, sometimes on private property. "They kill them and leave them," Martin said. "The biggest problem that local people have is that the meat goes to waste. And it's good meat." Martin said that the smell of dead animals stretched from Point Reyes to Bolinas about a month ago. John Dell'Osso, the chief of interpretation and resource education for the Seashore, said 80 percent of the dead deer are retrieved. "From the get-go we did say we would try to retrieve as many deer as possible, but we didn't say 100 percent because that's impossible in certain places," he said. "Some have been left, but they are food for other animals in the ecosystem like turkey vultures, foxes, coyote, bobcats and ravens." The culling plan, which is supported by several environmental groups including the Sierra Club, aims to get rid of all 1,100 nonnative deer by 2021, said Don Neubacher, superintendent for the Point Reyes National Seashore. So far, 80 does have been captured and sterilized with an experimental contraceptive drug called GonaCon. White Buffalo gunmen killed 400 fallow deer using high-powered rifles and helicopters mostly at night, but have not been active for more than a month, Neubacher said. The Park Service, he said, is waiting to see how well the contraceptives work before the hunters come back, probably in the spring. He said necropsies were performed on several animals and none had gut shots. Vultures may have opened the suspect wounds after death, he said. As for shooting near homes and endangering the public, he said: "Our contractors wouldn't do that. We instructed them that safety comes first. "We have a three-year contract and we've done five years of planning and to my knowledge we never even heard from Sen. Migden until now," Neubacher said. "It's well under way and it would be very costly to stop at this point in time." He said officials will meet with Migden to hear her concerns but are planning to proceed with the eradication campaign. A rancher introduced fallow deer and the less commonly seen axis deer to the area in the 1940s. Their numbers have been growing since 1994, when the last culling program was ended. Fallow deer are voracious eaters and they can carry Johne's disease, an intestinal disorder often fatal to native deer. The invaders from the Mediterranean are multiplying so fast that the native black-tailed deer are being edged out, Park Service officials said. Axis deer, from India, like the open plains and are not as numerous at Point Reyes - there are about 250 of them in the park - but they compete for vegetation with the natives. So far, 150 of the dead deer have been donated to area food banks, according to park officials, and 200 carcasses have been given to a California condor recovery program. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7189580.stm Last Updated: Tuesday, 15 January 2008, 13:59 GMT Japanese detain whaling activists The Japanese claim acid was thrown by the activists (Image: ICR) Two protesters have been taken into custody after they boarded a Japanese whaling vessel in the Antarctic. The Sea Shepherd campaign group said the two - a Briton and an Australian - had been assaulted and tied to the radar mast by the Japanese crew. They said they wanted charges of kidnap to be filed in Australia. Minoru Morimoto, of the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR), admitted the pair had been detained but denied they had been assaulted or harmed. He said the Sea Shepherd's accusations that the two men were tied up were "completely untrue". "It is illegal to board another country's vessels on the high seas. As a result, at this stage, they are being held in custody while decisions are made on their future," he added. Legal injunction The two - Australian Benjamin Potts and Briton Giles Lane - boarded the Yushin Maru 2 from the Sea Shepherd vessel the Steve Irwin. In a statement, the group accused the Japanese crew of holding the two men hostage. "Captain Paul Watson has notified the Australian Federal Police that he would like to see kidnapping charges brought against the Japanese whalers," the statement said. The campaign group said the pair had intended to deliver a message informing the Japanese that it was now illegal to kill whales, because an Australian court had outlawed the practice. A Federal Court judgement in Sydney ruled that it was illegal for the Japanese fleet to hunt whales, and ordered them to stop their expedition. But Tokyo has said in the past that it will ignore any injunction resulting from the case. The Japanese fleet plans to kill about 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales by mid-April as part of what it describes as a scientific research programme. But Australia and other nations say the research goals could be achieved using non-lethal methods and call the programme a front for commercial whaling. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4356216a7693.html Memorable protest promised By NATHAN BEAUMONT - The Dominion Post | Tuesday, 15 January 2008 Radical anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd is steaming toward the Japanese whaling fleet as it continues to run from Greenpeace, and says its protest tactics will make the season one to remember. Paul Watson, captain of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's ship Steve Irwin, hoped to find the whalers within the next day and said his crew would not change its stance once the protest began. On previous campaigns organisation members have rammed a whaling ship and thrown bottles of chemicals at whalers. "When we do catch them we won't be sitting down to tea with them. We intend to make this a season for them to remember," Mr Watson said. It could be several days before Japan's whaling fleet resumes its hunt, after the Greenpeace ship Esperanza pushed the mother ship hundreds of kilometres outside the hunting zone. Greenpeace's activities in Antarctic waters have earned the ire of Japanese researchers, who have branded the group "environmental imperialists". Esperanza has refused to give the whalers' coordinates to the Steve Irwin, but yesterday Greenpeace said it would provide the information to Australian customs ship Ocean Viking, which is making its way to the Antarctic to gather evidence for possible legal action against the whalers. Esperanza spokeswoman Sara Holden confirmed contact had been made several times with the Ocean Viking, but said poor phone connections had prevented Greenpeace passing on the information. Late yesterday Greenpeace was still driving the Nisshin Maru beyond the designated limits imposed for the whaling fleet's scientific research, but Ms Holden acknowledged the ship would flee only for so long before changing tactics. She suspected the fleet was planning to refuel soon and to offload processed whale meat on to the Panamanian-registered tanker Oriental Bluebird. Greenpeace said the Nisshin Maru and Esperanza had the same top speed. Yesterday the Esperanza was three kilometres behind the Nisshin Maru, however. It had continued to maintain radar contact. "Even if the Nisshin Maru turned around right now and started heading back it would take some time before it reached the hunting ground," Ms Holden said. The crew did not know the location of the other ships in the whaling fleet, which scattered when protesters found them on Saturday. A spokesman for the Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research, Glenn Inwood, from Wellington, has refused to talk to The Dominion Post, but told other media he believed Greenpeace's actions breached international law. "It's time the public saw this fringe group for what they really are - environmental imperialists who are trying to dictate their morals to the world," he said. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/well-get-them-this-time-vows-whaling-protest-leader/2007/12/27/1198345159236.html We'll get them this time, vows whaling protest leader Captain Paul Watson and his boat, the Steve Irwin, at Docklands: "We'll just keep them on the run." Photo: Craig Abraham Advertisement Ben Schneiders December 28, 2007 WITHIN a week, anti-whaling boat the Steve Irwin hopes to be harassing the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean. But yesterday it made an unscheduled appearance at Victoria Harbour at Docklands to replace pistons and take on fuel. Since leaving Melbourne on December 5, the Steve Irwin and its 41-strong crew from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society have fruitlessly searched the Southern Ocean for the whalers. Captain Paul Watson is confident he will find the Japanese this time around, with the boat likely to leave Melbourne today, leaving behind a couple of crew who suffered from seasickness. He said that this year the Japanese had started whaling in a different area, 3000 kilometres from where the Steve Irwin had been searching. "We didn't find that out until recently." But now that the general location of the Japanese is known, he hopes to disrupt the planned slaughter of about 1000 whales. "If we catch them they'll run from us," Captain Watson said. "We'll just keep them on the run." Sea Shepherd's vigorous tactics have attracted criticism. Among the measures it has used are ramming whaling ships and throwing smoke bombs and a relatively harmless form of acid on the decks of the ships. "We don't do anything lethal," Captain Watson said. "I find it completely absurd that these people are filling the ocean with blood down there and are calling us violent eco-terrorists." Until this month the Steve Irwin was known as the Robert Hunter, but with the support of Terri Irwin, widow of environmentalist Steve Irwin, the boat was renamed. Captain Watson is critical of the Rudd Government, which has won praise for its diplomatic efforts to stop whaling and for sending an observation vessel to the Southern Ocean. "Greenpeace have been taking pictures for years - what's another boat taking pictures going to do?" he said. "It's more talk, talk, talk." * Animal Liberation Victoria staged an anti-whaling protest at the Japanese consulate in Melbourne yesterday. Up to 10 activists entered the reception area, pouring fake blood over themselves. A consulate spokesman described the protest as "regrettable". Police are not investigating the incident. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22978552-661,00.html Protest at Melbourne Central office signed in 'blood' December 28, 2007 12:00am ANTI-whaling protesters have vandalised the Japanese Consulate in Melbourne with fake blood. A consulate spokesman said about six protesters spread red ink on carpet inside the office on the 45th floor of the Melbourne Central building yesterday. Japanese whalers are due in the Southern Ocean soon to begin their annual scientific whale hunt. An Australian Federal Police spokeswoman said protesters were removed from the building. A Victoria Police spokeswoman said no charges had been laid because the protesters tried to clean the mess before they left. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2008-01/04/content_6370580.htm Protest against whale hunting in Melbourne (Agencies) Updated: 2008-01-04 09:16 A protestor lies covered in fake blood at the centre of a Japanese national flag during an anti-whaling demonstration outside the Japanese Consulate in Melbourne in this handout photograph released January 3, 2008. Protesters from Animal Liberation Victoria (ALV) staged the demonstartion to draw attention to the Japanese whaling fleet who have commenced their cull which has angered conservationists. [Agencies] http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hWxtumdgVgQ2qIttwKRVUVeJzBOg Australian whaling demonstrators protest in Japanese consulate Dec 27, 2007 SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian anti-whaling protesters smeared fake blood on themselves in the Japanese consulate in Melbourne Thursday before police moved them on, police and protesters said. Protesters wearing bio-hazard suits coated themselves in 'blood' in the foyer of the consulate, located in the central office in Australia's second largest city, a spokesman for Animal Liberation Victoria (ALV) said. "They (the Japanese) were pretty angry and wanted to get us out of there but we told them we meant no disrespect to them but simply wanted to demonstrate against the slaughter of these gentle giants," ALV vice-president Noah Hannibal told AFP. Hannibal said the protesters were in the consulate for about an hour before they agreed to leave following negotiations with police but more demonstrations were planned if Japan refused to abandon the whale cull. A police spokeswoman said officers removed the protesters from the building but they were not arrested. Japan has been under fire for defying international protests and sending its whaling fleet into Antarctic waters to hunt around 1,000 whales, ostensibly for "scientific" purposes, exploiting a loophole in a 1986 moratorium on whaling. However, the Japanese bowed to pressure last week by abandoning plans to kill around 50 humpbacks, which form the backbone of Australia's and New Zealand's lucrative whale-watching industry. http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=7558552&nav=menu227_7 Anglers continue to protest Nez Perce gillnetting Associated Press - December 30, 2007 7:24 PM ET LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) - Anglers in northcentral Idaho continue to protest the recent decision by the Nez Perce tribe to start gill net fishing for steelhead on the Clearwater and Snake rivers. The group Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife is holding meetings to protest the move. Jason Hollibaugh says time and money have gone into restoring runs of wild steelhead. All that could be damaged if the tribe starts gill netting the fish, which could result in indiscriminate taking of wild fish. The tribe, meanwhile, is asking for a fair examination of their fishery impacts, not just criticism over the method. Clifford Allen, a tribal member, says an 1855 treaty gives the tribe the right to harvest fish on tribal lands - as it pleases. http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/localnews/display.var.1924862.0.hundus_peaceful_protest.php Hindu's peaceful protest Hindus, whose temple cow was pu down by the RSPCA will hold a peaceful protest and prayer vigil at 11am today outside the charity's headquarters on Wilberforce Way in Southwater, Horsham. The cow, called Gangotri, was unable to walk after a "mating accident". There will be simultaneous prayers conducted at Bhaktivedanta Manor in Letchnmore Heath, where the cow was cared for. advertisement Sruti Dharma, a Hindu priest, said: "In Hinduism, it's traditional that mourning extends for 13 days, with a ceremony held at the conclusion of that period. Boxing Day is 13 days after she was killed." Madhava das, another priest from a second temple added: "None of us had the chance to perform the traditional ceremonies at the time. The RSPCA came without warning and simply ended her life while the monks were at prayer. At least this observance will help to bring this period to a conclusion." The Hindus will be accompanying their prayers and peaceful protest with the traditional sound of cymbals and drums. Saffron-clad monks will be in attendance. "The community's Christmas has been overshadowed by this terrible event" said Gauri das, head of Bhaktivedanta Manor. "It was a tragedy for thousands of our members, and especially the children". 8:25am Wednesday 26th December 2007 From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 16:45:43 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:45:43 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Protests by farmers, traders etc - Dec/Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <00af01c8596b$752aefa0$0802a8c0@andy1> * DENMARK: Truck drivers blockade ports to protest regulations * FRANCE: Fisherfolk blockade port in fuel protest; Sarkozy booed * AUSTRALIA: Damaged by large retail chain, small shopkeepers strip in protest * SLOVENIA: Customs work-to-rule causes border delays * ISRAEL: Protesting pay hikes, customs workers work-to-rule, causing tailbacks * INDIA: Lawyers in Bihar strike to protest killing * PHILIPPINES: Transport union organises protest over oil prices * INDIA: Small businesses stage bandh against VAT in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh * LEBANON: Taxi drivers protest fuel costs, warn of roadblocks to come * BULGARIA: Grain farmers stage warning protest, demand drought relief * ITALY: Rome jams as taxi drivers stage protest * US: Farm workers protest Burger King over exploitation, low wages * FRANCE: Tobacco sellers march against smoking ban in cafes * INDIA: Punjab truck drivers protest against "irrational" taxes * NEPAL: Petrol dealers protest over shortages * INDIA: Coffee growers plan protest * PHILIPPINES: Farmers demand land reform, protest current arrangement; slaughterers, drivers also protest * INDIA: Tamil Nadu small retailers protest entry of large chains * SOUTH KOREA: Fisherfolk protest cleanup arrangements after oil spill * PHILIPPINES: Fisherfolk to stage "fish strike" over fuel costs * INDIA: Opening of chainstore provokes protests in Kerala * UGANDA: Lawyers protest fees increase * INDIA: "Consumer Day" march over inflation * IRAN: Teahouse owners protest pipe ban * INDIA: Gold and jewellery sellers switch off lights to protest government regulations * INDIA: Protests in Uttar Pradesh as VAT introduced * GHANA: Peasant farmers protest against imports, call for reopening local sites instead * BELARUS: Small businesspeople lead opposition rally, oppose hiring ban * PAKISTAN: Traders warn of action over load-shedding, power crisis http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/04/europe/EU-GEN-Denmark-Ports-Blockaded.php Truck drivers block cargo at Danish ports and border crossings to protest regulations The Associated Press Published: November 4, 2007 COPENHAGEN, Denmark: Truck drivers blocked cargo shipments at the Danish ports of Fredrikshavn and Hirtshals on Sunday to protest industry regulations, port officials said. Fredrikshavn harbor spokesman Orla Henningsen said trucks have been blocked from boarding ferries to Norway and Sweden. Other passengers and cars were not affected. Jens Moelbjerg of ferry operator Colorline said scuffles broke out between the blockading truck drivers and foreign drivers in Fredrikshavn. A similar blockade was taking place in Hirtshals. The drivers, who are not attached to any union, are protesting safety regulations that they say hit small contractors unfairly and do not result in safer roads, according to TV2 News. The drivers were also planning to block ferry ports in Gedser, Roedby and Helsingoer later Sunday, as well as the border crossing between Germany and Denmark at Padborg. http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article3135391.ece Striking fishermen lift protest blockade By John Lichfield Published: 07 November 2007 Striking French fishermen lifted blockades at several Breton and Norman ports last night after the government promised emergency help to ease the effects of rocketing fuel prices. The protests began on Friday in the first overt sign of the political fallout across Europe over the continuing surge in world oil prices. Entrances to three depots and a refinery were blockaded and boxes of Scandinavian fish were set on fire. The fishermen, who are damnding government assistance, say rising fuel costs for their vessels have swallowed up most of the profit from catches and they earn only ?70 each for a 15-day voyage. The President, Nicolas Sarkozy, was booed and insulted by trawlermen in Brittany yesterday as he attempted to resolve the row before leaving for a two-day trip to Washington. He tried to placate them, saying he was suspending all social contributions by fishermen and fishing-boat owners for six months. He has also asked the fisheries minister, Michel Barnier, to find a mechanism by which the market price for fish could be made to reflect the price of fuel. Fishermen's leaders said the President had a testy reception from 300 fishermen at Guilvinec, near Brest, some shouting that he should go back to Paris. Using the familiar tu, rather than vous, M. Sarkozy shouted back: "If you've got anything to say to me, come here. If I come, you complain. If I don't come, you also complain. I decided to come." The unions have refused to call off the protests until details of the agreement to suspend social security charges are hammered out. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/15/2091440.htm Bankrupt shop owners strip in protest Posted Thu Nov 15, 2007 10:42am AEDT Updated Thu Nov 15, 2007 11:18am AEDT A group of small business owners protest outside the Lend Lease AGM in Sydney. (ABC News: Lucinda Carter) Map: Erina 2250 Small businesses owners who say they went bankrupt because of the design of a Lend Lease shopping centre have stripped down to their underwear in protest outside the company's annual general meeting. More than 80 businesses went bankrupt at the Erina Fair complex on the New South Wales Central Coast in 2003. Several of the protesters, who say their livelihoods have been destroyed, held placards saying "Lend Lease Took The Shirt Off My Back" outside the Sydney meeting. The president of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, John Farrel, says Lend Lease's design of the complex doomed the businesses from the start and the tenants deserve compensation. "In the case of Erina Fair, they built what we call a 'black hole'," he said. "Part of the establishment didn't work at all and people put millions of dollars into setting it up and basically went out of business. "Eight of 10 of the people in that business went out of business within 12 months." The spokeswoman for the Erina Fair Tenant's Action Group, Joanne Howarth, says many of the affected people have attempted suicide, had family breakdowns and lost their homes. "There's people in Erina that as a result of this conduct, they can't feed their children," she said. Inside the meeting, Lend Lease's chairman David Crawford has told shareholders the demands of the protesters have become unrealistic. "That protest is part of a media campaign, led by a former tenant at Erina Fair, to try and extract undue compensation from the centre's owners and Lend Lease as manager," he said. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/26/europe/EU-GEN-Slovenia-Border-Protest.php Slovenian customs protest causes traffic delays at border The Associated Press Published: November 26, 2007 LJUBLJANA, Slovenia: Slovenian customs officials launched a work-to-rule protest Monday, causing long delays for vehicles at the border with Croatia. Trucks and cars waited up to seven hours to cross the border. The protest could also cause problems ahead of Christmas, when thousands of Croats living in Western Europe travel home through Slovenia. Unions are seeking pay hikes above their current basic salary of ?500 (US$740), as well as job guarantees ahead of Croatia's expected accession to the European Union, as early as 2010. It was not clear how long they planned to continue the protest. By law, customs officers cannot strike. On Monday, they began exhaustive vehicle and document inspections, causing the delays. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1196847410544&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Dec 23, 2007 13:34 Customs workers hold up airport lines in protest of planned dismissals Customs workers protesting planned dismissals held up arrivals at Ben Gurion International Airport on Sunday, Army Radio reported. Long lines formed at the customs inspection counter as workers checked every single arrival. 27,000 people, many of them pilgrims, were expected to land at the airport by midnight, and the wait was expected to get worse. The workers are protesting a planned restructuring of the tax authority which would merge several departments and lead to several dozen customs workers being laid off. Hold ups were also reported at the country's border crossings with Jordan and Egypt as well as the ports. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200711151331.htm 80,000 lawyers on strike in Bihar to protest lawyer's killing Patna (PTI): Over 80,000 lawyers of Patna High Court, district and sub-divisional courts, central administrative tribunal and all other judicial forums in Bihar went on strike on Thursday to protest the murder of a lawyer in Begusarai district last week. Additional public prosecutor Ram Naresh Sharma - who was handling several criminal case involving controversial Lok Janshakti Party MP from Balia Surajbhan Singh - was shot dead at his residence at Pokharia locality of Begusarai town on November 8. The strike was called by the State Bar Council. Moreover, about 18 public prosecutors (PPs) and additional public prosecutors (APPs) of Begusarai district court resigned in protest and submitted their resignations to the joint action committee of the district Bar Association and district lawyers association. Meanwhile, Additional Director General of police (law and order) Anil Sinha has said all the judges, PPs and APPs involved in speedy trial of criminal cases would be provided adequate security. "DGP Ashish Ranjan Sinha has directed the superintendents of police of all districts to make adequate security arrangements for them," Sinha told PTI. MP Surajbhan has been made an accused in the murder case along with three other unidentified assailants, though he has denied his involvement in the APP's murder and has sought a CBI inquiry into it. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=100338 PISTON to stage protest actions starting Monday The Militant transport group Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) on Sunday said it will start staging series of mass actions across the country Monday to protest the rising prices of petroleum products. PISTON spokesman George San Mateo told radio dzMM that starting Monday, their members would conduct a "nationally coordinated protest action." "In Metro Manila, drivers would march from Sto. Domingo Church (in Quezon City) to Mendiola," San Mateo said. He added that PISTON members and its affiliates would also stage similar protest actions in Laguna, Batangas, Bacolod, Davao City, General Santos City, Iloilo City, and Cebu. The protest actions nationwide aim at pushing the three issues of the transport sector, San Mateo said. "One is for the government to immediately control and implement a moratorium on the impending oil price hike," he cited. The other concerns, San Mateo added, are the scrapping of the 12 percent expanded value added tax (E-VAT) imposed on petroleum products and the junking of the oil deregulation law. "But at the moment, we are only urging the government to suspend the implementation of the oil deregulation law pending its review by legislators," he said. San Mateo pointed out that Monday?s protest actions will be just "muscle-flexing" of the transport sector in preparation for the nationwide transport strike to be launched in December. "Only those who will be joining the protest actions will not be plying their routes," he said, noting that there will be sufficient public utility vehicles to ply the streets on Monday. Meanwhile, Thompson Lantion, chairman of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, said they would not prevent the transport groups from staging protest marches but appealed that they do it peacefully. He, however, stressed he would prefer that these groups resolve their issues with the LTFRB through dialogues rather than bringing them to the streets. LTFRB is now hearing the petitions of several transport groups for a fare increase. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Policy/Bandh_to_protest_VAT_regime_hits_business_in_Allahabad/articleshow/2575361.cms Bandh to protest VAT regime hits business in Allahabad 27 Nov, 2007, 1606 hrs IST, PTI ALLAHABAD: Business activities were hit in the city today as traders began their two-day bandh in protest against the proposed introduction of value-added tax (VAT) in Uttar Pradesh. Heavy deployment of police personnel was seen in commercial areas of Chowk, Katra and Mutthiganj. Rapid action force was also stationed at sensitive points, though no untoward incident has been reported from anywhere, police said. The bandh evoked good response in the Chowk area which houses the city's wholesale markets, as also in Katra, where most of the shopkeepers chose to down their shutters in protest against the proposed tax regime. However, in the posh Civil Lines area the response was lukewarm and most of the shops remained open. Attempts were made by agitating traders to enforce the bandh at some places, but they were restrained by security forces, police claimed. The traders community seemed to be divided on the issue of VAT, as the Sarvajan Udyog Vyapar Mandal yesterday decided to stay away from the strike. Supporters of the traders' outfit had even approached the district administration to provide adequate security amidst opposition to the proposed VAT regime which has been accepted by the entire country. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=87100 Lebanese taxi drivers protest against rising fuel costs, threaten nationwide strike Daily Star staff Thursday, November 29, 2007 Lebanese taxi drivers staged a demonstration on Wednesday to protest against the steady increase in the prices of petrol, threatening to block roads in the near future if the government refuses to subsidize the prices of fuel oil products. Dozens of taxi drivers carrying banners condemning the government's economic policies. http://international.ibox.bg/news/id_121880266 Grain Producers Start Active Protests, Blockade Roads Updated on: 29.11.2007, 17:06 Published on: 29.11.2007, 11:28 Author: Kristalina Ilieva Font size: a a a Today and tomorrow grain producers from the whole country will protest actively. Their demand is money for grain producing to be previewed in Budget 2008. In Dobrich region (Northern- Eastern Bulgaria) international road Dobrich- Kardam will be blocked with agricultural technique. In Karnobat (Eastern Bulgaria) will be led a protest meeting and tractor procession through the central town streets. Few days ago started the warning protest actions. Grain producers advanced arguments that this year state resources are granted only to tobacco producers, and none for the grain producers. Their demand is for 0.5% from the budget. http://international.ibox.bg/news/id_434854680 Grain Producers on a Warning Protest Updated on: 28.11.2007, 13:06 Published on: 28.11.2007, 12:32 Author: Kristalina Ilieva Font size: a a a Grain producers from Stara Zagora (Central Bulgaria) are protesting warningly today. They insist to be paid the promised by the Government money compensations for the summer drought. The strikers also demand on second reading of Budget 2008 to be voted additional 147 million BGN (74 million EUR) for grain producing. This money has to be supplemented to the EU direct payments, as it was previewed by the Agriculture Ministry. If such co- financing doesn't realize, according to the agriculture proprietors, it will lead to rise of the bread's price and grain producer's bankrupts. Problems will be cleared up on meetings with the Finance Ministers, the Budget and Finance Commission chairman and deputies. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=24&art_id=nw20071129135305585C749741 Rome jams as taxis protest November 29 2007 at 03:28PM Rome - Taxi drivers on Thursday staged a strike in central Rome, snarling traffic in the Italian capital for a second day. Dozens of cabs converged on the central Piazza Venezia and nearby squares, slowing down traffic and forcing authorities to close off some streets. Cab drivers at Rome's main airport, Leonardo da Vinci, also protested, leaving tourists and locals stranded, the ANSA news agency reported. Unions, which have been negotiating fare increases with Mayor Walter Veltroni, decided to stage the sudden protest after city authorities said they wanted to issue 500 new taxi licenses. The city hall said it would not attend a round of talks planned for later Thursday unless taxi drivers resumed regular service. The protest comes on the eve of a series of strikes planned Friday that is expected to idle buses and subway trains as well as disrupt rail and air travel. - Sapa-AP http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,314342,00.html Florida Farmworkers Protest Burger King Over Low Wages, Exploitation Friday, November 30, 2007 AP Hannah Sassaman operates a ten foot tall puppet of the Burger King mascot during a march in protest against Burger King. MIAMI ? Farmworkers, union members and activists marched through city streets to Burger King headquarters Friday to protest low wages for tomato pickers and alleged exploitation of field workers. About 300 to 400 protesters gathered under the skyscrapers of Miami's downtown, many wearing yellow T-shirts reading "Exploitation King" and "Burger King Exploits Farmworkers," others holding signs saying "Dignity" or "Justice for Tomato Pickers." The marchers, some strumming guitars and banging large tin cans with sticks, then began their nine-mile trek to Burger King's offices. The protesters are pressuring the Miami-based fast-food giant to pay a penny more per pound of Florida tomatoes ? with their suppliers passing the money on directly to farm workers. Burger King has not accepted the penny-per-pound deal. The company, owned by Burger King Holdings Inc., says the door remains open for negotiation, but the mechanism of paying the extra penny directly to the workers "is very obscure and legally questionable." Tomato growers say it would be illegal to let outside groups set wages. McDonald's Corp. and Taco Bell owner Yum Brands Inc. have reached similar agreements already with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, who organized the march. But those deals are not currently in effect due to resistance from growers. Pickers such as Sonia Lopez, 50, want better work conditions and higher wages. Many Immokalee tomato pickers must toil in the dirt and hot sun for modest wages, living in cramped trailers with no overtime or health care. Most field workers are immigrants, and are here illegally. "We want just a penny per pound, that's not a lot," Lopez, 50. "It will help our quality of life. It will help people make more money and be able to live a decent life, a better life. This affects all of us." Nearby, Juan Antillon, 48, also a farm worker in Immokalee, holds a protest sign with tough, hardened hands weathered from picking tomatoes for seven years. "It's going to be a difficult march, but one that I'll finish," Antillon said. "This is a small step but an important one." Florida supplies 80 percent of America's domestic fresh tomatoes between Thanksgiving and February. The agreements reached with McDonald's and Yum Brands were mostly symbolic, affecting only a tiny segment of Florida tomato pickers, but they paved the way for raising wages and strengthening farm worker rights across the industry. Worker wages would essentially double if the McDonald's and Yum Brands deals are adopted industrywide. Yum Brands says it is still committed to the coalition, yet after two successful seasons, its suppliers opted out this year. McDonald's has yet to find any supplier who will participate but will continue to buy Florida tomatoes either way. Steven Grover, a Burger King vice president in charge of food safety and quality assurance, said the door remains open for negotiation, but the mechanism of paying the extra penny directly to the workers "is very obscure and legally questionable from a number of angles." Grover said the protest was the coalition's way of stirring up controversy. "This protest is a colossal waste of resources and time that could be focused on helping the migrant workers in Immokalee," he said. Tomato farm workers were not the only ones marching Friday. They were joined by members of area unions, religious leaders and even high school students from Naples. Oscar Salas, a former orange picker from Tampa area who works as a construction worker, said he's seen instances where employers threatened to call immigration authorities if workers asked for more money. "Wages (for orange pickers) have been stagnant out there for 30 years, just like tomatoes," said Salas, 30, of Dade City. "I realized that my housing conditions were affected by the low wages my family lived and worked under for 20 years. We're not even middle class." http://www.mercurynews.com/travelheadlines/ci_7617124 Tobacco sellers protest smoking ban in French cafes The Associated Press Article Launched: 12/02/2007 06:15:39 AM PST PARIS (AP) - Some 10,000 people, mainly tobacco sellers, marched through the city last week to protest a smoking ban in French cafes as of Jan. 1. The demonstrators want a modification to the decree banning their Gitanes, Gauloises and other brands of tobacco in all cafes, restaurants and nightclubs at the start of 2008 so that smoking rooms with ventilation can be set up in the establishments. Some 10,000 protesters wearing Day-Glo vests marched from the Montparnasse train station to the National Assembly, the lower chamber of parliament, to press lawmakers into adding flexibility to the anti-smoking measure. The demonstration was one of a handful of protests this month - including crippling rail strikes - of reforms by President Nicolas Sarkozy aimed at modernizing France. The smoking ban was adopted before Sarkozy took office in May, however. The tobacconists, joined by members of cigar clubs and teahouse owners, insist that changes they are seeking would respect the spirit of the decree. Tobacconists fear they will lose clients unable to have a cigarette with their coffee and will lose money on other products typically sold in "cafes tabacs" - cafes where cigarettes can be bought. Those opposed to the ban also fear for the survival of cafes in rural areas, often the only community gathering spot for miles around. French authorities have been trying to wean the nation of cigarettes in increments for years. A Feb. 1 ban on lighting up in workplaces, schools, airports, hospitals and other "closed and covered" public places like train stations forced France's smokers outdoors - but not out of cafes. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chandigarh/Truck_operators_protest_against_taxes/articleshow/2612815.cms Truck operators protest against taxes 11 Dec 2007, 0115 hrs IST,TNN JALANDHAR: The All Punjab Truck Operators' Union has announced to launch an agitation against the overburdening of operators with irrational taxes by the state government. While the first step would be to stage dharna at the District Administration Complex in Jalandhar on Wednesday by the operators of Doaba and Majha region and then a protest in Malwa would be held. If the government would not pay any heed to their demands the operators would resort to more aggressive agitation, the Union leaders said while addressing a press conference here on Monday. Union president Happy Sandhu in the presence of other leaders alleged that while the registration fee of a truck amounting to around Rs 75,000 was already maximum in Punjab, the road and token taxes had been raise from Rs 4,800 to 15,000 per year and now they were being asked to pay Rs 2,000 extra for getting a sticker, certifying that all documents were complete, to avoid checking at various points. "This is completely unjustified and irrational and now the state government is going to impose levy tax," he alleged while adding that the officials were allowing plying of overloaded trucks despite clear directions by the Supreme Court. The union leaders claimed that while several operators opted out of the business the others would have to follow course. They alleged that an operator had to pay bribes of Rs 80,000 every year for every truck. http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=31909 POL dealers to launch protest against shortage [ 2007-12-10 ] By A Staff Reporter Kathmandu, Dec. 9: Nepal Petroleum Dealers Association (NPDA) announced Sunday it would launch a stir against the shortages of POL products created by the government. "We will hold a meeting in Pokhara and announce our protest programme," NPDA officials said in a press statement Sunday stating that the government had only been supplying only 50 per cent of the total market demand despite the recent price hike. As the government has not come up with a concrete plan to address the problem, the NPDA feels that it is its duty to mount pressure on the government through protests and ensure the rights of the consumers. The NPDA has stated that the demand for POL products had risen manifold as the number of vehicles had increased in the recent years and other economic activities such as tourism was also growing compared to the past. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20071209221718&Page=K&Headline=CGA+to+protest+against+Coffee+Board&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0 CGA to protest against Coffee Board Monday December 10 2007 08:38 IST Express News Service SOMWARPET: The Taluk Coffee Growers Association have warned of protest against the Coffee Board and Agriculture Insurance Company for not paying the insured amount to the coffee growers. Speaking to mediapersons here on Sunday, the Association president, B M Suresh alleged that the Agriculture Insurance Company and Coffee Board were dilly-dallying when the growers approached them to get the insured amount. The Board and the insurance company had jointly launched insurance cover for coffee six months back, he said. Hundreds of growers had paid the premium and got crop insurance cover. But due to incessant rainfall, the growers had failed to get good yield and approached the company for insured amount, he added. He urged the insurance company and Coffee Board to distribute the assured amount to growers before December 20. ??If they failed to give the assured sum, we will take up severe agitation against them after December 20,?? they warned. The Growers Association leaders B S Prakash, P Omprasad and B S Siddappa were present. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/bac/2007/12/10/news/rally.protest.heat.up.bacolod.today.html Monday, December 10, 2007 Rally, protest heat up Bacolod today By Jerome S. Galunan Jr. and Gil Alfredo B. Severino THE Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas-Negros will have their mini-lakbayan Monday as a sign of protest to the existing Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program and push for a genuine land reform. Mario Tapion, KMP-Negros spokesman, recently stressed that Carp doesn't made any good for the farmer-beneficiaries for the past several years. Post your comments here on the Makati siege The street protest is part of the 59th Universal Declaration of Human Rights wherein they will be filing the Genuine Agrarian Reform Act of 2007 in Congress in the next days to help and protect the rights of the farmers which they claimed had been abused. Based on the proposed bill dubbed as the Genuine Agrarian Reform Act of 2007, the state should recognize that the country's agriculture has remained backward and stagnant because the land, as most vital resource for development, has been monopolized by few landowners and are subject to foreign control and domination. 'Slaughterhouse' groupings Meanwhile, groups carrying the Bacolod slaughterhouse displacements due to its impending privatization will stage their own picket at the City Hall fountain of justice Monday. These groups are the Asosasyon sang mga Trabahador sa Slaughterhouse (AMTS), League of Urban Poor and Action (Lupa), Kilusang Para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (KPD), Paghidaet sa Paghiliusa sa Negros (PSPN), Task Force detainees (TFD), Alangilan Vegetable Vendor Association (Avva), among others. These groups are under the umbrella movement of the Coalition Against State Terrorism (Cash) and will bring also issues related to the Ceneco-Kepco sales contract. Joining the slaughterhouse group, also, are the Bacolod lechon vendors whose products and services will surely increase as soon as the Bacolod slaughterhouse is privatized. According to AMTS' spokeperson Zaldy Tupas, come Wednesday, they will gather all position papers coming from these groups related to issues on the privatization of the Bacolod slaughterhouse. These papers will be submitted to the City Council for their deliberation. Undoc Transport Strike Jessie Ortega, Secretary-General of the United Negros Drivers Center (Undoc-Piston) said Sunday they will be announcing the official date of the national transport strike this December. Ortega said the public will be informed of the exact date at a presscon scheduled Monday at 11 a.m. at the Undoc office here in Bacolod. Earlier, Ortega said the strike is due to oil price hikes that Undoc members had to bear hurting drivers' incomes. Among other issues that the transport sector will be protesting are: that government restrict the oil price hikes, scrap the 12-percent value-added tax (VAT) on oil products, and suspend the Oil Deregulation Law. According to the drivers and operators, the Oil Deregulation Law has not created any good to the transport sector due uncontrolled oil prices increase and has not been regulated. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200712111421.htm TN traders to protest entry of organised retail chains Tiruchirapalli (PTI): Traders in Tamil Nadu would stage a day-long hunger strike in Chennai on January 29, 2008 to protest the entry of MNCs and domestic industrial groups into the retail business. Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry President S Rathinavelu said traders felt that entry of such corporations and groups would encourage 'crony (monopolostic) capitalism.' If top business houses venture into retail trading of fruits and vegetables, it would create a limited market, with few stakeholders sharing and capturing the whole market. He said survey reports prepared by the body showed that the retail market's overall size in India was estimated at Rs 1.5 lakh crore, involving over four crore people. Only two per cent of the trade was in the organised sector and the balance comprised petty shops, hawkers and vendors. Rathinavelu said an action plan to achieve the ban objective would be formed by the state retail traders protection committee, formed recently by the chamber and the Tiruchirapalli chapter of the Tamil Nadu Traders Federation. The committee would stage the one-day hunger strike and present a memorandum to the state Chief Minister M Karunanidhi highlighting the plight of the traders, he said. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/11/news/spill.php South Korean fishermen protest cleanup The Associated Press Published: December 11, 2007 CHEOLLIPO PORT, South Korea: Ji Chul Sang stared at his fishing boat firmly anchored at a small western port Tuesday, refusing to help clean up water sullied by oil in South Korea's worst spill. "Our livelihoods have already been threatened. We cannot pay for fuel to sail our boats to retrieve oil," said Ji, who makes a living by catching blue crabs and fish. He and other fishermen stopped assisting the cleanup efforts when the government did not compensate them for fuel. Dozens also staged a protest visit to the Taean County office. Their plight could be eased after the South Korean government declared the region a "special disaster area" on Tuesday, clearing the way for state aid. President Roh Moo Hyun visited the area and instructed officials to recover from the spill quickly and compensate residents, his spokesman, Cheon Ho Seon, said. Lakes of oil were still visible Tuesday on the water's surface off the western coast despite the efforts of thousands of recovery workers, soldiers and volunteers. Some 66,000 barrels of crude oil were released into the water after a collision Friday between an oil supertanker and a barge. The Coast Guard said the fishermen's boycott of the cleanup would not greatly undermine the operations, but called on them to rethink their position. About 1,800 fishing boats are registered with the county but it was not clear how many were assisting with the cleanup. About 9,000 people were helping to mop up the oil together with more than 100 ships and several helicopters, said Cho Sung Won, a Coast Guard spokesman. As of Monday, about 2,560 hectares, or 6,325 acres, of aquatic seafood farms had been either destroyed or severely damaged, while dead, oil-coated birds and fish started http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009403166 Fishermen To Launch "Fish Strike" In Philippines To Protest Rising Fuel Prices December 9, 2007 10:16 a.m. EST Komfie Manalo - AHN News Writer Manila, Philippines (AHN) - Fishermen in the Philippines on Sunday threatened to launch a "fish strike" if the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo failed to stop the oil companies from raising and overpricing the prices of petroleum products in the country. "If fish strikes across the country are necessary to compel the Macapagal-Arroyo government and the oil mafia composed Petron, Shell and Caltex to stop, rollback and put an end to corporate practices of price manipulation and overpricing, then we will call our colleagues to go on a nationwide fish holiday," the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas said in a press statement. The proposed fish strikes will call on the municipal fisherfolk owners of 177,627 motorized bancas not to fish during the December 13 National Day of Protest Against Oil Price Increases initiated by the People's Unity Against Oil Price Increase, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Anakpawis party list and the transport group Piston. "President Arroyo and the oil cartel should be taught a lesson of a lifetime. They must be stopped from killing all people from walks of life through corporate exploitation and plunder," said Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap. Hicap said the scenario where fisherfolk owners of 177, 627 motorized small fishing boats across the country could no longer bear the brunt of rising prices of petroleum products, and such scenario may soon compel to abandon their 4 to 16 horsepower motors, and go back to wood paddles to fish. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=61aeb2e9-e1cd-4142-9939-4b410433d10e&&Headline=Opening+of+Reliance+outlets+triggers+protest+in+Kerala Opening of Reliance outlets triggers protest in Kerala Traders and activists of various political parties organized protests on Saturday against the opening of two retail outlets by the Reliance group in Kozhikode. The protests led to tension in the city as police barricaded the outlets preventing the entry of agitators. The traders also organised shutdowns in two areas in the town where Reliance opened its stores. The traders fear that the entry of large companies into the retailing sector will affect their prospects. On Friday also Kozhikode witnessed protests by the same organizations against the opening of a Hyper store by Spencer's, a retail venture of the Rs 135-billion RPG group. Though local administrative bodies here sympathize with the agitators by refusing licenses to these retail outlets, this did not prevent the companies from going ahead with their plans. According to rules, if a license is not issued within 30 days of application without any valid reason, the license will be deemed to have been issued. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712200033.html Uganda: Lawyers Protest Fees Increase New Vision (Kampala) 19 December 2007 Posted to the web 20 December 2007 Chris Kiwawulo Kampala DRAMA ensued at the Uganda Law Society secretariat last week when lawyers protested the increase membership fees by the executive from $130 (about sh220,000) to $350 (about sh600,000) for lawyers with over five years of practice. The executive also proposed to increase fees for lawyers, who have practiced between one to five years from $130 to $250 and from $130 to $150 for academics, retired advocates and non-practitioners. This angered the lawyers, who accused their executive of flouting the association's laws and usurping the members' powers.Relevant Links During a meeting at the group's secretariat on Acacia Avenue in Kampala last week, the lawyers, led by Peter Walubiri, unanimously protested the increment, saying it was too much and illegal. The law society president, Oscar John Kihika, said the increase was because the association is cash-strapped. The treasurer, Bruce Kyerere, said the increase would help the association reduce its dependence on donors, who he said fund 80% of its budget. http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/25/stories/2007122554310400.htm Protest a ploy: Chief Minister Special Correspondent THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The agitation organised by the United Democratic Front before the Secretariat against inflation here on Saturday was an act of self-deception, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has said. Inaugurating the Consumer Day celebrations organised by the State Consumer Affairs Department here on Monday, the Chief Minister said that inflation was a national phenomenon and the policies being pursued by the Congress-led government were also largely responsible for it. The State government had taken steps to arrest the price rise through effective market intervention. The price of rice in the States ruled by the Congress was much higher than the rates in Kerala. If the open market rate was Rs.19 a kg in Andhra Pradesh, it was Rs.22 in Delhi. Supplyco and the cooperative sector played a crucial role in containing the price at Rs.14 per a through market intervention here. The entry of multinational companies into the retail sector affected the supply of essential commodities. By procuring huge quantities from the production centres, the companies were creating a scarcity in the market. Consumers were being forced to share the burden of the huge amounts expended by the companies for advertisement. The district consumer redressal forums would be revived soon to ensure that consumers got their due, he said. Food and Civil Supplies Minister C. Divakaran, in his presidential address, said the State consumer forum which had been remaining dormant would be revived in the interest of the consumers. Kerala being a consumer State, the consumers should be aware of their rights. The State government would take the lead in creating a public awareness. Pannian Ravindran, MP, V. Surendran Pillai, MLA, and Mangode Radhakrishnan, MLA, were among those who spoke. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=87739 Iranian teahouse owners protest ban on water pipes By Agence France Presse (AFP) Monday, December 31, 2007 About 100 Iranian teahouse owners staged a rally on Sunday in protest at a ban on water pipes which they said has put their businesses in jeopardy, the state news agency IRNA reported. "The protesters gathered in front of their union offices in Tehran and urged the authorities to help them with their financial problems after the ban on water pipes. http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14580386 Gold traders to observe 'silent protest' Wednesday, 26 December , 2007, 08:50 Last Updated: Wednesday, 26 December , 2007, 09:03 Kolkata: If you are planning to shop for gold jewellery on Wednesday evening, you may have to do that in candlelight. According to the All India Gems and Jewellery Traders Federation (GJF), a lion?s share of the members of the federation and its associate bodies in 15 cities across the country, including the four metros, will observe a ?silent protest? against the proposed implementation of the Hallmarking Act by switching off the lights between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on December 26. ?The gold glitters in light. By switching off the light we would like to send a silent but strong signal to the Government that the mindless implementation of the Act ? which we consider is inadequately drafted ? would cast a shadow over the huge population dependent on the gold jewellery sector,? Ashok Minawala, Chairman of GJF, told Business Line. Minawala, however, reminded that though the jewellery trade was always in favour of Hallmarking, it is the Government which decided not to take it into confidence during the entire process of drafting the law and now while implementing it. The end result is: ?The law is impractical to follow in Indian conditions.? Guarantee marks Hallmarks are official marks used as a guarantee of purity or fineness of gold jewellery. The Centre has already amended the BIS Hallmarking Act to usher in compulsory hallmarking. To start with, the Act will be implemented in four metros ? having roughly 35,000 outlets or traders ? beginning January 1, 2008. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Personal_Finance/Tax_Savers/Tax_News/UP_introduces_VAT_amid_traders_protest_/articleshow/2666876.cms UP introduces Value Added Tax 1 Jan, 2008, 1853 hrs IST, PTI LUCKNOW: Roll out of Value Added Tax (VAT) in the country became complete, with Uttar Pradesh adopting the new tax system that has made 91 items including kerosene, milk and medicines cheaper on account of reduced rate of levy. VAT, which replaces the existing sales tax, was introduced in April 2005. While a majority of the states switched to VAT, some states held out. They have all since adopted VAT. "Keeping in view the needs of the common man, tax rate on 91 items like kerosene, milk and medicines have been reduced under the VAT," Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati told reporters here. Uttar Pradesh Governor T V Rajeswar had, yesterday, promulgated an ordinance for implementation of VAT, which was rung in today amid protests by traders who took part in a shutdown of markets. Finance Minister P Chidambaram congratulated the UP government for introducing VAT and "wish them success." Mayawati termed the implementation of VAT as a historic step that would help the common man get essential and quality items at minimum prices. The Chief Minister expressed confidence that with the introduction of VAT and aligning the state's tax structure on par with others, illegal transportation of goods will be curbed and all sections of people would benefit. 'Chikan' clothes, baranasi sarees and handloom items have been exempted from VAT, besides all varieties of seeds and agriculture equipments. Tax rate has also been reduced on chemical fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, water pumps, tractors and tractor-trolleys and items used in information technology. Mayawati asked manufacturers and the traders to pass on the benefit of this tax reduction to the consumers. http://allafrica.com/stories/200801090775.html Ghana: Peasant Farmers Protest Against Foreign Goods Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra) 9 January 2008 Posted to the web 9 January 2008 Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson The President of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), Mohammed Adam Nashiru has called on the government to re-open the Nasia Rice Mills in Tamale, the Bolgatanga Meat Factory, Anum Valley in Ejisu Juabeng and the Aveyime Rice Project in the Volta Region. Speaking to newsmen in Accra on the proposed Agricultural Development Fund by the Government, he expressed concern about the neglect of small-scale farmers in the country. "Our fear is that small holders who are mainly food crop, grain producers, small scale livestock and poultry farmers may be left out or may find it difficult to benefit from this fund as happened in earlier cases". He admitted that the agricultural development fund was set up by the government and appreciated but was quick to say that they have not been made to understand where the source of finance was coming from. Mr. Nashiru recalled the times when the Agricultural Development Bank and the National Investment Bank spearheaded the financial course of the peasant farmer. These banks, according to him, have rolled back into commercial banking with its commercial interest rates and demands for collateral securities making it difficult for farmers to access loan facilities to improve their farms. He saw a bleak future of the peasant farmer in view of mounting competition of foreign goods on the local market.Relevant Links "The out look of agriculture in the 2008 budget looks quite promising in addition to the Agricultural Development Fund, it projects increased productivity in all areas of agriculture, however, there is no mention of how our markets would be protected against importation and dumping of foreign products which threatens our local industry," he stressed. The President of the Peasant Farmers Association could not but stressed the urgent need for government to place a temporary ban on the importation of poultry and rice as has been imposed on the tomato paste industry. The Association, established in 2004 is aimed at championing the course of peasant farmers in the country. http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-01-10-voa59.cfm Businessmen Protest in Belarus By VOA News 10 January 2008 Opposition activists during a protest rally in Minsk, 10 Jan 2008 About 2,000 entrepreneurs and opposition activists in Belarus have marched through the streets of Minsk protesting a presidential decree limiting the hiring power of small businesses. News reports from the Belarusian capital say protesters initially gathered in a square and marched towards the presidential palace. Police blocked their progress in several locations. A delegation of the protesters met with government officials but their spokesman, Anatol Shumchanka, says the government refused to offer any concessions. Reports say police detained a number of people, including Shumchanka and the leader of the liberal United Civil Party, Anatol Lyabedzka, in connection with the protest. Reports say the businessmen object to President Alexander Lukashenko's decree that small business owners may only hire close relatives unless they register with the government as a larger firm, which are taxed at a higher level. Businessmen launched a strike in January to protest the decree. Meanwhile, a court in Minsk sentenced opposition activist Vyacheslau Siuchyk to 10 days in prison on charges of using foul language in public. Police detained him on the eve of the protest. Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C01%5C12%5Cstory_12-1-2008_pg11_5 Traders to protest if load shedding occurs after 6pm ISLAMABAD: Traders of the capital have threatened to go on strike and stage protests if load shedding continues after 6 pm. This was decided a Trader Action Committee meeting chaired by Ajmal Baloch. The meeting demanded the local administration hold negotiations with IESCO and traders to resolve the problems of power outages. They said the government was responsible for the flour and energy crises. The government is trying to divert the attention of the people from the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, they alleged. Online From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 16:58:56 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:58:56 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] KENYA: Pro-democracy protests slip into ethnic pogroms Message-ID: <00b101c8596d$516fd510$0802a8c0@andy1> NOTE: Few will have missed the current crisis in Kenya. The unrest was a mixture of perfectly legitimate resistance to the state - such as forcing police out of slums and breaking through roadblocks - and an overspill into ethnic cleansing and score-settling between supporters of rival parties. While media coverage has (somewhat understandably) concentrated on the latter, the fact that it occurred in the aftermath of legitimate socio-political protest should not be ignored - nor the fact that the police behaved murderously, arguably initiating the killing, and murdering people for "looting" and violating curfews (i.e. exercising the basic right to free movement). Reports also show police violence during the election itself (lobbing teargas in the vote counting hall) and after the clashes had calmed. Police are now behaving very despotically, banning all demonstrations however peaceful and attacking protesters willy-nilly. The in-depth analysis from both Kenyan and British media sources shows the fallacy of simplistic "tribal" explanations. The state system operates to turn otherwise affinity-based social networks into divided patronage networks which are easily turned against each other by political leaders. This kind of problem is minimised when networks operate reciprocally and by affinity, and maximised when they are manipulated in hierarchic, statist institutions. * Indymedia: the current crisis, analysis on the ground and ten things to do * Avaaz.org appeal for mediation * 130 killed in Kenyan elections violence * Death toll reaches 150 as police open fire * Unrest as Kibaki declared winner * Ten police among those killed in election unrest [far fewer than THEY killed though] * IRIN: slum dwellers hit hard by post-election crisis * Clashes in Nyanza - protesters fight police * Death stalks the slums * Youths fight back against the police in Mombasa - police start clashes * Fires of protest greet election announcement * Civilians massacred in church as clashes between groups escalate * ANALYSIS: Karl Lyimo, The East African (Nairobi) - it's not tribalism, it's a bitter fight for top dog * ANALYSIS: Mark Doyle, BBC World Affairs Correspondent - politicians exploit normally peaceful differences; land grabs behind much "tribal" unrest http://www.phillyimc.org/or/2008/01/43958.shtml Update from Kenyan Post-Election Crisis: Ten Things You Can Do By John Bwakali | 01.02.2008 Five days ago, on the 27th of December, I stood in a queue for six hours - from 5.30 AM to 11.30 AM, waiting for my turn to cast a vote in my country Kenya's presidential, parliamentary and civic elections. When the votes were counted later that night, Raila Odinga, the opposition leader, began taking a near-unassailable lead. At one point, he led with almost one million votes. But somehow, Mwai Kibaki the incumbent president squeezed through a disputed victory. I can live with that. What I can't live with, is that in the last three days, more than 200 Kenyans have lost their lives because of this disputed election results. Listen to John's Audio Report for Free Speech Radio News When the tension escalated, I had to move to my brother's house because I stay in a neighborhood dominated by the Kikuyu, the biggest tribe in Kenya and also one that President Mwai Kibaki comes from. Tragically, Kikuyus around the country are bearing the brunt of an angry people and they are also beginning to retaliate. After two days of a house arrest of sorts, it was extremely important that I leave the house. But when I tried to do so, I could not pass a human roadblock of more than fifty people who were sitting by the roadside in a tense and excited mood. But I had to proceed because I needed to call my friend in Eldoret town. She is from the Kikuyu community while most of her neighbors are from the Kalenjin community. Due to know fault of hers, the president happens to be from her community. Due to his own fault, the president has greatly angered the Kalenjin community together with thirty eight other communities. Even the supposedly official results show that he only led in two provinces out of eight. Consequently, members of all other communities generally feel that the president has robbed them. Unfortunately, they are taking it out on innocent members of the three communities that voted overwhelmingly for the president - Kikuyu, Embu and Meru. It is becoming a ping-pong game of violence as members of these three communities are also starting to hit out. I blame the people who commissioned and condoned the rigging of these elections. While I realize that most losers usually blame rigging for their losses, these particular rigging claims are not mere speculation. Samuel Kivuitu, the chairman of the Electoral Commission of Kenya has already admitted that he announced the presidential results under pressure from the President's Party of National Unity. He also conceded that there were widespread irregularities which resulted in extended delays in announcing results from some forty eight constituencies. Both local and international observers have explicitly reported that while the actual voting process was beyond fault, the tallying of the votes was riddled with faults. Raila Odinga has refused to accept these results. Millions of Kenyans have refused to accept these results. Business has been paralyzed across the country and it is not business as usual. Lives have been lost and life cannot go on like this. Kenya is now in a state of panic. Just yesterday when the rest of the world was celebrating the New Year thirty women and children were burnt alive in a church that they had sought refuge. They have died because someone found it fit to rig an electoral process and someone else found it fit to either facilitate or condone that rigging. They have died because there has been no concerted high level effort to quell a fire that is now consuming highways, byways and villages of this great nation. They have died because a subjective mass intolerance has been borne from massive political deception. I hold all the aforementioned persons responsible for these deaths and any other deaths that may result from this tragic situation. The blood of these fellow Kenyans is primarily on the hands of the politicians whose legs have trampled on the fundamental voting rights of Kenyans. This innocent blood is also on the guilty hands of those whose acts of violence inflicted irreversible death blows. No injustice, however heinous, warrants murder of the innocents. As we learnt from the Rwanda genocide, this blood will also be on the hands of all those who will turn a blind eye on this simmering conflict. Which is why we cannot, and must not turn a blind eye on this violence and other violent situations around the world. But what can you and I do to stop this violent, raging fire that is razing down innocent Kenyan lives? 1. Share this information far and wide: Send this piece to your local newsrooms and radio stations. When more and more people are informed, more possibilities avail themselves. 2. Volunteer as a web designer for the Kenya Independent Media (Indymedia) website: The Kenya Indymedia website can and should act as a platform for accurate and widespread expression. We need to publish dozens of first account stories that may not make it to the mainstream media. We also need to publish photos, audio and video. We therefore need volunteer web designers and programmers to work on it consistently for a period of 2 - 3 months as the Kenya Indymedia team builds its web designing and programming capability. As Kenya Indymedia, we now need to communicate to the world what is really happening and a vibrant website will be one way of doing this. We are liaising with national movement known as Million Youth Action to call and text people from across the country, moreso the worst hit areas of western Kenya and Rift Valley, so that we can in turn share their stories. This way, statistics will cease to be cold figures and they will take on a personal, human angle. 3. Host the Kenya Independent media website: In order to enable a download of videos, images and audio of this conflict, the website needs to have sufficient space. We would like to use this site to keep track of all the Kenyans who are needlessly losing their lives, getting injured, robbed and displaced in this post-electoral violence. We would also like to use it to keep track of who is instigating, undertaking and condoning this violence. Even more important, we would like to know the victims of this violence so that we can reach out to them one way or another, in our own small way. 4. Mobile phone communication: The only way that most endangered people can communicate and be communicated to, is through mobile phones. We would like to distribute mobile phone air time to as many people as possible so that we can enable them to communicate about what happened, is happening or may be about to happen. As already mentioned we will file all this communication on the website and pass it on to relevant authorities. One dollar will provide four minutes air time. These four minutes may make a difference between life and death. 5. Help relocate someone from a danger zone: This violence has taken on ethnic dimensions, which means that people from certain communities are now no longer safe in certain places in which they are the minorities. Property belonging to such individuals is being looted and destroyed. Even worse, their lives are in grave danger. Many of them are however not able to flee since many public means of transport have suspended their services due to rampant insecurity on the roads. We intend to relocate such people through any means possible. This includes tipping food delivery trucks, cargo trains, newspaper vans and any other vehicles that are moving from one point to another for whatever reason. 6. Help feed a relocated person: we have identified and are continuing to identify families in Nairobi and other parts of the country that can temporarily host relocated persons. As this is a grassroots movement with an emphasis on grassroots solutions, we intend to temporarily host displaced persons in host families. These families will greatly appreciate whatever food supplements we can give them. 7. Diplomatic missions: Contact your respective embassies in Kenya and seek to know what they are doing about the deteriorating situation in Kenya. Give them our contacts and forward this paper to them. Embassies can do more than issue blanket statements for people to 'keep the peace' as if don't already know that! 8. Tend to a child: More than 75,000 Kenyans are now internally displaced. Most of them are women and children. What a tragedy when young children are caught up in such a mess. There is no perfect formula for reaching out to such innocent ones. We intend take to them toys, clothes, chocolate, drinks, books and more gifts that can cheer them up. We will particularly target children who have been displaced or those whose parents have died in this conflict. 9. Pray: For those of you, who like, believe in God, do whisper a prayer that peace will eventually prevail in Kenya. 10. Share your ideas: it will greatly help if you share any concrete ideas that you may be having. Most politicians are just telling Kenyans to keep the peace and not really taking any concrete action to address this situation. People power and solutions can make a BIG difference. You can do any of the above by donating any of the mentioned things or what you would consider to be their monetary equivalent. Just go with your gut feeling and thanks for your thoughts. ** EMAIL FROM AVAAZ.ORG ** http://www.avaaz.org/en/kenya_free_and_fair/5.php Dear friends, Kenya still teeters on the brink of disaster - today bullets are flying on the streets, with over 600 killed and 250,000 made homeless as government and opposition dispute the presidency. There's hope yet, as Kenyan civil society groups stand up for peace and justice -- but only dialogue and an independent review of the tainted election can end this crisis and prevent escalating violence. The world can play a crucial role: by reinforcing the efforts of mediators like Kofi Annan, and refusing to recognize any government until it is legitimately established. 50,000 Avaaz members have already sent this message to our foreign ministers, and almost all have listened so far. But inside Kenya, hardline leaders are sowing conflict. President Kibaki and opposition leader Odinga need to hear that international legitimacy will only come after a mediated resolution. To send this message, we're taking out a full page ad in The East African Standard, an influential Kenyan newspaper. The ad will list the number of messages we've sent to our governments - can we double its strength by sending 100,000 messages this week before the ad runs? Click below to see the ad, send your message and spread the word: http://www.avaaz.org/en/kenya_free_and_fair/5.php Kenya depends on international tourism, aid and trade. With both Odinga and Kibaki accepting Kofi Annan's mediation mission, there may be light at the end of the tunnel. It's not too late to help Kenya back from the brink -- send your message, spread the word today. With hope, Paul, Pascal, Galit, Ricken, Ben, Esra'a and the whole Avaaz team PS - Here are some links to the latest news on Kenya - Marches, violence: http://www.guardian.co.uk/kenya/story/0,,2242178,00.html Disputes over mediation: http://allafrica.com/stories/200801141777.html Tainted elections: http://allafrica.com/stories/200801141360.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/kenya/story/0,,2233659,00.html 130 killed in Kenyan election violence Xan Rice in Nairobi and Haroon Siddique Monday December 31, 2007 Guardian Unlimited The death toll from violent clashes in Kenya has today risen to more than 130. Violence erupted after the ruling president, Mwai Kibaki, declared himself victorious in disputed elections and was sworn back into office almost immediately. Some of the worst clashed took place in Kisumu, the country's third-largest city and a stronghold of the opposition. A morgue attendant told the AFP news agency that police had brought in 46 bodies, including three women and two children, overnight. He said more than 20 of the dead had multiple bullet wounds. Reporters were shown seven other bodies in Kisumu's main hospital before they were transferred to the morgue. Police, who have imposed a 6am to 6pm curfew in Kisumu, admitted opening fire on looters but would not comment on any deaths. A police official in the capital, Nairobi, told AFP that 40 people had been killed overnight. Protesters clashed with hundreds of riot police in the city's slums, and witness told reporters that 15 bodies were today scattered in different parts of the Korogocho area. Three police told the Associated Press they had orders to shoot to kill. They said the orders had split the force, with many officers sympathising with protesters. The opposition candidate, Raila Odinga, has dismissed the presidential vote as rigged. Kibaki, who today vowed to "deal decisively" with voters, was sworn in for a second five-year term after the results were announced last night. He had trailed in all opinion polls and all but the final count yesterday. The UK Foreign Office advised Britons against all but essential travel to several parts of Kenya, including Nairobi city centre and some districts of Mombasa. Ten people died in the Rift Valley provincial capital, Nakuru, and clashes between rival supporters in a village near Kapsabet left four dead, police said. Two people were killed in Molo, and doctors in Kakamega, western Kenya's regional capital, said six had died from gunshot wounds. The violence also spread to Mombasa, the eastern port which is Kenya's second largest city and had been previously been relatively free of unrest. Six members of Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe were hacked to death with machetes by members of rival tribes who were looting their businesses, police said. There were also clashes in Kibera - the capital and Kenya's biggest slum - today. Police tried to stop Odinga's supporters leaving the area, and the protesters attempted to keep officers out. Thousands of young men on the streets chanted: "No Raila, no peace." Supporters of Odinga burned cars, barricaded the slum and torched the Poi market, in which most stalls are owned by people from the Kikuyu ethnic group, of which Kibaki is a member. Police used teargas and fired bullets into the air as Odinga supporters tried to leave the area for a planned parallel swearing-in ceremony at which the opposition leader was to adopt the title of "people's president". The planned rally was later postponed until Thursday, when the opposition leader predicts that 1 million people will attend. "We are calling for mass action, peaceful mass action," he told reporters. Kibaki was given 4,584,721 votes to the 4,352,993 tally for Odinga. Odinga, a fiery former political prisoner, rejected the result, claiming rigging by the government and comparing Kibaki to the notorious Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. "There is no difference between him and Idi Amin and other military dictators who have seized power through the barrel of the gun," he said. A joint statement by the British Foreign Office and the Department for International Development cited "real concerns" over irregularities, while international observers refused to declare the election free and fair. The EU's chief observer, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, said that, in one constituency, his monitors had seen official results for Kibaki that were 25,000 votes lower than the figure subsequently announced by the electoral commission. "Because of this and other observed irregularities, doubt remains as to the accuracy of the result of the presidential election as announced today," he added. The US, which cooperates closely with the Kibaki government on anti-terrorism matters, initially congratulated the president on his re-election but today withdrew its acclaim. "We do have serious concerns, as I know others do, about irregularities in the vote count, and we think it's important that those concerns ... be resolved through constitutional and legal means," the US state department spokesman, Tom Casey, said. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22993839-2703,00.html Kenya riot toll hits 150 January 01, 2008 BRUTAL unrest across Kenya over President Mwai Kibaki's re-election has left about 150 people dead - some hacked to death - taking the overall toll to at least 185 killed in four days. An opposition supporter begs police for mercy during protests in Nairobi. Picture: Reuters Police opened fire on some protesters and looters and many people were killed with machetes as ethnic tensions mounted. Opposition leader Raila Odinga renewed his accusations that the presidential election was rigged and the US withdrew its endorsement of the result. Kibaki vowed to clamp down on the unrest. "We have put enough police officers in the specific areas where the incidences of violence have occurred to ensure everyone is secure," he said in a New Year message in which he appealed for "national healing" and reconciliation. Odinga again rejected Kibaki's victory and urged his supporters to turn out for an alternative "inauguration" rally in Nairobi on Thursday. Police banned his plan for a rival swearing in on Monday and threatened Odinga with arrest if it went ahead. The 76-year-old Kibaki overtook Odinga's early lead to win the election and his swearing-in on Sunday sparked a new round of violence. Riots broke out almost immediately and police and mortuary officials said at least 75 people were killed in cities in western Kenya overnight and a further 48 in Nairobi's slum areas. At least 24 people have died in election-related violence in the western town of Eldoret since Saturday, a hospital official said. Around 53 people were killed in Kisumu, an Odinga stronghold in the west, hospital officials said. Ethnic rivalries have flared in the political tensions. Six members of Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe were hacked to death on Monday in the port of Mombasa, residents said. "Whatever has happened to us, because Raila was not sworn in as president, we will avenge and start moving from house to house to kill the Kikuyus," one Mombasa resident said, before running amok with a gang of looters. The Kikuyus, the country's largest tribe, responded to the deaths in Mobasa, killing three Luo, the second largest group, to which Odinga belongs. Another 10 people were killed in Mombasa in separate incidents, police said. Foreign governments warned their nationals to avoid non-essential travel to the east African nation, while tour operators called off excursions for tourists already there. In Eldoret, an official at the Moi Referral and Teaching Hospital said most of the people killed there had bullet and machete wounds. The credibility of the election has been questioned by Britain, Canada, the US and the European Union's election observers. Washington initially congratulated Kibaki on his re-election but the US State Department on Monday withdrew the endorsement of the vote count made 24 hours earlier. "We do have serious concerns, as I know others do, about irregularities in the vote count, and we think it's important that those concerns ... be resolved through constitutional and legal means," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said. "I'm not offering congratulations to anybody," he added. The government has enforced a ban on live television broadcasts related to the election in what it says is an effort to contain the violence. "We know there are skirmishes in many parts of the country. We are fully cracking down and fully responding to every situation," police spokesman Eric Kiraithe told AFP. Kisumu police chief Grace Kaindi declined to comment on the death toll, but acknowledged that officers had opened fire on "looters" during the night. The UN's top human rights official, Louise Barbour, called Monday on the Kenyan authorities to root out security force excesses. Police clamped a day-time curfew on the Kisumu, with an order to shoot violators. According to police, hundreds of houses have already been torched in the western Rift Valley province and fresh riots and looting broke out Monday in Kibera, Nairobi's largest slum. Odinga had planned to hold his alternative swearing-in ceremony on Monday, but was threatened with arrest if the rally went ahead. He predicted one million supporters would turn up for the new event on Thursday. "We are calling for mass action, peaceful mass action," he told reporters. The rage in the Odinga camp was in stark contrast to the celebrations that filled the streets of pro-Kibaki towns in central Kenya on Sunday, where revellers flooded local bars. AFP http://www.guardian.co.uk/kenya/story/0,,2233612,00.html Kenyans riot as Kibaki declared poll winner Xan Rice in Nairobi Monday December 31, 2007 The Guardian A bible-toting woman preaches to a crowd of protesters as she stands by riot police in the Mathare slum in Nairobi. Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/AFP Kenya was plunged into crisis yesterday after President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner of a presidential election, amid allegations of fraud and vote rigging. Violence erupted in various parts of the country as opposition supporters took to the streets at the news that Kibaki had been sworn in for a second five-year term. In Nairobi's slums, protesters clashed with hundreds of riot police who had sealed off the election commission headquarters ahead of the result announcement, evicting party agents, observers and the media. As unrest spread, television and radio stations were instructed to stop all live broadcasts. Kibaki, who had trailed in all the opinion polls and all but the final count yesterday, was given 4,584,721 votes to the 4,352,993 tally of the opposition leader Raila Odinga. Odinga, a fiery former political prisoner, rejected the result, claiming massive rigging by the government. A joint statement by the British Foreign Office and Department for International Development cited "real concerns" over irregularities, while international observers refused to declare the election free and fair. The European Union chief observer, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, cited one constituency where his monitors saw official results for Kibaki that were 25,000 votes lower than the figure subsequently announced by the electoral commission. "Because of this and other observed irregularities, doubt remains as to the accuracy of the result of the presidential election as announced today," he said. The US, however, which enjoyed close cooperation with the Kibaki government on anti-terrorism matters, congratulated the president on his reelection and said it supported the electoral commission's decision. State Department spokesman Robert McInturff said: "The United States congratulates the winners and is calling for calm, and for Kenyans to abide by the results declared by the election commission" Kibaki, who was sworn in less than an hour after the result was declared, said: "I call upon all candidates, all Kenyans, to accept the verdict of the people. With the election now behind us, it's time for healing and reconciliation." But outside the president's home province, where he officially secured 97% of the vote, that message went unheeded. There are fears that the perceived stolen election will greatly inflame ethnic tensions. Kibaki's Kikuyu ethnic group has remained close to power since independence, while Odinga's Luo constituency has been sidelined. Odinga's promise to end the Kikuyu dominance had attracted support from across Kenya's 43 ethnic groups. Some of last night's violence, which had already claimed 10 lives by the time Kibaki took his oath, was directed at Kikuyus. Odinga called for the president to step down. "It is a shame that a few people are robbing Kenyans of the democratic progress they have achieved," he said. "The train of democracy in Kenya is unstoppable, like the flow of the Nile." His campaign team sent out text messages last night to supporters announcing that a mass rally to inaugurate "The People's President" would be staged in downtown Nairobi this afternoon. Police declared the meeting illegal, and said people trying to attend "will face the full force of the law". But aides to Odinga, who was imprisoned for eight years under Daniel arap Moi, said he would not be intimidated. Odinga, who had helped Kibaki win the presidency in a historic election in 2002, won the popular vote in six of Kenya's eight provinces in the presidential election. His Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party is believed to have won nearly three times as many seats as the ruling Party of National Unity in the parallel parliamentary vote, which means it will be extremely difficult for Kibaki to govern. The ODM maintains that Kibaki was only able to win the presidential vote because corrupt electoral officials significantly inflated the results in areas where there was little opposition support. The EU observer mission cited the example of Molo constituency, where its monitors saw the official tally for Kibaki in the presidential poll marked at 50,145. But when the national election commission announced the results on television yesterday Kibaki was given 75,621 votes. Unrest across the country continued to grow last night. Police shot dead five men in western Kenya, where youths set petrol stations on fire and were reported to have vandalised the power and water supply in Kisumu, on the shores of Lake Victoria. In Nairobi, where more than a million people, mostly Odinga supporters, live in densely packed slums, shops and shacks were torched while protestors waved clubs and machetes, chanting anti-Kibaki slogans as a police helicopter hovered overhead. A blackout plunged the city's Kibera slum into darkness as police fired live rounds and teargas to disperse demonstrators. In the eastern port city of Mombasa, bonfires were lit as demonstrators clashed with police. And in the central town of Naivasha, pro-Kibaki youths torched an ODM office, witnesses said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200801100787.html Kenya: Ten Officers Killed in Election Violence The East African Standard (Nairobi) 10 January 2008 Posted to the web 10 January 2008 Cyrus Ombati And Vitalis Kimutai Nairobi Ten police officers, including an OCS, have been killed in post-election violence. Three other officers are undergoing treatment at various hospitals. Nairobi's Muthangari OCS, Chief Inspector Daniel Njuguna Mbugua, succumbed to bullet wounds on Monday at a Nairobi hospital. Mbugua was shot in Kawangware during a confrontation with protesters opposed to the presidential election results. Witnesses and police said Mbugua was shot in the stomach as he led an anti-riot squad. Kilimani OCPD, Mr Herbert Khaemba, described the slain officer as hardworking and added that a suspect was being interrogated following the shooting. "It is unfortunate he died while in the line of duty. He was one of my best and most dependable officer," said Khaemba. Three other officers were killed in different parts of the city during the skirmishes. Two others were stoned to death in Bomet after their vehicle rolled into a ditch as they escaped from rowdy youths. In western Kenya, two officers died in the post-election clashes. Three police vehicles were burnt in Burnt Forest. Fourteen officers in the vehicles escaped unhurt. The team was headed for Eldoret when they were attacked at an illegal roadblock. More than 400 people were killed and 250,000 others displaced in the skirmishes. Police say close to 1,000 houses were burnt in the violence. Elsewhere, more than 3,000 victims of post-election violence have camped in Kericho town. The affected are staying at the Kericho Africa Inland Church and the Moi Gardens in the town. Women, children and the elderly are the majority and they are yet to get transport to their ancestral homes. Hundreds of others have nowhere to go after their homes were torched and property destroyed or looted. Mr Edward Ongeri, a victim of the violence, said: "I have nowhere to go as my house and other property were burned at Nyagachu estate, the only home I have known since I was born 53 years ago." Another victim, Ms Ann Waithera, said she had lost her savings in a fire that gutted her business premises.Relevant Links "I have no home to go to and I have no one to turn to. I now survive on handouts and food rations from wellwishers," she lamented. The Government continues to help victims with transport to their rural homes. "Armed policemen are escorting the victims to their rural homes and we hope no one will still be camping in the town in the next few days," a senior provincial administrator, who declined to be named, said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200801060010.html Kenya: Slum-Dwellers Hit Hard By Post-Election Crisis UN Integrated Regional Information Networks 5 January 2008 Posted to the web 6 January 2008 Nairobi Almost a week into its current crisis, humanitarian attention in Kenya began this weekend to focus on people living in slums, especially those in the capital, Nairobi. The majority of the city's inhabitants live in its sprawling slums and it is this impoverished population, together with tens of thousands of displaced people in western Kenya, that has borne the brunt of the violence and disruption unleashed in the wake of the 27 December presidential and parliamentary elections. On 5 January, numerous UN agencies, NGOs and church groups met to plan how best to tackle the humanitarian problems in these slums, where, even at the best of times, most residents live from day to day, surviving thanks to casual labour or the smallest of retail businesses. "More than two million people live in slums in Nairobi. All have been affected in one way or another," Ingrid Munro, the managing trustee of JamiiBora Trust, a microfinance organisation with 175,000 members across Kenya, told IRIN on the fringes of the meeting. Urgent need for food "The most immediate need is food. Even those with money can't buy it because all the stalls are closed or burnt," she added. The 30 December declaration - under circumstances that led the opposition to cry fraud and the international community to express grave concern about vote-count irregularities - that incumbent Mwai Kibaki had been re-elected ignited long-standing ethnic tensions and led to the targetting of specific ethnic groups. There have been widespread physical attacks and even killings, and countless cases of arson and looting. Gangs of young men roam the slums and their peripheries demanding to see people's identity papers so as to identify their ethnicity. "There have been serious losses in small businesses. Also taking into account this holiday season, many poor families have had no business for two weeks. That is a huge loss. It's a loss of daily livelihood," said Munro. "It's heartbreaking to see businesspeople turned into beggars. What they have spent years building up has been wiped out in a week," she added. Another aid worker with many years' experience in Kenya who asked not to be named, estimated the number of "desperate" slum-dwellers in Nairobi at hundreds of thousands. "It's not only food they need, but also shelter and clothes." Before this crisis, "they got by thanks to casual work and social programmes. These are not operating now," he said, warning that unless food was supplied very soon, a major law and order problem would arise. "When people get desperate, they'll do anything. There are plenty of people ready to sell weapons," he said. The World Food Programme has considerable supplies in Kenya because it serves as hub for humanitarian operations in other countries in the region and for refugees from these countries living in camps in Kenya. The challenge is getting it to where it's needed. There was consensus, aid workers said, that simply delivering large quantities of food in the middle of slums such as Kibera, Mathare, Kangemi or Karangware was not an option. Access remains problematic because of insecurity. UN personnel are required to comply with security procedures which complicate and in some cases prevent their entering the slums. And with so many people hungry in so many different parts of the city, taking a truckload of food into, say, Kibera, would very likely cause a riot. According to Michael Morrison, emergency relief coordinator and programme manager with Feed the Children (FTC), at the level of the individual beneficiary, only small quantities of food should be provided. "You can't give people two months' worth of food in such places. They will have nowhere to store it and it's likely to get looted," he told IRIN. He added that it was important to exert impartiality in food distribution, since problems would arise if certain groups felt they were being ignored in favour of others. Before the current crisis, FTC fed some 120,000 children through schools, a programme that is now suspended. Health centres closed Amid the looting and violence, most health centres in the slums are closed. As well as offering primary health care, such centres also distribute antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for people living with HIV as well as medication for those with tuberculosis. If health centres remain closed for much longer, some of these patients may default, or interrupt their treatment. Even if clinics reopen soon, there is concern for those who are displaced or belong to an ethnic group whose members are afraid to be seen moving around. Kenya: Slum-Dwellers Hit Hard By Post-Election Crisis (Page 2 of 2) Ian Van Engelgem, medical coordinator for MSF-Belgium, told IRIN that halting ARV treatment for a week was less worrying than defaulting on TB medication. "That's much more dangerous. It can lead to increased resistance of the bacillus, reinfection and the infection of other people." Health facilities for slum-dwellers have also been compromised because many of the doctors working in Nairobi's main hospitals who left the city for Christmas holidays have been unable to return to the capital. Helping the displaced While the majority of slum-dwellers have stayed put, for want of anywhere else to go, fear of moving into uncertain territory or desire to protect their property, thousands have made their way to makeshift camps around the capital. Around three thousand residents of Kibera, half of them children, are now staying in the neighbouring Jamhuri Show Grounds, the venue for Nairobi's annual international trade fair. "Our key needs now are charcoal, soap, toilet paper, jerry cans, pots and cooking stoves," explained Helena Van der Roest, who is working with the site's coordination team.Relevant Links But she added "we don't want a massive influx of food in Jamhuri because it will just serve as a magnet. "Yesterday houses were being burnt. Our documents were burnt. Now how do we get jobs? We don't know where to run to," one of the displaced, Lillian Khayere, told IRIN. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712270012.html Kenya: Calm Restored in Nyanza After Mayhem The East African Standard (Nairobi) 27 December 2007 Posted to the web 27 December 2007 Standard Team Nairobi Police moved to restore peace in some parts of Nyanza and North Rift where three people, two of them Administration Policemen, were killed in election related attacks. Calm was quickly restored on Wednesday after riot police used teargas to battle unruly mobs. In Nyanza, one of those killed was a civilian, identified as Wilson Ouma, who was shot by police at Sindo. Two vehicles, a bus and a matatu, were burnt at Awasi and Oyugis during the protests. The two APs were killed in Mbita and Sindo towns. Documents recovered from the victims showed they were Administration Police officers. One of them, booked at the Tausi hotel, was identified as corporal Peter Gitau Mwangi from Embu. In Homa Bay, another officer identified as Antony Njoroge was admitted at the local District Hospital in serious condition. Police had to evacuate ten seriously injured APs. The officers were found with letters signed by President Kibaki appointing them PNU election agents. They were also found with PNU posters. Nyanza PPO, Ms Grace Kaindi, confirmed the deaths of the two APs, but said she had not been briefed on the civilian shot dead by the police. In North Rift, thousands of ODM supporters kept vigil at Eldoret police station for the whole day, following reports that a bus had delivered marked ballot papers allegedly to be used in rigging today's election. They chanted ODM slogans and waved placards, blocking the main road. They also forced some drivers to flash the ODM salute before being allowed to proceed.Relevant Links Elsewhere, one of the City Hoppa buses that were captured ferrying police from the Administration Police Training College in Nairobi was spotted in Nyeri town, on Wednesday. The bus, registration number KBA 034N, was parked near the Nyeri Police Divisional headquarters. Witnesses said the vehicle, which appeared on the front page of The Standard on Wednesday, arrived at dawn with over ten occupants. http://allafrica.com/stories/200801021287.html Kenya: Death Stalks the Slums of Nairobi The East African Standard (Nairobi) 3 January 2008 Posted to the web 2 January 2008 Alex Ndegwa Nairobi Thick smoke from the smoldering shanties below billows into the clear blue skies. The atmosphere is deathly. >From a vantage point at Huruma corner, one can see the destruction at Kiamaiko slums, which borders the notorious Mathare North. "Please, ask the Red Cross to bring us food, water and blankets. We have young children who are starving in the house," a woman who identified herself as Mama Chege pleaded. "We have locked ourselves in the houses for days, but it seems we are no longer safe with arsonists on the prowl," she added. The mother of three stared blankly at the burning houses and, after a brief pause, cried out aloud: "Can someone stop these killings and destruction? We cannot take it any longer." But her passionate plea was cut short by a crack of gunfire, which drowned out her voice and provoked a stampede. A contingent of armed policemen descended on the slums. More General Service Unit (GSU) personnel are stationed at various locations along Juja road, which traverses that most dangerous spot in the city. Shortly after, a man in a blue tracksuit casually emerged from the battlefield in Kiamaiko, heading towards Mother Theresa road. Within minutes, a mob that had converged at the junction descended on the hapless man with pangas and other crude weapons. Armed policemen prevented the bloodthirsty mob from hacking him to death. They chased away the crowd and put the badly injured man in an ambulance. His attackers said he belonged to a community that was targeting their own in the raging violence. These are the violent scenes that have gripped city slums since post-election violence broke out. Here danger lurks everywhere and at anytime. Humanity has been replaced by a reign of terror. Like other slum dwellers, Mama Chege has been living in fear for the last five days. Her face contorted in anguish, she said: "I only cast a single vote. Why do the downtrodden like ourselves have to pay with our lives while our leaders are holed up in the safety of their mansions?" Food shortage Following incidents of arson and widespread looting witnessed in the area, there is an acute shortage of foodstuffs. The makeshift groceries found by the roadside that provided vegetables for the residents have been torched. "Schools are opening next week and we don't know the fate of our children," Mama Chege noted. "Tell the Government to end these chaos because we did not vote for anarchy," she added as her voice trailed off in bitterness. Another resident, Joseph Kimunya, said he had gone without food for days. He begged one of the journalists for Sh20. He, however, was not sure the money would be of much help since he would have to walk for a long distance to get something to eat. Yet another woman claimed she had received news that her cousin had been hacked to death in the slums. There are fears that the death toll in the slums could rise once all areas are opened up. A mob, some armed with crude weapons, emerged from the battle zone and everyone scurried for safety. Reinforcement arrived as a lorry load of anti-riot policemen drove downhill into the burning slums.Relevant Links A few kilometres away, families that have fled the skirmishes in Mathare have camped outside the Moi Airbase barracks at Eastleigh. The victims include Mrs Mary Njeri who has sought refuge with six of her children. She told The Standard crew that they fled the day after elections when attackers went on the prowl. "The thugs break into people's houses and demand money and mobile phones. Then they rape women regardless of their age," she said. In Kibera, an uneasy calm was apparent but residents in the violence-scarred area are faced with shortages of water and food. http://allafrica.com/stories/200801040663.html Kenya: Post-Election Violence At the Coast The East African Standard (Nairobi) 4 January 2008 Posted to the web 4 January 2008 Omwa Ombara And Khadija Yusuf Nairobi Violence rocked most parts of Mombasa as rowdy youths engaged riot police in running battles. In the chaotic scenes on Thursday, one man was shot in the head and scores were injured. Gunshots were heard in the town on Thursday. The smell of burning tyres filled parts of Maweni, Kisauni, Bombolulu and Changamwe as police officers tried to contain crowds headed for Makadara grounds for an ODM rally. Though the town centre was a hive of activity in the better part of the morning, parts of the mainland were chaotic as youths threw stones and barricaded roads, shouting pro-ODM leader, Mr Raila Odinga's slogans. By 1pm, most shops in Mombasa were closed, turning the coastal resort into a ghost town. At Maweni village in Bombolulu, armed police dispersed youths who had taken to the streets to protest against the Government for banning an ODM rally at Uhuru Park in Nairobi. The youths stoned policemen and accused them of starting the violence. Kiosks were destroyed and used to block traffic. Mr George Oduor was shot on the head while allegedly trying to stop his colleagues from stoning the police. Lying in a pool of blood, he said the residents wanted to hold a peaceful rally, but the police allegedly sped to the venue and started shooting in the air. "We had no intention of looting or killing anyone. We were only exercising our democratic rights," said Oduor. However, Inspector Said Mwijirani, who was in charge of the operation, denied shooting demonstrators. He said they were keeping peace and protecting business premises from looters. "The information we have is that the youths are armed and there is a possibility that they shot their own," said Mwijirani. The youths said they were ready to die in pursuit of truth and justice, adding that not even a thousand bullets would stop them from demonstrating against Kibaki's re-election. The situation was no different at Bamburi. The place was under siege for the better part of the day as youths engaged police in running battles.Relevant Links At Changamwe, officers blocked the youths who were marching to the town centre to protest against presidential election results. At Kibarani, police thwarted their efforts, shot several times in the air and dispersed them. Residents in nearby homes watched the unfolding events from their homes. Public transport services were also paralysed. http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL30100615.html Fires of protest greet Kenyan leader's second term Sun 30 Dec 2007, 22:41 GMT By Andrew Cawthorne NAIROBI, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Shanty-towns blazed, ethnic gangs fought and the opposition planned protests as President Mwai Kibaki began a second term in office on Monday after a disputed election that has convulsed Kenya. The gentlemanly Kibaki, 76, showed a steely core by swearing himself in within an hour of being pronounced victor in an election denounced as fraudulent by opposition challenger Raila Odinga and questioned by international and Kenyan observers. Odinga's supporters said he would be declared president at a rival ceremony on Monday, but police banned the event. "This is the saddest day in the history of democracy in this country. It is a coup d'etat," said Koki Muli, head of respected local watchdog, the Institute of Education in Democracy. Kibaki now faces the momentous task of reuniting a country split pretty much down the middle by an election that has brought several dozen deaths, first during campaign rallies and then in an explosion of violence over the results. The turmoil threatens to deter investors from east Africa's largest economy and damage Kenya's reputation as an oasis of relative stability in a volatile and war-scarred region. "With the elections behind us now ... I urge all of us to set aside the passions that were excited by the election process," Kibaki pleaded. Jubilant supporters danced in the streets and burned tyres in celebration in his highland hometown of Othaya -- a sharp contrast to the angry fires in his rival's strongholds. "We have been blessed!" said 60-year-old teacher Kiruki Wanjima in Nyamari village where Kibaki has a tea farm. And while Britain and the European Union expressed concerns, Washington sent its congratulations to Kibaki. Few expect the situation to calm quickly. "We are in for a period of violence and turbulence, without doubt," said Nairobi-based businessman and analyst Robert Shaw. So controversial was the final result that the head of the electoral board, Samuel Kivuitu, had to abandon his public announcement, escorted by military police, after the podium was stormed by heckling opposition supporters. Within the hour, he was joking at Kibaki's side during a swearing-in on the lawn of Nairobi's State House. "NO PEACE" >From there, smoke could be seen rising from protests in the Mathare, Kibera and Kawangware slums, where pro-opposition ethnic Luos and Luhyas went on the rampage in fury at what they perceived to be a stolen election. About a dozen people died during the day, witnesses and reporters said, as rioting spread across the country, particularly in the western town of Kisumu, which is in the opposition heartland of Nyanza province. Having led every opinion poll bar one since September, then taken a strong lead in early results, the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) was dismayed to see Kibaki pip it right towards the end of the tally. Kibaki took 4.58 million votes to Odinga's 4.35 million -- but the results were marred by accusations from both sides of multiple voting, disappeared returning officers and "doctoring". Opposition supporters saw the result as a plot by Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe, Kenya's largest, to keep power by any means. ODM leader and presidential candidate Odinga, hoping to fulfil the dream that eluded his father -- nationalist hero Jaramogi Oginga Odinga -- wiped tears away at a post-results news conference. But his party had a defiant message. "We are inviting Kenyans to Uhuru Park, Monday the 31st of December, 2007, at 2 p.m., for the presentation to the nation of the People's President, elected Honourable Raila Amolo Odinga," it said in a statement. But police issued a statement saying such a gathering, in a Nairobi park named for 'Freedom' in Swahili, would be illegal and anyone seeking to attend would "face the full force of the law". Truckloads of paramilitary police patrolled the streets. "It is laughable," Ngari Gituku, spokesman for Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU), told Reuters of ODM's plan. "Odinga is trampling on democracy and has exposed himself for what he really is. We have a whole nation to protect from one nefarious individual." As night fell, sketchy reports came from across Kenya of vicious attacks on Kikuyus. But with local TV stations banned from broadcasting live, and most journalists staying indoors to keep safe, it was hard to assess the extent of the violence. In Nairobi's pro-opposition Kibera slum -- one of Africa's largest -- police fired teargas and shot into the air to disperse crowds during the night. "They have cut all the electricity and families are out of their houses as teargas is everywhere," said resident Joshua Odutu. "There is no peace without Raila." (Additional reporting by Nicolo Gnecchi, Bryson Hull and Helen Nyambura-Mwaura; Editing by Matthew Tostevin) http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/world/story/2A7A2E6CC052CE29862573C40013FD1C?OpenDocument At Least 35 Die in Post-Election Church Riot By Robyn Dixon LOS ANGELES TIMES 02/01/2008 NAIROBI, Kenya - Post-election riots in Kenya descended into savage tribal killings Tuesday as a mob burned a church where families had taken shelter from the violence, leaving at least 35 people dead, witnesses reported. Many of the victims were children. The torching of the church in Eldoret followed the killings overnight of 18 other people in the town about 150 miles northwest of Nairobi. Some of the people slain reportedly had their heads hacked off. A police officer also was killed Tuesday. Witnesses reported revenge killings and battles between mobs from rival tribes armed with machetes called "pangas" or with bows and arrows. "When one group kills three people, the other group also kills three people," Ken Wafula, a local human rights activist, said. "When one burns three houses, the other burns three houses. The situation has really deteriorated." Advertisement "There is violence in all parts of town," said Kikechi Biketi, Eldoret correspondent for the Standard daily newspaper. "Houses have been burned indiscriminately in most parts of Eldoret. They're burning tires in the roads. There's no transport. You can't move. The situation is very bad." Eldoret police estimated about 100 had died in the town in the past four days, as opposition supporters rampaged there and elsewhere in Kenya, furious over allegations of ballot rigging in last week's presidential elections. Police reported 170 dead across Kenya, but news agencies put the number at between 200 and 270. Tens of thousands of civilians in Eldoret fled from their homes to police compounds and church yards. Some houses sheltered dozens of terrified people. Although the presidential candidates in Thursday's elections avoided overt tribal campaigning, which is taboo in Kenyan society, ethnic violence exploded immediately after President Mwai Kibaki was announced the winner and hastily sworn in Sunday evening. As the violence continued Tuesday, foreign diplomats in Nairobi pressed Kibaki and his rival in the election, Raila Odinga, to negotiate a political solution to stem the killings. Increasing the pressure on Kibaki, European observers called Tuesday for an independent investigation into discrepancies in the tally, reporting that the elections failed to meet democratic standards. They called for an end to violence. The United Nations also called on Kenyan leaders to show restraint. Kenyans have been shocked by the level of brutality in the country, which despite being in a volatile region of Africa, normally is seen as a haven of political stability and economic prosperity. Tribal tensions have simmered in Kenya since multiparty elections were reintroduced in 1992 and the country's more than 40 tribes began competing at the polls for political power and resources. http://allafrica.com/stories/200801141342.html Kenya: It's Not Tribalism, But Fierce Competition for Top Dog The East African (Nairobi) COLUMN 14 January 2008 Posted to the web 14 January 2008 Karl Lyimo If truth were told, naked tribalism is the least of Kenya's problems, despite popular belief. The belief has been engendered by politicians of dubious calibre seeking to make capital out of the concept, and other practitioners trying to shape Kenya's destiny for selfish, narrower ends. THESE INCLUDE HISTORIANS, NOV-elists, colonialists, anthropologists, blame-layers, false prophets and others of their ilk. There also are those who, by nature or design, are economical with the truth, or are unable, unwilling, not ready or too lazy to think laterally and see round corners, so to speak. This came out clearly after the chaos that unfolded in Kenya following the December 27, 2007 election. Three days after polling, the Electoral Commission chairman Samuel Kivuitu declared the incumbent President Mwai Kibaki re-elected by around 230,000-majority vote. THIS TRIGGERED COUNTRYWIDE violence that has left hundreds of Kenyans dead, rendered thousands homeless and sent hundreds more into exile. It seemed preposterous that Kibaki could win the election at the eleventh hour when he was already trailing his rival, Raila Odinga, by around a million votes! NOR DID IT MAKE SENSE THAT voters would elect 99 of the 210 MPs from Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement compared with 43 MPs for Kibaki's Party of National Unity - and, at the same time, fail to elect Mr Odinga president! In any case, Mr Kivuitu later admitted he didn't know who won, and that he declared Kibaki "winner" under pressure from Kibaki officials and other vested interests. Commissioners Jack Tumwa, Joseph Dena, David Ndambiri, Samuel arap Ng'eny and Jeremiah Matagaro also publicly doubted the results. THE RIOTING INVOLVED SYMPATHISERS of both PNU and ODM. No doubt it also involved hooligans. Rioting provides opportunities for looting and settling old scores. Both unrelated to elections. But to say the violence is rooted in tribal differences is being simplistic. What is at play here is a highly competitive spirit that, by happenstance, largely involves the prominent tribes - Kikuyu and Luo. THE TWO ARE EACH A VERY PROUD people, always seeking to excel. Their rivalry is not tribalistic. It's based on the need to be on top of things and each other. Witness reports that elder Luos restrained their fellow tribesmen from harming other tribes, Kikuyus included. Take the example of the 2002 elections, which pitted Kibaki against Uhuru Kenyatta, a favourite of incumbent president Daniel arap Moi (Kalenjin). Odinga and others from different tribes teamed up with Mr Kibaki and gave Uhuru (read Moi) a resounding defeat. If they were that tribalistic, could this have happened? THE TWO - NOT THEIR TRIBES - LATER fell out over a new constitution. ODM members were then fired from the government by President Kibaki who went on to form what he termed a government of national unity by incorporating the opposition Kanu and other parties.Relevant Links The Coast is not Luoland, yet it overwhelmingly voted for Odinga and candidates identified with him, not Coast-oriented candidates. Political parties cut across tribal lines. Where is tribalism here? IF COMMUNITIES STRIVING AGAINST each other to be on top of things are tribalistic, then Kenya stands accused of tribalism. Karl Lyimo is a freelance journalist based in Dar. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7168551.stm Last Updated: Friday, 4 January 2008, 09:47 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version Kenya stokes tribalism debate By Mark Doyle BBC world affairs correspondent World headlines on Kenya appear to say it all. "Tribal violence spirals in Kenya," screams the front page banner in the International Herald Tribune. "Kenya plunges into interethnic violence," says Le Monde. But headlines can be misleading. It is certainly true that the post-electoral violence in Kenya has taken on a tribal character. Members of the incumbent (and controversially re-installed) President Mwai Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe have been pitted against other smaller tribes. Thousands of people have fled their homes But that is only part of the story. A more complete headline might be: "Tribal differences in Kenya, normally accepted peacefully, are exploited by politicians hungry for power who can manipulate poverty-stricken population." But headlines are not really headlines when they are written like that - and few would criticise the international newspapers for their pithy style. The ethnic and political violence in Kenya has renewed debate about whether multi-party democracy can be successful in an African context where ethnic loyalties are strong. See Kenya's ethnic divisions by province If you ask almost any African this question the answer will be qualified: "Yes, democracy can work... if only our leaders allowed it." It would be naive in the extreme to discount ethnicity in any African election. The reality of life on the world's poorest continent is that most people live a marginal economic existence and rely enormously, for survival, on those nearest to them. Rural villagers rely on each other, for example, to bring in the crop, or to share food in difficult times. Urban dwellers often organise themselves to provide common services like schools because their governments are either too poor or too incompetent to deliver. In these circumstances the people nearest to you - whom you can trust - are first, family, and second, tribe. African politicians know this formula very well and many of them exploit it ruthlessly. "Vote for me," they say, "because I'm from your tribe and you can trust me." Unemployed young men The most dramatic recent illustration of this kind of manipulation was the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Much of Kenya's tribalism is fuelled by land disputes Hutus were persuaded by an extremist Hutu power bloc that all Tutsis were their enemies. There are many other less catastrophic examples. Politics in Nigeria, for example, is a complex chessboard of ethnicity and religion. The presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2006 divided the country along ethnic and linguistic lines. And even in a peaceful, democratic country like Ghana, it is clear that ethnic Ashantis, for example, tend to vote one way while ethnic Ewes tend to vote another. But at the same time there is usually a further explanation - beyond ethnic group - for the way people vote or the way they react to situations like the current crisis in Kenya. That explanation is almost always rooted in money - or a lack of it - and the cynical search for power by politicians. It is no coincidence that the people who usually perpetrate "tribal violence" are unemployed young men. In Ivory Coast in the late 1990s, for example, the campaign against northerners that was orchestrated by southern politicians - and which eventually led to a full-scale civil war - was spearheaded by youths in the main city, Abidjan, who were paid a daily rate for the job. 'Land grabs' Equally, in the Kenyan case, it is no coincidence that some of the worst violence has been in the Rift Valley area. The region has a history of land disputes. Most African nations now have an elected government Some of those disputes were originally caused by what was coyly called European "settlement" - which created refugees hungry for land. More recently, Kenyan politicians have practised more honestly named "land grabs" in parts of the country. African intellectuals who concede there is a problem of tribalism on the continent - or, rather, a problem of the deliberate manipulation of tribal sentiment by selfish politicians - stress that there is also a rational solution. Part of the solution, they say, is economic development. If there is growth in the economy there will be more education and less ignorance about fellow citizens of other tribes - and, of course, fewer unemployed thugs for politicians to "buy" for a few cents a day. Another part of the solution, they say, is genuine democracy with genuinely independent law courts. People would have no need to rely on their tribe - apart from culturally, should they so wish - if they could rely on all their ballot papers being counted, and could expect honest judgements from courts. Here, Africa can point to progress in recent decades. Fifty years ago, almost the entire continent was ruled by foreign colonial powers. Even just 20 years ago, most African countries were run by dictators or military juntas. Now, thanks to pro-democracy activists, most African nations have an elected government. Good start Many of those governments are far from perfect. But the advent of at least some democracy - assisted by relatively cheap technology such as FM radio stations and mobile phones which can spread information easily - has encouraged what seems to be an irreversible cultural sea-change in African attitudes to those in power. Put bluntly, that change means that people can no longer be comprehensively fooled or dictated to. It is still possible for politicians to cheat at elections - for example through the vehicle of ethnicity. But the new freedoms, coupled with the new technology, make it almost impossible for politicians to do this without people knowing what is going on. That is a good start, African intellectuals say, and it may one day mean the end of negative tribalism. Meanwhile, of course, those headlines will remain at least half true. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 17:09:27 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 01:09:27 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] KENYA: Protests and repression, before and after the main crisis Message-ID: <00b201c8596e$c597e580$0802a8c0@andy1> * Stahere: voting in disarray as police teargas count * Clashes at polling station over rigging claims * Rivals clash at Kibaki rally * Police ban opposition rallies in various cities, use crisis as pretext for repression * Police kill two during poll protests * Police attack opposition demos in Mombasa * Opposition defy repression to continue protests * Rally called off after police start running battles; road blocked * Running battles in Nairobi as police attack marchers trying to reach rally * Protesters scatter and regroup for battle as police attack in Mombasa, Kisumu and Migori * "Million Man March" called and attacked by police * Nairobi slum hit by clashes with police, attacks among residents as police attack even the most peaceful protesters * Banned rally goes ahead in Nairobi * Cabinet appointment sparks new unrest as killings reach 500 * Opposition leader cancels rally to meet mediators * Death toll reaches 700; fresh rallies ahead http://allafrica.com/stories/200712290010.html Kenya: Violence Rocks Starehe Constituency The East African Standard (Nairobi) 29 December 2007 Posted to the web 29 December 2007 Joseph Murimi Nairobi Vote tallying in Starehe constituency, Nairobi, was thrown into disarray when riot police lobbed teargas canisters in the counting hall. The tallied results had shown a neck-to-neck race between Sports minister Mr Maina Kamanda and ODM candidate, Bishop Margaret Wanjiru. Several ballot boxes were broken and ballot papers thrown all over the Kenya Polytechnic counting hall as poll officials, observers, journalists and party agents scampered for safety. In the ensuing chaos, several people, including a police officer, were injured and many lost their personal effects. Wanjiru was caught up in the chaos but her bodyguards shielded her from harm. Tallying for 17 out of the 22 polling stations had been completed, and only five were remaining when the chaos erupted. Trouble began on Friday afternoon when Wanjiru's supporters claimed a plan to rig the elections was afoot. The bishop then wrote a petition that was read by a supporter, calling for nullification of the results. But the returning officer, a Mugasia, asked the bishop to follow the right channels of registering her protest. Tension mounted, and rival groups started shouting at each other. Mugasia then ordered supporters of the candidates who had jammed the hall to be kicked out by security officers. Moments later, riot police stormed in and lobbed teargas canisters, dispersing everyone including the ECK officials and Wanjiru. After the chaos, ECK district co-ordinator, Ms Rita Mwera, ordered the broken boxes be reconstructed and tallying to continue. Police maintained a tight cordon around the hall as pro-ODM youths spoilt for a fight from a distance. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712290042.html Kenya: Chaos Erupts Over Rigging Claims The Nation (Nairobi) 29 December 2007 Posted to the web 29 December 2007 Nairobi Chaos broke out at Shauri Moyo Social Hall in Kamukunji constituency when rival candidates clashed during the counting of votes from one station. Mr Ibrahim Ahmed of ODM clashed with the agents and supporters of his rivals in PNU over alleged rigging at a polling centre in Zawadi Primary School. Three ballot boxes were said to have been stuffed with marked ballot papers. Mr Ahmed said he would not accept the results, claiming they were interfered with. Mr Simon Mbugua of PNU was quiet as pandemonium broke out in the hall. A civic aspirant, Mr Silvanus Amondi of Eastleigh South also complained that some party agents and officials were compromised by his rivals to interfere with the results. He claimed that some of his agents had not even showed up after allegedly being bribed. Voting went on until 8pm in most polling centres, especially in Eastleigh Social Hall. It was not until 11pm that counting of votes begun. The area was chaotic all through and anti-riot police were called in to beef up security. In Lang'ata constituency, ballot boxes for the area began arriving at Nyayo Stadium for final tallying way past midnight. ECK officials accompanied by political parties' agents ferried them in from several polling stations throughout the night. And even by 7.30am Friday, some ballot boxes were yet to arrive. Actual tallying began minutes past 1pm. The delay is suspected to have been caused by technical hitches experienced during the voting on Thursday. ODM presidential candidate Raila Odinga was among voters whose names were missing from the polling register. By Friday morning, only votes from seven stations had been tallied and Mr Odinga was leading with about 15,250 against Mr Stanley Livondo's 1,600. In Kasarani constituency, an ECK official was seized by police officers at the Moi International Sports Centre - Kasarani - over attempted vote rigging. Ballot boxes The presiding officer for Githurai Primary School polling station was arrested after she attempted to sneak in six ballot boxes in the station.Relevant Links Witnesses told the Nation that the officer had also frustrated voters by denying them ample time to vote. "She closed down the polling centre before many of us could vote," said one of the voters. Reports by Sam Kiplagat, Daniel Wesangula, Dave Opiyo, Sheila Naturinda and Jevans Nyabiage http://allafrica.com/stories/200712051105.html Kenya: Chaos, Booing At Kibaki Rally As Rivals Clash The East African Standard (Nairobi) 6 December 2007 Posted to the web 5 December 2007 Cyrus Kinyungu And Biketi Kikechi Nairobi Riot police tear-gassed rival youths of two Cabinet ministers on a day President Kibaki came face-to-face with the ugly side of local politics - violence and heckling. But the bitter rivalry between PNU politicians, Dr Mukhisa Kituyi and Mr Musikari Kombo, could not have peaked on a worse moment with the campaigns entering a critical stage in a province where ODM poses a real threat. Kibaki's frustration and pain were evident when TV footage showed him leaving his seat to calm down a heckling and rowdy crowd. He did this to save Kituyi from further humiliation and enable the former Kimilili MP address a rally in his own turf. "Vitu gani hivi mnafanya? Hivi ni vitu vya kitoto. Mnapoteza muda wetu kwa kupiga kelele. Hiyo ni kelele tu hakuna kitu mnafanya," the President told the crowd as an embarrassed Vice-President, Mr Moody Awori, who had spent the better part of the morning trying to placate the feuding factions, watched pensively. When he finally got a chance to speak - at least briefly before heckling again disrupted his speech - Kituyi said: "Wageni wasio na nidhamu tutawafunza nidhamu." (We will teach indisciplined visitors manners). Earlier, atop the dais and in full view of the rowdy crowd, Kituyi and Kombo squared up to each other with the VP trying to make peace between them. Kituyi's camp is angry because even though he got a direct nomination to defend his seat on a PNU (New Ford-Kenya) ticket, Kombo fielded a Ford-Kenya candidate, Dr Simiyu Eseli, to fight it out with the minister. Sporadic fights Tension was evident as early as Tuesday evening when supporters of the two ministers engaged in sporadic fights. On Wednesday, fighting broke out at 6am, about four hours before Kibaki's arrival as Kituyi's supporters battled followers of Ford-Kenya's Eseli. PNU posters along the way to Amutala Stadium, the venue of the rally, were torn as rival groups tried to outdo each other. Police had to fire teargas to break up the fighting. Kituyi's arrival was greeted with cheers from his supporters, while hundreds of youths wearing Ford Kenya T-shirts jeered him. Minutes before Kibaki arrived, Awori found himself on the wrong side of the conflict as he tried to chant Kibaki Tena, Kituyi Tena. Kombo supporters openly protested, heightening tension. This prompted the VP to go to Ford-Kenya supporters to plead for calm. It was at this point that he was overheard asking the surging crowd to re-elect Kibaki, but decide who their next MP should be. But Kombo did not take this lying down and confronted Awori over the remarks. The situation calmed down when Kibaki arrived, only to erupt again after some former MPs took to the stage. First to be heckled was former Kanduyi MP, Mr Wafula Wamunyinyi, when he said PNU nominations in Kimilili were flawed. Wamunyinyi was at pains to explain why Ford-Kenya fielded a candidate and cited the decision to award Kituyi a direct nomination. Equally under siege was Kombo, who was also jeered by a group shouting: "Traitor! Traitor!" Invoked Muliro and Wamalwa Unruffled, Kombo carried on with his speech: "Endihe muvolela mukubile ekura emundu wa Ford-Kenya chigila engovi ya Muliro nende Wamalwa eli muno mu Kimilili (I'm urging you to vote for the Ford-Kenya candidate because the placentas of (Masinde) Muliro and (Kijana) Wamalwa - both deceased - are here in Kimilili), he said. Standing on either side of the dais, the two groups welcomed friendly leaders with cheers and jeered those they felt were unfriendly. The two ministers walked out of the dais and each headed for the corner where his supporters stood and tried to calm them. The VP's greetings of PNU were greeted with shouts of "Kibaki Tena" by Kituyi's supporters, but "Ford Kenya" by the latter's supporters. Eventually, he pulled aside the two politicians and walked with them out of the grounds where they discussed the issue as they waited for the President. When he finally addressed the rally, Kibaki said his rivals had no chance of defeating his coalition of more than 10 parties. http://allafrica.com/stories/200801070468.html Kenya: Police Boss Firm Over ODM Rallies The East African Standard (Nairobi) 7 January 2008 Posted to the web 7 January 2008 Cyrus Ombati Nairobi The Government has outlawed rallies ODM has planned at various venues. Police Commissioner Maj-Gen Hussein Ali on Sunday said no public rally would be allowed and accused the opposition party of ulterior motives. ODM plans to hold a rallies at Uhuru Park, Nairobi, and other venues today and tomorrow to push for new elections following President Kibaki's victory in the disputed December 27 polls. Police have cancelled three previous rallies and dispersed ODM supporters trying to make their way into the venues in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu. Police officers continue to man most venues where party supporters were expected to meet. On Sunday, more officers were deployed at Nyayo Stadium and Uhuru Park in Nairobi. The officers, in riot gear, prevented the public from accessing the places.Relevant Links Uhuru Park has been under police guard for the past week, and the opposition has been making unsuccessful efforts to enter it. Ali said campaigns ended before the General Election and asked politicians to engage in development. "As I said earlier, no rally will be allowed for now," he said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712310340.html Kenya: Two Killed, Several Wounded in Protests Over Poll Results The Nation (Nairobi) 30 December 2007 Posted to the web 31 December 2007 Nairobi Two people were killed, several others wounded and property worth millions of shillings destroyed during violent protests across the country over delay in release of presidential poll results. In Homa Bay town, a man was shot by unknown people as he and others protested the delay in announcing the winner of the presidential election. He was taken to Pastor Machage Hospital in Migori where he died. Another man was shot in Kakamega as police moved in to disperse demonstrators. Polycarp Munzala, 24, was shot in the right leg as anti-riot police charged at ODM youths who were marching in the streets. Two vehicles were burnt at Maraba estate by rioters. The vehicle belonging to assistant minister Bonny Khalwale was stoned. In Kisumu, looters rampaged along Oginga Odinga Street leaving behind a trail of destruction. What had begun as a peaceful demonstration to demand that the Electoral Commission of Kenya declares the presidential winner turned ugly as the protesters turned to looting merchandise from supermarkets and shops in the town. General Service Unit police who were sent to restore order fired tear gas to disperse the rioters. Protesters set ablaze Ukwala Supermarket and Kimwa Hotel, a popular stopping place on Kisumu-Kakamega road. Carrying twigs and branches, the demonstrators blocked all major routes by burning tyres on roads leading in and out of Kisumu. They threatened to march on the Kisumu State Lodge if the election are rigged. The situation was similar in Nyando district as residents took to the streets in Chemelil to protest. Similar protests took place in Bondo, Siaya, Ahero and Sondu townships as angry demonstrators accused the Government of trying to manipulate results in favour of the incumbent. Rioters engaged police in running battles and paralysed business operations. Most people stayed indoors for fear of being attacked. In Bungoma, a man was shot and seriously injured as police moved in to disperse hundreds of ODM supporters. Mr Ramadhan Isabuko, 20, was shot on the left hand and sustained serious injuries. Good Samaritans rushed him to a nearby clinic for first aid. Mr Isabuko, who sat his Form Four exams this year at Kabula Secondary School, told the Nation he was shot by a policeman while at home as he watch the rioting mob nearby. A nurse at the clinic said the patient had sustained a fracture and referred the case to Bungoma District Hospital. Anti-riot officers led by Bungoma police boss Thomas Matano opened fire to disperse the protesters. The rioters lit bonfires, barricaded roads and blocked the bus park to stop public service vehicles and commuters from using the facility. The riots spread to Chwele and Kimilili townships where traders closed their businesses for fear of looting. Elsewhere, rioters burnt property of unknown value in Busia town as they demanded immediate release of poll results. They engaged police in running battles and razed two hotels - Shark Lodge and Paradise Lodge. The rowdy youths chanting ODM slogans also lit bonfires along the usually busy Kisumu-Busia highway using old tyres and plundered from kiosks within the town. The rioters also blocked the highway using boulders and logs, making the town a no-go-zone. Motorists caught in the melee were frisked for money and other valuables. Busia police boss Paul Kariuki led his officers in firing several shots in the air to disperse the mob who were armed with stones and clubs. A number of people, including Nation journalist, Mr Ouma Wanzala, were injured during the confrontation which started at 8 am and ran into the afternoon. Chaos also rocked Kericho town following the ECK's delay in announcing results for presidential candidates. Rioters razed two residential houses at Nyagatho and Baraka estates within Kericho town. And at the Kericho Caltex Station, an irate crowd set on fire a giant campaign billboard of President Kibaki where they also stoned several motorists. Small traders who usually sell roasted maize and groundnuts at the busy bus were attacked and scampered for safety. Two children were left stranded by the road side during the chaos and their parents could not immediately be established. The rioting youths proceeded to Kenyatta Street in the centre of Kericho town where they lit tyre bonfires and burnt four kiosks. Shopkeepers who had opened their businesses hurriedly closed them for fear of looting. At Litein town in Bureti district, youths set tyres on fire along the Kericho-Sotik highway before police dispersed them after lobbing several tear gas canisters. Several public service vehicles plying the Kericho-Kisumu route had to cut short their journey at Awasi after their windscreens were shattered by rioters. A cross-section of leaders from Kericho and Bureti districts called for calm, urging residents that the delay in announcing results of presidential candidates should not be used as an excuse to destroy property and lives. Ainamoi MP-elect David Too (ODM), his Belgut counterpart Charles Keter and Jonathan Langat (Kipkelion) asked the public to restrain themselves. Said Mr Too: "We are all Kenyans regardless of our political party affiliations and we must keep cool as the results trickle in." He was supported by Mr Langat who asked the residents not to take the law into their hands. "Both winners and losers in these elections need peace to deliver on their campaign pledges," he said.Relevant Links In Litein, the rowdy youths piled stones at the trading centre and blocked the Litein-Kericho road, making the town a no-go-zone. Police used tear gas canisters to disperse the youths. By late afternoon, the police used bare hands to remove the boulders left on the road by the fleeing youths. Reported by Benard Kwalia, Benson Amadala, Elisha Otieno, Walter Menya, Michael Oongo, John Onyango, Sollo Kiragu and Geoffrey Rono http://allafrica.com/stories/200801070195.html Kenya: Police Break Up Another ODM Demo The Nation (Nairobi) 6 January 2008 Posted to the web 7 January 2008 Nairobi Anti-riot police on Saturday morning dispersed a protest march by ODM supporters in Mombasa town for the second day running. The demonstrators led by six MPs-elect from Coast Province were protesting against the outcome of the recent presidential election. They began their march outside Sakina Mosque but ran into anti-riot police on Jomo Kenyatta Avenue. Mombasa police boss Mr Wilfred Mbithi asked them to disperse before an argument ensued between him and the MPs-elect Mr Najib Balala (Mvita), Mr Ali Hassan Joho (Kisauni), Mr Benedict Gunda (Kaloleni), Mr Amason Kingi (Magarini), Mr Dan Mwaazo (Voi) and Mr Gedion Mung'aro (Malindi). The leaders argued that the demonstration was peaceful and demanded that their supporters to be allowed to express their annoyance with the results of the presidential election. Mr Balala said tthe police could not bar them from going ahead with their demonstration since it was their constitutional right. Mr Mbithi did not budge. The police cordoned off the area and asked the marchers to disperse, saying they had not sought a licence for the demonstration. Later, the leaders agreed to postpone the demonstration to Monday. They attempted to make their way to Makupa police station to notify the station boss, with their supporters chanting anti-government slogans. But anti-riot police jumped out of lorries at that stage and lobbed teargas canisters at the protesters, forcing them to disperse in different directions. However, managed to drive to Makupa police station, where Mr Balala presented a notification for tomorrow's planned demonstration, which was not accepted by the police chief. Elsewhere, a group of women chanting anti-government slogans in the town were also dispersed by police. The group under the auspices of Coast Women for Raila (COWERA) had earlier held a press conference at a Mombasa hotel to express their dissatisfaction with the results of the just concluded General Election. The women had walked out of a meeting at the residence of former Ganjoni Councilor Margaret Olang to the streets when the Central Police Station chief confronted them and ordered them to disperse. Led by their chairlady Khadija Ms Swaleh, the group said they were in solidarity with the ODM leaders in what they said was their quest for justice and truth. They also called for an end to the current wave of violence across the country.Relevant Links And former Kibwezi MP Mr Kalembe Ndile yesterday to appealed to youths to desist from being used by politicians to engage in violence. Mr Ndile said most of the property being destroyed by rioters belonged to poor people who did not have money to invest in new businesses. "My appeal to all the aggrieved parties is that they should embrace dialogue in resolving this matter instead of engaging in violence," he said. http://allafrica.com/stories/200801071739.html Kenya: Police Disperse Mombasa Demo The Nation (Nairobi) 8 January 2008 Posted to the web 7 January 2008 Nairobi A mid-morning lull in the streets of Mombasa was on Monday shattered when police clashed with about 60 peaceful demonstrators, most of them women. The group led by Kisauni MP-elect Hassan Ali Joho, sang songs in praise of ODM leader Raila Odinga. They started their peace march at Kwa Shibu Mosque and had walked for about one kilometre when riot police led by Mombasa OCPD Wilfred Mbithi blocked them. The police lobbed two tear gas canisters at the demonstrators, sending them scampering in different directions.Relevant Links Mr Mbithi told Mr Joho to call off the demonstration because it was illegal, but Mr Joho did not budge. The OCPD said no demonstrations are allowed until the situation in the country returns to normal. However as the police boss and Mr Joho exchanged words, the crowd continued chanting pro-ODM slogans. Business on the busy Digo Road was briefly disrupted but after a short while shops re-opened and business resumed as usual. http://allafrica.com/stories/200801070117.html Kenya: Protests Continue to Rock Mombasa for Second Day The East African Standard (Nairobi) 6 January 2008 Posted to the web 7 January 2008 Ngumbao Kithi And Khadija Yusuf Mombasa ODM supporters engaged anti-riot police in running battles for the second day in Mombasa. This was after Pentagon member, Mr Najib Balala, and 12 MPs-elect tried to present a notification for a rally at Makupa Police Station. The police lobed tear gas canisters to disperse the demonstrators accompanying ODM leaders. As the confusion ensued, business premises were hurriedly closed as bank guards took positions. Before the police dispersed the crowd, the leaders exchanged bitter words with the OCS, Mr Leonard Baraza, on their intention to hold a rally on Monday. But Baraza refused to acknowledge the notification. "I cannot receive this notification, if you want one come alone later without supporters outside," Baraza told them. Balala, however, said they would go ahead with the rally. "Listen Bwana OCS, we are here only to notify you that we are going to have a meeting on Monday and what we need from you is security," Balala said. But Baraza said he was under no obligation to receive the letter and threw it away under his table. The demonstrators were denied entrance at the station as armed police officers secured the main gate. The letter read in part: "Notification of a peaceful demonstration on January 7, along Mombasa streets." The MPs-elect then walked out of the office and vowed to conduct the rally on Monday. And for the first time, the demonstrators were mainly women, calling themselves the "Orange Women Democrats" and several members of the Coast human rights network. Earlier, police had broken up a peaceful Muslim demonstration, demanding that President Kibaki resigns. Led by Balala, the demonstrators met outside Sakina Mosque for the demonstration. Unlike Friday, the demonstration was attended by ODM MPs-elect, Mr Gideon Mung'aro (Malindi), Mr Dan Mwazo (Voi) Mr Ben Gunda (Bahari) and Mr Jefferson Kingi (Magarini). The leaders held hands and walked for 100m when police led by Mombasa OCPD, Mr Wilfred Mbithi, confronted them.Relevant Links Mbithi warned them that the demonstration was not licensed. Balala, however, said they did not need a permit under the 1997 IPPG agreement and were only leading their supporters in a peaceful demonstration against the flawed presidential polls. "Please address your supporters now and then go to Makupa and apply for a permit to hold a rally. I believe the OCS will grant you one instead of acting illegally," the OCPD told him. http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-01-02-voa47.cfm Kenya's Opposition to Hold Banned Protest Rally By Nick Wadhams Nairobi 02 January 2008 Kenya's opposition leaders have vowed to go ahead with a massive rally in downtown Nairobi to protest what they say was the fraudulent re-election of President Mwai Kibaki. The government has said the demonstration, set for Thursday, will not be allowed to proceed, and the standoff threatens to spark a new wave of violence. Nick Wadhams has the story for VOA from Nairobi. Opposition supporters hold machetes and crude weapons next to a poster of opposition leader Raila Odinga during riots in the Mathare slum in Nairobi, 2 Jan 2008 The ethnic fighting that has wracked Kenya in recent days appeared to ease slightly on Wednesday, although clashes continued in some of Nairobi's slums. In areas that were calm, Kenyans emerged from their homes to shop ahead of tomorrow's demonstration. Mr. Kibaki appears to be at a deadlock with his opposition rival, Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). On Wednesday, Mr. Odinga met with top aides and ODM lawmakers to plan strategy for the coming days. After the meeting, ODM Secretary-General Anyang Nyong'o emerged with Mr. Odinga and told reporters that the opposition group's position has not changed: Mr. Kibaki must step down, and the rally would go ahead. "The ODM reiterates our commitment to the nullification of the purported election of Kibaki as president, the restoration of peace by full recognition of the honorable Raila Amolo Odinga as the democratically elected president of the republic of Kenya and hence the return of democratic governance in our republic," he said. Raila Odinga gives a press conference in Nairobi, 31 Dec 2007 Police officials now say at least 200 people have been killed in the violence that erupted after Odinga supporters began to protest what they said was evidence of vote rigging by Mr. Kibaki's team. The European Union's electoral mission here has said the polls did not meet international standards, and it has called for an investigation. Many of the dead have been protesters killed by police firing into crowds. On Tuesday, some 30 people were killed when an angry mob torched a church in western Kenya where people were seeking refuge from the violence. Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, 12 Dec. 2007 In Nairobi, some people in the slums say it is time for peace, and that poor Kenyans must stop fighting each other. ODM Chairman Nyong'o said that can only be achieved if Mr. Odinga is named president. "Peace cannot be realized in Kenya without justice," he added. "The mass action is to let it be known that people want peaceful mass action to call for justice, which shall be a necessary condition for us to get on with our lives." Some in the international community have suggested a government of national unity could offer a solution. Others argue that Mr. Odinga should take his claims to court. Both Mr. Kibaki and Mr. Odinga have said they will not share power, and the courts are seen as largely corrupt and inefficient. http://politics.nationmedia.com/inner.asp?sid=1197 Protest rally put off By NATION Team Last updated: Thu, Jan 03, 2008 16:04 PM (EAT) The Orange Democratic Movement has put off its protest rally to tomorrow after hours of running battles with the police in Nairobi. Three people have been reported dead, a church and two petrol stations set ablaze and five cars torched in the chaos visited on the capital city. A team of top leaders from the party aborted their march to the rally planned for Uhuru Park after a contingent of riot police blocked their way at Hurlingham area, about two kilometres away. The party had earlier announced that their next protest rally will be on Tuesday next week, but later changed the date to tomorrow. The leaders in the march included Musalia Mudavadi, William Ruto, Najib Balala, Charity Ngilu, Anyang' Nyong'o among others. Their presidential candidate, Mr Raila Odinga was not in the march. The AIC church in Kibera was torched while a petrol station and five cars have been set ablaze along the city's Juja road. Another petrol station was set ablaze near Adams Arcade. Key highways into the central business district remain more or less closed as police battle protestors. Uhuru Park, the venue of the rally called by Mr Odinga, was cordoned off by hundreds of paramilitary policemen at the crack of dawn. Virtually no business is taking place in the city as offices and premises that had opened earlier have now closed. Scores of youths who attempted to get into the city from Kibera slums through Ngong road and Mbagathi Way were repulsed. A similar group was blocked along Thika road and Waiyaki Way The ODM leaders met with South Africa's Bishop Desmond Tutu in the morning and the cleric is later expected to meet with President Kibaki. Bishop Tutu is in Kenya in help arbitrate between President Kibaki and Mr Odinga's teams. . A stand-off between police and protestors has been reported along Jogoo road while on Mombasa road motorists are being blocked by police from driving into the city. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,526402,00.html Riot Police Battle Opposition Supporters Kenyan riot police battled with opposition supporters who marched toward a rally on Thursday in defiance of a government ban. South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu has arrived in Nairobi to help mediate a solution. Police in the Kenyan capital Nairobi fired teargas and water cannon at thousands of protestors on Thursday as marched towards a banned rally in the city center. DPA A opposition supporter faces a police truck spraying water during running battles in the streets of Nairobi on Thursday. While opposition leaders had initially defied police and set off from their headquarters for the rally, a top official of Kenya's main opposition party said on Thursday that the rally had now been canceled and called on supporters to go home. "We are a peaceful people who do not want violence," said William Ruto, a top official of the Orange Democratic Movement. "That is why we are peacefully dispersing now." Opposition leader Raila Odinga had called the march to protest the disputed re-election of President Mwai Kibaki. He insists that he was the winner and that last Thursday's vote was rigged. The outrage after Kibaki was inaugurated on Sunday erupted into fierce violence, in which 300 people have been killed. On Thursday riot police thronged the streets and shots were fired in the air in an attempt to beat back the crowds. Marchers heading for the city's Uhuru Park, held branches and white flags, supposed to symbolize peace although some burned an effigy of Kibaki and waved placards denouncing him as the devil. Smoke from burning tires and debris rose from barricaded streets, not just around Nairobi's huge slums where hundreds of thousands of Odinga's supporters live, but also on the main roads leading into the suburbs where upper-class Kenyans and expatriates live. The violence that erupted after the disputed election has taken on worrying tribal character as members of Kibaki's influential Kikuyu tribe were targeted by other tribes. So far around 100,000 people have been displaced by the violence and over 5,000 have fled into neighboring Uganda. Human rights groups have warned of bloody repression by the police, while there are also reports of revenge killings, including some by the militant Kikuyu gang, Mungiki. The rapid descent into chaos in one of East Africa's most stable democracies has been viewed with alarm abroad, particularly in the United States, which considers Kenya a key ally in the fight against al-Qaida in Africa. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke with Odinga on Wednesday and plans to talk with Kibaki on Thursday in order to urge both men to resolve their differences peacefully. While Odinga has said he would consider a power-sharing agreement in advance of a re-run of the vote, he does not look like backing down in his insistence that he won the election. International observers have said that there were serious flaws in the Dec. 27 election and the count, which saw Kibaki win by a narrow 200,000 votes. South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu arrived in Nairobi on Thursday and hopes to mediate between the two men. "This is a country that has been held up as a model of stability," he said after arriving on Thursday. "This picture has been shattered." The unrest has already had an economic impact by scaring away tourists, Kenya's most important source of income. And it threatens to destabilize neighboring economies, many of which are reliant of fuel and other supplies which are imported from Kenya's Indian Ocean coast. smd/ap/reuters http://allafrica.com/stories/200801160318.html Kenya: Riots as Police Break ODM Protests The Nation (Nairobi) 16 January 2008 Posted to the web 16 January 2008 Nairobi Police have broken demonstrations in Mombasa, Kisumu and Migori as various other towns across the country remained tense following protest rallies called by the Orange Democratic Movement. Riot police used teargas to disperse protestors in Mombasa who responded to ODM's calls for three days of demonstrations against President Kibaki's disputed re-election. About 100 opposition supporters were scattered in the melee, but immediately began regrouping, locals said. In Kisumu, police used tear gas to disperse a group of youths who were demonstrating at Kondele along the Kisumu-Kakamega Road. There was a standoff between anti-riot police officers and the youths, who were carrying placards and twigs in the mid morning incident. Police officers formed a cordon to prevent them from getting to the Jomo Kenyatta Grounds, the venue of a planned mass action rally. It was only after the officers lobbed tear gas canisters in the air that they scampered for safety. In Nairobi, paramilitary policemen braved early morning showers to cordon off the city's Uhuru Park, one of the key venues of today's mass protests called by the Orange Democratic Movement. Police have insisted the rallies stand outlawed for security reasons. However, unlike the previously planned rallies where the police closed some roads leading to the central business district, flow of traffic so far is normal. This included traffic along the main arteries such as Jogoo Road through Landhies Road, Thika Road through Pangani as well as Ngong Road and Mbagathi Way. Along the city streets and especially in and around Uhuru Park police patrolled on foot and on horseback. ODM's earlier attempts to hold a rally at the park have been blocked by police forcing the party to change its strategy by calling 48 rallies across the country over three days. In Migori, a man was seriously injured after riot police allegedly shot him during the demonstrations. The victim was shot on the thigh in Oruba estate when a group of protestors took to the streets to denounce the re-election of President Kibaki. Kenya Red Cross Society officials administered first aid on the man before taking him to Oruba Nursing Home where he is recuperating. In Eldoret, the town remained tense with heavy police presence. Most residents avoided the centre of the town.Relevant Links Human rights organisations have criticised the Government decision to outlaw the protests saying it infringed on the people's freedom of assembly and right to hold peaceful demonstrations. But the police commissioner Major General Hussein Ali has argued that hooligans were likely to take advantage of the rallies to wreak havoc to businesses by engaging in looting and destruction of property. Reporting by Samwel Kumba, Daniel Otieno, Elisha Otieno and Reuters. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iQUIrJzN6krWc0yJ6DP3ySeXQekQD8TU9GAO0 Riot Police Fire Tear Gas in Kenya By KATHARINE HOURELD - Jan 3, 2008 NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons Thursday to beat back crowds of protesters heeding an opposition call for a "million-man" rally that many fear could worsen the violence that already has killed 300 people and displaced 100,000. There was no sign yet, however, of the gigantic crowds many feared. Instead, small groups of a few hundred people each streamed toward the capital from various directions, as police tried to choke them off at strategic spots. Opposition leader Raila Odinga called the march to protest President Mwai Kibaki's re-election in the Dec. 27 vote, insisting the poll was a sham. The political dispute has degenerated into ethnic violence nationwide, pitting Kibaki's influential Kikuyus against Odinga's Luos and other tribes. On Wednesday, Odinga told The Associated Press the rally was meant to be peaceful. The government has banned the march, setting the stage for clashes between security forces and Odinga's supporters. Truckloads of riot police in red berets armed with rifles and batons ringed the empty Uhuru Park in the city center early Thursday where protesters were expected to converge. On one main road, police fired tear gas and water cannons to push back a crowd of several hundred people from the Kibera slum holding branches and white flags symbolizing peace. "Without Raila there will be no peace," said one of the protesters, 22-year-old Edward Muli. Elsewhere, smoke from burning tires rose from the streets as gunshots rang out. Police Chief Mark Mwara called the protesters "hooligans" and accused them of attacking gas stations and supermarkets. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/04/world/africa/04kenya.html?_r=1&em&ex=1199509200&en=588e404488037bed&ei=5087%0A&oref=slogin Kenyan Riot Police Turn Back Rallying Protesters Christophe Calais for The New York Times Protesters who dispute the results of elections last week clashed with the police on Thursday in Kibera, a slum in Nairobi. By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN Published: January 4, 2008 NAIROBI, Kenya - Nairobi degenerated into violence again on Thursday, as riot police officers used tear gas, batons and water cannons to push back thousands of opposition supporters who poured into the streets to answer a call for a million-person rally that had been banned by the government. Darko Bandic/Associated Press Kenyan police used teargas and water cannons against several hundred anti-government protesters in Nairobi, Kenya. But later in the day, Kenya's attorney general broke ranks with the president and insisted on an independent investigation into disputed election results. It was the first clear indication of the growing divide not just on the streets but also within Kenya's government about how to resolve a crisis that has ignited chaos and ethnic fighting across the country, killing more than 300 people in the past four days. Starting about 10 a.m., protesters burned tires, smashed windows and clashed with the police across this capital. Some demonstrators showed restraint, yelling to the rowdier members in their ranks, "Drop your stones!" Others tore through the slums, witnesses said, raping women and attacking people with machetes. The body of one young man who had been hacked to death lay in a muddy alley. His face was covered with plastic bags and his shoes had been stolen. The trouble even spilled into the garden of the Serena Hotel, one of the fanciest in town. Guests in safari vests watched the turmoil from the balconies of their $400-a-night rooms. Police officers in padded suits charged a scrum of demonstrators and fired tear gas. As soon as the acrid smoke wafted up, the tourists ducked inside. "This country is going to burn!" a protester yelled. It has been a week since Kenyans went to the polls in the most highly contested elections in the country's history, and the dispute over whether Mwai Kibaki, the president, honestly won the most votes continues to destabilize the nation. The government and opposition leaders blame each other for the bloodshed, trading accusations of genocide and ethnic cleansing. They have set such strict conditions on negotiating that nothing - including the entreaties of Western ambassadors, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the cries of their own people - has succeeded in getting talks started. Kenya's two biggest newspapers printed the identical banner headline on Thursday: "Save Our Beloved Country." Kenya's attorney general, Amos Wako, said on Thursday afternoon that an independent body should investigate the disputed vote tabulations, which gave the president, at the 11th hour of the counting process, a razor-thin margin of victory. Western officials and opposition leaders have been calling for such an inquiry. However, it is not clear if Mr. Kibaki will agree to this. A few hours after the attorney general spoke, the president reiterated at a news conference that he had won the elections fair and square and would not relinquish power. "I will personally lead this nation in healing," he said. Alfred Mutua, the government's top spokesman, said that Mr. Wako was merely making a suggestion and that an independent investigation into election irregularities "was not necessarily going to happen." "The president prefers the court system," Mr. Mutua said, meaning the opposition could file a complaint in court, which most people here think is futile. But, he added, "the president has nothing to hide." Foreign diplomats have been meeting day and night to find a way to ease tension between Mr. Kibaki and Raila Odinga, the top opposition leader, who says he was cheated out of the presidency. Until last week, Kenya was one of the most promising countries on the continent, but the ethnic violence, fueled by political passions, is threatening to ruin that reputation. The economy, one of the biggest in Africa, has ground to a halt. Roads are blocked. Shops are closed. Factories are idle. The currency, the Kenyan shilling, is taking a dive. The World Bank said on Thursday that the unrest threatened Kenya's impressive recent economic growth and poverty reduction, citing business leaders' estimates that the country was losing some $30 million a day. And the ills here are hurting the entire region. Gas stations in Rwanda are now rationing fuel because their supply from Kenya has been cut. In Uganda, Sudan and Congo, displaced people are running low on food because United Nations relief trucks cannot get past vigilante checkpoints. Production in places like Tanzania is slowing because materials that come from Kenya have not arrived. "Kenya is the dynamo of this whole region," said Harvey Rouse, a diplomat for the European Union. Mr. Rouse spoke from a hill overlooking an enormous slum where the police were battling protesters. The slum, named Kibera, has become the protesters' stage. Every morning, journalists take their spots on the hillside, police officers line up at the mouth of a road leading from the shanties to the glass towers downtown and protesters mass in the streets, screaming slogans, lighting fires and burning pictures of the president. On Thursday it was an effigy stuffed with greasy rags. Thursday was supposed to be the day that Mr. Odinga's supporters rallied in downtown Nairobi at a place called Uhuru Park. But they never got close. The government has banned all political rallies, and thousands of riot police officers fanned out at dawn to seal off the main routes into the city. They refused to let any demonstrators pass. Many of the protesters seemed harmless, like the hundreds of women carrying palm leaves and walking barefoot to town. They were chased away, choking on tear gas and clawing at their eyes. Others' intentions were not so clear. One young protester crouched in the street with a green leaf, the sign of peace, in one hand and a rock in the other. "We have been patient long enough!" he yelled. It is difficult to tell which way things are going here. In the past two days, there have been no big attacks, like the one on Tuesday in which up to 50 people hiding in a church were burned alive in a village in the west. But reports from the provinces indicate the killings are still going on. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7168580.stm Nairobi braced for banned rally Odinga supporters say he was robbed of victory The Kenyan opposition leader, Raila Odinga, has said he will hold a rally in the capital, Nairobi, despite a police ban. Security forces have surrounded the park where the rally is due to be held. Refusing to accept defeat to Mwai Kibaki in the 27 December presidential election, Mr Odinga's party boycotted crisis talks with the new president. More than 300 people have been killed and at least 70,000 driven from their homes across Kenya since Sunday. Both sides have hardened their positions ahead of the planned mass rally on Thursday morning in Uhuru Park, the BBC's Grant Ferrett reports from Nairobi. And hopes of outside mediation are fading with news that a visit by African Union leader John Kufuor to Nairobi is unlikely to happen, our correspondent adds. Mr Odinga said the rally would send a peaceful message to supporters opposition. Salim Lone, his campaign manager, told the BBC that his party was not courting trouble. "The eyes of the world are on us for this rally, because everywhere Mr Odinga goes, he is asked are you going to allow this rally to happen," he said. But Vice-President Moody Awori urged Mr Odinga to accept defeat and call off the protest. "Please do not risk the lives of Kenyans, encouraging a large crowd of people coming in Nairobi on a working day," he said, speaking to reporters. Riot police blocked opposition supporters trying to break out of slum areas to reach the city centre earlier in the week. 'Genocide' Supporters of Mr Odinga and President Kibaki have accused each other of genocide. See Kenya's ethnic divisions by province Mr Kibaki had invited all newly elected members of parliament to an urgent meeting at state house. But instead of attending, Mr Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement MPs held a news conference to again urge Mr Kibaki to leave office. "How could we attend?" ODM secretary general Anyang Nyongo was quoted by AFP news agency as saying. "He is not a president but a usurper. It is genocide because police are killing people." Mr Odinga himself said there could be no "dialogue with a thief", referring to the alleged vote-rigging which returned Mr Kibaki to office. Speaking on behalf of the government, Lands Minister Kivutha Kibwana accused the ODM of planning, funding and rehearsing "genocide and ethnic cleansing" before the election. The mutual accusation of genocide is a dangerous escalation of the rhetoric at a time of heightened tension, our correspondent notes. 'Two patriots' Mr Kufuor, president of Ghana, had been expected to arrive on Thursday but a senior Kenyan government minister said on Wednesday the visit would not take place. Finance Minister Amos Kimunya told the BBC the visit was not going ahead because there was no need for international mediation in a "Kenyan The comments are contrary to statements from Mr Kufuor's office that Mr Kibaki has invited him to Kenya. Michael Ranneberger, the US ambassador, told the BBC World Service that Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga had to work together to bring peace to Kenya, even if the election result was still being contested. "This is a time when two of the greatest Kenyan patriots - the president and Raila Odinga - need to step forward and work out a practical way forward in the interests of the Kenyan people," he said. Samuel Kivuitu, head of Kenya's election commission, told the BBC's Network Africa programme that he could not say for sure if Mr Kibaki had won fairly until he was shown the original records. "I don't know until I see the records - the original records - which I can't see unless the court authorises it - if we can get authority from law allowing us to check whether these figures are correct, we'll do so," he said. The full devastation and horror of this week's unrest emerged on Wednesday as journalists visited the charred slums of Nairobi and areas of western Kenya which saw tribal violence. Fear in the night The BBC's Karen Allen walked through the smouldering embers of the wooden church on the outskirts of Eldoret, in the Rift Valley, where some 30 people were burnt alive. People have been trying to identify dead relations in a Kisumu morgue The people sheltering there were members of President Kibaki's own community but other groups were also targeted. Political rivalries have exposed ethnic tensions these past few days and communities that once lived side by side now torn apart, our correspondent says. Patrick Nongyez of the local Red Cross said he had never seen anything like the church attack in Kenya. As dusk fell, hundreds of people were preparing to sleep at the main police station for security. Chemu Mungo, an Eldoret student, told BBC Radio 5 Live that people in the town felt the only safe place to go now was the bush. http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnL08520443.html Protesters riot after Kenya cabinet announcement Tue 8 Jan 2008, 18:00 GMT By Barry Moody and Daniel Wallis NAIROBI, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Opposition supporters rioted in the western city of Kisumu on Tuesday after Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki named several members of a new cabinet, dashing hopes of an end to post-election bloodshed. Witnesses said protesters built burning barricades and stoned cars in Kisumu, a stronghold of opposition leader Raila Odinga, after Kibaki named 17 new ministers. Local reporter Baraka Karama told Reuters police shot dead one protester in Kisumu. Residents of Nairobi's Mathare and Kibera slums said hundreds of opposition supporters took to the streets, some brandishing machetes. Almost 500 people have died in the violence since a disputed Dec. 27 election returned Kibaki to power. The opposition, which says Kibaki holds power illegally after rigging the election, had earlier rejected bilateral negotiations with the government to end the violence. The cabinet announcement, which the opposition sees as an attempt to cement Kibaki's victory, reduced the scope for a national unity government, which he had offered earlier. It came as African Union chairman and Ghanaian President John Kufuor arrived for talks with both sides on the crisis. Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), said Kibaki's announcement had no legal basis and made a mockery of his agreement to enter serious negotiations with Kufuor mediating. "This is the latest and most serious of many efforts by Mr Kibaki to undermine the Kufuor mission," a statement said. Kibaki has invited Odinga to talks on Friday but the opposition leader said they were a "sideshow" and he would only attend negotiations mediated by Kufuor. Kibaki did not invite Kufuor to Friday's talks and officials say he will remain in Nairobi for little more than 24 hours. TELEVISED ADDRESS Kibaki made a televised addressed to the nation to announce his cabinet, but did not mention the crisis. He retained several figures hated by the opposition, including former hardline Interior Minister John Michuki, who moved to the roads ministry. Despite huge international pressure, especially from Western powers, Kibaki and Odinga have still not met face-to-face since violence erupted when Kibaki was sworn in on Dec. 30. Odinga says Kibaki stole the election and must step down and make way for a new vote after a transitional period. Kibaki is reluctant to accept international mediation. His officials say the crisis is an internal matter. Odinga accused Kibaki of trying to divert attention from Kufuor's mission by offering bilateral talks. "Clearly, he is extremely worried about an independent, international review of the election outcome," Odinga said. Finance Minister Amos Kimunya, reappointed to the new cabinet, told Reuters the turmoil could could cost east Africa's biggest economy around $1 billion. One of the worst crises since Kenya's independence from Britain in 1963 has also badly hit a swathe of central and east African countries dependent on Mombasa port on the Indian Ocean. Britain and the United States pressed Kibaki and Odinga to negotiate a solution. "They need to agree upon something that they can both live with that ends the political crisis and therefore ends the possibility of any further political violence," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. Relatives were still retrieving bodies in the area around the western town of Eldoret after last week's violence. Faith Wairimu broke down in sobs as she stumbled across her husband's dismembered body in a field late on Monday. He was hacked to death in the same attack near Eldoret in which 30 people died in a church set on fire by a mob. Odinga had looked on course to win the election until Kibaki, 76, was handed a narrow victory. Both sides alleged widespread rigging and international observers say the poll fell short of democratic standards. (Additional reporting by Tim Cocks in Eldoret, Katie Nguyen, Daniel Wallis, George Obulutsa, Helen Nyamabura-Mwaura, Nicolo Gnecchi in Nairobi and Sue Pleming in Washington; Writing by Barry Moody; Editing by Keith Weir) http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C01%5C08%5Cstory_8-1-2008_pg4_2 Kenya Opp cancels protest rally: Odinga * Parliament to open on 15th * UN-backed panel likens Kenyan killings to genocide NAIROBI: Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga said Monday he had cancelled a nationwide protest rally for the next day in order to talk with international mediators seeking to resolve the country's crisis. But he said further rallies could go ahead at a later date and that Tuesday's nationwide rally had simply been postponed. "We have not cancelled it, what we have done is we have postponed it because now there is a possibility of mediation talks beginning on Wednesday," Odinga told Kenya's Sawa Radio. Ahmed Hashi, a spokesman for Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement, said earlier that the rally had been cancelled and that the decision was prompted by the expected arrival of the head of the African Union, Ghanaian President John Kufuor. Odinga said that he had spoken to Kufuor. "He assured me that he will be arriving tomorrow here and the talks will begin on Wednesday, because of that we have decided to postpone the rally to some future date," Odinga said. The opposition leader said he met with top US Africa envoy Jendayi Frazer for two hours and hoped she would stay to meet with Kufuor too. "It will be good if she is there. We want to see a more international presence in this meeting." Odinga also said he was ready to start a dialogue with President Mwai Kibaki, whom he accuses of rigging the December 27 poll, about several options including power sharing and re-elections. The government welcomed the cancellation of Tuesday's demonstrations, which it had already banned. Parliament opens on 15th: Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki on Monday said he would convene a new session of parliament on January 15, despite the opposition's refusal to recognise his re-election. "In a legal notice issued today, President Mwai Kibaki proclaimed that a new session of Parliament will begin on Tuesday January 15," the presidential press service said in a statement. Genocide: A United Nations-backed panel said Monday the killings spurred by disputed presidential elections in Kenya were "akin to ethnic cleansing and genocide." "Some of these killings are perpetuated in the most bizarre and cold-blooded manner, akin to ethnic cleansing and genocide, as they target the most vulnerable including women and children," Liberata Mulamula, chief of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGK), said in a statement. "Refugees, internal displacement, hate campaigns and threats of genocide are returning to the region," he warned. As Kenya braced for further clashes ahead of a day of nationwide opposition demonstrations planned for Tuesday, the ICGK urged the government to protect civilians and called on the opposition to restrain its supporters. "I appeal to all the parties and people in Kenya to exercise restraint and halt all forms of violence, hate campaigns and condemn any killings of innocent people in Kenya," Mulamula said. Agencies http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iiYAubRnZ532unjZwZjzsyKQj8MQ Kenya death toll tops 700 as protest rallies loom: police 3 days ago NAIROBI (AFP) - A prominent US-based rights group called on Kenyan authorities Sunday to lift a ban on political rallies ahead of new protests this week, as the death toll from post-election violence topped 700. Police gave the fresh death toll from violence sparked by December 27 presidential polls after four people died in overnight clashes in the Rift Valley and 100 more bodies were discovered. Human Rights Watch urged the government to allow rallies led by opposition leader Raila Odinga, which are due to start Wednesday to protest alleged vote-rigging that led to President Mwai Kibaki winning a second five-year term. Police have outlawed any public meetings since bloody clashes erupted after Kibaki's victory was declared and many feared a showdown with protesters. Besides the rising death toll, the violence has forced more than 250,000 people to flee their homes. "The government should defuse tension by immediately lifting the ban on public assembly and allowing the planned demonstrations to go ahead," said Georgette Gagnon, HRW acting chief for Africa. "The Kenyan government should urgently and publicly order the police to stop using excessive, lethal force against public rallies," she added, after police cracked down on previous rallies with tear gas, truncheons and warning shots. International pressure is growing on Kibaki and Odinga to break their deadlock and drop all preconditions for face-to-face talks. "The potential for further bloodshed remains high unless the political crisis is quickly resolved," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. Mediation efforts by African Union chairman John Kufuor failed but he left Nairobi last week stating that the two rivals had agreed to work with a panel, led by former UN chief Kofi Annan, "towards resolving their differences." It remains unclear, however, just what Annan's role would be, with Kibaki rejecting the idea of outside mediation. "All hope must be given to this mediation," said French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. He called on Kenya's leaders to "heed reason" and put an end to "more violence and more division". The turmoil has shattered Kenya's image as a beacon of stability in otherwise restive East Africa, and dealt a serious blow to the region's largest economy. "The country-wide death toll is more than 700 dead," a top police commander told AFP on Sunday, after 89 more bodies were recovered in the Rift Valley and western provinces. Four new deaths were meanwhile reported in the Rift Valley overnight. Eleven people -- including eight members of one family -- were recovered from pit latrines in the volatile Mount Elgon region, police said. An official from the Kenya Red Cross Society confirmed the new recorded deaths, and revised its official toll from 486 to 575 dead. A tally by AFP meanwhile stands at 704. Odinga is refusing to recognise Kibaki's re-election or to sit down with him until he admits to fraud. And he told a packed congregation of some 2,000 supporters at a Nairobi church on Sunday that he would fight on. "Kenyans spoke for change, Kenyans want change and Kenyans will get change," he said, thanking supporters "for voting so overwhelming for me as president of this country," sparking loud cheers. Elsewhere in the city, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka -- who until last week led a small opposition party -- warned that organisers would be accountable for the consequences if they did not call off next week's protests. Many Kenyans have begun stocking up on provisions amid uncertainty over the outcome of the rallies. Cosmas Mbugua, a 46-year-old mechanical engineer, withdrew extra cash at one Nairobi supermarket and bought supplies of flour, sugar and beans. "It's very uncertain," he said. Emos Soul, an accountant for the Red Cross, said he expected more violence, as he bought powdered milk and other provisions. "We'd rather suffer another week or month than suffer five more years," he said. Another expected flashpoint was Tuesday's re-opening of parliament after Kibaki swore in a partial cabinet last week to widespread criticism at home and abroad. The Kenya Red Cross Society warned Saturday of degenerating conditions for those displaced by the recent unrest, mostly in the west of Kenya and in slums around the capital. Meanwhile, Odinga's opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party claimed that Uganda had sent troops to Kenya's western region at the request of Kibaki's government ahead of the protests -- something police flatly denied. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 17:39:25 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 01:39:25 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] PAKISTAN: Ongoing protests by lawyers, students, journalists over dictatorial regime Message-ID: <00e001c85972$f56a5730$0802a8c0@andy1> * Qaid-e-Azam university students continue protests * Students demonstrate at three Lahore universities * Islamabad journalists camp out against press curbs * Police stop Bhutto protest near capital * 5000 arrested to stop rally against dictatorship * School students arrested for protesting * Two children killed as police open fire on Karachi protesters * "Muted response" to opposition protest call * Young Pakistanis turn to Web for protest * Lawyers' protests continue * Lawyers, prisoners' wives continue protests in Islamabad, Rawalpindi * NUML students protest * QAU students continue protest * Lahore students protest outside college * Lawyers' protest enters 36th day * Lahore student arrests spark protest * Lawyers protest across country, clash with police in Multan * Judges' wives protest at home * Lawyers protest, Sharif blocked * Scores of lawyers rally * Journalists continue protests * Insaaf student group organises protests * Protests against press law to continue into January * Candlelit protest at sacked judge's house * Lawyers protest at Supreme Court * Journalists' protest enters 45th day * Students protest media curbs * Journalist protests continue into Eid * Islamabad lawyers resume protest * Lahore student protests continue * Islamabad journalists continue protest * Suicide bomber hits police in Lahore * Journalists' protest enters 66th day * Lawyers meet for protest as bomber kills 24 * Journalists' protest enters 69th day http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C11%5C09%5Cstory_9-11-2007_pg11_3 QAU students protest against emergency rule continues ISLAMABAD: Numerous Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) students on Thursday staged a rally outside the university premises against the proclamation of emergency rule in the country and suspension of the constitution on November 3. The students and QAU faculty members protest entered the fourth day. The students, who were earlier protesting on the university premises, marched towards the Constitution Avenue but the law enforcement agencies personnel stopped them. The students raised anti-government slogans. A senior official of the QAU told Daily Times that the university administration was concerned about the student march. He said angry students could damage the public property. He said the administration had requested the students to avoid protest demonstration outside the university premises. The protesting students said they could go to any extent to press the government to end the state of emergency and restore the constitution. They said the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) would not be accepted. They also demanded reinstatement of deposed chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. The students were wearing black armbands. However, they dispersed peaceful. staff report http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C11%5C10%5Cstory_10-11-2007_pg13_3 Students continue protest By Adnan Lodhi LAHORE: Students of FAST-NU, Punjab University, and LUMS held demonstrations on Friday against the imposition of emergency rule. FAST-NU: Up to 500 students gathered at the FAST-National University campus after the Friday prayers and shouted slogans against the imposition of emergency rule. Students wore black armbands and most of them were dressed in black. Several students addressed the rally and said students would continue countrywide protests until the end of emergency rule. "We are protesting for the restoration of democracy," a student said. Students had a right to voice their opinion, he said. "Our protest has nothing to do with politics and political parties." FAST director Muhammd Arshad said, "We have allowed students to protest within the school premises, but will not allow them to protest outside on roads." He said the FAST administration did not support protests. "We can not force them to stop protesting," he said, adding that if students would break any rule, the school administration would take action the violators. IJT: The PU IJT activists and PU teachers and other staff members gathered after the Friday prayers. Protestors marched from Jamia Mosque to the Chemical Engineering Department. PU IJT nazim Muhammad Ayub said ordinary people had rejected the imposition of emergency rule. "The army rule has forced students to come on roads and demand their rights," he said. He said students would hold protests inside the campus for a week and after that they would come out on roads and would keep protesting till democracy was restored in the country. PU teachers also joined the protest. PhD students: PU PhD students protested in favour of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Ahmed Chaudhry. They condemned the ban on TV channels. PUASA: PUASA members held a meeting on Thursday night at the PU and framed the National Solidarity Committee to run a protest campaign against emergency. PUASA president Dr Mumtaz Ahmed Salik told Daily Times that teachers of public universities were part of the committee. LUMS: A number of hostel students protested against the emergency rule after the Friday prayers and demanded the restoration of democracy. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C11%5C10%5Cstory_10-11-2007_pg11_6 Journalists protest media curbs ISLAMABAD: Journmalists and other media people staged a protest demonstration in front of Islamabad Press Club camp office against the imposition of restrictions on electronic and print media on Friday. A large number of journalists took part in the demonstration. They strongly condemned the recent steps of the government and vowed that restrictions on media, in any form, would not be accepted. They demanded an end to the emergency rule and restoration of independence of judiciary and media immediately. Former minister J Salik was also present. Later, the protestors assembled in front of the building of a private TV channel and marched towards PEMRA headquarters. After the protest march, it was decided the future strategy would be announced at the Press Club camp office. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Secretary General Mazhar Abbas, Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists President Afzal Butt, Islamabad Press Club President Rashid Minhas, Talat Hussain, Kashif Abbasi, Hamid Mir and Huma Ali addressed the protesting media persons. online http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/archive/2007-11/2007-11-09-voa1.cfm?CFID=214520562&CFTOKEN=53371044 Pakistani Police Keep Bhutto From Leading Protest Near Capital Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was freed late Friday after a day of house arrest that prevented her from attending a demonstration in Rawalpindi. Transcript of radio broadcast: 09 November 2007 MP3 - Download Audio Listen to MP3 Listen in RealAudio This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. The political crisis in Pakistan deepened Friday. Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto tried to lead a big protest against emergency rule declared last Saturday by President Pervez Musharraf. Instead, the former prime minister spent the day under house arrest. She tried to leave her home in Islamabad to attend the demonstration that she organized in nearby Rawalpindi. But she could not get past barriers and hundreds of police around her home. Late in the day, however, Benazir Bhutto was freed. The government said the detention order had been withdrawn. In Rawalpindi, police clashed with several hundred protesters who violated a ban on demonstrations. Benazir Bhutto says she still plans to lead a protest march early next week from Lahore to Islamabad. She returned to Pakistan last month after eight years of exile to avoid corruption charges. Before she returned, she had been negotiating with President Musharraf on a possible political alliance. Last weekend, the president dismissed the Supreme Court. He has placed the chief justice and other judges under house arrest. He also suspended the constitution and shut down privately owned television news stations. And he gave wide powers to officials to crush dissent. Protests have been suppressed, sometimes violently, by police in recent days. How many people have been detained is unclear. The number is in the thousands, including opposition members, human rights activists and lawyers. The opposition is demanding that President Musharraf end emergency rule, retire as army chief and hold elections in January. World leaders, including President Bush, have also called on him to do these things. President Bush considers the leader of the nuclear-armed nation an important ally against terrorism. Since two thousand one the United States has given Pakistan almost ten billion dollars in aid, mostly for its military. National elections were planned for early January. This week, General Musharraf said elections would now be held by February fifteenth. He also said he will resign as army chief before he is sworn in again as president. He said he will keep that promise once the new Supreme Court confirms his re-election. Benazir Bhutto said the election announcement was simply an attempt to quiet growing dissent. General Musharraf seized power in nineteen ninety-nine. Later he was elected to a five-year term. And, last month, lawmakers elected him to another term. Many political observers say he declared emergency rule because he feared that the Supreme Court would cancel his re-election. The court had been considering whether he was permitted by law to run for president while serving as army chief. General Musharraf says he declared emergency rule because of a growing threat from Islamic militants and activist judges. http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2208760,00.html Riot police deployed to prevent Benazir from leading anti-Musharraf protest ? 5,000 arrested to stop rally against emergency rule ? Ex-prime minister mulls deal with military dictator Declan Walsh in Islamabad Saturday November 10, 2007 The Guardian Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and her supporters try to push their way through a police barricade outside her home in Islamabad. Photograph: David Guttenfelder/AP Benazir Bhutto was going nowhere. A phalanx of riot police stood at the end of her leafy street, tapping their shields and manning a barbed wire barricade. Armoured vehicles rolled in. Officers even prowled the neighbours' gardens, just in case the opposition leader might vault her back wall. "All this, for one unarmed woman," said her spokeswoman Sherry Rehman. In nearby Rawalpindi, where Bhutto was due to hold a mass rally against President Pervez Musharraf's emergency rule, the clampdown was even greater. A city of 5 million people had virtually shut down. Police roamed the deserted streets on motorbikes, horses and by foot. A straggle of Bhutto loyalists who ventured outside were chased and, in some cases, thrashed. The party said that 5,000 had already been arrested. The handful that made it to Bhutto's suburban house in Islamabad, 15 miles away, were bundled away by plain-clothed intelligence officials. All resisted arrest, waving v-signs to the media as they were carted off. A few took it personally. "Please tell me why I am being arrested. I have done nothing wrong", protested Naheed Hayat, a British-Pakistani supporter, as she was shoved into a car. But there was no rough treatment for Bhutto's top lieutenants, who sailed past the security and into her tightly-guarded house. The contrast underscored the fact that despite her fiery rhetoric about "military dictatorship", Bhutto refuses to rule out a deal with Musharraf. Bhutto made two symbolic attempts to break through the police cordon. At one point over 100 journalists dashed down a side-street, thinking she might emerge. In the late afternoon, however, she made it to the end of the street, where she delivered an impromptu speech. "This is not a battle for Benazir Bhutto. This is a battle to save Pakistan," she declared through a loudhailer, standing behind a coil of barbed wire and surrounded by 50 party leaders. She was "very disappointed" with Musharraf, she said, and called for "the restoration of the constitution, for General Musharraf to keep his commitment to retire [as army chief] on November 15, and for the holding of elections on schedule." But the impromptu speech mostly focused on rising Islamist extremism. Pakistani mountain villages had recently fallen to the Taliban, she warned, and the situation could descend into Iraq-like anarchy. "We have seen what happens in Iraq. There was a dictatorship, the people revolted, and there was a bloody end ... We don't want the history of Iraq to be repeated here in Pakistan." The threat was underscored in Peshawar, 160 km (100 miles) to the west, where a suicide bomber attacked the home of the minister for political affairs, Amir Muqam. Four people died; the minister escaped unscathed. Technically, Bhutto said, she was not under house arrest because the government had not served her with an arrest warrant. "But I'm illegally stopped from moving by barbed wire and blockades." But, in another sign relations with Musharraf remained alive, the speech was broadcast on state-run Pakistan Television. Then Bhutto got into her armoured jeep and drove away, followed by party officials who had earlier vowed to reached Rawalpindi "at any cost". The police also turned up outside the house of the former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who was fired by Musharraf last week and has been under house arrest since. The police tried to move him to the western city of Quetta but he refused to go. "He said he was determined to stand with the lawyers until his last drop of blood," said a lawyer close to him. Late last night, after the US government urged Gen Musharraf to lift the restrictions on Bhutto, the government obliged. "The detention order has been withdrawn," Aamir Ali Ahmed, a police official in Islamabad said. Critics said the failed demonstration was more political theatre than a genuine attempt to unseat Musharraf. "Nobody believes this is a genuine protest. She wants to hijack the lawyers' movement," said Athar Minallah, a leader of the lawyers' movement. "She still wants to negotiate with General Musharraf." Another lawyer compared it to a local form of fake wrestling where rivals bounce off one another but rarely strike a blow. The standoff certainly paled in comparison with the full-blooded clashes between police and lawyers that have landed at least 2,500 people in jail over the past week, many of them lawyers. And Bhutto's rhetoric - talks were "suspended" and there had been no "direct communication" - suggested a resumption of negotiations is still possible. The list of world leaders condemning emergency rule lengthened to included former presidents Nelson Mandela and Jimmy Carter. Musharraf has tried to deflate criticism by saying promised elections will take place by mid February. But critics said that without an immediate reversal of the draconian legislation, any polls would be meaningless. "Nobody's calling for elections on February 15. People are saying they want the rule of law," said Asma Jahangir, the country's leading human rights campaigner, speaking from house arrest in Lahore. "And if America wants to continue supporting their precious dictator, then I'm afraid the unrest will continue until they back off." As evening fell most of the police around Bhutto's house moved off, pulling off their riot gear and swinging their sticks. "A very good day," commented officer Rast Ali, with a smile, as he strolled down the street. "We're just doing our duty. General Musharraf is the one in charge." http://www.indianexpress.com/story/238762.html Police arrest schoolkids for holding anti-Govt protest Press Trust Of India Posted online: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at 0000 hrs ISLAMABAD, NOVEMBER 13 : The Pakistan Police arrested 48 school students, the youngest being a 12-year-old, who participated in a silent rally in Islamabad, on Monday, to protest against the emergency imposed by President Pervez Musharraf. With mouths taped with silver and white duct tape and holding placards with slogans such as "Justice for justices" and "Free the media", about 100 students braved police batons. "Students of various high schools organised a silent protest. When the policemen approached us and asked us to stop, we did and tried to cooperate with them. But as we were going back, 600-700 policemen, including women officers, anti-terrorist squad commandos and officers in plainclothes descended and told us they would arrest us because a protest rally was not allowed," said Samad Khurram, a student who participated in the protest. He accused the police of using batons to disperse the children, pushing, dragging and even abusing them before they were pushed into police vans. A large number of girls also participated in the protest, probably the first of its kind organised by school children. "Most of those arrested were students of class XI to XII" Khurram said. After police pushed 48 students into vans, lawyers and human rights workers present at the spot managed to convince them not to arrest any more children. Later, the police released the students, but obtained written assurances from them that they would not participate in future rallies. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200711152021.htm Two children killed in firing during protest in Karachi Karachi (PTI): Two children were killed on Thursday when police and supporters of former Premier Benazir Bhutto traded fire during a demonstration in this southern port city against her house arrest, the first protest deaths in the country since the imposition of emergency on November 3. The incident occurred as supporters of Bhutto continued protests against her house arrest in parts of Karachi, including Lyari, a stronghold of her Pakistan People's Party (PPP), witnesses said. Two children one aged 11 and the other 12 were killed when the gunfire broke out in the Chakiwara locality in Lyari, they said, adding fired teargas to disperse the demonstrators. A PPP statement alleged that police resorted to firing on the protesters. It said major towns and villages in Sindh province were shut down and police used force to disperse people protesting the detention of Bhutto and the arrest of hundreds of PPP leaders and workers. The statement said Nawabshah city was closed completely by people to vent their anger against the "collapsing regime" which is opposing the democratic struggle led by Bhutto. The PPP also alleged that police resorted to firing on its protesters in Sakrand town in which one person was injured. Police detained eight PPP workers, including the injured one, and registered a case against them. In Jamshoro, over 50 PPP leaders, workers and others were arrested, the statement said. The protesters blocked roads, paralysing vehicular traffic while shop-keepers pulled down shutters in protest. In Chachro, over two dozen PPP workers were arrested following a protest, the statement said. Bhutto has been under house arrest in Lahore since Tuesday to prevent her from leading anti-emergency protests. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/FullcoverageStoryPage.aspx?id=d8d73b99-e857-449b-9c9f-05b6d8a9d95aEmergencyruleinPakistan_Special&&Headline=Not+many+protest+against+General Not many protest against General Kamal Siddiqi, Hindustan Times Email Author Karachi, November 15, 2007 First Published: 22:44 IST(15/11/2007) Last Updated: 22:53 IST(15/11/2007) The muted response to Emergency measures imposed by General Pervez Musharraf is worrying many in Pakistan. Unlike in the past, when thousands emerged to combat extra-constitutional measures, this time round the people have largely kept off the streets. "One would have expected more people on the roads. But the streets are empty," laments Nazish Brohi, a human rights activist. Brohi says that she has attended at least 12 public protests in the past week, but in almost all of them attendance was very thin. Human rights activists, lawyers, a sprinkling of journalists and NGO members were seen at the protests. Ghazi Salahuddin, a local journalist, finds this indifference exasperating. "I think General Musharraf has played his cards well. The public protest over the emergency in Pakistan has been quite muted." One of the reasons why many Pakistanis feel the protests have not been vociferous is possibly because of a ban on private TV channels which would have shown how events were unfolding in the country. There have been interesting twists and turns in way the public have reacted to the imposition of "Emergency-plus" in Pakistan. Many lawyers and politicians have come out on the roads and been arrested. But the most potent force that usually appears at these times - the right wing parties - have been subdued. There have been few protests from religious parties against the Emergency. So disappointing has been the response of right wing parties that some people have accused them of being in league with the government. This point was brought home when student activists of the right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami party helped in having Imran Khan, leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, arrested on Wednesday. The Jamaat is supposed to be part of the grand Opposition alliance. However, its members have sat on the sidelines as members of civil society take on the government. While the right wing parties may have an ulterior motive, the public apathy has raised many eyebrows. This silence, however, cannot be taken for indifference, say others. Many say Pakistanis, increasingly becoming wary of violence on the streets, have decided the best option is to stay at home. "People are being targeted by the army and suicide bombers. Where does that leave us?" asked student Mudassir Kazi. At the same time, the onus now falls on Benazir Bhutto, who enjoys that kind of grassroots support not seen in other parties, to bring people on to the streets. But Benazir is cooling her heels under house arrest. Many feel as things stand, it is better to remain indifferent. A small minority, however, differs. There have been protests reported from all over the country, with some schoolchildren also joining in. These children have demanded respect for human rights and democracy. Political analysts say these are the days of drawing-room deals. "We have a tradition of proxy decision making and that is why people are elected before the elections," said one commentator. http://ydr.inyork.com/newsfull/ci_7471091 Young Pakistanis turn to Web for protest By ROBIN McDOWELL Associated Press Writer Article Last Updated: 11/15/2007 12:42:23 PM EST ISLAMABAD, Pakistan-Angry over emergency rule, Pakistani students are starting to demonstrate against their military ruler. And they are using the Web as well as the street to make their point. Samad Khurram said updating his online newsletter, the Emergency Telegraph, has practically become a full-time job. Offering advice on everything from avoiding arrest to staging "flash" rallies and organizing petitions, it is e-mailed to some 6,000 people. With independent TV news off the air, the Emergency Telegraph also provides links to Web sites with streaming video, as well as media contacts, inspirational references to figures like Che Guevara and messages from detained human rights activists and judges. "If my family knew what I was doing they would put me under house arrest," joked the 21-year-old, who is taking a semester off from Harvard. "And they would definitely take away my computer." Lawyers have been the standard-bearers for dissent since Nov. 3, when President Gen. Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency, saying it was needed to address Islamic militancy and stabilize the country. Critics say the general is trying to maintain his hold on power, noting that one of his first steps was to oust all Supreme Court judges who could have disqualified his re-election as president in a vote last month by national and provincial legislators. Most rallies this month have been quickly and often violently stamped out, and thousands of people have been jailed, including cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan, considered by many a symbol of the youth movement. Muhammad Naveed, a student from Punjab University in the eastern city of Lahore, said many young people worry about what will happen to those detained. "We are afraid the government will register cases against the students under the amended army act," he said, referring to measures that allow military courts to try civilians accused of committing treason or sedition or "giving statements conducive to public mischief." In the worst-case scenario, they could be sentenced to death, though jail time or fines would be more likely. There are signs students are growing more courageous. In the largest campus rally yet, 2,000 students gathered Thursday at a university in Lahore, chanting "Go, Musharraf, go!" and "Long live Imran Khan!" Earlier this week, police rounded up dozens of high school students who marched in the capital, Islamabad, with their mouths taped shut to protest a crackdown on the news media. They were later freed. But for now, many students feel more comfortable behind their computers, writing blogs, taking part in chat rooms, updating lists of detainees or lobbying politicians and Pakistanis overseas. Others circulate mobile phone text messages-perhaps one of the most effective means of dissent with more than 70 million cell phones nationwide, said Adnan Rehmat, who heads Internews Pakistan, a Washington-based media watchdog group. "This is how people are really networking, expressing themselves," he said. "People are sending messages of solidarity, relaying information about protest sites, that sort of thing." Students have been active in Pakistan in the past, especially in the years after independence from Britain in 1947, but many have become disillusioned with politics following a series of corrupt and authoritarian regimes. "Students were pretty apathetic, but that's changing," said Khurram, author of the Emergency Telegraph. He said that as soon as Musharraf ordered his crackdown, he and his friends began brainstorming by instant message. "We all agreed it was time to take a stance," he said. Momentum appears to be growing, especially at elite schools in Lahore. The arrest of Imran Khan on Wednesday at a student demonstration could add impetus to the movement, said Rashid, who edits a blog called the Emergency Times. He asked to be identified by only one name for fear of retribution. Many parents, who know how brutally dissent can be crushed, oppose activism by their sons and daughters. "Our parents are saying, 'Please, save your lives'," said Asif Ahmed, 22, an anthropology student and Khan supporter who has joined the protests despite her parents' pleas. "I am determined to bring a revolution to Pakistan," she said. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C11%5C20%5Cstory_20-11-2007_pg11_1 Lawyers' protest against emergency rule continues Staff Report ISLAMABAD: The lawyers of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Monday continued their protest against the state of emergency, suspension of the constitution and promulgation of the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO). In Islamabad, the lawyers continued staging one-hour hunger strike at the district courts, which was followed by a rally. The lawyers boycotted the courts' proceedings for an hour. Over 150 lawyers took a round of the courts and chanted anti-Musharraf slogans. Civil society representatives also participated in the rally and demanded restoration of fundamental rights of the citizens. The protestors said that the lawyers were being arrested to curb their movement for an independent judiciary and restoration of democracy in the country. They vowed that their movement would continue till the restoration of deposed judges and an end to the state of emergency. Islamabad District Bar Association (IDBA) President Haroonur Rasheed thanked the international community for support to their movement. Lawyers also thanked Jemima Khan, ex-wife of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, for holding protests in support of Pakistani people. Talking to Daily Times, Rasheed said 15 members of IDBA were arrested and of them seven had been released. He demanded that the government release all the lawyers immediately. A heavy contingent of police stood alert close to the rally but no arrests were made and after rally the lawyers dispersed peacefully. Meanwhile, The Rawalpindi District Bar Association (RDBA) also observed hunger strike and held a protest demonstration at the district courts. The situation became tense when a heavy contingent of police and armoured personnel carriers were deployed on the courts premises where hundreds of lawyers had assembled for the protest rally. The police stopped entry of people to the courts premises and asked those who were inside to leave. At one time it appeared the police would launch a crackdown on the lawyers and arrest them, but nothing happened. ASP Ashfaq Ahmed Khan told Daily Times that the police was deployed to avert any untoward situation. He said they would not stop lawyers from holding peaceful demonstration on the courts premises. However, a lawyer said heavy contingent of police were deployed to stop the lawyers from going to Islamabad for expressing solidarity with the media persons, especially the banned channels. The police moved along the lawyers' rally but did not try to disturb it. Earlier, the lawyers' general body meeting, held at the bar room, condemned Musharraf for imposing emergency and demanded the release of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Aitzaz Ahsan, Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) Rawalpindi bench President Sardar Asmatullah, RDBA Secretary Intizar Mehdi and Joint Secretary Shahbaz Rajput. SCBA former president Ikram Chaudhry and senior lawyers Ibadur Rehman Lodhi and Noshad Rana were also present. They said that they would continue their struggle for the restoration of deposed chief justice, the constitution as well freedom of media and release of the lawyers. Meanwhile, executive body of the LHCBA, Rawalpindi bench, in a meeting decided that association's vice-president Raja Asif Raza would be president of the bar till the release of Sardar Asmatullah. Most of the lawyers abstained themselves from appearing before the PCO judges. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C11%5C20%5Cstory_20-11-2007_pg7_45 Journalists, students protest media curbs and emergency * Benazir visits ARY office, says fair polls impossible without free media * Patterson visits Geo TV, urges govt to lift media ban ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: Journalists and students on Monday protested in the capital against the emergency rule, curbs on the media and suspension of judges, while former premier Benazir Bhutto and American ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson visited the offices of banned television channels in Karachi to express solidarity with the electronic media. The journalists protested outside the office of a banned private television channel to press the government to restore the media's freedom in the country. Politicians, civil society activists and students joined the journalists to express solidarity with them. The protest has been continuing for the past 10 days. Around 600 journalists were present in the protest. The journalists said they had been barred from criticising General Pervez Musharraf or his government. Restrictions on the media, they said, had stopped the flow of news highlighting the government's misdeeds. They demanded the government give its oft-quoted freedom of expression to the media. They said the media had played its role in the country's development, but the government had been calling journalists "traitors". They urged people to press the government to end the emergency rule and restore the fundamental rights. Former minorities minister J Salik was also present on the occasion. Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) President Afzal Butt also announced a rally on Tuesday (today) outside the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club. Separately, the students of a local college along with civil society members staged a protest at Aabpara market against curbs on the media. Around 100 protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the media curbs, emergency rule and the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO). The students of the Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) also staged a demonstration in the university premises. BB visits ARY TV: While visiting the office of ARY One World television channel in Karachi, Benazir said that fair elections were impossible without an independent media. She said, "The ban on the media is an attempt to suppress citizens' voice for real democracy." Patterson visits Geo TV: US ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson visited the office of Geo television. According to a US consulate press release, Patterson expressed her government's concern over the Pakistan government's orders to suppress the electronic media including Geo TV. "Such extreme and unreasonable measures . contradict the progress Pakistan has made towards . a democratic society," she was quoted as saying to Geo channel's management. She urged the Pakistan government to immediately lift the ban on the media, and permit broadcasters to resume their programming. staff report http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C11%5C24%5Cstory_24-11-2007_pg11_1 Twin cities lawyers' protest continues * Detained lawyers' wives also to protest today Staff Report RAWALPINDI: The lawyers of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Friday boycotted the courts and observed hunger strike to protest emergency rule in the country, suspension and detention of Supreme Court judges and arrest of leading lawyers. In Rawalpindi, the Rawalpindi District Bar Association (RDBA) staged a rally on the courts premises and also staged a hunger strike for one hour when they were allowed entry to courts after a 10-day break. The protesting lawyers also decided to continue the one-hour hunger strike daily until realisation of their objectives. Lawyers' Lovers - a civil society group - also joined the lawyers as a token of their solidarity.y. Before staging the rally, the lawyers attended a general body meeting of the RDBA at the Bar Hall in which they condemned the harassment of journalists and lawyers at the hands of police and law enforcement agencies. They said violence against people would do no good to the government and pledged to continue their struggle for restoration of democracy and the constitution, reinstatement of the deposed Supreme Court judges and lifting of restrictions on the media. Riffat Bashir Awan Advocate criticised President General Pervez Musharraf for imposing emergency in the country and said that the people of Pakistan had rejected his policies and believed that only an independent judiciary could ensure the rule of law and provide them justice. Sajid Khan Tanoli Advocate urged all patriotic political forces to boycott the January 8 election and urged the lawyers' community to unite. Aneela Atique, Tasneem Abbasi, Zafar Ahmed, Abdur Rashid and Abdul Hameed also addressed the lawyers. After the general body meeting, the lawyers staged a rally on the district courts premises led by Chaudhry Taufiq Asif. Shahbaz Ahmed Rajput, the RDBA joint secretary, told reporters that the wives of Justice (r) Tariq Mehmood, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Aitzaz Ahsan, Lal Masjid chief cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz's lawyer Shaukat Siddiqui and Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) President Sardar Asmaullah Khan would also observe a hunger strike on Saturday (today). He said the wives of eminent lawyers would also address the general body meeting. Meanwhile, Islamabad District Bar Association (IDBA) President Haroonur Rashid said that the lawyers would continue their struggle for freedom of the media and the judiciary and restoration of democracy. He said a hunger strike camp would also be set up that would be attended by 40-45 lawyers. He said lawyers would never accept the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) and they had decided to boycott the courts of the PCO judges. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C11%5C25%5Cstory_25-11-2007_pg11_3 NUML students protest against emergency ISLAMABAD: The students of Economics and International Relations departments of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) on Saturday staged a protest demonstration against the emergency imposed in the country. They wore black armbands and held placards inscribed with demands for restoring the Constitution, lifting the state of emergency and withdrawing the promulgation of the provisional constitutional order. The students raised slogans and asked the government to reinstate the deposed judges. They said the government was depriving people of information by curbing the electronic media. They made a round of the campus and said the government had replaced people's interests with its own interests. Later, the protesting students dispersed peacefully. staff report http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C11%5C28%5Cstory_28-11-2007_pg11_4 QAU students continue protest against emergency Staff Report ISLAMABAD: Students of the Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) continued their peaceful protest on Tuesday against the imposition of emergency in the country. Protests at the QAU have entered the third week. The students have been organising protest demonstrations on the premises of the university every day, except official holidays and Friday. On Tuesday, over 200 students marched inside the university and raised anti-government slogans. They termed proclamation of emergency unjustified. The protesters urged the government to restore the deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and to allow people to enjoy their fundamental rights. They vowed to continue their protest till lifting of emergency and restoration of integrity of the judiciary. They warned that they could go to any extent if the government did not meet their demands. The students demanded release of all arrested lawyers, political and civil society activists. They also criticised the government for curbs on media and said that freedom of media should be restored. To express their anger over the imposition of emergency, they also burnt an effigy of President General Pervez Musharraf. The students also made a chain of hands from the main entrance of the gate to the CJP Square to express solidarity with other segments of society struggling against the imposition of emergency. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C04%5Cstory_4-12-2007_pg13_5 Students protest suspension of judges Staff Report LAHORE: Around 50 students of various universities of the city protested the suspension of judges and of the constitution outside the National College of Arts (NCA) on Monday. The Students Association for Rescuing Pakistan (SARP) organised the protest. Students from NCA, Government College University, University of Management and Technology, King Edward Medical University, Punjab University, Fast National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences and COMSATS participated in the protest. Students held banners and placards inscribed with pro-deposed Supreme Court chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry slogans. The students demanded the restoration of the deposed judges. They also set up the CJ Square and placed bouquets and roses there. Some lawyers showed up and thanked the students for participating in the movement. The students said the movement would continue till the restoration of the deposed judges.The students also distributed pamphlets amongst the people. The pamphlet denounced the government for imposing emergency rule and the Provisional Constitutional Order. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C09%5Cstory_9-12-2007_pg11_4 Lawyers protest on 36th consecutive day ISLAMABAD: Lawyers on Saturday continued boycott of district courts for the 36th consecutive day after deposition of Supreme Court judges and imposition of emergency on November 3. The lawyers set up a hunger strike camp outside District Bar Room and shouted slogans against President Pervez Musharraf. They demanded release of detained lawyers and judges. The protest remained less active because most lawyers went to the funeral of senior lawyer Arbab Abbasi's father-in-law. Bar President Haroon-ur-Rasheed told Daily Times that lawyers would continue their movement until reinstatement of sacked judges. He appealed to people to join lawyers' movement. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C08%5Cstory_8-12-2007_pg7_32 LUMS students' arrest sparks protest By Adnan Lodhi LAHORE: Dozens of students, teachers, lawyers and representatives of civil society protested against the arrest of 10 students of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) on Friday. The students were arrested on Thursday night outside the house of Justice (r) Shahid Siddiqi in GOR 1. The Students' Action Committee (SAC), a group of students protesting against the emergency rule and suspension of the constitution, organised the protest. Syed Muhammad Shah, Lahore Bar Association president Firdaus Butt, Lahore High Court Bar Association Vice President and Justice (r) Nasira Javaid Iqbal also joined the protest. The protesters, wearing black armbands and holding placards, gathered in front of the District Jail at 1pm and shouted slogans against President General (r) Pervez Musharraf and the police officials. They demanded that the government release the arrested students. The participants staged a sit-in in front of the District Jail and distributed stickers and posters among the passers-by. A female student told Daily Times that students would continue their protest till the release of their friends. She said they had taken oath that they would not leave other students in trouble. She said police officials had asked her no to join the protest. A lawyer said, "Our solidarity with students will continue till the restoration of the constitution." No struggle, he said, could succeed without the participation of students. "We will carry on our struggle with students in colleges and universities," he added. Strong contingents of police tried to stop students from coming on the roads, but took no action. A police official, requesting anonymity, told Daily Times, "We don't want to disturb students, as they are demanding their rights. I also don't think their protest is a violation of rules. We have requested the protestors to disperse after some time." Protestors, representing civil society, also denounced the arrest of ASR Resource Centre's Pervaiz Khurshid who was arrested on Thursday night from the residence of sacked Justice Shahid Saddiqi. They said they would not disperse till the release of Khurshid. Model Town division superintendent of police (SP) Imran Ahmed ordered the station house officer (SHO) concerned to investigate the matter. The Women Action Forum (WAF) and lawyers condemned the arrest and demanded action against the officials involved in arresting Khurshid. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C07%5Cstory_7-12-2007_pg1_8 Lawyers protest across country, boycott courts * Many injured in clashes with police in Multan * RDBA demands govt restore sacked judges ISLAMABAD: Lawyers on Thursday boycotted court proceedings, hoisted black flags and staged rallies in various cities to demand an end to the emergency rule, reinstatement of dismissed judges and the restoration of the constitution, AP reported. Lawyers in Islamabad, and provincial capitals confirmed that they refused to appear in courts, and that hundreds staged protest gatherings, mostly at court premises. Clashes in Multan: Several lawyers and police were injured in scuffles during a protest rally in Multan, Online reported. The Multan Bar Association (MBA) took out a protest rally in the court premises in connection with "Save the Judiciary Movement". A heavy contingent of police deployed outside the court premises tried to stop the lawyers from coming on the road. As a result, clashes erupted between the police and lawyers. Several lawyers, including Khalid Ashraf Khan and Mian Adil Mushtaq, were injured due to police baton-charge. Multan DSP Naeem Khan Babar received a heavy thrashing from the furious protesters. Also, lawyers in Rawalpindi boycotted courts, according to a Daily Times report. Hundreds of lawyers gathered at Rawalpindi District Courts, and took out a rally led by LHCBA Rawalpindi chapter President Sardar Azmatullah. After taking a round of the district courts, the protesters blocked the Kutchery Chowk for half-an-hour. RDBA demands: Later, a meeting of the Rawalpindi District Bar Association (RDBA) was held, which demanded that deposed judges be restored, and media curbs lifted. staff report/agencies http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C07%5Cstory_7-12-2007_pg13_5 Wives of four former judges protest at Siddiqi's house LAHORE: Wives of four former judges participated in a protest on Thursday to express solidarity with deposed Lahore High Court judge MA Shahid Siddiqi. Among the protesters were Mrs Justice (r) MK Samdani, Mrs Justice (r) Javed Iqbal, Mrs Justice (deposed) Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and Mrs Justice (r) Jawwad S Khawaja. Justice (r) Nasira Javed Iqbal told Daily Times that she had appealed to all the segments of society to raise their voice against the illegalities of the government. She said it was the suitable time for the nation to save their country otherwise the nation would have to face the consequences of unconstitutional steps of the government. Dozens of lawyers, civil society activists and the Punjab University students also held a rally in GOR on Thursday to express solidarity with deposed LHC judges, Shahid Siddiqi and Justice Ijaz. The protesters were holding national flag and were chanting anti-government slogans. Besides Punjab University Law College students and lawyers, the activists of the Women's Action Forum, Shirkatgah Women Resource Centre, Concern Citizen Association, Labour Party and Tehrik-e-Insaf also participated in the protest. rana tanveer http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5ja_qQ4ADPdImDdhWdb4Jtlignc2A Pakistani lawyers protest, ex-PM Sharif blocked from home of dismissed chief justice Dec 6, 2007 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Thousands of lawyers boycotted courts across Pakistan on Thursday while police blocked former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and hundreds of his supporters from marching to the heavily guarded home of the country's deposed chief justice. Riot police nearly outnumbered the protesters in Islamabad, using concrete blocks and barbed wire to block the march to the official residence of ex-chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry. Chaudhry has been under house arrest since Nov. 3, when President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency and dismissed most of the Supreme Court. The moved came just before the court was to rule on the validity of Musharraf's October re-election by a parliament controlled by his supporters. Musharraf has since stacked the court with loyalists, who promptly dismissed all complaints against the former general's election. Meanwhile, lawyers in various cities boycotted court proceedings, hoisted black flags and staged rallies to demand an end to emergency rule, reinstatement of the dismissed judges, and restoration of the constitution, said Syed Mohammed Tayyab, secretary general of Islamabad Bar Association. Lawyers in Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Lahore and Karachi confirmed that they refused to appear in court and hundreds of them staged protest gatherings, mostly at court premises. Several lawyers and police were injured in scuffles at a rally in the central city of Multan, witnesses said. In Islamabad, Sharif led the marchers who included members of his party, lawyers in black suits and a number of women carrying flowers. Many chanted "Finish with your show; go, Musharraf, go." Sharif briefly addressed them before they dispersed peacefully, defusing a potential showdown with a government that has shown no tolerance for public dissent. Sharif, who was ousted by Musharraf in a 1999 coup and only returned from exile 10 days ago, vowed to continue pursuing the reinstatement of Chaudhry and other judges. "I want to tell the nation that past dictators were also used to ousting prime ministers, arresting them from their houses and hanging even one of them," he said. "Now a dictator has attacked the judiciary, and if the nation today ignores these actions of a dictator, history will not forgive it." Since returning from exile in Saudi Arabia, Sharif has become the president's most vehement critic. Another former prime minister and key opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, said Thursday that the issue of reinstating the justices should be left to the future parliament. Bhutto indicated that her party may call for anti-government protests if parliamentary elections on Jan. 8 are rigged. "Either the elections will be fair and the people will get their own parliament, or if elections are not fair, then the movement will start," Bhutto told reporters. She planned to fly to Dubai on Friday after document problems prevented her from boarding a flight to Dubai on Thursday. She was stopped at Islamabad's airport when she mistakenly presented an old, expired passport during a standard document check. Representatives of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N group and Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples party were reported to be nearing agreement Thursday on a joint set of conditions for their participation in the elections. The parties are expected to demand restoration of an independent judiciary and the constitution and creation of a neutral caretaker government and independent election commission, and will likely set a deadline for government compliance. "We're optimistic that we'll reach agreement because everyone wants to pull the country out of this crisis and prevent Musharraf from rigging the elections," said Ahsan Iqbal, spokesman for the Pakistan Muslim League-N. "Despite our differences in the past, we are legitimate democratic parties while Musharraf is an illegitimate military dictator." A boycott would undercut efforts that Musharraf - a key ally in the U.S. war on terror - says he is making to engineer a transition to democracy for Pakistan after eight years of military rule. It also would represent a major setback for the United States, which has promoted the former armed forces chief as a moderate leader able to stand up to Islamic extremism. Musharraf has freed most of the thousands of opposition activists and other arrested in the immediate aftermath of his Nov. 3 declaration of emergency rule. He also has promised to lift the emergency Dec. 16, about three weeks before the elections. http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/12/06/pakistan.crisis/ December 6, 2007 -- Updated 1127 GMT (1927 HKT) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Scores of lawyers rallied outside the house of Pakistan's ousted chief justice to demand his reinstatement on Thursday in the latest demonstration against emergency measures imposed by the country's crisis-hit president. Lawyers shout slogans outside the house of ousted chief justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry. The protest came as opposition leader Nawaz Sharif tried to breach security outside the home of the former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry in Islamabad to try to meet with him. Chaudhry has been kept in his home since November 3, when President Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency, using it to crackdown on opponents, including members of the judiciary likely to block his new term as president. A spokesman for Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League told CNN that Sharif would attempt to talk with Chaudhry, who was among judges sacked by Musharraf. Musharraf, who quit as military chief and was installed for a second five year term last month, has drawn criticism from nuclear-armed Pakistan's Western allies for the emergency, which he says will end ahead of a January 8 election. A police spokesman at the rally told CNN authorities have not placed Chaudhry under official house arrest. The officer cited risks to security and law and order as reasons for keeping him under wraps and restricting access to his home. Outnumbering protesters three to one, hundreds of Pakistani security force members, some dressed in riot gear, stood behind barbed wire and concrete blocks that blocked off one of the roads leading to Chaudhry's house. Scores of protesters chanted "Go Musharraf! Go!" while some protesters held signs that said "Stop slaughtering the judiciary" and "No one man show." Chaudhry has issued key rulings that have weakened Musharraf's grip on power -- including lifting the exile imposed on Sharif, an outspoken critic of Musharraf, the man who ousted him from power in a 1999 military coup. Sharif returned to Pakistan last month, ending seven years in exile in Saudi Arabia.. Earlier this week Sharif was disqualified from participating in Pakistan's January parliamentary elections because of a previous criminal conviction, a party spokesman said. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C12%5Cstory_12-12-2007_pg7_19 Journalists vow to continue their protest against media curbs ISLAMABAD: Journalists of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Tuesday continued their protest against the media curbs. They gathered in front of the offices of newspaper to press the government for their demands. Members of the civil society and students also joined the protesting journalists. They were carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans 'Stop violence against media', 'Restore freedom of press' and 'Restore the Chief Justice of Pakistan'. They condemned the code of conduct and ordinances being promulgated to curb the freedom of media. The journalists said they had been playing a vital role in the development of the country since its establishment. They urged the government to restore the freedom of media and maintain the rule of law in the country. They also demanded restoration of the deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other judges who had refused to take oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order. The journalists said they were united for their right to factual reporting. They said freedom of expression was the basic fundamental right of the people and no authority could suspend it without any solid justification. They also called upon Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to avoid unfair measures against the media. The media persons said they would resist all the unfair policies and measures of the government and they were ready to face all hardships for the independence of media. They also vowed to continue their struggle for media freedom. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Secretary General Mazhar Abbass and Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) President Afzal Butt addressed the participants of the protest rally. A contingent of police and senior officials of the security forces were present on this occasion. staff report http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C14%5Cstory_14-12-2007_pg7_50 ISF organises protest rally Staff Report PESHAWAR: The Insaaf Student Federation (ISF) organised a protest rally against the imposition of emergency and for the freedom of judiciary here on Thursday at the main campus of the University of Peshawar. ISF is the student wing of Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaaf, which has boycotted the 2008 general elections. More than 100 students participated in the rally. ISF campus President Murad Khan led the rally. "We want a free judiciary in our country," Murad Khan said, adding that, "All political parties should boycott the up coming general elections." He requested the student community to raise their voice against the imposition of martial law in the country. "Free and fair elections are not possible in the country without the presence of a free judiciary," he added. He pledged that the student community could save the country by launching a movement against the present administration. "We want rule of law in our country and not rule of a few individuals," he said. He said that it was a 'do or die' situation for the country and its people. He resented the negative approach of some political parties in handling the judicial crisis. "Every political party should demand the restoration of former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry," he said. Earlier students belonging to different departments gathered in front of the Institute of Management Sciences (IMS) from where they walked towards the vice chancellor's (VC) house. The rally was stopped by the police in front of the Law College and was not allowed to proceed. However, there was no clash between the students and the administration and the rally remained peaceful. It was the first activity organised by ISF on the campus. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C17%5Cstory_17-12-2007_pg7_38 Protest against 'anti-press laws' to continue until Jan 10: PFUJ ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) on Sunday announced the third phase of its protest against the two "anti-press" laws and restrictions on private TV channels, which would continue until January 10. The PFUJ decided to continue the protest campaign launched on November 5 following the government's refusal to withdraw the two amended ordinances, Registration of Printing and Publication Ordinance RPO-2002 and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA-2002), said a PFUJ statement. "Despite the lifting of emergency on December 15, the media is not free and we have evidence to prove our case. If the president is not interested in lifting restrictions, the media organisations will not hold negotiations with the government and continue protests," said the PFUJ statement. The PFUJ, after consultation with its affiliated bodies, has decided that all journalist unions will set up protest camps that would continue until January 10. The statement said that a meeting would also be held on December 27 with professional bodies including the Supreme Court Bar Association, the Pakistan Medical Association, trade unions and teachers associations to evolve a joint strategy to press the government to withdraw anti-media laws. It said after the January 8 general elections, the PFUJ would give a call for a large demonstration outside the Parliament on the occasion of the first session of the new National Assembly. staff report http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C16%5Cstory_16-12-2007_pg13_1 Candlelight protest outside Aitzaz's house * Lawyers, students and human rights activists among protesters * Protesters shout pro-Aitzaz slogans, demand government release detained lawyers By Rana Tanveer LAHORE: Lawyers, students, civil society activists and maternal aunt of Humayun Akhtar and a city district government official along with his family held a candlelight protest outside Aitzaz's residence on Saturday. The protesters denounced the government for not restoring the judges and for not releasing the detained lawyers including Aitzaz Ahsan, Justice (r) Tariq Mehmood and Ali Ahmed Kurd. The one-hour long protest culminated on the Canal Road. The protesters, both men and women, shouted slogans on the beat of a drum and demanded the government release Barrister Aitzaz and other lawyers. Participants were Lahore district officer (Environment) Tariq Zaman, human rights activist Faryal Gohar, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) vice president Ghulam Nabi Bhatti, SCBA secretary Amin Javed, Lahore High Court Bar Association vice president Firdos Butt, Lahore Bar Association (LBA) president Sayyed Muhammad Shah, LBA joint secretary Chanda Jamil, Khaksar Tehreek president Hamiduddin Mashraqi, the Women's Action Forum and Shirkatgah Women Resource Centre activists, LUMS students and a good number of children. Bushra Aitzaz thanked the participants for holding the protest. The protesters wore stickers inscribed with pictures of Aitzaz behind the bars and quotations demanding restoration of the deposed judges. They also observed a sit-in outside Aitzaz's residence for about 30 minutes. The protesters later marched towards the Canal Road. Reaching at the Canal, they chanted slogans. They, however, did not disturb the traffic. Tariq Zaman after realising the presence of media men avoided to talk and left the scene. Sadiqa Sahibdad, Humayun Akhtar's aunt, told Daily Times, "My presence on the scene shows that I favour the truth. I participated in the independence movement at the age of four. At the time I raised the same slogans which I am raising now." She said the military government had compelled her after 60 years to come to the streets for 'independence'. She said she would continue raising voice till the ouster of the government and restoration of the deposed judges. She said the "king's party" had hijacked the country. She said she had been arrested a few days ago for holding a rally in favour of Imran Khan. She said, "My husband is also a retired army officer, but I cannot even justify the military's wrongdoings." Taimur, a bank employee, said only the nation could compel the 'usurpers' to let the true democracy and constitution restored. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C20%5Cstory_20-12-2007_pg7_17 Lawyers' protest mars hearing at SC branch Staff Report LAHORE: Lawyers, human rights activists and students on Wednesday set up a combined hunger strike camp in front of the Supreme Court (SC) registry office to protest against the first proceedings at the SC branch after the judiciary was purged of following the imposition of emergency rule. The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA), and the Lahore Bar Association office bearers sat at the camp set up on a footpath outside the SC. The protesters were holding banners and posters inscribed with demands for the restoration of the deposed judges and release of lawyers and their leaders. Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) chairwoman Asma Jehangir, SCBA secretary Ameen Javed, LHCBA vice president Firdos Butt, Pakistan Bar Council member Hamid Khan, LBA president Sayyed Muhammad Shah, vice president Mian Asmatullah, secretary Shamim Malik, joint secretary Chanda Jameel and former LHCBA president Ahmed Awais were also present at the camp. The protesters raised slogans against the government and its allies for deposing the anti-PCO judges. The lawyers said they would continue their struggle till the restoration of the deposed judges. Asma said civil society would continue cooperating with the lawyers till the restoration of the judiciary to its pre-November 03 status. No lawyer had appeared before the PCO judges at the SC registry office, she added. She condemned lawyers who had been appearing before the judges who took oath under the PCO. She advised them not to appear in the PCO judges' courts and stick to lawyers' one-point agenda for the restoration of the judiciary to its pre-emergency status. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C18%5Cstory_18-12-2007_pg11_2 Journalists' protest enters 45th day ISLAMABAD: The journalists of Rawalpindi and Islamabad continued their protest on the 45th day on Monday to press the government to remove curbs on media and judiciary. The protesting journalists staged a sit-in in front of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club camp office. Tehreek-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan also joined the journalists to express solidarity with them. Speaking on the occasion, Khan said the country at present was not "totally independent", as the judiciary and media had been barred from working independently. "After 1947, it is another freedom movement, launched by journalists, lawyers and civil society members," he added. He said that those who had violated Article 6 of the constitution were traitors and should be brought to justice, adding that the journalists were fighting for the freedom of the whole nation. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Secretary General Mazhar Abbas said that it was regrettable that members of the board of governors of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) were ignorant of the ban imposed on private TV channels. staff report http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C18%5Cstory_18-12-2007_pg13_1 Students protest curbs on media * Students shout slogans, distribute fliers among people * Police urge students not to march on The Mall * Human rights activists and legal fraternity members also among protesters By Adnan Lodhi LAHORE: About 150 students demonstrated on Monday in front of Nasser Bagh against the curbs on the judiciary and the media. The Students Action Committee (SAC) had called for the protest. Human rights activists and legal fraternity members also participated in the protest. The protesters wore black armbands and shouted pro-Chief Justice of Pakistan (deposed) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and anti-Musharraf slogans. The police officials and officers kept on urging students not to march on the road, but to no avail. The protesters stayed at the Anarkali Chowk, The Mall, for 20 minutes. The SAC members told Daily Times they were protesting for the restoration of the judiciary. They said students would not sit idle till the restoration of judiciary, human rights and the constitution. A protester said President Musharraf had made a mockery of the constitution by making amendments for his (Musharraf's) personal benefits. He said, "Due to Musharraf's policies the country was fallen into chaos." Superintendent of police Ahsan said the police had the right to employ any means to tackle the protesters. Students returned to the Istanbul Chowk and stayed there for half-an-hour. They also made speeches on the megaphone. Passers-by waved at the students and flashed victory signs. The protesters dispersed peacefully at 2:45pm. Students were carrying placards inscribed with slogans Emergency Lifted, Nothing Changed and Restore the Judiciary. They also shouted Go Musharraf Go on megaphones. They also distributed fliers among the people urging them to protest against the present regime. Ali, a protester, said, "The protest is an eye opener against the mockery of the constitution, sacking of judges and curbs on the media." "Students will continue to work for the restoration of the judiciary, which is a true mechanism for a free and enlightened nation," said a female participant. The protesters later marched back to Nasser Bagh. They gathered near the National College of Arts (NCA) and shouted slogans for about 20 minutes. They also formed a human chain outside NCA. They demanded the restoration of the judiciary to pre-November 3 state. A student sang parody of a famous national song along with other participants - Tera Pakistan Hai Na Mera Pakistan Hai; Yea Us Ka Pakistan Hai Jo Sadr-e-Pakistan Hai. At the end of the protest the students sang the national anthem. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C24%5Cstory_24-12-2007_pg11_4 Journalists' protest continues on Eid Staff Report ISLAMABAD: Journalists of Islamabad and Rawalpindi continued protesting against media restrictions and for deposed judges outside Rawalpindi/ Islamabad Press Club's camp office during Eid days. Journalists staged sit-in and said that they would continue protest until government lifted media curbs and restore deposed judges. They said the government had imposed restrictions on media and judiciary after the two had started holding it accountable for unlawful actions. They said that media coverage of certain issues and election reporting didn't sit well with the government and therefore, media had to face restrictions. They demanded early freedom of media and restoration of deposed judges. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C25%5Cstory_25-12-2007_pg11_4 Islamabad lawyers resume protest Staff Report ISLAMABAD: Lawyers resumed their protest after Eid vacations and staged a hunger strike camp at the district courts to protest suspension of superior judiciary and the Constitution. They rejected the Jan 8 election and alleged that the former ruling party was misusing state machinery and resources to rig the election. They said election results had already been finalised and would be formalised on Jan 8. Islamabad District Bar Association (IDBA) President Haroonur Rasheed alleged that the government had already decided election results and will not allow any opposition party to get majority in the Parliament. He said increasing lawlessness in the country was another major concern and believed that an independent judiciary could stop the surging crime rate. He said people would stop taking the law into their own hands once judiciary administered them justice. He demanded restoration of all deposed judges and said that the present handpicked PCO judges would only worsen the county's law and order situation. The district courts wore a deserted look on Monday, as majority of lawyers preferred to stay at home due to Christmas holidays. A small number of lawyers present at the camp chanted anti-government slogans, demanding restoration of ousted judges and 1973 Constitution. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C01%5C06%5Cstory_6-1-2008_pg7_30 SAC calls for protest on January 8 LAHORE: The Student Action Committee (SAC) has called for a protest on January 8,2008 at 2 pm at Minar-e-Pakistan, in collaboration with civil society groups including lawyers and activists. According to a press release issued by the SAC on Saturday, this protest is against the removal of the "pre Nov 3" judiciary that stood for a just rule of law. They believe that the current regime's detention and treatment of Aitzaz Ahsen was baseless and only favoured a partisan attitude. According to the statement, the SAC urged the nation to join them in their protests at Minar-e-Pakistan and to not allow the nation to be exploited by opportunistic leaders and political parties. Furthermore they accused the current establishment of being inefficient in the case of the slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. staff report http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C01%5C08%5Cstory_8-1-2008_pg11_7 Journalists continue protest ISLAMABAD: Journalists of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad continued their protest in front of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club camp office for the 64th day on Monday to press the government for lifting curbs on the media. They said media curbs were an attempt to deprive the people of their constitutional right to freedom of speech and unhindered access to information. They regretted that the government was framing cases against them in order to discourage them from performing their professional duties. They vowed to continue their struggle and lend their support to other segments of society struggling for their rights. staff report http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=105545&d=11&m=1&y=2008 Bomber Kills 26 in Lahore Azhar Masood, Arab News ISLAMABAD, 11 January 2008 - A suicide bomber killed at least 22 police officers and four civilians outside the Lahore High Court yesterday. The bombing, which comes just two weeks after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, ripped through a busy square in the city center as dozens of riot police gathered ahead of an anti-government protest by lawyers. Up to 60 people, mainly police officers, were rushed to hospital. Dead police officers, dressed in full riot gear with protective vests and helmets, were seen lying where they had fallen. A dead horse, still attached to a vendor's cart, lay nearby. "Twenty-two policemen died in the attack, six are critically wounded... Around 35 have minor injuries," Lahore police chief Malik Iqbal told reporters. It was the first suicide bombing in Lahore, a relatively prosperous and secure city of about seven million people in Punjab province, since the wave of attacks began last year. Police constable Jameel Ahmed told local TV channels that the attacker was a man aged around 25, who had arrived outside the court on a motorbike. It is said that the bomber approached a police picket, was signaled to stop and then triggered a device packed with ball bearings. "It was a very loud blast. I was one of the first who rushed out of the court and I saw a man bleeding from his nose and mouth. He died minutes later," said lawyer Khurram Latif Khosa. "I saw about 50 to 60 injured police, bleeding, scattered everywhere. They were asking for water. There were body parts on the ground." A wounded officer with his clothes blown off by the force of the blast lay in the street screaming for help as security forces scrambled to cordon off the area. Television pictures showed wounded policemen being hauled onto stretchers and taken away by ambulance. Police caps, boots and riot shields littered the road. A security official said the head of a man with shoulder-length hair and a short beard, suspected to be the bomber, had been recovered. After visiting the blast site, Inspector General of Punjab Police Nasim Ahmed told reporters that the bomber's target was the police force. "Today's bombing was to demoralize the Punjab police, but it will not. They have given their lives while performing their duty." Mohammad Arshad, an 18-year-old clerk working in a lawyer's office across the road, said he saw blood and bits of flesh sticking to the broken windows of his building. Information Minister Nisar Memon blamed the attack on a terrorist campaign to disrupt elections and derail democracy. He told state television that the election would be held as scheduled. President Pervez Musharraf and caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro condemned the attack and ordered authorities to hunt down the perpetrators. "Such elements are not believers in any religion or in any human ethics," said Soomro. Critics of the government, however, blamed Musharraf for the recent spate of suicide bombings. "It's not only that people feel that (the government) is not doing enough... There is also a feeling that the government machinery is maybe somewhere connected to all this," said popular human rights activist Asma Jahangir. "It looks like the government wants to avoid general elections through such means," said Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Zafar Ali Shah. "The rulers have failed to maintain law and order in the country or a conspiracy is being hatched to avert polls," said Liyaquat Baloch, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami. The pulse of Pakistani politics beats strongest in Lahore, a city that is home to many of the country's elite and families of army officers. Punjab is Pakistan's most populous and richest province. - Additional input from agencies http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C01%5C10%5Cstory_10-1-2008_pg7_50 Journalists continue protest on 66th day ISLAMABAD: Journalists continued protest against the media curbs on the 66th consecutive day on Wednesday. The protest started on November 3, when a state of emergency was imposed in the country. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Secretary General Mazhar Abbas said the PIMRA had no legal value, its formation was unconstitutional and it had not been approved by the Senate. Abbas said the rulers and 'some hidden hands' wanted to curb the media in the country. He demanded immediate closure of the PIMRA and suspension of its employees. He said a local TV channel had been victimised and those that were on air were also under pressure by the PIMRA and its illegal regulations. The PFUJ secretary general criticised the government for targeting journalists, as over 50 cases had been registered against journalists only in Karachi after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid leader Mushahid Hussain and J Salik, a former minister, also participated in the protest. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3168563.ece January 11, 2008 Suicide bomber kills 24 as lawyers meet for Musharraf protest Jeremy Page and Zahid Hussain in Islamabad A suicide bomber shattered the relative calm of Lahore - the second-biggest city in Pakistan - yesterday when he rushed up to riot police outside the High Court and blew himself up, killing at least 24 people. Pakistan has suffered a series of suicide attacks since July, including one that killed Benazir Bhutto two weeks ago, but this was the first in Lahore and it raised fears of an upsurge in militant activity before parliamentary elections on Feburary 18. It came as eight detectives from Scotland Yard were elsewhere in the city - the capital of the eastern province of Punjab - to examine evidence from the assassination of Ms Bhutto, the opposition leader and former Prime Minister. The attack yesterday, which wounded at least 60 people, appeared to be aimed to coincide with a meeting of lawyers from the Lahore High Court Bar Association, who were about to begin their weekly protest against President Musharraf. Related Links Analysis: prepare for a bloody run-in to election Bhutto son 'fears Pakistan may fall apart' Police said that a man aged about 20 pulled up near the court on a motorcycle just before midday, ran at the police cordon and detonated a jacket containing 14kg (30lb) of explosives and 3kg of ball bearings. "It appears the bomber was on foot and, as soon as some policemen tried to stop him, he blew himself up," Malik Muhammad Iqbal, the chief of police, told reporters at the scene. All but two of those killed were policemen, he said. Lawyers who rushed out of the court complex described seeing dozens of police lying dead or injured on the ground, their helmets, shields and batons strewn around them, all spattered in blood. A dead horse also lay in the street, still attached to a cart, alongside a mangled motorbike. "We heard a huge bang and the building shook," Mian Jameel Akhtar, a Lahore High Court advocate, said. "After a few seconds the smoke came in and we knew from the smell that it was a bomb. I went to the gate and saw pieces of bodies scattered hither and thither. It was terrible." Tasaddaq Hussain, the Lahore police chief investigator, said that his men had found the bomber's head about 100 metres from the blast site and would reconstruct it and extract DNA to try to establish his identity. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but security officials said that they suspected militants linked to the Taleban and al-Qaeda, who are sheltering in the tribal areas of northwestern Pakistan. Among the chief suspects is Beitullah Mehsud, the Pakistani Taleban leader based in South Waziristan whom the Government blames for Ms Bhutto's death, although he denies any involvement. Government officials said that police had been the target of yesterday's attack, which was the biggest since Ms Bhutto's assassination and came as the army prepared for a major offensive against Mr Mehsud. Nisar Memon, the Federal Information Minister, said that the violence would not affect the election schedule. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C01%5C13%5Cstory_13-1-2008_pg11_3 Journalists continue protest on 69th day Staff Report ISLAMABAD: The protests of the twin cities journalists against the media curbs continued on the 69th day on Saturday. The journalists staged the protest outside the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club camp office on the call of Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ). Politicians, lawyers, students and civil society members joined the protests to express their solidarity with the journalists. The protesters raised anti-government slogans and vowed to continue their struggle against the laws promulgated by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). Speaking on the occasion, former AJK prime minister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry said that free and fair elections were impossible without a free media. He also urged the government to reinstate the deposed superior court judges who had refused to take oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO). APDM representative Iftikhar Chaudhary also criticised the government for its measures against the judiciary and stressed the need for unity among the people to rid the country of dictatorship. Lawyers and other segments of the society also criticised the government for imposing curbs on the media. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 18:18:08 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:18:08 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] WEST PAPUA News, Dec-Jan 07/08 (part 1 of 2) Message-ID: <022001c85978$86414070$0802a8c0@andy1> * Flag-raising protest - arrests by Indonesian troops * Police shoot protesters complaining about violence * West Papuan lawyer arrested for text message critical of government * Police shoot protesters "attacking their post" * Raising morning star as "act of free choice" * Secret filming reveals logging damage * Papua scarred by vanishing forests * Jayapura languages on brink of extinction * Activists say follow the money trail in illegal logging * Papua to ban log exports * Effectiveness of ban questioned * Indonesian military exploits prejudices to stay in Papua http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2107157.htm Last Updated 02/12/2007, 09:28:58Select text size: Arrests in Indonesia's Papua as flag is raised More than 20 people were reportedly arrested in Indonesia's Papua as they raised the outlawed "Morning Star" separatist flag. A spokesman for the United Front of West Papuan People's Fight, says the group was making the anniversary of their declaration of independence. Meanwhile, ElShinta radio reports around five hundred Papuan students staged a rally in Indonesia's second largest city of Surabaya in East Java in support of Papuan independence. Every December 1, Papuan activists try to raise the outlawed "Morning Star" separatist flag to commemorate the independence of Papua. Indonesia won sovereignty over Papua, formerly a Dutch colony, in 1969 after a referendum widely seen as a sham http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iKwWvNB2CQzDiark620uDalC2HPQ Police free 14 in Papua after independence event Dec 1, 2007 JAKARTA (AFP) - Police released 14 people they arrested after a ceremony to mark the anniversary of West Papua's declaration of independence from Indonesia, a report said Sunday. Another six people detained as the group raised its outlawed "Morning Star" separatist flag on Saturday remained in police custody, the Detikcom online news portal reported. Head of the Papua police, Max Donald, said three of those still in custody were activists from the Free Papua Organisation (OPM) and they were arrested for raising the flag. The other three were detained for carrying weapons, Donald told Detikcom. The flag-raising ceremony was held at Kwamki Baru village in Mimika district. Every December 1, Papuan activists try to raise the flag to commemorate the independence of Papua. Indonesia won sovereignty over Papua, formerly a Dutch colony, in 1969 after a referendum widely seen as a sham. Papuans have long accused Indonesia's military of violating human rights in the province and complain that the bulk of earnings from its rich natural resources flow to Jakarta. Also on Saturday, about 500 Papuan students held a rally in Indonesia's second largest city of Surabaya in East Java in support of Papuan independence. http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Two-protesters-shot-dead-in-Papua/2007/12/06/1196812831130.html Two protesters shot dead in Papua December 6, 2007 - 12:04AM Advertisement Police shot to death two people and seriously injured another after opening fire during a protest against tribal violence in Indonesia's Papua province, a local police chief said. The group of protesters, who were mostly women, had marched in front of a police station in the town of Tembagapura, demanding authorities tackle a series of tribal clashes that have been going on since October. "I am very sorry for what my subordinates did, shooting the protesters," said Godhelp Cornelis Mansnembra, the police chief in the nearest main town of Mimika. He declined to give further comment. Both the dead were women. The protest happened near housing for workers at the gold and copper mine operated by US firm Freeport-McMoran's. In October, six people were killed in a clash between rival tribes using bows and poison arrows near Freeport's mine over jobs and housing. Mindo Pangaribuan, spokesman for Freeport Indonesia, said the latest incident had no impact on the company's activities. The Freeport mine - believed to have the world's third largest copper reserves and one of the biggest gold deposits - has been a frequent source of controversy over its environmental impact and the share of revenue going to Papuans. http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/indones/articles/20071210.aspx Violent Protests Against Violence December 5, 2007: In Papua, demonstrations against tribal violence, mainly by women upset at government inability to halt the fighting, turned violent. Police shot three of the demonstrators, who were throwing rocks at the police. Two of the demonstrators died. Most Indonesians are Malay, while the largely tribal peoples of Papua are Melanesian. The two groups do not get along, partly because the Malays are better educated and organized. Most of the Papuan tribes want more autonomy, or even independence. But the tribes have many feuds with each other, which makes it easier for the national government to maintain control of the region (which is the western half of the island of New Guinea.) There are about 250 tribes in Papua, but some of the larger ones are involved in the fighting, which is apparently over personal issues, and real estate. These feuds have caused over a hundred casualties this year. The fighting is taking place in remote areas, and the police are having a hard time gathering information, much less halting the violence. http://www.survival-international.org/news/2585 West Papuan lawyer arrested for sending text message 8 November 2007 Sabar Iwanggin, a lawyer who defended Papuan students arrested in 2006 after demonstrations against the Indonesian regime, has been arrested and interrogated by Indonesia's special anti-terrorism police force, Detachment 88. He has now been moved to police headquarters in Jakarta. Mr Iwanggin appears to have been charged with receiving and passing on a text message, which police say is insulting to Indonesia's President. Human rights workers are at a loss to understand why thirty anti-terrorism police were used to arrest one man for forwarding a text message. Mr Iwanggin works with the respected human rights organisation, Elsham West Papua. Elsham staff have been repeatedly intimidated and have received death threats. Survival remains concerned for the safety of Sabar Iwanggin whilst in police custody, and for the safety of others who stand up for the rights of the tribal peoples of West Papua. http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2106911.htm 'Warning shot' kills woman in Indonesia's Papua Police in Indonesia's Papua say a woman was killed when officers fired warning shots after angry villagers threw rocks at their post. Papua's police spokesman says a group of women arrived at a police post early Friday asking them not to stop a planned tribal war. As the brigade police refused to give a permit to their plan, the women got angry and threw stones against the police post. The police then opened fire with warning shots but two women were hit. http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp?fileid=20071201101854&irec=26 Indonesian police fatally shoot villager on remote Papua province JAKARTA (AP): Police officers opened fire on a crowd attacking their post on Indonesia's remote Papua province Friday, killing one villager and wounding another, a local police chief said. The violence followed a police order to clear land disputed by two opposing tribes, police Maj. Gen. Max Aer said. "It was normal procedures to fire warning shots because the assailants threatened" the lives of the police officers, he said. The confrontation was in the village of Banti, about 100 kilometers from a major mine operated by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. Police said they were increasing security at the site to prevent violence from spreading. Tribes in the area - 3,200 kilometers northeast of Jakarta - have a history of bad relations. Feuds can last for several weeks and normally only end when the number of victims from either side is equal. Papua, a vast and impoverished rural farming region, is also home to a small separatist army that is seeking independence for its people who are ethnically and religiously distinct from the main Indonesian population. (**) http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=6719 West Papua: raising the Morning Star in an 'Act of Free Choice' By Joe Collins - posted Wednesday, 5 December 2007Sign Up for free e-mail updates! The 1st of December was West Papuan National Day or National flag day. Forty-six years ago on the December 1, 1961, in the then Dutch colony of West New Guinea, the West Papuan flag, or Morning Star, was flown for the first time officially beside the Dutch Tricolor. At that ceremony, as the Morning Star flag was raised, Dutch and Papuan military and police saluted and accompanied by a marine band playing the national anthem, "My Land Papua". The Dutch were finally about to give the West Papuan people their freedom. However, it is one of the great tragedies that at their moment of freedom it was cruelly crushed and West Papua was basically handed over to Indonesia in 1963. After six years administration of the province, Indonesia held a sham referendum called the Act of Free Choice under UN supervision. Only 1,022 handpicked voters - one representative for approximately every 700 West Papuans - were allowed vote, and under coercion, voted to "remain with Indonesia". The Papuans call this the "act of no choice". The policy of the new Labor Government on the issue of West Papua will differ little from that of the Howard government. We will still hear the mantras from the Department of Foreign Affairs of "we recognise Indonesian sovereignty over West Papua" and "we support the autonomy package as the best way forward for the West Papuan people". The government might have changed but the Jakarta lobby still holds sway in Canberra. The problem for Canberra is that the West Papuan people disagree. West Papua will eventually become one of Australia's biggest foreign policy issue. Historical background To understand the present conflict in West Papua we must understand its history. Like many of the conflicts around the world, the conflict in West Papua can trace its origins to the boundaries that were drawn up by the former colonial powers in New Guinea. We could say the modern history of West Papua began when the island was partitioned by three Western powers, the Dutch claiming the western half in 1828, while the Germans and British divided the eastern half into German New Guinea in the north and British Papua in the south (1884). Eventually the eastern half became the independent nation of Papua New Guinea in 1975. The Papuan people of Dutch New Guinea (also called Netherlands New Guinea or West New Guinea) were to have a different fate. The Republic of Indonesia was created in 1949 when the Indonesian people won their struggle for independence against their former colonial masters, the Dutch. West New Guinea, due to its distinct Melanesian population, was retained as a colony by the Dutch and during the 1950s, the Dutch government prepared the territory for independence. However, President Sukarno continued to claim that West New Guinea should be part of Indonesia and when his demands were not met, armed conflict ensued in 1962. Under pressure from the United States to come to terms with Indonesia, the Dutch agreed to secret negotiations and in August 1962, an agreement was concluded in New York between the Netherlands and Indonesia. Under this agreement, the Dutch were to leave West New Guinea and transfer sovereignty to UNTEA (the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority). After seven months the UN transferred power to Indonesia with the provision that a referendum be held to determine Papuan preference, for independence or for integration with Indonesia. >From the moment Indonesia took over the administration from UNTEA, the oppression of the West Papuan people began. As to the so-called Act of Free Choice in 1969: a UN official, a retired undersecretary-general, who handled the takeover said: "Nobody gave a thought to the fact that there were a million people who had their fundamental human rights trampled," and "It was just a whitewash. The mood at the United Nations was to get rid of this problem as quickly as possible." The UN accepted the results of this farce but the West Papuan people did not. They continue to call for a true act of self determination. Australian involvement As to Australia's involvement - originally we supported the Dutch in trying to hold onto West New Guinea, as we preferred another colonial power to act as a buffer zone between Australia and any potential invader from the north. However, once the US decided to back Indonesia, Australia followed suit. In fact, Australia actively supported the Indonesian takeover. At a request from Indonesia two West Papuan leaders, Clemens Runawery and Willem Zonggonao, were removed by Australian officials from a plane just weeks before the UN supervised vote (in Australia's then colony of PNG). They were on their way to the UN in New York carrying testimonies from many West Papuan leaders calling for independence. Because of Australia's involvement, they never had a chance to plead their case. Human rights abuses Since Indonesia took over control of West Papua as many as 100,000 people are believed to have lost their lives in the conflict. Those who have followed the actions of the Indonesian military in East Timor will not be surprised at such a high figure. A report about the activities of the Indonesian military (TNI) in East Timor (released in 2006) documents how the TNI used napalm, chemical weapons and starvation as a weapon against the East Timorese people. Some of the same military that operated in East Timor are now in West Papua. There are ongoing human rights abuses in West Papua and the situation is deteriorating. There appears to be a systematic campaign by the military and police to intimidate any individual or organisation whom the military and police deem to be separatists. For all the talk about Indonesian being a democracy the TNI itself has not reformed. Numerous reports, including the US State Department's 2005 Human Rights report, support this. The Human Rights report states that "Security forces continued to commit unlawful killings of rebels, suspected rebels, and civilians in areas of separatist activity, where most politically motivated extrajudicial killings also occurred". Flag raisings The West Papuan people raise their flag as an act of celebration but also as a protest against the injustices they suffer under Indonesian rule. Except for a small period of openness when President Wahid came to power in October 1999, the Morning Star flag has been banned. Two of the most famous West Papuan political prisoners are Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage. On December 1, 2004, they were arrested for being part of a rally where the Morning Star flag was raised. In May 2005, a court sentenced Filep Karma to 15 years in prison and Yusak Pakage to 10 years in prison on charges of treason against the state. Amnesty International considers both Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage to be prisoners of conscience who have been detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression. Earlier this year eight West Papuans were arrested (later released) at the end of a four-day Papuan Tribal Congress meeting in Jayapura. Police made the arrests simply because the Morning Star flag was used in the opening ceremony by a group of traditional dancers from Manokwari. The West Papuan people face great challenges: ongoing human rights abuses; the exploitation of their natural resources with little or no benefit to themselves; the danger of becoming a minority in their own land as the result of migrants arriving daily; and a possible HIV-AIDS epidemic. We all want to have good relations with our neighbours but good relations with Jakarta should not be at the expense of the West Papuan people who are struggling for their right to self-determination. The majority of the Australian people also believe in the same right. A news poll commissioned by businessman Ian Melrose, showed that 77 per cent of Australians believe that the West Papuan people have a right to self-determination. Hopefully the new government will take the issue of West Papua seriously instead of just hoping it will disappear. Australian governments of all persuasions have believed that a stabilised region to our north is our best defence. Kevin Rudd gave a talk in July to the Lowy Institute on the very subject called Fresh Ideas for Future Challenges: A New Approach to Australia's Arc of Instability. In discussing Australian-Indonesian relations, however, there was no mention of West Papua. Yet it is the Indonesian military that are one of the main destabilising factors in West Papua. The activities of the military, their involvement in human rights abuses and resource extraction will lead to the very instability the government is trying to avoid. If ever an issue needed "fresh ideas" it's West Papua. A good start for the Rudd Government would be not only to raise the abuses being committed by the TNI in West Papua with Jakarta, but to also urge the Indonesian Government to enter into a dialogue with the West Papuan leadership. This is all the West Papuans are asking for: a dialogue to try and solve the many issues of concern in the territory. We know from history that dialogue is the beginning of the political resolution of such conflicts. To quote from Nelson Mandela, "One of our strongest weapons is dialogue". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/11/28/eaindo128.xml Logging damage revealed by secret filming By Paul Eccleston Last Updated: 5:01pm GMT 28/11/2007 Secret filming by villagers has revealed the damage being caused to the Indonesian rainforests by uncontrolled logging and palm oil plantations. ? In pictures: Papua natives learn to use the equipment ? Watch interviews with tribes: Tears of Mother Mooi | Defenders of the Tribal Boundaries The ancient way of life of natives in Papua is being threatened by the wholesale destruction of their forests. Evidence of logging taken by local people (top) and learning to use the equipment The Indonesian province is inaccessible to outsiders and closed to journalists so it was left to the villagers to expose the activities of the logging companies. They were given digital camera equipment and taught how to use it by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), which investigates and exposes environmental and wildlife crime, working with the Jakarta-based NGO Telapak. The two conservation groups have been working with tribal communities in Papua to help them protect their forests from unsustainable exploitation and illegal logging. A series of films released simultaneously in London and Jakarta, show the scale of destruction being caused to the forests which the villagers rely on almost entirely for food and shelter. One was shot by the Mooi people who live in the Sorong regency of West Papua. It shows the relationship between the Mooi and their dependence on the forest lands and features undercover filming of logging. Once a stretch of forest has been stripped bare it is replaced with palm oil plantations but in the process much of the wildlife - pigs, deer and birds which the villagers rely on for food - is driven out. advertisement The film questions whether the logging began even before a licence was granted for 32,000 hectares of Mooi land to be turned over for plantation in 2006. The film shows workers clearing the ancient forests with chain saws before bulldozers move in to level it for palm trees to be planted. Mooi women in the film say the destruction of vast swathes of their forest make it more difficult for them to continue with their traditional weaving crafts making household items and sleeping mats from tree bark. And tribal hunters say they now have to travel great distances to find game where previously it was abundant in their forests. Another film shot in the Prafi plain, in the Arfak region of Manokwari regency in West Papua Province tells of the consequences of state-sponsored palm oil plantations. Senior community figures were sent by the government to Medan in Sumatra in 1982 to bring oil palm back to their area. The film shows the consequences to local people who lose their rights to the land and see it destroyed. Promises that palm oil would sustain them for generations fail to materialise and the plantations fall into neglect as they become unprofitable. Native Papuans are shown how to make films Villagers tell in the film how their rivers have been polluted by discharges of undiluted palm oil from a factory and how they develop rashes when they wash in it. Ananias Muid, one of the villagers sent to learn about palm oil admits he now regrets the communities' involvement with it. Paul Redman, who has worked on projects for EIA in Indonesia for five years, said: "These are the voices of local people, the voices of the forest - explaining the issues that directly affect them and their lives. "They are films made by Papuans, about Papua - they are the real thing. They were researched, written and filmed by them." Some of the film-makers' identities have been kept secret because of security concerns. "These people have worked extremely hard to bring these films together, sometimes at great personal risk. "For example, one film-maker waited for four days in the forest to get footage of illegal loggers. Logging is a multi-million pound industry which impacts upon where they live. "For them, the forest is their supermarket - when it is gone they have nothing and no access to any income either. "They want these stories to be told and these stories have to be told - without their land, they have no hope." http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gNymsizfKgAYVlni_MF7uE0X9dng Indonesia's Papua scarred by vanishing forests Dec 1, 2007 JAKARTA (AFP) - Twenty-five years ago, Papuan tribal leader Ananias Muit was sent from his jungle home to Indonesia's Sumatra island by the local government to learn about lucrative palm oil, and bring it back. A new short film, "Defenders of the Tribal Boundaries", tells how the arrival of a state-owned plantation company soon afterwards devastated Muit's community in the Arfak mountains of Papua's Bird's Head region. "'Give us the land and we will give the money to plant,' they said. 'We will bring a palm oil plantation,'" Muit says, repeating the government's promise. Instead, the forests were cleared, but factory effluent polluted the local river, making the water supply unusable. "The promise was sweet, but now it is bitter," he laments. "We were not compensated for our land or even thanked. Now we are really suffering, and we regret it." The film, one of four locally-made shorts that highlight the shocking impact of deforestation in remote Papua, will be featured at a UN climate change conference on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, which begins next week. The 10-minute clips, shot by aid workers using handheld digital cameras over the past three months, demonstrate the impact expanding palm oil plantations and other destructive logging is having on local communities. Indonesia is losing its forests at the world's fastest rate, with some two million hectares (4.9 million acres) disappearing each year, according to environmental watchdog Greenpeace. Up to 80 percent of logging in Indonesia is estimated to be illegal -- due to a lack of political will to crack down as well as negligible law enforcement -- but the films demonstrate that even legal logging has far-reaching and negative consequences. In "Tears of Mother Mooi", the people of Sorong issue an impassioned call to the government to revoke the licenses of two palm oil companies operating on their ancestral land. Startling images of the devastated remnants of formerly forested areas, clear-cut for plantations, hammer home their plea. Ronny Dimara, a resident in the community and director of Triton, a local non-governmental organisation that produced the film, said most of the footage had to be recorded secretly. Much of Papua is closely monitored by Indonesia's military, who stand accused by activists of human rights abuses. Journalists require special permission from the Jakarta government to visit the region. "We played the film in front of about 20 tribal leaders and they said the problem (of the two companies) needed to be addressed soon," Dimara told a press briefing in Jakarta after the films were screened. "Early next year we will meet again in a bigger group to decide whether we still want the companies in our area." The third film, "Gaharu: Disaster or Blessing?", shows how the profitable agarwood industry -- known locally as gaharu -- has brought a myriad of social problems to one Papuan district. Father Dicky Ogi, who leads an organisation working to offer locals better education, said that along with higher incomes came gambling, prostitution and the spread of HIV/AIDS. "Education is key, so the people can judge the benefits of selling their land," he told reporters. The final piece, "Destiny... My Land", explores how external investors exploited the forests of a local community that had previously lived off the land for generations. "These films may be local stories but they are very relevant to the national and the international level, so we urge people to watch these films," said Jago Wadley from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), an independent campaigning organisation that helped the local groups produce the films. http://www.freewestpapua.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=423&Itemid=2 Jayapura's Coastal Languages On The Brink of Extinction 'The widespread use of Bahasa Indonesia has not only sped up development in the province, but also killed off local languages. "This is a welcome development for Bahasa Indonesia, but not for local languages. Bahasa Indonesia has threatened the existence of local languages, especially in urban areas where interactions with outsiders (non-Papuans) are very intensive," said Supriyanto Widodo, the head of Jayapura's Language Center.] also: Workers in the field of languages tread new territory The Jakarta Post Monday, November 05, 2007 Jayapura's coastal languages on the brink of extinction Angel Flassy , The Jakarta Post, Jayapura Herman Rumadi Hamadi, 88, could not hide his anguish when asked about the number of people still speaking the local language in his village. "I'm not sure, but I guess there are only six people who can speak Tobati fluently," said Herman, the tribal chief of Tobati village on the northern coast of Papua. "Once the six die, the language will disappear," said Herman, admitting that he himself was no longer using the language of his ancestors. Herman has every reason to worry. The six people who still speak Tobati are all over 60 years old, while the young are more fluent in Bahasa Indonesia than in their mother tongue, thanks to the widespread use of the national language. That situation has been exacerbated by the fact that more and more Tobati villagers have opted to move to the provincial capital of Jayapura where they communicate in Bahasa Indonesia. "All of Jayapura and Abepura used to be our communal land, but now our sago plantations have been urbanized and we live alongside newcomers," said the ondoafi (tribal chief) who lives in Entrop, Jayapura. The Kayu Pulau tribe in Jayapura and the Nafri community in Abepura, too, are being culturally overwhelmed by the pace of development, forcing them to increasingly abandon their regional language. According to Herman, Tobati people have been in contact with the outside world since the 1600s and by the end of the 1800s, the Dutch government had made this village an administrative center, triggering rapid economic growth. It is no surprise, therefore, that Herman himself has been speaking Malay since he was a child. Intermarriages with newcomers have only hastened the desertion of the language. "Our grandchildren speak Bahasa Indonesia fluently. They seem to have no roots because even though they are Tobati people they don't speak the language. How can we perform our customs, dances and other ceremonies in the Tobati language?" asked the father of 10, who claimed to be very tough in teaching Tobati language to his children. Herman said traditional songs, poems and dances were no longer performed and Tobati songs, poems and dances showcased in various arts festivals in Jayapura or other parts of the country hailed not from Tobati village but from Papua New Guinea or were contemporary creations of Tobati artists. "This is really worrisome. If the Tobati language disappears, our culture will also vanish and we will become strangers in our own land. "The fact is many elements of our culture are no longer practiced. Our grandchildren can no longer sing and dance the Serme dance, which was usually performed to greet people coming home from fishing or the Yawo dance and song, which was performed when people brought new boats from the forest to the sea because such traditions are no longer practiced," Herman said. He said young people in the village preferred to become civil servants or work in the private sector than to become fisherman. "The forests where local people used to make boats have turned into towns," he said. Articles and dances containing magic vanished with the arrival of Christianity in Papua. "Traditions, magic and belief in the spirits of our ancestors have been replaced with Malay hymns, thus there is a gradual shift away from the use of regional languages," Herman said. Herman urges the government to help preserve the language, which is only spoken by six elderly people. "If the government could provide compensation for travel expenses and set up training centers, we would be very eager to teach this language to the younger generation," said Herman, adding that with the Tobati people living in different parts of Jayapura, meeting places were needed for the language courses. Aksamina Awinero, 41, ondoafi Obed Awinero's child in Nafri village, shares the same feeling. "We used to speak Nafri to our children, but when they went to school they spoke Bahasa Indonesia more than Nafri and now they speak very little Nafri," said the mother of seven. Data issued by the education and culture office in Jayapura revealed that in 1991 only 800 people in Tobati and Injros villages were still using the Tobati language, while other regional languages, Nafri and Kayu Pulau, were spoken by 1,630 and 573 people respectively. It also showed there were 249 regional languages in the province, meaning about the same number of tribes. According to Summer International Linguistics (SIL) in 2004, Papua has 264 languages, with Malay, later known as Bahasa Indonesia, serving as a bridge through which the hundreds of Papuan languages meet. Bahasa Indonesia also allows Papuans to communicate, interact and enter inter-tribe marriages. The widespread use of Bahasa Indonesia has not only sped up development in the province, but also killed off local languages. "This is a welcome development for Bahasa Indonesia, but not for local languages. Bahasa Indonesia has threatened the existence of local languages, especially in urban areas where interactions with outsiders (non-Papuans) are very intensive," said Supriyanto Widodo, the head of Jayapura's Language Center. The center's 2005 and 2006 research findings gave reason for concern over the serious condition of the three languages in Tobati-Injros, Kayu Pulau-Kayu Batu and Nafri. "We predict that after three generations these three regional languages will disappear unless local communities themselves and the government undertake efforts to preserve them," he said. It also found out that people who still speak local languages are above 40 years old, with younger generations having only a passive comprehension of their languages. Assuming that a generation spans about 20 years, within 60 years those regional languages will disappear, owing to local people's limited appreciation of their own languages. "Nafri has the lowest number of mothers using the language and this is alarming because mothers spearhead the use and teaching of regional languages, hence the term mother tongue," Widodo said. Widodo also said the perception that the use of regional languages hampered interactions with "outsiders" had prompted people to abandon their mother tongue. "People think using their mother tongue curtails their access to scientific, social and economic domains," continued Widodo. The Language Center has documented 180 local languages all over Papua and West Papua since its establishment in 2002. "We prioritized the vocabulary of 200 universally used words and over 1,000 cultural words, making the total entries about 1,600 per village," Widodo said, adding that they excluded standard grammatical rules. He also said some regency administrations had documented local languages. Biak regency, for instance, has produced a dictionary and grammar books. It also obliges local schools to teach Biak in schools. Fak-fak regency has funded the publication of Iha dictionary publication. With its limited resources, the Jayapura Language Center has composed the dictionaries of Maybrat/South Sorong, Sentani and Jayapura languages. "Our target is to combine these works and publish an Indonesian regional language map in 2008," Widodo said. ------------------------------------ The Jakarta Post Monday, November 05, 2007 Workers in the field of languages tread new territory Janika Gelinek , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Once upon a time, Ungan and Aw? decided not to go home after working in the fields. Instead, they stayed by a river and goofed around with a dog. They were sending the dog to and fro over the water when suddenly stone rain came down, turning them into stones. And their crime? They did not come home and make fun of a dog. The story could have been lost had Italian linguist Antonia Soriente from the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology in Jakarta not gone and documented Oma Longh and Lebu' Kulit languages in Malinau and Bulungan regency in Eastern Kalimantan. Oma Longh and Lebu' Kulit, in which the story above was narrated, are just two of the endangered languages in Indonesia, spoken only by a few thousand people in Malinau and Bulungan. "When you look at what is happening around you, you see languages dying on a large scale, especially in the eastern part of Indonesia such as Papua and the Maluku islands," said Uri Tadmor of the Jakarta Field Station. Established in 1999 by Uri Tadmor and David Gil, the Jakarta Field Station started off by collecting data on child language. In collaboration with the Jakarta Atma Jaya Catholic University, it is currently hosting about 25 researchers from Indonesia and abroad who are studying Indonesian languages from the islands of West Sumatra all the way to Papua. Indonesia has around 700 languages, but the widespread use of Bahasa Indonesia has pushed many of those languages to the brink of extinction, placing the national language on a par with English, Spanish and French as "killer" languages. According to Tadmor, there are many reasons why languages in the country are facing extinction, including people's low level of respect for indigenous languages.the speakers themselves don't attach much importance to their own languages," said Tadmor, adding that the children of inter-race couples tended to speak only Bahasa Indonesia. "Indigenous languages are also not used in the education system, and thus their survival is neither financially nor politically supported," Tadmor said. In theory, any indigenous language can be taught in a state elementary school. But in reality, schools usually offer only Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese, and rarely would these be the primary language of instruction. "It is totally meaningless to the kids and the kids hate it," Tadmor said. According to Tadmor, there is not much hope the situation will be reversed as these languages are generally considered not worth keeping. "It's a vicious circle. People who speak a small indigenous language come to look down on their language, because there is no official recognition of it," said Tadmor, adding that only non-nationals had come here to work with indigenous communities. The researchers at the field station are studying how languages cross, enrich and endanger each other, with many of them focusing on endangered languages. "Languages reflect a view of the world. They are an essential component of the living heritage of humanity, therefore they belong to the intangible cultural heritage that needs to be safeguarded," Italian linguist Antonia Soriente said. "Languages are vehicles of value systems and of cultural expressions and they constitute a determining factor in the identity of groups and individuals. They transmit knowledge, values and collective memory and play an essential role in cultural vitality." A book Soriente carefully edited - Mencaleny & Usung Bayung Marang - a collection of Kenyah stories in Oma Longh and Lebu' Kulit languagesis a first in more than one sense. Not only have these stories never been translated into Indonesian or English, they have not even been written down. In order to give access to the Kenyah stories of Ungan and Aw? or the clever Mp? and her stupid husband Buzu, Soriente had to develop a new orthographic system for the entirely oral languages. "Linguists are not really social workers. We are not activists who try to go to the field and say, hey, you need to speak your language. But we want to raise awareness of linguistic diversity and give something back to the community and some tools with which, if they want to, they can help their language to survive", says Soriente. When the book was published last year it was first sent to the communities that had been involved in the project. "They were quite startled to see that something had emerged, that their language had been written down and that it was written next to Bahasa Indonesia and English. They said, `Oh, now we can study English through our language!'" During Soriente's visit, the Malinau regent made for the very first time a speech entirely in the local language of Lebu' Kulit and people also started using the new orthographic system to send text messages. "Suddenly they realized there is no law that says you have to use only Bahasa Indonesian", Soriente said. Her colleague Betty Litamahuputty has had similar experiences. Litamahuputty participates in a team that has intensively studied the highly endangered languages of the Maluku islands, among them Kouro, spoken only in five villages on the island of Seram. Together with linguists from Australia's Monash University and the local communities, Litamahuputty developed storybooks in Kouro. Teams were formed among the villagers and sent out to literally document their language. "We gave them some cameras and they had to figure out what kind of event they wanted to document. It was the clove-harvest season. They were taking pictures of what they thought was important about the harvest. And then they had to ask the village people or somebody who knew the language how to say this or that in Kouro. And then they tried to write it down. In this way they were able to make their own storybooks bilingual, in Malay and the local language. And that was to show that by very simple means they could make their own storybook, which they could use in school for instance. Just with a notebook, a camera and a pen you can make a book about whatever you want," said Litamahuputty. Furthermore a story in Malay has been developed by project leader Margaret Florey about a family going in the woods and working there in a garden, the "garden story". This story has been "fed" with significant linguistic structures to find out how speakers from different local communities on Seram island would translate the same story in their language. Additionally the linguists made vitality tests in order to see whether the inhabitants could still communicate in their language or only knew a few words. As expected it turned out that in many cases elderly people still had some knowledge of the language, but only a few people were actually able to have a conversation in it. Surprisingly the patterns were the same in Christian and Muslim villages, such as in Allang and Ruta. "People always thought indigenous languages were more likely to be preserved in Muslim villages, but instead they had the same curve as the Christian villages, where we already know that the language has died out," said Litamahuputty. A workbook used in workshops with local communities will be published next year to demonstrate not only how to learn a language, but also how to gather information from local speakers - how to make sentences, how to figure out their structure and what the grammar might be like. "Thus, local communities might take the survival of their language into their own hands," Litamahuputty said. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hG5IuBrovVLTMK2_Eo-CH4QmutCg Follow the money trail in illegal logging crimes: Indonesian activists Nov 15, 2007 JAKARTA (AFP) - Indonesian activists are urging authorities here to hunt down illegal loggers using anti money-laundering laws, following the shock acquittal of a high-profile suspect who has gone on the run. Indonesia's abysmal record on fighting illegal logging -- no timber baron has ever received a substantial jail term here -- is under the spotlight ahead of the nation hosting a global climate change conference in December. Adelin Lis, the head of logging company Keang Nam Development, fled from custody earlier this month after a court in North Sumatra found he was not guilty of illegal logging charges due to a lack of evidence. Lis' company was cleared of accusations that it illegally razed prime forest in lush North Sumatra province, where some of Indonesia's last remaining rainforest tracts provide refuge to elephants and endangered tigers. The logger had originally been nabbed when he tried to extend his passport at the Indonesian embassy in Beijing in 2006. He was described by the embassy as being an "environmental destroyer". Allegations of court officials being bribed in his case have surfaced, although prosecutors have said they will appeal, while police have named Lis as a suspect in a linked money laundering case. His lawyers have reportedly said they will present him to police -- who say they have issued an Interpol notice to recapture him -- if they promise not to jail him. But in perhaps an ominous sign of the difficulties police may face, Indonesia's Attorney General Hendarman Supandji has dismissed efforts so far, saying: "This money laundering comes from which crime? This is not clear." Derry Wanta, a member of the Indonesian Working Group on Forest Finance (IWGFF) -- an independent lobby group of researchers and activists -- conceded it would be difficult to get Lis back to court "but not impossible". "It is written in the money laundering law that a suspect can be tried for money laundering independent from the prime crime," he told AFP, speaking after a meeting of the group over bringing Lis to justice on Thursday. Indonesia's groundbreaking 2002 anti-money laundering law would be more effective in catching the illegal loggers than the conventional criminal code, said the IWGFF's Willem Pattinasarany. "Most of their financial transactions use bank transfers. Unusual banking profiles can be easily traced -- ask (suspects) to prove that those suspicious transactions are not illegal," Pattinasarany said. "If there are two crimes indicated to be related, one of them money laundering, we think it's best for the money laundering crime to be processed first" because it would be a simpler case, he said. Still, police must carefully do their homework. A recent case in Indonesia's timber-rich Papua province centred on a local police chief receiving large money transfers to his personal account; the officer was cleared, and an appeal dismissed, for administrative reasons. Police said in May that they were becoming increasingly frustrated with the number of illegal loggers who were inexplicably being acquitted in Papua. "There are many cases where police or prosecutors have not formed a tight case before going ahead to court. This had caused many cases to be dismissed for administrative reasons," Pattinasarany told AFP. Sadino, a legal expert with the IWGFF, also urged police to be more careful in planning all their indictments, as sloppy work meant "usually, the man with the chainsaw in the forest gets the blame." "Forestry crimes are specialty cases -- investigators should be coherent from when they start to collect evidence," Sadino said, adding that a single discrepancy can mean the whole case gets thrown out. The Indonesian government had estimated illegal logging costs the country about four billion dollars and some 2.8 million hectares of forest cover per year over the past decade. http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2007/12/06/papua-will-ban-log-exports http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/papua-launches-plan-to-save-untouched-forest/2007/12/05/1196812824721.html Papua Will Ban Log Exports Thursday: December 06, 2007 (Sydney Morning Herald) The Indonesian province of Papua will ban log exports from next monthin a bid to preserve one of the world's largest remaining tracts of untouched forests reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu says the global climate change conference currently underway in Bali should endorse funding the anti-logging moves, due to its effect on reducing global warming. Suebu plans to present legislation next month withdrawing all licenses, and they will only be reissued under strict conditions, he said. All forest concession holders would have to develop wood processing facilities in Papua, and agree to plant five trees for every one they cut. The "Chinese mafia" operating out of Malaysia and mainland China were responsible for rampant illegal logging in Papua, Suebu said. "I think the mafia of illegal logging is well organised." http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=36886 Academic questions whether Papua plan to stop log exports will work Posted at 07:14 on 06 December, 2007 UTC An Australian based academic has questioned whether a log export ban in Indonesia's Papua region will be effective. Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu says he will ban all log exports from next month, and all forest concession holders would have to develop wood processing facilities in Papua. He says that the Bali climate change conference should endorse funding the anti-logging moves, due to its impact on reducing global warming. But Arief Anshory Yusuf, a research fellow at the Australian National University, says previous bans on Indonesia's log exports didn't reduce deforestation. He says the current ban could have the same effect in Papua, with the development of the domestic wood processing industry likely to drive deforestation rates up. Mr Yusuf says the the negative impact of the ban would not just be environmental but developmental too: "The development argument said that it would create employment but in fact the loss of empoyment frmo the logging sector is a lot more compared to the employment created by the wood processing industry, so the net effect is still negative". http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Indonesia-exploiting-Papua-prejudices/2007/12/03/1196530575684.html Indonesia 'exploiting Papua prejudices' December 3, 2007 - 9:14PM Advertisement Indonesia's military is exploiting prejudices against indigenous Papuans so it can remain in the impoverished region, an Australian researcher said. Victorian University researcher Richard Chauvel said the Indonesian army (TNI) retained a stronger presence in Papua's troubled Central Highlands than did the local government, with no signs of decreasing. He called for the role of the security forces in Papua to be clarified. "Military presence is a legacy there," Chauvel told the Australia Indonesia Governance Research Partnership (AIGRP) forum in Jakarta on Monday. "That's the impression we got ... that the military has influence and 'meddled in' ... (people) describing the political situations in the region." He said people living in the region were suspicious and very guarded in expressing their views. "The atmosphere is people were really always looking over their shoulder," he said. Troop numbers in Papua have increased in recent years, with the International Crisis Group estimating there are 12,000 Indonesian troops in Papua, and 2,000 to 2,500 paramilitary police. The Free Papua Movement has been fighting for an independent Papua since the 1960s. In July, Human Rights Watch said that the security forces still killed, tortured and raped civilians to curb separatism. An Indonesian researcher from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Vidhyandika Perkasa, said he was followed when he conducted research in the province. "They followed me everywhere, and shut the electricity off, even took my picture with their mobile phone," Perkasa said. "Maybe (the military intelligence) are scared we are giving influence (to the people)." People were generally more pressured in towns such as Wamena, rather than the capital Jayapura. Chauvel said the reason the military was trying so hard to keep the area closed to outsiders and foreigners was they wanted to keep Wamena and the rest of Central Highlands as their stronghold. "I think that's the interest of the military institutions," he said. "I don't know which one because they have many units, the special forces of the Army, (of) the Special Forces (themselves), ... and they all have deployment there." He added the military and some government officials stigmatised the people of the Central Highlands as separatists, exploiting this to remain in the region. "By underlining this perception that it is a volatile area, it bears conflict, separatists, it is like vindicating the existence of the security forces." A Papuan government source said the military deployment in Papua received direct orders from Jakarta, but its activities often clashed with central government policies. "Some people from the Foreign ministry believed they should open Papua more, but the military refused," the source said. The Indonesian government had tried to empower the Papuans, providing them with education and new infrastructure, but the problems are complex. The region has been dogged by a series of bloody incidents in the past decade, including killings and kidnappings, but solid numbers are sketchy as the area is largely closed to outsiders. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 18:24:30 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:24:30 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] WEST PAPUA News stories, Dec-Jan 07/08, part 2 of 2 Message-ID: <022101c85979$43fe3ff0$0802a8c0@andy1> * Commentary: Papuan peace lovers want troops to leave * Tribes agree to ceasefire * Papua seeks cash to protect rainforests * Papua to ban log exports * Papua, Aceh and Amazonia sign agreement to protect rainforests * Climate change and the rights of indigenous peoples * Scientists discover two "new" (unrecorded) animal species in West Papua * Indonesia bans academic book in West Papua * Violations of Papuan autonomy criticised * Bush administration "trains terrorist groups" in Indonesia * Police arrest, torture and kill West Papuans * Rescued pandemelons (kangaroo-like mammals) returned to West Papua * Papua: Genocide by demographics * 3000 undocumented migrants cross into Papua New Guinea * Papua New Guinea looks at easing West Papua border restrictions * UN calls on PNG to resettle, not expel, disputed refugees * Commentary: Turning Papua into a land of peace http://thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20071008.F05&irec=4 Papuan peace lovers want troops to leave Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua In the wake of civil society's efforts to transform Papua into a land of peace, the Indonesian Military (TNI) has been growing both in strength and numbers in the province, as reported by the International Crisis Group in September last year. Plagued by what the government calls a separatist movement, Papua is expected to become home to thousands of troops over the next few years. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Djoko Santoso has already revealed a plan to base the third infantry division of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) and more cavalry as well as engineering battalions in Papua to protect the country's border and conflict-prone areas (The Jakarta Post, Sept. 13, 2007). Citing Papua's vulnerability to conflicts and separatism, more troops are needed in Papua, Golkar Party politician Yuddhy Chrisnandy said in response to the plan. He may represent the general opinion of the House of Representatives, which is known for it's ultra-nationalistic bias. Indigenous Papuans have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the deployment of thousands of reinforcement troops to their homeland. The latest was voiced loudly on Oct. 19, when local people in Arso (the capital of Keerom regency, some 75 kilometers northeast of the provincial capital of Jayapura) blockaded the road connecting Keerom and Jayapura to vent their anger with military troops after a soldier assaulted a district chief. Why do Papuans reject the sending of military reinforcements to the province? Some cases below might be helpful in understanding the reasons behind Papuans' aversion to the military. On Oct. 18, the head of Arso district, Charles Tafor, was beaten by a member of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), who was on duty at the border with Papua New Guinea. Responding to the incident, Papuans blockaded the main road in Arso and demanded the withdrawal of all Kopassus troops posted in Keerom regency. The military eventually removed the soldier. Several weeks earlier, a Catholic priest, Father John Djonga, left Waris District (in the same regency) following a series of intimidations and death threats allegedly from military soldiers. Djonga is a non-Papuan who has been defending and campaigning for the rights of Papuan people. The intimidation targeting him mounted after he reported to Governor Barnabas Suebu the concerns of Waris residents in the wake of the deployment of Kopassus troops to their home soil. In the latest threat, Djonga said a man climbed over the back wall of the house where he lived. A well-built man entered the house in Abepura, just south of Jayapura, and asked a student, "Is Father Djonga here?" The intruder quickly removed himself however, when he was told the pastor of St. Mikael Church in Waris was not there. Amnesty International immediately expressed its fears for Djonga's safety (AI, Sept. 24, 2007), and he was told not to return to Waris for the time being. Church leaders are among those on the front line in the fight against human rights violations in Papua, and as a result have been publicly linked to the separatist movement. According to Djonga, Papuans in Waris district were interrogated harshly and indiscriminately by Kopassus troops about their knowledge of the guerrilla movement. Facing the military, they are commonly asked several questions: What's your name? Where are you from? What crops do you grow? Why do you carry a traditional bow and arrows? You are OPM, right? Do you keep the Morning Star flag? Who is hiding guns? (Tabloid Suara Perempuan Papua, No.02/15-21 August 2007). Papuans are afraid of moving around, going to their land or village because the presence of the Kopassus troops intimidates them. They live in fear, which goes against the Constitution. It seems Papuans, who are Indonesians by citizenship, are treated as strangers in their own land by those who are supposed to protect them. On Aug. 30, 2007, Papuans from Waris district were able to openly share their concerns with the local military commander Col. Burhanuddin Siagian. They said should the situation in Waris not improve, they would take refuge in Papua New Guinea. More than eight years ago, in July 1999, four Catholic bishops from Papua highlighted, in their report to then president Abdurrahman Wahid, the heavy presence of troops in Papua. The religious leaders blamed the military's arrogance as one of the causes of anxiety among the Papuans. The bitter experiences of the Arso district head and the parish priest confirm the situation has not improved. The arrival of thousands of troops has failed to create peace or tranquility in Papua because the soldiers, including the Kopassus troops, serve as the central government's way of dealing with indigenous Papuans. For the sake of peace, Papuans have called on the government and the TNI commander to pull out all Kopassus personnel from Keerom regency. They know their request will be unheeded, as has happened since 1963, but at least they have the courage to speak up. The writer is a lecturer at the Fajar Timur School of Theology and Philosophy in Abepura, Papua. http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=36459 Four Papua tribes agree to ceasefire Posted at 22:58 on 15 November, 2007 UTC Four Papuan tribes locked in conflict since last month have expressed their willingness to end the violence The violence erupted in mid-October when Dani, Damal and Moni tribesmen attacked Amungme tribesmen in a nearby village. So far eight people, including three Amungme and five Dani have been killed and some 30 others injured in sporadic clashes. Mimika's acting regent, Atanasius Allo Rafra, says the tribes have agreed a truce to allow a government mediating team to continue the peace process. More than 500 police officers and Army soldiers have been deployed in the area for the last three weeks. http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/45834/story.htm Indonesia's Papua to Protect Forests, Seeks Cash INDONESIA: December 7, 2007 NUSA DUA, Indonesia - Indonesia's Papua wants to preserve part of its rainforest in exchange for cash to help the world slow global warming, the governor said at UN climate talks. "We have decided to set aside a large part of our conversion forests to save the planet," Governor Barnabas Suebu told Reuters during UN climate talks in Bali. Conversion forests are earmarked for clearance for palm oil or pulp plantations. Deforestation accounts for about 20 percent of all man-made carbon emissions blamed for global warming -- trees soak up carbon when they grow and release it when they rot or burn. Stopping or curbing the destruction is widely regarded as a crucial part of any new climate pact to succeed the UN's Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012. Suebu said that the remote forest-rich province on the Indonesian half of Guinea island was offering to preserve 7 million hectares (17.30 million acres) -- an area almost the size of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. In return, Papua hopes to earn millions of dollars through carbon trading by getting credit for leaving the forests intact. Delegatas at the UN climate talks on the resort island of Bali are aiming to launch talks to work out a new pact by 2009 to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which runs to 2012. The United Nations hopes the two-week conference will agree to study schemes to curb emissions by slowing deforestation and bind it into an emissions trading scheme. Suebu said his scheme could help boost development in the area, where more than 80 percent of about 500,000 households live in poverty. But he said the world needs to create ways to ensure money goes to the forest-dependent people of Papua. "The Papuan people own the forests. The money should go to them," he said. HEADSTART With 42 millon hectares of tropical forests and some of the richest biodiversity in the world, Papua is considered the country's last rainforest frontier. But it is under threat from increased cutting and clearing for palm oil plantations as well as rampant illegal logging. Suebu vowed to get tough on illegal logging, by stepping up law enforcement and introducing a ban on log exports by January. The governor also plans to restrict logging licenses. Papua took a headstart by signing agreements with several carbon investment companies, including Carbon Pool of Australia to help finance ways to preserve forests. But the central government in Jakarta is wary. Forestry Minister Malam Sambet Kaban recently dubbed Papua's decision to go ahead with carbon trading outside the national framework as a move to "sell our forests at a discount." The minister warned of "vultures" who lure governors into making decisions that would have long-term effort on Indonesia's plan to push for a fair and equitable pay-and-preserve plan under the new climate deal. But Suebu brushed aside the criticism. "The central government is busy counting money. As Papuans say: we're busy fighting over the fish before it's even caught." (Editing by Alister Doyle) Story by Adhityani Arga REUTERS NEWS SERVICE http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/papua-moves-to-ban-all-log-exports/2007/12/05/1196812829442.html Papua moves to ban all log exports Mark Forbes December 6, 2007 Advertisement PAPUA will ban all log exports from next month, in a radical move to preserve one of the world's largest remaining tracts of untouched forests. Governor of the Indonesian province, Barnabas Suebu, told The Age that the Bali climate change conference should endorse funding the anti-logging moves, due to its impact on reducing global warming. Mr Suebu said he had already imposed a moratorium on issuing new logging licences and would present legislation next month withdrawing all licences, as loggers had been destroying Papua's forests illegally. Licences would only be reissued under strict conditions, he said. All forest concession holders would have to develop wood processing facilities in Papua, as the ban on raw log exports would remain in place. They must also agree to plant five trees for every one they cut. The "Chinese mafia", operating out of Malaysia and mainland China were responsible for rampant illegal logging in Papua, Mr Suebu said. "I think the mafia of illegal logging is well organised." At least 7.2 million cubic metres of timber was being cut in Papua a year, rapidly shrinking its 42 million hectares of forests, which has the highest level of biodiversity in the world. Papua was receiving almost no income from the logging, he said. Mr Suebu revealed a new decree for forest preservation, which he had just signed along with the Governor of the neighbouring province of West Papua. The proposals had also been submitted to the Indonesian Government, but Mr Suebu stated he had the authority to implement them under new regional autonomy laws. "From January 2008, we will stop all logs going out of this island," Mr Suebu said. "We will not export timber from Papua." The total prohibition on log exports was justified as local communities received only $US10 ($A11.50) for a high-quality log, he said. Once the log was smuggled to China and processed, it was worth $US1500. Small-scale timber processing industries would be established in Papua so local people could benefit from logging, he said, despite the reduction in tree felling. About 65% of Papua's forest cover would be totally protected, including at least 15% of the forests earmarked for logging. The world, through the Bali conference initiatives, should compensate Papua for the move, he said. "I am the governor for all creatures in Papua, for the ants, for the birds, for the trees and I have to protect them. Without them there will be no life for all of us." Mr Suebu said he was expecting vocal protests from timber interests, but the moves would have a dramatic impact and would work, he predicted. Papua's ports would be patrolled and 1500 rangers were being trained to enforce the laws. The Forest Minister in Jakarta was opposing the moves to withdraw logging licences, said Mr Suebu. Once Papua ensured the laws would stand up to legal challenge, they would be passed. "In the end, we have to save our forests and manage it in a sustainable way and make money to eradicate poverty, that is the goal of this policy," he said. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/governors-take-action-to-save-rainforests/2007/12/07/1196813027025.html Governors take action to save rainforests Mark Forbes December 8, 2007 Advertisement VAST tracts of tropical rainforests will be protected under a declaration signed last night by the governor of Brazil's Amazonas state and his counterparts from the Indonesian provinces of Aceh, Papua and West Papua. Dubbed the "green governors", they will impose moratoriums on logging across their provinces, home to much of the world's tropical forests. With growing frustration at faltering negotiations in Bali to include programs to reduce deforestation in a post-Kyoto climate treaty, the governors have decided to take the lead. Emissions from forestry account for about a fifth of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, the vast majority from Indonesia and the Amazon. The Bali meeting is considering paying developing nations to protect their forests by creating a new market in carbon credits. The governors have also joined with an innovative Australian company, Carbon Conservation, to create a voluntary carbon credit market to sell shares in the carbon saved by protecting their forests. The governors' move came as environment groups blasted the lack of progress in forestry negotiations in Bali. Greenpeace spokesman Marcelo Furtado said: "What we are seeing in the deforestation debate is a potential crime scene and when the ministers arrive next week they may find a dead body in the house." Action in Bali was essential, or there risked being no forest left to save, Mr Furtado said. He welcomed the governors' declaration. "They are acting because nations aren't. I hope it serves as a jump-start for national and international action." Fauna and Flora International spokesman Frank Momberg said the declaration would protect a vast chunk of the world's forest, setting an international example to combat climate change. FFI was already developing pilot programs for the provinces so they could participate in international deforestation-reducing schemes. The declaration states the governors will halt all logging, conserve forests and commit to reducing greenhouse emissions. It calls for international support for the initiative. Aceh's Governor Irwandi Yusuf said he wanted to plant more trees in Aceh to keep it green. "The world needs the forests of Aceh," he said. Governor Yusuf has been leading patrols against logging, cutting the trade by more than half. One thousand forest rangers have been recruited to enforce the ban and another 2000 should join them next year. Carbon Conservation chief Dorjee Sun said the environment could not wait for international initiatives to save the world's "emerald necklace" of tropical forests covered by the moratorium. Funds raised by the sale of carbon credits, supplemented by environmentally friendly investments around the forests, would generate income. It would also provide work for local communities that had been forced to depend on illegal logging, Mr Sun said. "The only way to stop deforestation is to go on the offensive, with economic incentives," he said. During the moratorium on logging, the provinces' forests will be mapped and assessed for their carbon finance value. The trading mechanism Mr Sun proposes is based on the concept that developing countries should be compensated if they lower rates of deforestation and associated carbon emissions. The carbon credit created could be purchased by companies and countries to compensate for their greenhouse gas emissions. http://www.thejakartapost.com/climate/index.php?menu=stories&detail=148 Wednesday, December 12, 2007 11:46:39 AM Respecting the rights of indigenous people NUSA DUA, Bali (JP): Never before has the development and the environment discourse shifted so dramatically as in the last six months. Global recognition of the human contributions to climate change is leading to unprecedented responses from citizens, governments, and private corporations. An important question is will these responses be too little too late? A more immediate and urgent question is who will be the winners and losers on the new climate change mitigation and adaptation playing field? By many estimates, Indonesia is one of the world's leading emitters of carbon dioxide, the most prevalent of the global warming gases. This is due to the large amounts of carbon that are released into the atmosphere through peat and forestland logging and clearing for palm oil and pulp wood plantations. As the host of the 13th UN Conference of Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change, Indonesia is under pressure to demonstrate a real commitment to addressing its land-based emissions of greenhouse gases. The first and least complicated way for Indonesia to show leadership and significantly reduce land-based emissions is to take steps to protect peat forests from conversion to plantations. This will require a change in Indonesia's development strategy that currently allows plantation companies to convert forests to establish new plantations. The second and more complicated approach to reducing land-based emissions is to significantly reduce deforestation. Keeping in mind the millions of easy dollars that flow from logging operations and natural forest conversion to agriculture, it is clear that this cannot be accomplished without significant compensation to those who forgo the opportunity and perhaps their right to log and convert their forest areas. This is particularly difficult since it is not legally clear just who has the right to forego these opportunities. Conventional wisdom (status quo) points directly to the central government, forest and agricultural industries and to a somewhat lesser extent, local governments as the stakeholders who will require compensation for the foregone opportunities. Should this prevail, once again we will see millions of rural Indonesians marginalized and under even greater threat of losing their land. As the World Bank scrambles to take the lead in managing large multilateral funds aimed at addressing the climate crisis, and bilateral development assistance redefines priorities and programs to fit into new climate change mitigation and adaptation frameworks and the voluntary carbon market expands, a question that continues to be ignored is, will this impressive response improve or threaten the lives of local rural peoples? The recently released UNDP report makes a convincing case of how without serious attention and commitment by the government of Indonesia, its poorest people will suffer most as the climate changes. The report highlights the large amount of investments that will be needed to assist the poor to adapt. What is missing in the presentation is discussion of the political commitment that is required to ensure that Indonesia's rural poor benefit rather than suffer from the financial flows for avoiding deforestation, and adapting to climate change, that will likely result from the post-Bali scenarios. The provinces of Papua and West Papua are at this time the best example. They take the position that the land and natural resources of the province are under the ownership of Adat or indigenous communities. Like most provinces in the "outer islands" the majority of the provincial territory is classified "forest area". In the case of Papua and West Papua, the designated forest area is more than 95 percent of the land base. This classification, in accordance with the 1999 forest law, falls under the authority of the Ministry of Forestry to determine. The problem originates from what comes next. According to the same law, "forest area" does not mean "state forest area". To be classified as a State Forest Area, a given forest must be determined to have no rights existing over the land. The law requires a well-defined process to be implemented by the Ministry of Forestry to determine whether or not any such rights exist in a particular forest area. Currently, only 10 percent of the 120 million hectares of forest area has been fully gazetted as State Forest Area, leaving the status of the remaining 90 percent of forests undetermined. An equally important provision of the forestry law allows for the existence of "private forests". These are areas where land rights over the forest area exist. In the case of Papua, the provincial government clearly states that they view indigenous communities as having land rights over the territories that the Ministry of Forestry has classified as forest areas. As a result, local Papuan communities, by law should have a full say over anything and everything that is planned within their territories. This includes timber concessions, timber plantations, agribusiness such as palm oil estates, and any arrangements that are made to maintain forests through avoided deforestation mechanisms. A post-Bali challenge for Indonesia will be to legally define and recognize the rights of the end users/beneficiaries, in this case referring to benefits flows derived from reduced emissions from degradation and deforestation (REDD). Without a legally consistent and verifiable system of benefits flows, any kind of REDD scheme will fail. This will require the recognition of communities who have proprietary rights over the areas in question. While the evolving legal and policy analysis continues to support the position of local peoples' rights over their natural resources, particularly land, the resistance from Jakarta remains formidable. This is where a significant change in government policy is required. It is legally consistent and appropriate for the government to devolve responsibility for land titling to the Land Administration Agency (BPN) and the protection of forest functions (biodiversity, hydrology, production, etc) to the Ministry of Forestry. As REDD funds begin to flow, the question of communal title becomes critical. This deals with the fundamental question of who are the final beneficiaries in the chain. Unless this question is dealt with, the risk of only causing greater conflict over land will increase. Another question is whether, in the short term, the Indonesian government can manage a working administrative and judicial system that will validate the legal basis for communal title in areas where it matters most. Only then can financial flows aimed at mitigating and adapting local land use in the context of carbon management be effective and socially just. (Avi Mahaningtyas and Chip Fay) Avi Mahaningtyas is National Coordinator GEF SGP Indonesia and can be reached at avi at indo.net.id. Chip Fay is Senior Policy Analyst with the Southeast Asia office of the World Agroforestry Center in Bogor, Indonesia and can be contacted at cfay at cgiar.org. The opinion expressed is personal. http://www.enews20.com/news_Scientists_Discover_Two_New_Mammal_Species_in_Little_Piece_of_Eden_04639.html Scientists Discover Two New Mammal Species in "Little Piece of Eden" By Julia Bonelli 18:42, December 20th 200717 votes Vote this article The Conservation International announced on Monday that scientists have discovered two species of mammals believed to be new to science, in an expedition to Papua, an eastern province of Indonesia. Along with Conservation International's scientists, the Indonesian Institute of Science made a new incursion in the Foja Mountains, the largest tropical forest in the Asia-Pacific without roads, in June, after another expedition in 2005 when they discovered several new species of plants and animals. The region seems to be one of the few that are the home of dozens of new species, so that a December 2005 survey called for conservation efforts, as the area is imperiled of forest-clearing for agriculture. "It's comforting to know that there is a place on earth so isolated that it remains the absolute realm of wild nature," said Conservation International vice president Bruce Beehler, who led the expedition. "We were pleased to see that this little piece of Eden remains as pristine and enchanting as it was when we first visited." The latest two mammals discovered, a Cercartetus pygmy possum, one of the smallest marsupials in the world, and a Mallomys giant rat, which is five times the size of a usual rat, seemed to lack any fear of humans, as the rat visited the scientists' camp a few times. During the latest expedition, scientists were also able to record the mating rituals of several very rare birds for the first time, according to the statement. The Fojas, part of the Mamberamo Basin, was declared by the Indonesian government a wildlife sanctuary, while the forests in the region are endangered from large- scale depredation, the deforestation taking place at the world's fastest rate. A third expedition will be conducted in late 2008 or 2009, as scientists expect to find additional unknown species of frogs, mammals, butterflies and plants. http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=7409 West Papua: Jakarta Bans Book 2007-12-17 An academic book that charts the history of the West Papuan political struggle has been banned and seized by Indonesian authorities for fear that it may insight unrest, causing many opponents to argue that their right to free expression and opinion is being violated. Below is an article published by Radio New Zealand International: State prosecutors in Indonesia's Papua region have seized 60 copies of a book they say could divide the region. But the Jakarta Post reports that critics have accused them of robbing local people of their freedom of expression. The book, called The Sinking of the Melanesian Race: The Political Struggle in West Papua, was written by a local academic, Sendius Wonda. The intelligence chief at the provincial prosecutor's office in Jayapura, Rudi Hartono, says the book is misleading and could spark division in the Papuan community. The 60 copies were confiscated from a bookstore in Jayapura. The prosecutors say their legal basis for banning the book is a 2007 attorney general's circular about banning printed materials that could mislead the public and disturb public order. Source Radio New Zealand International http://www.theindiancatholic.com/report.asp?nid=9822 December 21, 2007 Violations of Papua autonomy law distress interfaith leaders JAYAPURA, Indonesia (UCAN) : Religious leaders in Papua have discussed violations of a six-year-old autonomy law for their province and sent recommendations to various levels of government to rectify the situation. The worries of nearly 50 Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Muslim and Protestant representatives were articulated during a workshop on Developing Dialogues to Create A Peaceful Papua, held Dec. 3-7 in Sentani, capital of Jayapura district, 3,770 kilometers east of Jakarta. After discussing violations of the law that gave Indonesia's easternmost province a degree of autonomy, the religious representatives prepared their recommendations for local and central government authorities. Catholic Bishop Leo Laba Ladjar of Jayapura, a participant, read aloud the concerns and recommendations at the workshop's close. The text presented by the Franciscan prelate says: "We religious leaders in Papua have attentively watched developments in our society, particularly the social and political dynamics. As part of society, we have seen several practices that violate articles of Law Number 21/2001 on Special Autonomy for Papua province." The law, ratified by then-president Megawati Soekarnoputri on Nov. 21, 2001, has 24 chapters and 79 articles that stipulates safeguard and empower native Papuans in the civil, cultural, political and social spheres. It also puts a focus on redressing inequality and injustice in the province. According to the religious leaders, the law has been violated in development programs and land rights, and by the police. They said development programs in the province have split local ethnic groups and marginalized Papuan workers. By dividing districts into territories, Bishop Ladjar explained, development efforts have reduced the people's share of ulayat (communal land) and this has triggered quarrels among local people. The participants also charged that possession of ulayat rights has also been given to non-Papuans. For instance, they said, several district heads have allowed companies run by non-Papuans to use communal land for plantations. The religious leaders stressed that, according to Article 76 of the law, development work should be based on socio-cultural unity, the availability of human resources and the local economic situation, and that Article 43 obliges the government to recognize, respect, protect, promote and improve Papuan people's land rights, including ulayat rights. They also said Papuans are uncomfortable with so many police stations and non-Papuan policemen in their midst. According to one Protestant pastor at the workshop, non-Papuans account for 70 percent of the police in Papua. Participants said Papuans complain that the police do not understand their culture and cited Article 49, which says the national police chief who assigns non-Papuan police must take account of local culture, customs and laws. The religious leaders concluded that local and central governments, legislative members and the Papuan Assembly (MRP, Indonesian acronym) have improperly implemented the law on special autonomy. MRP is a cultural body empowered to protect Papuan people's culture, customs and religion. The recommendations of the religious leaders were sent on Dec. 10 to local and central governments, local and central legislative councils, and MRP. They demand a halt to development programs at town, district and provincial levels and insist that MRP must consider local culture properly before undertaking development programs. The workshop participants also called on governments, legislative members and MRP to draft and then ratify a special regional regulation on the assignment of police, especially the commando force, and to reduce the number of police personnel and police stations in the province. The religious leaders insisted that Papuans be assured a proper livelihood on their own land and be the "subject" of all development programs. http://www.pr-inside.com/bush-administration-trains-members-of-r355442.htm Bush Administration Trains Members of Indonesian Terrorist Groups; Abandons Human Rights for Indonesia to Train Its Worst Military and Police 2007-12-19 14:18:19 - Human rights advocates condemned the U.S. training of members of Kopassus, the notorious Indonesian Special Forces unit with a long record of human rights violations. The similarly-brutal Brimob, the para-military mobile police brigade, is receiving training as well. Contact: John M. Miller (ETAN), (917) 690-4391 Ed McWilliams (WPAT), (703) 899-5285 The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) and the West Papua Advocacy Team (WPAT) today strongly condemned U.S. training for the two units, saying that it undermines the little credibility the U.S. has left in promoting human rights and accountability in Indonesia. ETAN and WPAT urged Congress to intervene to prevent such training and called on the administration to publicly pledge not to provide further assistance to the two units. "The Bush administration promised Congress that it would 'carefully calibrate' any security assistance to promote reform and human rights," said John M. Miller, National Coordinator of ETAN. "Getting in bed again with Kopassus and Brimob promotes the opposite. Clearly, the administration's moral gauges are in need of a major realignment." "The Bush administration may see Kopassus and Brimob - the worst of the worst among Indonesia's security forces -- as allies against terrorism, but, to most, they act like terrorist groups, regularly targeting civilians for political ends," added Miller. "Up until the present, Kopassus and Brimob have long histories of violating human rights throughout Indonesia, notably in West Papua, in East Timor and elsewhere," said Ed McWilliams of WPAT and former Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta from 1996 to1999. "There can be no doubt that Kopassus and Brimob will portray the training as an exoneration by the U.S. Their many victims will shake their heads in disbelief at the U.S. government claim that it is using security assistance to promote human rights." In the past, Congress has cut off military assistance for the Indonesian military specifically because of the kind of brutality that Kopassus -- identifiable by their red berets -- is known for. "Assertions that the trainees were vetted for past human rights violations before receiving International Military and Education Training (IMET) or other training are pointless. They will bring the experience gained by such training back to their units. This can only make them more efficient at their villainous activities," added McWilliams. He also noted that a 2005 Congressional study revealed that vetting for IMET programs was ineffective. The State Department continues to describe its defective vetting program as a "work in progress." Background The poor human rights records of both Kopassus and Brimob are well-documented by Amnesty International and other human rights organizations. This week in the Consolidated Appropriations bill, Congress again recognized the need to hold accountable those responsible for past human rights violations in Indonesia and East Timor, many of which involved Brimob and Kopassus. The bill also seeks to strengthen U.S. law to prevent training of units that have 'committed gross violations of human rights.- A covert Kopassus operations manual, found in the ashes of East Timor after Indonesia withdrew in 1999, states that Kopassus personnel were to be prepared in the "tactic and technique" of "terror" and "kidnapping." Dr. Damien Kingsbury, an Australian expert on the Indonesian military, has written that "Kopassus has murdered and tortured political activists, trade unionists and human rights workers. It has also trained, equipped and led militias in East Timor, West Papua and Aceh, and Kopassus members trained the notorious Laskar Jihad Islamic militia, which stepped up conflict in the Ambon region, leaving up to 10,000 dead. It was Kopassus that murdered Papuan independence leader Theys Eluay in 2001." Kopassus was also involved in the 1998 killing of students and the kidnapping of pro-democracy activists in Jakarta. Major General Sunarko, the current commander of Kopassus, was stationed in East Timor in 1996 and 1997 and again in 1999, where he was Intelligence Assistant to the Kopassus Commander. Kopassus played a key role in organizing the militia in East Timor at that time. Current Brimob Commander Police General Inspector Sylvanus Wenas was accused, along with others, of gross violations of human rights in an attack on a student hostel in Abepura, West Papua, in 2000. Several times this year, Brimob attacked the Kingmi Church in Jayapura, West Papua. A report commissioned by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights states that Brimob officers committed most of the violations of human rights by police in East Timor in 1999. Brimob was involved in massacres in Liqui?a in April and at the Suai cathedral in September and an attack on the UN compound in early September. In all cases, senior Kopassus and Brimob personnel have not been brought to justice. Author: John Miller e-mail Web: http://www.etan.org Phone: 718-596-7668 http://www.survival-international.org/news/2754 Police arrest, torture and kill Papuan tribal people 17 December 2007 ?Jeanne Herbert/Survival Police in West Papua are killing, torturing and intimidating the province's tribal people with impunity. Police shot dead two Papuan women and injured another as they protested on 5 December near the British and American-owned Freeport mine. Less than two weeks before the shootings, the UN special rapporteur on torture said he had found evidence of Papuan detainees being electrocuted, suffering systematic beatings and even being shot in the legs at close range. He said the police were the main culprits. There are also increasing reports of 'mysterious' and 'accidental' killings, and abductions and assaults of young Papuan women by military and police forces. None of the government officials the special rapporteur met in Indonesia could cite a single case in which a police officer had been found guilty and sentenced by a criminal court for abuse of a detainee, despite the practice being widespread and systematic. Human rights defender and lawyer, Sabar Iwanggin, has been charged with 'insulting the President' in a text message he forwarded to a friend. The message had already been circulated around thousands of Papuans. Sabar Iwanggin worked with the respected human rights organisation, Elsham West Papua. Elsham staff have been repeatedly intimidated and have received death threats. Survival is concerned for the safety of Sabar Iwanggin whilst he awaits trial, and for the safety of others who stand up for the rights of the tribal peoples of West Papua. http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40548 ENVIRONMENT-INDONESIA: Rescued Pademelons Reach Home By Kafil Yamin MERAUKE, Papua, Indonesia, Dec 20 (IPS) - When Hendrik and Hesty flew into the local airport here earlier this month, they were given a ceremonial welcome with Papuan warriors in full battle regalia hopping about to the tune of traditional martial music. The warriors fell into two rows as the director of Freeport environmental division Johnny Prewitt, head of conservation bureau of Indonesian forestry ministry Awrya Ibrahim and Danish (one name), chief of the Wasur National Park, and executive staff from the Cikananga Animal Rescue Centre (PPSC) in West Java emerged. But the cynosure of all eyes was Hendrik and Hesty, rescued from the clutches of wildlife traders four years ago, and their extended family of 21 Papuan dusky pademelon, being returned to their natural habitat on Indonesian Papua. Pademelons, wallabies,and kangaroos are similar in body structure, and the names refer to marsupials of three different size groups. Besides their smaller size, pademelons are distinguished from wallabies by their shorter, thicker and sparsely- furred tails. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has placed pademelons in the 'vulnerable' list of animals that face a high risk of extinction in the medium-term, though no time period has been estimated. The trade in rare and exotic animals from Papua and other areas of Indonesia is rampant due largely to poor law enforcement. Rapid deforestation and commercial development also threaten better known species such as the Sumatran tiger, elephant, rhino and orangutan. During their rehabilitation period at the PPSC, the Hendriks joined several other pademelon similarly rescued from the underground animal trade. During their stay at the PPSC, Hesty delivered several joeys adding to the brood. The PPSC workers knew that Hendrik, Hesty, their joeys and relatives must eventually return to Papua island where pademelons are endemic. Long and careful preparations were made for their return, though it was not easy because of a serious lack of funds for the operation. That was when the United States-based mining company Freeport offered a helping hand. Pratita Puradyatmika, executive of the environmental division at Freeport told IPS: ''We are highly concerned with what the animals have been going through. We want to see them free in their own world. This is our commitment to the biodiversity of Papua.'' Papua island is split between Indonesian Papua and Papua New Guinea (PNG). Kanguru Tanah, as the locals call dusky pademelon, are among the most hunted animals in the world thanks to their attractiveness and charm. Smaller in size compared with Australian kangaroos, they are easy to care for and breed. In the black market, an individual dusky pademelon fetches around 150 US dollars. Indonesia is widely known for its great biodiversity. It is estimated that around 300,000 animal species inhabit the country's many ecosystems. This is equal to 17 percent of worldwide fauna species. With 515 species, Indonesia has more mammalian types than any other nation. There are 1,539 bird species and 50 percent of the world's fish species can be found in its marine and freshwater systems. Indonesia is also home to some of the world's most endangered species. The IUCN lists as endangered 147 mammals, 114 birds, 91 fish and 21 invertebrate species found in Indonesia. Trade in wild animals is a serious threat to Indonesia's biodiversity. According to ProFauna, a non-government organisation (NGO) working on animal conservation, over 95 percent of animals sold in markets are taken directly from the wild, not from captive breeding stocks. More than 20 percent of the captured animals die even before they reach the market. The total value of Indonesia's illegal animal trade is unknown, but animal activists say hundreds of creatures are sold each month despite protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). When the Hendrik family was finally transferred to Papua, they were first placed for four months in temporary quarantine in Narayo village under the tender care of Herman (one name), the village head. Herman loved the pademelons and they loved him in return. Each time Herman showed up in the quarantine, they would surround him, not always for food but also for his caresses. And Hesty produced four more joeys. Herman always knew that some day he would have to let them go. There were tears in his eyes when that day, Dec. 9, arrived. ''I know they would be happier in the wild, but it's not easy to see them go. I love them very much, and I am sure they love me too,'' Herman told IPS. >From the airport, the Hendrik family was taken to the Wasur National Park. Here the 21-member family was greeted with an even bigger ceremony. There was singing and dancing by Papuan warriors and a speech by Merauke's administrator John Gluba Gebze. ''The lost (pademelons) have returned to their motherland of Merauke. We hope they can unite again with their brothers and sisters. We hope they will soon multiply.'' ''They are a part of this habitat. They are part of our life. Their existence makes our lives beautiful and colorful,'' Gebze added with emotion. The Hendriks, carried in six cages, were taken into the national park, and Gebze was given the task of opening the cage doors and giving the animals their freedom. A host of TV cameramen and photographers stood ready to capture the historical moment when the animals would bolt into the forest. But they stayed put and had to be coaxed out of their cages. For a few moments they looked surprised, shocked and confused. Tears welled up in Herman's eyes. ''They are not yet ready to go into the wild,'' he said unhappily. But the cages clanged shut and were removed from the park. Only time will tell if the Hendriks were able to survive their return to the wild or fell prey, once again, to animal traders. (END/2007) http://www.christiannewstoday.com/christian_News_Report_167.html Papua (Indonesia): Genocide by Demographics by Elizabeth Kendal AUSTRALIA (ANS) -- If present demographic trends continue, West Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) will be majority Indonesian (mostly Javanese) Muslim by 2011, and the indigenous Melanesian predominantly Protestant Christian Papuans will be a dwindling 15 percent minority by 2030. This was recently forecast in a conference at the University of Sydney (NSW, Australia) by Political Scientist Dr Jim Elmslie of the West Papua Project, which is based at the University of Sydney Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPACS). Dr Elmslie also notes however that this forecast may prove unduly optimistic as it does not take into account the escalating HIV-AIDS infection rate amongst the Papuans or their declining population growth rate. In other words, the annihilation of the Papuans may be even more imminent than the demographic trends suggest. (Note: The Indonesian military introduced AIDS into the Papuan population by bringing in AIDS-infected Javanese prostitutes which they establish in Papuan villages and frequently use as currency.) The issue of the decline in the Papuan population growth rate warrants further investigation and will possibly be the subject of a WEA RLC News & Analysis posting early in 2008. Several sources attest that Indonesia is targeting UN-funded family planning programs at the Papuan population, particularly in sensitive areas such as around the Freeport mine and in other areas slated for clearing and development. According to Dr Elmslie, highland Papuans who allegedly have gonorrhoea are being treated in UN-funded family planning clinics -- but not for gonorrhoea. They are being injected instead with long-term contraceptive drugs. As Dr Elmslie notes, this goes some way to explaining why the 1.67 percent population growth rate for Melanesian Papuans in West Papua is so much lower in than over the 2.6 percent population growth rate for Melanesian Papuans over the border in Papua New Guinea (PNG). (Meanwhile, the growth rate for the non-Papuan population in West Papua is 10.5 percent.) In the highlands of Papua, where maternal and family health services and pharmacies are virtually non-existent, it is tragic that the UN would focus its efforts on controlling and limiting rather than serving and treasuring humanity. And of course, it is not difficult to imagine how such a program could be exploited. Meanwhile, the issue of the genocide of the predominantly Christian Papuans must become an issue of urgency for the Church. The governments of the USA, Britain and Australia, as well as other nations and bodies such as the UN, have geo-political and economic interests that pull them towards a preference for the status quo, regardless of consequences. By their action and inaction they are complicit and find the truth and immorality surrounding the betrayal and genocide of a Christian people a most inconvenient truth indeed. The Church must act by making Papua a prayer priority and such an advocacy priority that the Papuans (like the South Sudanese and Iraq's Assyrians) become a domestic political issue that cannot be ignored. Indonesia must respect Papua's Special Autonomy status, and aggressive colonisation, militarisation and Islamisation must end. As Dr Elmslie notes in his paper, the Genocide Convention of 1951 defines genocide as that which is "committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group" (Article II), and those interested in maintaining the status quo will focus on the word "intent" in order to argue that if intent cannot be proved then genocide cannot be claimed. The issue of intent however has no bearing on the reality or outcome. As Dr Elmslie argues, semantics about whether or not there is "intent" should not stop the international community from recognising that an immense tragedy is unfolding in Papua, gross human rights abuses are occurring and the Papuans are being annihilated. The most decisive statement to date on the subject of genocide in West Papua has come from the Allard K Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic Yale Law School, which in 2005 published a paper entitled "Indonesian Human Rights Abuses in West Papua: Application of the Law of Genocide to the History of Indonesian Control." Quoting from page 72: "Although no single act or set of acts can be said to have constituted genocide, per se, and although the required intent cannot be as readily inferred as it was in the cases of the Holocaust or the Rwandan genocide, there can be little doubt that the Indonesian government has engaged in a systematic pattern of acts that has resulted in harm to -- and indeed the destruction of -- a substantial part of the indigenous population of West Papua. "The inevitability of this result was readily obvious, and the government has taken no active measures to contravene. According to current understanding of the Genocide Convention, including its interpretation in the jurisprudence of the ad hoc international criminal tribunals, such a pattern of actions and inactions -- of acts and omissions --supports the conclusion that the Indonesian government has acted with the necessary intent to find that it has perpetrated genocide against the people of West Papua." PAPUA: GENOCIDE BY DEMOGRAPHICS The West Papua Project, based at the University of Sydney (NSW, Australia) Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPACS), "seeks to promote peaceful dialogue between the people of West Papua and Indonesia, and to promote conflict resolution as a viable alternative to the current and escalating conflict." On 9-10 August, Indonesian Solidarity in association with the West Papua Project (CPACS) organised a conference entitled "West Papua 2007: Paths to Justice and Prosperity". The papers presented at that conference are available on the West Papua Project website (link 2) under the heading "West Papua Conference". All those who are concerned about the future of the predominantly Protestant Christian West Papuans would be interested in these papers. The following is an excerpt from Dr Jim Elmslie's paper, "West Papua: Genocide, Demographic Change, the Issue of 'Intent', and the Australia-Indonesia Security Treaty". EXCERPT: DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION IN WEST PAPUA By Dr Jim Elmslie Over the last 43 years in West Papua there have been many killings; disappearances; land expropriations and repressive Indonesian government policies that have severely affected the demographics of the province. . . In 1971 there were 887,000 'Irian born' (Papuan) people in West Papua and 36,000 'non-Irian born' (Asian Indonesians), out of a total population of 923,000. This meant that, even after eight years of Indonesian control, Papuans comprised 96% of the population in 1971. http://www.mvariety.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=4142&format=html Tuesday December 18, 2007 3,000 illegal immigrants entered Papua New Guinea PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) - More than 3,000 people entered Papua New Guinea illegally through the Daru and Vanimo border ports which are not properly managed by government agencies, reports Post Courier. This was the biggest problem that the country faces unless strong laws and tough measures are taken to stop all these illegal aliens coming into the country through these border posts. This warning was from Stephen Raphael, who led an investigation team into Immigration and Foreign Affairs to Daru and then Vanimo last week. With him were the deputy secretaries of Foreign Affairs, Justice and Attorney, Labor, National Intelligence Organization and Police. A successful check at the border of Vanimo last week resulted in three people, two Indonesians and one Filipino (named) being caught and locked up at Vanimo jail for illegally entering PNG through the border and conducting business with a foreign logging company operating in that area. Among this group was a woman who claimed she was the chef/cook but on her papers she was an insurance broker back in Indonesia. Further, the team caught red-handed a Vietnamese in Daru who was granted refugee status by Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare but is now running a fishing business despite running around with papers showing his refugee status. Raphael said the 3,000 is just an estimate of the number of illegal people, and that there could be more than that. "One of the biggest problems we are facing is the fact that our borders are not being looked after well," Raphael said. "The Government will now have to address this issue. "These people that we caught in Vanimo are now locked up in the Vanimo cells and will wait for their sentences." http://www.torresnews.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=702&Itemid=1 PNG PM looks at easing border restrictions Monday, 31 December 2007 PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has asked the Indonesian government to allow Papuans to travel freely between the Papua New Guinea and Indonesian borders, according to Pacific Magazine. The veteran politician made the request during a meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Yudhoyono at the recent climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia. "I made a special request for the Indonesian government to allow people of Papua province, Indonesia to travel freely between our two borders. The president noted the request and agreed to raise the matter with the appropriate ministry of Indonesia," he said. The matter could be on the agenda again for both leaders when Yudhoyono makes his first state visit to PNG in June next year in light of growing concerns by authorities on both sides of the border the arrangement is abused by crooks. A Joint Border Committee Agreement governs the two countries' border activities but security agencies have indicated that illegally organized smuggling and other illicit activities have increased along the 870 km land border. Officials from the Sandaun provincial government on the PNG side of the border have picked out the 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. time slot as the most vulnerable period on the border as it is when the Wutung border post is unmanned by PNG police and customs. The security lapse has already created problems for local authorities with the arrests of foreigners for illegally entering PNG. Activities along the maritime border such as illegal fishing have also increased and culminated with the death of an Indonesian fisherman and the injuring of three others in August last year after they were fired upon by PNG security forces. Sir Michael's plea ironically coincides with reports of Torres Strait Island residents being up in arms over Papua New Guineans overstaying their visitor permits. The islanders are concerned that the Papua New Guineans, mainly from PNG's Western province, are overcrowding their hospital and other public amenities. Villagers in PNG's Western province visit their relatives in the Torres Strait using a pass similar to that issued to those crossing the PNG-Indonesian border. http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2132030.htm UN calls on PNG to resettle refugees Last Updated 04/01/2008, 18:00:54 The United Nation's refugee agency has urged Papua New Guinea to resettle 100 refugees from the Indonesian province of Papua, now living in the country. Police in the capital, Port Moresby, have threatened to evict over 100 refugees, who have been living at the Boroko police station since October. They were moved to the police station because of fears of retaliation after two of the refugees allegedly killed a senior magistrate. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman in Australia says the PNG government should take responsibility in resettling them. ''We appreciate the temporary accommodation provided by the police," she says "But we also recognise that this is not a long term solution. And we urge the government of Papua New Guinea to find a clear solution and we stand ready to assist.". PNG hosts a total of nearly 3,000 refugees from Papua. http://www.fkmcpr.nl/?page=7265 Turning Papua into land of peace source: Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua, updated: 2008-01-03 08:17:17 Papua Province has been the only Indonesian province still rebellious against the Jakarta-based central government. However, all elements of civilian society in Papua, including the police, led by the leaders of all religions (Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism), have committed to work together for peace under the motto: "Papua, the Land of Peace". The interfaith campaign for peace is based on and guided by an awareness and respect for diversity, justice, solidarity, harmony, and the general welfare. These are the shared underlying values of the concept of "Papua, the Land of Peace". They are also criteria for evaluating development policy. Thus all development activities should be aimed at establishing Papua as the Land of Peace. To comment on prospective developments in Papau for peace in 2008, I would like to use a study done by Papuan religious leaders at the interfaith workshop, "Papua, the Land of Peace", taking place during the first week of December, 2007, in Jayapura. They mapped potential conflicts in 2008 and proposed recommendations for conflict-prevention policy in the western half of the island of New Guinea. The religious leaders recognized a lack of good will -- whether in Jakarta or Papua -- with regard to the consistent implementation of the 2001 Papua special autonomy law. The absence of good will, on the part of the central government, has been manifested, for example, through the issuance of two presidential instructions, namely on the creation of the new province of West Irian Jaya in January 2003 and the acceleration of development in Papua and West Irian Jaya Provinces in May 2007. By issuing these instructions, the government was deliberately violating the autonomy law. Instead of pushing the government to be consistent in implementing the autonomy law, the House of Representatives never raised any objection to the instructions. This means that both the government and the House have no willingness to implement the autonomy law in Papua. The Papuan provincial government and legislative council (DPRP) have not demonstrated their ability to implement the autonomy law. These state bodies have not issued the necessary special implementing regulations (perdasus) and the provincial regulations (perdasi), and without these, the autonomy law can't be implemented properly. As a result, as recognized by the religious leaders, the level of the people's welfare has not improved. The quality level of education and health care services in Papua remains very low. Some 82 percent of all households in Papua's rural areas still live below the poverty line. The spread of HIV-AIDS continues to threaten the very existence of the indigenous Papuans. The potential for horizontal conflict among civilians -- who are united to a greater or lesser degree by differences of religion, sect, tribe, and village -- lies in Papuans' realization that the autonomy law has been another government's empty promise and the possibility that the meaning of Indonesian rule will questioned. It also lies in establishment of new provinces and regencies with support from the central government and House. The government's policy of establishing new military stations and deploying ever-more combat troops throughout Papua, in the eyes of the religious leaders, has also been a source of restlessness among civilians in Papua. The newly deployed troops know nothing about local cultures, and tend to misunderstand the local population and apply a militaristic approach in dealing with the indigenous people. The troops use "separatism" as an excuse to silence Papuans who criticize arrogance and actions that make people restless in their own land. The massive exploitation of natural resources by legal and illegal logging and fishing companies will continue in 2008. There are also allegations of military involvement in these businesses, and also in bootleg alcohol. The destruction of millions of hectares of Papuan rain forest for oil palm plantations will be another source of conflict in Papua. The ideological differentiation between the government and the Papuans continues to be a hindrance for peace and development in 2008. The difference has been used to justify the use by security forces of violent tactics against civilians and wrongfully stigmatize them as Free Papua Movement (OPM) members. Despite repeated denial by the military, religious leaders suspect that the OPM issue is deliberately stirred up by the labeling carried out by the security forces. There are even allegations that separatist groups receive assistance from security forces to create chaos and provoke conflict among civilians. This ideological difference, if not settled properly, could trigger vertical conflict in 2008. All the above-mentioned potential conflicts should be settled peacefully through a joint conflict-prevention process involving the government and the Papuans. Learning from the vertical and horizontal conflicts caused by the issuance of the 2003 and 2007 instructions, the central government should stop issuing instructions that conflict with the autonomy law. Instead, the government should put in place the legal framework this law mandates. A comprehensive evaluation enjoying backing from both the government and native Papuans on the implementation of the autonomy law is considered an urgent need that must be addressed in 2008 so Papuans can exercise their role as agents of development in Papua. Instead of creating new provinces or regencies in Papua, the government should prioritize the implementation of the autonomy law. As part of conflict-prevention policies, religious leaders have called for the government to reduce the number of military stations and troops, of which there are many throughout Papua. The Papuan provincial government and the DPRP are encouraged by a special implementing regulation (perdasus) on the deployment of non-organic troops, more particularly the Army's Special troops (Kopassus), and the effectiveness of the role of the police in civilian life. In order to address the ideological differences, the religious leaders call upon the government and the indigenous Papuans to engage in a peaceful dialogue, facilitated by a neutral third party. The perpetrators of illegal logging, corruption and human rights should be brought to the court of justice to prevent further conflict. Despite suitable proposals for a conflict-prevention policy, the prospect of peace and development in Papua, in my opinion, depends very much on the government's response to two questions. Firstly, is the government willing to engage in a comprehensive evaluation of the implementation of the Papuan autonomy law that involves indigenous Papuans in the process? Secondly, is the Indonesian government willing to engage in a genuine dialogue with the representatives of those Papuans who are considered separatists? The proposed evaluation and dialogue will determine the progress of Papua's development and peace in 2008. The writer is a lecturer at the Fajar Timur School of Philosophy and Theology in Abepura, Papua. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 18:36:06 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:36:06 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN and PALESTINE: Protests, October 2007-January 2008 Message-ID: <022201c8597a$e08f50b0$0802a8c0@andy1> * US diplomats protest forced postings in Iraq * Afghans stage anti-US protest near Khost, allege Quran abuse * Iraqi villagers protest against "al-Qaeda attacks" * Uprising by 1000 Palestinian prisoners at Ketziot; 1 killed in Israeli attack * Ketziot uprising, killing marked in West Bank protest * Tensions running high as guards violate agreement after Ketziot unrest * University students protest at Gaza checkpoint * Two ISM protesters injured in Bil'in protest * Mock outpost built in anti-fence protest * Israeli reservists refuse to take part in drill * Unrest between Druze and Jews in Peki'in: protest or pogrom? * Police raid on Druze town sparks uprising * Palestinian rights protest as celebrity buys at pro-Israeli store * Ethiopian migrants protest Israeli policy clampdown * Dutch activists paint graffiti on separation wall, raise funds for Palestinians * Banksy's art protest backfires * Fatah militants protest life in Egyptian army camps * Women in Black protest in Jerusalem * Peace Now target outpost before Bush visit * Hamas supporters protest Bush visit; "Bush equals terrorism" http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/02/wgulf302.xml US diplomats protest forced postings in Iraq By Alex Spillius in Washington Last Updated: 3:06am GMT 03/11/2007 American diplomats have revolted against plans to force them to serve in Iraq, an assignment described by one as a "potential death sentence". The one-year tours would be at the US embassy in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, which is often hit by mortar fire, or in civilian-military provincial reconstruction teams in one of the 18 regions. About 250 members of staff were told this week that they were in a pool for 50 posts in Iraq for which no qualified candidates have volunteered, and risked losing their jobs if they did not accept. Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, was forced yesterday to try to quell the protest. According to US officials, she will send a cable to state department employees to explain the rationale behind the decision to begin the largest diplomatic call-up since Vietnam. Iraq is considered the most dangerous posting in living memory. Staff are unable to move around Baghdad without a substantial armed guard and have been regular targets for gunmen and bombers. At an emotional meeting between several hundred staffers and bosses this week, Jack Crotty, nearing retirement after three decades of service, said: "I'm sorry, that's a potential death sentence and you know it." Rachel Schneller, another staffer, said she returned from a tour of duty in Iraq wounded and in need of counselling for post-traumatic stress disorder, which the department had failed to provide. Employees' resentment has been fuelled by the war's general unpopularity among their ranks. Many felt the department was sidelined during the planning for the war and the phase after Saddam Hussein was removed and is now being asked to do George W Bush's dirty work. Harry Thomas, the department's director general, reminded staff that they had a contractual obligation to work anywhere in the world. "We cannot pick and choose where we go. We cannot shrink from our duty," he said. The row came as a senior retired army general gave warning that US forces might need to be in the Middle East for up to 50 years. Gen John Abizaid, the former US commander in the region, said the rise of extremist Sunni and Shia movements in Iraq and elsewhere, the Arab-Israeli conflict and global dependence on Middle East oil made it highly unlikely US troops would return home soon. "We shouldn't assume even for a minute that in the next 25 to 50 years the American military might be able to come home, relax and take it easy, because the strategic situation in the region doesn't seem to show that as being possible," he said. The US army also yesterday admitted it has fewer personnel for basic training this year than at any time since it became an all-volunteer service in 1973. http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSB383207 Hundreds of Afghans stage anti-US protest Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:29am EDT KHOST, Afghanistan, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Afghans staged a protest against the United States on Wednesday, saying U.S. troops had thrown a copy of the Koran during an operation in the southeast, a police officer said. A U.S-led coalition spokesman said he had no knowledge of the reported desecration in Paktika province, but added investigators found no truth to a similar allegation against soldiers in eastern Kunar province last week. The protests come as anti-U.S. sentiments are running high in parts of Afghanistan following the deaths of more than 370 civilians this year during operations by Western troops stationed in the country. The protest on Wednesday was held in Urgun district of Paktika province, part of the main bastion for resurgent Taliban near the border with neighbouring Pakistan, a district police chief said. Protesters said U.S. troops broke into a house on Monday night in Urgun, arrested four people, including a woman, and one soldier threw away a copy of the Koran, Nawar Khan told Reuters. "We have began an investigation into the villagers' reports about the arrests...and throwing of Koran," Khan said. Another provincial official said the arrested people were Taliban. A similar protest was held in the eastern province of Kunar where villagers and several lawmakers say U.S. soldiers desecrated the Koran last week. But the coalition said its investigation into the allegation found the report to be untrue. "The coalition force in this incident did not desecrate any religious articles. We respect all religions and treat their holy articles with the respect they deserve," Major Chris Belcher, coalition spokesman said. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gkx-3oYeFwuWKCusr2jrojs98w8wD8TC12300 Iraq: Villagers Protest al-Qaida Attacks By LAUREN FRAYER - Dec 6, 2007 BAGHDAD (AP) - Shiite villagers paraded empty coffins at mock funerals near Baghdad on Thursday, demonstrating against alleged al-Qaida in Iraq attacks that killed as many as 45 people in a single village in recent months. Hundreds of residents and Muslim sheiks from Dwelah, a Shiite enclave about 45 miles north of Baghdad, held a huge procession in the Bawya area south of the capital, saying they feared reprisals if they did so in their hometown. Dust blew through crowded streets as men hoisted flag-draped coffins over their heads, chanting "We remember the victims!" Another rally snaked through thoroughfares in Baghdad's mixed Karradah neighborhood, where Dwelah residents and their Shiite brethren from the capital demanded more protection from the Iraqi government. "We are holding this symbolic funeral procession for our sons who were killed by Sunni extremists. It all happened because of the government's ignorance and incompetent local security authorities," said sheik Ghalib al-Furaiji. "We call on the prime minister to intervene. Local authorities are concentrating only on Baqouba, and ignoring outlying villages," he said. Dwelah is one of several Shiite villages on the northern outskirts of Baqouba, the Diyala provincial capital that has seen some of the war's harshest fighting. Sectarian attacks and displacement of civilians has left the once-mixed city overwhelmingly Sunni, and many Shiites who once had freedom of movement throughout Diyala are now hunkered down in their villages. Protesters said Dwelah has come under constant attack by al-Qaida-linked militants, who once claimed Baqouba as the capital of an Islamic shadow government in Iraq. The most recent attack came Saturday, when Iraqi police said at least 13 people were killed after suspected al-Qaida militants showered Dwelah with mortar rounds and then stormed the streets, torching homes and forcing hundreds of families to flee. "We denounce this hideous crime by the gangsters against our sons. Those terrorists do not fear God," said sheik Qassim Hizam al-Bawi, leader of the al-Bawi tribe in Dwelah. "Forty-five of our sons have been killed in attacks like this." http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/104877.html Palestinian killed in prison riot Published: 10/25/2007 A Palestinian inmate died in a riot at an Israeli high-security prison. Guards at Ketziot, a stockade in the Negev Desert for convicted Palestinian terrorists and administrative detainees, searched cells for hidden weapons Monday, touching off scuffles with prisoners. Fifteen guards and 15 inmates were wounded; one of the inmates died later in a hospital. The Ha'aretz newspaper suggested SWAT teams that responded to the riot may have used excessive force, but Israel's Prisons Service said its officers used only non-lethal weapons and tactics. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/915883.html Dozens wounded in Ketziot riot By Jonathan Lis About 1,000 prisoners rioted before dawn yesterday at Ketziot Prison in the south, in response to a massive search for concealed weapons that wardens were conducting at the time. One prisoner was mortally injured by the wardens' crowd dispersal equipment. Fifteen other prisoners were lightly wounded, as were 15 wardens. Four of the prisoners were taken for treatment to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva; one warden also needed medical attention. The Israel Prison Service declined to release the name of the mortally injured prisoner, a 29-year-old Palestinian serving a two-year sentence for sheltering another man from the authorities. The Palestinian Authority identified him as Mohammed al-Askar. Prison Commissioner Benny Kaniak has appointed an inquiry committee to look into the incident. Major General Eli Gavison, head of the IPS's southern district, confirmed that jailers had fired "nonlethal objects" at the crowd, and that caused the prisoner's injury. He refused to specify the exact "nonlethal means" the wardens had used, explaining that the nature of the equipment used by the IPS's specialized riot dispersal unit is classified. However, he did say that the mortally wounded prisoner was hit in the head by a small bag filled with pellets of some kind. Regulations state that wardens are only allowed to fire these missiles at the prisoners' legs, and Gavison insisted that all the wardens had obeyed this rule. However, he said, the prisoner in question was bending down at the time; hence the sachet struck his head. The raid, in which 535 wardens participated, began at about 2 A.M. The wardens were searching the prison's security wing, which houses those convicted of terrorist activity, for weapons and information about possible escape plans by prisoners. However, when the jailers entered the ward, the prisoners began rioting: They threw vegetables and other objects at the wardens, and took apart their beds and used them as clubs with which to attack the IPS officials. Some of the prisoners also set fire to the tents in which they are housed, destroying 10 of them before the blaze was extinguished. "There was very serious fear for the warden's lives," said Gavison, explaining the decision to use crowd dispersal equipment. Gavison said the wardens has suppressed the riot within 40 minutes, and the prison was back to normal within about two hours. The IPS refused to allow journalists to enter the ward or interview prisoners yesterday, saying it feared the media's presence could reignite the riots. Photographers were barred for the same reason. The crowd dispersal sachets were fired by members of the IPS's Massada Unit, which is considered one of Israel's leading riot dispersal and hostage rescue units. The army and police have often borrowed its services. The PA denounced what it termed an Israeli assault against Palestinian prisoners and accused the IPS of using clubs, gas grenades and rubber bullets against the inmates. It put the number of wounded prisoners at about 50. Avi Issacharoff contributed to this report http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL23136178 Palestinian prisoner dies after Israeli jail riot Tue Oct 23, 2007 2:03pm EDT (Adds Haniyeh's comments) By Ari Rabinovitch JERUSALEM, Oct 23 (Reuters) - A Palestinian prisoner has died of injuries suffered during a riot at an Israeli jail, a prisons spokeswoman said on Tuesday. At least 30 people were wounded in clashes between Palestinian prisoners and guards on Monday. The violence erupted when guards conducted a routine search for weapons in a tented complex housing 1,000 prisoners in Israel's Negev desert, the spokeswoman said. At least 15 guards and 15 prisoners were hurt in the riot, during which prisoners hurled rocks and torched tents. The spokeswoman said the guards used only "non-lethal" means to quell the violence, which lasted about an hour. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the prisoners involved were members of the Islamist group Hamas. "I think the unrest amongst the Hamas prisoners is (caused by the fact) that we don't release Hamas prisoners. We release Fatah prisoners," Olmert told reporters during a London visit. Israel has freed prisoners from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's secular Fatah faction in an attempt to bolster him against Hamas. The Islamist group seized control of the Gaza Strip after a brief civil war in June. Olmert and Abbas are scheduled to discuss Palestinian statehood at a coming U.S.-sponsored conference. "We have released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and we will consider a release of more, but none of them will be Hamas, because Hamas continues to be engaged in terrorist actions against Israel," Olmert said. Keeping up their almost daily operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israeli forces killed three Palestinian militants on Tuesday. Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader who was prime minister in the Palestinian government Abbas declared void, said he condemned Israel in the name of all his people. "This policy will not break the will of those heroes, will not break the will of the Palestinian people and Palestinian factions," he said at a Gaza rally. "We stress the unity of our people against this aggression." More than 100 Palestinians gathered near a Jewish holy site in the occupied West Bank to protest over the death of the prisoner. An Israeli army spokesman said soldiers used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the protesters after one threw a fire bomb at troops. Hamas vowed revenge for the prisoner's death and said in a statement that attacks on Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails could bring "painful choices" regarding the fate of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Shalit was abducted last year by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid. (Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza) http://voanews.com/english/2007-10-23-voa36.cfm Demonstration in West Bank After Prisoner Dies in Israeli Jail Riot By VOA News 23 October 2007 Palestinian women hold portraits of their relatives held in Israeli prisons, calling for their release, West Bank city of Ramallah, 23 Oct. 2007 Palestinians have staged demonstrations in the West Bank to protest the death of a Palestinian prisoner injured during an Israeli jail riot. Family members of prisoners took to the streets in Ramallah and Bethlehem Tuesday, holding framed pictures of their jailed relatives and demanding their release from Israeli custody. Prisoners at the Ketziot jail in Israel's Negev desert rioted early Monday after security forces began searching a tent complex where 1,000 prisoners are housed. Rioters threw rocks and burned tents. Israel says it used "non-lethal" methods to quell the unrest. The prisoner who was killed in the violence was identified as an Islamic Jihad militant. In a separate development, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian militants in the West Bank town of Jenin. The Israeli army says the militants were killed in an exchange of gunfire when soldiers raided a house to arrest wanted militants. The army said one soldier was slightly wounded and six people were arrested. Palestinian security officials identified the dead as members of Islamic Jihad. Israeli forces frequently carry out raids in the West Bank to capture Palestinian militants. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli aircraft fired on a vehicle, killing a militant leader. Palestinian sources said the man worked at the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry in Gaza and was a member of the Popular Resistance Committees, which regularly fires rockets at Israel. Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/917001.html Last update - 05:05 25/10/2007 Ketziot inmates: Wardens acting provocatively, as before deadly riot By Amira Hass, Haaretz Correspondent Inmates at Ketziot Prison fear that the Israel Prison Service is planning to break into their tents again, three days after a similar incident led to clashes and to the death of one prisoner, Mohammed al-Ashkar. A prisoner at Ketziot told Haaretz that a few officers from the IPS Nahshon Unit were walking around the tents of the Negev prison at around 7 P.M. yesterday, accompanied by dogs. The prisoners considered the presence of the officers a clear provocation, as the inmates are still mourning the death of their fellow detainee. According to Maj.-Gen. Eli Gavison, head of the IPS Southern District, Ashkar's death was caused by a small bag filled with pellets fired by IPS officers. Prison Commissioner Benny Kaniak appointed a committee of inquiry to investigate the incident. Advertisement According to the prisoner, as soon as the officers arrived, representatives of the inmates told the prison administrators that they will resist any attempt by the officers to go into their tents, at any price. The prisoners say that the Monday morning raid of their tents was in violation of an agreement between them and the administrators, whereby no searches would be conducted at night by IPS officers who were not regular staff members at the prison. The prisoner told Haaretz that the officers left after about 20 minutes, but tensions in the residency tents are still running high. About 1,000 prisoners were involved in the riot on Monday, which began as a search for weapons and information about possible escape schemes in the wing holding prisoners convicted of terror activity. The Palestinian Authority denounced what it called on Israeli assault against Palestinian prisoners, and claimed that the IPS used clubs, gas grenades and rubber bullets against the inmates. It put the number of injured inmates at about 50, compared with 15 according to Israeli sources. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7036816.stm Students protest at Gaza blockade By Aleem Maqbool BBC News, Ramallah Palestinian university students unable to leave Gaza to continue their studies abroad have held a demonstration to try to bring attention to their plight. The Gaza Strip has been all but cut off from the outside world since June, when the Islamist militant group, Hamas, seized control of the territory. Palestinian officials have said Israel is issuing permits to students only sporadically and after long delays. Israel's foreign ministry has said the permit "problems" will be solved soon. Isolation It is now exactly four months since Israel closed Gaza's borders. Humanitarian aid, mainly in the form of food and medicines is still getting in, but otherwise, there is no freedom of movement for goods or people entering or leaving the territory. Israel wants to isolate Hamas, the Islamist group that so violently took control of Gaza. But hundreds of thousands of ordinary Palestinians are suffering as a consequence, among them students who normally study outside the confines Gaza - at universities around the world. A month ago, Israel allowed four bus-loads of students to leave, but hundreds more remain and are not being allowed out. Some gathered in Gaza City on Tuesday to protest. "This was supposed to be my first year at university in Egypt," one student at the demonstration said. "I tried to leave by the checkpoint but the Israelis sent me back." "I'm appealing to the politicians and the international community to help us with our problem." Another student said everyone just wanted to find a solution to the crisis. "I need the checkpoints to be opened, but I'm pessimistic," he said. "The situation here is so strange and tough I can't imagine what my future will be." Israeli human rights groups have now taken up the cause of the students and say they will take their cases to Israel's High Court. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1192380660561&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Oct 26, 2007 15:47 | Updated Oct 26, 2007 16:02 Two Italian left-wing activists hurt in protest against security fence Two Italian left-wing activists were wounded Friday when they were shot with rubber bullets by IDF troops during a protest against the West Bank security barrier near the Palestinian village of Bil'in. Meanwhile, IDF troops arrested four British left-wing activists on suspicion of damaging a vineyard belonging to a resident of the Dolev settlement. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1196847283987&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Dec 8, 2007 14:06 | Updated Dec 8, 2007 20:16 Mock outpost built in left-wing protest By ASSOCIATED PRESS Palestinian and left-wing activists built a mock "Palestinian outpost" in the West Bank on Saturday to protest ongoing settlement expansion. A settler holds up an Israeli flag to protest a mock "Palestinian outpost" as a police officer tries to remove him on in an area between Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim, Saturday. Photo: AP In an area between Jerusalem and the West Bank settlement of Maaleh Adumim, demonstrators set up a small house, complete with a concrete foundation, and raised Palestinian flags. The fake outpost was meant to draw attention to continued settlement activity and about 30 Palestinians, Israelis and foreigners participated in the protest. Two Palestinian were arrested on suspicion of attacking police men, police said. One man shoveled concrete around the small house to reinforce it. Others tried to work out how to fit a glass window into its ready-made gap. "We are trying to make a new Palestinian suburb on land that is threatened with expropriation," said Abdullah Abu Rahme, a protester. During the protest, an man carrying an Israeli flag began arguing with the protesters. "This is Israeli land," he said. "Go to Jordan," he told Palestinian demonstrators. Police said the protesters had 60 days to remove the house. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/931960.html Last update - 13:22 06/12/2007 Reservists refuse to take part in drill due to base conditions By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Guy Zur, Ze'elim, IDF Reservist soldiers from an Israel Defense Forces Infantry Corps company refused on Thursday to participate in a battalion drill at the Ze'elim training base in the Negev. The soldiers refusal came in protest of logistical conditions at the base, and over what they termed unsuitable treatment of their complaints by commanders. This sort of protest by reserve units is a rare phenomenon, and IDF sources said the matter would be investigated. Advertisement The soldiers, who belong to the Jordan Valley Brigade, conducted a company drill at Ze'elim on Wednesday. They said that they had made several complains over the last week regarding the lack of heaters in their tents during the cold desert nights. The soldiers also complained over delays in the arrivals of vehicles to transport them to training. On Thursday morning, after several serious hitches relating to transportation, the soldiers refused to participate in a company drill. The matter will be investigated by the Ze'elim Commander Brigadier General Guy Zur, who up until several weeks ago served as commander of the 162nd division, to which the battalion belongs, and by the Jordan Valley Brigade commander, Colonel Yigal Slovik. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/124112 Peki'in Riots: Was It About A Cellular Tower Or Was It A Pogrom? by Hana Levi Julian (IsraelNN.com) Conflicting versions of the riots in Peki'in have appeared in the Israeli media. While the generally accepted version is that the riots were caused by a police raid following an attack on a cell phone transmission tower, Ynet published an account Wednesday afternoon of the suffering of the Jewish inhabitants of Peki'in at the hands of a violent Druze nationalist gang - then abruptly pulled it from the front page and hid all direct links to it. According to this version of the story, the Jewish families living in the ancient village said that the transmitter was "just an excuse" for violence and that six of the eight Jewish families' homes in ancient Peki'in were either burned or ransacked in the morning after the riots that received media coverage. Peki'in is populated primarily with Druze families, but there are also a number of Muslim, Christian and Jewish families living in the village, including a famous Jewish family that has been living in Peki'in consecutively since the days of the Temple. Masked youths firing in the air Jewish Peki'in resident Orit Ziegelman recounted the harrowing night between Monday and Tuesday thus: "All night long masked youths roamed about, armed with clubs and live weapons, guns and grenades. There was constant firing in the air. Overnight our car was burned, again. Then the police came, with all of the stories that were in the media. We went out in the morning [on Tuesday] as if everything was normal. but there was something bad in the air. It was clear that something bad was about to happen. 30 minutes after we left we were told that our house had been completely burned. To the ground." Ziegelman said she would not go back to her home after it was torched. "I don't intend to be a victim," she said. Margalit Zenati, an elderly Peki'in native from the family that has lived there since Second Temple times, said the troublemakers are Druze nationalist youths: "Until yesterday, we thought there were only a few dozen of them, but now it's clear there are between 100 and 200 of them," she said. Dichter visits wounded The fallout from rioting in Peki'in Tuesday continued to spread Wednesday, as Public Security Minister Avi Dichter visited hospitalized police officers and Druze citizens before meeting with Police Chief Dudi Cohen for a full report. Violence broke out early Tuesday morning when more than 100 police officers entered the ancient village at 4:00 a.m. to make arrests following the destruction of a cell phone tower. The wanted men had used firebombs and a hand grenade to destroy the tower, which was installed in the nearby Jewish town of Peki'in HaChadasha. At least 40 people were wounded in the violence, including more than two dozen police officers, 10 medics and seven residents. Border Police officer Liat Duadi was separated from her fellow police officers during the melee and dragged 20 meters on the ground by the masked assailants, who kicked and beat her. Duadi said some of the attackers tried to stab her in the chest and stomach but failed due to the bulletproof flak jacket she wore. "I saw murder in their eyes," she told the Maariv daily newspaper. Policewoman held hostage, traded Duadi suffered a stab wound in the thigh before she managed to escape the mob and reach a retired Druze police commander who brought her to the local prayer house. She ended up a hostage in any case, however, with the mob yelling, "You won't get out of here alive until we get what we want." Though the retired Druze officer made sure she was not harmed, she was not released until the police agreed to the demands of the mob. Police released at least six rioters and Duadi herself told Yediot Acharonot that "it is no secret that I was not released for free - they received everything they demanded." Police confirmed that six rioters were released from custody during negotiations for the officer's release. By Tuesday evening, 16 police officers were still hospitalized along with a dozen residents and medics. A Druze rioter and a police officer were both listed in serious condition. Minister of Public Security Avi Dichter said Wednesday that whoever says the violence at Peki'in was motivated by sectarian tension "is wrong and deceives others." Dichter visited the wounded policemen but also wounded Druze villagers, and said that "no body, including the Israel Police, is immune from mistakes, and if we made mistakes we will look into it and make corrections." Dichter said he would be receiving an update from Northern Region commanders Wednesday night. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/30/africa/mideast.php Israeli police raid on Druse town turns into riot By Isabel Kershner Published: October 30, 2007 JERUSALEM: A Galilee village turned into a battleground Tuesday as the Israeli police clashed with rioters from the Druse community and fired live ammunition, police officials and community leaders said. The violence in Pekiin in northern Israel left at least 16 police officers and a similar number of medics and residents wounded. One Druse resident was in serious condition after being shot in the stomach, emergency service officials said. One policeman was hospitalized with a serious head wound, a police spokesman said. The episode was unusual because it involved the Druse, a minority of 130,000 people who make up less than 2 percent of Israel's total population of just over seven million. The Druse practice a secret religion and are known for their loyalty to the state in which they reside. Israeli Druse are enlisted for compulsory military service and many join the police force. The clashes erupted when more than 100 police officers entered the village at 4 a.m. to arrest five men they suspected of having vandalized a cellphone antenna in the neighboring community of New Pekiin, the police spokesman said. The villagers contend that radiation from the antenna causes cancer. "The police came under a barrage of rocks, boulders and metal bars thrown by masked youths," said the police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld. "Our officers were in a life-threatening situation and it was necessary for one to open fire with live ammunition to get out of the situation." He added that the police arrested six of the rioters. The police left the village at about 7 a.m., Rosenfeld said, but somehow a border policewoman was left behind. She was surrounded by rioters, he said, but "one of the villagers, an ex-policeman, took her into his house for safety." A dialogue ensued between police representatives and the village sheik, and about two hours later the border policewoman was handed over unharmed, Rosenfeld said. In return, the six arrested villagers were released. Israel's deputy foreign minister, Majallie Wahbee, a Druse legislator with the governing Kadima party, condemned the police actions in Pekiin. "Would they send in such a large armed force, like an army operation, to arrest someone in Tel Aviv?" he asked. http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/104989.html Riot in Druze village Published: 10/30/2007 Dozens of people, including police, were injured in a riot in an Israeli Druze village. Police officers came to Pekiin, in northern Israel, on Tuesday to arrest local villagers suspected of vandalizing a cell-phone antenna tower, only to be attacked by scores of rock-throwing local youths. At least 40 people, most of them police, were hurt in the ensuing confrontations. Three rioters were wounded by live bullets fired by police, prompting Israeli Arab leaders to call for an investigation. Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter vowed a crackdown on those who had assaulted the police officers. Israeli cellphone servers have come under criticism recently by environmental groups arguing that the antennas pose a health risk. http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/12/09/adalah-ny-despite-nyc-palestinian-rights-protest-dershowitz-buys-jewelry-from-settlement-mogul-leviev/ Adalah-NY: Despite NYC Palestinian rights protest, Dershowitz buys jewelry from settlement mogul Leviev December 9th, 2007 | Posted in Reports, International Actions New York, NY, Dec. 8 - Wealthy Madison Avenue holiday shoppers were greeted Saturday afternoon by boisterous music and dancing, as 60 New Yorkers protested in a growing campaign to boycott Israeli diamond magnate Lev Leviev over his settlement construction in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Participants performed a joyous dabke, a traditional Palestinian dance, and chanted to music from the eight-piece Rude Mechanical Orchestra. During the protest, Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz entered LEVIEV New York and emerged to jeers as he displayed a LEVIEV shopping bag to the crowd. Saturday's event was the third and largest protest outside LEVIEV New York since the store's November 13 gala opening. The protesters highlighted Leviev's abuse of marginalized communities in Palestine, Angola and New York. In the West Bank companies owned by Leviev have built homes in at least five Israeli settlements. These settlements carve the West Bank into disconnected bantustans, seize valuable Palestinian agricultural and water resources, and isolate Palestinian East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, rendering the creation of a viable Palestinian state impossible. All Israeli settlements violate international law. Yesterday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Israel against its plans to build new homes in Har Homa, one of the settlements where Leviev's company Danya Cebus is building. Midway through Saturday's protest Alan Dershowitz suddenly appeared in front of LEVIEV New York. "Just before he entered the store, I told Mr. Dershowitz, "you claim to be for peace, but you are deliberately putting money in the pockets of a man who builds settlements and prevents peace," explained Issa Mikel of Adalah-NY." Dershowitz responded, 'Thank you for telling me about this place. I'm going to shop here from now on.' It's not surprising that Dershowitz is proud to support Israeli settlements, despite their illegality and immorality. Dershowitz is also a defender of torture, and has proposed that Israel destroy entire Palestinian villages." As Dershowitz emerged from the store holding high his LEVIEV shopping bag, he was met by loud chants of, "Alan, Alan, you can't hide, your support for Apartheid." New Yorkers were joined by members of the New Jersey Star dance troupe for likely the first ever Madison Avenue performance of the Palestinian folk dance dabke. Riham Barghouti of Adalah-NY explained, "Our dabke performance at Leviev's store was an affirmation of our identity as Palestinians, and of our refusal to accept Israel's efforts to cleanse us from our land and destroy our culture." Participants were reminded of the breadth of Leviev's abuses when a stream of cars decorated with Burmese flags and "Free Burma" banners drove by the protest honking their horns in support. In September, 2007 The Sunday Times in London reported that its undercover journalist was shown Burmese rubies for sale, allegedly "blood rubies" used to finance Myanmar's military junta. UPI reported in October that Leviev was warned by the EU to stop doing business with Myanmar or face sanctions. Protesters held signs saying, "Latkes not land theft", and "Dreidels not demolition and "Candles not confiscation." Ethan Heitner of Adalah-NY explained, "I can think of no better way to celebrate Hanukah than to shine a light on the abuses Leviev is committing around the world." Leviev mines diamonds in close partnership with Angola's repressive Dos Santos regime, and the security company Leviev employs in Angola has been accused of serious human rights abuses. In New York City, Shaya Boymelgreen, Leviev's US partner until this summer, has been the target of a campaign by local groups for employing underpaid, non-union workers in hazardous conditions, and violating housing codes to construct luxury apartments that threaten to displace lower-income residents. Protest photos available upon request, email us at: justiceme at gmail.com For more on Adalah-NY: www.mideastjustice.org http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/935894.html Last update - 17:48 18/12/2007 1,000 Ethiopian immigrants protest plans to halt Falash Mura aliyah By Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: immigration, Falash Mura Some 1,000 Ethiopian immigrants demonstrated on Tuesday against the government's decision to close down next week its operation to bring the Falash Mura to Israel. The protest march left from the Jerusalem International Convention Center and headed towards the Prime Minister's Office, where the demonstrators blocked the street. Several attempted to break through the PMO fence. Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel agreed to receive a delegation of demonstrators for a meeting. The protest's organizers took issue with ministry figures that show that some 1,500 eligible Falash Mura are still in Ethiopia, and all are expected to arrive here by next June. Ethiopian immigrant associations claim that there are at least 8,500 others who are eligible to immigrate under the government's criteria. Both the Interior Ministry and the Jewish Agency, in contrast, charge that these 8,500 people are merely the tip of an iceberg comprising tens or even hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians who want to immigrate to Israel, and if the government were to accede to their demands, the flow would be endless. Israel has absorbed some 30,000 Falash Mura over the last decade despite having no legal obligation to do so, they said, and the time has come to put a stop to the matter. Ancestors converted to Christianity The Falash Mura are Ethiopians of Jewish descent whose ancestors converted to Christianity. They are not Jewish according to Jewish law, but in 1999, under pressure from local Ethiopian immigrant groups and American Jewish organizations, the government agreed to bring them to Israel. They are currently arriving at a rate of about 300 per month. In late 2006, however, the government decided to bring the remaining Falash Mura here and wind up its operation in Ethiopia within a year. According to the government's immigration criteria, which are based on a halakhic ruling by Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, a Falash Mura must be able to prove their maternal ancestral line is Jewish for seven generations back, have a first-degree relative who is already in Israel and promise to undergo a pro forma conversion upon arrival. Over the last year, the Interior Ministry has refused immigration permits to some 3,000 applicants. This has outraged Ethiopian immigrant groups. "There are 8,500 people who left their homes and villages and came to Gondar [where the Israeli representatives are based] in the hope of immigrating to Israel," said Avraham Negusa, who chairs these groups' umbrella organization. "These are people who have parents, siblings and children already living in Israel. And now, along comes the interior minister and changes the policy." Jewish Agency officials also charged that the process is vulnerable to corruption, and in many cases, visa applicants have bribed Ethiopians already in Israel to claim them as first-degree relatives. In addition, the government accuses American Jewish groups that promote Ethiopian immigration of pressuring Israel to keep absorbing more Falash Mura solely in order to preserve their own raison d'etre. Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit, addressing the Jewish Agency's board of trustees last month, said bluntly: "We will not bring in more Falash Mura. If the [American Jewish] organizations want to help them so badly, they should bring them to the U.S." American Jewish groups are divided on the issue. The Joint Distribution Committee, which runs a clinic in Gondar, sides with the government. The United Jewish Communities, which in the past had pressured the government on this issue, has since softened its stance, and officials in Jerusalem believe that it, too, will fall in line. But the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry (NACOEJ) is more confrontational. "We don't make decisions for the Israeli government," said Joseph Feit, one of its leaders, "but according to the halakhic rulings of Israel's chief rabbis, and according to opinions by the three religious streams here in the U.S. [Orthodox, Conservative and Reform], the Jewishness of the 8,500 Falash Mura remaining in Gondar should be recognized. Nor would it surprise me if there are more Jews in the villages of Ethiopia." NACOEJ has already decided to continue its operation in Ethiopia even after the government closes up shop. Israeli Ethiopian immigrant groups are planning protests in Jerusalem next week. Several Knesset members also object to the government's decision, and have asked the state comptroller to examine the issue. The cabinet largely sides with Sheetrit, but Ethiopian groups are hoping for support from Shas leader and Industry Minister Eli Yishai. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/935931.html Last update - 23:53 18/12/2007 Falafel recipe painted on West Bank fence as part of protest By Cnaan Liphshiz, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press Tags: West Bank, falafel "For the rest of the recipe, turn over the wall," reads a falafel recipe spray-painted on Israel's imposing West Bank separation fence Tuesday, in a lighthearted but serious protest against the hardships it causes Palestinians. A Dutch group called Sendamessage collects money over the Internet for the project - painting messages on the barrier Israel is building along the West Bank. The barrier, made up of concrete walls, barbed wire, trenches and electronic sensors, is meant to keep Palestinian suicide bombers and other attackers out of Israel, but Palestinians charge it juts into their land and cuts many people off from their fields and services. The idea evolved during two workshops by advertising creatives from the Palo-Dutch Concept Factory from the Palo-Dutch Concept Factory, who had come to Ramallah to coach young Palestinians in creative campaigning and public relations. The project aims to publicize the difficulties while raising money for social projects in the West Bank. For a $43 contribution, a Palestinian volunteer will paint a message on the wall - anything from a political statement to marriage proposal. However, hate messages against Israelis or Palestinians are forbidden. "We've received dozens of orders," the site's operator and concept designer, Justus van Oel, says. One woman, van Oel recalls, left a message for Tareq - a long-lost ex-boyfriend. Another couple wanted their wedding date on the wall. To ensure no hateful content ends up on the wall, van Oel reviews all slogans. "Payment is in advance and defamers get no refunds," van Oel says. "I'm hoping it'll keep them away." "It's not about changing the wall, it's about spreading the news ... that [the separation fence] is in our cities, our towns and our villages," explained the project's local coordinator, Faris Arouri. It wasn't easy for Yousef Nijim, 24, to paint the first part of the felafel recipe and 13 other messages in various languages on the Palestinian side of the wall on Tuesday. Israel Defense Forces helicopters could be heard flying by, and a stiff wind blew dust and paint in all directions. Leaning against the eight-meter-high concrete wall, Arouri called out the spelling of the words to the painter, Nijim. Several times they failed and had to start over. After Nijim struggled mightily with a Hebrew word, other volunteers joked that next time, he should bring some Wite-Out. Arouri said a small portion of the money raised through the Web site goes to administrative costs, while most goes to charities in and around Ramallah, including building a children's garden, a youth cinema and a basketball court. "I think it's important for Palestinians to see that people from around the world are supporting their cause," said Nabil Kukali, an expert on Palestinian opinion on Israel. "They are happy to see this type of organization standing with them and understanding their suffering." http://news.scotsman.com/world/Banksy39s-Bethlehem-art-protest-backfires.3611613.jp Banksy's Bethlehem art protest backfires By BEN LYNFIELD AN EFFORT by the British graffiti artist Banksy to protest against Israeli occupation practices by drawing wall murals in beleaguered Bethlehem has crashed against a cultural barrier. Unknown Palestinians have painted over a new Banksy mural of an Israeli soldier checking a donkey's identity papers, it was discovered yesterday. The mural was apparently meant to protest against the often draconian Israeli security measures that paralyse Palestinian daily life. But some residents believe Banksy had insulted them. "I didn't like that painting," said Jamal Salman, a former town manager of Bethlehem. "It gave the impression that we are donkeys. He may have meant to say that the Israelis check the identity cards even of donkeys but, from my point of view, he is showing us as donkeys." Leading an effort known as "Santa's Ghetto" that brought 25 European and American artists to Bethlehem, Banksy early this month painted six images on walls around the city. The art campaign, which ends on Christmas Eve, aims to illustrate the hardships Palestinians face from the 25ft-high Israeli separation barrier, which cuts farmers off from their land, breaks the West Bank into enclaves and casts a daunting shadow over Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. Israel says the barrier is essential to thwarting infiltrations by suicide bombers and has significantly reduced attacks. But it also effectively annexes 10 per cent of the West Bank to Israel. Much of the "Santa's Ghetto" effort, which includes an auction of artwork for children's charities, has been aimed at transforming the barrier into an open canvas that protests against itself, something Banksy pioneered during a visit to Bethlehem in 2005. Bethlehem municipality officials hope the wall art will be a tourist draw. The strongest image Banksy made for Bethlehem is one of a dove with an olive branch in its beak, wearing a bullet proof vest. Crosshairs are trained on the dove's heart. But George Rishmawi, the director of the Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement Between People in the neighbouring town of Beit Sahour, said the wall would be better left as it is. "Although these artists have come with good intentions, in general I am sceptical about any artistic work done on the wall," he said. "The wall suffocates life every day. These artists should not make it beautiful: it should be left to speak for itself in all its ugliness." Last Updated: 20 December 2007 10:29 PM http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/25/africa/ME-GEN-Egypt-Palestinian.php Dozens of Palestinian militants protest life in Egyptian army camps The Associated Press Published: December 25, 2007 EL-ARISH, Egypt: Some 60 Palestinians, mostly Fatah loyalists who escaped Gaza Strip after Hamas seized of power, protested on Tuesday their living conditions in Egyptian army camps. Egyptian police assert the men broke out of their camps located near the border town of El-Arish and Rafah at dawn and had to be re-captured, but the Palestinians deny the account. Khamis Bakr, a Fatah member said that actually there was no breakout, the men were just protesting the six months they had spent living in tents by not returning to the camp that evening. The Palestinians are only confined to the tents at night. "The youth are frustrated and oppressed," Bakr said. "They just spent few extra hours outside the camps and returned." He said despite having entered the country legally, the Egyptian government is ignoring their demands for improved living conditions, especially with the advent of colder winter weather. "We didn't jump over the wire (border) and we didn't cross borders through tunnels - we came here in coordination between the Fatah movement and Egyptian government," he said. "We are asking to rent apartments and leave the tents which even dogs can't live in," Bakr said. The Egyptian government, which backs Fatah leader and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, gave permission to many of Fatah loyalists to cross to Egypt after fleeing Gaza Strip in June, when their rival Hamas took power. The Fatah militants are divided into two camps, one in Rafah holding 85 people and the other in el-Arish with 58. Since many of Fatah members are also wanted by Israel, they don't want to return to the West Bank via the Jewish state. Bakr also said Hamas members were passing freely between Egypt and the Gaza Strip through a network of tunnels underneath the border. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gouC8cCTLvAYh7NdL034BWo2ysrg Arab, Jewish women protest occupation Dec 28, 2007 JERUSALEM (AFP) - Hundreds of Jewish and Arab women staged a protest in Jerusalem on Friday against Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, witnesses said. Protestors from Women in Black demonstrated near the home of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to mark the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the pacifist group. Women from east Jerusalem joined the group of black-clad demonstrators, who carried signs that read: "Down with occupation." A chorus sang in the background. Women in Black were set up after the outbreak of the first Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation in December 1987. Since then they have been staging weekly demonstrations on Fridays across Israel. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1198517307536&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Jan 6, 2008 17:36 | Updated Jan 6, 2008 17:44 Peace Now to protest at largest West Bank outpost before Bush's visit By JPOST.COM STAFF The left-wing group, Peace Now, intends to hold a protest at a West Bank outpost on the eve of President Bush's visit to the region. A statement issued by the group stressed that the Migron outpost, the largest unauthorized Jewish outpost in the West Bank, was constructed on privately owned Palestinian land and the government already declared its intention to remove it. The group also said that the removal of outposts was one of the commitments Israel undertook at Annapolis. In reality, claimed the group, the only changes to take place were the expansion of the outpost and millions of shekels from the state budget being invested in its infrastructure. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23031599-401,00.html Hamas supporters protest Bush visit >From correspondents in Gaza City January 10, 2008 05:00am Article from: Agence France-Presse THOUSANDS of Hamas supporters took to the streets of Gaza to protest US President George W. Bush's visit, some brandishing pictures of the US leader with blood dripping from his mouth. Angry crowds burned American and Israeli flags and effigies of Mr Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, with some demonstrators hoisting the green flags of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). "We say as we burn the American flag that the Bush visit is rejected by the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic world," Hamas parliamentarian Mushir al-Masri said at the rally. "What is this but the visit of one who has become ensnared in Iraq and Afghanistan and wants at the end of his political life to produce honours for himself at the expense of our people," he said. Israel and the West consider Hamas a terror organisation and have sought to isolate the territory with a strict sanctions regime. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=87983 Palestinians protest Bush 'terror' tour By Mohammed Zaatari Daily Star staff Saturday, January 12, 2008 SIDON: Islamist parties at the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon held a rally on Friday in protest against US President George W. Bush's visit to the region. The protest was called by the Hamas but also attracted participants from other parties, both Palestinian and Lebanese. "You are not welcome in Palestine," some of the banners read. "Bush equals terrorism," said others. Bassam Hammoud, an official with Al-Jamaa al-Islamiyya, said Bush's visit was not aimed at either ensuring Palestinian statehood or protecting the refugees' right of return. "Bush's visit has come to wipe out those rights and impose the Zionist vision," he said. Hammoud urged Palestinian factions in Lebanon to unify their efforts in a bid to foil any attempts to instigate strife inside refugee camps, and to be "totally" neutral when it comes to Lebanon's internal issues. He also urged Palestinians to hold an "unconditional internal" dialogue that puts an end to the current discord between Hamas and Fatah and places people's interests above all foreign interference and US "diktats." Hamas' representative in Sidon, Abu Ahmad Fadel, also slammed Bush's visit, describing it as "ill-omened." "Bush's visit is nothing but an attempt to give the Zionists freedom to exert pressure on the Palestinians," he said. Fadel said the Palestinians in Lebanon do not interfere in the country's internal affairs. "Palestinian refugee camps are part of Lebanese security," he said. "We hope that the crisis plaguing Lebanon will be resolved soon so this country can recover its normal life." From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 18:59:24 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:59:24 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Repression news, global North, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <022501c8597e$21bd61f0$0802a8c0@andy1> NOTES: Notice in the Australian case (the "Cronulla" powers) a fascistic rhetoric of "drawing a line in the sand" which in reality means drawing a line AGAINST basic liberties and FOR pointless crackdowns. And also a politically-motivated attempt to drag out G20 trials, with G20 police - hardly peaceful themselves - whining about injuries. Disguises indicate planning? Indicate CAUTION is closer to the truth. Why are such stupid things claimed about protesters, when police can go around in armour with weapons and not be accused of "planning violence"? Regarding the immigration case in Britain; I found the following address online for the Ama Sumani appeal: Xquisite Africa 148 City Road Cardiff, CF24 3DR * AUSTRALIA: New government wants to ramp up unrest penalties after Christmas events * US: Students complain about being punished for peace protest * US: Doctor acquitted over bogus arrest for treating injured protester * US: California court upholds right to protest in malls; defies common US ban * NEW ZEALAND: Police breached rights during Chinese visit, court decides, but lets them off anyway * AUSTRALIA: Fascistic "anti-riot" laws, such as police roadblocks and stop-and-search, to stay despite expiry and government change * UK: Still vindictive many years on, 200th Bradford insurgent jailed in biggest ever dissident roundup * FRANCE: Taser chief plans flying shockbot * UK: Desperately ill woman deported despite humanitarian protests * US: Inmate given life sentence for fighting guards during uprising * ITALY: Vindictive conviction of Genoa protesters includes 11-year sentence; protesters pledge "no regrets" * AUSTRALIA: Police steal van in protest "exclusion zone" * UK: Prisoners sentenced for uprising * SPAIN: "Riot police smashed open our friend's head" * AUSTRALIA: Political attempt to stretch out G20 prosecutions * CANADA: Undercover cop hit riot squad officers at Montebello summit protest http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2007/12/29/2964_ntnews.html Riot penalties increased after town locked down NIGEL ADLAM 29Dec07 PENALTIES for violent disorder are to be doubled following a spate of Christmas riots at a remote Territory community. Chief Minister Paul Henderson flew to Wadeye, 250km southwest of Darwin, yesterday to speak to police on the ground. He later announced that the punishment for rioting would be increased from 12 months' jail to two years. The NT Government will also look at other measures to deal with repeat offenders. The community was wracked by rioting on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Large gangs of young men, many of them armed, had to be dispersed by police after gathering near the store in Main Street. No injuries have been reported. Mr Henderson told the Northern Territory News the community council and elders had a genuine commitment to end the violence. He said the council was disappointed that the community was suffering disorder despite big improvements in housing and education. "A line is being drawn in the sand - this kind of behaviour is totally unacceptable," he said. Police are expected to make a string of arrests in Wadeye over the next few days. Three men have already been arrested and charged with going armed in public, disorderly behaviour and engaging in violent conduct. Three additional police officers have been deployed to the community from Peppimenarti. More officers were expected to arrive last night. Police said they had drawn up an "arrest plan". It is believed police want to beef up their numbers in case there is trouble when they move in to make arrests. Mr Henderson said the situation was under control and people had returned to their homes. He said rioters would "face the full force of the law". The Chief Minister congratulated police for their handling of the trouble. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/us/07protest.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin Students Call Protest Punishment Too Harsh CHICAGO, Nov. 6 - A school superintendent's decision to suspend, and perhaps expel, about two dozen students who took part in a protest against the Iraq war at a suburban high school drew criticism Tuesday from the students and their parents, who demanded that their children be allowed to return to classes. In a statement issued after the protest on Thursday at Morton West High School in Berwyn, a working-class suburb just west of Chicago, the district superintendent, Ben Nowakowski, said the school's reaction had to do only with the interruption of the school day, not with the students expressing themselves. The administration "did not say that the students could not protest," Dr. Nowakowski's statement said. "Rather, we asked that the students simply move their protest to an area of the school that would not disrupt the ability of the other 3,400-plus students at Morton West to proceed with their normal school day." Dr. Nowakowski did not return repeated calls seeking comment Tuesday. But several students said the protesters, whose numbers had dwindled to about 25, obeyed the administration's request to move from a high-traffic area in the cafeteria to a less-crowded hall near the principal's office. There, they intertwined arms, sang along to an acoustic guitar and talked about how the war was affecting the world, said Matt Heffernan, a junior who took part. "We agreed to move to another side of the building," Matt said. "We also made a deal that if we moved there, there would be no disciplinary action taken upon us." Matt said the group had been told that the most severe punishment would be a Saturday detention for cutting class that day. Police officers were on the scene, and Berwyn's police chief, William Kushner, said no arrests were made. "It was all very peaceful and orderly," he said. But at the end of the school day, Matt said, Dr. Nowakowski gave the remaining protesters disciplinary notices stating that they had engaged in mob action, that they were suspended for 10 days and that they faced expulsion. "I was shocked," said Matt, 16. "We had the sit-in. So I had mixed feelings of confidence - of a job well done - and fright, because my whole educational future is at risk." School officials also sent a letter to the parents of all the school's students calling the protest "gross disobedience" and reminding parents that any disruption to the educational process could lead to expulsion. On Tuesday, a group of parents went to the school to demand that their children be allowed to return to classes. At most, the parents said, the protesters' behavior amounted to loitering, which should be punishable by detention or a meeting with a guidance counselor. The parents have also asked that the district provide the students with some way to express themselves about issues like the war. "Who's the next group to go off to war?" said Adam Szwarek, whose 16-year-old son, Adam, faces expulsion. "These kids. The kids do a peaceful sit-in and they're threatened with expulsion, yet the military's running around the school trying to recruit." Parents also complained that deans, teachers and coaches singled out certain athletes and honor students and persuaded them to drop out of the protest. Rita Maniotis, president of the school's parent-teacher organization, said the school called her husband to say that their daughter, Barbara, a junior, was participating in the protest and that he should come to get her. He did so, and she was suspended for five days. But other parents were not called and not able to intervene, Ms. Maniotis said. "There's no rhyme or reason to the punishment doled out," she said. The executive director of the A.C.L.U. of Illinois, Colleen K. Connell, said she could not comment on the case because her organization was investigating to determine whether it will take it up. In general, public school students have constitutional rights, she said, but they can be limited in a school setting. http://www.mlive.com/news/annarbornews/index.ssf?/base/news-25/119678108571540.xml&coll=2 Doctor at protest acquitted Physician had been charged with interfering with police at U-M Tuesday, December 04, 2007 BY GEOFF LARCOM The Ann Arbor News An Ann Arbor physician was acquitted by a Washtenaw County jury Monday night of misdemeanor criminal charges accusing her of attempting to impede police and emergency medical technicians at a campus disturbance last year. In closing arguments Monday, Dr. Catherine Wilkerson's attorney, Hugh Davis, had argued she was simply trying to help a man she believed was at risk of dying. Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecutor Margaret Connors painted Wilkerson as a political activist who ignored repeated orders from police and medical personnel as they tried to treat protester Blaine Coleman. The differing versions of what happened during a protest at a campus speech last year were presented during closing arguments in 15th District Court Monday. The jury debated more than four hours before issuing its verdict. Wilkerson could not be reached for comment this morning. Bill Tanner, a co-counsel for Wilkerson, this morning said her testimony on the stand was a pivotal moment. "She's happy,'' he said. "She's ecstatic. She feels vindicated and she is grateful to the jurors who did their job.'' Wilkerson had been on trial since last week, facing two misdemeanor counts of attempting to impede police and emergency medical technicians. "You're at the risk of criminalizing free speech and protest ... along with the act of medical personnel trying to help fellow citizens,'' Wilkerson's lawyer, Hugh Davis, told the jury. Connors cited what she described as "sarcastic, mocking, ridiculing'' behavior by Wilkerson, saying the doctor egged on the crowd as medical personnel attended to Coleman. In her concluding remarks, Connors stood by a written list of charges against Wilkerson and made nearly two dozen check marks by the word "obstruct.'' Before that, Davis dramatically checked off his points on a legal pad as he spoke at length to the jury. "I just can't imagine where it ends if you can criminalize this kind of speech and an altruistic act by a doctor,'' Davis said. One of the questions raised involved medical personnel using ammonia on Coleman. Davis said ammonia was used "punitively,'' and Wilkerson was reacting to that. The jury was given instructions by Judge Elizabeth Hines around 4 p.m. and came back with the verdict around 8:30 p.m. The incident occurred Nov. 30, 2006, when protesters disrupted a lecture on U.S. foreign policy in Iran, held at the Michigan League. The protesters came to the League to oppose Raymond Tanter, a professor emeritus at U-M who served on the senior staff of the National Security Council during the Reagan administration. Coleman, who regularly protests on behalf of the Palestinian cause, was treated that night for a cut to his forehead. He was charged with resisting a police officer and pleaded guilty. He was fined $395 and sentenced to probation. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-boycotts25dec25,1,2329502.story?coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=2&cset=true Court upholds protest at mall Justices split 4 to 3 in opposing rules based on the content of a union's protected free speech. By Tami Abdollah, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer December 25, 2007 The California Supreme Court ruled Monday that shopping malls cannot stop protesters from urging a public boycott of the stores, even if the demonstrators are on mall property. The 4-3 decision upholds a 27-year precedent protecting free speech rights at shopping centers, even if the malls are privately owned. The case started in 1998, when the pressroom union was embroiled in a contract dispute with the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper. Thirty to 40 union members stood in front of a Robinsons-May store, one of the newspaper's biggest advertisers, cataloging their grievances and urging customers to contact the chief executive of the newspaper. Officials at the Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego told the protesters to leave, saying that if they wanted to resume their demonstration, they would have to sign a pledge not to urge a boycott of any store because it would hurt business. Justice Carlos R. Moreno, writing for the majority, agreed that the mall could regulate protests but said the state's Constitution barred mall rules for protesters based on the content of their message. "They may not prohibit certain types of speech based upon its content, such as prohibiting speech that urges a boycott of one or more of the stores in the mall," Moreno said in the ruling. Chief Justice Ronald M. George and Justices Joyce L. Kennard and Kathryn Mickle Werdegar joined in the decision. In dissent, Justice Ming W. Chin protested that the court was treating private property as a "public free speech zone." "A shopping center exists for the individual businesses on the premises to do business," he wrote. "Urging a boycott of those businesses contradicts the very purpose of the shopping center's existence." Chin's opinion was joined by Justices Marvin R. Baxter and Carol A. Corrigan. "The only tradition that is relevant to this case is the tradition followed in most of the country, of finding no free speech rights on private property," Chin wrote. "The majority is trampling on tradition, not following it," he added. Eugene Volokh, a constitutional law professor at UCLA, said California and a few other states back free speech at large malls on the theory that they function as modern-day town squares. "That's where people congregate these days, and that's where it's important that free speech be protected," he said. Thomas Leanse, a lawyer who argued the case on behalf of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the California Business Properties Assn., called the ruling "incremental," saying it affects only boycott campaigns and otherwise affirms the mall's right to enforce its rules. Volokh said the case raises a question whether the state high court intends to protect all mall demonstrations, even those infused with religious or racial bias. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1455164 Police breached protesters' rights Nov 20, 2007 7:36 PM A Police Complaints Authority report has concluded that no one should be held accountable for breaching the rights of protesters during a visit to Wellington by Chinese President Jiang Zemin in 1999. The authority has just released its report into two incidents. In the first, police were criticised for standing in front of two women who were trying to protest on a traffic island as President Jiang's motorcade passed by. In the second, a group of around 20 protesters near the President's hotel were moved about 100 metres away. Five protestors who stood their ground were arrested, but were later paid damages. The report concludes that while the rights of the protesters should have been upheld by police, it is not appropriate to hold any individual officer responsible. Friends of Tibet spokesman Thuten Kesang says despite the report saying no one should be held to account, he is pleased with the outcome. Kesang says police must remember protesters are allowed to be seen by demonstrating by their targets. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/sun-sets-on-twoyear-expiry-but-cronulla-riot-laws-to-stay/2007/11/13/1194766675272.html Sun sets on two-year expiry, but Cronulla riot laws to stay Andrew Clennell State Political Editor November 14, 2007 LAWS introduced after the Cronulla riots, which enable police to close streets with roadblocks; stop and search people and cars, and close pubs will be made permanent and expanded. The laws had been due to expire when a two-year sunset clause ran out in December, but the Premier, Morris Iemma, told Parliament yesterday they would be extended. The powers have been used four times and have not been needed since March last year. "These powers were due to sunset in December, but following a review by the Ombudsman, will remain in place," Mr Iemma told the Parliament. "We'll also go further and introduce additional powers, giving police the ability to stop vehicles and people who gather in an area which may be some distance from a riot and are suspected of planning to join in the unrest." The NSW Council for Civil Liberties last night accused the Government of "lying" when it said it was introducing the laws for two years. The council's president, Cameron Murphy, said. "At the time they told us these powers were extreme but necessary in order to deal with the riots at Cronulla. There are too many extreme laws giving powers to the police and intelligence officers." Mr Iemma's announcement came after the Ombudsman's review found the powers had only been used on four occasions although they had been considered by police on other occasions. The powers were used hours after the laws concerning them were passed on December 15, 2005, to establish roadblocks on the roads into the Sutherland area to stop revenge attacks after the Cronulla riots. They were also used the following weekend as part of Operation SETA when police set up more than 80 roadblocks to protect areas "at risk" of "racist violence". The powers have also been used during riots on the Gordon Estate in Dubbo in January last year and in March last year after a large gathering of Middle Eastern Australian men at a park at Brighton-Le-Sands, in Sydney's south. The Government accepted most recommendations from the Ombudsman, Bruce Barbour, but declined to follow a recommendation that the legislation be changed so that there be a "reasonable suspicion" test for any searches of people under the powers. The Ombudsman also recommended that the Police Commissioner report annually on the use of the powers, which the Government did not accept. Mr Barbour, who was informed by the media of the Government's announcement, found that on the four occasions the powers were used, they were used appropriately by police. But he said the laws should "require officers to have a proper basis for searches of persons". "Until the powers are used in a range of circumstances, we cannot be confident about their likely effectiveness or shortcomings . there should be detailed annual reporting and some form of ongoing independent scrutiny." http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/200th-Bradford-rioter-is-jailed.3614912.jp 200th Bradford rioter is jailed A police videograb of the last remaining riot suspect, Mohammed Sheikh A man today became the 200th and last person to be jailed in connection with the 2001 Bradford riots. Mohammed Sheikh, 33, from Ealing, London, was sentenced to two and a half years for riot at Bradford Crown Court after he earlier admitted his involvement in the violence six years ago. The riots on 7 July 2001 sparked an unprecedented police investigation, with 297 arrests, 187 people charged with riot, 45 charges of violent disorder and 200 jail sentences totalling 604 years. Of all the cases that came to court, only one person was acquitted. More than 1,000 police officers and support staff were involved on the night of the violence and nine police forces sent assistance. More than 300 officers were injured and the estimated damage was between ?7.5 million and ?10 million. Today, the court heard that Sheikh watched the violence for half an hour in crowds where petrol bombs were being thrown. He then threw stones and bricks at the police lines. Sheikh was identified in 2004 as a result of a 10-month police poster campaign, which urged the public to name people wanted in connection with the riots. He gave himself up to police and pleaded guilty to his part in the riots at Bradford Crown Court last month. Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Chief Superintendent Max Mclean, Head of Crime at West Yorkshire Police, said: "In respect of the events of 7 July 2001, the police, like the Asian community, did not want right wing agitators coming into the city and had indeed banned a march and turned away known trouble-makers from Bradford. So it was a source of some sadness and frustration to us that events unfolded as they did. "It was a pointless act of self-destruction for Bradford citizens." Mr Mclean praised the investigating teams and the West Yorkshire Crown Prosecution Service for their work on Operation Wheel. He said: "This was an exceptional example of a complex investigation and it's a tribute to the investigators working under my command that we arrested and convicted so many of those intent on causing mayhem that night. "Our investigative strategy was to try and identify as many of the rioters as possible and bring them to justice and obviously we've achieved that with nearly 300 arrests and convictions. "We made use of technology and we put some investigative procedures in place that are commonplace now but had never been used before then." He added: "It is unprecedented in English legal history in that the next highest figure in the UK for people convicted together for riot is five for an investigation in London." Mr Mclean said Bradford had moved on since the riots and civic pride was now being restored. "There has been no large scale public disorder again in Bradford and we're hoping that remains the case for the foreseeable future," he said. Last Updated: 21 December 2007 5:00 PM http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/30/french-taser-chief-hints-at-flying-shockbot/ French Taser chief hints at flying shockbot Posted Nov 30th 2007 10:37AM by Joshua Topolsky Filed under: Misc. Gadgets According to a recent report, the French head of stun-gun maker Taser has plans to create a "mini-flying saucer like drone which could also fire Taser stun rounds on criminal suspects or rioting crowds." Antoine di Zazzo, fervent proselytizer of the electroshock weapon, is cutting through the is / isn't torture noise of recent UN reports with the news that the non-lethal device is about to make a serious splash in France, with president Nicolas Sarkozy promising to hand one to every policeman and gendarme. Of course, once di Zazzo's army of tiny, hovering stun machines take to the air -- sometime next year -- the police probably won't have to worry about brandishing their weapons. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7189137.stm Last Updated: Tuesday, 15 January 2008, 15:34 GMT 'No U-turn' in cancer woman row The UK government has said it will not reconsider its decision to remove a terminally ill African woman, whose visa had expired. Ama Sumani, 39, who has cancer, was sent back to Ghana from Cardiff last week but cannot afford kidney dialysis treatment to prolong her life. The Lancet medical journal had called the decision "atrocious barbarism". But the head of the Border and Immigration Agency told MPs it did not stand out from other difficult cases. Lin Homer, the agency's chief executive, told the Home Affairs Select Committee: "I think it is difficult to see the circumstances in which this case stands out from the many very difficult cases we consider." During questioning by MPs, Ms Homer said the decision was backed up by previous rulings in the domestic courts, the House of Lords and the European Court in Strasbourg. She argued it was not cruel or inhumane treatment because many countries did not have the same high quality of medical care as the UK. Ms Homer also denied ministers has personally considered the case. She added she felt "deep personal sympathy" for claimaints in "challenging circumstances". "We see many cases where the medical prognosis for an individual would be far less good in the home country." But committee member Gwyn Prosser said: "Many people would believe that this case is exceptional. If it's not exceptional, good God, what is?" Ms Sumani, a 39-year-old widow and mother-of-two, had been receiving dialysis at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff for more than a year after cancer damaged her kidneys. She came to the UK five years ago to become a student but began working in contravention of her of visa regulations. Her visa has since expired. Ms Sumani developed malignant myeloma, a cancer affecting the bone marrow, while living in Cardiff. She was taken from hospital by immigration officers on 9 January and accompanied to Accra, Ghana's capital. Since then Ms Sumani has been trying to get onto a dialysis machine but she said the main hospital in Accra had asked for the equivalent of about $6,000 (?3,060) to cover her sessions for the next three months. The Lancet earlier called on doctors' leaders to voice their opposition to Ms Sumani's treatment. The UK government says access to treatment is a matter for Ghana The journal's editorial piece reads: "The UK has committed an atrocious barbarism. "It is time for doctors' leaders to say so - forcefully and uncompromisingly." It also published a petition signed by 276 doctors calling on the government to reject proposed regulations that would abolish the right of failed asylum seekers to seek medical help in Britain through the National Health Service (NHS). Ahead of the Commons home affairs committee session, its chair Keith Vaz told BBC Radio Wales: "We know that there have to be rules governing immigration, we also know those who break rules have to be returned, but there is also a question of ministerial discretion. "This is a compassionate government that needs to act on occasion in a compassionate way, while being extremely tough and ensuring the rules are upheld." "We understand her health is deteriorating, that is not a proper use of immigration powers in my view. "It is far better to remove someone that is able bodied than someone who is very sick and receiving treatment." http://theghanaianjournal.com/2008/01/13/uk-government-under-pressure-to-return-ama-to-wales/ UK government under pressure to return Ama to Wales By Samuel Ampah A media organisation in Wales, Wales on Sunday has asked Prime Minister Gordon Brown to personally intervene in the case of Ghanaian cancer victim Ama Sumani. The terminally ill widow was taken from her hospital bed in Cardiff on Wednesday and flown to an uncertain fate in Ghana by Borders and Immigration officials. According to Wales on Sunday, "Officials at Number 10 refused to involve the PM when we contacted them by phone, saying: "This is a matter for the Home Office." But the publication says it has followed up on the initial call by sending an e-mail direct to the Prime Minister asking him to intervene on Ama's behalf. Criticism of UK immigration authorities was raging across the world Saturday over the treatment of 39-year-old Ama, who had been receiving vital kidney dialysis three times a week for the past year at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. And last Saturday night senior members of the Catholic church added their voice to the protest. Canon Robert Reardon, of the Cardiff Arch Diocese, said: "This is a very disturbing story. There's been an absence of compassion, an absence of treating a person with dignity. "I know that Ms Sumani had overstayed her visa - but given the severity of her illness - and the stage of treatment she was at, what has happened to her in the past few days is totally lacking in compassion." Frankie Asare-Donkoh, president of the Ghana Union of Wales who is also a journalist and a former employee of the 'Daily Graphic', said: "It's really unbelievable that a citizen of the Commonwealth has been dragged from her hospital bed and treated in this way. "What has happened to this country? Where are its Christian values?" Cardiff University PhD student Mr Asare-Donkoh, 37, told Wales on Sunday that he had first written to the Home Office in April 2006 about Ama and her plight. To date, they have not even replied. Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Kidney Group, said: "I am appalled by the callous conduct of the Home Office. This woman - who is terminally ill anyway - needs regular dialysis to stay alive. "If the Home Office is willing to pay ?3,000 for treatment plus thousands more pounds for her removal, they may as well have paid for her treatment here at least until they had confirmed that she would get treatment in Ghana." Dr Harris, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, continued: "This shows the Government at its most amoral, no doubt arguing that if they don't act tough then other people will deliberately develop fatal kidney failure in order to evade immigration control." Now Ms Sumani's friend and supporter Janet Simmons is hoping that Cardiff's wealthy church authorities will offer financial aid to ease devout Catholic Ama's suffering and provide some security for her two children. "We want to raise as much money as we can to help Ama's children in particular," said Mrs Simmons, who runs the Xquisite Africa shop in City Road, Cardiff. And last night Canon Reardon offered hope that something might be arranged. "We are very sympathetic to Ama's plight," said Canon Reardon. "But we will want to know exactly what we are being asked for - and to make sure that all the right systems are in place for getting aid out to Ghana before we can make any firm commitment to financial help for Ama." Ms Sumani has been seen at the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana's capital city, Accra, earlier this week but was asked for the equivalent of ?3,060 to pay for dialysis for the next three months. Initial laboratory tests conducted on her showed negative results. According to hospital authorities, further tests are required before any specific treatment could be carried on her. The mother-of-two, who had come to the UK to study accountancy, was diagnosed with cancer a year ago. She suffers from malignant myeloma but, as a foreign national, is not entitled to a bone marrow transplant. "Only a miracle will save her now - but we have faith and sometimes miracles do happen," said Janet. Kidney dialysis facilities are available in just two hospitals in Ghana, the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, Accra and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi. But widow Ama, whose home is hundreds of miles from her nearest dialysis centre, says she cannot afford to pay the weekly $2,100 US dollars medical bill such treatment would run up - even if she could get there. If Ama does not receive regular dialysis she could be dead within weeks, according to her friends. That would leave her seven-year-old son, Sameb, and daughter, Mary, 15, orphans. "I am realistic," said Ms Simmons. "The care that Ama received at the University Hospital Wales was excellent. "Then, we saw Great Britain at its best. "I know there have to be rules. But also I believe there has to be flexibility, in accordance with the circumstances of individual patients, like Ama. But Ama is one hell of a woman. "She has accepted her fate with dignity and through her Catholic faith is still hopeful that a miracle will happen." But Mrs Simmons, who first established a support network for Wales' Ghanaian community using her shop as a base in 2002, said the main concern was for Ama's children. "If Ama falls sick then her daughter Mary will have no option but to leave school to care for her dying mother," she said. "And the boy will not be able to continue his education at all without money to back him. We are going to do our very best to secure their futures." Mrs Simmons, who moved to the UK from Ghana in 1981, said she had known Ama for four years. "Ama had originally moved to the UK to study accountancy in London," she said. "She was told that her English was not good enough for her to continue on the course. She refused to be defeated and worked as a cleaner while trying to improve her English at night school." In 2006, Ama faced her first big blow when her husband, who had remained in Ghana to look after the couple's two children, suddenly died. "Ama returned to Ghana to arrange for her children to be cared for by members of her Catholic Church in Koforidua, before coming back to her rented room in Grangetown to continue her studies." But after collapsing at home, Ama was rushed to UHW in Cardiff, where she was diagnosed with malignant myeloma, which has damaged her kidneys. "We Ghanaians pride ourselves on being citizens of the Commonwealth," said Mr Asare-Donkoh, who lives in Cardiff with his wife and five children. "We will continue to protest and to write to the authorities about Ama until the situation changes for the better." Source: walesonsunday http://www.wtvynews4.com/news/headlines/13719867.html Inmate Charged in Riot Sentence to Life in Prison Save Email Print Posted: 6:11 PM Jan 11, 2008 Last Updated: 6:11 PM Jan 11, 2008 An Ozark man was sentenced to life in prison without parole after taking part in a jail riot in May. 24-year old Katoni Tellis was sentenced to life in prison for attempted murder. Tellis beat and seriously injured two jailers at the Dale County Jail during the riot. He was also convicted of criminal mischief, escape and assaulting an inmate, which earned him another 75 years behind bars. http://www.supportolegale.org/?q=node/1271 [press release] In any case, no regret. The sentence of the trial against the 25 demonstrators for the Genoa g8 riots has fixed the price to pay for expressing our own ideas and going against the actual state of things: 110 years of jail. The tribunal, formed by chief judge Devoto and two associate judges Gatti and Realiani, was not brave enough to oppose to the savage reconstruction of the collective history towards the power that the public prosecutors Andrea Canciani e Anna Canepa asked to guarantee. On the contrary it did even worse. It chose to sentence that there is a good and a bad way to express our own dissent, that there are tolerable ways to protest and ways that should be punished as if they were a war crime. To top it all, the Court has also given a consolation prize to the defence lawyers and to all the "honest citizens": the files on the false statements given by two Carabinieri (military police) and two policemen will be the start of an investigation, a sweetener that does not mitigate the importance of the sentence and a pittance that we strongly reject. The Genoa court has decided to support all those political forces, all those conventional thinkers, all those lawyers that - consciously - hoped that a few, even less that the 25 defendants, would be condemned to drew a sigh of relief, to point their finger dripping with morals and guilty conscience. The use of devastation and sacking as a crime to condemn facts occurred during a political demo opens the way to a dangerous operation, that would like to see people motionless to the choices of those who govern, defenceless to the daily abuses of power from a system in deep democratic crisis, even befor economical one. None of those who where in Genoa in 2001 and that have build their careers on the Genoa slogans (and have later betrayed them all with any possible vote or action), has rised against this absurd and opportunist operation: almost nobody from the whole center-left-wing coalition has found time enough to state that today not only 24 people, but all the demostrators have been convicted to years of jail. The same thing has happened inside large parts of the movement, with a lot of people trying to sabotage the messages of the demo that only three weeks ago has filled the streets of Genoa. They created confusion about who was fighting for a different life and society and who was protecting the actual state of things, maybe because their dignity is confused too. So, many words were said and written about a possible parliamentary committee of enquiry, about Truth and Justice, yet too few words about those 25 people who were going to be the scapegoats of a scared power. Yet Genoa can't be erased with an act of revisionism by the Court, nor with hypocritical and opportunistic choices and skeletons hidden in the cupboard. The 80.0000 people that last November, 17th have marched in Genoa were not asking for a parliamentary committee of enquiry; they wanted to state loud and clear that 25 people can't shield an inconvenient historical passage that questioned so strongly our lifestyle and society. We believe that those 80.000 people are listening to us and will not let a Court expropriate their memory and devastate the lives of 24 people. This sentence tries to overwhelm us and make us feel ashamed of what we where and lived, giving a dim view of moments of riot that instead deserve the light and dignity of moments of popular will; but we will not apologize for anything, because we have nothing to repent and we consider Genoa 2001 the highest moment of our political lives. We believe that all of those who were in Genoa should scream: in any case, no regret. No regret for the streets taken from the rebels, no regret for the terror of the G8 closed inside the red zone, no regret for the barricades, for the broken windows, for the foam-rubber protections, for the plexiglass shields, for the black dresses, for the white hands, for the pink dances, no regret for the resolution we questioned the power for some days. We said it the day after Genoa, and during all those years: memory is a collective gear that can't be saboted. And we will feel no regret for what Genoa was and meant for us. Today, like yesterday or tomorrow, we say again: in any case, no regret. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/28/2103778.htm Owners of confiscated protest van sought Posted Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:48pm AEDT Updated Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:54pm AEDT The unregistered panel van Forestry Tasmania recently confiscated from protesters. (ABC News: Mark Smith) Forestry Tasmania has displayed an unregistered panel van it recently confiscated from protesters in an exclusion zone in southern Tasmania. The panel van is believed to have been used in protests across the country. The nearly 30 year old panel van was loaded with ropes, a heavy duty crow bar and other protest equipment when it was discovered on Sunday morning, in forest west of Huonville. Forestry Tasmania says two protesters were hiding nearby, and they said the dirty and run-down vehicle has been used in protests as far away as Western Australia. Two protesters were found in nearby scrub, and were driven back to town by police. But police say they will not lay charges against the pair, instead giving them maps detailing local exclusion zones. The panel van is now at Forestry headquarters at Huonville and police are urging the owners to come forward. http://www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/display.var.1873928.0.inmates_sentenced_for_riot_at_institution.php Inmates sentenced for riot at institution By Will Roberts INMATES went on the rampage in a residential wing of a young offenders' institution after watching a news report on an earlier riot at their prison, a court heard. Yesterday, six former inmates at Deerbolt Young Offenders' Institution, near Barnard Castle, received sentences of between 15 and 30 months from a judge at Teesside Crown Court after they pleaded guilty to violent disorder. Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, told the court that on February 27, this year, two days after a major riot on D Wing, inmates were watching television in the association room in F Wing. The D Wing riots, which resulted in more than ?500,000- worth of damage, were shown on a news programme, which caused unrest among the 40 or so inmates in the association room. In weeks running up to the trouble, prisoners were said to be unhappy at regime changes at Deerbolt, with access to the gym being reduced and meal times altered. At about 6.30pm, as they watched the programme, some inmates began shouting, so an officer turned the television off. Rehan Baluch, now 21, turned the television back on, which led to a confrontation with another officer. Stewart Robertson, now 22, picked up a coffee table and threw it at a window, then at an officer. Inmates began hurling pool balls at staff, leading to officers sounding the alarm and withdrawing from the room. Once locked in, a group of inmates destroyed much of the association room and tried to smash their way into other areas. They set up a barricade and said they would stab anyone who tried to get in. The hold-off lasted for 90 minuted. Riot-busting teams and a negotiator were drafted in. The court heard how several officers were injured in the riot, with one female member of staff still suffering panic attacks. Sentencing Robertson, of no fixed abode, to 30 months imprisonment, Judge Tony Briggs said: "You were clearly the ringleader in this matter and you enthusiastically continued it." Christopher MacGillivary, 20, Christopher Murray, 20, both of no fixed abode, and Rehan Baluch, of Cheetham Hill, Manchester all received two-year sentences. MacGillivary received an extra nine months for a separate assault. Steven Brown, 21, and John Robinson, 21, received 18 months and 15 months respectively. http://www.thisisaberdeen.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=202847&command=displayContent&sourceNode=232187&home=yes&more_nodeId1=148317&contentPK=19128775 'RIOT POLICE SMASHED OPEN OUR PAL'S HEAD' 12:00 - 01 December 2007 A Friend of a Dons fan seriously injured by Spanish police today blasted the baton-wielding officers. Father-of-two Ian Bremner, 38, was rushed to hospital after he was repeatedly hit over the head by police armed with batons. The police charged as Ian walked among other fans towards the Vicente Calderon stadium before the Dons UEFA cup-tie against Atletico Madrid. And his pal Lindsay Bartlet, 45, said they were disgusted by how the fans were treated by the police and demanded an inquiry into the events. Mr Bartlet said: "It was way over the top for the police to charge at us like that, it was completely unprovoked. "One minute we were walking towards the stadium from the underground Metro station, the next the police were coming at us with batons." He said Ian was caught up in the violence and was struck over the head several times by the police. He said: "Action should be taken against the Spanish authorities their reaction was unacceptable. The police acted like animals and there should be an inquiry into the events." He said the violence erupted after Atletico hooligans threw flares at Dons supporters. Mr Bartlet, of Old Aberdeen, said: "My nephew and I got separated from Ian and we didn't know what happened to him till the next morning when we found out from the consulate he was in hospital. "He was in a pretty bad way and was in the intensive care unit overnight. "Ian has a four inch wound on his head where he took the brunt of the police batons." He said Ian, a project manager originally from Buckie but who now lives in Denmark, had made a good recovery but that he was still very dazed by the attack. Ian was expected to be discharged from hospital yesterday. Meanwhile, piping designer Graham Cooper described how "all hell broke lose" when riot police arrived. The 22-year-old from Ellon was among the fans drinking, singing and dancing near the stadium before the match and saw flares being let off from a side street before police turned up. He said: "The riot police just lined up in a row and charged at the fans. My mate saw a policeman punch someone on the back of the head. "They were just going mental for no reason whatsoever, it was completely over the top. "It was pretty frightening because the atmosphere just changed like that. "We had been saying how great it had been with no fighting or anything but then all hell broke loose, it was like a war zone." One fan also said he heard two people had been stabbed and somebody had been attacked by a man wielding a plank with nails in it. Yesterday the Evening Express told how a Dons fan was subjected to a terrifying rape in Madrid. She was thought to have been walking back to her hotel room when the attack happened 24 hours before the trouble erupted. A British Consulate spokeswoman confirmed officials had visited three people in hospital to offer them advice and assistance. She said the consulate was in talks with Spanish authorities as well as Aberdeen Football Club and Grampian Police before, during and after the game, as is normal when British clubs play abroad. However, she added: "We're going to raise all aspects of Thursday's incidents with the Spanish authorities." http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22871247-2862,00.html G20 riot charges in court December 05, 2007 12:00am PROTESTERS accused of serious offences during last year's violent G20 riots are fighting to have their cases heard in a lower court. Lawyers for 20 demonstrators have applied to have riot and affray charges dealt with at Melbourne Magistrates' Court, rather than potentially go to trial at a higher court. The lawyers told Melbourne Magistrates' Court it would be quicker and more cost-effective, because the County Court was booked until 2009. Prosecutor Chris Beale opposed the applications. Mr Beale described the November CBD riots as a "sustained attack upon police". Mr Beale said police gave statements that they had feared serious injury or death. "It wasn't riot police armed with shields taking the brunt of the attack, it was ordinary police with minimal protection," Mr Beale said. The court watched footage of protesters storming a police brawler van and pelting police officers with bottles, barricades and bins during the Group of 20 nations summit. Mr Beale said one policeman gave a statement it took him three days to remove glass from his clothes and skin. Defence barrister Stratton Langslow said the magistrates' court had adequate sentencing power to deal with the charges. He said apart from damage to the van, there was little destruction of property and no serious injuries. "It is difficult to see, apart from political purpose, not to deal with this matter in this court," Mr Langslow said. One protester, Akin Sari, from Pascoe Vale South, has pleaded guilty to nine charges and will face the County Court in February next year. Magistrate Sarah Dawes will deliver her decision today. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22876920-2862,00.html G20 riot court bid fails December 06, 2007 12:00am DEMONSTRATORS accused of serious offences during last year's G20 riots have lost a battle to have the charges dealt with in a lower court. Lawyers for the protesters applied to have riot and affray charges dealt with at Melbourne Magistrates' Court, rather than potentially go to trial in a higher court. But magistrate Sarah Dawes yesterday refused the 20 applications. The lawyers argued the earliest the County Court could hear the cases was 2009, and the delay would increase legal costs for the defendants. The prosecution opposed the applications. Ms Dawes said the alleged offences were serious, and the disguises worn by some protesters in the file footage indicated planning. A preliminary hearing will be held in February. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/12/05/ot-montebello-assault-071205.html Undercover officer hit riot squad member at Montebello: filmmaker Last Updated: Wednesday, December 5, 2007 | 11:55 AM ET CBC News One of three undercover officers accused by protesters of trying to incite violence at demonstrations surrounding the North American leaders summit in Montebello, Que., last summer was caught on video striking a riot squad officer, says the B.C. man who filmed the scene. Protesters said three masked men in the video were undercover police officers and that the fact that they were carrying a rock, pushed through other protesters and police, and were apparently arrested shows they were trying to start a riot. (YouTube) "I was reviewing some of the footage on a high-definition monitor and I caught a glimpse of this shot where somebody walks by my camera and then I see a gloved hand reaching up and slapping the face of one of the riot squad members," said Paul Manly of Nanaimo, who posted a low-resolution version of the video on YouTube in August. "And right after, you see that the person who's wearing those gloves is the same officer that has the rock. You can see the riot squad member recoiling from the blow." Manly said he went over the footage while working on a documentary. As of Tuesday evening, officials had not responded to the revelation. From ldxar1 at tesco.net Thu Jan 17 19:09:53 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:09:53 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] Activist-related news stories, Dec-Jan 07/08 Message-ID: <022701c8597f$98faa1a0$0802a8c0@andy1> * Two approaches to saving coral reefs - Indonesia and Papua New Guinea * The unstoppable rise of Spanish antifa * Report from Genoa six years after * Postscript on New Zealand "anti-terror" attack on activists * Venezuela: interview with an indigenous activist * Rent wars of East Harlem * Sinking islanders seek help at Bali - Carteret Islands about to go under * Tasmanian teacher kayaks for climate change * Sex workers, transvestites and Zapatistas * Ten years after Acteal, new massacres loom * Naomi Klein - Zapatista Code Red * Immanuel Wallerstein - What have the Zapatistas accomplished? * Army buildup in Zapatista zone http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/12/08/two-approaches-to-saving-coral-reefs/ Two approaches to saving coral reefs Published December 8th, 2007 in Oceans, Science, Innovation, Earth, Animals and Global Warming. In Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, people are taking different approaches to preserving - and in one case re-growing - coral reefs. Global warming and rising sea temperatures have been "bleaching" and killing reefs worldwide, making reef conservation an important issue. The Coral Triangle region of the West Pacific - between Indonesia, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands - is home to more than 50 percent of the world's coral and 75 percent of its species. It's kind of like a coral homeland, a source of coral biodiversity for the world. Papua New Guinea's Kimbe Bay is at the southeast part of the triangle and is the focus of a new conservation effort, hatched by The Nature Conservancy and scientists from the region, to create 15 restricted zones in the 3,300-square-mile bay. Fishing and other activities would be banned or restricted in these zones. The Coral Triangle has adapted to pulses of warming temperatures over millions of years, so the goal of this project is to protect this coral paradise from other threats, such as overfishing, fishing by dynamiting or poisoning, erosion runoff, agricultural chemicals and coral harvesting. Project participants face the challenge of getting local Papua New Guinea clans to agree to the proposed restricted areas. A bit farther west, off the Indonesian island of Bali, another reef project takes a different tack. Here reefs were being bleached by warming waters and damaged by dynamite fishing and cyanide poisoning. A scientist and an architect came up with the idea to submerge metal structures on which coral could grow. They've built dozens of the metal frames in Pemuteran Bay. By sending a low-voltage electric current through the frames, the team gets limestone to gather on the metal. Then the team collects pieces of coral that have broken off nearby reefs, and attachs them to the frames. The electricity apparently gets the coral to restore itself. Coral reefs are important because they protect shores from tides and waves and provide habitat for beautiful plant and sea life. The reefs can also be important tourist attractions. Have you seen coral in situ before? What do you think of these two ways to protect coral? Do you think one is better than the other? http://www.expatica.com/es/life_in/feature/anti-fascists-defy-neo-nazis-on-spanish-streets-47006.html "Anti-fascists" defy neo-Nazis on Spanish streets 17/12/2007 00:00 Neo-Nazis attacking immigrants are nothing new in Spain, but an equally marginal and violent force opposing them is now emerging. Youths calling themselves anti-fascists clash in Madrid, Barcelona and other cities with neo-Nazis or similar gangs whom they resemble with their shaved heads, leather jackets and military boots like in a mirror image. Little is known about the groups which only make headlines when something bigger happens, such as the recent killing of a 16-year-old anti-fascist by a neo-Nazi on the Madrid subway, or clashes between hundreds of anti-fascists and police in Barcelona. The emergence of violent as well as non-violent anti-racist groups are a response to insufficient official policies, which have failed to stem the increase of racist attitudes, says Esteban Ibarra, president of the Movement Against Intolerance, which campaigns against xenophobia. Sociologists, on their side, are detecting an increasing, even if superficial, interest in ideologies among young people who have grown up in a consumerist society. Spain is one of the European Union countries where the number of immigrants has grown most rapidly, now making up nearly 10 percent of the population of 45 million. The biggest non-European groups are Moroccans and Ecuadorians, who number around half a million each. Police estimate that about 10,000 people belong to various kinds of far-right groups in the country which does not have a far-right party with parliamentary representation. Neo-Nazi youths do not only attack immigrants, but also others such as homosexuals and homeless people. Such groups suffer about 4,000 acts of aggression annually, according to the Movement Against Intolerance. The youths most commonly known as anti-fascists, who seek to prevent such attacks, belong to groups with names such as Sharp, Redskins, National Revolutionary Youth, Anti-Fascist Brigades or Bukaneros. Both the anti-fascists and the neo-Nazis often have their roots in similar movements in other European countries or the United States. Both types of radicals also seek ideological points of reference in Spain's 1936-39 Civil War, which pitted the leftist republican government against right-wing dictator-to-be Francisco Franco. Police estimate that there are at least 500 "really violent" anti-fascists or related people in Madrid alone. But it is difficult to distinguish the violent from the non-violent ones, making the total number hard to determine. The violent groups that make headlines are part of a much wider movement comprising the most heterogeneous groups ranging from punks and squatters to anarchists and the far left, Ibarra pointed out in an interview with the Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. The anti-fascist groups started emerging already a decade ago as part of a Europe-wide "anti-globalisation" movement, but they are now becoming more visible, he observed. People whom police regard as thugs looking for brawls often attend peaceful demonstrations for causes ranging from calls to end poverty to affordable housing. Demonstrations, football matches, neighbourhood festivals or other events can escalate into violent clashes with police, as has happened in Barcelona, where hundreds of anti-fascists and "opponents of the system" confronted the security forces with stones, bottles or sticks. Dozens of people have been injured in clashes which have also caused material damage worth hundreds of thousands of euros in the recent years. "Political parties' lack of efficiency against racism feeds the activity of marginal groups," Ibarra says. "Neo-Nazi flags, for instance, are allowed at football stadiums." "Racist websites continue functioning with impunity, and people who are convicted of racist attacks come away with light sentences," he added. While activists like Ibarra urge the authorities to take action against the far right before violence between neo-Nazis and anti- fascists escalates, sociologists place both types of radicals within a wider context. Young people whose identity is based on consumerist values feel insecure and in need of collective projects, but are also unwilling to give up a pleasure-oriented approach to life and to embrace ideologies on a deeper level, experts believe. The apparent ideologies of people displaying neo-Nazi or anti-fascist slogans are "empty, without a clear content," sociology professor Antonio Espantaleon told the daily El Pais. Some youths even pass from anti-fascist to neo-Nazi gangs or vice versa, seeking acceptance and security within a group regardless of its ideas, experts point out. [December 2007] http://de.indymedia.org/2007/11/199980.shtml microreport from genoa six years after Alex Foti 19.11.2007 11:47 Themen: G8 Repression Weltweit It was a supermassive demo (at least 50,000 people) with the genoa generation -- that of tute bianche, indymedia, black and pink blocs -- opening in front and assalti frontali blasting the right kind of politically rhymed speech from the first truck. It was 20,000 youth that spearheaded the demo, almost silent in their boiling anger, with, because of the choice made by supporto legale and global project organizing the demo, no symbols and no flags, save a handful of nodalmolin, pirate, anarcho/red, guevarist, zapatista symbols. The parties, associations and mainstream unions were relegated to the smaller half in the back. The numbers and thrust of the demonstration were constituted by the body politic of centri sociali, who reacted with promptness and anger to the public prosecution asking for hundreds of years of prison for protesters. They called for everybody subversive to hop on the rebel trains from milan, turin, venice, rome, naples and plenty other cities and towns (it was tough for little or no money getting on the trains at the stations heavily presided by police and carabinieri; thousands got there that the demo had just started, because trenitalia manipulated by the minister of the interior refused customary discounts for demos and delayed trains). We demanded with all the forces of our bodies and minds to free the 25 under trial from all ridiculous charges brought against them (ten years of prison per person + zillions of euros for having tarnished the image of spaghettiland abroad, no joke) as if the italian state hadn't committed murder, butchery, torture during those fateful two days in the third week of july 2001 in the port city, then under medieval self-siege to protect the g8 from radical democracy, today open to demonstrators, especially in its popular and ethnic neighborhoods by the waterfront (the manifestation ended in the city's navel, piazza de ferrari, where a big stage was built across the square from a garibaldi statue donning a red-cloth poncho because of the celebrations surrounding the bicentenary of his birth, this somewhat incongruous scene was unfolding under a skyscraper topped by a megapixel screen advertising the genoa aquarius and the genoa soccer club). The cops kept at safety distance and were invisible during the whole thing, also considering that week a poliziotto had aimed and shot at a soccer supporter, a popular dj in sections of rome especially with traditionally fascist lazio hooligans, while he was resting in his car at a gas station, sparking assaults on police stations in rome, street turbulence in milano and stadium break-ins in bergamo. but you know that as well as the state-decreed intolerance of roma people aka gypsies (postfascist fini who commanded the police forces in genoa called for ethnic cleansing even went beyond, saying they're as people incompatible with italy), what you may not know is that aldo bianzino, a cool 44-year-old man arrested for cultivating pot plants, was beaten to death while in custody in perugia last month. The parliamentary left and its media allies tried to manipulate its message saying the demo was in favor of some hazy parliamentary committee that the head of the newlyborn and american-inspired democratic party already said it should investigate "the violence of demonstators and of the police": precisely in that order, that is. The genoa generation doesn't care one second about such lofty baloney, it only cares for our people to be freed from judicial persecution. Yesterday it was the noglobal generation back in force as we hadn't seen since 2003-2004, asking for justice and loudly declaring that it wont' allow its history be put under trial, its ranks replenished by riotous teens and rebellious earlytwentysomethings who couldn't have been in genoa and suffered at tolemaide, diaz, bolzaneto. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0711/S00312.htm Postscript on Operation 8 Paul G. Buchanan 11-19-07 The dust has largely settled after the police whirlwind that was Operation 8. Yet some questions remain about the operation itself, and there are political repercussions that need addressing. With regards to the way in which Operation 8 was planned and conducted, questions remain about the catalyst or precipitant. The Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition stated that they were informed of the operation one week before the raids took place, yet Police Commissioner Broad claims to have ordered the action in response to information he received less than 48 hours before the raids commenced. It is possible that a general brief to the political leadership could be followed by a contingent tactical response, so the discrepancy can be reconciled. But the interrogatory remains as to what, exactly, precipitated the police action, and when, precisely, did the Prime Minister, as Minister of Security and Intelligence, know that a counter-terrorist operation was underway? On the same note, questions must asked as to what role the Combined Threat Assessment Group (CTAG) played in this affair. CTAG is a senior level interagency group responsible to the Minister of Security and Intelligence that draws on the resources and perspectives of MFAT, Treasury, Immigration, Defense, the Police, SIS, GCSB and External Assessments Bureau (EAB) to conduct national-level threat assessments and security risk analysis. Although primarily focused on the international security environment and the externally derived threats coming from it, CTAG is also responsible for internal threat assessment and for coordinating the response to potential terrorism in New Zealand. Security risk assessments generally focus on worst-case scenarios, both in terms of the threat as well as the fallout from countering it. Such scenarios involve the political, cultural, economic and security implications of armed intervention. CTAG presumably brings together designated liaison officers to trouble-shoot and brainstorm the nature of threats, the sequence of possible events and range of plausible outcomes when countering them, capitalizing on the heterogeneous perspectives they bring to the table. This would be particularly important in the case of Operation 8 given the first invocation of anti-terrorist legislation against domestic targets rather than the foreign entities that are the priority interest. Given that, was the CTAG involved in the decision to launch Operation 8, and if so, at what stage of the game? It would be of serious concern if the police had acted on their own accord without consulting CTAG. It would be of even worse concern if they did. Surveillance was conducted by means of a hub and spoke network analysis in order to establish a terrorist conspiracy wheel. The police bugged the communications of one mentally unhinged individual with anti-social tendencies and a compulsion to boast. They then ran through the list of people he communicated with, tapped into their phones and computers, zeroed in on political activists, ran cross-searches on their contacts, and used human and technical intelligence collection to confirm their collective presence in the Ureweras at various points in time over the last twelve months. Infiltrators-there is speculation that police counter-narcotics undercover agents or SAS troops using the opportunity to do some reconnaissance exercising-monitored the comings and goings from a handful of what were locally known as hunting camps or cannabis patch guard posts, deploying video surveillance technology to record the presence of those who stayed at them. The electronic dragnet, authorized by warrants issued under the Terrorism Suppression Act, identified a core of six people who supposedly combined violent anti-status quo rhetoric with a penchant for firearms and explosives. The others were considered incidental to the main plotting of the purported hardcore. Human intelligence collection confirmed the bush connection between both groups, although it remains to be seen if it can confirm that all received training in military firearms operation and guerrilla warfare tactics. For the Solicitor-General, the evidence wheel was too rickety to sustain charges of a terrorist conspiracy. There was no legal traction, to say nothing of political mileage to be gained from prosecution on terrorism charges against this particular group of people. It would be hard to find a jury that would convict them of terrorism-related offenses, and that would have negative political consequences for the government. Evidence collected under warrants issued under provisions of the TSA will be largely inadmissible in court when the accused face charges under the Firearms Act. Perhaps that is why snippets of the communications intercepts were leaked to the media "in the public interest," although the real motives (and sources) for the leaks are probably a bit more varied. Other loose ends are worth noting. Under the TSA local connections with foreign terrorist groups are outlawed. It is known that at least one of those arrested visited Zapatista-controlled areas of Chiapas, Mexico in the last year. Tame Iti was deported from Fiji just weeks before his arrest and apparently visited Iran (a member of the so-called "axis of evil") in early 2007. Could it be that these foreign connections influenced the invocation of the TSA to secure surveillance warrants? If so, the judges who issued the warrants demonstrated unfamiliarity with the law, as the TSA refers only to contacts with officially designated (by the UN and traditional security partners) terrorist groups. Tame Iti may have connections with George Speight and other indigenous Fijian coup plotters, but none of them have been designated as international terrorists (or, for that matter, has the authoritarian regime of Commodore Frank Bainimarama). The same is true of the Zapatista movement, which even the Mexican government recognizes as more an indigenous social movement than an irregular army. Iti's visit to Iran was apparently for business, not terror, and he did not associate with elements of the Revolutionary Guard that the US has tried to brand as a terrorist organisation. Thus even if these international linkages are proven, they do not fall within the purview of the TSA because they were not with officially designated terrorist organizations. Given the recently passed amendment to the TSA that allows the Prime Minister rather than the High Court to designate terrorist groups, it is now easier for the government to target political dissidents under the guise of fighting terrorism, but even that unhealthy temptation cannot be applied retroactively to the people arrested in Operation 8. The charges under the Firearms Act are also of interest. One individual was charged with being in possession of two .22 caliber cartridges. Reports have it that a handful of firearms were seized in the raid, of which only one had potentially military-type configuration. A couple hundred rounds of ammunition, mostly .22 caliber, were also seized. So far, no AK-47 or modified automatic weapons have been produced by way of evidence against the accused. Nor have the purported "grenade launchers" ostensibly used at the training camps. If that is the level of proof that the police have with regards to Firearms Act violations, their case is on thin ice. So is the attempt to charge people with violations under the Firearms Act or Misuse of Explosives statutes (codified in the 1957 Explosives Act, 1974 Dangerous Good Act, and 1979 Toxic Substances Act, now all subsumed under the 1996 Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO)). It is alleged that some of the accused were in possession of bottles of kerosene or quantities of jellified petrol. So-called Molotov cocktails-be they based on petrol, kerosene or other combustible liquids--are not firearms or explosives. Firearms are ballistic devices that fire projectiles using inert material as propellants. Explosives are percussive, fragmentation or concussive devices that utilise rapid chemical reactions triggered in a number of ways to cause explosive releases of kinetic energy. Although they can be configured in combination with other materials so that they are effectively made into explosives, in and of themselves Molotov cocktails and homemade "napalm" are technically defined as incendiary devices that do not fall under the scope of either the Firearms Act or any laws dealing with explosives or hazardous materials. In fact, under Schedule Seven (Part D section 223) of the 1996 HSNO ACT titled "Explosives," there is no mention of combustible liquid incendiary devices. Even US criminal law excludes Molotov cocktails from the definition of explosive, mainly because the myriad innocent or peaceful uses for combustible liquids makes it near impossible to prove untoward intent prior to actual use for such purposes. Unless the incendiary devices found in the police raids show unmistakable proof of being configured in a way that would cause ballistic, percussive, concussive or fragmentary effect (which would take at least a modest amount of technical acumen), they cannot convincingly be covered under the Firearms, Explosives, Dangerous Good, Toxic Substances or HSNO Acts. At best the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) can lay charges against those found with bottles of rag-stuffed petrol under the HSNO Act for improper storage of flammable liquids, but that could prove to be a discriminatory and selective application of the law given the amount of petrol stored in uncertified containers extant around the country. Perhaps the Crimes or Summary Offenses Acts have clauses the prohibit possession of improvised incendiary devices, but the same problems would apply with regard to proving that they were destined for more than common farm or household use. It would therefore seem that from what is known so far about them, even the weapons charges being laid against the so-called Urewera 16/17 are open to challenge. The police allege that Molotov cocktails were found in a "ready to use" condition. That makes one wonder about the terrorist competence of the accused if such reports are true, since Molotovs are best constructed immediately prior to their use because of their volatility, and storing them around the house, garage or shed is an invitation to self-immolation and a visit from the Fire Brigade. On a broader plane, the political repercussions of Operation 8 need to be considered. Besides what was mentioned earlier about possible government involvement in the planning and conduct of Operation 8 (so far denied), some interesting ramifications have risen from the event and its immediate sequels. The issue of whether the police raids were timed to coincide with the debate about the amendments to the TSA or passage of the Electoral Finance Bill have been much discussed and need not occupy us at length here. It is incongruous that the second reading of the TSA amendment bill was passed on the day the Solicitor General pronounced the original act to be "incoherent," and that the entire bill was passed a week later supposedly to uphold New Zealand's international obligations in the face of its failure in the first instance of its use. As things stand, the Law Commission will have an opportunity to review the TSA in order to determine if it should remain on the books, and it may well be more interested in coherence rather than foreign relations when doing so. The matter of electoral financing is one of money and voice rooted in class interest. A terrorism scare will not affect the debate on that score. However, should the TSA remain in force, it is conceivable-albeit a stretch at this juncture-- that individuals and groups in violation of the EFB (if passed) could be branded as domestic "terrorists" or "terrorist sympathizers" by the Prime Minister of the day. Ironically, many of those leading the charge against the EFB are also those most ardently in support of the TSA. Some believe the police undertook the raids in order to divert attention from a series of internal scandals and crime-solving bungles that have diminished confidence in their professionalism and competence. If so, Operation 8 may not improve that perception even though polls show an apparent majority believe that their actions were justified. That may say more about the manufactured climate of fear surrounding the specter of "terrorism" than it does the realities of the situation at hand. Perhaps security agencies in a 9/11 era feel the need to justify their expanded budgets, personnel and purview by taking worst-case approaches to what otherwise would be relatively minor criminal matters. Anti-terrorism legislation in the form of the TSA gives them the tool to do just that. The raids have seriously strained relations between Tuhoe and the police, and Maori have reason to ask about the way in which their grievances are addressed by the security services. Maori-Pakeha relations have been brought back into the centre stage of political debate, as has Tame Iti's heretofore marginal sovereignty movement. The political Left has fractured over the incident, activists seeing the arrest of their mates as a brutish act of political intimidation, while more corporately-inclined socialists tending to believe that the Urewera 16/17 are to blame by virtue of the company they kept, the activities they conducted in the bush and the motives they may have had. The party Left-in this case the Greens-have been joined by the Maori Party in challenging the rationale behind the TSA as well as Operation 8, although their specific reasons differ (the Greens have principled opposition to terrorist legislation on human rights and freedom of speech grounds, whereas the Maori party appears to be more opportunistic and selectively ethnic in its opposition).As for the party Right, the National Party and United Future have remained largely silent about the affair , even with regards to the implications for civil liberties it clearly has. New Zealand First welcomes the TSA amendment's passage and blames the activists for trying to destabilise society. Amongst the right parties, only ACT questioned (on civil rights grounds) the utility of the law and its invocation in the police raids. The government has distanced itself from the police as the case begins to unravel away from a potential terrorism threat and towards firearms violations by a small group of blowhards and activists. Given the evidence produced so far, it certainly did not need terrorism trials to be conducted during the 2008 election campaign. Early distance on the issue and the subsequent (some might say convenient) refusal to lay charges under the TSA relieved it of that particular political burden. For the other parties, especially National and the Maori Party, the prospects for any potential relationship in a future government may well hinge on how they reposition their responses to the event. The Maori Party emerges as a swing vote strongly influenced by its activist wing, more than off-setting other possible minority coalition partners as a decisive factor in the upcoming balloting. How the two major parties court the Maori vote in light of the raids should make for interesting political theater. Legal experts and lawyers will benefit from the case, and taxpayer dollars will be poured into a review of the TSA as well as the prosecution of the Urewera 16/17. The accused will suffer financial penalties as they mount legal defenses, and both the political right and left will posture and pose around the issue of domestic terrorism. Meanwhile, those who may be genuinely inclined towards acts of mass political violence in New Zealand will learn the lessons of secrecy and planning in order to escape detection and apprehension. As a result, countervailing domestic terrorist threats may well be more difficult to accomplish in the future for both practical as well as legal reasons stemming from Operation 8, even as concepts of civil liberties and permissible dissent are narrowed in accord with the security interests of foreign powers. http://www.anarkismo.net/newswire.php?story_id=6847 Venezuela: Interview with an indigenous activist by El Libertario, Venezuela Thursday, Nov 15 2007, 3:30pm ellibertario at nodo50.org venezuela/colombia / indigenous struggles / other libertarian press "We have a truth in front of us and we need to inform it" * As part of the 2.300 delegates in the second Zapatista and indigenous community's international reunion, which took place last July in Mexico, members of the wayuu community delivered a truly important message: Venezuelan indigenous community's situation is very different than the declared by the government people in Caracas. El Libertario talked about the experience with Jorge Montiel, member of the Maikiralasa'lii. As part of the 2.300 delegates in the second Zapatista and indigenous community's international reunion, which took place last July in Mexico, there was a small delegation from Zulia. Jorge Montiel and Diego, members of the wayuu community, delivered a truly important message: Venezuelan indigenous community's situation is very different than the declared by the government people in Caracas. The message transmitted concerned the "zapatista" movement which, as previous declarations confirmed, started to consider in good terms the Venezuelan government actions. El Libertario talked about the experience with Jorge Montiel, member of the Maikiralasa'lii, which means organization who does not sell itself. What motivated you to assist to the Zapatista reunion? - The invitation came from Professor Quintero Weil, from LUZ (Zulia's University); he's studying a PhD degree in Mexico and has some relations with the Zapatista movement. It was always part of our aims to go to Mexico and share the experience with our fellow Zapatistas, opportunity we had thanks to people like Cristian Guerrero, fellow students from the UNAM (National Autonomic Mexican University) and also other people who welcomed us with solidarity. Homoetnatura, which you are linked with, has taken a continue struggle about the coal issue. Now the wayuu have formed a new group named Maikiralasa'lii. What's the difference? - Homoetnatura has always been linked to the indigenous communities, but we wanted to have an organization strictly for wayuu indigenous, despite this we have the same aims. Right now we are only wayuu, but we are considering the possibility of associate with other communities in order to include also our fellow Yukpa and Bari. With this new organization and against the coal we went to Mexico. How was the welcoming in the reunion? - Our message surprised our fellow Zapatistas and other indigenous, journalists and fellows from all continents. We talked a lot about our struggle, which is very similar to Zapatista's struggle: land, water, biodiversity. They loved the fact that in Venezuela we have an organization not handled by political parties. When we explained everything related to the struggle, the Zapatistas said "you are the first Venezuelan indigenous organization who comes without wearing the red shirt and cap (red is related to Venezuelan government). We have met a lot of Venezuelan organizations who speak about a lot of issues but don't explain the real situation". We explained our own truth with no intention to attack President Chavez government, because we have a truth in front of us and we need to inform it. We were the most interviewed delegation in this reunion. We had almost 40 interviews from all over the World. When we came back our struggle was clearer, since we realized we are not alone. Which activities you took part of during the reunion? - We participated in every workshop. We spoke in the stage; we delivered messages to sub Commander Marcos, Mois?s, Tacho and Commander Hortensia. We couldn't speak personally with Marcos, but we had a short conversation with Tacho. We delivered a folder with information about our struggle. We expressed that we wanted support. We delivered also the video "Socuy lucha por la tierra" and the movie "Nuestro petr?leo y otros cuentos". We offered a press conference for all our fellows who couldn't attend. We were there for 2 hours, one hour clarifying why Wayuu were attending the reunion and then we had the questions round. _Not chavistas or antichavistas: indigenous_ What did they know about the indigenous situation in Venezuela? - In the beginning a lot of people were surprised because we told the truth. They had a different information, trough the ministries and deputies, that everything was OK in the country, that they were settling the historical rights in Venezuela. The wrong idea came also from the president speeches outside the country. We said we had no representative; no deputy speaks in favor of the indigenous threatened by the coal. We explained that all the Perij? mountain range was going to be given in concession and that Corpozulia was responsible of it. We also said that the indigenous ministry was managed by the government, not the indigenous. There was no popular vote, the indigenous did not vote to found the ministry or assign a minister. We said we have the land issue, since the land demarcation stopped and we didn't know why. We also said that the Mara indigenous community legitimacy was not accepted, even when the law establishes that for tradition or even foundation you can create an indigenous community. Fellow Zapatistas said "Wow, how come? If they speak positive about the indigenous situation in Venezuela, the deputies and the ministries." No, we answered, it's completely the opposite. Deputies are with Corpozulia, with the transnational companies. We also made clear that we are not chavistas or antichavistas: we are indigenous against imperialism and capitalism. If we were antichavistas we would be running for high positions in the opposition. If we were chavistas we would be running for deputy in the assembly, the legislative counsel or running for counselor. We are in the middle, standing for our own interests, which is the land. Was there a negative reaction towards these words? - At the beginning of the speech in San Crist?bal, Chiapas, in the university, some North Americans became very upset. They were chavistas and said we were conservators and we shouldn't speak like that when everything is OK in Venezuela. But one fellow who speaks English, because we don't, said "have you been to Socuy? Have you seen the situation of our fellow indigenous?". "No". "Then how come you say there are no problems there? You have to go there first, and then you can criticize them. What's the thing you remember the most? - The workshops, since we have them in a different way in Venezuela. For the Zapatistas it's all about giving response to what they've done, because many organizations support them. For example they talk about the doctors. They say there's a "huesero" who is in charge of repairing the bones. Another doctor is the naturist "yerbatero", and he is in charge of preparing the traditional medicines. They also explained the effects of the medicines. They also talked about the maternity medicine they use for childbirth, which is not the regular university medicine. They explained how they do it, and also explained everything about their teachers and the "good government boards". People asked, but for me it was clear. It was very organized. That part we highly recommend, there were 14 years old young men standing in the stage, giving speeches and explaining how they manage themselves as an autonomic community. They also explained the punishment for men who mistreat their women: 60 days of social work in the community. There was a fellow asking about the zapatist jail compared to the government jail. They answered: "different, since we do not torture". Did you make any agreements with other Latin American organization? - With one indigenous organization from Mexico named FUDEM, they protect electric energy. We reached an agreement with the zapatistas so two fellow wayuu woman can go to a women reunion, which is going to take place in December 30 and 31. We subscribed the historical book of our fellow Zapatistas, and we also had the chance to talk to the indigenous movements in Oaxaca, Guerrero and also with the Mexican Indigenous Congress. We reached commitments with organizations from France, Italy and Spain, agreements establishing they are going to visit us and we are going to visit their countries to speak about the indigenous consensus. We also had relations with anarchist groups, and they are going to visit us too. We are multiplying and growing and we have no fear because we are fighting for our rights. We said we would always be in touch. We are planning to ask for permission to have the third Zapatistas reunion with the world in El Socuy. It's up to them, because they are coming down to Latin America to have the other campaign. What are you going to do now, what plans do you have for Maikiralasa'lii? - To fortify it, get together more fellows and keep making conscience. We are not going to fall for the same ambition than CONIVE (National Venezuelan Indigenous Confederation), which Nohel? Pocaterra manages. It's going to be a strictly indigenous non-profit organization with no parties' relation. When you have political interest the organization can't succeed. We have different projects: schools, museums, radio stations, houses. We have no resources but we are advancing, we are strong and we are many. A struggle like this is dignifying and a lot of people admire it. Sub Commander Marcos itself used one of our phrases and said it was from the "Venezuelan indigenous who fights". Here we are, here we stand, and here we resist. _Retaliation to the dissidence_ Wayuu indigenous, after their trip to Mexico, started to suffer intolerance attacks in their own flesh. They were invited to a National Venezuelan Radio workshop, from a state radio station; all of the sudden Montiel was notified that they were no longer invited. The reason? They signed the letter delivered to Marcos from the EZLN, regarding the local indigenous situation. "That's a retaliation against us", said the indigenous activist who decided to live the protagonist democracy that claims the Venezuelan government. "Can't we criticize anything? This was said specifically to the person who invited us. In Mexico we said: probably from now on there is going to be a police persecution against us and our fellow ecologist. We fear that persecution, since that's the way coal people, transnational companies and their friends act". [El Libertario, # 51, November 2007, Venezuela] www.nodo50.org/ellibertario - ellibertario at nodo50.org http://www.indypendent.org/2007/11/18/rent-wars-of-east-harlem-it-takes-a-village-to-raise-hell/ Rent Wars of East Harlem: It Takes a Village to Raise Hell By Andalusia Knoll >From the November 16, 2007 issue | Posted in Local | Email this article Taking on Goliath: Natalia Evangelista and Ricardo Ram?n, with 3-year-old daughter Abigail, are two of hundreds of El Barrio residents fighting eviction efforts by corporate landlord Dawnay, Day. Photo : K. Cyr By Andalusia Knoll When Ricardo Ram?n and Natalia Evangelista immigrated to th United States from Santa Inez, a small, arid farming town in the southern Mexican state of Puebla, they didn't imagine that they would be fighting displacement again. "We have the same problems we left in Mexico," said Ramon. "There, they fight for a place to live. Here, we do the same."Ram?n, 25, and Evangelista, 23, are just two of about 380 tenants, organized with the Movement for Justice in El Barrio (MJB), who are fighting off efforts by their new landlord to evict tenants from 47 rent-stabilized and rent-controlled buildings in East Harlem, also known as El Barrio.Since the 47 buildings were bought by Dawnay, Day Group, a privately owned British bank that manages $10 billion in worldwide assets and has real-estate holdings in Europe, India and Australia, tenants have faced widespread harassment and have been falsely charged for services that they never received. In response, MJB, a Zapatista-inspired organizing model (see sidebar) that has taken root in East Harlem over the last five years, has begun a battle to save one of the last bastions of affordable housing in Manhattan. It's trying to stop "landlords, the government, and their culture of money," from displacing people of color and low-income residents under the guise of "development." "Their dream is that we leave the building and go away," said Ram?n, who earns $1,800 a month working as a cook, out of which he pays $874 in rent and helps support Evangelista and their two small children. If Dawnay, Day gets the rent increases it seeks, their family and most of the other tenants will be forced out. Ram?n says they love living in El Barrio and "would like to stay here for many years. Our dream is that our children remain here, go to school, graduate and enter a profession." "Their goal is to make more money each day and that the poor stay poor," said Evangelista. DIRTY TRICKS TO EVICT TENANTS One of numerous foreign investors who have been recently attracted to the New York City real-estate market, Dawnay, Day spent close to $250 million in March on buildings north and east of Central Park from East 100th to East 120th streets, containing 1,137 apartments and 55 commercial spaces.East Harlem, called El Barrio by many of its 100,000 residents, is a historically Puerto Rican neighborhood that has recently experienced a large influx of Mexican, Chinese and Arab immigrants. Nearly 40 percent of its residents live below the poverty line. The median household income in 2005 was only $23,000 per year, less than half of the $50,000 figure for all of Manhattan. The median rent was $900 a month - 47 percent of the median income. Dawnay, Day's objectives were clear: Push out the current rent-regulated tenants, renovate the buildings and raise rents. "East Harlem is the last area of the whole of Manhattan being gentrified," Phil Blakely, Dawnay, Day's director, speculated in The Times (London). He likened purchasing property in East Harlem to buying real estate in Brixton, a London neighborhood - once the heart of the city's Afro-Caribbean immigrant culture - whose recent gentrification has led to sharp rent increases. "A typical two-bedroom flat taking $150 per month in rent can see the rents rise 3 percent to 4 percent each year without doing anything," Blakely told The Times (London). "As soon as you take vacant possession, the rents will typically rise 17 percent when re-let without doing anything. But with renovation, a flat could well take $1,700 a month once re-let on the open market." He estimated that once the East Harlem apartments were renovated and rented at market rates, the value of the properties would increase from the purchase price of $280 per square foot to more than $1,000 per square foot. To do this, Dawnay, Day can take advantage of the loopholes the state has drilled into its rent regulations over the last 15 years. In New York City, about 1 million apartments, in buildings containing six or more units which were built before 1974, are rent-stabilized, with maximum annual rent increases set by the city Rent Guidelines Board. (About 43,000 apartments, mainly occupied by elderly people who have lived there since 1971, are protected by the older rent-control system, but are usually subject to 7.5 percent annual increases.) But for vacant apartments, landlords are automatically allowed to hike the price by 20 percent. If they renovate, they can add 1/40 of the cost to the rent. Many landlords routinely flout even these limits. If they can get the rent to $2,000 or more, the apartment is deregulated, which means that the owners can charge whatever they can get, and the tenants have no right to renew their lease when it expires. Using tactics that have become increasingly common in the last 10 years, Dawnay, Day has been harassing its tenants and charging them for repairs that never took place, in an effort to push the rent-regulated residents out. Zoila Jara, a single mother of two who has lived on East 106th Street for 13 years, says the company falsely charged her for $1,495. "Dawnay Day claims that some of this is for a washer they say they gave me. The fact is I do not have and never had a washer," she said. "On top of this, for every month that goes by that I refuse to pay, they add false late fees." The company has also refused to make much-needed emergency repairs, according to an August article published by the Daily News. Tenant Cristina Ortega reported two separate incidents in which Dawnay, Day failed to do repairs after pieces of her ceiling fell, injuring her two teenage daughters. "I notified HPD," she told the News. "They have done nothing." Residents been subject to accusations of overcrowding apartments, asked to pay imaginary legal fees Dawnay, Day has claimed are owed to the former landlord and been offered money to leave. "They know that we are people with little resources and they take advantage of us. They wouldn't do this to people who have lots of money. They just want to kick us out so that they can fix these apartments up a little, bring in new richer people, and charge higher rents," says Josefina Salazar, a Dawnay, Day tenant and MJB member. NEW LANDLORD, BIGGER FIGHT Tenants say that Stephen Kessner, the previous landlord of the 47 buildings, used similar tactics. But instead, they evicted him from East Harlem. Fed up with the dilapidated conditions of their apartments, Ram?n, Evangelista and other tenants organized and brought Kessner to Housing Court."When one person goes to Housing Court alone it doesn't work. Having many people in court together is what carried the day," said Evangelista. "When a judge sees a group of tenants together fighting, he is more likely to respond than when he sees you alone," added Ram?n. MJB's campaign against Kessner garnered much press attention - the Village Voice labeled him one of "NYC's 10 Worst Landlords" in July 2006 - and eventually forced him to put his East Harlem properties on the market. Dawnay, Day bought them in March. On Oct. 17, along with Harlem Legal Services and the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project, MJB filed a consumer-protection lawsuit against Dawnay, Day. It requests an injunction to prevent the company from "engaging in deceptive practices by charging all kinds of fees and charges against their tenants which don't really exist and have no basis in the law," said lawyer Ed Josephson. "We think [they're] part of a scheme to harass the tenants to get them to move out so they can raise the rents on the vacant apartments." Juan Haro, an organizer and co-founder of MJB, accuses the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development of selective inaction. "HPD says their stated goal is to ensure that tenants are protected, since tenants do have legal rights, but the truth of the matter is when tenants in East Harlem call 311, HPD turns a blind eye, HPD doesn't respond as they would if these tenants were white, middle-class, upper-class residents such as those that live in midtown Manhattan." He says that they are fighting not just greedy landlords, but the larger capitalist system and its globalized tentacles - "our objectification by these multinational companies, by these landlords, by the city, by HPD in its attempt once again to displace us so that we are forced to leave East Harlem and live elsewhere." "They want to remove from the street the street vendors who earn an honorable and dignified living, the families that have their small restaurants, small clothing stores, and the small bodegas on the corners in our neighborhood," MJB said in a statement. "They want to displace us to bring their luxury restaurants, their large expensive clothing stores, their supermarket chains. They want to change our neighborhood. They want to change our culture. They want to change that which makes us Latino, African-American, Asian or Indigenous. They want to change everything that makes us El Barrio." Just as Dawnay, Day crosses borders in search of capital gains, MJB will soon cross the Atlantic to meet with anti-gentrification groups in London to challenge the company at its global headquarters. They will also be organizing with groups nationwide by conducting a workshop "Organizing Across Borders for Humanity and Against Neoliberalism" at an immigrant rights conference in Texas and a National Organizers Gathering in Maryland. With this multi-pronged approach, MJB members are confident that they will kick Dawnay, Day out of El Barrio. "We are not going to leave. We're gonna fight to the end for our children," says MJB member Paula Serrano. John Tarleton contributed to this report. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071205-AP-bali-sinking.html Sinking Islanders Seek Help at Bali Climate Conference Charles J. Hanley in Kilu, Papua New Guinea Associated Press December 5, 2007 Squealing pigs tore inland, and Filomena Taroa herded the children to higher ground. The sea was rolling in deeper than anyone had ever seen last week on Papua New Guinea's island of New Britain. "I don't know [why it happened]," the sturdy, barefoot grandmother told a visitor. "I'd never experienced it before." As scientists warn of rising seas due to global warming, more reports are coming in of flooding from record high tides in villages like Kilu. It's happening not only to low-lying atolls but also to shorelines from Alaska to India. This week by boat, bus, and jetliner a handful of villagers are converging on Bali, Indonesia, to seek help from representatives of the more than 180 countries gathered there for a United Nations climate conference. "Climate Refugees" The coastal dwellers' plight-once considered theoretical-appears all too real in 2007. The problem is spreading to new coasts, and the waters are flowing further inland. Scientists project that seas expanding from warmth and from the runoff of melting glaciers may displace millions of coastal inhabitants worldwide in this century if heat-trapping industrial emissions are not sharply curtailed. A Europe-based research group, the Global Governance Project, will propose at the two-week Bali meeting that an international fund be established to resettle "climate refugees." (Read "Climate Change Creating Millions of 'Eco Refugees,' UN Warns" [November 18, 2005].) Ursula Rakova is a resident of the Carteret Atoll northeast of the nearby island of Bougainville. "We don't have vehicles, an airport," she said, summing up the islanders' plight. "We're merely victims of what is happening with the industrialized nations emitting greenhouse gases." The sands of the atoll have been giving way to the sea for the past 20 years. The salt water has ruined their taro gardens, a food staple, and has contaminated their wells and flooded homesteads. The remote islands now suffer from chronic hunger. The national government has appropriated $800,000 (U.S.) to resettle a few Carteret families on Bougainville out of 3,000 islanders. "That's not enough," Rakova told the Associated Press in Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby. "The islands are getting smaller. Basically, everybody will have to leave." "Sloshing" Ocean Rising In a landmark series of reports released this year, the UN climate-science network reported that seas rose by a global average of about 0.12 inch (0.3 centimeter) annually from 1993 to 2003, compared to an average of about 0.08 inch (0.2 centimeter) annually between 1961 and 2003. A 2006 study by Australian oceanographers found the rise was much higher-almost an inch (2.5 centimeters) every year-in parts of the western Pacific and Indian oceans. "It turns out the ocean sloshes around," said the University of Tasmania's Nathaniel Bindoff, a lead author on oceans in the UN reports. "It's moving, and so on a regional basis the ocean's movement is causing sea-level variations-ups and downs." Regional temperatures, atmospheric conditions, currents, and undersea and shoreline topography are all factors contributing to sea levels. On some atolls, which are the above-water remnants of ancient volcanoes, the coral underpinnings are subsiding and adding to the sinking effect. (Related photos: "Quake Lifts Island Ten Feet Out of Ocean" [April 10, 2007].) The oceanic sloshing is steadily taking land from such western Pacific island countries as Tuvalu, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands. In Papua New Guinea, reports have trickled in this year of fast-encroaching tides on shorelines of the northern island province of Manus, the mainland peninsular village of Malasiga and the Duke of York Islands off New Britain. International media attention paid to the Carteret Islands, the best-known case, seems to have drawn out others, said Papua New Guinea's senior climatologist, Kasis Inape. "Most of the low-lying islands and atolls are in the same situation," Inape said. No Escape The village of Kilu sits on a brilliantly blue Bismarck Sea bay ringed by smoldering volcanoes, swaying coconut palms, and thin-walled homes on stilts. Invading waves last year forced some villagers to move their houses inland 20 or more yards (18 or more meters)-taking along their pigs, chickens, and fears of worse to come. Worse did come on November 25, when the highest waters yet sent people scurrying further inland. "We think the sea is rising," said 20-year-old villager Joe Balele. "We don't know why." The scene is repeated on shores across the Pacific, most tragically on tiny island territories with little inland to escape to. Preparing to head to Bali to present her people's case Tuesday at the UN climate conference, Rakova searched for words to explain what was happening back home. "Our people have been there 300 or 400 years," she said. "We'll be moving away from the islands we were born in and grew up in. We'll have to give up our identity." http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/11/2115655.htm Tasmanian teacher kayaks for climate change Posted Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:01pm AEDT Updated Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:00pm AEDT Climate change will be a focus of a school curriculum to be crafted from a Tasmanian teacher's kayaking trip around Papua New Guinea (PNG). Andrew Hughes will set off on the 4,000 kilometre journey in May and will detail his adventures on the website, expeditionclass.com. He says he chose PNG because its issues are globally significant. "Also at the same time it's a stunningly beautiful country from what I can see," he said. "And I guess I'm just keen to explore that amazing mix of the good and the bad and the beautiful and everything that's right on our doorstep and bringing that back to the schools back here." Mr Hughes says the the website will be a valuable learning resource for grades five to eight. "The crucial part is the curriculum that's online for teachers to download and to use in their classrooms and that'll be around issues mainly around climate change," he said. "So there'll be a curriuclum pack on climate change and there'll also be some risk-taking units and probably one on coastal use as well." The trip is sponsered by the University of Tasmania School of Science and the Australian National Geographic Society. http://www.counterpunch.org/zibechi12212007.html December 21, 2007 Can Sex Workers and Transvestites Change the World? Sex and Revolution By RA?L ZIBECHI The alliance between Zapatistas, sex workers, and transvestites shows the power of social change in a key cultural way-when it's anchored to daily life. In Mexico, one of the strongest and most overbearing enclaves of patriarchy and machismo, Subcomandante Marcos has opened the doors to debate about discrimination in a controversial area. What purpose is there, in classic revolutionary logic, in covering thousands of kilometers to meet with a handful of whores and crossdressers? What can such alliances offer to strengthen the "accumulation of power," any professional politicians' central task? It seems obvious, from a cost-benefit analysis, that this type of effort should be useless. However, Subcomandante Marcos has been committed to this kind of meeting since January of last year under the auspices of The Other Campaign (La Otra Campa?a), with the understanding that it means looking for new ways of doing politics. It passes through places that are far from the madding crowd and takes place with actors who, like indigenous people, understand social change as an affirmation of difference. Brigada Callejera de Apoyo a la Mujer (Women's Supportive Street Brigade) is a Mexican collective that has managed, in the last 15 years, to weave a wide net of social work with prostitutes and transvestites, called the Mexican Sex Work Network. This has meant transcending the "victim" role and becoming people who want to be recognized as workers by their peers, not seen as beings who have "fallen" into the world's oldest profession through ignorance, poverty, or submission. A quick look at what they have tackled so far reveals a deep work of emancipation. Education, Clinics, and Condoms A differentiating characteristic of the Network is that its members don't want to depend on the State, although they are constantly criticizing it. Street Brigade began its work 15 years ago, its base a group of sociology graduates from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The small initial nucleus-Elvira Madrid, Jaime Montejo, and Rosa Icela-began to weave a net that now reaches 28 of Mexico's 32 states. Over time they chose to work in a horizontal form, but not for ideological reasons. "The government co-opted many state coordinations, a habitual practice in the political culture of this country, so we saw that the best way to work is horizontally, in an assembly style, and trying not to have representatives," Elvira points out. The Network encouraged women to form cooperatives to avoid dependence and to make themselves the bosses of their sources of employment. They rented hotels and shared the profits among the members. The first were the transvestites who formed the cooperative Angeles en Busca de Libertad (Angels Searching for Freedom). "The cooperative hotels exist in various states but some of them failed because the members would end up replicating the same behavioral patterns as the ones they were organizing against," Rosa comments. But the star project, the one most valued by the workers, are the clinics. Two clinics already exist in Mexico City and are self-managed and free of charge. They were born from the corruption and discrimination of the state organisms that only provided them with services through bribery. Moreover, Elvira indicates, "Getting tested scared them because it could mean loss of income, given that when a girl has AIDS there are state governments that will put her photo up in hotels so that they don't give her a room." On the contrary, in the Network clinics tests are voluntary and confidential, emphasizing education. "The majority of sex workers are illiterate and many are indigenous. For this reason we dedicate most of our efforts to education, to the point that most of the participants in the Network are health promoters and educate their peers, which is much more effective." The clinics, one of them situated in the center of the city right in the "red light district" offer colposcopies and pap smears and also electrosurgery because, as Rosa says, "in Mexico papiloma viruses (HPV) cause more deaths than HIV." While inefficient public hospitals have two-month waiting lists for being seen and one year waiting lists for surgery, the Network clinics' results are ready in just a week. The prostitutes and the transvestites seem enthusiastic about "their" clinic, where they often bring their partners, and where some even drag their clients. "The main part of our work is respect. We don't ask why they got infected, rather we concentrate on educating them so it doesn't happen to them again, so they aren't just patients any more, so they begin to be active participants in their health care," Elvira says. The project is rounded off with a food program for people with limited resources or who for some reason can't work, a school assistance program for the kids, and another to help mothers finish school. The Network's projects are financed by "social condom marketing." Condoms are sold at different prices depending on the ability and responsibility of the buyer, and represent 85% of the Network's income. No one is salaried and the only people who are paid for their work are the doctors. "We don't agree with sex work, but it exists and will continue to exist, and in the meantime we have to do something. We were an abolitionist group but later we saw that it wasn't about saving anybody, but really about working together," Jaime intervenes. For those who are looking for alternatives to sex work, there are productive projects, the most outstanding of which are handicrafts, production and sale of clothing, and condom stores. Although some projects have turned out to be unviable, as families collaborated they managed to keep two-thirds of the attempts open. Survival in the Jungle In 2004, the members of the Street Brigade came into contact with the Health Collective for Everyone (Colectivo de Salud para Todos y Todas), university students who coordinate health projects in the autonomous Zapatista communities in Chiapas. For two years they worked with a group of health promoters in the communities, indigenous people chosen by their neighbors to specialize in sanitary assistance. "One of the first challenges was breaking the fear of supposed cultural resistances about the subject of contraception, sexual and reproductive rights, and sexually transmitted diseases," they relate. During these consultations and workshops they chose the themes that would later resurface in the elaboration of a long and densely-named manual: The Other Campaign of Sexual and Reproductive Health for the Indigenous and Peasant Resistance in Mexico. Over 270 pages, this text, full of detailed illustrations designed for work with indigenous women, covers the usual issues like anatomy and physiology of the reproductive organs, use of contraceptives, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other illnesses. They also speak of abortion, although the catechists condemn it. "Samuel Ruiz, a man who is very close to the indigenous people, toured the communities when the Zapatistas decriminalized abortion, saying that it's a crime," Jaime remembers. But there are sections imbibed with diverse currents of alternative health. One of these concentrates on "women's bodily autonomy," which covers education on how to avoid illnesses, choosing how many children to have, and how to enjoy one's sexuality (almost a taboo among indigenous people). Bodily autonomy supposes, according to this manual, the exploration of the senses, connection with language to do with the body, and the different reactions of the body in extreme situations. Collective and self-massages link this to a holistic conception of health and curing. Can Transvestites Change the World? Can indigenous people? Half a century ago, one of the founders of so-called "scientific socialism," wrote that the proletariats could change the world because they had nothing to lose "but their chains." Today, the heirs of those proletariats are rebellious at the hour of losing privileges like steady work and retirement, they refuse to pay taxes, and they strike to avoid being charged the tax on their income. Marcos himself hints at this in his epilogue to the manual, laying bare how the alliance between health and sex is one of the strongest nuclei of social control. "Capitalism converts health into a market good, and health administrators, doctors, nurses, and all the apparatus of hospitalization or health distribution are also turned in to a type of foreman of this business, turning the patient into a de facto client, from whom the object is to get as much money as possible from without necessarily giving more health back in return." It seems to be no coincidence that, along their dependency-breaking road, the Zapatistas have run up against the area of prostitute health and organized transvestites, groups that have been forced to take control of healthcare into their own hands. Seen in this light, some people belong in the "disposable" category, barely even having chains, material or symbolic, to lose. Translated by Nalina Eggert. Ra?l Zibechi is a member of the Editorial Council of the weekly Brecha de Montevideo, teacher and researcher of social movements at the Multiversidad Franciscana de Am?rica Latina, and adviser to social groups. He is a monthly collaborator of the IRC Americas Program . http://www.counterpunch.org/ross12212007.html December 21, 2007 Ten Years After Acteal New Massacres Loom in Mexico By JOHN ROSS The men milled about on the shoulder of the mountain road, their faces hooded and masked. Christmas was just three days away but first they had some killing to do. When the signal was given, they picked up their weapons--at least five AK-47s were included in their arsenal--and began firing downhill into the trees. A detachment of 40 state police officers posted at a school 200 meters down the road seemed to take no notice. After an hour, the shooters advanced downhill, firing their weapons as they pushed forward through the wounded trees. At the bottom of the hill, the dead were spread around a wood plank chapel where they had been fasting and praying for several days. Most were women, their dead children still clinging to them. The shooters continued down the ravine, taking their time, killing their victims slowly, slicing them open with machetes. Four of the women were pregnant. Marcela Capote, the wife of the catechist, was nearly at full term and they hacked open her womb and yanked out the baby inside and dashed its skull against the rocks. They told each other that they had come to kill "la Semilla"--the seed. Although the press regularly reports that the number of those massacred at Acteal was 45, "Las Abejas" ("The Bees") have always said 46 of their comrades died December 22nd, 1997, including Marcela Capote's baby. Last year, on the ninth anniversary of the massacre, they upped the count to 49 to honor the three other pregnant women murdered by the paramilitaries--21 women, 15 children, nine men, and four unborn babies. The Abejas are a devoutly Catholic association of Highland Maya--Tzotziles, "the people of the bat"--based in rural Chenalho county where they have acquired a well-deserved reputation as excellent coffee growers and honey gatherers. Their formation during a bitter land battle in the early 1990s was mid-wived by San Cristobal de las Casas Bishop Emeritus Samuel Ruiz Garcia and they have always shared Don Samuel's liberationist leanings. Although the Abejas backed the demands of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EXLN) when they rose in armed rebellion in the highlands in 1994, they did not support the rebels' use of violence. Nonetheless, by the 1997 coffee harvest with paramilitary gunsills from surrounding communities--mostly affiliated with the then-ruling PRI party--stealing their crops and their farm animals and burning Abeja families out of their homes, they appealed to the pro-Zapatista village of Acteal for protection and were given a piece of land down below the highway, "Los Naranjos", where they would be massacred December 22nd, 1997 by their persecutors. In the ten years since the killings shocked a shaken nation, the Abejas have become a moral touchstone reaching far beyond the Chiapas highlands. Liberationist Catholics make pilgrimages to Acteal where a chapel covering the graves of the martyrs has become a shrine. Each year on the anniversary of their sacrifice, a memorial Mass presided over by Bishop Ruiz or his former coadjutor Raul Vera or the current bishop of San Cristobal, Felipe Arizmendi, draws thousands to this anonymous bend in the ill-paved highway that connects up the county seats of Chenalho and Pantelho. Nobelist Jose Saramago mourned here, as did former U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson and the late U.S. author Susan Sontag. In their grief and dignity, the Abejas have come to symbolize for many the cruel suffering of Latin America's indigenous peoples. Horrendous as it was, the Acteal massacre was not the most lethal in a history that is stained with such mass killings--the Conquistadores and the Revolution saw to that. Under the governance of President Ernesto Zedillo, four massacres occurred between June 1995 and June 1998 that took a total of 87 lives. Acteal was not even the bloodiest mass killing in recent Chiapas memory--that dubious honor goes to the massacre by the Mexican military of at least 60 Indian farmers at Golonchan in 1979 during the regime of PRI governor Juan Sabines, whose son, also named Juan, is the current governor of the state. But because the Zapatistas have a national and international network and the horror of the killings at Christmastime attracted the glare of Big Media, Acteal became synonymous with human rights abuses in Mexico. Bill Clinton, former French premiere Lionel Jospin, and the late Pope John Paul condemned the murders, so agitating Zedillo that he accused the world leaders of intervening in Mexico's affairs and subsequently deported 400 non-Mexican human rights observers from Chiapas in a xenophobic rage. Now as the tenth anniversary of the Acteal massacre approaches, the martyrdom of the Abejas is being called into question by an orchestrated chorus of revisionist voices bent on altering the narrative and absolving then-president Zedillo, the PRI, and the Mexican military of any culpability for the notorious mass killings, and, instead, shift the blame to the victims--the Abejas and their Zapatista allies. Last spring, the national committee of right-wing president Felipe Calderon's PAN party called for the reopening of judicial proceedings against more than 80 persons convicted of participating in the slaughter. Most are evangelicals whose release is being demanded by their churches and the PAN is accused of an opportunistic ploy to attract this fast-growing constituency by Luis Hernandez Navarro, op ed editor at the left daily La Jornada and a former Zapatista advisor. To compliment the PAN gesture, Hugo Eric Flores, a spokesperson for those convicted, will soon publish "The Other Injustice" to coincide with the anniversary of the killings--the book posits that the prisoners were railroaded by federal and state prosecutors to tamp down the visibility of the scandal and that rather than a massacre, the Abejas were caught in a deadly crossfire between Zapatistas and anti-Zapatista "self-defense" fighters, the "pojwanejetic" in Tzotzil. Perhaps the lead voice in this revisionist choir is a high profile journalist and author, Hector Aguilar Camin (he has his own late night show on Televisa) whose three-part series "Return to Acteal" published in Nexos, the glossy highbrow monthly he co-edits, seeks to debunk the Zapatista "legend" that the "mal gobierno" (bad government) was responsible for the murders of the Abejas. Aguilar Camin was the house intellectual during the reigns of Carlos Salinas (1988-94) and Ernesto Zedillo (1994-2000) and has had a continued presence under PANista Vicente Fox (2000-2006) and his successor Felipe Calderon. "Aguilar Camin always serves the princes," sneers Hernandez Navarro. Aguilar Camin's lengthy chronicle not only redeems Zedillo, who now heads Yale's Institute for Globalization Studies, but also neglects overwhelming evidence of his government's involvement in the events of December 22nd, 1997, instead ascribing the cause of the massacre to long latent "inter-communal" and religious disputes that he suggests are inherent in Highland Maya culture and which were exacerbated by the Zapatista uprising. Not unsurprisingly, Aguilar's version invokes the Zedillo government's much-discredited "White Book of Acteal" issued weeks after the massacre that pinned the onus on "disputes inherent in highland Maya culture" and traced the route to Acteal from a family conflict back in the 1930s. The White Book was compiled by Zedillo's attorney general to provide a more "anthropological" assessment of the murders. Anthropologist Aida Hernandez Castillo, then director of the CIESAS research institute in San Cristobal, recalls being offered funds by Zedillo government investigators to study "the manner in which the cultural practices of Chenalho can help us to understand the rituals of war utilized in the Acteal massacre" (sic.) Sensing that the investigators were trying to whitewash the government's role in the killings, CIESAS refused to participate in the study. Aguilar Camin's sources for his revisionist chronicle are instructive: the aforementioned White Book and bulletins from the Attorney General's office where the White Book was concocted. The writer also borrows liberally from Gustavo Hirales, an ex-Marxist guerrillero in the 1970s who was tortured and defected to the "mal gobierno" where he fingered former comrades and prepared scenarios for intelligence agencies. Hirales' "Road to Acteal", based on his dispatches from Chiapas for a government-run newspaper and published on the heels of the massacre, endorsed the White Book's "inter-communal" skew and accused the Zapatistas of inciting homicide in Chenalho. Also cited by Aguilar: an unpublished manuscript by Hirales's ex-guerrilla crony Manuel Anzaldo, whose political faction had been given a franchise to exploit a sand and gravel bank that the EZLN claimed belonged to a nearby Zapatista village. Anzaldo's Internet page, "The Farmers Information Service" (SIC by its Spanish initials) spread anti-Zapatista venom throughout the highlands during the hostilities in Chenalho. But the vertebrae of Aguilar Camin's narrative is Flores's "The Other Injustice" which argues the Abejas were killed in a gun battle between the EZLN and its enemies and that the 83 prisoners being held for the killings are as innocent as the driven snow. In assembling "Return to Acteal", Hector Aguilar Camin disregards in-depth reports on the situation in the Chiapas highlands regularly issued between 1995 and 1997 by the San Cristobal-based Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center of which Bishop Ruiz remains the guiding spirit, maintaining that the information is "loaded" in favor of the Abejas and the EZLN. The "FRAYBA" negotiated disputes between Zapatista autonomias and official municipalities during that period and meticulously documented the skein of killings that gripped Chenalho between May and December 1997 in which 35 Indians were gunned down (18 associated with the PRI, 17 with the EZLN and/or Las Abejas.) Despite the wholesale mayhem, no local, state, or federal government raised a hand to stop the bloodshed. "They just let Acteal happen," concludes Hermann Bellinghausen, a veteran correspondent who covered the killings day by day for the left tabloid La Jornada. Responses to the Nexos pieces were sharp and swift. The Abejas accused Aguilar Camin of being "the voice of the killers." La Jornada assigned Bellinghausen to write a 21-part series exposing the gross distortions in "Return to Acteal." The Jornada reporter recalled that in the days following Acteal, Aguilar Camin had written a front-page letter to the leftist daily accusing it of "black and white journalism." "No one in his right mind can accuse Zedillo of engineering this crime," Aguilar avowed. Despite the writer's exculpation of Zedillo, there is overwhelming evidence that his government committed crimes of omission and commission at every level before, during, and after the Acteal massacre and that the killings of the 49 Indians constitute a crime of state. Acteal was, indeed, the bitter fruit of the Chiapas Strategy Plan, a counter-insurgency plan cooked up at the Seventh Military Region in the Chiapas state capital of Tuxtla to combat the uprising in the 37 municipalities where the EZLN had influence by arming and training "patriotic" paramilitary units. The Chiapas Strategy Plan was implemented by General Mario Renon Castillo, a graduate of the Center for Special Forces at Fort Bragg North Carolina in counter-insurgency warfare. Least there be any question, the "pojwanejetics" who attacked the Abejas were themselves trained by an Mexican Army corporal, officially placed "on leave" who had been ordered to show the paramilitaries how to use their newly-acquired weapons. Mario Perez Ruiz told the court he thought he would be killed if he refused to carry out the orders of his superiors. Aguilar Camin, on the other hand, denies military involvement in the attack on the Abejas and describes the "pojwanejetic" as a "self-defense" squad that developed "spontaneously" in reaction to the Zapatista uprising. Evidence that the "mal gobierno" and its state and local affiliates were up to their necks in the Acteal massacre abounds. The PRI municipal president of Chenalho bought the weapons that would be used against the Abejas. The weapons were transported by police through military checkpoints and distributed to the killers--the police even donated their uniforms to the "pojwanejetic." On the day of the lethal assault, a detachment of state police witnessed the killing and did nothing to stop it. A noontime phone call from the San Cristobal diocese to Governor Julio Ruiz Ferro's office advising his Secretary of Government (Ruiz Ferro was on vacation in California) of the on-going massacre at Acteal elicited a promise to investigate. But there was no investigation. When the wounded began to arrive in San Cristobal on the night of the 22nd, Chiapas state security chief Jorge Enriquez Hernandez and the under-Secretary of Government Uriel Jarquin drove to Acteal where they ordered the bodies of the Abejas stacked and burnt before the press appeared the next morning but the police took too long and daylight forced them to load the corpses in dump trucks and drive them to the state capital for "autopsies." Forced to resign as governor, Ruiz Ferro, who had full knowledge of the dangerous standoff in Chenalho and refused to intervene, was promoted by Zedillo to agricultural attach? at Mexico's Washington embassy and is now reportedly a functionary of the Calderon regime. Putting Indians on Indians--there are more than a million indigenous peoples in Chiapas, a third of the population--has always been the fulcrum of PRI control of the state. As noted, 83 people have been processed and convicted for the Acteal massacre. All of them are Indians. No state or federal official has ever been indicted for the killings. Two generals, who served as police commanders and were charged with dereliction of duty, fled the state and have never been brought to justice. Zedillo is at Yale. The Indians are in jail. Are they the real killers? All 83 are charged with murder and using prohibited firearms which seems a stretch--no more than 40 "pojwanejetics" took part in the massacre (Aguilar Camin insists it was only nine.) Two key leaders of the paramilitaries have been freed. Antonio Santis Lopez who organized the death squad is alive and free in Chenalho. Antonio Vazquez Secum, who contracted the killers after his son was murdered, either by his own comrades because he refused to kick in to the paramilitaries' gun fund or by Zapatista sharpshooters because he was driving a pick-up filled with the Abejas' stolen coffee, was sentenced to 25 years in prison but was released when he fell ill and died shortly before the tenth anniversary of the massacre. In 1999, United Nations rapateur Asma Jahngar, now under house arrest in her native Pakistan, visited Chiapas to take testimony from witnesses. The U.N. official interviewed some of the prisoners and concluded that many of the Indians had been rounded up and framed to get Zedillo off the international human rights hook. "At least that's they way they do it in my country" she observed to this reporter. Ten years after Acteal, the paramilitary scourge is still a malignant feature of the Chiapas landscape. Groups like "Red Mask" (the name the pojwanejetics took in Chenalho) and the incongruously named "Peace & Justice", responsible for over 100 murders in the north of the state, have just changed their initials. The Popular Organization for the Defense of the Rights of Indian Farmers (OPDDIC) is the latest avatar of the Chiapas Strategy Plan, staging intermittent attacks on Zapatista autonomous communities in the lowlands. Three times in November, the OPDDIC invaded the tiny rebel hamlet of Bolom Ajaw, firing long guns and slashing the villagers with their machetes in an effort to drive 70 families off land they have reclaimed from the hacienda where they once slaved. "If you don't leave here, we will cut your bodies to pieces and throw the pieces in the river," one paramilitary threatened. The violent attacks in Bolom Ajaw spark fears that they are prelude to another Acteal. Just as it did ten years ago, the mal gobierno does nothing. Contact: johnross at igc.org http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080107/klein | posted December 20, 2007 (January 7, 2008 issue) Zapatista Code Red Naomi Klein San Crist?bal de las Casas, Chiapas Nativity scenes are plentiful in San Crist?bal de las Casas, a colonial city in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. But the one that greets visitors at the entrance to the TierrAdentro cultural center has a local twist: figurines on donkeys wear miniature ski masks and carry wooden guns. It is high season for "Zapatourism," the industry of international travelers that has sprung up around the indigenous uprising here, and TierrAdentro is ground zero. Zapatista-made weavings, posters and jewelry are selling briskly. In the courtyard restaurant, where the mood at 10 pm is festive verging on fuzzy, college students drink Sol beer. A young man holds up a photograph of Subcomandante Marcos, as always in mask with pipe, and kisses it. His friends snap yet another picture of this most documented of movements. I am taken through the revelers to a room in the back of the center, closed to the public. The somber mood here seems a world away. Ernesto Ledesma Arronte, a 40-year-old ponytailed researcher, is hunched over military maps and human rights incident reports. "Did you understand what Marcos said?" he asks me. "It was very strong. He hasn't said anything like that in many years." Arronte is referring to a speech Marcos made the night before at a conference outside San Crist?bal. The speech was titled "Feeling Red: The Calendar and the Geography of War." Because it was Marcos, it was poetic and slightly elliptical. But to Arronte's ears, it was a code-red alert. "Those of us who have made war know how to recognize the paths by which it is prepared and brought near," Marcos said. "The signs of war on the horizon are clear. War, like fear, also has a smell. And now we are starting to breathe its fetid odor in our lands." Marcos's assessment supports what Arronte and his fellow researchers at the Center of Political Analysis and Social and Economic Investigations have been tracking with their maps and charts. On the fifty-six permanent military bases that the Mexican state runs on indigenous land in Chiapas, there has been a marked increase in activity. Weapons and equipment are being dramatically upgraded, new battalions are moving in, including special forces--all signs of escalation. As the Zapatistas became a global symbol for a new model of resistance, it was possible to forget that the war in Chiapas never actually ended. For his part, Marcos--despite his clandestine identity--has been playing a defiantly open role in Mexican politics, most notably during the fiercely contested 2006 presidential elections. Rather than endorsing the center-left candidate, Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador, he spearheaded a parallel "Other Campaign," holding rallies that called attention to issues ignored by the major candidates. In this period, Marcos's role as military leader of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) seemed to fade into the background. He was Delegate Zero--the anti-candidate. Last night, Marcos had announced that the conference would be his last such appearance for some time. "Look, the EZLN is an army," he reminded his audience, and he is its "military chief." That army faces a grave new threat--one that cuts to the heart of the Zapatistas' struggle. During the 1994 uprising, the EZLN claimed large stretches of land and collectivized them, its most tangible victory. In the San Andr?s Accords, the right to territory was recognized, but the Mexican government has refused to fully ratify the accords. After failing to enshrine these rights, the Zapatistas decided to turn them into facts on the ground. They formed their own government structures--called good-government councils--and stepped up the building of autonomous schools and clinics. As the Zapatistas expand their role as the de facto government in large areas of Chiapas, the federal and state governments' determination to undermine them is intensifying. "Now," says Arronte, "they have their method." The method is to use the deep desire for land among all peasants in Chiapas against the Zapatistas. Arronte's organization has documented that, in just one region, the government has spent approximately $16 million expropriating land and giving it to many families linked to the notoriously corrupt Institutional Revolutionary Party. Often, the land is already occupied by Zapatista families. Most ominously, many of the new "owners" are linked to thuggish paramilitary groups, which are trying to force the Zapatistas from the newly titled land. Since September there has been a marked escalation of violence: shots fired into the air, brutal beatings, Zapatista families reporting being threatened with death, rape and dismemberment. Soon the soldiers in their barracks may well have the excuse they need to descend: restoring "peace" among feuding indigenous groups. For months the Zapatistas have been resisting violence and trying to expose these provocations. But by choosing not to line up behind Obrador in the 2006 election, the movement made powerful enemies. And now, says Marcos, their calls for help are being met with a deafening silence. Exactly ten years ago, on December 22, 1997, the Acteal massacre took place. As part of the anti-Zapatista campaign, a paramilitary gang opened fire in a small church in the village of Acteal, killing forty-five indigenous people, sixteen of them children and adolescents. Some bodies were hacked with machetes. The state police heard the gunfire and did nothing. For weeks now, Mexico's newspapers have been filled with articles marking the tragic ten-year anniversary of the massacre. In Chiapas, however, many people point out that conditions today feel eerily familiar: the paramilitaries, the rising tensions, the mysterious activities of the soldiers, the renewed isolation from the rest of the country. And they have a plea to those who supported them in the past: don't just look back. Look forward, and prevent another Acteal massacre before it happens. http://www.alterinfos.org/spip.php?article1907 MEXICO - What Have the Zapatistas Accomplished? Immanuel Wallerstein Thursday 3 January 2008, posted by Dial January 1, 2008 - On January 1, 1994, the Ej?rcito Zapatista de Liberaci?n Nacional (EZLN), commonly called the Zapatistas, led an insurrection in San Cristobal de las Casas in the state of Chiapas in Mexico. Just under fourteen years later, the EZLN convened an international colloquium on December 13-17, 2007 in the same city on the theme "Planet Earth: Antisystemic Movements" - a sort of stock-taking, both global and local, of their objectives. I myself participated in this colloquium, as did many other activists and intellectuals. In the course of the colloquium, Subcommandant Marcos gave a series of six talks, which are available on the internet. In a sense, what everyone was asking, including Marcos, is what have the Zapatistas accomplished and what are the future prospects of antisystemic movements - in Chiapas and in the world? The answer to this question is not simple. Let us start the story on January 1, 1994. That day was chosen for the beginning of the insurrection because it was the day on which the North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA) came into effect. The slogan that day was !Ya basta! ("Enough is enough"). The Zapatistas were saying from the outset that their five-century- long protest against injustice and humiliation and demand for autonomy was linked today organically to the worldwide struggle against neo-liberalism and imperialism of which NAFTA was both a part and a symbol. Chiapas, let us remember, is perhaps the poorest region of Mexico and its population is composed overwhelmingly of so-called indigenous peoples. The first Catholic bishop of Chiapas was Bartolom? de Las Casas, the sixteenth-century Dominican priest who devoted his life to defending vigorously (before the Church and the Spanish monarchy) the rights of the Indians to equal treatment. From the days of Las Casas until 1994, the Indians never saw that right acknowledged. The EZLN decided to try different methods. So were they more successful? We should look at the impact of the movement in three arenas: in Mexico as a political arena; in the world-system as a whole; in the realm of theorizing about antisystemic movements. First, Mexico: Armed insurrection as a tactic was suspended after about three months. It has never been resumed. And it is clear that it will not be unless the Mexican army or right-wing paramilitaries massively attack autonomous Zapatista communities. On the other hand, the truce agreement reached with the Mexican government - the so-called San Andr?s accords providing for the recognition of autonomy for the indigenous communities - was never implemented by the government. In 2001, the Zapatistas led a peaceful march across Mexico to the capital, hoping thereby to force the Mexican Congress to legislate the essential of the accords. The march was spectacular but the Mexican Congress failed to act. In 2005, the Zapatistas launched "the other campaign," an effort to mobilize an alliance of Zapatistas with groups in other provinces with more or less similar objectives - again spectacular but it did not change the actual politics of the Mexican government. In 2006, the Zapatistas pointedly refused to endorse the left-of-center candidate for the presidency, Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador, who was running in a tight election against the proclaimed winner, the very conservative Felipe Calder?n. This action was the one that caused most controversy with Zapatista sympathizers in Mexico and the rest of the world, many of whom felt that it cost L?pez Obrador the election. The Zapatista position derived from their deep sense that electoral politics does not pay. The Zapatistas have been critical of all the left-of-center presidents in Latin America, from Lula in Brazil to Ch?vez in Venezuela, on the grounds that they were all top-down movements which changed nothing fundamental at the base for the oppressed majority. The only Latin American government which the Zapatistas speak well of is that of Cuba, because it is the only government they consider to be truly anti-capitalist. On the other hand, within Mexico, the Zapatistas have managed to establish de facto autonomous indigenous communities which operate well, albeit they are besieged and constantly menaced by the Mexican army. The political sophistication and determination of these communities is impressive. Will this however last in the absence of serious political change in Mexico, especially in the light of increasing pressure on the rights of the Indians to control their own land? This is the unresolved issue. The picture on the world scene is somewhat different. There is no question that the Zapatista insurrection of 1994 became a major inspiration for antisystemic movements throughout the world. It is unquestionably a key turning-point in the process that led to the demonstrations in 1999 at Seattle that caused the failure of the meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO), a failure from which the WTO has never recovered. If today the WTO finds itself semi-moribund as a result of a North-South deadlock, the Zapatistas can claim some credit. Seattle in turn led to the creation in 2001 of the World Social Forum (WSF), which has become the principal meeting-ground of the world's antisystemic movements. And if the Zapatistas themselves have never attended any WSF meeting because technically they are an armed force, the Zapatistas have remained an iconic movement within the WSF, a sort of inspirational force. The Zapatistas from the beginning have said that their objectives and concerns were worldwide - intergalactic in their jargon - and they offered support to movements everywhere and asked actively for support from movements everywhere. They have been very successful in this. And if some worldwide support has suffered fatigue of late, the December 2007 colloquium was clearly an attempt to resuscitate these alliances. In many ways, however, the most important contribution of the Zapatistas - and the most contested - has been in the theoretical realm. It was striking that in the six talks that Marcos gave in December, the first devoted itself to the importance of theorizing in the social sciences. What do the Zapatistas say about how to analyze the world? First of all, they emphasize that the basic thing that is wrong with the world today is that it is a capitalist world, and that the basic thing to change is that, something they insist will require a real struggle. Now the Zapatistas are surely not the first ones to argue this. So what do they add to this? They are part of a post-1968 view that the traditional analyses of the Old Left were too narrow, in that they seemed to emphasize only the problems and struggles of the urban industrial proletariat. Marcos devoted one whole talk to the struggles of women for their rights. He devoted another to the crucial importance of control of the land by the world's rural workers. And quite strikingly he placed several talks under the rubric, "neither core nor periphery" - rejecting the idea of a priority for one or the other, either in terms of power or of intellectual analysis. The Zapatistas are proclaiming that the struggle for rights of every oppressed group is equally important, and the struggle must be fought on all fronts at the same time. They also say that the movements themselves must be internally democratic. The slogan is "mandar obedeciendo," which might be translated "lead by obeying the voice and wishes of those whom one is leading." This is easy to say and hard to do, but it is a cry against the historic verticalism of left movements. This leads them to a "horizontalism" in the relations between different movements. Some of their followers say that they are opposed to taking state power ever. While they are deeply skeptical of taking state power via the "lesser evil," they are willing to make exceptions, as in the case of Cuba. Was the Zapatista insurrection a success? The only answer is in the apocryphal story about the answer that Zhou En-lai is supposed to have given to the question: "What do you think of the French Revolution?" Answer: "It is too early to tell." http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40743 MEXICO: Army, Paramilitary Build-Up in Zapatista Stronghold By Diego Cevallos MEXICO CITY, Jan 10 (IPS) - The Zapatista guerrillas and their supporters in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas are experiencing the worst onslaught by state forces in the last 10 years, although most people are unaware of the fact, according to reports from a research centre working in the area. On Monday, in the area under Zapatista influence, "we rescued a wounded Indian grassroots supporter of the guerrillas who had been shot by paramilitaries. The situation is serious," Ernesto Ledesma, head of the Chiapas-based non-governmental Centre for Political Analysis and Social and Economic Research (CAPISE), told IPS. According to CAPISE, which has had brigades out for the past five years, monitoring military movements in areas held by the barely-armed Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN), in recent weeks there has been an increased presence of uniformed soldiers who are acting in concert with paramilitary groups. Also, agrarian reform institutions have initiated an "irregular" distribution of land that had been occupied by indigenous people when the EZLN rose up in arms for two weeks in January 1994, according to CAPISE. Title deeds to about 250,000 hectares are being distributed, but Zapatista sympathisers are being excluded, Ledesma said. "Around 30 Zapatista communities are under enormous pressure from the military, the paramilitaries and the authorities, with the intention, we presume, to undermine the strength of the EZLN. This has not happened since 1998," said the head of CAPISE. The Fray Bartolom? de las Casas Human Rights Centre has also been reporting, for months now, that the situation in Zapatista areas is serious, because of the increasing presence of the army and of indigenous groups opposed to the guerrillas. An anonymous source in the government of conservative President Felipe Calder?n told IPS that the reports from Chiapas came as a complete surprise, and stated that the executive branch has no harassment strategy towards the EZLN, who have not fired a single shot since the second week of 1994. The authorities in Chiapas, headed by Governor Juan Sabines of the leftwing Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), have not reported any changes in the situation in the area, while lawmakers and social activists have lost interest in the once-famous guerrilla group. Ledesma said that on Monday he travelled through jungle and valley areas in Chiapas, and with the help of several companions rescued a wounded indigenous man who had been shot and pursued by groups that he identified as paramilitaries, in a conflict over land. "A deliberate concerted action between paramilitaries (who are also indigenous people) and the police, army and authorities is taking place here, the purpose of which is to attack the Zapatistas," Ledesma said. One of the first actions undertaken by former president Vicente Fox (2002-2006) was to order the withdrawal of the army from the guerrilla-held areas and their surroundings, but human rights organisations say that this was merely a strategic relocation of troops. Since 2001, when a convoy of EZLN delegates entered Mexico City to the cheers of hundreds of thousands of people, to call for approval of a law on indigenous culture and rights, the guerrillas have gradually faded from the political scene and their leader, 'Subcomandante Marcos", has distanced himself from the left and the intellectuals who supported him. In 2006 and 2007, beginning in parallel with the election campaign which brought Calder?n to power on Dec. 1, 2006, Marcos travelled the country unarmed, with government permission, leading "The Other Campaign", an attempt to rally non-electoral political actors and press for the drafting of a new constitution. But most Mexican saw and heard nothing of his cross-country travels. Before the end of 2007, Marcos announced that he was returning to his stronghold in Chiapas and that he would neither emerge nor speak again until a future unspecified date. He warned, however, that the EZLN would retaliate if attacked. Fourteen years ago, thousands of Mexicans mobilised against the army attacks on the EZLN, which led to a law declaring a ceasefire. But now it appears that no one is prepared to react to the information that an onslaught against the rebel group is in progress. "The situation in Chiapas is serious and violence is on the rise. The public should know this," Ledesma said. Earlier reports by the Fox administration, confirmed by several researchers, indicate that the EZLN is in administrative and political control of 15 percent of Chiapas, the country's poorest state, which has a total area of 75,634 square kilometres. In that area, where government social programmes are inoperative, there are about 100,000 mainly indigenous people, who live in dire poverty, as do most of Mexico's roughly 10 million Indians. About 5,000 poorly armed men constitute the military forces of the EZLN. But Zapatistas have forsworn all offensive action. CAPISE says that indigenous self-rule in the Zapatista area is a reality, and that their own health, education and development programmes are in place. But these achievements are increasingly threatened by the military and paramilitary presence and by pressure from indigenous campesino groups opposed to the guerrillas. (END/2008) From ldxar1 at tesco.net Mon Jan 21 07:43:11 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:43:11 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] PALESTINE: Demonstrations against the Zionist massacres in Gaza! Message-ID: <023d01c85c44$577472c0$0802a8c0@andy1> ----- Original Message ----- From: Samia Saleh To: Samia Sent: Monday, January 21, 2008 1:57 PM Subject: [USQuagmire] Demonstrations against the Zionist massacres in Gaza! Demonstration in Yarmouk against the "Israeli" massacres in Gaza Hundreds of Palestinian refugees in the Yarmouk Refugee Camp in Syria demonstrated Friday January 18, 2008 against US/"Israeli" massacres in Gaza calling for an immediate stop of the Zionist aggression against our people in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Demonstrators raised Palestinian flags and banners of Hamas, PFLP and Islamic Jihad. They chanted against the US/"Israeli" plans and occupation in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon. They called for Arab and international support for Palestinians and the opening of borders with Egypt. National and Islamic forces expressed their commitment to resistance in a statements distributed in the camp; they demanded an end to the siege imposed by US and "Israel" on Palestinians, particularly in the Gaza strip. A call for international popular protection for the Palestinian people in confronting "Israeli" massacres The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine calls on free people around the world to come and show solidarity, standing against the daily massacres against our people and to break the siege that has been imposed against our people in Gaza and the West Bank. We are calling for international solidarity, and for people around the world to express that solidarity through sending delegations and organizing the widest possible events and actions. On an official level, the international community is failing and has failed to provide protection for the Palestinian people, despite many calls from Palestine urging such protection. We are appealing to the popular movements and solidarity movements around the world to take up such protection on a popular level through actions of solidarity. We praise the initiatives that have come from European and other solidarity organizations to break the siege upon our people and are calling for further and more extensive actions, and more people to come to act to lift the siege. The Western governments are part of this siege and there is a responsibility that lays upon the nations of the western world to take action to break the siege. In the midst of the continuous massacres and daily crimes against our people, the Palestinian people repeatedly called upon the international community, the UN and international institutions to intervene and stop these massacres, but the UN is failing even to condemn these massacres. The situation on the ground is quite severe for our people living under siege in Gaza and the West Bank, as our people stand on the front lines confronting the US/"Israeli" aggression. We therefore appeal to the popular movements and to the solidarity movements around the world to participate in the ongoing efforts of protection for the Palestinian people and to widen this phenomenon of popular protection. Around the world, on a popular level, the reputation of the state of Israel is at an all-time low, throughout the Arab and Muslim world, and everywhere - and this is due to the actions of the friends of the Palestinian people. The level of oppression mounted against the Palestinian people at the present time makes it necessary for enhanced action to witness, report and act against the crimes that are being committed. we will resist and we will defeat this occupation. Our people have demonstrated and will always be united despite whatever internal political divisions on party level, the Palestinian people inside the homeland and in exile are always and will remain united to uphold our rights until victory. We in the PFLP will continue to uphold those rights, and we will always be committed to defended our people by all means necessary. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine January 18th , 2008 AAMB shells military intelligence center at Nativ Haasarah The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades (AAMB) shelled the occupation military intelligence center at Nativ Haasarah with two controlled missiles at 12:30 AM on Thursday, January 17, 2008. Immediately after, sirens were heard at the scene and the operation was confirmed immediately on enemy radio, although later the occupation forces denied that the building was in fact the military intelligence center. These Zionist settlements are home to the military command posts and intelligence services that commit the ongoing crimes and massacres against our people, and which are responsible for those massacres for which these operations come in resistance and response. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage. __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Links | Polls MARKETPLACE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Earn your degree in as few as 2 years - Advance your career with an AS, BS, MS degree - College-Finder.net. 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.. 2New Members Visit Your Group Yahoo! Groups Self Improvement Find support & keep New Year's goals. Y! Messenger Instant hello Chat in real-time with your friends. Search Ads Get new customers. List your web site in Yahoo! Search. . __,_._,___ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Wed Jan 23 12:18:45 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:18:45 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] PALESTINE: Gaza blockade broken, civilians stock up Message-ID: <016401c85dfd$27f36230$0802a8c0@andy1> http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jD4YSkDPlclqd9dHvg2f0Ij18zEgD8UBF6680 Tens of Thousands Cross Downed Gaza Wall By IBRAHIM BARZAK - 12 hours ago RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) - Masked gunmen destroyed about two-thirds of the metal wall separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt in the town of Rafah and tens of thousands of Palestinians poured across the border to buy supplies made scarce by an Israeli blockade of the impoverished territory. The gunmen began breaching the border wall dividing Rafah before dawn, according to witnesses and Hamas officials, who told The Associated Press that they had closed all but two of the gaps in the wall. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said they were allowed free movement through the open gaps. Thousands of Gazans began crossing into Egypt and returning with milk, cigarettes and plastic bottles of fuel, the Hamas officials and witnesses said. An Associated Press reporter arrived after first light and saw that about two-thirds of the seven-mile-long wall at Rafah had been demolished. The reporter also saw the crowd of Palestinians crossing into Egypt swell into the tens of thousands. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) - Masked gunmen blew holes in the wall separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt early Wednesday and thousands of Palestinians poured across the border to buy supplies made scarce by an Israeli blockade of the impoverished territory. Egyptian guards and police from the militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, stood by without taking action. Israel transferred fuel to restart Gaza's only electricity plant Tuesday, easing its five-day blockade of the Palestinian territory amid growing international concern about a humanitarian crisis. But before dawn the next day, Palestinian gunmen began breaching the border wall dividing the town of Rafah, which has a Gazan and an Egyptian side. The identity of the gunmen who breached the border was not immediately clear. But Hamas expressed support for the move, saying, "Blowing up the border wall with Egypt is a reflection of the ... catastrophic situation which the Palestinian people in Gaza are living through due to the blockade." Hamas security closed all but two of the holes, through which it allowed free movement. Gazans began crossing into Egypt and returning with milk, cigarettes and plastic bottles of fuel. Gazan Ibrahim Abu Taha, 45, a father of seven, was in the Egyptian section of Rafah with his two brothers and $185 in his pocket. "We want to buy food, we want to buy rice and sugar, milk and wheat and some cheese," Abu Taha told The Associated Press by telephone, adding that he would also buy cheap Egyptian cigarettes. Abu Taha said he could get such items in Gaza, but at three times the cost. Faced with a crippling Israeli blockade, Hamas appears to be applying pressure on Egypt, which has cooperated with Israel's sanctions by keeping the Rafah border closed. An off-duty Hamas security officer who identified himself as Abdel Rahman, 29, said this was his first time out of Gaza. "I can smell the freedom," he said by phone. "We need no border after today." Abdel Rahman said no weapons were being smuggled in from Egypt. "You can buy weapons in Gaza, guns and RPGs," he said, adding that it was easier to find weapons in Gaza than cancer medicine or Coke. Weapons are generally brought into Gaza through smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border. The U.S. had warned Israel not to add to the hardship for ordinary Palestinians but blamed the problem on Hamas. Israel imposed the siege in response to increasing rocket attacks on its border communities by Gaza militants. Despite the easing of the closure, Palestinian militants fired 19 rockets toward Israel on Tuesday, the military said, up from just two on Monday. The lights were back on in most of Gaza City by Tuesday afternoon after a blackout that lasted almost two days. But Gazans still vented their anger throughout the day. Hundreds of Hamas supporters briefly broke through the Gaza-Egypt border and clashed with Egyptian riot police who fired in the air, wounding 70 people on both sides. The protesters hurled insults at Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, calling him a coward. In a clash early Wednesday with Israeli forces near the closed Sufa crossing into Gaza, a Hamas militant was killed, Palestinian officials said. The Israeli military said soldiers exchanged fire with Palestinian militants in the area. Throughout the closure, which cut power to a third of Gaza's 1.5 million people, hospitals kept running on generators. But most bakeries shut down, and long lines formed at those that were open. A shipment of cooking gas sent in by Israel on Tuesday sold out in an hour. Governments, aid agencies and the U.N. issued urgent appeals for an end to the closure. Israel's Defense Ministry ruled late Tuesday that 60,000 gallons of diesel fuel will be transferred into Gaza daily, but the crossings will remain closed to other goods and people until further notice. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni blamed Hamas. "I am not among those who care whether this or that group fired a rocket," she told the annual Herzliya Conference on security. "Hamas has control of the territory, and Hamas is responsible." Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the Bush administration has spoken to Israeli officials "about the importance of not allowing a humanitarian crisis to unfold." Israeli officials were receptive, she said, adding that she too blames Hamas for the situation. Despite the blockade, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he will not pull out of peace talks. Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised President Bush to try to complete a peace accord this year. "We should intensify our contacts and our meetings to stop the suffering of our people," Abbas said in his first comment since the latest round of Israel-Hamas fighting erupted last week. Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, is not a party to the talks. Associated Press writers Steven Gutkin in Herzliya, Israel, and Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ldxar1 at tesco.net Fri Jan 18 14:08:22 2008 From: ldxar1 at tesco.net (Andy) Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:08:22 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] IRAQ: Return of the millenarians Message-ID: <006b01c85a1e$9ba3c860$0802a8c0@andy1> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7196058.stm Last Updated: Friday, 18 January 2008, 20:37 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version Dozens die in Iraq cult clashes The governor of Basra province said police had surrounded the gunmen Dozens of people have been killed in clashes between members of a Shia cult and police in the southern Iraqi cities of Nasiriya and Basra, police say. Street warfare erupted as members of the Soldiers of Heaven launched apparently co-ordinated assaults on police positions and fellow Shia. The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said security forces had regained control of the two cities. Clashes between the cult and Iraqi troops last year left 263 people dead. The prime minister's office said a number of "heretics" had attacked processions of Shia marking the Ashura festival and tried to take control of a "government institution" in Basra in a "criminal plot". Yellow flags About eight hours after the clashes began, the government said Iraqi security forces had restored relative calm to both cities. The fighting in Nasiriya - 375km (235 miles) south-east of Baghdad - began at around midday local time when mortars were fired at a police position in the city, police said. The bombardment was followed up shortly afterwards with an assault by members of the Soldiers of Heaven, according to officials. They were armed with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades and carrying the cult's yellow flags, they added. At least 15 people were killed in the ensuing clashes, including the commander of the city's police rapid reaction force and seven police officers, police said. A woman civilian and three militants also died. 'Terrorist groups' "I was coming back from the market when clashes erupted. I was shot in my leg. There were masked gunmen shooting at police," a bystander, Abdullah Khalif, told the Reuters news agency. Later, a curfew was imposed on the city and hundreds of troops were deployed to reinforce police positions. SOLDIERS OF HEAVEN January 2007: Iraqi officials say 263 cult members killed in fighting in Najaf Former cult leader Dia Abdul-Zahra Kazim al-Krimawi, aka Samer Abu Kamar, killed in Najaf battles Iraqi government claimed cult planned to kill top Shia clerics and declare the Mahdi had come during Ashura Current leader, Ahmed al-Hassani al-Yamani, reportedly claims to be an ambassador of the Mahdi Confusion over Najaf battles In Basra, officials said dozens of people were killed after members of the doomsday cult went on the rampage attacking police and civilians. The city's police chief, Maj Gen Abdul-Jalil Khalaf, said the leader of the cult in Basra, whom he identified as Abu Mustafa al-Ansari, had been killed in the fighting along with two other gunmen and two police officers. A mosque belonging to the cult was also set alight after people inside the building fired upon a police patrol, officials told the Associated Press. The governor of Basra, Mohammed al-Waili, said police had surrounded gunmen in two areas of the city and that the situation was under control. "These terrorist groups have opened fire randomly on citizens and Shia mourners and we are about to eliminate or arrest them," he said. The violence marred the Ashura festival, one of the holiest events in the Shia calendar, which marks the killing of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in 680 AD. The religious ceremonies are due to reach a peak on Saturday with up to two million pilgrims gathering in the central Iraqi city of Karbala. The violence marred Ashura commemorations Last year, more than 260 members of the Soldiers of Heaven were killed in clashes with US-backed Iraqi security forces after officials reportedly uncovered a plot to attack the holy city of Najaf and kill its religious leaders during Ashura. The cult is said to believe that its former leader, Dia Abdul-Zahra, who was killed in the fighting, was the Mehdi - a ninth century messiah. BBC religious affairs correspondent Frances Harrison says it is believed that the Mehdi did not die but went into hiding and will one day return, accompanied by Jesus, to save the world once it has descended into chaos. The cult has since been led by Ahmed al-Hassani al-Yamani, who reportedly claims to be an ambassador, rather than a descendent, of the Mehdi. Throughout Islamic history, Muslim leaders have risen up in rebellion claiming to be the Mehdi or to be acting in his name. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: o.gif Type: image/gif Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: inline_dashed_line.gif Type: image/gif Size: 58 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: _44366311_gn_afp_203b.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 11114 bytes Desc: not available URL: From jzylman at bellsouth.net Wed Jan 23 15:11:18 2008 From: jzylman at bellsouth.net (Jack Zylman) Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:11:18 -0000 Subject: [Onthebarricades] RE: [SECULARHUMANIST] PALESTINE: Gaza blockade broken, civilians stock up In-Reply-To: <016401c85dfd$27f36230$0802a8c0@andy1> Message-ID: <19da01c85e15$3e925240$220110ac@jzylman> Remember that Gaza has 1.2 million people, living on 1.2 million square meters of space -- just enough room for one grave for every person! Make 2008 a Year of Resistance! Vote Obama, Alabama Rev. Jack Zylman 1321 16th Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35205-6020 phone: 205-933-7678 cell: 205-821-0650 Free Don Siegelman! "When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross" --Sinclair Lewis read Alabama's progressive on-line newspaper http://www.locustfork.net/news/ -----Original Message----- From: SECULARHUMANIST at yahoogroups.com [mailto:SECULARHUMANIST at yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Andy Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 2:19 PM To: stateyourcause at yahoogroups.com; secular humanist; peoples revolution; global resistance; bangla vision; anti-capitalism at yahoogroups.com; SPB Bangladesh; onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca Subject: [SECULARHUMANIST] PALESTINE: Gaza blockade broken, civilians stock up http://ap.google. com/article/ALeqM5jD4YSkDPlclqd9dHvg2f0Ij18zEgD8UBF6680 Tens of Thousands Cross Downed Gaza Wall By IBRAHIM BARZAK - 12 hours ago RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) - Masked gunmen destroyed about two-thirds of the metal wall separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt in the town of Rafah and tens of thousands of Palestinians poured across the border to buy supplies made scarce by an Israeli blockade of the impoverished territory. The gunmen began breaching the border wall dividing Rafah before dawn, according to witnesses and Hamas officials, who told The Associated Press that they had closed all but two of the gaps in the wall. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said they were allowed free movement through the open gaps. Thousands of Gazans began crossing into Egypt and returning with milk, cigarettes and plastic bottles of fuel, the Hamas officials and witnesses said. An Associated Press reporter arrived after first light and saw that about two-thirds of the seven-mile-long wall at Rafah had been demolished. The reporter also saw the crowd of Palestinians crossing into Egypt swell into the tens of thousands. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) - Masked gunmen blew holes in the wall separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt early Wednesday and thousands of Palestinians poured across the border to buy supplies made scarce by an Israeli blockade of the impoverished territory. Egyptian guards and police from the militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, stood by without taking action. Israel transferred fuel to restart Gaza's only electricity plant Tuesday, easing its five-day blockade of the Palestinian territory amid growing international concern about a humanitarian crisis. But before dawn the next day, Palestinian gunmen began breaching the border wall dividing the town of Rafah, which has a Gazan and an Egyptian side. The identity of the gunmen who breached the border was not immediately clear. But Hamas expressed support for the move, saying, "Blowing up the border wall with Egypt is a reflection of the ... catastrophic situation which the Palestinian people in Gaza are living through due to the blockade." Hamas security closed all but two of the holes, through which it allowed free movement. Gazans began crossing into Egypt and returning with milk, cigarettes and plastic bottles of fuel. Gazan Ibrahim Abu Taha, 45, a father of seven, was in the Egyptian section of Rafah with his two brothers and $185 in his pocket. "We want to buy food, we want to buy rice and sugar, milk and wheat and some cheese," Abu Taha told The Associated Press by telephone, adding that he would also buy cheap Egyptian cigarettes. Abu Taha said he could get such items in Gaza, but at three times the cost. Faced with a crippling Israeli blockade, Hamas appears to be applying pressure on Egypt, which has cooperated with Israel's sanctions by keeping the Rafah border closed. An off-duty Hamas security officer who identified himself as Abdel Rahman, 29, said this was his first time out of Gaza. "I can smell the freedom," he said by phone. "We need no border after today." Abdel Rahman said no weapons were being smuggled in from Egypt. "You can buy weapons in Gaza, guns and RPGs," he said, adding that it was easier to find weapons in Gaza than cancer medicine or Coke. Weapons are generally brought into Gaza through smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border. The U.S. had warned Israel not to add to the hardship for ordinary Palestinians but blamed the problem on Hamas. Israel imposed the siege in response to increasing rocket attacks on its border communities by Gaza militants. Despite the easing of the closure, Palestinian militants fired 19 rockets toward Israel on Tuesday, the military said, up from just two on Monday. The lights were back on in most of Gaza City by Tuesday afternoon after a blackout that lasted almost two days. But Gazans still vented their anger throughout the day. Hundreds of Hamas supporters briefly broke through the Gaza-Egypt border and clashed with Egyptian riot police who fired in the air, wounding 70 people on both sides. The protesters hurled insults at Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, calling him a coward. In a clash early Wednesday with Israeli forces near the closed Sufa crossing into Gaza, a Hamas militant was killed, Palestinian officials said. The Israeli military said soldiers exchanged fire with Palestinian militants in the area. Throughout the closure, which cut power to a third of Gaza's 1.5 million people, hospitals kept running on generators. But most bakeries shut down, and long lines formed at those that were open. A shipment of cooking gas sent in by Israel on Tuesday sold out in an hour. Governments, aid agencies and the U.N. issued urgent appeals for an end to the closure. Israel's Defense Ministry ruled late Tuesday that 60,000 gallons of diesel fuel will be transferred into Gaza daily, but the crossings will remain closed to other goods and people until further notice. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni blamed Hamas. "I am not among those who care whether this or that group fired a rocket," she told the annual Herzliya Conference on security. "Hamas has control of the territory, and Hamas is responsible." Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the Bush administration has spoken to Israeli officials "about the importance of not allowing a humanitarian crisis to unfold." Israeli officials were receptive, she said, adding that she too blames Hamas for the situation. Despite the blockade, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he will not pull out of peace talks. Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised President Bush to try to complete a peace accord this year. "We should intensify our contacts and our meetings to stop the suffering of our people," Abbas said in his first comment since the latest round of Israel-Hamas fighting erupted last week. Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, is not a party to the talks. Associated Press writers Steven Gutkin in Herzliya, Israel, and Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report. __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Calendar http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SECULARHUMANIST Stop all war funding now! MARKETPLACE _____ Earn your degree in as few as 2 years - Advance your career with an AS, BS, MS degree - College-Finder.net. Yahoo! Groups 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 * 2 New Members Visit Your Group Yahoo! News Fashion News What's the word on fashion and style? Yahoo! Groups Parenting Zone Share experiences with other parents. Move More on Yahoo! 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