A-Infos (en) SchNEWS 377, Friday 18th October, 2002

[Jo Makepeace <webmaster@schnews.org.uk>]

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SchNEWS

SARI SIGHT

The horrific bombing in Bali last weekend was not the first act of
terror Indonesia has suffered. But somehow, other events that have
claimed thousands of Indonesian lives have never managed to dominate the
world's news pages. Australian tourists killed by terrorists must matter
more than Indonesians killed by religious conflicts or an Australian and
US-backed dictator.

In the wake of the bombing of the Sari night club, little has been said
about the deaths of the Balianese men and women who make up 40% of the
victims, or the injured locals who are left to suffer in third rate
hospitals while westerners are flown out. It's the same with Iraqi
civilians who are targeted by bombs, sanctions and depleted uranium and
pronounced 'collatoral damage' because they have the wrong leader; or
refugees fleeing in the hope of a better life who are jailed and sent
back if they don't face quite enough hardship at home. It's September 11
all over again, kids - when Westerners die, people just pay more
attention. Here's one Australian's take on the unfolding events in Bali:

"There's a well known song in Australia titled 'I've Been to Bali Too'.
'Wired home for money, short of cash; A dose of Bali belly and a
tropical rash; Daddy came through - American express; Bali t-shirts,
magic mushrooms, Redgum bootlegs. I've been to Bali too,' go the lyrics.

"Bali has a special place in the hearts of many Australians. For most,
two week holidays are cheaper there than traveling interstate - and the
shopping!! Well, those locals really know how to please us Aussies. And
then there's the cheap beer, cocktails, mushrooms and sexploitation.
Bali really does epitomise the global consumerist tourist culture. A
tiny island in the Indonesian archipelago, its entire social fabric has
been irrevocably altered by Western tourism. The handicraft sector is
now completely tourist-oriented, as well as about 80% of employment on
the island. How do I know all this? Because I've been to Bali too -
three times in fact - the first time as a very naive, very white,
middle-class, Australian 14-year-old.

"Australia is now shocked by the events of the last 24 hours... Why us?
The horror of it! We're being plied with images of 'our own' running
down the streets (which many of us have been to), blood pouring down
faces, skin peeling off bodies. And yes, it's horrid. But so was the
drowning of 353 refugees off the coast of Australia only one year ago,
while our government sat by and watched. Not only watched, but blamed
those trying to save their children for 'throwing them overboard'. Not
only that, but our government has now been caught - and not for the
first time either - assisting in the sabotage of boats such as these...

INDOMNESIA

"This time around, however, the Government has jumped to the defence of
innocents, with promises from the Prime Minister, John-munchkin-Howard,
that 'all of the resources of the Air Force will be available for the
task' of bringing the injured back to Australia for treatment. How
blatant is our government's treating of some lives as more important
than others? After being caught in the blast, the Forbes Rugby Club
President explained how important it was to get the injured Australians
home, because 'he wouldn't admit his dog to the hospital he was treated
in'.

"But the most worrying thing about these events is the ability of our
government to use them to justify its slavish military support for the
US-led, so-called 'War on Terror.' Already Howard is talking of a
national review of security measures against terrorism. And of course we
are now being bombarded with constant reminders that this, or something
like it, could happen to any of us, anywhere, at any time. In practice
this means the tightening of immigration border controls and even
harsher treatment of refugees (who have become one of the Australian
targets of the 'War on Terror'), a bolstering of the proposed terror
laws in Australia, and most importantly, a huge push for the war in the
Gulf. But as demonstrated by the 40,000 people on the streets of
Melbourne last Sunday, not all Australians back this war.

"Amid the current hysteria, one bright commentator is even claiming that
'This is the worst act of terror in Indonesia's history,' (Gen. Da'i
Bachtiar, the national police chief). Please! We have such short
memories!! It was only a few decades ago that the Indonesian Government,
enthusiastically cheered on by Australia, the US and Western Europe,
massacred millions of Communists, activists and anyone associated with
them, as part of the coup that installed the hated Suharto regime in
Indonesia. Sorry - not just cheered, but advised, encouraged, armed and
even directed.

The Sari nightclub is not simply a random target. While the clientele
may change throughout the year, the description is essentially the same
- drunken, obnoxious, young(ish) Australians. It is a hated symbol of
Western imperialism for many - no matter what the age of the 'revellers'
inside. Every year thousands travel to the island, stay in their Western
Hotels, visit their Western nightclubs, flaunt their money and feel like
royalty for two weeks, then travel home to a country which supports the
repressive regimes of the world. As the Sex Pistols put it, it's 'a
cheap holiday in other people's misery'.

"That's not to say I support what happened last night. But let's be
clear... as long as our governments continue to wage war on the world's
poor and working class - whether through economic, diplomatic or
military means - our government will develop enemies... enemies which
unfortunately mistake us for our governments."

For the full article check out http://melbourne.indymedia.org The site
also includes stories on the Indonesian military's links to extreme
Islamic groups including Jemaah Islamiyah, the group being blamed for
the blast.

* Read John Pilger's 'Lethal Hypocrisy' about the Bali bombing
http://pilger.carlton.com
* If you would like to financially help the Balinese victims left in the
chaotic and hopelessly overstretched hospitals with no medical
insurance, no government support and few facilities email:
idep@dps.centrin.net.id

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Crap Arrest of the Week

For bad taste in literature...

Egyptian webmaster Shohdy Surur has been given a one year jail sentence
for posting a poem on a website! Kuss Ummiyat, a poem written by Surur's
late father 30 years ago, has been on the US-based www.wadada.net for
the past three years, and although Surur senior was never prosecuted for
writing it, Egyptian authorities are now justifying Shohdy's sentence by
claims that the poem contains passages that are "an affront to public
morals." Nothing to do with the fact that the poem also harshly
criticises Egyptian culture and society, of course!
www.rsf.fr/article.php?id_article=4030&var_recherche=surur

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War BRIEFS

   * The old Brighton Peace Centre in Gardner St. is still being
     squatted by anti-war kidz. Visit them Friday (18) and Saturday (19)
     nights for radical films & good food. £1.50 7:30pm-10:30.
   * Last Saturday saw an anti-war demo at Shannon airport, where US war
     planes land daily to refuel before heading to the Middle East.
     Around 10 people were arrested and then released without charge.
     http://struggle.ws/wsm/news/2002/shannonOCT.html
   * Anyone interested in anti-war propaganda being put out in
     Manchester, take a look at:
     www.uhc-collective.org.uk/warpages/warpages.htm
   * An anonymous caller to a San Jose, California TV station took
     credit for a pre-dawn fire at a military recruiting office on
     Monday. Three military cars were set on fire, and the words
     "pre-emptive strike" were painted across the front of the office in
     red lettering.

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S-Pacific Target

The people of Bougainville are attempting to sue British mining giant
Rio Tinto over the genocide and environmental devastation that were a
regular part of Rio's 25 years of operations on the small South Pacific
island. The lawsuit seeks compensation for every person who suffered
during the nearly three decades of mining that went on at the giant,
now-defunct Panguna copper mine located smack in the middle of
Bougainville.

Bougainville is only a small island, but it's one that has been under
siege since Papua New Guinea (PNG) took control of it from Australia in
1975. Even before this, CRA, an Australian subsidiary of Rio Tinto, had
forced its way onto the island to build the Panguna mine. 220 hectares
of rainforest were destroyed to build Panguna, and after 20 years, the
mine had grown to a huge crater half a kilometre deep and nearly 7 km in
circumference, creating over a billion tonnes of waste. This waste was
dumped in the Jaba River Valley, creating a wall hundreds of metres high
and turning one of the island's biggest river systems fluorescent blue.

By 1988, the islanders had started to fight back, successfully closing
the mine. The PNG government, which relied on the mining for 45% of its
export earnings, responded swiftly and violently with Australia's help.
But despite ten years of violent oppression, the Bougainville
Revolutionary Army managed to keep the mine closed and eventually PNG
got out. Bougainville is now in the midst of seeking its independence.

In solidarity with all indigenous peoples of the South Pacific, there
was a week of actions from October 5-12 targeting companies and groups
involved in ecological and cultural destruction in the region. Rio Tinto
was the first to be targeted. Entrances to Anglesay Aluminium, a North
Wales subsidiary of Rio Tinto, were blockaded for most of Thursday (10).
A Toyota office in Redhill was paint-bombed, highlighting Toyota's
involvement in logging in the South Pacific. On Wednesday, the
Indonesian embassy in London was forcibly entered in protest over the
country's continued occupation of West Papua and the murder of an
estimated 100,000 indigenous people. And last but definitely not least,
the New Tribes Mission offices were paid a visit at their UK
headquarters in Grimsby. The missionary group has stated that it is
their intent to reach and preach to every "dark corner" of the planet.
But the people of West Papua have declared missionaries to be one of the
4 biggest threats to free peoples--one of the biggest reasons being that
they build airstrips in remote jungles which are eventually used by
businessmen, corporations and military personnel. First comes
Christianity, then comes Coca Cola. For more details on the week of
actions, see www.eco-action.org/ssp For more Bougainville history, check
out the excellent film "The Coconut War."

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Inside SchNEWS

Please send letters of support to the 5 Stop Huntingdon Life Sciences
protestors who are on remand and facing charges of "Conspiracy to
Harass". This raucous, harassing mob include Gavin, who is partially
sighted, and Rylma, a 70 year old pensioner...Gavin Medd-Hall [JK4564],
Kevin White [JK4576] and Paul Baker [JK4584], HMP Canterbury, 46
Longport, Kent, CT1 1PJ, Robert Lewis [JK4563], HMP Elmley, Church Road,
Eastchurch, Sheerness, Kent, ME12 4AY, and Rylma White [KV4069], HMP
Holloway, Parkhurst Road, London, N7 0NU

The Jeff 'Free' Luers' zine we mentioned in last week's SchNEWS is
available from Brighton ABC. Send 80p and a stamped self-addressed
envelope to PO Box 74, Brighton, BN1 4ZQ, East Sussex.

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SchNEWS in brief

   * Eviction of the Lappersfort Woodland protest site in Brugge,
     Belgium started on Monday with numerous arrests. The protestors,
     who have been living in the forest for over a year, are trying to
     disrupt council plans for a four-lane highway and industrial
     estate. They are asking for people to organise solidarity actions
     at Belgian embassies across Europe or to come to the site itself.
     www.lappersfront.tk
   * Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, chairman of the ironically named Business
     Action for Sustainable Development (see SchNEWS 361/2) was custard
     pied in London last week before speaking at the Global Development
     Forum. The former Shell boss, now heading the corporate lobby group
     that likes to sound like Mother Teresa whilst making damn sure the
     Big Business profits keep rolling in at any cost, shrugged off the
     attack by protestors saying, "It was meant in good fun". Yeah right
     Mark, we love you really!
   * Lt General Shaul Mofaz, Israeli commander of the illegal occupation
     of Palestine from May 98 to July this year, is coming for some
     dinners in the UK this month. He'll be in Glasgow (26), Liverpool
     (28) and Leeds (29). Contact Leeds Earth First! to make sure his
     tour goes off without a hitch. leedsef@ukf.net
   * The second issue of SchOUND OFF!, Plymouth's direct action
     newsheet, is out now. To subscribe, email schound_off@hotmail.com
   * This Sat (19) London Animal Action are celebrating anti-McDonalds
     day by having a demo at the Kings Cross branch of McD's, cnr
     Belgrove St and Euston Rd, WC1, from 4pm onwards - just up the road
     from the Anorak's Bookfair.
   * The Park Nook woodland protest site, near Liverpool, has been
     squatted for the last five months and now has a 24-hour presence.
     An eviction is imminent and people are needed to defend the space!
     0780 360 9721 http://rts.gn.apc.org/diary.htm
   * Police tactics of mass arrests at Faslane Blocades have been
     undermined by the recent High Court ruling that Tommy Sheridan's
     breach of the peace charge doesn't stick, which will set a
     precedent for hundreds of others facing similar charges.
     www.tridentploughshares.org
   * The folks at Counter Information news-sheet are holding meetings to
     discuss the future of the paper. If you're interested in going to a
     meeting or getting involved with the paper, contact them in
     Edinburgh on 0131 557 6242 (ask for CI) or email
     ci@counterinfo.org.uk
   * There's still room on the Brighton mini-bus going to the protest at
     the Dover Removal Centre this Saturday (19). For a mere £3/£5, you
     get a seat on the bus, as well as a ferry ride across the Channel
     to attend a later protest at the Sangatte Red Cross Centre, soon to
     be shut down by the French government. The bus leaves early (7am!!)
     but plans to be back to Brighton on the same day. To book your
     spot, phone the Unemployment Centre on (01273) 540 717.
   * SchNEWS Of The World is now up on our website. Or if paper's more
     your style grab a copy from us for £7 this weekend at the Anorak's
     Bookfair.

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Doubled Dutch

When is a political refugee not a political refugee? When the Bush
administration decides they're not. Prof Jose Maria Sison, founder of
the Communist Party of the Philippines, has lived in the Netherlands
since 1987, where he is seeking asylum as a political refugee. But now
he's been labelled a terrorist by the American and Dutch governments,
his 'funds' (a meagre joint bank account shared with his wife) have been
frozen, and he is being threatened with extradition to the US. There is
a meeting on Oct. 24, 4-9pm in support of Sison at the Tohum Cultural
Center, 2A Belgrade Rd, London N16. There's also an action on Oct 21,
12-2pm, outside the Dutch Embassy, 38 Hyde Park Road, London.
http://defendsison.be/

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Pain In The Ukraine

On September 30, anti-nuclear campaigner Ruslan Syninvsky was gunned
down by an unidentified man in Kiev. One month earlier, Public Control,
an organisation Syninvsky was deeply involved in, had filed a lawsuit
against the Ukrainian government's plans to build two new nuclear
reactors in a country still haunted by Chernobyl.

The police's official story is that Syninvsky was killed in a bungled
robbery attempt, but the fact that the Ukrainian Secret Service has been
harassing and threatening anyone who openly opposes the new reactors
makes the official version kind of hard to swallow.

In the Ukraine, whose population suffered the world's worst nuclear
disaster in 1986, the vast majority of people oppose nuclear energy.
Knowing the opposition the project would face, Energoatom (the nuclear
company contracted to build the new power stations) skirted the issue by
neglecting to hold legally required public meetings on the topic, and
didn't publish any information about the reactors in Ukrainian!

Funding for the proposed reactors would come from the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and from one of the European
Commission's 'EuroAtom' loans (set up to find new markets for Western
Europe's stagnant nuclear industry). The whopping £400 million EuroAtom
loan would be nearly impossible for the Ukrainian government to repay,
not to mention that it comes with major strings attached-one of the loan
conditions is that the Ukraine allow for privitisation of its energy
industry as well as an immediate hike in energy rates. Bottom line-the
average Ukrainian's energy bill would rise by 30% or more.

The EBRD's support for the project has been pure comedy. EBRD's
president, Jean Lemierre, went on record as saying his bank would not
support the reactors unless they were proven safe and economically
feasible. To prove this point, EBRD hired their own team of experts to
investigate. Unfortunately for Lemierre, the experts issued a report
stating that the building of the two new reactors was neither safe nor
affordable. Not being what the Bank wanted to hear, they then
commissioned Stone and Webster, a US-based nuclear contracting company,
to produce a second report. Surprise, surprise, the second report stated
that the new reactors were a fantastic idea!
www.aseed.net/publications/ebrdreader
http://russia.indymedia.org/front.php?article_id=3389&group=webcast

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One Sizewell Fits All

150 Greenpeace activists occupied the roof of Sizewell B nuclear power
station this week. Greenpeace have produced a report showing that a
quarter of the UK's energy demands can be supplied by offshore wind in
East Anglia, but the nuclear industry insists that our ever increasing
needs can only be met by them. www.greenpeace.org.uk

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...and finally...

What goes around comes around... A local politician in a village near
Lugansk, Ukraine, was out one night taking his dog for an evening pee
when an over-zealous officer - albeit junior in rank to him - pointed
out that his dog was in fact in breach of regulations by being off a
lead, and unmuzzled. An argument broke out between the two men -
culminating in the politician pulling a hand grenade from his pocket,
pulling the pin, and throwing it at the young officer. What he didn't
bargain for was his loyal pup running to chase the grenade... and
faithfully bringing it back to his master. The macho man politician and
his poor dog were both killed in the explosion.

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Disclaimer
SchNEWS assures all readers - they'll never bomb Bognor Regis. Honest.

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Cor-blimley-they're-practically-giving-them-away book offer

SchNEWS Round issues 51 - 100 £4.00 inc. postage.
SchNEWS Annual issues 101 - 150 £4.00 inc. postage.
SchNEWS Survival Guide issues 151 - 200 and a whole lot more £4.00 inc.
postage
The SchQUALL book at only £7 + £1.50 p&p. (US Postage £4.00 for
individual books, £13 for all four).
SchNEWS and SQUALL's YEARBOOK 2001. 300 pages of adventures from the
direct action frontline. £7 + £1.50 p&p. You can order the book from a
bookshop or your library, quote the ISBN 09529748 4 3.
In the UK you can get 2, 3, 4 & 5 for £20 inc. postage.

SchNEWS Of The World issues 301 - 350. 300 more pages of adventures from
the direct action frontline. £7 + £1.50 p&p. You can order the book from
a bookshop or your library, quote the ISBN 09529748 6X

In addition to 50 issues of SchNEWS, each book contains articles,
photos, cartoons, subverts, a "yellow pages" list of contacts, comedy
etc.

Subscribe to SchNEWS: Send 1st Class stamps (e.g. 10 for next 9 issues)
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