GLW issue 704, published 2007-03-28.

in

Palestine: Occupation and resistance

Hanan Aruri, a Palestinian woman from Ramallah, became involved in the fight against the Israeli occupation as a teenager in the 1987 intifada. Today she is an activist in the international campaign to boycott Israel, and is also involved in campaigns for women’s rights. She is a guest at the Marxism Today conference, organised by Socialist Alternative, being held in Melbourne from March 30-April 1. Aruri spoke to Green Left Weekly’s Emma Clancy about the current dynamics in Palestinian politics and the struggle against the Israeli occupation. [This interview will be published in GLW #705.]

'Two, three, many Bolivarian revolutions!'

Build it Now: Socialism for the Twenty-first Century
Monthly Review Press, 2006
US$14.95, 127 pages

Bhopal survivors win concessions in India

On march 19, the Madhya Pradesh government agreed to meet some of the demands of the survivors of the 1984 chemical explosion and deadly gas leaks at the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, which killed thousands of people and left tens of thousands with severe health problems. After hunger strikes by survivors and an international solidarity campaign, the government agreed to provide clean water, medical care and rehabilitation to victims, as well as to release information about the water and soil contamination around the abandoned factory site and to construct a wall to contain it. Pragya, a Bhopal activist, said following the decision, “Thanks to all who sent their prayers and faxes and other good vibes. Bhopal remains not only ground zero of the chemical industry’s global wounding, but also ground zero for the fight for people’s basic human rights to live in a poison-free environment, to drink water that is free of toxic chemicals, and receive basic medical care for their injuries.” If the government fails to implement its promises, protests will take place in India and around the world during April and May. For more information visit <http://bhopal.net>.

Fiji's military threatens unions over strike plans

The deputy commander of Fiji’s military has threatened public sector unions — including the Fiji Public Service Association, the Fiji Teachers Union and the Fiji Nurses Association — that it will intervene to stop a planned strike against a 5% pay cut and reduction in the retirement age from 60 to 55. According to Fijilive.com on March 17, Teleni said that it will enforce the Public Emergency Regulations, which restrict strikes and public gatherings. He also declared that workers would lose their jobs if they joined the strike. The March 23 Fijionline.com quoted Fiji Nurses Association general secretary Kuini Lutua as saying her union would continue to fight until the government withdraws the proposed pay cut. “Currently I have 98 per cent of support from members of the association and when we plan to go on strike nothing will stop us.”
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