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Racists are not welcome here

Riot
Directed by Leticia Caceres
Written by Vanessa Bates, David Brown, Stefo Nantsou and Sarah Gava
Designed by Joshua Mason
Newcastle Civic Playhouse
Bookings 02 4929 1977
Until June 23

Australian government complicity in torture

“The ABC’s Four Corners program on June 11, ‘Ghost Prisoners’, was a powerful exposure of the United States’ global torture network and of Australian complicity in it”, said Socialist Alliance spokesperson Raul Bassi. “It’s another step towards justice for Mamdouh Habib, one of the victims of this criminal system that has tortured some to death, forced others into worthless ’confessions’ and disappeared hundreds.”

Rally for 'Cheney Four'

Disability support worker Joanne Ball will appear before a local court on June 22 on charges of obstruction and interferring with a police officer during the February protest against the visit to Sydney by US Vice-President Dick Cheney.

Arrest of Tamil activists condemned

On June 12, 80 people attended a meeting in support of two Tamil activists who were recently arrested for allegedly sending tsunami relief funds to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Torture ship visits Sydney

On June 16, a group of human rights campaigners and former political prisoners in Chile rallied at the Cowper Wharf in Woolloomooloo to protest the arrival of the Chilean Navy training ship Esmeralda. The ship served as a floating torture prison for political prisoners under General Augusto Pinochet’s 1973-90 military regime.

Indonesia: Climate change hits poor

Farmers in East Nusa Tenggara have lost 25-40% of their income due to irregular rainfall. Fishers in the Maluku islands are experiencing poor catches as they lose their ability to predict sea climate and fish movements. Climate change has arrived in Indonesia, and it is hitting the country’s poorest first and hardest, according to a survey by Oxfam. Oxfam said that in recent years the rainy season has been either late or so unpredictable farmers did not know when to start planting, resulting in failed harvests and a drastic drop in income, and widespread hunger and malnutrition, especially among children.

Court rebuffs Tristar

On June 19, a Federal Court judge refused to throw out a case aimed at obtaining millions of dollars worth of severance pay for workers employed by car parts manufacturer Tristar Suspension and Steering Pty Ltd.

West Papua: Papuans greet UN envoy with rallies, demands

Hundreds of Papuans rallied on June 8 during a one-day visit by Hina Jilani, the UN secretary general’s special representative on human rights defenders. In Jayapura, capital of Papua province, protesters welcomed Jilani while others called on her to “stop the genocide of the Papuans” and “stop the killing in West Papua”. In Manokwari, capital of the province of West Papua, protesters called on the UN to pressure Jakarta to overturn the 1969 referendum that resulted in the territory’s incorporation into Indonesia.

Green Left Weekly's $250,000 Fighting Fund: My brilliant fundraising idea

OK, I admit this idea to boost the Green Left Weekly Fighting Fund was inspired (to be honest, stolen) from the recent adventures of one Canape Crusader from Kirribilli: we get 225 people to donate $8000 each to the Green Left Weekly Fighting Fund and, in return, I have them over to my place for drinks and canapes. That should raise enough money to make this column redundant for seven years!

Malaysia: Socialists hold ninth congress

From June 1-3 in Port Dickson, the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) held its ninth congress. It was the party’s largest so far. The PSM’s plans for the coming year include trying to win at least one seat in the coming election, holding a public forum on Venezuela, redesigning the party’s website, producing more socialist booklets and holding a national forum on 50 years of Malaysian independence and left politics. The party also resolved to hold an international conference in 2008. A resolution adopted by the conference condemned authorities’ refusal to nationally register the PSM as a party as an anti-socialist “political conspiracy”. Solidarity messages were received from a range of socialist organisations, including Australia’s Democratic Socialist Perspective.

Koru Peter Nusa, 1963-2007

About 150 people crowded into the function room of the Lanyon Valley Rugby Union Club in Canberra on June 13 to celebrate the life of Koru Peter Nusa, who died suddenly at home on June 4. At the same time, family and friends gathered for a service in Papua New Guinea.

Dean Mighell: Workers need the right to strike

Electrical Trades Union Victorian secretary and union militant Dean Mighell was forced to resign from the ALP after a tape recording of an internal union meeting became public. Labor leader Kevin Rudd and his industrial relations spokesperson Julia Gillard slammed Mighell as a union “thug” for swearing about bosses and talking up a pattern-bargaining agreement in which ETU members received a particularly good deal. Green Left Weekly’s Sue Bolton spoke to Mighell about Labor under Rudd, its backflips on IR and how the unions can defend workers’ rights.