From sap at web.net Sat Apr 1 04:40:49 2000 From: sap at web.net (Faruq Faisel) Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 14:40:49 -0500 Subject: [asia-apec 1414] Presentation: Military Government in Pakistan and Space for Democratic Politics Message-ID: <00d601bf9b49$05e9f5c0$1a0000c0@web.net> SOUTH ASIA PARTNERSHIP CANADA Invites you to a presentation on: MILITARY GOVERNMENT IN PAKISTAN: ANY SPACE FOR DEMOCRATIC POLITICS? Presentation by: Mr. Kaiser Bengali Thursday, April 6, 2000 12:00 to 2:00 PM Conference Room (202), Second Floor 1 Nicholas Street, Ottawa Mr. Bengali is involved, as a development activist, in the movement for democratic politics in Pakistan Mr. Bengali is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDIP). He has several publications including: "Social Dimension of Privatization in Pakistan", "Poverty in Karachi: Incidence, Location, Characteristics and Upward Mobility"; "Money, Income, Prices and Causality: The Pakistan Experience". For more information and to RSVP please contact: Judy Stott or Faruq Faisel SAP Canada, Phone: (613) 241-1333, Fax: (613) 241-1129 Email: sap@web.net From amittal at foodfirst.org Sat Apr 1 07:41:45 2000 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 14:41:45 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1415] "Labor's Next Century" - The Nation Institute Event Message-ID: <0.700000824.457606536-212058698-954542505@topica.com> Dear Food Rights Watch Subscriber, We wanted to let you know about an upcoming New York City event we thought might be of interest. Apologies to everyone who doesn't reside in one of the five boroughs or within driving distance. But we'll strive to keep you informed of events coast to coast as they come up. A very special international conference at New York University, "Labor's Next Century," is taking place soon -- on April 7 and 8th. Devoted to a series of issues critical to the future prospects of international labor, this conference features a special plenary session, "Whose World Is It Anyway?" produced by The Nation Institute, taking place on April 7 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Moderated by Nation Senior Editor Betsy Reed, this panel includes an eclectic group of thinkers drawn from the worlds of activism, policy-making, scholarship and journalism, including author Naomi Klein, economist Doug Henwood, AFL-CIO Policy Analyst Thea Lee and Assistant Director of Food First Anuradha Mittal. For information and tickets, call 212-998-3721. ### Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. _________________________________________________________ Enlighten your in-box. http://www.topica.com/t/15 From sap at web.net Wed Apr 5 04:41:37 2000 From: sap at web.net (Faruq Faisel) Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 15:41:37 -0400 Subject: [asia-apec 1416] Reminder: Human Rights Violations in Nepal Message-ID: <00b901bf9e6e$7717c1a0$1a0000c0@web.net> This is a reminder for those who live in Ottawa area. The mid day presentation: "NOT JUST SMILING SHERPAS" Human Rights Violations in Nepal By: Dr. Sybille Manneschmidt Chairperson, Transgenus International is taking place tomorrow, Wednesday, April 5, 2000 from 12:00 - 14:00 at 1 Nicholas Street, Ottawa. Now instead of the Conference Room, this will take place in the CCIC Board Room which is on the third floor of the same building. We are hoping that one presenter may join the event by phone from Kathmandu to update us on further developments in Nepal. This February, Dr. Sybille Manneschmidt investigated human rights violations in Nepal that have impacted upon her organization's health education project. Transgenus International supports a women and children's health group in the northern area of Rolpa District, in the midwestern region of Nepal in a Kham Magar Village. Transgenus has been involved in the community since 1995. Manneschmidt, an Albertan, has just returned from traveling in the area where she witnessed an alarming escalation in human rights violations that have been ongoing in the area since 1996. Many of the villagers she has visited in the past have simply disappeared. Those who have managed to stay in their villages live in fear. The conflict between the Nepali government and Maoist insurgents is destroying small village communities in outlying areas and has reversed any grass-roots development in these highly impoverished areas. During Dr.Manneschmidt's stay in Dhang district she conducted interviews with affected villagers, human rights activists, lawyers and journalists. People had either personally been threatened or had witnessed atrocities being perpetrated by police or Maoist guerrillas. They reported murders and torture, as well as missing relatives and neighbours. Many of the villagers have been jailed and seen their homes destroyed. Villagers requested her to tell the international community: " We are not just smiling Sherpas; we are getting killed". Faruq Faisel Canadian Program Manager South Asia Partnership (SAP) Canada 1 Nicholas Street, Suite 200 Ottawa Ontario K1N 7B7 Canada Phone: (613) 241 1333 Fax: (613) 241 1129 URL: www.sapcanada.org From panap at panap.po.my Wed Apr 5 13:00:56 2000 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 12:00:56 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1417] Filipino rice farmers protest IRRI 40th anniversary of 'green revolution' Message-ID: Filipino rice farmers protest IRRI 40th anniversary of 'green revolution' Los Baños, Philippines 4 April 2000 Hundreds of Filipino rice farmers protested against the Philippine-based agricultural center the International Rice Reseach Institute (IRRI), home of the 'Green Revolution', which is celebrating its 40th anniversary today. "IRRI out!" and "No to GMO" calls reverberated as hundreds of protesters trooped to the President's place, where the celebration was moved due to picketing protesters infront of the IRRI base station in Los Baños town, some 65 kms south of Manila. Protesters said aside from promoting the US agenda on counterinsurgency and corporate domination of domestic agricultural production, IRRI's much-flaunted Green Revolution Program "caused massive loss of biological diversity in rice paddies throughout Asia". Founded in 1959 under an agreement forged by the Rockefeller and Ford foundations with the Philippine, IRRI's tenure in this Southeast Asian country expires in 2003. The Manila protesters also slammed President Estrada's official support for the hybrid rice being popularized by IRRI, through the administration's program Agrikulturang Makamasa. Though projected yields are high, seeds are costly and cannot be saved for the next year, making it necessary for farmers to keep buying the patented seed for each planting and prevents them from breeding their own strains of rice. Lorenzo Leongson secretary general of the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luson said peasant groups in Central Luzon are continuing the campaign against genetic engineering as they learned of planned tests of blight-resistant rice strains in the Philippine Rice Research Institute in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. Outside the Palace gate, farmers and civil society including representatives from Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan joined Filipino protesters who marched through street after holding a vigil infront of IRRI's headquarter in Los Baños which authorities said "compelled IRRI into moving the celebration to Malacañang Palace." Shamsul Haq of the Nayakrishi New Agriculture Movement of Bangladesh said that today 3,000 Bangladeshis are marching in the streets of Dacca and other cities in Bangladesh to support the Philippine movement to get the IRRI closed. Like the Philippines, Bangladesh has lost almost all of its traditional rice varieties. IRRI's charter vows to save the world's vast legacies of genetic materials for humankind. The protest action was jointly organized by the Peasant Movement of the Philippines (KMP), Farmer-Scientist Partnership for Development (Masipag) and the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Philippines. PAN - Asia and the Pacific P.O. Box 1170 11850 Penang Malaysia Web : http://www.poptel.org.uk/panap Tel. : 604-6570271/6560381 Fax : 604-6577445 From amittal at foodfirst.org Thu Apr 6 04:13:07 2000 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 12:13:07 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 1418] Leading Scientists Debate the Merits of Biotechnology Message-ID: <0.700000824.640148278-212058698-954961987@topica.com> April 5, 2000 Leading Scientists Debate the Merits of Biotechnology Read the debate on transgenic crops published in AgBioForum. Miguel Altieri of the University of California at Berkeley and Peter Rosset of Food First/The Institute for Food and Development Policy argue that biotechnology is not the solution to world hunger. Martina McGloughlin of University of California, Davis, responds with a defense of biotechnology, to which Altieri and Rosset reply: 1) Ten reasons why biotechnology will not ensure food security, protect the environment and reduce poverty in the developing world. Altieri, M.A. and Rosset, P. (1999). AgBioForum, 2(3&4), 155-162. http://www.agbioforum.org/Default/altieri.htm 2) Ten reasons why biotechnology will be important to the developing world. McGloughlin, M (1999). AgBioForum, 2(3&4), 163-174. http://www.agbioforum.org/Default/mcgloughlin.htm 3) Strengthening the case for why biotechnology will not help the developing world: a response to McGloughlin. Altieri, M.A. and Rosset, P. (1999). AgBioForum, 2(3&4), 226-236. http://www.agbioforum.org/Default/altierireply.htm -- Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. _________________________________________________________ Enlighten your in-box. http://www.topica.com/t/15 From amittal at foodfirst.org Fri Apr 7 06:35:48 2000 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 14:35:48 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 1419] ADJUSTING AMERICA Message-ID: <0.700000824.1411115884-951758591-955056948@topica.com> ADJUSTING AMERICA The Structural Adjusment Programs Imposed by the IMF & the World Bank Are Hitting the U.S. too! by Anuradha Mittal There is enough evidence on how policies of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) have come to connote colonialism and a dominating world capitalist system for the Third World. The unregulated flow of global capital has placed the fate of developing economies at the mercy of Wall Street traders. However, nations of the South are not the only victims of this process. There is also a "South" in the North-right here in the United States, that is being harmed by domestic policies of the U.S. government, such as the ‘Contract With America’ and the ‘welfare reform.’ These policies are part of the same package of policies imposed by the World Bank and the IMF on developing countries. With the rise of "neoliberalism" on a worldwide scale, the Third World countries have faced rampant privatization and the removal of barriers to trade via structural adjustment programs imposed by the World Bank and the IMF. In the U.S., supply-side economics, or ‘Reaganomics’ have continued unimterrupted under Bush and Clinton administration. In England it was called "Thatcherism" but has continued virtually uninterrupted under the "new Labor" government. Regardless of where it has taken place, the onslaught has been remarkably similar: debts and deficits accumulated through military overspending and tax cuts to the rich are being repaid on the backs of the poor, women, immigrants, people of color and workers. Though a triumphant view dominates media coverage of the U.S. economy, but never before poor working families have been forced to wage their daily struggles amid pervasive chatter about unprecedented prosperity. In both rich and poor nations, dislocations from economic and corporate restructuring, and from dismantling the institutions of social protection, have resulted in greater insecurity in jobs and incomes. The ‘Third Worldization’ of America The double squeeze by corporate America and a U.S. government catering to corporate interest, has forced Americans to give back quite a bit. For example: o Despite glowing media reports on our booming economy, as estimated 46 million Americans, nearly 17% of the population, live below the poverty line. o The top 2.7 million people have as much income as the bottom 100 million. In other words, the richest 1 percent of Americans is projected to have as much income as the bottom 38 percent. Wealth is even more concentrated, with the wealthiest 1 percent of households owning nearly 40 percent of the nation’s wealth. The bottom 80 percent own just 16 percent of the nation’s wealth. To further widen this inequality, CEOs of U.S. corporations pocketed 419 times the average wage of a blue collar worker in 1998. o According to the Report on Household Food Security put out by the USDA in 1999, an estimated 36 million Americans in 10.5 million households do not have access to adequate food. o The strong economy, celebrated by administration is not reducing hunger because even though more households are in workforce, their take-home pay is not enough to feed their families. A full-time worker at minimum wage earns $9,512 a year. For a family of four, that puts the family income well below the federal poverty line of $17,072. o A survey of 26 cities released in December 1999 by the U.S. Conference of Mayors shows that hunger and homelessness has grown unabated, despite an expanding national economy. Among 2 key findings of the 1999 Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America’s cities, demand for emergency food related assistance during 1999 grew at the highest level since 1992 (18 percent over the previous year), and demand for emergency housing related assistance grew at the highest level since 1994. 21 percent of requests for food are estimated to have gone unmet. o The government has responded to this crisis by passing legislation such as welfare reform which has resulted in 11 million families, including 8 million with children, losing their income. This happened when total federal spending for food programs before welfare reform was only 2.5 percent of the federal budget. More than half of the $54 billion in welfare cuts are coming from food stamps that 25 million poor Americans depended upon. Over 80 percent of food stamps go to families with children. This has resulted in increased hunger. o In 1997, Second Harvest, the country’s largest chain of food banks provided food for almost 26 million people, nearly 10 percent of America’s population. Even then it had to turn away 2.3 million people. To compensate fully for the government cuts, each of the 350,000 churches in the U.S. would have to contribute an additional $150,000 and many churches do not have a budget this big. To make up for the shortfall, the non-profit sector would have to distribute a total of 24.5 billion pounds of food over the next 6 years, four times more then the current distribution and enough to fill 5 million Army National Guard Trucks. o The number of Americans who lack health insurance continues to increase, climbing to 44.3 million in spite of a prosperous economy. o An estimated 7 to 8 million Americans are homeless. o In the Unites States approximately 20.7% of the population age 16 to 65 is functionally illiterate, the majority of whom are low-paid workers such as farm workers, domestic workers and other who labor long hours in low-paying jobs. Indeed, structural adjustment Washington-style is giving the U.S. a Third World appearance: rising poverty, widespread homelessness, greater inequality and social polarization. But perhaps it is the state of children that most starkly captures the ‘Third Worldization’ of America. Today United States has the highest rate of child poverty among the industrialized countries, with one in every five children growing up in poverty. The number of children living at or below one-half of the poverty line increased by 426,000 between 1996 and 1997. About 20 percent of all children under the age of 18, or 14 million, live in food insecure homes. Direct Impact of IMF/World Bank Policies on Americans o The U.S. trade deficit has mushroomed from about $107 billion in 1990 to more than $270 billion in 1999. A study by the Institute for Policy Studies shows how World Bank/IMF policy lending has contributed to the increase of the U.S. trade deficit by prescribing currency devaluations, which make U.S. imports more expensive and by prescribing cuts in government spending, which lead to job loss and reduced purchasing power of people to buy U.S. goods. o Although U.S. unemployment is at a record low, the fact that U.S. imports are far outstripping exports, has displaced U.S. jobs, particularly in the manufacturing sector. More than 530,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs were lost between March 1998 and September 1999. This is significant because manufacturing jobs as a whole pay better and more often offer fringe benefits such as health insurance and pension coverage than in other industries that employ non-college graduates. o World Bank and IMF programs have also contributed to downward pressure on U.S. wages by prescribing the lifting of controls on investment and so-called "labor market flexibility" measures that weaken unions. These policies have contributed to the mobility of global corporations, increasing their power to bargain down wages and working conditions here in the United States. Although real wages in the United States rose slightly in 1998 and 1999, low-income workers, including large numbers of people of color and women saw their wages erode during the decade of the 1990s. Even some globalization proponents admit that 20-25 percent of the increase in U.S. inequality may be due to import competition and employers moving (or threatening to move) to developing countries where they can take advantage of lax enforcement of worker rights. Corporate-driven structural adjustment has triggered sever social stress and strain in both the North and the South. United States, after dismantling many of the social mechanisms of the New Deal state, has addressed the discontent through punitive measures. US expenditures on criminal justice have increased four times faster than the budget for education, and twice as fast as outlays on hospitals and health. Today the US has achieved the distinction of imprisoning a larger share of its population than any other nation. To counter this wave of corporate driven structural adjustment, it is essential that we promote the common interests of the peoples of the South and the North. This entails forging, across borders, an alternative economic vision, one that brings the economy back under the control of the community, one that fosters solidarity instead of polarization idealized by market economy. By: Anuradha Mittal Institute for Food and Development Policy - Food First 398 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94618 USA Phone: (510) 654-4400 http://www.foodfirst.org MOBILIZATION FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE! Join the convergence and direct action opposing the IMF and World Bank - Washington, DC Week of teach-ins, trainings, and cultural events April 8-15, 2000 Direct Action at the Spring Meetings of the IMF & World Bank April 16-17, 2000 202/319-2426/ www.a16.org Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. _________________________________________________________ Enlighten your in-box. http://www.topica.com/t/15 From rverzola at phil.gn.apc.org Sun Apr 9 08:49:49 2000 From: rverzola at phil.gn.apc.org (Roberto Verzola) Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2000 08:49:49 Subject: [asia-apec 1420] An activist amongst the robber barons Message-ID: <200004090129.JAA11063@phil.gn.apc.org> I saw this interesting post on the nettime list. -- Roberto Verzola AN ACTIVIST AMONGST THE ROBBER BARONS [Bruce Silverglade of the Center for Science in the Public Interest managed to get himself invited to a day-long high-level seminar on "After Seattle: Restoring Momentum to the WTO." Speakers included Clayton Yeutter (former Secretary of Agriculture), Robert Litan (former Associate Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget), Lawrence Eagleburger (former Secretary of State), and Luiz Felipe Lamreia, the foreign Minster of Brazil. His fly-on-the-wall report is worth quoting at some length]: I was disappointed that only one representative like myself from a non-profit organization concerned about the impact of the WTO on food safety regulation was invited. But I was pleased that the door had been opened and I looked forward to [it]. . . . As it turned out, I got a lot more than I bargained for. The seminar ~ turned out to be a strategy session on how to defeat those opposed to the current WTO system. Apparently, no one knew who I was (perhaps my graying temples and dark suit helped me blend in with the overwhelming older male group of attendees) and I did not speak up until the end of the meeting. The meeting was kicked off by a gentleman named Lord Patterson who was Margaret Thatcher's Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. He began by stating that our number one job is to restore confidence in the WTO before embarking on any new rounds of trade negotiations. So far, so good, I thought. But he then proclaimed that non-profit groups have no right to criticize the WTO as undemocratic because the groups themselves do not represent the general public. (I wondered which groups he was talking about because organizations that are gravely concerned about the impact of the WTO on environmental and consumer protection, like the Sierra Club and Public Citizen, have hundreds of thousands of members). He then stated that we must never have another WTO meeting on US soil because it was too easy for advocacy groups to organize here and security could not be assured . . . He added that President Clinton's speech during the WTO meeting in Seattle, in which the president acknowledged the protesters' concerns, was "disgraceful" and stated that it was also disgraceful that delegates to the WTO meeting in Seattle had to survive on sandwiches and couldn't get a decent meal during three days of social protest. The Lord finished his speech by recalling better times having tea with Maggie, and stating that the staff of the WTO Secretariat ~ should not be balanced with people from developing countries just because of the color of their skin. After a few words with the chairman of the meeting, Lord Patterson added "Oh, I hope I have not offended anyone." . . . The largely American audience of trade officials and policy wonks took the Lord's pronouncements seriously. The first comment by an American, picked up on the criticisms and asked 'How can we de-legitimize the NGOs?' The questioner claimed that these groups are usually supported by just a few charitable foundations and if the foundations could be convinced to cut off funding, the groups would be forced to cease operations. Mr. Litan, the former White House budget official, had another approach. He [asked] can't we give the NGOs other sandboxes to play in and have them take their concerns to groups like the International Labor Organization (a toothless United Nations sponsored-group). The representative from the US Trade Representative's office said nothing. . . . Under the banner of rebuilding public confidence in the WTO, [former Agriculture Secretary] Yeutter concurred with his British colleague's suggestion that the next WTO meeting be held in some place other than the US where security can be assured. He further suggested that the WTO give the public little advance notice of where the meeting would be held to keep the protesters off balance. He said that the protesters' demands for greater transparency in WTO proceedings was a misnomer because the protesters didn't really want to participate in WTO proceedings -- all they wanted was to get TV coverage and raise money for their organizations. . . . The day ended with the usual Washington reception . . . During desert, the foreign minister of Brazil lamented that if the next WTO meeting had to be held in an out of the way place, he preferred that it be held on a cruise ship instead of in the middle of the desert. He then gave an impassioned speech in which he opposed writing core labor standards into the WTO agreement and defended child labor by describing how in one region of Brazil, more than 5,000 children "help their families earn a little extra money" by hauling bags of coal from a dump yard to a steel mill. He stressed, however, that the children do not work directly in the steel mill. He was greeted by a hearty round of applause. # distributed via : no commercial use without permission # is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: majordomo@bbs.thing.net and "info nettime-l" in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@bbs.thing.net From amittal at foodfirst.org Tue Apr 11 08:07:46 2000 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 16:07:46 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 1421] Rally for Black Farmers Message-ID: <0.700000824.321985800-951758591-955408066@topica.com> Please Endorse the Rally for Black Farmers; Plan to Attend; and make a tax deductible contribution to bus farmers from around the country to the doorstep of the USDA!!! SEND IN YOUR ENDORSEMENTS TO foodfirst@foodfirst.org STRUGGLE FOR LAND & JUSTICE Join the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association (BFAA) and Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy May 8, 2000 at 10 a.m. United States Department of Agriculture Independence Avenue Washington, DC. USDA OFFICIALS ADMIT TO DECADES OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION FINDS THE POPULATION OF BLACK FAMILY FARMERS FALLING FIVE TIMES FASTER THAN WHITE FARMERS AND ON THE VERGE OF EXTINCTION LOANS NOT APPROVED, MONEY NOT DISTRIBUTED, BLACK FAMILY FARMERS MISTREATED, COMPLAINTS NOT HEARD Now You Can HELP MAKE THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ACCOUNTABLE STAND-UP AGAINST RACISM UPHOLD THE RIGHT OF BLACK FARMERS TO THEIR LAND STAND FOR JUSTICE ––– DEMAND IT! PLAN TO ATTEND AND MAKE A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TO: BFAA, P.O. Box 61, Tillery, NC 27887 Contributions will be used to bus farmers & supporters from around the country to the doorstep of the USDA Contact BFAA at 252-826-2800 or Food First at 510-654-4400 You can also e-mail at tillery@aol.com or foodfirst@foodfirst.org CALL TO ACTION SUPPORT BLACK FAMILY FARMERS AND THE FAMILY FARM MOVEMENT JOIN BFFA & FOOD FIRST MAY 8, 2000,WASHINGTON, DC "Land is the basis of all independence. Land is the basis of freedom, justice and equality." - Malcolm X We urge you to join black family farmers on May 8, 2000, on the steps of the USDA offices in Washington, DC to protest ongoing racial discrimination and economic injustice and to assert their equal human right to work as farmers. This rally organized by the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association (BFAA) and Food First/ Institute for Food and Development Policy will be an opportunity to let Secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman, and the USDA know that black family farmers are in a fight for their very lives. Black Farmers Arrested At USDA, Washington, DC March 6, 2000, eleven black farmers, eldest being 72 years old March 20 - 7 more black farmers arrested, the eldest was a 73 year old black woman farmer These 18 farmers represent the 18,000 Black Family Farmers left in the country Please send $10 and help us reach the $18,000 we need to bring the fight to the doorstep of the USDA What are the black farmers fighting for? The black farmers wanted to ask the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman, "Why won't you live up to the provisions of the Consent Decree?" The Decree is the result of an out-of-court settlement of a lawsuit against USDA, which involves compensation to individual black farmers for past discrimination by the USDA and its agents. "In 1920, 925,000 farmers were African American. A House of Representatives committee found in 1990 that black owned farms were going out of business at a rate five times that of white farmers, and that black farmers, who now represent less than 1% of U.S. farmers, were on the verge of extinction. In 1999 less than 18,000 African American farmers remained. This decline has been blamed on admitted racist and prejudicial treatment in lending policies of the USDA. "The Consent Decree is no panacea for what has happened to us, but the terrorism with which the Decree is being implemented, with over 40% of farmers already rejected, it will lead to sure death of black family farmers in this nation," said Gary R. Grant, President of BFAA. "The nation and the world need to know of the human rights violations of the USDA and the US Justice Department as they continue to cause undue and unnecessary anguish for black family farmers. " Join the black family farmers in their demand for their compensation, their land, and USDA reorganization. We demand political equality and economic justice; respect for the Economic Human Rights of America's black family farmers; and restoration of the right of the black family farmer to be stewards of the land, and keepers of their destiny. Send in your tax-deductible contribution to: BFAA P.O. Box 61 Tillery, NC 27887. For information contact Food First at 510-654-4400 or the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association at 252-826-2800. Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. _________________________________________________________ Enlighten your in-box. http://www.topica.com/t/15 From amittal at foodfirst.org Wed Apr 12 07:02:11 2000 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 15:02:11 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 1422] NPR Debate on GE Message-ID: <0.700000824.1737530757-212058698-955490531@topica.com> The directors of the nation's two leading food policy think tanks will debate the pros and cons of using genetically altered crops to combat world hunger. S C I E N C E F R I D A Y http://www.sciencefriday.com/ National Public Radio presents a national call-in show (1-800-989-TALK) Friday, April 14, 2:00 PM Eastern time, 11:00 AM Pacific time Can Biotechnology End Hunger? Dr. Peter Rosset Executive Director Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy (IFDP) Oakland, CA http://www.foodfirst.org Dr. Per Pinstrup-Andersen Director General International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Washington, DC http://www.cgiar.org/ifpri/ Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. _________________________________________________________ Enlighten your in-box. http://www.topica.com/t/15 From bayan at iname.com Thu Apr 13 15:50:55 2000 From: bayan at iname.com (BAYAN) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 23:50:55 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 1423] US gov't shuts down venue of Filipino-led forum vs. IMF-WB In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <200004121607.AAA09221@localhost.localdomain> People's Campaign Against Imperialist Globalization Media Release # 1 April 12, 2000 Groups slam ‘martial law’ in Washington, DC U.S. GOV’T CLOSES DOWN VENUE OF FILIPINO-LED FORUM AGAINST IMF-WB The People’s Campaign Against Imperialist Globalization (PCAIG) today deplored the U.S. government for causing the closure of a university hall where U.S.-based Filipinos and other people of color were to hold a symposium in line with the protests surrounding the Spring Meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington D.C. The forum titled “Imperialist Globalization: Its Impact on the Environment and Human Rights” was to be held at George Washington University’s Corcoran Hall on April 15. Government and school officials announced on April 10 that they were closing the universiy to outsiders. The forum, sponsored by Amnesty International, was one of the activities under the Filipino-led People’s Assembly Against IMF-WB. “This is the way they treat Filipino activists here in Washington. They are taking away our right to speak up against the harsh impacts of imperialist globalization,” said PCAIG convenor and Bayan Vice Chairperson Dr. Carolina Pagaduan-Araullo who is now in the U.S. as a speaker at the said forum. “Its like martial law here at the U.S. capital. Just to make the IMF-WB meeting look good, the U.S. government is using all means to stop the protest actions and thwart discussions against imperialist globalization,” Araullo added. Araullo, a veteran of last year’s “Battle in Seattle,” will be joined by South African anti-apartheid leader Dr. Dennis Brutus and Friends of the Filipino People leader Boone Schirmer. The venue has been moved to the Church of the Brethren, also at the U.S. capital, on April 15. “We ask Filipinos and Americans to condemn this fascist assault on the right to free expression, assembly and the right to dissent against the IMF-WB,” she exhorted. Last year, the PCAIG was also refused a permit to stage a rally in Seattle during the World Trade Organization summit. However, this did not stop them from pushing through with the march and joining thousands of others in a historic show of protest against globalization. The closure of George Washington University is among the latest in a string of measures taken by the U.S. government against protesters now gathering at the U.S. capital. Several other national and international organizations will be staging teach-ins and marches reminiscent of last year’s “shutdown” of the WTO. ## --------------------------------------------------------- B A Y A N Bagong Alyansang Makabayan or New Patriotic Alliance No. 23 Maamo Street, Sikatuna Village Quezon City, PHILIPPINES Telephone: (63-2) 435-9151 Telefax: (63-2) 922-5211 Email: Bayan webpage URL: http://www.bigfoot.com/~bayan-phils ----------------------------------------------------------- From panap at panap.po.my Thu Apr 13 11:40:10 2000 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 10:40:10 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1424] Sri Lanka's Banning of Genetically Modified Food Imports Message-ID: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- URGENT Message from Jennifer at PAN AP! Time for a Positive Action! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dear Friends, Warm greetings from PAN AP! I am writing with some exciting news and an appeal for support. We just received the incredible news that the government of Sri Lanka has decided to BAN the import of GM products with immediate effect. Our close partner in Sri Lanka, from the Community Education Centre (CEC) has endorsed our plan to write letters of support to the President of Sri Lanka on the BAN, and to encourage them to continue the ban and to even to go GE free!!!! A big part of this outcome was a result of the numerous inputs by the local NGOs in Sri Lanka like CEC, and especially the Organic groups linked to Ranjit De Silva, the Peoples Plan (PP) 21 group etc. who strongly and ceaselessly made petitions to the government on the GE issue. So congratulations to our friends in Sri Lanka!!!! As you will notice, we have written the letter in a way to give the Sri Lankan government as much support as possible - **hence the bit about working with them, and the slightly flowery language! Please find below the letter we sent to the President, do use it and innovate on it or change it as you see fit to write your own letter. PLEASE do take a little time to write your own letter and send it to the President's office, we would sincerely recommend that the letter be cc-ed to the Minister of Health. Here are the numbers: Office of Her Excellency, The President, Republic of Sri Lanka: Fax: +941 333 703 Tel: +941 324 801/2/3/4 PLEASE also cc this letter to office of the Minister of Health, Fax: +941 694 227 We have also attached below the news report from Reuters on this (after the sample letter). Thanks in Advance for your support and action! Here's to a GE Free World! Jenn -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Her Excellency The President Republic of Sri Lanka President's Office, Colombo Sri Lanka 11 April, 2000 Your Excellency, RE: Sri Lanka's Banning of Genetically Modified Food Imports We were very encouraged to learn of your government's decision to ban the importation of genetically modified food products. We applaud your government's courageous action in applying this ban with immediate effect. We believe that the government's food advisory committee's position, of wanting to avoid health risks associated with genetic modification, is the first and most far reaching model of precautionary measures taken by any country in the Asia Pacific region. We would like you to know that millions of farmers, consumers and people's organizations working for safe food around the world, fully support the government's import ban. With the dawn of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year on April 13, 2000, we commend the Sri Lankan's governments' visionary initiative to protect its people's health and well being. We would like to encourage you to continue with this position as we feel that the potential human health and environmental threats from genetically engineered (GE) foods should be taken very seriously. We pledge our support to this ban, and would like to work with your government for a "GE Free" Sri Lanka! We will also work with our own governments to gain their support for your governments' decision. Yours Sincerely, Ms. Sarojeni V. Rengam Executive Director Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Asia and the Pacific On behalf of the Members of the PAN Asia and the Pacific, Women in Agriculture Task Force. Ms. Farida Akhter, U B I N I G, 5/3 Barabo Mahanpur, Ring Road, Shaymoli, Dhaka-1207, BANGLADESH Ms. Mika Iba, NESSFE, 3-23-15, Matsubara, Setgaya-Ku, Tokyo 156-0043, JAPAN Ms. Kim Jai Ok, CACPK, 603 Pierson Building, 89 Sinmun-Ro 2Ga, Chongro-Ku, Seoul 110-062, KOREA. Ms. Irene Fernandez, Tenaganita, Wisma Yakin, Jalan Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, MALAYSIA Ms. Anita Fernando, CEC, 117 Talahena, Malabe, SRI LANKA Ms. Burnad Fatima, SRED, Kallaru, Perumuchi Post, Arrakonam, Tamil Nadu, INDIA Ms. Nasira Habib, KHOJ Research and Publication Centre, W 53, Doctors Colony, Dhokar Niaz Beg, Lahore, PAKISTAN Ms. Ravadee Prasertcharoensuk, NGO Coordinating Committee on Development, c/o RRAFA, 67 Sukomvit 55, Sukomvit Road, Bangkok 10110, THAILAND Ms. Meriel Watts, Soil and Health Association of New Zealand, P.O. Box: 46076, Herne Bay, Auckland, NEW ZEALAND ----------------------------------------------------------------- SRI LANKA BANS IMPORT OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD COLOMBO, April 10 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka has banned imports of all genetically modified (GM) foods with immediate effect, a senior health minstry official said on Monday. "The government wants to wait until the controversy surrounding GM foods has cleared,'' S. Nagiah, chief food inspector of the health ministry, told Reuters by telephone. Nagiah said the government's food advisory committee was keen to avoid health risks associated with genetic modifications, adding there were no price advantages to be gained from importing GM foods. Sri Lanka does not produce any GM foods, but is a significant importer of wheat and sugar. GM foods contain a gene from another organism generally to make them resistant to herbicides or to produce their own toxins to kill pests. Proponents of the new technology say it contributes to higher crop yields and lower production costs while critics fear long-term health and environmental consequences. Copyright 2000 Reuters Limited. PAN - Asia and the Pacific P.O. Box 1170 11850 Penang Malaysia Web : http://www.poptel.org.uk/panap Tel. : 604-6570271/6560381 Fax : 604-6577445 From fod346 at hotmail.com Thu Apr 13 14:13:19 2000 From: fod346 at hotmail.com (winner white) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 14:13:19 PKT Subject: [asia-apec 1425] Fwd: Three New Email Lists on Environment, Human Rights and Law Message-ID: <20000413091320.38374.qmail@hotmail.com> LawJuC, HelpAsia and OppAnn. Three New Email Lists about Environment, Human Rights and Law have been launched recently. 1- OppAnn OppAnn is an announcement list of different opportunities. If you are looking for Jobs, Education, Conferences, Trainings, Scholarships, Internships, Fellowships, Research Materials, Seminars and Workshops then join OppAnn by sending a blank message to: OppAnn-subscribe@egroups.com , OppAnn-owner@egroups.com It is open to learners, students, professionals, activists, trainers, teachers and organizers. OppAnn would also serve as a network for organizers, designers, hosts and producers. Members are invited to post any announcement to the list, as long as it relates in some obvious way to: Environment, Education, Human Rights, Peace, Ecology, Gender, Law, Health, Engineering, Media & Literature. 2-HelpAsia HelpAsia is an academic / research list for people interested in issues and problems of "Human Rights, Environment, Law and Peace" (HELP) in the following ten (10) Asian / South Asian Countries: 1- Afghanistan 2- Bangladesh 3- Bhutan 4- China 5- India 6- Iran 7- Maldives 8- Nepal 9- Pakistan 10- Sri Lanka This historical initiative for research, awareness and advocacy is open to public and it is designed to raise critical issues and provide communication links and a space for the exchange of information among researchers, scholars, activists, writers, lawyers, academicians, journalists and professionals interested in all forms of Human Rights, Environment, Law and Peace (HELP) issues and initiatives. We seek to promote wide-ranging multidisciplinary discussions on HelpAsia, which bring together a broader group of natural and social scientists and practitioners than have so far addressed issues facing the continent and region. HelpAsia list should also serve as a network for researchers in discussing data sources, books and other information resources about the above mentioned TEN countries. join at: helpasia-subscribe@egroups.com 3-LawJuC Lawjuc is an academic and research oriented list for people interested and involved in matters/activities related to Law, Justice and Criminology. This historical initiative for discussion, debate, research, awareness and advocacy is open to lawyers, former judges, human rights activists, litigants, police officials, former prisoners, paralegals, law students and teachers. The LawJuC list is designed to encourage discussion of different aspects of the Criminal Justice System, legislations, important rulings and it would also raise critical issues and would provide communication links and a space for the exchange of information among researchers, scholars, activists, writers, lawyers, academicians, journalists and professionals interested in all forms of Law, Justice, Criminology and Human Rights. Lawjuc list would also serve as a network for lawyers and researchers in discussing data sources, books, events, conferences, opportunities, legal complications and web-based information resources. For subscription you can send a blank e-mail to: LawJuC-subscribe@egroups.com or LawJuC-owner@egroups.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From bayan at iname.com Fri Apr 14 12:04:46 2000 From: bayan at iname.com (BAYAN) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 11:04:46 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1426] Various anti-Estrada groups come together Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.20000414110446.007d4640@pop.skyinet.net> NEWS RELEASE April 11, 2000 Time to reflect and unite VARIOUS ANTI-ESTRADA GROUPS COME TOGETHER Despite a setback suffered by the Silent Protest Movement, the broad front critical of the Estrada Administration is gaining ground in the organized sector, as the Left, moderate groups, and the legal opposition start working on joint activities and campaigns. This was revealed in today's "Misang Bayan" (Peoples' Mass) at the Our Lady of EDSA Shrine, where urban poor groups were joined by other sectors for a "day of prayer for national redemption from poverty, cronyism, nepotism, graft and corruption and injustice." Present at the mass were members of BAYAN (New Patriotic Alliance), April 6 Movement, Society of Professionals for the Advancement of Democracy (SPADE), Aug. 21 Movement (ATOM), April 6 Movement, Kapulungan ng mga Sandigan ng Pilipinas (KASAPI), Article 64 Movement, Wednesday Group, various Church organizations, artists and anti-Marcos luminaries, among others. Also present were personalities from the Silent Protest Movement. The mass was in preparation for the much bigger "Kalbaryo ng Sambayanan" on Friday, April 14, where the urban poor will depict their own Way of the Cross and Seven Last Words in a march of reflection and lamentation from Plaza Sta. Cruz to Mendiola Bridge. ?Just like during the last years of the Marcos dictatorship, groups of various political shades are coming together to face a common challenge," said Sept. 21 Committee Spokesperson Fr. Joe Dizon who officiated at this morning's mass. "The people are saying, enough of cronyism and corruption, enough of incompetence and abuse of authority, enough of tyranny, enough of globalization and the sell-out of our national patrimony and sovereignty. In other words, enough is enough, enough of Erap!? stressed Dizon. For his part, Bayan Secretary General Teodoro Casi?o said that the next dates to look out for were Labor Day on May 1 and the opening of Congress on July, where Pres. Estrada will deliver his annual State of the Nation Address. "We are witnessing the formation of a core group composed of elements from various political tendencies spanning the Left to the Right, that will eventually lead the movement to oust Pres. Estrada. At this point, it is already possible to unite through coordination, cooperation and joint activities," said Casi?o. "We are united that the Estrada administration is not serving the people's interest, and that the sooner the Estrada presidency ends, the better it will be for our nation," said Casi?o. He said the next step would be to unite on the actual mechanism for Estrada's ouster and the alternatives to an Estrada regime. "This is something which will be realized in the course of the struggle to oust Estrada," he clarified. ------------------------ Bayan Int'l-Europe on Guingona's call for Estrada's Resignation Note: This is a copy of the letter sent to Philippine newspapers on April 7. It has been published in the Inquirer, Today and Star. Dear Editor: Filipinos in Europe support the call of democratic, patriotic and progressive forces in the Philippines for the resignation or ouster of anti-people and anti-national and mentally unstable Joseph Estrada as president of the Philippines. The corrupt, anti-poor, brutal, pro-big business and pro-foreign monopoly capitalists regime of Estrada and his clique of gamblers, thieves and human rights violators should be immediately and unconditionally removed from office to prevent further exploitation and repression of the people. Thus, we congratulate Senator Teofisto Guingona for his patriotic and courageous act of calling for the resignation of Estrada. With the growth in strength of the people's movement demanding the resignation or ouster of Estrada, we are sure that in due time, Senator Guingona's colleagues will join him in calling for the resignation of Estrada and his coterie and to account for their crimes against the people. We call on all patriotic lawmakers to join the people in the parliament of the streets so that together, they shall, like the days of the Marcos dictatorship, join hands in getting rid of a national nightmare! During the visit of Guingona with MIGRANTE-Europe last year, we cheered his firmness in rejecting the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). We urge him to remain steadfast instanding in solidarity with the peoples' movement to remove Estrada from office. Grace Punongbayan MIGRANTE-Europe Amsterdam, Netherlands Cesar T. Taguba BAYAN International-Europe Amersfoort, Netherlands From bayan at iname.com Sun Apr 16 05:57:03 2000 From: bayan at iname.com (BAYAN) Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 13:57:03 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 1427] PCAIG: BAYAN HITS IMF, US-ESTRADA REGIME ANEW Message-ID: People's Campaign Against Imperialist Globalization and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN, New Patriotic Alliance) MEDIA RELEASE April 15, 2000 For plans to raise taxes, sell state assets and privatize services BAYAN HITS IMF, US-ESTRADA REGIME ANEW The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today said it will lead a rally Monday (April 17) at the Central Bank against what it described as ?the US-Estrada regime and the International Monetary Bank-World Bank?s connivance to foist new taxes, sell strategic state assets at bargain prices and to further sell out the economy to big foreign interests.? The rally will coincide with big protests in Washington, D.C. as the IMF and WB hold their Spring Meeting. Bayan is part of the People's Assembly Against IMF-WB and, since 1996, the People's Campaign Against Imperialist Globalization. ?It is no coincidence that while an IMF review team is currently in Manila, several controversial measures like the Road User?s Tax, the Omnibus Power Bill and the New Securities Act were passed separately by Congress,? said Bayan Secretary-General Teodoro Casi?o while adding that ?these have long been demanded by the IMF.? Casi?o also took the US-Estrada to task for promising to the IMF team the privatization of the National Power Corporation, government shares in the Philippine National Bank and eleven state hospitals . ?This time, President Estrada can no longer point his finger at others. The government is consciously and lustily following all these IMF impositions to the obvious detriment of the common folk,? Casi?o said. ?This not only shows how good Estrada is in the role of ?chief puppet? but also the IMF-WB?s part as the ?director? of Philippine economic policies,? the Bayan leader said. ?What it has failed to do with Concord, it is doing bit by bit through legislation. By passing these laws, the US-Estrada regime is enshrining into law the evils of privatization, liberalization and deregulation,? Casi?o explained. He said that this further proves that ?Estrada is selling the patrimony and economy to big foreign interests at bargain basement prices.? Casi?o said that the Napocor privatization wherein the government will assume all its debts in favor of the new owners is ?like selling Petron all over again, with the same script and the same promises.? ?In the end, the people will suffer the brunt of endless hikes in power rates while the owners wallow in profit,? said Casi?o. ?Even the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) wishes to score brownie points with the IMF-WB by announcing a 30-centavo hike in electric power rates,? Casi?o added. Meralco is the largest electric power distribution company in the Philippines. According to Meralco, the hike is based on the 8 percent return on rate base imposed by the World Bank and other multilateral lending institutions on utilities to ensure viability and the ability to pay up its debts. Casi?o warned of more and bigger protests over the spate of new taxes, the sellout of state assets and the privatization of basic services. Last month, transport group Piston launched transport strikes that debilitated major parts of the country to protest the Road User?s Tax. Instead, Casi?o called for the immediate scrapping of the US-Estrada regime?s deregulation, liberalization and privatization policies which he said has worsened the economic conditions of the Philippines by keeping it agrarian, backward and dependent on debt and imports. ?We remain poor because of puppet regimes like Estrada?s and meddlesome institutions like the IMF-WB,? he said. ### From bayan at iname.com Sun Apr 16 06:05:26 2000 From: bayan at iname.com (BAYAN) Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 14:05:26 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 1428] THE IMF & WB ARE KILLING THE FILIPINO PEOPLE Message-ID: Statement of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN, New Patriotic Alliance) on the Junk IMF-WB! Junk Imperialist Globalization! Protests in Washington DC. April 16, 2000 Attend the rallies in Manila (at the Central Bank) and at Washington DC (Philippine Embassy and the IMF-WB Bldg.)! THE IMF AND WB ARE KILLING THE FILIPINO PEOPLE Last week, the Philippine Congress approved a power reform bill paving the way for the privatization of the National Power Corporation, a government agency that manages the power industry and runs power plants and distribution facilities all over the Philippines. Congressmen admitted that the bill was railroaded due to intense pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and foreign investors. Apparently, the IMF threatened to hold the release of $1.38 billion worth of fresh loans if the law was not approved by the first half of this year. Among the provisions of the bill is the government's assumption of Napocor's gigantic 250 billion-peso debt to make the company attractive to private, foreign investors. The Philippine government will have to impose additional taxes to pay-off these debts. The IMF, the World Bank and the Paris Club just love the Philippines. After all, it is one of their most consistent clients. It pays all its obligations on time and agrees to every conditionality attached to any loan package. In fact, the Philippines has been tied to the IMF's loan strings since 1962, ending up as one of the top 20 most indebted countries in the world today. It has also undergone several IMF Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) since 1979, making the Philippine economy one of the most liberalized and deregulated in Southeast Asia. At present, estimates of total foreign debt for the Philippines hovers at $52 billion and growing. Many of these loans were contracted during the Marcos dictatorship, and was used to fund the dictatorship's white elephants and psuedo development projects, the main sources of the Marcos family's fantastic ill-gotten wealth estimated at $10 billion. The Filipino people continue to carry the burden of these fraudulent and one-sided loans. At least 40% of the national budget goes to debt servicing, money which could otherwise have gone to much needed social services, education and rural development programs. Until now, a decree issued during the Marcos dictatorship automatically allocates tax money to the payment of these foreign loans. Aside from siphoning off much needed resources from the Philippines, the IMF and WB, through their SAPs, have intensified the neocolonial pattern of the local economy. The unbridled liberalization and deregulation of the economy has made the country a virtual dumping ground of U.S. finished goods and speculative capital. Like most Third World countries, the Philippines has become a place where U.S., Japanese, German and other First World capitalists can hire dirt-cheap labor and buy raw and semi-processed materials at a steal. Thanks to heeded advice from the Bretton Woods sisters and the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Philippines can now boast having one of the lowest wage levels in Asia, with an 8 to12-hour day going for a little more than $5. Unemployment is at 40%, with most workers having to work on a contractual or part time basis. Farmers' income is at an all-time low, with the market saturated by imported rice, corn, chicken, vegetables and fruits. Despite this, it is the low and middle-income Filipino who are heavily taxed by the government, while big business and foreign monopolies enjoy a plethora of tax incentives. Indeed, the Philippines is a paradise for multinational corporations and foreign speculators. But it is hell for the people. No wonder there is a civil war ongoing in the Philippines. And no wonder there is a strong movement to oust Philippine President Joseph Estrada from office. The people have simply had enough of the IMF-WB and its puppets.The Filipino people join all other people's of the world in saying "No to the IMF-WB! No to imperialist globalization!" ### From bayan at iname.com Mon Apr 17 15:22:08 2000 From: bayan at iname.com (BAYAN) Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 23:22:08 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 1429] OPPOSE THE USE OF MARTIAL LAW TACTICS IN STOPPING THE =?iso-8859-1?Q?PEOPLE=92S?= PROTESTS AGAINST IMPERIALIST GLOBALIZATION! Message-ID: <200004161535.XAA03342@tucows.skyinet.net> People’s Assembly Against IMF-WB and Imperialist Globalization Washington DC, USA STATEMENT April 16, 2000 OPPOSE THE USE OF MARTIAL LAW TACTICS IN STOPPING THE PEOPLE’S PROTESTS AGAINST IMPERIALIST GLOBALIZATION! We, the People’s Assembly Against the IMF-WB denounce the use of strong-arm military and police tactics in Washington, D.C. against peaceful and militant protesters denouncing the IMF-WB-WTO as instruments of monopoly capitalism against poor people everywhere, especially in Third World countries. The wanton suppression of basic democratic rights of free speech and assembly in a country that boasts of being the freest and most democratic in the world reflects the nature of globalization now under fire in the very heartland of its foremost champion, US imperialism. As the people’s resistance against the IMF-World Bank-WTO grows stronger and more militant, it should come as no surprise that the response of elite governments everywhere is intensified repression. This is what struggling peoples in neocolonies in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East know from direct experience with fascist and militarist regimes subservient to imperialist dictates. This is the painful lesson of the growing people’s movement right here in the US. Under the guise of concern for public safety, the Convergence Center, the coordinating place for this week’s anti-IMF/WB activities, has been closed by government authorities. George Washington University has been shut down during the weekend of protest activities effectively banning educational forums about the IMF/WB on campus including one sponsored by the People’s Assembly. Arbitrary questioning and detention of people on the streets is a growing occurrence as police try to flush out activists planning direct action or frighten potential demonstrators. Barricades continue to be erected around an enlarging perimeter of the IMF and World Bank headquarters as hordes of police make their intimidating presence felt in the entire DC area. This illustrates the extent to which the use of martial law tactics will be used to prevent a repeat of the mass protest which burst out in Seattle at the WTO ministerial which thoroughly embarrassed the US government and emboldened the anti-globalization people’s movement. We firm up our resolve to continue the resistance, promote and develop the anti-imperialist and democratic struggles of the workers and oppressed peoples everywhere against the inhumane policies and acts of the multinational corporations, the international multilateral agencies and imperialist governments in their service. We support the calls of the International League of People’s Struggle which will be founded at the end of the year 2000 to strengthen international solidarity and advance the people’s struggle against imperialist globalization. Calls of the International League of People’s Struggle We stand ready to fight for the following; 1. national and social liberation from imperialism and all reaction; 2. human rights in the civil, political, economic, social and cultural fields; 3. the cause of peace against wars of aggression and against nuclear and genocidal weapons; 4. workers’ rights and reduction of working hours at full pay against mass unemployment and decreasing wage levels; 5. rights of peasants, farm workers and fisherfolk against feudal and semi-feudal exploitation and oppression; 6. women’s rights against discrimination and sexual exploitation; 7. the rights of gays and lesbians against discrimination 8. children’s rights against child labor and other forms of exploitation 9. rights of indigenous people and nationalities against chauvinism and racism; 10. the rights of teachers and the youth; 11. rights and welfare of refugees and migrant workers; 12. environmental protection against plunder and pollution. 13. The right to safe and healty food free from genetic manipulation, hazardous chemicals and processes From bayan at iname.com Tue Apr 18 02:45:42 2000 From: bayan at iname.com (BAYAN) Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 10:45:42 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 1430] BAYAN HITS IMF-WB FOR RP'S WOES, HOLDS RALLY IN FRONT OF CENTRAL BANK Message-ID: MEDIA RELEASE April 17, 2000 As protests hit IMF-WB in Washington D.C. BAYAN HITS IMF-WB FOR RP'S WOES, HOLDS RALLY IN FRONT OF CENTRAL BANK MANILA -- In a mass action coinciding with the big anti-IMF-WB protests in Washington, D.C., Bayan members picketed the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas this morning to denounce the Estrada regime's "connivance" with the country's foreign creditors in foisting new taxes, selling strategic state assets like the Napocor and further selling out the economy to big foreign interests. Bayan also condemned the arrest of at least 700 in Washington D.C. on the eve of massive protests against the IMF-WB?s ?anti- poor and pro-imperialist economic policies.? ?We want the IMF-WB out of the Philippines just as we want Estrada out of Malacanang,? Bayan Secretary General Teodoro Casi?o said before hundreds of protesters at the Central Bank headquarters in Manila. ?It is no coincidence that several controversial measures like the Road User?s Tax, the Omnibus Power Bill and the New Securities Act were passed separately by Congress while the IMF review team was in Manila,? he said, adding that these measures have long been demanded by the IMF. He called the $1.38 billion IMF-led loan package tied to the passage of the Omnibus Power Bill ?the biggest bribe of all, compared to the P500,000 each Congressman got for passing the bill.? Aside from the privatization of Napocor, Casi?o said the Estrada government also promised to the IMF team it would rush the sale of government shares in the Philippine National Bank and Manila Electric Company, the privatization of the National Food Authority, the ?corporatization? of 11 state hospitals. It further pledged to impose drastic cuts in public spending. ?The government is consciously, blindly and lustily following all these IMF impositions to the obvious detriment of the common folk,? Casi?o said. ?This not only shows how good Estrada is as a stooge of the IMF-WB and as the director of economic chaos in the Philippines,? said the Bayan leader. Casi?o warned that bigger protests were in store if the Estrada government insisted on selling vital state assets and imposing new taxes. Last month, transport groups launched massive strikes to protest the proposed Road User?s Tax. He blamed the Estrada government and the IMF-WB for coming out with contradictory economic measures like cutting tariffs and paying fraudulent debts at a time when the government is starved for funds. ?Instead of selling the national patrimony at bargain basement prices and creating new taxes, the government should raise tariffs and stop paying loans especially those made during the Marcos dictatorship,? Casi?o said. This morning?s protesters called for the immediate scrapping of the Estrada government?s deregulation, liberalization and privatization policies which they said has kept the country an agrarian, backward and debt and import-dependent nation. ### From bayan at iname.com Tue Apr 18 05:50:52 2000 From: bayan at iname.com (BAYAN) Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 13:50:52 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 1431] FILIPINOS MARCH IN MANILA VS. IMF-WB Message-ID: <200004170604.OAA23070@tucows.skyinet.net> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/asia-apec/attachments/20000417/2a26dff1/attachment.html From amittal at foodfirst.org Wed Apr 19 09:10:03 2000 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 17:10:03 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 1432] Call to Endorse the Rally for Black Farmers and Small Family Farms Message-ID: <0.700000824.1701612931-951758591-956103003@topica.com> Food First/ The Institute for Food and Development Policy is requesting that as many groups as possible endorse and post this event. Please email me at amittal@foodfirst.org. Many thanks, Anuradha Mittal **Congressional Representatives Support Family Farmers** Congressional Representatives Join Rally for Black Farmers and Family Farms USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, Washington, DC, May 8, 2000, 10:00 am Co-Sponsored by Food First/ The Institute for Food and Development Policy & the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association (BFAA) Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Black Congressional Caucus, including Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Maxine Waters (D-CA), will join Black farmers and small family farmers from around the country in front of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on May 8, to protest decades of on-going discrimination by the agency and to demand support for America’s small family farmers. This rally follows the March 6 and March 20, 2000, arrests of 18 Black farmers at the USDA offices, when they tried to meet with the Secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman. The Rally for Black Family Farmers and the Family Farm Movement is co-sponsored by Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy and the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association (BFAA). In January 1999, lawyers representing Black farmers in a class-action suit against the USDA (Timothy Pigford, et al. v. Glickman) signed a consent agreement compensating each farmer with $50,000 for discrimination suffered in the distribution of loans and disaster relief by the USDA between the years 1981 and 1996. Now the USDA is stalling in paying the compensation. According to Gary Grant, President of the BFAA, "the Consent Decree is no panacea for what has happened to us, but the terrorism with which the Decree is being implemented, with over 40% of farmers already rejected, it will lead to sure death of black family farmers in this nation." The situation of Black farmers in the U.S. is very serious. In 1920, 925,000 farmers were African Americans. In 1999, less than 18,000 African American farmers remained. In 1990 a House of Representatives committee found that Black owned farms were going out of business at a rate five times that of white farmers, and that Black farmers, who represented less than 1% of U.S. farmers, were on the verge of extinction. Black farmers point to USDA discrimination as a major contributing factor in their declining numbers. To add to their woes, the Reagan administration eliminated the USDA's civil rights complaint division in 1983. That ended any federal investigation of complaints filed by minority farmers. The rally on May 8 will inform the nation and the world of violations of the basic human rights of Black farmers by the USDA and the US Justice Department, as they continue to cause undue and unnecessary anguish for Black farmers and small family farmers. The rally is calling for: o Fulfillment of the consent decree; o Return of foreclosed lands to the Black farmers; o Access to credit without discrimination in the future for all family farmers; o Support for outreach, technical assistance and funding of education; o Democratization of the USDA/Farm Services Agency; o Full implementation of the Civil Rights Action team (CRAT) and National Small Farm Commission Recommendations; o A Farm Bill to strengthen America's family farmers. For more information, please contact Anuradha Mittal at 510-654-4400 or 510-684-5993. A background report on the situation of Black farmers in the US, can be found at: http://www.foodfirst.org/pubs/backgrdrs/2000/w00v6n1.html. List of Endorsers: The Center for Economic Justice, Washington, DC The Edmonds Institute, WA Grassroots International, Boston, MA Pine Island Organics, FL Richard Levins, Harvard School of Public Health Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. _________________________________________________________ Enlighten your in-box. http://www.topica.com/t/15 From notoapec at clear.net.nz Fri Apr 21 06:45:10 2000 From: notoapec at clear.net.nz (APEC Monitoring Group) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 14:45:10 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 1433] Fw: MALAYSIA UPDATE: AI UA 41/00 Arbitrary and incommunicado Message-ID: <000301bfab11$f61aabc0$a23761cb@notoapec> >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >AI Index: ASA 28/06/00 >17 April 2000 >EXTRA 41/00 Arbitrary and incommunicado detention/fear of ill=A0=A0=20 >=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 treatment/prisoners of conscience =20 >MALAYSIA Tian Chua, Parti Keadilan Nasional (PKN) Vice-President=20 >Roslan Kassim, PKN Information Chief=20 >=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, PKN Youth Chief =20 >N. Gopalankrishnan, PKN Supreme Council member=20 >Abdul Malek Hussain=20 >Mohd Hafiz Hashim, aged 17=20 >At least 46 others=20 >------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >At least 50 people, among them four leading members of the opposition Parti >Keadilan Nasional (National Justice Party), have been arrested in connection >with a 15 April demonstration, and a magistrate has remanded them in custody >for further questioning. Amnesty International fears they are at risk of >serious ill-treatment in detention, and is concerned at this seemingly >arbitrary decision to hold them for further questioning. > >At least six are reported to have been assaulted and denied access to= > medical >treatment.=A0 According to a news report, one detainee who appeared in court >today told the magistrate that he had been beaten round the head with a >truncheon and punched all over his body.=A0 The detainees have had only= > limited >access to their lawyers and have not been allowed to see their families= > since >their arrest. Many of those arrested at similar demonstrations in the past >have >been assaulted by the police. > >Tian Chua, a PKN leader and well-known social activist, who has been >arrested a >number of times and assaulted by police following his participation in other >illegal demonstrations, suffers from asthma and is currently on daily >medication for food poisoning. > >Roslan Kassim, arrested the day before the demonstration, was ordered= > detained >for seven days, reportedly on suspicion of inciting others to attend an >illegal >assembly. All the others, arrested over the weekend, were remanded in= > custody >for up to six days, except 17-year-old Mohd Hafiz Hashim, who was remanded= > in >custody for three days. > >BACKGROUND INFORMATION > >Demonstrators had planned to march through the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on 15 >April, to mark the first anniversary of the jailing of former Deputy Prime >Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Prisoner of conscience Anwar Ibrahim was sentenced= > to >six years=92 imprisonment after an unfair trial on politically motivated= > charges >of =93abuse of power=94.=20 > >The Malaysian authorities announced a ban on the rally and positioned= > hundreds >of police around the capital, some armed with M16 rifles.=A0 Several hundred >peaceful protesters gathered during the day, chanting slogans and calling= > for >=93reformasi=94 (reform). They were dispersed with tear gas and water cannon >spraying water laced with chemicals.=A0=A0=20 > >The Malaysian Police Act outlaws attendance at any unauthorized gathering of >more than three people.=A0 Offenders may be punished with fines and= > imprisonment >of up to one year.=A0 Since 1998 unprecedented public demonstrations in= > support >of Anwar Ibrahim have been suppressed with force and more than 1,200 people >have been arrested.=A0 Many of those arrested were assaulted in custody and= > face >trials during 2000 for illegal assembly.=A0=20 > >RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send faxes in English or your own language: >- expressing concern that those named above have been detained solely for >exercising their right to peaceful assembly, and urging that they be >immediately and unconditionally released; >- expressing concern at reports that some have been assaulted in custody and >urging that they not be ill-treated in any way; >- urging that all those detained in connection with the 15 April= > demonstration >be allowed immediate and continuing access to relatives, independent lawyers >and medical attention; >- calling for all reports of ill-treatment in police custody to be fully and >independently investigated and for those responsible to be brought to= > justice. > >APPEALS TO: > >Minister of Home Affairs >Dato=92 Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi >Ministry of Home Affairs (Menteri Dalam Negeri)=20 >Jalan Dato Onn, >50546 Kuala Lumpur >Fax: + 60 3 2301 217 / + 603 230 1051 > >Minister in Prime Minister=92s Department with responsibility for legal= > affairs >Datuk Dr. Rais Yatim >Law Division >Prime Minister=92s Department, Block 1=20 >Federal Government Administration Centre >62502 Putrajaya, Selangor=20 >Malaysia=20 >Fax: + 60 3 8888 3424 > >COPIES TO: > >Chairman, Human Rights Commission >Ybhg. Tan Sri Musa Hitam >Pengerusi Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia >Kementerian Luar Negeri >Wisma Putra =20 >50602 Kuala Lumpur =20 >Fax: + 603 2425043 > >Inspector General of Police >Tan Sri Norian Mai=A0=A0=20 >Ketua Polis Negara >Ibupejabat Polis Diraja Malaysia >Bukit Aman=20 >50502 Kuala Lumpur >Malaysia=20 >Fax: + 60 3 22731326 > > >and to diplomatic representatives of Malaysia accredited to your country. > >PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat,= > or >your section office, if sending appeals after 15 May 2000. > > >=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D = >=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D = >=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=20 >AHRC Ugent Appeals Programme=20 >Asian Human Rights Commission=20 >Unit D, 7th Floor, Mongkok Commercial Centre,=20 >16 - 16B Argyle Street, Kowloon, HONGKONG=20 >Tel: +(852) - 2698-6339=20 >Fax: +(852) - 2698-6367=20 >E-mail: ua@ahrchk.org=20 > >If you need to contact the AHRC Urgent Appeal Coordinator.=20 >Send message to: Mr.sinapan samydorai >___________________________________________________________________=20 >AHRC has an Urgent Appeal Programme which operates around the clock.=20 >AHRC issues urgent appeals on behalf of persons or groups of persons=20 >whose human rights have been violated. All urgent appeals released=20 >by the AHRC since late 1997 can be accessed at our website:=20 >http://www.ahrchk.net/hrappeal.htm >_____________________________________________________________________=20 > > > > > > > > > > From notoapec at clear.net.nz Fri Apr 21 06:50:20 2000 From: notoapec at clear.net.nz (APEC Monitoring Group) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 14:50:20 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 1434] Police admit liability for search -- The Press -- Tuesday, April 18, 2000 (http Message-ID: <000701bfab12$6d88b4e0$a23761cb@notoapec> Home Find Advertise Contact Copyright New Zealand News from The Press - Tuesday, April 18, 2000 from a.. Local News Stories TUESDAY, APR 18, 2000: b.. Cowboys out of market, Chch firms say c.. Diary d.. Winz defends loan delays as students still wait e.. New skills for skaties -- Photo f.. Power firm ends checks g.. TSB muscles in on banking market h.. Story Indexes LOCAL NEWS: This Week 1 Week ago 2 Weeks ago 3 Weeks ago 4 Weeks ago OTHER SECTIONS: Business Computers Farming Features Local News Motoring National News Opinion News Review Real Estate Local Sport National Sport Whats On Southland Times The Mail ALL SECTIONS: This Week 1 Week ago 2 Weeks ago 3 Weeks ago 4 Weeks ago i.. Keyword Search Police admit liability for search Police have admitted liability for the invalid search of a Christchurch lecturer's home eight days after he disturbed Security Intelligence Service agents who broke into a friend's house. The admission of liability was made public in the Christchurch High Court yesterday in a hearing in which Canterbury University lecturer David Small is claiming $300,000 from the Crown for a police search of his house on July 21, 1996. The parties dispute the amount of damages that should be paid to Dr Small, who is conducting his own case. It continues today. Police searched Dr Small's Riccarton house for materials connected with a sophisticated hoax bomb, marked with the words "Apec bomb", found outside the Christchurch City Council building on July 18, 1996. In evidence yesterday, Dr Small said he believed the bomb had been planted by the SIS. The search was a violation, he said. Even on the best interpretation of the police action, police had shown a cavalier and reckless disregard for his right to be free from an unreasonable search. It was upsetting to have to tell his employer, his flatmates, and his family that his home would be searched for bomb-making equipment and the incident might have had a long-term effect on his standing at the university, he said. He was angry and frustrated at being unable to obtain an explanation or apology for the search and had spent a lot of time over the past four years trying to get an explanation. His anxiety was compounded by his reward for acting in an exemplary way in apprehending a burglar being an illegal house search. He had only been connected with the bomb, Dr Small said, because on July 13 he had stumbled across the SIS agents after they had broken into the Sockburn home of anti-free trade activist Aziz Choudry. Dr Small caught up with one and stayed with him. "Had I not apprehended and identified the SIS agent and therefore compromised their operation I would not by any stretch of the imagination have been a suspect for the hoax bomb," Dr Small said. Advertise with The Press On-Line Home | Find | Toon | Weather | Sharemarket Advertise | Contact | Copyright From azes at juno.com Sat Apr 22 07:54:18 2000 From: azes at juno.com (Ace Saturay) Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2000 06:54:18 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1435] Anti-IMF Activities in Washingto DC Message-ID: <200004212327.HAA16047@tucows.skyinet.net> From: Peoples' Campaign Against Imperialist Globalization (PCAIG) PRESS RELEASE April 18, 2000 For more information contact: Arnedo Valera, Washington DC, (703)276-7406 Ace Saturay, Seattle, WA, (206) 763-9611 FACED WITH POLICE HARASSMENT AND INTIMIDATION, THE PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLY AGAINST THE IMF/WORLD BANK RECLAIMS DC STREETS Washington, DC - Giant puppets and more than 1000 protesters from the People's Assembly Against the IMF/World Bank defiantly reclaimed the streets of Washington, DC on Sunday, April 16. The People's Assembly denounced the anti-people policies of these US-controlled international financial institutions and the military/police crackdown on people exercising their democratic right to express their resistance to the IMF/World Bank. "The People's Assembly is asserting our basic democratic right to free speech and assembly", said Arnedo Valera, of DIWA, a local Filipino organization that hosted the People's Assembly. "Our permitted forum was cancelled at George Washington University, and our Youth Caucus was harassed by police in Malcolm X Park. Is this an example of what democracy looks like? "'Junk, Junk IMF!' is our call," because we want to end these institutions of oppression and exploitation," said Ace Saturay of the People's Assembly and convenor of the Seattle International People's Assembly which contributed to the shut down of the WTO meeting in Seattle last November. Marching as part of the People's Assembly were youth from Just-Act, the South Bay (CA) No to WTO, the Philippine Forum-NY, Coalition for Community Environmental Justice based in Seattle, students from DC, Chicago and New York, as well as Filipinos, African-Americans, Paraguayans, Indians, and many other exploited people and people of color. "The police operations against protesters was one huge psy-war," said Carol Pagaduan-Araullo of BAYAN-Philippines (New Patriotic Alliance). "Their actions over the past week included a military show of force using hundreds of troops, riot gear, tear gas and pepper spray, motorcycle teams to run down protesters. There were also undemocratic and illegal mass arrests, particularly against our more vulnerable youth. This was meant to intimidate the growing number of people who simply question the policies of the IMF, World Bank and WTO. The military and police, are part of the state apparatus to defend corporate capitalism and their instruments -- the IMF/World Bank/WTO." But Sunday, April 16 the People's Assembly was able to re-claim the streets of GWU near the IMF/World Bank and march to the chant of "Long live international solidarity!" as students from the university formed a human chain around the buildings on their campus. "We will never forget the police repression of Seattle. We were well prepared for DC, so, in spite of the intimidation, we remained strong. In fact, it only galvanized us to assert our rights as youth and people of color. We were organized in our campaign and educated about the IMF and World Bank's adverse affects on people like us," said Amanda Vender of the People's Assembly's youth contingent. "We will not be turned back!" The People's Assembly's forum, scheduled to be held on Saturday night at GWU, was moved to The Washington City Church of the Brethren. The Youth Caucus also on Saturday took place as scheduled in a new venue, having been kicked out of its original venue by the police. And a final solidarity and cultural evening reinforced the People's Assembly and its resolve to continue in the struggle against imperialist globalization. Actions in support of the People's Assembly Against the IMF/World Bank meetings in Washington DC took place in San Jose CA where more than 100 people protested at the US federal building and in Manila where hundreds of Filipinos protested at the Central Bank of the Philippines. # From panap at panap.po.my Mon Apr 24 18:26:29 2000 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000 17:26:29 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1436] PRESS Release - April 24 - Groups Welcome Sri Lankan Governments Ban of GM Food Imports Message-ID: Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Asia and the Pacific PRESS Release - April 24 Groups Welcome Sri Lankan Government’s Ban of GM Food Imports On April 10, 2000 the Sri Lanka government banned imports of all genetically modified (GM) foods with immediate effect, according to a senior health ministry official in a Reuters report carried worldwide. The news of this immediate ban was greeted with enthusiasm by groups concerned with the use of genetic engineering in food and agriculture. In an immediate letter of response to the President of Sri Lanka, Her Excellency Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumaratunga, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Asia and the Pacific Executive Director, Sarojeni V. Rengam, stated that the network was, “very encouraged to learn of the government’s decision to ban the importation of genetically modified food products”. “We applaud your government’s courageous action in applying this ban with immediate effect. We believe that the government's food advisory committee’s position, of wanting to avoid health risks associated with genetic modification, is the first and most far reaching model of precautionary measures taken by any country in the Asia Pacific region”, the letter continued. The letter was also endorsed and signed by PAN AP’s 10 member Task Force on Women in Agriculture representing organizations from Bangladesh, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand. News of the ban was made by Mr. S. Nagiah, chief food inspector of the health ministry, in a telephone interview with Reuters. Nagiah had said that the government's food advisory committee was keen to avoid health risks associated with genetic modifications, adding there were no price advantages to be gained from importing GM foods. Sri Lanka does not produce any GM foods, but is a significant importer of wheat and sugar. In fact it was only recently that the Minister of Agriculture of Sri Lanka, The Honourable D.M. Jayaratna, had said that he was going to take stern action on the issue of genetically modified foods. Within the last 2 years, groups concerned with safe food and sustainable agriculture had been making submissions to the Sri Lankan government for a People’s Health Policy invoking the right to safe food, recognition of traditional treatments and so forth. The purview of safe food included concerns over the potential health impacts of genetically modified foods. The People’s Health Policy was a result an initiative begun by the Community Education Centre (CEC), who are working against pesticides and promote organic sustainable agriculture especially among women. CEC and the Alternative Community Health Action group (ACHA) initiated a health network of over 30 groups and organizations. Letters and submissions on the People’s Health Policy were sent by the groups to the President and the Minister of Health—the issues covered included the concerns over GM foods. Others who made similar submissions were the Gami Seva Sevana (Rural Service Centre) which promotes organic agriculture. Commenting on the Sri Lanka government’s decision, Anita Fernando of CEC said, ”we feel greatly encouraged by this development, we hope that the government will not waver in its resolve to protect the health of the people. CEC is especially concerned about the health and welfare of women as food producers, care givers and their central role in the family and community. We feel that the ban on the imports of GM foods is a very positive step in ensuring safe food and good health for all!” Encouraging the Sri Lankan government to maintain its ban, Rengam in her letter stated, “With the dawn of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year on April 13, 2000, we commend the Sri Lankan’s governments’ visionary initiative to protect its people’s health and well being. We would like to encourage you to continue with this position as we feel that the potential human health and environmental threats from genetically engineered (GE) foods should be taken very seriously…. We pledge our support to this ban, and would like to work with your government for a “GE Free” Sri Lanka!” Of late there has been increasing concerns about the health threat of genetically engineered foods. ‘Applied and Environmental Microbiology’ published a report in 1999 that the human mouth and pharyngx contains bacteria that can take up and express transgenic DNA, including antibiotic resistance marker genes. According to the report, this confirms the ability of transgenic DNA to spread by horizontal gene transfer. Scientists are concerned that transgenic DNA from food is unlikely to be completely broken down in the mouth, and may transform bacteria normally present in the mouth. One main danger is the uptake of transgenic DNA containing antibiotic resistance marker genes by the bacteria, but other genes and novel constructs involving viral promoters/enhancers may also be hazardous. Additionally, the study by Dr. Arpad Pusztai, that was a major cause of controversy in the United Kingdom last year, on the potential human health impact of GE potatoes, revealed that rats fed with GE potatoes had suffered significant damage to their immune systems, thymuses, kidneys, spleens, and guts, retarded growth and reduced body weight. ------------------------------------------------------------------ For more information contact: Jennifer Mourin, PAN AP, P.O. Box: 1170, 10850 Penang. Tel: +604 657 0271 Fax: +604-657 7445. E-Mail: panap@panap.po.my Anita Fernando, Community Education Centre, 117 Talahena, Malabe, Sri Lanka Tel: +941 – 869 459 Fax: +941 – 877 777 PAN - Asia and the Pacific P.O. Box 1170 11850 Penang Malaysia Web : http://www.poptel.org.uk/panap Tel. : 604-6570271/6560381 Fax : 604-6577445 From bayan at iname.com Thu Apr 27 15:00:07 2000 From: bayan at iname.com (BAYAN) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 23:00:07 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 1437] Congratulatory Message to Participants in Protest Actions vs. IMF, WB and WTO Message-ID: <200004261516.XAA32091@tucows.skyinet.net> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/asia-apec/attachments/20000426/a9ef12b8/attachment.html