A growing anti-privatisation movement, allegations of government corruption and revelations of the repression of Muslims are all causing headaches for the government of Thaksin Shinawatra, and creating new opportunities for a re-emerging Thai left.
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Grant Morgan, Auckland The Workers Charter is launching a national newspaper in mid-February. Its editor will be John Minto, one of the best-known radical leftists in the country. John was a central organiser of the huge 1981 demonstrations against
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Kerryn Williams "Sri Lanka's military is now killing Tamil civilians with abandon", the Tamil Guardian stated in its May 17 editorial, following a wave of violence that has left dozens of civilians dead. The violence has sparked fears of a
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John Pilger, Mumbai The crows beat their wings against the bay windows, waiting to ascend and dive. Their cries are incessant; it is their apocalyptic swarm that is different in India. They dance in the rain and wait in the yellow heat of
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Sarah Stephen South Korea's April 15 general election has resulted in a shift to the left. Ten representatives to the 299-member parliament were elected from the labour movement-based Democratic Labor Party. The DLP, which previously had no
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Eva Cheng The sixth ministerial summit of the World Trade Organisation on December 13-18 was only saved from the brink of yet another collapse after strong-arm tactics and divide-and-rule manoeuvring by the imperialist countries defeated the
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Jon Lamb Heightened tensions within East Timor and rumours of further violent clashes have subsided with the passing of the Fretilin congress, held in Dili on May 17-19. The congress was a test of support for Fretilin leader and East Timor's Prime
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Rupen Savoulian According to the Russian government, about 330 people, one-third of them school children, were found dead after Russian special forces (Spetsnaz) stormed a school gymnasium in the North Ossetian town of Beslan on September 3. How
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Robyn Marshall, Caracas There is some objective news reporting in Venezuela, although the country's media — newspapers, television and radio — is massively dominated by the powerful, right-wing corporations owned by mega-magnate Ricardo
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Gilda Chacon, head of the international section (Asia-Pacific Region) of the Cuban Federation of Workers (CTC) and a member of the Cuban parliament, is touring Australia at the invitation of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union
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On May 15, the US announced that it would halt weapons sales to Venezuela due to its alleged lack of cooperation in the US "war on terrorism". In response, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told the BBC during a recent London visit: "If it's true that
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Lance Selfa, Chicago Officials in an administration that has gotten the US bogged down in an unpopular war and overseen a net loss of jobs and a net increase in poverty should be polishing their resumes for their inevitable defeat in November. Yet