PRD representative in Melbourne
By John Nebauer
MELBOURNE — About 70 people attended an emergency public meeting called by Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor on May 21. The meeting, held at the Resistance Centre, was addressed
Issue 319
News
Thursday May 28-Saturday May 30
Adelaide
Thursday, 1pm: speak-out, Plaza, Flinders University.
Saturday, 11am: demonstration, Victoria Square, march to the Indonesian consulate.
Brisbane
Saturday, 10am: demonstration, King George Square,
Patrick seeks to deregister MUA
By James Vassilopoulos
In an attempt to smash the Maritime Union of Australia, Patrick Stevedores applied on May 22 to the Federal Court seeking massive damages and fines from the union and its deregistration.
By Roberto Jorquera
PERTH — On May 20, nurses in Western Australia began a 48-hour strike. This is the first time that WA nurses have taken this type of industrial action. The nurses are campaigning for increased funding for hospitals and a 13%
Court government to close public schools
By Ana Kailis
PERTH — The Court government has announced its intention to close four senior high schools, downgrade one to a high school and close one primary school in the coming months. This may be
ASIET gears up for post-Suharto solidarity
By Karen Fletcher
BRISBANE — "This morning when I wrote this speech, I wrote 'Suharto must go'. Tonight I can say 'Suharto is gone'", East Timorese exile Alfonso Corte Real told a forum organised by
Jabiluka struggle intensifies
By Tom Flanagan
DARWIN — Aboriginal opposition to the proposed Jabiluka uranium mine was highlighted on May 19 when senior traditional owner Yvonne Margarula was arrested and charged with trespass on her own land.
Fred Nile debated at Sydney University
By Angela Savva
SYDNEY — More than 100 people attended a debate at Sydney University on May 13 under the title "Mardi Gras — Triumph or Travesty?". State MLC Reverend Fred Nile spoke first, explaining
Reconciliation evening
WOLLONGONG More than 350 people attended an evening of reconciliation, Mabo and Wik here on May 20. Chaired by rock star Peter Garrett, the meeting was addressed by Aboriginal activists Barbara Nicholson and Linda Burney;
By Jeremy Smith
For more than two years, the National Tertiary Education Industry Union (NTEU) has campaigned to restrict the use of contract staff in post-secondary education. On May 11, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission endorsed the
By Carla Gorton
SYDNEY — A seminar, organised by the neethi forum at Sydney University on May 16, aimed at educating people about the history of the conflict in Sri Lanka and the challenges in achieving peace with justice. Neethi means "justice"
Thousands of building workers rallied and marched in all major cities on May 20 against the stripping back of awards. It has been many years since building workers have mobilised on a national basis. Under the federal government's Workplace Relations
World
By Peter Montague
The city of Philadelphia has a long history of dumping its toxic wastes on other states and nations. Now the "city of brotherly love" is refusing to spend a paltry sum to clean up 3.6 million kilograms of the city's toxic
Worldwide solidarity with Indonesian pro-democracy movement
By Jon Land
Demonstrations in solidarity with Indonesia's pro-democracy activists
were held around the world last week. Many took place on May 20 to coincide
with the mass
70,000 demand cancellation of Third World debt
Around 70,000 people gathered on May 16 in Birmingham, where the Group of Eight countries met, to press for the cancellation of the debts owed by the poor nations and which they have little hope of
By Reihana Mohideen
MANILA — With over 70% of the vote counted and a commanding lead of 4 million votes over his nearest contender, Joseph "Erap" Estrada has all but been declared the new president of the Philippines. He will be sworn in on June
Growing democracy movement in Thailand
Workers and the poor in Thailand took to the streets last year to reject the brutal attacks on their jobs and living standards brought about by the austerity imposed by the International Monetary Fund
On May 7, Australian solidarity activist AKIKO TSURU visited DITA SARI in Tangerang Women's Prison, one hour's drive from Jakarta. Dita, who is president of the Indonesian Centre of Labour Struggle and a leader of the banned People's Democratic
International briefs
Soyinka calls for 'complete embargo' against Nigeria
Nigerian writer and Nobel prize winner Wole Soyinka has called on governments and peoples of the world to impose a "complete embargo" against General Sani Abacha's military
Netherlands meeting launches Indonesia solidarity group
Netherlands meeting launches Indonesia solidarity group
By Margaret Allan
AMSTERDAM — Just hours before the resignation of Suharto was announced, 130 people attended a public meeting on
Peace deal splits Bougainville independence movement
By Norm Dixon
A "permanent and irrevocable cease-fire" between the Bougainville Interim Government/Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BIG/BRA), the Bougainville Transitional Government and its
By Eva Cheng
In March, on the heels of new falls in the Indonesian currency and eight months after the Asian economic crisis first exploded, the International Monetary Fund started pressing for "a new financial architecture" for the world economy
By Dave Riley
With the May 22 referenda behind them, the people of Ireland are sure to be asking themselves: what happens now? The Good Friday agreement, which formed the basis of the poll, could claim to fulfil its charter only if all the
Culture
Sliding over the borders of style
Jazz Latino-Americano
Tigramuna
Available from Tigramuna
e-mail <tigramuna@hinet.net.au>âPh (02) 4868 2020 or fax (02)
4868 2053
Review by Barry Healy
Take a musician out of
By Phil Shannon
Amongst all the homages to Frank Sinatra that have saturated the media since his death, the Sinatra who did not always break bread with Republicans, hang out with the Mafia, insult women or sing anthems celebrating individualism,
Big WomenWritten by Fay WeldonProduced by Tariq AliFour-part series on ABC TVSundays at 8.30pmMay 24 to June 14 Review by Lisa Macdonald
Fay Weldon, the much-loved feminist writer, says of this series: "The world is full of little women. I am
Apartheid Did Not Die: a Special Report by John PilgerABC-TVTuesday, June 2, 8.30pm. Preview by Norm Dixon
John Pilger's documentaries have the uncanny ability to provoke howls of outrage and indignation from the defenders of the status quo because
The poverty of social democracy
Civilising Global Capital: New thinking for Australian LaborBy Mark LathamAllen & Unwin, 1998. 391 pp., $24.95 Review by Allen Myers
Mark Latham is the federal member for Werriwa, Gough Whitlam's old seat, and
Savage/Love
Directed by Deborah Johnston
When the World Was Green (A Chef's Fable)
Directed by Diana Denley
Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney
Until June 7
Review by Sue Boland
Two plays by Sam Shephard and Joseph Chaikin
Portraying the stolen generations
In the Interest of Bennelong is an evocative display of photographs,
text and indigenous art around the themes of the stolen generation â
acknowledgment, unity and commitment. The exhibition will be
Joke of the week
Modern management practice has just added new insight to an age-old question: When we have a half glass of water, is it half empty or half full? Down the ages it was answered thus: half empty if you were a pessimist; half full if
A politician's conversation with an asylum seeker
You want what!To stay in Australia?You reckon you're a refugeebecause Indonesia invaded your countryand you fled across the Timor Sea?Brothers murdered,sisters raped,mother jailedand father
In a shock move today, the federal government ordered troops on to the waterfront of the national capital, Canberra. Workplace relations minister Peter Reith announced that the judges of the High Court, on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, were to
Editorial
Let the refugees in!
Dutch colonial rule left Indonesians of Chinese ancestry owning many of the shops, making them an easy scapegoat for the Indonesian military regime. When there is popular anger against the regime, it seeks to deflect that anger