Issue 149

News

Coroner slams police over death By Alex Cooper MELBOURNE — A report into the first of seven deaths at the hands of police between 1988 and 1989 was released by the coroner on June 20. The coroner slammed police actions during a raid on
The 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the event that heralded the rise of the movement for gay and lesbian liberation, was celebrated in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide on June 25. In Sydney, 2000 people marched from Taylor Square,
By Sue Bolton MELBOURNE — At a time when many workers have begun to think that there is no alternative to the corporate-style union approach of giving up working conditions for a pittance of a wage rise, one union has shown that it is possible
By Nick Fredman SYDNEY — When hundreds of young activists gather here from Friday to Sunday, July 8-10, for the Resistance national conference, international solidarity will be high on the agenda. Campaigning against Australian imperialism's
Protests at NT Trade Expo By Sally Anne Watson DARWIN — More than 400 Indonesian visitors have arrived to attend the Northern Territory 1994 Trade Expo. On June 23, the day before the expo opened, a large number of Indonesian businessmen
SA nurses reject wage freeze ADELAIDE — The SA branch of the Australian Nurses Federation has rejected the wage freeze proposed by the state Liberal government in its May financial statement. The ANF federal executive reported to
'Cultural hooliganism' in SA By Anthony Thirlwall ADELAIDE — On June 22, minister for the arts Diana Laidlaw announced plans to close and sell the South Australian Film and Video Centre. The centre, one of the most highly regarded media
Rottnest's future discussed PERTH — In early June, Rottnest Island or Wadjemup was the site of a four day ceremonial meeting of Aboriginal people. Delegates came from all regions of Western Australia to discuss the island's future and what
Cuban musician launches Brisbane tour By Bill Mason BRISBANE — More than 100 people packed into the Resistance Centre here on June 25 to hear the brilliant percussion playing of award-winning Cuban musician Jacinto Herrera. The Cuba

World

By Frank Enright Despite a promising start to peace talks between Papua New Guinea and Bougainville Interim Government representatives in the Solomon Islands, the meetings have been called off. After two meetings, and in breach of a signed
By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — Not so long ago, many Russians still believed that if they embraced capitalism, foreign investment would pour in to help modernise and expand their country's decrepit factories. That's a suggestion the new
By Norm Dixon JOHANNESBURG — It was like a scene out of an old news reel from the dimmest, darkest days of apartheid: big, burly, white city council security officers — armed with bulldozers and sledge hammers, mouthing racist and derogatory

JAKARTA — Journalists, students and democracy activists have held demonstrations in several Indonesian cities protesting against the Suharto regime's closure of the country's three weekly news magazines, Tempo, Detik and Editor. The closures were announced by the Ministry of Information on June 21.

By David Finkel As a commercial enterprise, the success of World Cup 1994 appears assured. Stands will be packed to capacity or very nearly so. Even more important is the extraction of maximum revenues from World Cup corporate sponsorships,
By Norm Dixon JOHANNESBURG — The Rwandan Patriotic Front, on the verge of taking power in the traumatised central African country of Rwanda, says it will "do all that can be done" to resist a French military intervention. Speaking here on June
By Norm Dixon JOHANNESBURG — Leaders of South Africa's youth movements have expressed disappointment at the new government's attitude towards the June 16 Soweto Day celebrations. Seemingly succumbing to big business pressure, the government
TIM MARSHALL, an activist in the United States socialist organisation Solidarity, will be attending the Resistance National Conference at Sydney University July 8-10 and the Campus Activist Forum on July 16. ROBERTO JORQUERA, a Resistance national
By Jon Land Australia's biggest trade and business promotion ever held overseas was opened by foreign affairs and trade minister Gareth Evans in Jakarta on June 14. The $8 million project has displays by some 500 businesses. During the
By Cam Walker Native American activist Leonard Peltier has been in jail since 1976 for the murder of two FBI agents. Last year, he stated: "I have served over 18 years in prison ... The prosecutors have now admitted that they have no idea who
UN accepts South Africa For the first time in 20 years, the credentials of South Africa's delegation to the United Nations have been accepted. The decision was made by a UN committee on June 17. South Africa's return to the General Assembly

Culture

Reality Bites Directed by Ben Stiller Written by Helen Childress Featuring Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Ben Stiller Reviewed by Peter Meredith Long time friends Lelaina and Troy (Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke) graduate from college and
By Sue McCauley I recently had the opportunity to go to South Africa to teach a community radio station management course at the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ) in Johannesburg. The institute is run by Alister Sparks, a
ASIO: An Unofficial History By Frank Cain Spectrum, 1994. 292 pp., $19.95 (pb) Reviewed by Phil Shannon ASIO is receiving a lot of unaccustomed attention lately. Hard on the investigative heels of David McKnight's recent book comes Frank

Editorial

Scoundrels It is not just the radical left that recognises the relationship between existing deep-seated social problems and unemployment. Writing in an April issue of the Sydney Morning Herald, journalist Geoff Kitney stated that the Liberal