Indonesian rape counsellor murdered
A young activist working as a counsellor for ethnic Chinese women raped during Indonesia's May riots was found murdered in her home in central Jakarta on October 9. The Jakarta Post said Martadinata (Ita)
Issue 337
News
By Melanie Sjoberg
ADELAIDE — The long-awaited decision on Green Left Weekly distributors' right to use public space was made by Adelaide City Council at its meeting of October 6. The council supported the recommendations of a report stating that
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) lists the basic rights and freedoms that every person is entitled to. December 10 will be the 50th anniversary of the document's drafting. Many Australians are probably unaware of the existence of this
'Free Burma, boycott Pacrim!'
By Adam Baker
BRISBANE — "Free Burma, boycott Pacrim!" was the demand of a small but lively group of picketers outside the head office of Pacrim Energy Australia (PEA) in the inner-city suburb of Spring Hill on
By Peter Boyle
The socialist vote declined in the October 3 federal election, reflecting the swing back to the ALP in traditional Labor seats, where most of the 39 left candidates stood. The Greens and the Australian Democrats also suffered a
NTEU national council sets strategy
By Jeremy Smith
The National Tertiary Education Industry Union held its national council meeting three days before the October 3 federal election. Under the slogan "NTEU: Leading the Industry", more than 200
Union wins fight over casino rosters
By John Nebauer
ADELAIDE — The Adelaide Casino has lost its fight to hire what it calls "loyal staff" on Sunday rosters. The dispute began in late August when a new enterprise agreement was due to be
Advertisement
Do you know anyone with a spare fridge?
Following the arson attack on the Brisbane Resistance Centre last month, the local branch of the Democratic Socialist Party urgently needs to replace the refrigerator destroyed by the fire.
BRISBANE — Believe it or not, there is a group of people Australia who are forbidden to earn a living. Because they cannot work, they cannot get Medicare. They also cannot receive social security benefits. They are not even allowed to do voluntary
Green Left is taking a break
Green Left Weekly is taking a break from production next week. The next issue will be dated October 28.
Poor conditions for unpaid carers
MELBOURNE — A five-year study has exposed the poor conditions of unpaid carers in the home in Victoria. The study by health professionals reveals that most carers are women, and a large number are on duty
20th anniversary of Reclaim the Night
By Michele Wickham
SYDNEY — The Reclaim the Night organising collective here will mark its 20th anniversary on October 30 with a march and rally on the theme "Hands off — our bodies are ours". With these
Carr's public transport hypocrisy
By Jenny Long
SYDNEY — A last-minute deal saved the face of the state Labor government during NSW's inaugural Public Transport Week, October 5-11, when the railways unions called off a planned 24-hour strike.
By Dick Nichols
SYDNEY — The implementation of the deal which ended the dispute between Patrick Stevedores and the Maritime Union of Australia has hit serious snags here. MUA central NSW branch deputy secretary Jim Donovan has claimed in an
By Emma Webb
ADELAIDE — Anti-racism activist Peter Lord was attacked in his home on September 30 by three men he believes were right-wing extremists. Lord has been threatened in the past by members of the neo-Nazi organisation National Action
Election of One Nation senator condemned
By Peter Robson
BRISBANE — The Democratic Socialist Party organised a speak-out of 50 people in the Queen Street Mall on October 9 to protest the election of One Nation member Heather Hill to the Senate
By Michele Wickham
SYDNEY — On the September 22-24, the St Peter's Society at Sydney University held a seminar series under the title "Abortion Information Week — what really happens in an abortion". Intrigued and concerned by the implied
World
Indonesian anti-military campaign gains support
By Max Lane
The Indonesian political establishment has finished celebrating two of its most "holy" days. These were Pancasila Day on October 1, celebrating the crushing of the Indonesian Communist
By Dick Nichols
On October 9, the Italian government of Romano Prodi lost a vote of no confidence in the Italian lower house, the Chamber of Deputies. The fall of the Prodi government, which has been in office since the 1996 Italian general
By Linda Kaucher
Official Indonesian reports of a relaxing of the "military operations zone" status of Irian Jaya (West Papua), and of a cease-fire agreement with OPM (Free Papua Movement) activists, are contradicted by the OPM's denial of such an
By Nadeem A. Ansari
Pakistan's chief of the army staff, General Jahangir Karamat, submitted his resignation on the night of October 7 to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. This resignation is a result of Sharif's effort to rule the country with absolute
By Eva Cheng
Despite a chain of summit meetings since early October among the world's most powerful countries, they remain far from a solution to the spreading economic crisis which, exploding first in July last year in Asia, is threatening to
Behind India's food crisis
By Peter Snowdon
NEW DELHI — India stands on the brink of a food crisis to rival the darkest periods of its modern history. "In five years' time, this issue will be settled in the streets with riots, massacres,
Secondary students protest prison spending
SAN LEANDRO, California — On October 2,
thousands of high school students in San Leandro left their
classrooms to protest against too much state spending on
prisons and too little on schools.
By Peter Gellert
MEXICO CITY — October 2 was the 30th anniversary of the bloody suppression of the Mexican student movement, when the army opened fire on a demonstration in the Plaza of the Three Cultures in the Tlatelolco housing complex. For
By Norm Dixon
The embattled government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has turned to some of the African continent's most reactionary forces in its bid to halt the mutiny in the east of the country. Having achieved the limited objectives
By Paul Aiken
Three years after the Croatian army took control of the Serbian-held areas of Croatia, those who were caught between the warring parties continue to face enormous obstacles in their attempts to return to their homes and way of life.
The myth of Indonesia's development of East Timor
By Simon Andrewartha
The latest round of UN-sponsored talks between Indonesia and Portugal this month keeps the door of hope open for East Timor's supporters. Yet the daily reality in that country
Nepali student movement holds conference
By Sean Healy
KATHMANDU, NEPAL — The All Nepal National Free Student Union (ANNFSU), Nepal's largest student organisation and one of the world's largest left student organisations, held its 14th national
International news briefs
Korean bank strike aborted
A planned strike led by South Korea's Federation of Bank and Financial Labour Unions (KFBU) to defend 18,700 jobs was called off on September 29, the day it was scheduled to take place.
The
Renewed war in East Timor
The Indonesian military has increased troop numbers in eastern East Timor and is engaged in a renewed war against the people, according to the Australian East Timor Network (AETN). AETN said last week that it has reliable
Despite its claim to be the world leader in human rights, the United States is failing to respect fundamental rights at home and abroad, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL said on October 6. AI has released a report on US human rights and launched its first
By Neville Spencer
Fernando Henrique Cardoso, leader of the centre-right Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB), was elected for a second term as Brazil's president on October 4. With Brazil's economy on the brink of a collapse similar to those
Culture
By Vannessa Hearman
MELBOURNE — Aifunan Midar (Sweet Flowers), a play devised and performed by 18 members of the East Timorese community, opened here on October 8 at Gasworks Theatre. The play uses traditional singing and drumming, coupled with
Love, booze and social justice
Upstairs @ Lamberti'sThe Hooligans Review by Barry Healy
The Irish folk tradition is a broad church. It includes everything from the respectable, squeaky-clean Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem through to the
A head start that went to waste?
Temper Democratic: How Exceptional is Australia?By Humphrey McqueenWakefield Press, 1998. 261 pp., $24.95 (pb) Review by Phil Shannon
Humphrey McQueen has been poking his Marxist nose into Australian society for
Privatisation
Come gather round children and sit on the floor,I'm sorry there aren't any chairs any more.Take this rag, little Johnny, wipe the tears from your eyes,The news is our nursery has been privatised.What's that, Helen darling, oh where
Review by James Vassilopoulos
As it happened: the Greek Civil War SBS TVFriday, October 16, 8pm (7.30pm SA) A far greater tragedy than the ancient Greek playwrights Euripides, Aeschylus or Sophocles could ever have written befell the Greek people
Editorial
Racism: the fight isn't over
When One Nation failed to win more than one Senate seat, National Party and other politicians were quick to claim that the racists had been "turned back". The implication is that racism can be defeated simply by keeping