Issue 320

Ramos Horta: support a referendum for East Timor By Tuntuni Battacharyya On May 25, 300 people gathered to hear Jose Ramos Horta speak at a meeting organised by the Amnesty club of the University of NSW. Horta described the invasion of East Timor

MUA victory in Newcastle By Alison Dellitand Jane Beckmann After 45 days locked out, maritime workers employed by Patrick Stevedores returned to work on May 23. The workers have been sub-contracted to Newcastle Stevedores. The return to work was

International Students Solidarity Network launched By Arty Titiz MELBOURNE — The launch of the International Students Solidarity Network took place at Swanbourne University on May 20. Speakers included Vannessa Hearman from Action In Solidarity

SYDNEY — On May 26, the NSW police force's latest victim was killed outside his grandmother's house. The Coalition Opposing Police Shootings (COPS) has called on the NSW police commissioner to immediately adopt English-style, unarmed beat policing.

Public works key to jobs, say socialists By Bill Mason BRISBANE — "A large-scale program of public works, including schools, child-care centres, public transport and leisure facilities, is the key to creating thousands of new jobs", the

By Shane Bentley The Australian Industrial Relations Commission decided on May 26 that union-backed seniority provisions in coal industry awards were no longer allowable. The decision was made under the Workplace Relations Act's requirement that

ANU staff/student strike By Will Williams CANBERRA — More than 200 Australian National University staff and students braved the frosty 7.30am start for a strike and rally here on May 29. The action, the latest in a campaign to

Qld election and movement building LANA HALPIN spoke to GRAHAM MATHEWS, the Democratic Socialist candidate for Brisbane Central in the May 13 Queensland election, about the Democratic Socialists' campaign. Question: Why are the Democratic

Nuclear tests condemned CANBERRA — Forty people attended pickets on May 24 and May 30 outside the Indian and Pakistan embassies respectively. The protests were called by the Australian Greens. Senator Bob Brown and the ACT Greens' Kerry Tucker

By Barry Sheppard Last year, the board of regents of California's university system voted to end affirmative action to help minorities gain admission. It claimed that affirmative action discriminated against whites. The results have been

UPNG students boycott classes By Norm Dixon Angry University of Papua New Guinea students on May 22 launched a class boycott and a blockade of the Port Moresby campus in response to a proposed restructure of the university. Students claim the

International news briefs Climate treaty under attack The Global Climate Coalition (GCC), a grouping of some of the biggest multinational corporations, is launching a new campaign to strip the Kyoto greenhouse gas accord of its scientific

By Jon Land Indonesian soldiers continue to carry out brutal acts of torture, murder and arbitrary detention throughout East Timor. Many of the worst incidents have occurred in the town of Baucau and surrounding districts. The East Timor Human

By Dave Riley On May 22, the Belfast agreement, which sets up a new power-sharing assembly in the Six Counties, won overwhelming endorsement from the people of Ireland. In the north, 71.1% backed the agreement, while in the south, constitutional

FSLN sends greetings to PRD The following resolution was passed by the FSLN's highest decision-making body. The motion was moved by Dorotea Wilson, who recently toured Australia. "The Second Congress of the FSLN, held in Managua, Nicaragua, on the

Writing from the Greater Jakarta Police Station, ANDI ARIEF, a member of the People's Democratic Party (PRD) and chairperson of Indonesian Students Solidarity for Democracy (SMID), describes his abduction and interrogation by Indonesian security

On May 26, demonstrators marched to the Indonesian embassy in Port Moresby calling on the new Indonesian leader to grant the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya its independence. They presented a petition signed by pro-independence leaders Michael

Left on-line Indonesia's struggle for democracy — Follow developments in Indonesia and find out what you can do in solidarity at these sites: Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor (ASIET) has first-hand reports from the Indonesian

The good engineer After the BallBy David WilliamsonWith Judi Farr, Peter Carroll, Jacki Weaver and Garry McDonaldSydney Opera House Drama TheatreUntil June 6 By Mark Stoyich Australia's most successful man of the theatre has no sense of the

Highlights of 45th Sydney Film Festival By Conrad Barrett The 45th Sydney Film Festival will begin on June 5 and continue until June 19. A highlight of this year's festival will be a feature selection of African cinema, including films made in

Frabjous DazeRelishIndependently releasedPhone Ant McKenna on 015 172 276 or e-mail <antm@lrvnet.org.au>. Review by Lynda Hansen A nine-track debut CD, Frabjous Daze is a collection of songs from Brisbane band Relish. Relish, formed in