Protesters arrested at Narangba irradiation site
BY BILL MASON BRISBANE — Four people were arrested on June 18 as police and security guards moved in to allow the commencement of surveying and earthmoving works at the site of the proposed nuclear food irradiation facility at Narangba industrial
Nurses, hospital staff strike for improved pay
BY BILL MASON BRISBANE — More than 10,000 Queensland public hospital nurses struck for up to 24 hours on June 20 in support of their claims for pay rises and improved working conditions. The nurses voted unanimously at rallies around the state to
Government tests Labor with islands' excision
BY SARAH STEPHEN On June 18, the federal government was forced to introduce into the Senate regulations it had drafted 12 days earlier to excise some 3500 islands from Australia's migration zone, islands which run from 200 kilometres south of
Let Afghan asylum seekers stay!
BY SARAH STEPHEN If the 1100 Afghan asylum seekers being detained in Australia, Nauru and Manus Island had been allowed to apply for refugee status when they first arrived, most would already have been resettled in Australia. Now, after the ousting
WA Labor to introduce routine DNA testing
BY SEAN MARTIN-IVERSON PERTH — The Western Australian Labor government has passed legislation that will allow WA police to conduct compulsory DNA tests. By November 1, WA police will routinely obtain DNA samples from a wide range of suspects,
Glenn Shields: 'Why I'm running for the Socialist Alliance'
BY ALEX BAINBRIDGE HOBART — Glenn Shields, a campaigner against the Southwood woodchip mill, has been pre-selected as one of the two Socialist Alliance candidates for the seat of Franklin in the upcoming Tasmanian election. Previously an ALP
Dayson workers hold out for union rights
BY SAM WAINWRIGHT SYDNEY — Twelve workers from the Dayson compressor manufacturing plant at Rydalmere have been on strike for more than four weeks. The strike began when seven workers, including two union delegates, were sacked without notice on
'Most ambitious socialist campaign ever'
BY KAMALA EMANUEL HOBART — The Socialist Alliance has announced what it describes as "the most ambitions socialist campaign ever for a Tasmanian state election". The Tasmanian Labor government has called an early election for July 20. "We will
Militant unionists to face trial
BY SUE BOLTON MELBOURNE — Four of the seven Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) members charged over alleged vandalism during a "run-through" at office of Skilled Engineering in Box Hill on June 15, 2001, have been committed to stand
Thousands mobilise for refugees' rights
BY ALEX SALMON & JULIANNE GREEN PERTH — The June 22 component of the June 22-23 national mobilisations to demand that the Australian government end the mandatory detention of asylum seekers attracted good crowds. More than 800 people
Socialists need lawyer
The Socialist Alliance in Western Australia is running a campaign to gain state electoral registration. We seek a lawyer who is prepared to give free legal advice on matters relating to electoral regulations. Please phone Nikki on 08 9218 9608 or
More refugee applications rejected
CANBERRA — The immigration department announced on June 20 that a further 372 asylum seekers on Nauru had received decisions on their applications for refugee status. Only 15 were recognised as refugees. To date, 1141 asylum seekers have had
Residents oppose Pinkenba refugee prison
BY ADAM BAKER BRISBANE — "Australia has mistreated the Aboriginal people for more than 200 years. Why can't we show some compassion?", pleaded a resident opposed to the proposed Pinkenba refugee detention centre during a 100-strong meeting at
Forum discusses AIDS in Africa
BY LYNDA HANSEN BRISBANE — "Pharmaceuticals should be free", declared Mwampole Rita Bridgwood as she addressed a forum on "Africa: a HIV crisis" organised by Amnesty International and Oxfam Community Aid Abroad in West End on June 18. Bridgwood
Victory for Mindil Beach free speech
BY CHRIS ATKINSON DARWIN — Responding to widespread opposition, the Mindil Beach Sunset Market Association (MBSMA) on June 19 dropped its attempt to make Green Left Weekly campaigners pay for a "busking licence" in order to distribute the paper.
Residents determined to fight ADI redevelopment
BY ALISTAIR DICKINSON SYDNEY — The redevelopment of the former Australian Defence Industries (ADI) site near St Marys, in Sydney's outer western suburbs, is one step closer with the NSW Labor government's approval of the construction of a private
BRITAIN: West Papuan supporters confront Megawati
LONDON — On June 16, protesters disrupted Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri's meeting with British Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair. Waving placards, posters and a grave stone for the murdered Papuan leader Theys Eluay, protesters blocked
CUBA: Millions sign for socialism
BY REYNOLD RASSI By midday, June 18, more than 8 million Cubans — out of a population of around 13 million — had signed in support of the constitutional modification bill, proposed by the leaders of the island's mass organisations. The bill
PAKISTAN: Peasant women lead land struggle
BY EVA CHENG In the latest attack on a growing struggle by peasants for land rights in Punjab, police raided seven villages in the Khanewal district on June 8. Eight people were arrested. Many more would have been detained had it not been for the
INDONESIA: Squalls before the storm
BY MAX LANE JAKARTA — Natalia Scholastika was a student activist in Bandung, West Java, when the first arrest warrant against her was issued in 2001. A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD), she had helped organise a protest by thousands
EAST TIMOR: Canberra pressures Xanana
BY JON LAND East Timor's recently elected president, Xanana Gusmao, arrived in Canberra on June 17 for his first official state visit to Australia. Accompanied by foreign minister Jose Ramos Horta and other East Timorese representatives, Gusmao
PALESTINE: How Israel creates suicide bombers
BY NOAM CHOMSKY "What we feared has come true", Israeli sociologist Baruch Kimmerling wrote in a leading newspaper in Israel a year ago. Jews and Palestinians are "regressing to superstitious tribalism... War appears an unavoidable fate", an "evil
UNITED STATES: Treaty withdrawal fuels militarisation
BY JIM GREEN The United States government formally withdrew from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty on June 13. The withdrawal is part of the US government's broader plans to upgrade its nuclear arsenal, enhance its nuclear "first-strike"
ZIMBABWE: Activists beaten, arrested
BY BRIGGS BOMBA HARARE — Riot police and ruling party thugs on June 16 viciously attacked a peaceful commemoration of the 1976 Soweto uprising. More than 70 people were beaten and arrested. Munyaradzi Gwisai, Zimbabwe's only socialist member of
AFRICA: 'Nepad? No thanks', say African activists
BY PATRICK BOND JOHANNESBURG — South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki made the cover of the June 10 international edition of Time magazine, with the misleading headline: "He has finally faced up to the AIDS crisis and is now leading the charge for
VENEZUELA: Why Washington tried to topple Chavez
BY FEDERICO FUENTES Since the failed April 11-14 coup against Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez, it has become even clearer that the move to topple the oil-rich Latin American country's democratically elected government was inspired from
UNITED STATES: Henry Kissinger, war criminal
BY JACK A. SMITH Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's past political misdeeds are catching up to him at last. Some human rights groups are trying to have him arrested as a war criminal for his involvement in Washington's war to dominate
COLOMBIA: Most dangerous country for unionists
Colombia is the most dangerous country for trade unionists. This was the finding of a survey conducted by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU). In 2001, 201 trade unionists were reported killed or disappeared in Colombia. This
General strike halts Spain
On June 20, Spain was paralysed by a one-day general strike. The country's main union federations reported that more than 80% of the work force walked out. Hundreds of thousands of workers demonstrated across the country. The strike was called to
PALESTINE: Torture, murder in custody revealed
BY ROHAN PEARCE The Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem has conducted an investigation into the murder of Murad 'Awaisa, a 17-year-old Palestinian. 'Awaisa was killed in Ramallah at the beginning of Israel's bloody "Operation Defensive
INDONESIA: When 'national unity' is no longer voluntary
BY MAX LANE JAKARTA — The persistence of the movement for a self-determination referendum in Aceh, the emergence of the Papuan People's Council and the troubles in Ambon have all raised concerns about whether Indonesian unity can be maintained.
'Mainstream' meets 'alternative'
TogetherDirected by Lukas MoodyssonShowing at Dendy cinemas REVIEW BY MARIA VOUKELATOS Elisabeth tires of her abusive alcoholic husband, so she packs her bags, takes her children and goes off to live with her brother, Goran. Elisabeth is a fairly
A meeting in Denmark
REVIEW BY MARK STOYICH CopenhagenBy Michael FraynSydney Theatre CompanyWith John Gaden, Jane Harders and Colin FrielsWharf TheatreUntil July 14 Why did Werner Heisenberg, the leading German nuclear physicist during the World War II, visit his old
Rock for Refugees needs musicians!
We are looking for any musicians interested in performing at a Rock for the Refugees benefit concert to be held in Sydney some time in August. We want to hear from any artists who can help out. Please contact Mike Cook at
Can soccer survive the World Cup?
It's a shadowy, unaccountable transnational organisation, dispensing bribes to the Third World and riddled with corruption. No, not the IMF, but FIFA — the international football federation that runs soccer's World Cup. On May 29, just days
Under the shadow of the bomb
Under the shadow of the bomb Jang aur Aman (War and Peace)Directed by Anand PatwardhanScreened at the 49th Sydney Film Festival REVIEW BY EVA CHENG Since it became formally independent 55 years ago, India has hardly known peace. The country has
Imperial impunity and the International Criminal Court
US President George Bush thinks that the United States should be free to carry out war crimes in the name of "fighting terrorism". Its war on Afghanistan and its declaration of intent to invade Iraq again are blatant examples of Washington's
We Timorese activists really appreciate that Green Left Weekly is always there to tell Australian people about our ongoing fight for our sovereignty. We don't feel alone because you always stand with us, Kamaradas.
Tomas Freitas
Movement Against the Occupation of the Timor Sea (MKOTT)