From gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz Tue Sep 1 14:59:33 1998 From: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (Gatt Watchdog) Date: Tue, 01 Sep 1998 17:59:33 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 594] NZ: "MAI-nority" Government Plans To Push On With Investment Treaty Message-ID: GATT Watchdog PO Box 1905 Otautahi (Christchurch) Aotearoa (New Zealand) Media Release For Immediate Use 1/9/1998 "MAI-nority" Government Plans To Push On With Investment Treaty The Cabinet reshuffle, recent discussions between NZ, Australian, and Canadian Treasury officials, and the impending mid-October lifting of a six-month moratorium on discussions on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) have prompted a warning from GATT Watchdog that the MAI is about to rear its ugly head again. "We know that New Zealand Treasury officials have been in recent contact with their Canadian and Australian counterparts about the MAI. US contacts tell us that MAI negotiators from the US, European Union and Canada have been meeting at a bilateral level to discuss issues relating to the agreement, including exceptions. US negotiators have described recent discussions on the MAI as "clearing cobwebs" and working out how to move on to resolve the many disagreements which have threatened to derail MAI negotiations," says GATT Watchdog spokesperson Leigh Cookson. "The reconstituted Shipley MAI-nority government should come clean about New Zealand's current involvement in MAI-related discussions. We now have an undisguised ideologically extremist minority government which will go for broke to push on with locking us into maintaining one of the world's most open economies, regardless of the human or environmental costs," she said. The MAI has come in for massive opposition throughout the world from NGOs, unions, peoples organisations, and a number of municipal and provincial governments after it was revealed that OECD governments had been negotiating this agreement in secret since 1995. "Local Government New Zealand, and several major local authorities including the Christchurch and Dunedin City Councils have issued statements and resolutions strongly critical of the MAI. With local body elections coming up next month, the government could well find the MAI on the agenda of many candidates, and egg all over their faces for failing to heed the widespread opposition to the agreement." "A major concern about the MAI is the way in which foreign investors can sue the government of a country when it feels that it has been disadvantaged in an actual or planned investment. The "expropriation" and "investor dispute settlement" provisions of the MAI are based on provisions in NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) which allow for such cases to be conducted in secret. "In July, US petrochemical company Ethyl Corp pocketed C $ 13 million from the Canadian government for lost business over a briefly banned fuel additive, MMT, agreeing to drop a legal case against Ottawa which claimed that the federal government had broken its NAFTA obligations in imposing the ban. Now another US corporation, S.D Myers, is suing Ottawa for prohibiting the cross-border shipment of PCBs, demanding compensation for lost profits." "Under the MAI, such antidemocratic standover tactics by powerful companies fixated on making a fast buck and little else, will snowball and spread throughout the 29 OECD countries. Big business will effectively use the MAI to bully governments into only passing laws which favour them. That is outrageous. Worse still - the secrecy that surrounds this process of settling disputes would prevent ordinary citizens from knowing which laws are being challenged and why," she said. GATT Watchdog has sent an Official Information Act request to Treasurer and Minister of Finance Bill Birch in relation to recent and current New Zealand involvement in MAI discussions. "The resumption of MAI negotiations in October is expected to lead to a further meeting in April 1999 with the aim of concluding the MAI before the World Trade Organisation (WTO) launches its next trade liberalisation round." "The New Zealand Government and others who want to push ahead further and faster with free trade and investment, show few signs of rethinking their economic direction in the wake of the international economic crises which many critics of unregulated markets have long predicted," she said. At the April 28th OECD Ministerial Meeting Ministers decided on a six-month "period of assessment and further consultation between the negotiating parties and with interested parts of their societies". The Ministerial Statement also stated that "[m]inisters are committed to a transparent negotiating process and to active public discussion on the issues at stake in the negotiations". "Needless to say, the Shipley government has failed to honour such commitments," she said. The MAI was nicknamed the 'stealth treaty' by its critics to denote the secretive anti-democratic way in which it has been negotiated. The move to pause negotiations for six months from April was a further attempt to get the MAI out of the limelight and away from the public scrutiny and opposition that had mounted against it, said Ms Cookson. "The National MAI-nority government would prefer to be allowed to continue to participate in MAI negotiations in secrecy, rather than risk the same level of political embarrassment and outrage that they faced when ordinary people and media journalists found out about the agreement last year", she said. For further comment, please contact Leigh Cookson (GATT Watchdog) ph (03) 3662803 From g2jomo at umcsd.um.edu.my Tue Sep 1 19:06:54 1998 From: g2jomo at umcsd.um.edu.my (Jomo) Date: Tue, 01 Sep 1998 18:06:54 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 595] Re: People's Campaign Against Imperialist Globalization References: <009801bdd179$403b0660$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> Message-ID: <35EBC73E.A2E3EAF5@umcsd.um.edu.my> Please resend info re the meeting in Manila before this one appasec wrote: > People's Campaign Against Imperialist Globalization (PCAIG) > to Hold Forum/Workshop in the Asia Pacific People's Assembly (APPA) > in November in Kuala Lumpur > --------------------------- > ---------------------------------------------- > > Malaysian NGOs, in coordination with Asia-Pacific regional networks, > are > convening APPA as a parallel people's activity to the APEC Leaders > Summit > to be held in Malaysia this November. APPA's theme is Confronting > Globalization, Reasserting People's Rights! > > The first two days (November 11-12) of the People's Assembly will > have > sector and issue forums/workshops for in-depth discussion of > specific > issues and the impact of globalization on particular sectors. > > PCAIG network members have linked up with APPA to run > forums/workshops such > as: > > * Peasant Forum: "Throwing Off the Yoke of Imperialist > Globalization" to > discuss the strategies which peasant movements have effectively used > in > their fight against globalization. Convenors of the peasant forum > are KMP > (Philippine Peasant Movement), APWN (Asian Peasant Women's Network), > AMIHAN > (Federation of Philippine Peasant Women's Organizations) and > PAMALAKAYA > (Federation of Philippine Fisherfolk Organizations). > > * Workshop on Privatization to discuss the over-all negative impact > of > privatization on the economy and the specific effects on the > different > sectors. The workshop convenor is IBON Philippines. There will be > speakers > from HEAD (Health Alliance for Democracy) and COURAGE (an alliance > of > government employees' associations in the Philippines). > > * Workshop on the US-Japan Security Agenda in the Asia Pacific to > discuss > the US-Japan Security Agreement, attempts to ratify the Visiting > Forces > Agreement (VFA) in the Philippines which will effectively nullify > the > rejection of the US Military Bases Treaty, and arms deals in > specific Asian > countries like Malaysia. Convenors of the workshop are BAYAN (New > Patriotic > Alliance) and AWC (Asia Working Committee), the latter to be > confirmed > shortly. > > * Sub-workshop on the impact of globalization on the fisherfolk > being > organized by PAMALAKAYA. This is part of the workshop on Food > Security and > Agriculture being convened by the Pesticide Action Network - Asia > Pacific > (PAN-AP). > > Preceding APPA is the 3rd International Women's Conference Against > APEC on > November 8-9 with the theme: Women, Resist Globalization! Assert > Women's > Rights! GABRIELA is one of the convenors of the workshop on > Strategies, > Gains and Challenges for Women. > > > WE ENJOIN YOU TO ATTEND APPA AND THE 3RD INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S > CONFERENCE > AGAINST APEC! > > For your information, below is the schedule of activities: > > Nov. 8-9 3rd International Women's Conference Against APEC > > Nov. 10 Registration to APPA and the sector/issue forums/workshops > (whole day) > APPA Opening Ceremony (early evening) > > 11-12 Issue and Sector Forums/Workshops > > 13-14 APPA Plenary > > 15 Closing and People's Action > > Please contact the following for further information. Registration > forms > and the APPA information package can be requested from the APPA > secretariat: > > APPA Secretariat > 3rd Intl Women's Conf Sec't Attn. Sarojeni > Peasant Forum or > Attn. Rafael Mariano/Lu Baylosis > Workshop on Privatization Attn. ATujan > Workshop on US-Japan Secu Agenda > Workshop on Strategies, Gains > and Challenges for Women > Fisherfolk Sub-worshop Attn. Jun From gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz Wed Sep 2 10:39:37 1998 From: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (Gatt Watchdog) Date: Wed, 02 Sep 1998 13:39:37 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 596] NZ: Jumbo jets face Apec parking problems Message-ID: Jumbo jets face Apec parking problems - Sunday Star-Times, New Zealand, 23 August 1998 by Ruth Berry Jumbo jets bringing the world's leaders to Apec next year could be forced to park in neighbouring countries because New Zealand's airports aren't big enough. Airports in Sydney and Nandi have been placed on standby in case extra parking space is needed for the country's biggest international event. Apec Taskforce spokesman Peter Parussini said at least 30 military and private civilian aircraft were expected to arrive in Auckland for the leaders' meeting next September. Parking space had been set aside at Auckland and Christchurch airports and at Ohakea air force base. They are the only airports with runways long enough to cope, but it is unlikely they will have enough space to house all the aircraft. Smaller private and chartered planes will be parked at other airports around the country. Many delegations are expected to arrive in Boeing 747s or other similar sized planes, said Mr Parussini. United States President Bill Clinton is expected to bring eight aircraft to New Zealand. He usually flies in one of four specially modified Boeing 747s, crewed by a squadron of the United States Air force. They have especially hi-tech communications equipment on board, enabling the president to carry out his duties wherever he is in the world. The name Air Force One is given to the craft he is using at the time and a back-up 747 normally follows. At least a couple of 707s are likely to accompany the group, and the president's arrival will be preceded by specialist military transporters - the CF Galaxy or the C141 Starlifter - carrying the special agents, support staff and motor vehicle fleet. Soviet President Boris Yeltsin often travels in an Illuyshin, similar to a Boeing 747, which is probably equipped similarly to President Clinton's. He, too, will probably bring a backup aircraft. The Chinese and Japanese presidents are likely to charter Boeing 747s from their national airlines. Private and other chartered planes are likely to be used by other nations and business people attending the meeting. Accommodation headaches aren't restricted to aircraft, however. Countries attending have been asked to be "very conscious of delegation numbers", said Mr Parussini. "They have been very responsive to that". The leaders' meeting will be attended by about 4000 delegates and 3000 media. In total, 11,000 visitors, bringing $64 million to the country, are expected. President Clinton is planning to bring the largest group, about 1200 people, including the White House press corps. The Russian and Japanese delegations will bring 400-500 each and the Chinese several hundred. Auckland's central business district is expected to be booked out for the summit. Still the subject of "very delicate negotiations" is whether or not foreign security staff will be able to bring weapons with them. It is expected some relaxation of the law will be allowed. From panap at panap.po.my Wed Sep 2 19:36:16 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Wed, 02 Sep 1998 19:36:16 Subject: [asia-apec 597] International Conference on the Engagement of Civil Society in the APEC Process Message-ID: <2352@panap.po.my> The Engagement of Civil Society in the APEC Process Paradise Sandy Bay Hotel Penang Malaysia 5-7 October 1998 The Research and Education for Peace Unit of the School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, in collaboration with the Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto will host an International Conferene on the Engagement of Civil Society in the APEC Process" in Penang, October 5-6. The conference is sponsored by SEAFILD-CIDA. CONCEPT In the past, it has seemed that civil society and the APEC forum were in opposition. For example, during the 1996 Manila APEC conference, a counterpart conference was held by NGOs and other groups opposed to APEC. A similar conference was held in response to the most recent APEC meeting in Vancouver. These groups perceive APEC as a process driven by regional business interests and political elites which will inevitably undermine the rights of labour, the protection of the environment, and the ability of ordinary citizens to participate in their own governance. Ultimately, if APEC is to be successful, it must address the concerns of these opposition groups. The idea we are proposing is the study of if and how these representatives of civil society can be reconciled with APEC. WE accept the fact that there has been informal and indirect participation of civil groups in such structures as the human resources development working group; however, we are suggesting that there be a deeper and more formal process of engagement between civil society and APEC governments. We hope to intitiate the beginnings of a necessary dialogue between governments and civil societies through the holding of a conference designed to explore the possibilities of productive interaction between these opposing forces. The conference in Malaysia hopes to bring together academics, representatives of civil society and government officials. We propose that they discuss the creation of structures that will aid the inclusion of civil society in the APEC process. The critical issues they should discuss are: i) environment ii) human rights and labour iii) gender issues iv) economic development and crisis management The conference will have up top fifty invited individuals representing those sections of the academic, NGO, and official policy-making communities who are concerned with these questions. Over the course of two days, a series of discussions with panels will broadly address these central issues. Academics will prepare papers addressing specific areas of conflict. Government and NGO representatives will direct their comments towards the content of these presentations. We believe that following this format will facilitate productive discussions based on on definite proposals. Limiting the size of the conference will encourage the creation of informal contacts between the participants. It is important to emphasize that this conference is not envisioned as part of the official "track two" process. All conference delegates will be expected to participate in an unofficial capacity and at a level of informality greater than what is usually found in track two fora. TENTATIVE PROGRAMME AND UNCONFIRMED INVITEES Monday, October 5 8.00 am Registration Welcoming Remarks: -Y. Bhg. Dato' Ishak Tambi Kechik, Vice-Chancellor USM -Director of Seafild-CIDA Session One: THE ENGAGEMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN APEC: MODELS AND STRUCTURES Chair: Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, Malaysia Panelists: Johan Saravanamuttu, USM, Malaysia: "Engagement Approaches in the Asia Pacific" Alison Van Rooy, North-South Institute, Ottawa: "Models of Engagement" Woo Yuen Pau, Canadian APEC Study Centre: "Role of APEC Study Centres" Discussants: Robert Scollay, New Zealand Mignon Chan, Chinese-Taipei Session Two: The Canadian APEC Experience in Civic Engagement Chair: Chris Tremewan, New Zealand Panelists: John Kirton, CIS, Toronto: "The Canadian FEEEP Agenda: Successes and Failures" John Curtis, APEC Economic Committee, Canada: "Government Inputs in Civil Engagement" Heather Gibb, North-South Institute, Ottawa: "Engagement on Gender Issues: The Canadian Approach" Discussants: Seiichiro Takagi, Japan Session Three: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN APEC Chair: K.S. Jomo. Malaysia Panelists: Martin Khor, Third World Network, Malaysia: "The Limits and Potential of Regional Organisation in Managing Economic Crisis" Jusuf Wanadi, CSIS, Indonesia: "Implications of the Indonesian Meltdown on APEC" Peter Petri, Brandeis University, USA: "Towards a New Architecture for Financial Crisis Management" Discussants: Zainal Aznam Yusof, Malaysia Sung Hoon Park, Korea Session Four: ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES Chair: F. Josie, Malaysia Panelists: Jakrit Kuanpote, Thailand: "Intellectual Property Claims and APEC: The Basmati/Jasmine Rice Patents Controversy" Gurmit Singh, Malaysia: "Kyoto Protocol to UN Framework on Climate Change William Rees, Canada: "Strategies for an Ecologically Sustainable APEC Region" Discussants: Sven Hamrell, Canada Michel Lambert, Canada Tuesday, October 6 Session Five: GENDER Chair: Heather Gibb, Canada Panelists: Cecilia Ng, UNU, Malysia: "Gender Sensitive Information Technology: Policies for APEC" Ermilita Valdeavilla, National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women: "Successes and Failures of the APEC Women's Leaders Network" Pasuk Phongpaichit, Thailand: "The Social and Economic Impact of the Asian Crisis on Women" Discussants: Judith Nagata, Canada Vanessa Griffen, APDC, Women's Programme Session Six: LABOUR AND HUMAN RIGHTS Chair: Ishak Shari, Malaysia Panelists: Irene Fernandez, Tenaganita: "Economic Liberalisation and Labour Rights" Marzuki Darusman, Human Rights Commission of Indonesia: "The Role of National Human Rights Commissions for Regional Reforms" Unconfirmed Speaker: "Human Rights as an Agenda for APEC" Discussants: Chuah Beng Huat, Singapore Session Seven: ENGAEMENT EXPERIENCES OF ABAC, PECC, AND PBEC Chair: Osman Rani Hassan, Malaysia Panelists: Shafiq Sit Abdullah, Malaysia ABAC: "Business-Government Engagement in APEC" Rohana Tan Sri Mahmood, MSRC, Malaysia: "PEBC/PECC and their Role in APEC" Ponciano S. Intal, Philippines: "Linking Technical Cooperation Initiatives in Civil Society" Discussants: Mohamed Ariff, Malaysia Mehdi Krongkaew, Thailand Session Eight: FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN APEC Chair: Johan Saravanamutu, Malaysia Panelists: Walden Bello, Focus on the Global South: "Towards a People-Oriented APEC" Anwar Fazal, SERI-UN, Malaysia: "The prospects of Good Governance Through APEC" John McKay, Australian APEC Study Centre, California: "Economic Liberalisation and Community Building in APEC" Discussants: Federico M. Macaranas, Philippines Devlin Kuyek, Pesticide Action Network, Malaysia Wednesday, October 7 WORKING MEETING OF RAPPORTEURS AND PREPARATION OF DOCUMENTS Chair: Shaun Narine, Canada (Models and Structures/ Canadian Experience) S. Subramaniam (Economics/ Business) Chan Chee Khoon (Environment) Maznah Mohamad (Gender) Michael Chai (Labour and Human Rights) Alison van Rooy (Recommendations) The conference coordinators are: Professor Johan Saravanamuttu email: johans@usm.my Ms. Teh Gaik Lan Administrative Assistant email: glteh@notes.usm.my From j.kelsey at auckland.ac.nz Wed Sep 2 18:48:24 1998 From: j.kelsey at auckland.ac.nz (jane kelsey) Date: Wed, 02 Sep 1998 09:48:24 +0000 Subject: [asia-apec 598] Re: International Conference on the Engagement of Civil Society in the APEC Process In-Reply-To: <2352@panap.po.my> Message-ID: How extraordinary that such people are so eager to participate in a process which has so manifestly failed. Jane Kelsey Professor of Law Auckland University New Zealand On Wed, 02 Sep 1998 19:36:16 PAN Asia Pacific wrote: > The Engagement of Civil Society in the APEC Process > > Paradise Sandy Bay Hotel > Penang Malaysia > 5-7 October 1998 > > The Research and Education for Peace Unit of the School of Social > Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, in collaboration with the > Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto will host > an International Conferene on the Engagement of Civil Society in > the APEC Process" in Penang, October 5-6. The conference is > sponsored by SEAFILD-CIDA. > > > CONCEPT > > In the past, it has seemed that civil society and the APEC forum > were in opposition. For example, during the 1996 Manila APEC > conference, a counterpart conference was held by NGOs and other > groups opposed to APEC. A similar conference was held in response > to the most recent APEC meeting in Vancouver. These groups > perceive APEC as a process driven by regional business interests > and political elites which will inevitably undermine the rights of > labour, the protection of the environment, and the ability of > ordinary citizens to participate in their own governance. > Ultimately, if APEC is to be successful, it must address the > concerns of these opposition groups. The idea we are proposing is > the study of if and how these representatives of civil society can > be reconciled with APEC. WE accept the fact that there has been > informal and indirect participation of civil groups in such > structures as the human resources development working group; > however, we are suggesting that there be a deeper and more formal > process of engagement between civil society and APEC governments. > We hope to intitiate the beginnings of a necessary dialogue > between governments and civil societies through the holding of a > conference designed to explore the possibilities of productive > interaction between these opposing forces. > > The conference in Malaysia hopes to bring together academics, > representatives of civil society and government officials. We > propose that they discuss the creation of structures that will aid > the inclusion of civil society in the APEC process. The critical > issues they should discuss are: > > i) environment > ii) human rights and labour > iii) gender issues > iv) economic development and crisis management > > The conference will have up top fifty invited individuals > representing those sections of the academic, NGO, and official > policy-making communities who are concerned with these questions. > Over the course of two days, a series of discussions with panels > will broadly address these central issues. Academics will prepare > papers addressing specific areas of conflict. Government and NGO > representatives will direct their comments towards the content of > these presentations. We believe that following this format will > facilitate productive discussions based on on definite proposals. > Limiting the size of the conference will encourage the creation of > informal contacts between the participants. > > It is important to emphasize that this conference is not > envisioned as part of the official "track two" process. All > conference delegates will be expected to participate in an > unofficial capacity and at a level of informality greater than > what is usually found in track two fora. > > > TENTATIVE PROGRAMME AND UNCONFIRMED INVITEES > > Monday, October 5 > > 8.00 am Registration > > Welcoming Remarks: > -Y. Bhg. Dato' Ishak Tambi Kechik, Vice-Chancellor > USM > -Director of Seafild-CIDA > > Session One: THE ENGAGEMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN APEC: MODELS AND > STRUCTURES > > Chair: Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, Malaysia > > Panelists: > > Johan Saravanamuttu, USM, Malaysia: "Engagement Approaches in the > Asia Pacific" > Alison Van Rooy, North-South Institute, Ottawa: "Models of > Engagement" > Woo Yuen Pau, Canadian APEC Study Centre: "Role of APEC Study > Centres" > > Discussants: Robert Scollay, New Zealand > Mignon Chan, Chinese-Taipei > > > Session Two: The Canadian APEC Experience in Civic Engagement > > Chair: Chris Tremewan, New Zealand > > Panelists: > John Kirton, CIS, Toronto: "The Canadian FEEEP Agenda: > Successes and Failures" > John Curtis, APEC Economic Committee, Canada: "Government > Inputs in Civil Engagement" > Heather Gibb, North-South Institute, Ottawa: "Engagement on > Gender Issues: The Canadian Approach" > > Discussants: > Seiichiro Takagi, Japan > > > Session Three: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN APEC > > Chair: K.S. Jomo. Malaysia > > Panelists: > Martin Khor, Third World Network, Malaysia: "The Limits and > Potential of Regional Organisation in Managing Economic Crisis" > Jusuf Wanadi, CSIS, Indonesia: "Implications of the > Indonesian Meltdown on APEC" > Peter Petri, Brandeis University, USA: "Towards a New > Architecture for Financial Crisis Management" > > Discussants: > Zainal Aznam Yusof, Malaysia > Sung Hoon Park, Korea > > > Session Four: ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES > > Chair: F. Josie, Malaysia > > Panelists: > Jakrit Kuanpote, Thailand: "Intellectual Property Claims > and APEC: The Basmati/Jasmine Rice Patents Controversy" > Gurmit Singh, Malaysia: "Kyoto Protocol to UN Framework on > Climate Change > William Rees, Canada: "Strategies for an Ecologically > Sustainable APEC Region" > > Discussants: > Sven Hamrell, Canada > Michel Lambert, Canada > > > Tuesday, October 6 > > Session Five: GENDER > > Chair: Heather Gibb, Canada > > Panelists: > Cecilia Ng, UNU, Malysia: "Gender Sensitive > Information Technology: Policies for APEC" > Ermilita Valdeavilla, National Commission on the Role of > Filipino Women: "Successes and Failures of the APEC Women's > Leaders Network" > Pasuk Phongpaichit, Thailand: "The Social and Economic > Impact of the Asian Crisis on Women" > > Discussants: > Judith Nagata, Canada > Vanessa Griffen, APDC, Women's Programme > > > Session Six: LABOUR AND HUMAN RIGHTS > > Chair: Ishak Shari, Malaysia > > Panelists: > Irene Fernandez, Tenaganita: "Economic > Liberalisation and Labour Rights" > Marzuki Darusman, Human Rights Commission of Indonesia: > "The Role of National Human Rights Commissions for Regional Reforms" > Unconfirmed Speaker: "Human Rights as an Agenda for APEC" > > Discussants: > Chuah Beng Huat, Singapore > > Session Seven: ENGAEMENT EXPERIENCES OF ABAC, PECC, AND PBEC > > Chair: Osman Rani Hassan, Malaysia > > Panelists: > Shafiq Sit Abdullah, Malaysia ABAC: "Business-Government > Engagement in APEC" > Rohana Tan Sri Mahmood, MSRC, Malaysia: "PEBC/PECC and > their Role in APEC" > Ponciano S. Intal, Philippines: "Linking Technical > Cooperation Initiatives in Civil Society" > > Discussants: > Mohamed Ariff, Malaysia > Mehdi Krongkaew, Thailand > > > Session Eight: FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR > CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN APEC > > Chair: Johan Saravanamutu, Malaysia > > Panelists: > Walden Bello, Focus on the Global South: "Towards a > People-Oriented APEC" > Anwar Fazal, SERI-UN, Malaysia: "The prospects of Good > Governance Through APEC" > John McKay, Australian APEC Study Centre, California: > "Economic Liberalisation and Community Building in APEC" > > Discussants: > Federico M. Macaranas, Philippines > Devlin Kuyek, Pesticide Action Network, Malaysia > > > Wednesday, October 7 > > WORKING MEETING OF RAPPORTEURS AND PREPARATION OF > DOCUMENTS > > Chair: Shaun Narine, Canada (Models and Structures/ Canadian > Experience) > S. Subramaniam (Economics/ Business) > Chan Chee Khoon (Environment) > Maznah Mohamad (Gender) > Michael Chai (Labour and Human Rights) > Alison van Rooy (Recommendations) > > > The conference coordinators are: > > Professor Johan Saravanamuttu > email: johans@usm.my > > Ms. Teh Gaik Lan > Administrative Assistant > email: glteh@notes.usm.my > > > > > > > ---------------------- jane kelsey j.kelsey@auckland.ac.nz From aditjond at psychology.newcastle.edu.au Thu Sep 3 08:25:10 1998 From: aditjond at psychology.newcastle.edu.au (George Aditjondro) Date: Thu, 03 Sep 1998 09:25:10 +1000 Subject: [asia-apec 599] Re: International Conference on the Engagement of Civil Society in the APEC Process In-Reply-To: References: <2352@panap.po.my> Message-ID: Hope to see you at the conference on Indonesia and East Timor at your university, next week, Professor Kelsey. George J. Aditjondro >How extraordinary that such people are so eager to participate in a >process which has so manifestly failed. > >Jane Kelsey >Professor of Law >Auckland University >New Zealand > > >On Wed, 02 Sep 1998 19:36:16 PAN Asia Pacific wrote: > >> The Engagement of Civil Society in the APEC Process >> >> Paradise Sandy Bay Hotel >> Penang Malaysia >> 5-7 October 1998 >> >> The Research and Education for Peace Unit of the School of Social >> Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, in collaboration with the >> Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto will host >> an International Conferene on the Engagement of Civil Society in >> the APEC Process" in Penang, October 5-6. The conference is >> sponsored by SEAFILD-CIDA. >> >> >> CONCEPT >> >> In the past, it has seemed that civil society and the APEC forum >> were in opposition. For example, during the 1996 Manila APEC >> conference, a counterpart conference was held by NGOs and other >> groups opposed to APEC. A similar conference was held in response >> to the most recent APEC meeting in Vancouver. These groups >> perceive APEC as a process driven by regional business interests >> and political elites which will inevitably undermine the rights of >> labour, the protection of the environment, and the ability of >> ordinary citizens to participate in their own governance. >> Ultimately, if APEC is to be successful, it must address the >> concerns of these opposition groups. The idea we are proposing is >> the study of if and how these representatives of civil society can >> be reconciled with APEC. WE accept the fact that there has been >> informal and indirect participation of civil groups in such >> structures as the human resources development working group; >> however, we are suggesting that there be a deeper and more formal >> process of engagement between civil society and APEC governments. >> We hope to intitiate the beginnings of a necessary dialogue >> between governments and civil societies through the holding of a >> conference designed to explore the possibilities of productive >> interaction between these opposing forces. >> >> The conference in Malaysia hopes to bring together academics, >> representatives of civil society and government officials. We >> propose that they discuss the creation of structures that will aid >> the inclusion of civil society in the APEC process. The critical >> issues they should discuss are: >> >> i) environment >> ii) human rights and labour >> iii) gender issues >> iv) economic development and crisis management >> >> The conference will have up top fifty invited individuals >> representing those sections of the academic, NGO, and official >> policy-making communities who are concerned with these questions. >> Over the course of two days, a series of discussions with panels >> will broadly address these central issues. Academics will prepare >> papers addressing specific areas of conflict. Government and NGO >> representatives will direct their comments towards the content of >> these presentations. We believe that following this format will >> facilitate productive discussions based on on definite proposals. >> Limiting the size of the conference will encourage the creation of >> informal contacts between the participants. >> >> It is important to emphasize that this conference is not >> envisioned as part of the official "track two" process. All >> conference delegates will be expected to participate in an >> unofficial capacity and at a level of informality greater than >> what is usually found in track two fora. >> >> >> TENTATIVE PROGRAMME AND UNCONFIRMED INVITEES >> >> Monday, October 5 >> >> 8.00 am Registration >> >> Welcoming Remarks: >> -Y. Bhg. Dato' Ishak Tambi Kechik, Vice-Chancellor >> USM >> -Director of Seafild-CIDA >> >> Session One: THE ENGAGEMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN APEC: MODELS AND >> STRUCTURES >> >> Chair: Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, Malaysia >> >> Panelists: >> >> Johan Saravanamuttu, USM, Malaysia: "Engagement Approaches in the >> Asia Pacific" >> Alison Van Rooy, North-South Institute, Ottawa: "Models of >> Engagement" >> Woo Yuen Pau, Canadian APEC Study Centre: "Role of APEC Study >> Centres" >> >> Discussants: Robert Scollay, New Zealand >> Mignon Chan, Chinese-Taipei >> >> >> Session Two: The Canadian APEC Experience in Civic Engagement >> >> Chair: Chris Tremewan, New Zealand >> >> Panelists: >> John Kirton, CIS, Toronto: "The Canadian FEEEP Agenda: >> Successes and Failures" >> John Curtis, APEC Economic Committee, Canada: "Government >> Inputs in Civil Engagement" >> Heather Gibb, North-South Institute, Ottawa: "Engagement on >> Gender Issues: The Canadian Approach" >> >> Discussants: >> Seiichiro Takagi, Japan >> >> >> Session Three: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN APEC >> >> Chair: K.S. Jomo. Malaysia >> >> Panelists: >> Martin Khor, Third World Network, Malaysia: "The Limits and >> Potential of Regional Organisation in Managing Economic Crisis" >> Jusuf Wanadi, CSIS, Indonesia: "Implications of the >> Indonesian Meltdown on APEC" >> Peter Petri, Brandeis University, USA: "Towards a New >> Architecture for Financial Crisis Management" >> >> Discussants: >> Zainal Aznam Yusof, Malaysia >> Sung Hoon Park, Korea >> >> >> Session Four: ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES >> >> Chair: F. Josie, Malaysia >> >> Panelists: >> Jakrit Kuanpote, Thailand: "Intellectual Property Claims >> and APEC: The Basmati/Jasmine Rice Patents Controversy" >> Gurmit Singh, Malaysia: "Kyoto Protocol to UN Framework on >> Climate Change >> William Rees, Canada: "Strategies for an Ecologically >> Sustainable APEC Region" >> >> Discussants: >> Sven Hamrell, Canada >> Michel Lambert, Canada >> >> >> Tuesday, October 6 >> >> Session Five: GENDER >> >> Chair: Heather Gibb, Canada >> >> Panelists: >> Cecilia Ng, UNU, Malysia: "Gender Sensitive >> Information Technology: Policies for APEC" >> Ermilita Valdeavilla, National Commission on the Role of >> Filipino Women: "Successes and Failures of the APEC Women's >> Leaders Network" >> Pasuk Phongpaichit, Thailand: "The Social and Economic >> Impact of the Asian Crisis on Women" >> >> Discussants: >> Judith Nagata, Canada >> Vanessa Griffen, APDC, Women's Programme >> >> >> Session Six: LABOUR AND HUMAN RIGHTS >> >> Chair: Ishak Shari, Malaysia >> >> Panelists: >> Irene Fernandez, Tenaganita: "Economic >> Liberalisation and Labour Rights" >> Marzuki Darusman, Human Rights Commission of Indonesia: >> "The Role of National Human Rights Commissions for Regional Reforms" >> Unconfirmed Speaker: "Human Rights as an Agenda for APEC" >> >> Discussants: >> Chuah Beng Huat, Singapore >> >> Session Seven: ENGAEMENT EXPERIENCES OF ABAC, PECC, AND PBEC >> >> Chair: Osman Rani Hassan, Malaysia >> >> Panelists: >> Shafiq Sit Abdullah, Malaysia ABAC: "Business-Government >> Engagement in APEC" >> Rohana Tan Sri Mahmood, MSRC, Malaysia: "PEBC/PECC and >> their Role in APEC" >> Ponciano S. Intal, Philippines: "Linking Technical >> Cooperation Initiatives in Civil Society" >> >> Discussants: >> Mohamed Ariff, Malaysia >> Mehdi Krongkaew, Thailand >> >> >> Session Eight: FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR >> CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN APEC >> >> Chair: Johan Saravanamutu, Malaysia >> >> Panelists: >> Walden Bello, Focus on the Global South: "Towards a >> People-Oriented APEC" >> Anwar Fazal, SERI-UN, Malaysia: "The prospects of Good >> Governance Through APEC" >> John McKay, Australian APEC Study Centre, California: >> "Economic Liberalisation and Community Building in APEC" >> >> Discussants: >> Federico M. Macaranas, Philippines >> Devlin Kuyek, Pesticide Action Network, Malaysia >> >> >> Wednesday, October 7 >> >> WORKING MEETING OF RAPPORTEURS AND PREPARATION OF >> DOCUMENTS >> >> Chair: Shaun Narine, Canada (Models and Structures/ Canadian >> Experience) >> S. Subramaniam (Economics/ Business) >> Chan Chee Khoon (Environment) >> Maznah Mohamad (Gender) >> Michael Chai (Labour and Human Rights) >> Alison van Rooy (Recommendations) >> >> >> The conference coordinators are: >> >> Professor Johan Saravanamuttu >> email: johans@usm.my >> >> Ms. Teh Gaik Lan >> Administrative Assistant >> email: glteh@notes.usm.my >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > >---------------------- >jane kelsey >j.kelsey@auckland.ac.nz From gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz Thu Sep 3 11:25:56 1998 From: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (Gatt Watchdog) Date: Thu, 03 Sep 1998 14:25:56 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 600] APEC & "engagement" with "Civil Society" Message-ID: This paper of Jane Kelsey's is almost 2 years old - but a very helpful resource on the question of "engagement" or "non engagement" with APEC Aziz Choudry GATT Watchdog APEC: TO ENGAGE OR NOT TO ENGAGE? To talk seriously about engaging with APEC we have to assume First, that APEC has a locus with which NGOs and people's organisations could effectively engage, if they wanted to. Second, that any NGO/PO that wanted to engage would be able to do so; that these would only be the good guys; that we are agreed about who the good guys are; that those who engage share a set of reasonably explicit goals with the wider NGO/PO community; that they have a sense of responsibility to that community; and that they would make themselves accountable the way in which they pursue those common goals. Third, that engagement would produce concrete, beneficial changes in what APEC does and how it does it, and that there is agreement about the kind of changes are positive. Fourth, that APEC is genuinely interested in dialogue; that it would be willing to accommodate the kind of changes that NGOs/POs would demand; and that APEC members would abide by those changes to their rules. Fifth, that the costs of engagement would be outweighed by the benefits gained; and Ultimately, that the 'we' who are assembled here have the right to make these decisions. I have serious doubts about all of these. Engaging APEC: The how and where? At the purely practical level, I am puzzled about how and where NGOs/POs would intercede. APEC is not an institution. It operates through a continual programme of meetings that take place on diverse levels, in disparate subject areas and in all the member 'economies' of APEC. Would NGOs/POs seek to participate in all or any of the working groups? ad hoc expert groups? standing committees? senior officials meetings [SOMs]? ministerial meetings? leaders meetings? The higher up the decision making chain, the less likely such access would be. Even if access was granted, any NGO/PO voice would be a minority amongst the cheer brigade of state and market actors who espouse global free trade, albeit with variations on the theme. Alternatively, it might be suggested that NGOs/POs could seek a parallel advisory role to that which capital plays through the Business Advisory Council; that this entity should have equal observer status at official meetings; and it should be authorised to report on the labour, social, environment or human rights issues arising from, and for, APEC. But realistically that is never going to happen. APEC was born of the market, having been nurtured enthusiastically and protectively by the forces of market liberalisation, especially the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council [PECC]. They have achieved the deep integration of the interests and voices of capital into every element of its operation and reinforced the dependency of states on markets. No NGO or people's forum will ever be elevated to an equivalent position within APEC. Without such parity, what substantive changes can be achieved? A further option is to seek dialogue and participation in decisions about APEC at the level of national governments. Many NGOs/POs have tried. Some, mainly Anglo-American NGOs, have had success and important information has been gained and shared. But for many others-especially, but not only, in Asian countries-the government's doors remain firmly shut. We then need to ask: what responsibility and accountability exists on the part of those who can and do engage to those who cannot? What interests do those who engage represent and what determines the positions that they take? Who then becomes the voice of civil society within APEC and what happens to those who are excluded from this process? Who engages APEC on whose behalf? There were suggestions earlier this year that APEC was prepared to enter dialogue with NGOs, a move apparently fostered by officials with the Philippine government. The official in charge of the Manila SOM suggested in May 1996 that 'the networks of civil society deserve attention in a participatory framework of markets corrected for failures due to externalities and non-provision of public goods. Viewed this way, truly representative non-government organizations must therefore be given chances to present their own agenda for eventual incorporation by the intergovernmental network of APEC in the implementation of action plans.' What is a 'truly representative non-government organisation'-indeed does such an entity exist? Presumably they mean the well-resourced, well-connected and internationally-known lobby groups with funding from the big foundations, not the less refined people-based movements working on the ground or indigenous nations reasserting sovereignty over their resources and their lives? Given that PECC defines itself as an NGO, this might even include employers' organisations and right-wing think-tanks. It is also implied that APEC would decide the criteria for accreditation and who meets its terms. Once accredited, compromises will doubtless be required to stay in the game. So again we need to ask: what accountability would there be, and to whom - the organisation's members, their national or sectoral constituency or some collective regional entity? Is there such a regional entity; if not, where would the mandate come from to speak on civil society's behalf? Engaging about what? At the systemic level, we need to ask not just how and who, but engaging about what? APEC is not a stand alone entity. It is one component of a deeply integrated system of agencies, institutions, groupings and enterprises that are committed to the common goal of global free markets and free trade, although they have different interpretations of what this means and different modes of achieving it. APEC's core concept of open regionalism assumes a synthesis between itself and other agencies in the global liberalisation process. It maintains informal links and overlapping membership with other international, regional and subregional institutions and groupings (such as the IMF, Asian Development Bank, NAFTA) which are committed to the same agenda, and whose meetings, and outcomes, often coincide. In particular, APEC is seen as the vanguard to push trade and investment liberalisation in the WTO further and faster than it would otherwise go. It is clear, therefore, that meaningful change cannot be secured by engaging with APEC alone. Any focus specifically on APEC must therefore keep the global agenda in mind. APEC promotes a package deal of economic policies which include • minimal controls on big business; • unrestricted foreign investment; • unlimited export of profits; • privatisation of state assets, utilities and services; • full exposure of domestic producers to cheap imports; removing support for domestic industry while increasing incentives to foreign investors; • privately-funded and owned infrastructure (roads, rail, electricity, telephones, water, etc) operating through deregulated markets; • market-driven service sectors, including social services like health and education; • 'competitive' (ie. low-cost and deunionised) and 'flexible' (ie temporary, part-time and contract-based) labour markets; destruction of sustainable community-based production in favour of costly and ecologically unsound cash crops for export; dispossession of small land-holders in favour of transnational enterprises and agribusiness; rampant exploitation of natural resources; unrestricted movement for business immigrants, with strict controls on foreign workers and refugees. Such policies have serious 'non-economic' flow-on effects which, among many others, include: • increased inequality and poverty, especially for indigenous peoples, women, children, the elderly; • unstable, low-quality, low-paid employment with cuts to real wages and to the social wage; • tax benefits and high incomes for companies and for the rich, alongside income and welfare cuts for the poor; dispossession and forced relocation of indigenous peoples and local communities, often adding to the urban unemployed; commodification and commercialisation of traditional, especially indigenous peoples', resources and knowledge; • problems of access to, and affordabilility and quality of, essential services; • run-down state infrastructure; • control by private, often foreign owned, conglomerates over the country's financial, transport, communications and media infrastructure; • theft, sale (or gift) to private, often foreign, owners of resources that legitimately belong to indigenous peoples; pressure to minimise environmental protections in the name of promoting investment, tourism, mining; subordination of the eco-system to the demands of economic growth. The architects of APEC, in alliance with the WTO, international financial institutions, transnational enterprises and their ilk, aim to lock in this global agenda so it becomes impossible for future governments to change tack. That means • if the economic theory doesn't work; • if the social, environmental and cultural costs are too great; • if the power it delivers to big business, foreign institutions and private actors is unacceptable; or if citizens simply want to try a different way, there will be nothing they can do, short of potential economic suicide. Engaging only selected issues within APEC would leave the basic package intact. But APEC has successfully insulated itself from any comprehensive internal attack. Because it claims to be a community of economies-not governments or countries- APEC excludes from consideration any 'non-economic', social or political issues like human rights, poverty, employment or environment, unless they are redefined in 'trade-related' terms. That is also used to rationalise its anti-democratic membership and processes to ensure that a mutually reinforcing elite of capitalists, government officials, academics and fellow travellers remains firmly in control. The Closure of APEC It is abundantly clear that APEC is not interested in participatory, democratic dialogue. It has always operated through closed meetings of carefully selected, like-minded officials, politicians, private sector representatives and academics. Almost all deliberations remain secret until after the decisions are made. New Zealand journalist Bruce Ansley observed the process at work during the APEC trade ministers meeting at Christchurch in July this year: Little of it was reported. It met in secret, except for a few handouts, and the odd press conference where the idea was to say as little as possible and to stall questions with urbanities. No one outside the charmed circle knew what was going on, and those inside intended to keep it that way; for all we knew, they could have been plotting a new holocaust (although that was unlikely; at its conclusion, the best that Trade Negotiations Minister Philip Burdon could say of their efforts was that the meeting could have been a disaster, but was not, so it must have been a success). What they were plotting, of course, was a brave new world where nations and their corporate alter egos could browse across one another's boundaries without impediment. A few elements of the new order presented themselves for inspection; there won't be nations-in Apec language (as singular as Esperanto) nations become "economies" without, apparently, irritating social philosophies. These economies aren't inhabited by people but by "human resources". They don't have elected representatives; doubtless to his gratification, Jim Bolger becomes an "economic leader". It is cold and grey and mechanical, and scary as hell. (Listener, 3 August 1996) Because the signing of international treaties, including those dealing with trade, is considered an act of state by many governments, these agreements do not require ratification by the legislature and can therefore be signed without any debate, let alone a formal vote. The US government requires both a mandate and formal ratification of any binding agreements they sign, but because APEC is described as 'non-binding' the US is able to circumvent that requirement also. This secrecy gives officials and ministers, who hold office only in the short-term, enormous power that extends well beyond negotiations about trade and enables them to lock future governments into pursuing the global free market goal. For those who are subject to the rule of illegal governments, either as indigenous nations denied their sovereignty or people under military or foreign powers-and who are often the first to be sacrificed on the altar of free trade and investment-the injustice is even more profound. Even if engagement did secure some commitment to address some of these concerns, the track record of powerful governments in international trade agreements shows they are highly pragmatic and selective about what rules they are prepared to obey. The US, in particular, insists on its sovereign right to use unilateral sanctions against anyone it considers is behaving unfairly towards it-at the same time as demanding that all other countries subordinate their sovereign right to make their own decisions to the rules of international trade. Can APEC be humanised? Some would challenge this as unduly pessimistic, claiming that international pressure and the work of NGOs has forced APEC to pay heed to these concerns, and that the interests of NGOs, trade unions and people's organisations increasingly coincide. It is true that demands for improved labour and social conditions, and for greater democratisation, now frequently accompany calls for free trade, and are beginning to emerge at APEC. But underlying such demands rests a fundamental paradox. Protection of labour and human rights assumes that a state has the recognised right, and the practical ability, to regulate relevant activities that occur within its realm. Yet the deregulatory requirements of free trade and investment make such protection ideologically unacceptable, economically costly and extremely difficult to achieve. Human Rights Preoccupation with the interests of capital means that human rights abuses frequently accompany free trade and investment regimes. Foreign and domestic investors seek minimal barriers to the exploitation of people and resources. International competitiveness almost inevitably dictates the deregulation of labour markets, less onerous health and safety requirements, erosion (or elimination) of minimum wages and conditions, lack of job security, reduction of the social wage. Governments seeking to promote these conditions often resort to repression to silence the victims, political opponents and public critics. In that sense, disrespect for human beings and human rights is intrinsic to APEC's goals. Economic equalisation between countries is left to market-driven economic growth. People are treated as resources to be utilised in the quest for growth and economic gain. According to PECC in 1994: 'The very diversity of the physical and human resource endowments of APEC participants . . . creates enormous opportunities for further increases in mutually beneficial trade and investment within the region.' Two Australian trade officials who were deeply involved in the process encapsulated the prevailing view in 1992: What is new in East Asia and the Western Pacific is that close observation in neighboring country after neighboring country that trade liberalization enhances economic performance has changed political perceptions of the payoff matrix. Any perceived disadvantages in changes in income distribution associated with trade liberalization are judged by the political process to be less important than national gains. Those judgments are helped by the obviously favorable effects on the incomes of the relatively poor in labor-intensive manufactured export expansion in labor-abundant economies. (P. Drysdale and R. Garnaut, 'NAFTA and the Asia-Pacific region: Strategic Responses', pp. 103, 110) Human needs are subordinated to the goal of national and regional economic growth, based on the dubious assumption that the benefits will eventually trickle down. They avoid addressing this by redefining the region as a 'family' of 'economies'. States, governments, indigenous peoples, paid and unpaid workers, women, children, communities, and ecosystems are all irrelevant, except as vehicles to promote the interests of capital or resources to fuel production and profits. At the operational level, APEC meetings themselves have become synonymous with human rights abuses, as host governments try to eliminate any potential embarrassment to themselves or their guests. In Jakarta in 1994 the government cleaned the streets of itinerants and the poor, cracked down on dissident journalists, and banned meetings and a press conference organised by a small number of regional NGOs who had gathered to express their concerns about APEC. At Osaka, Japan in 1995 the homeless who lived in the square outside the conference venue were forcibly relocated to the other side of town; local journalists reported that the ensuing inter-group conflict led to at least one death. In Manila this year the Philippines government has demolished the shanties to remove eye-sores to foreign dignitaries, people are denied entry and threatened with deportation, security crackdowns are occurring throughout the country, journalists are being harassed and almost any potential pocket of dissent it seems is being suppressed. All this is designed to promote the image of a prosperous Philippines and avoid embarrassment to APEC leaders, especially the Indonesian government which is already a major investor in the Philippines. Defending the decision to refuse entry to Jose Ramos Horta and others, President Fidel Ramos said: 'It is not so much the threat to national security that we are banning foreigners from this announced fora relating to Apec. It is that it is inimical to our national interest.' Such overt suppression exposes the narrow, self-serving definition of 'freedom' to which free market advocates adhere. As Conrado de Quiros observed in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on 25 October 1996: If you can allow goods to flow freely into countries, why can't you do the same thing for ideas? . . . [Free traders] are not about justice, they are not about dissent, they are not about people being free to say what kinds of development they want. Freedom has no place in economic progress. Human rights have not place in economic progress. At the end of the day, principle must give way to expedience. Growth must take precedence over the moral imperative to right wrongs. . . . If governments will go this far to look good at a meeting, what will they do to create an attractive free trade and investment regime and lure foreign investors to their shores? Who and what will they sacrifice along the way? Where is the room for participatory democracy and genuine dialogue in this? Workers' rights Recently there have been calls for a labour or social clause in both APEC and the WTO, supposedly to address some of these concerns. It is no accident that these calls emanate from governments and businesses in Anglo-American countries. Their domestic political conditions and constitutional obligations make it difficult to compete with countries which have less restrictive political, human rights, labour and environmental codes. Their motives are basically protectionist-they want to enforce a uniform model of free trade and investment on all countries, but require a regulatory environment that protects them in areas where they can't compete. At the same time, these governments apply double standards-demanding stronger commitments to labour and human rights, and democratic government, from their trading partners while they increasingly move to erode such standards at home. Their trade unions often support these calls, as much (more?) from concern to protect the jobs of their members from cheap labour offshore as from commitment to humanitarian goals. Take for example, the 'Trade Union Vision for APEC' recently prepared by the Asia-Pacific Labour Network [APLN] of the Belgian-based International Confederation of Free Trade Unions [ICFTU], as reported in The Nation on 4 November this year. According to the APLN 'Apec provides the potential for substantially higher economic growth, employment creation, higher living standards and poverty alleviation for workers'. To 'make the transition to free trade more painless and to ensure that businesses do not profit from exploitative practices' APEC is urged to adopt rules such as collective bargaining accords and action against child labour. The goal of this is a 'policy climate in which workers, through legal rights to form and join their own freely chosen organisations, are able to work with employers and the government to establish a sound system of industrial relations.' As a New Zealander this sounds remarkably like the definition of tripartism given by our Council of Trade Unions in 1993: to introduce a social dimension into the structural adjustment programme. Perhaps the parallel is not so surprising-the president of the NZCTU is also the president of the Asia Pacific Regional Office of the ICFTU. In a similar vein, NGOs which have significant leverage in these countries, understandably, prefer to secure commitments to higher standards offshore, rather than see their own standards forced to fall. Greening APEC Similar issues arise with calls for a green clause in APEC and the WTO. There appears to be some progress towards that goal. Since the completion of the Uruguay Round the environment has been promoted as the next major trade-related issue to address. The WTO has created a Committee on Trade and Environment to examine the tension between the multilateral trading system [MTS] and multilateral environmental agreements [MEAs]. APEC has established a committee to develop a Japanese-initiated project to reconcile economic growth, energy requirements and environmental sustainability. Earlier this year APEC held a ministerial on environmental sustainability and trade. PECC has produced its own report on the issue. But let us be clear about the agenda here. APEC's interest in the environment and sustainable development is driven by the strategic needs of capitalist expansion, not concern for the environment or the people who depend on it to survive. The futility of such attempts to redirect the priorities of such agencies is vividly illustrated in the September 1996 legal brief prepared by the World Wildlife Fund [WWF], a group which I understand favours constructive engagement with the WTO. The brief (entitled 'Trade Measures and Multilateral Environmental Agreements: backwards or forwards in the WTO?') exposes recent moves within the WTO to subordinate environmental interests to those of trade. Officials from various countries have argued that conflicts between MEAs and the MTS should be resolved within the WTO framework, thereby giving precedence to issues of trade. New Zealand officials, for example, have proposed an 'accommodation' which would allow trade restrictive measures to be taken under MEAs, but on conditions of proportionality, effectiveness and least-trade restriction. All of these elevate trade interests over those of environment, and empower the trade 'experts' in the WTO to adjudicate on appropriate national environmental policies and outcomes. The WWF expresses grave concern about the potential chilling effect which these proposed guidelines or limited exceptions could have on commitments to negotiating, extending and implementing MEAs. Without doubt, similar positions are being promoted by same body of trade officials within APEC. Whatever discussion takes place on the environment in APEC, and any trade-related environment measures agreed to, will be premised on, and located within, the free trade and investment paradigm. As I understand it, that is not what greening APEC seeks to do. If it is, then those who promote it can claim no mandate to speak as a regional voice on environmental concerns. Alternatives to Engagement Opposition to the promotion of a social and green clause in APEC and the WTO does not mean that issues of labour, environment, human rights and democracy are of no concern. To the contrary, they are critical issues which should be accorded primacy in the appropriate international, regional and national forums, not subordinated within the global free market framework of APEC and the WTO. Since the US began to assert itself in APEC in 1993, a counter-network of NGOs, unions, human rights and environmental groups has rapidly emerged. In April 1994 the PP21 working group on APEC met in Bangkok and issued a statement which urged discussion and debate over the role of APEC. They proposed a people-centred approach to economic and social self-determination through a regional social charter 'that will ensure that urban and rural workers, subsistence consumers, small scale and informal sector producers are effectively protected against the onslaught of economic globalization'. Alongside the Jakarta APEC meeting in November 1994, representatives of 10 local and regional NGOs struggled to meet and discuss concerns about APEC in the face of Indonesian government hostility. One year later, representatives from over 100 NGOs and unions concerned with the environment, human rights, labour issues, and economic and social justice gathered for a meeting before the Osaka summit. Most of these were linked to other NGO or labour groups working on related issues, forming an active, overlapping counter-network of their own. Their official statement endorsed cooperation among the countries and peoples of the region, but rejected the free market and trade liberalisation model embraced by APEC as negating the development and democratic aspirations of the region's people. While most APEC governments were hostile to, or dismissive of, the NGOs, many of the issues were taken up by the media at official APEC briefings. And, as we have seen, moves to incorporate environment and labour issues within the APEC agenda (on APEC's terms) and suggestions by the Philippine government of dialogue with NGOs suggest a desire to pre-empt serious questions about APEC's legitimacy. So this development has had some effect. But, as within APEC itself, there are differences among its critics on the appropriate response. Many, though not all, Anglo-American NGOs and unions tend to support dialogue and participation within APEC to secure commitment to a green and/or social clause. That generally implies a more rule-based and binding approach of the kind their governments increasingly support. Most, but again not all, Asian NGOs at the Osaka meeting opposed such participation, believing that would help legitimise APEC as a powerful and permanent feature of the regional landscape, when it is really quite fragile, rent with internal conflict, potentially paralysed by disagreement over the direction and form it should take, and far less potent than many assume. Other downsides of engagement included redefinition and co-option of basic rights to fit the APEC paradigm, divisions amongst forces critical of APEC, diversion of energy, diversion of analysis, loss of credibility, and the marginalisation and disempowerment of people's movements. Those opposed to engagement preferred to develop independent, people-based strategies that would challenge APEC's lack of political and popular legitimacy, transparency and accountability from outside. Despite a greater cultural sympathy for the Asian governments' approach, their target was not simply one faction in APEC, but the interests of Asian and Western capital whose aspirations it represents. The message behind this position is crucial. APEC is not the enemy in itself. It is a relatively transitory vehicle through which the global interests of capital, and those of its agents and allies, are presently pursued. Even if it falls apart or its internal conflicts reduce it to a shell, the networks which feed it will continue operating and perhaps take on another form. Mobilisation and strategies to address the core issues of economic, social and popular justice need to remain the focus, and not be subsumed to the agenda of those whom we seek to bring under control. Engaging with APEC is a red herring which can divert our limited time, energy and resources from achieving that goal. There are diverse ways that this can be pursued, within the limited resources available and differing room to move. Suggestions already on the table include: fostering an intersecting network of NGOs/POs to parallel the APEC mode of operating continued (but more disciplined) exchange of information, including that secured from governments and leaks demystification of APEC and heightened media and public awareness of the APEC critique; national actions centred on APEC activities to pressure APEC and raise awareness at home; coordinated campaigns which, while not APEC centred, have an APEC-related theme; prepare and publish high profile and authoritative critiques, including a counter-EPG report to be published and presented at the 1997 Canada meeting. The challenge for the meeting in Manila this year is to produce an action agenda and action plan that builds on our strengths, pools our resources, retains control of our strategies and remains true to the basic, inter-related principles of participatory democracy, economic and social justice, self-determination, ecological responsibility and fair trade. Dr Jane Kelsey, Professor of Law, Auckland University, Aotearoa/New Zealand, November 1996 From appasec at tm.net.my Thu Sep 3 14:34:08 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1998 13:34:08 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 601] response from PAN-AP to CI withdrawal letter Message-ID: <001201bdd6fc$90146400$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> To: All participants and members of the International Organizing Committee of the Asia Pacific People's Assembly and National Organizing Committee and PAN AP Steering Council Members 28th August 1998 Dear friends, This is in response to Josie F. of Consumers International letter of 14 August, 1998 addressed to Mr Yap of APPA and to all members of IOC and NOC of APPA. I was upset by the letter of Ms Josie F. that provided the reasons for their withdrawal and named PAN AP as one of the groups that caused this to happen. First of all PAN AP, as a member of APPA, knows that the APPA process is a very open one and seeks to encourage the participation of groups in organizing Issue Forums and workshops as well as in the discussions and in the organising of APPA. APPA has brought together various groups and has kept itself open to discussions and suggestions. I would like to give my version of the events leading to the organizing of the issue forum on sustainability. SUSDEN/MINSOC was involved in the first meeting of the NGOs and people's organizations on APEC in February and in the first few meetings of the National Organizing Committee. In the early meetings, MINSOC and SUSDEN had agreed to organize the issue forum on sustainability On May 25, SUSDEN pulled out of the commitment due to lack of resources. At the next meeting of the NOC, CI put forward the idea of organising an issue forum on sustainable consumption. At the same meeting, I said I will clarify what the problems were with SUSDEN (in terms of lack of resources) and to see if it still possible for SUSDEN to be involved. At the next meeting, after my discussions with SUSDEN and PAN AP's commitment to help fundraise for the issue forum on Community Livelihoods, SUSDEN put forward their AIDE MEMOIRE on the issue. Please note this issue forum would not replace the Consumers International Issue Forum but would add to the diversity of issues being discussed. For SUSDEN it was to be an additional issue forum that would not replace the issue forum of CI's. It was placed under the broader umbrella of the environment and sustainability. Michael Chai, representing Consumers International, at the meeting did not bring up the issue for clarification at all. If there were any doubts of whether SUSDEN was attempting to replace CI's issue forum, it should have been clarified then or soon after. When it was brought up at the next meeting of the NOC on JULY 18 neither SUSDEN nor PAN AP was present. If we had been asked to explain before the July 18 meeting and the issue put forward for discussion at the NOC either SUSDEN or PAN AP would have been present at the NOC for any clarifications. Since we were not there, it was decided that CI would do the issue forum on sustainability and SUSDEN would be asked to discuss merging it. Mr Yap wrote to Bishan of SUSDEN and Bishan responded that really the two issues were different and as such urged for a separate issue forum that would focus on community livelihoods, empowerment and organizing. Based on that letter, the APPA secretariat put it under a separate issue forum. At the International Organizing Committee meeting Aug 1-2, 1998, this issue was discussed at length. There was a general agreement that CI and SUSDEN would try to resolve any overlaps. To help facilitate participation at both issue forums, I suggested that SUSDEN would consider having the issue forum on community livelihoods, empowerment and organizing preponed from 11-12 November to 9-10 November. The issue forum on Sustainability to be organized by CI was planned for 11-12 November. I appreciate the open and transparent way in which the APPA Secretariat has been handling this issue allowing the space for groups to clarify the issues and every opportunity for providing inputs and feedback as well as to discuss them openly. In reference to the question of overlap of issues it is really not a major problem, as can be seen from the issue forums that have been organized. The food security and sustainable agriculture issue forum will discuss the issue of farmers resistance and alternatives and there is an issue forum on peasants challenges, gains and struggles. Similarly, the labour issue forum will discuss migrant workers issues and there is an issue forum on migrant workers. Are we saying that there should be no overlaps at all or are we encouraging participation and the openness to allow groups to come in and be part of the peoples movement to resist globalization? It would be wrong if SUSDEN were not allowed the space to bring out issues that are relevant and will build further the alternatives to globalization. It is an effort to help further the sharing of experiences, discussions and debate from community groups and people involved in the struggle to create community alternatives. Let us in the spirit of openness and in the spirit of struggling against globalization allow an open process and not exclude groups or issues. In that spirit, I would like to urge that we organize separately and distinct from each other the two Issue Forums: 1. Sustainability Issue Forum 2. Sustainable Livelihoods and Community Empowerment Issue Forum Thank you and best wishes, Sarojeni V. Rengam From apwld at loxinfo.co.th Thu Sep 3 17:16:05 1998 From: apwld at loxinfo.co.th (apwld) Date: Thu, 03 Sep 1998 15:16:05 +0700 Subject: [asia-apec 602] Re: Asian Migrant Yearbook 1998: Now Available Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19980903081605.0070c8dc@chmai.loxinfo.co.th> Dear Rex Varona, I would like to order one copy of the report. Could you send it to the address below? Best wishes, Etsuko Ikeda Resoiurce Officer ASIA PACIFIC FORUM ON WOMEN, LAW AND DEVELOPMENT Santitham YMCA Building, 3rd floor, Room 305-307 11 Sermsuk Rd, Soi Mengrairasmi Chiangmai 50300, Thailand Direct Tel: 66 53 404 613-4 Fax: 66 53 404 615 Email: apwld@loxinfo.co.th >We are happy to announce that the Asian Migrant Yearbook 1998 (AMY 98), >which contains that report, plus the most updated reports on the situation >of migrant workers in 16 Asian countries, is now available. > >If you are interested to subscribe here are the details: >* dimensions: 20 cm. x 27 cm., 160 pages; with some full-color maps and photos >* commercial price (includes airmail postage): US$55 (outside Asia); US$40 >(Asia) >* 50% discount for non-profit groups/advocates (i.e. US$ 27 and US$20, >respectively) >* complimentary copy for grassroots migrant organisations and AMC partners >* this is a 1-year subscription (June 1998-June 1999) which includes AMY >98, and other publications that AMC releases during the year (e.g. poster, >pamphlet, monograph). > >If you want to order, please confirm by replying to this email (sorry, we >don't have an on-line order form), and please give us your mailing address. >We will then airmail a copy to you (takes about 5-7 days). You can pay us >by US$ cheque payable to "Asian Migrant Centre Ltd.", or remit through our >US$ account (the remittance details are in the inside front cover of the >yearbook). > >4 Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong >Tel: (852) 2312-0031 Fax: (852) 2992-0111 > > From panap at panap.po.my Thu Sep 3 11:28:29 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Thu, 03 Sep 1998 11:28:29 Subject: [asia-apec 603] Making Sense of Globalisation: Seminar in KL Message-ID: <2365@panap.po.my> Dear Friends, Please be informed that the APPA organising committee will hold a one-day seminar entitled 'Making Sense of Globalisation'. This is an effort to raise public awareness among Malaysians on the issue of globalisation and APEC. Please make use of this program fully by informing your network and friends to come for this seminar. Registration forms must be filled out and returned to us by 5 September either by fax or e-mail. Our fax number is 03-2833536 and email is . Thank you Cynthia APPA secretariat. MAKING SENSE OF GLOBALISATION!=20 Invitation to Seminar The Asia Pacific Peoples' Assembly organising committee, will hold a one-day seminar entitled "Making Sense of Globalisation" on 6 September 1998, at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, No: 1, Jalan Maharajalela, Kuala Lumpur. The seminar will address important concerns on globalisation, and it's impact on our distressed economy. Program 9.30 - 10.00 a.m. Registration 10.00- 11.00 a.m. From a village to a global economy: What has changed for us? (Premesh Chandran: Malaysian Trade Union Congress) 11.00- 11.15 a.m. Tea break 11.15 - 11.45 a.m. Open forum 11.45 - 12.45 p.m. The impact of globalisation on job security (Syed Sharir: National Union of Transport Equipment) The impact of globalisation on food security (Sarojeni Rengam: Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific) 12.45 - 1.15p.m. Open Forum 1.15 - 2.15p.m. Lunch (Session with Media Representatives) 2.15 - 3.15 p.m. Coming out of the Financial Crisis: Moving Away from APEC and the WTO (Charles Santiago: Stamford College) 3.15 - 3.45 p.m. Open Forum 4.00 p.m. Closing Remarks To register for the forum, please fill in the form below, and get back = to us by 2 September 1998. A registration fee of RM10 will be charged = for each participant (pay on seminar day). Meals will be provided.=20 Name: _________________________________ Organisation (if any): ____________________________________ E-mail:__________________________________ Contact address:_______________________________ Fax: ____________________ Tel: _________________ From panap at panap.po.my Thu Sep 3 12:41:44 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Thu, 03 Sep 1998 12:41:44 Subject: [asia-apec 604] Deputy PM Anwar sacked! (part 1 of 2) Message-ID: <2369@panap.po.my> The following articles are from: The Star September 2, 1998 ANWAR SACKED KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister at 5.30pm today. A three-paragraph statement from the Prime Minister's Department said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Ja'afar had been informed of Anwar's removal. But no reason was given for the sacking which ended months of speculation on Anwar's position following reports of a widening rift between him and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad. No immediate response could be obtained from Anwar, 51. Policemen took up positions as Umno members and journalists gathered outside his residence in Jalan Damansara yesterday afternoon, hours before the statement was issued. By 5.30pm, the road to his house had been sealed and at 7pm, the Prime Minister's letter was delivered to Anwar. Shortly after, his wife Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was seen driving out alone. According to Anwar's supporters, she drove to the Prime Minister's official residence, 100m away, and left before 8pm. Five days ago, Anwar had told reporters after meeting his Permatang Pauh supporters in Penang that he was not resigning. Dr Mahathir had also said on Tuesday after announcing his measures to regain control of the ringgit that Anwar had not resigned but if his deputy gave "a very good reason, I will have to accept (it)." As a student leader, Anwar was detained in 1974 under the Internal Security Act for two years and was internationally known as president of the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (Abim). Once an outspoken critic of the Government, he was persuaded by Dr Mahathir to join Umno in 1982. He contested for the Permatang Pauh seat in 1982 and became Umno Youth chief the same year. That year he was also made Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, marking his meteoric rise as a leader, and culminating in his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister on Dec 1, 1993, to succeed Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba. Anwar's dismissal extends to all his other positions held in his capacity as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, including Cabinet committee posts and the National Economic Action Council (NEAC) deputy chairmanship. His position as Umno deputy president is likely to be discussed by the party's supreme council which has brought forward its meeting scheduled for Sept 8 to today. Once described as heir apparent to Dr Mahathir, Anwar was seen to be sidelined when Tun Daim Zainuddin was appointed NEAC chairman and later Special Functions Minister after the Umno General Assembly in June. Till press time, tight security was maintained outside Sri Perdana and Anwar's houses here and in Penang and journalists camped overnight outside the places. Response to the sacking from other leaders ranged from "no comment" to calls for calm amid speculation over who will take over from Anwar. Anwar is the third deputy prime minister to have served under Dr Mahathir who came to power in July 1981. In 1986, Tan Sri Musa Hitam resigned and in 1993, Ghafar stepped down after Anwar won the Umno deputy presidency. Rise and fall of Anwar By K. Baradan THE place was the posh Desaru View Hotel's convention centre in Kota Tinggi. The date was Oct 24, 1993. And the man of the hour -- Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The hall exploded into cheers as Anwar entered. It took the Finance Minister nearly 30 minutes to make his way to the stage as nearly everybody who was somebody in Umno was there to congratulate the 46-year-old man who had a day earlier made Umno history. Just over 10 years after joining Umno in 1982, Anwar had in a few deft moves, forced incumbent and veteran Umno leader Ghafar Baba to throw in the towel and walk out of the second most powerful office in Umno and the country. Ghafar only managed to secure seven divisional nominations under the 10-vote per nomination bonus system while Anwar sailed through with 145. It was a humiliating exit for Ghafar and a reminder to others of what can happen. Anwar was only one rung from the ultimate position of power and influence in the country occupied since 1981 by Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad. It was Dr Mahathir who had defied critics and tradition to bring in Anwar, a perceived anti-establishment Youth leader into the party in 1982. Anwar had been head of Abim, an Islamic youth movement that under his leadership had become a vocal champion of civil liberties, human rights and a fiery critic of government corruption. Abim had captured the imagination of Malaysian youth and Anwar's entry into Umno paved the way for the Barisan Nasional's convincing victory in the 1982 general election. From then on, their relationship had evolved from mentor-pupil to father-son and staunch political allies. Anwar stood by Dr Mahathir in facing the Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah-Datuk Musa Hitam challenge in 1987, before gradually turning into a deputy who could not quite see eye-to-eye with the party leader. The economic slowdown that hit the country last July provided the backdrop for the final falling out. At the June Umno general assembly one of the final acts was played out. Anwar was widely believed to be behind the issue of cronyism and nepotism raised by Umno Youth leader Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in the assembly. In a dramatic turn of events, Dr Mahathir released lists of "cronies" who had benefitted from the Government's privatised projects and contracts. Among the names were Zahid himself and members of Anwar's family. The disclosure silenced his critics and raised doubts over Anwar's credibility, who had since then not raised the issue. It has been a fast decline for a once rising star. Born in Bukit Mertajam, Penang in 1947, Anwar studied at the elite Malay College, Kuala Kangsar, and Universiti Malaya where he was more noted for radical student activism than academic achievements. Upon graduation in 1971 he help found Abim and began a career as a social critic joining forces with other non-governmental organisations. He studied, wrote and travelled widely in Asia and the Middle East, making contacts and mobilising support for youth activities. In 1974, Anwar was detained under the Internal Security Act for the Baling demonstrations in support of poverty-hit farmers. Upon his release in 1976, Anwar continued his Islamic youth activism and by 1982 he had acquired a formidable reputation as a government critic with a wide following in the campus, among the literati, Islamic youths and the international NGO movement. "Therefore his 1982 entry into Umno was a major coup for the party and to Dr Mahathir," said a former NGO colleague. During the eventful year Anwar won the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, was made Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, elected Permatang Pauh division chief and in September wrested Umno Youth's top post from incumbent Datuk Suhaimi Haji Kamaruddin by a 10-vote majority. He remained as Umno Youth leader until 1987, contested and was elected Umno vice-president and in 1993 forced Ghafar out to become deputy president. Anwar's rise in government was as swift as his climb up the party ladder. He became Culture, Youth and Sports Minister in 1983, Agriculture Minister in 1984, Education Minister in 1986, Finance Minister in 1991 and Deputy Prime Minister in 1993. Much had come to pass between Dr Mahathir and Anwar since that euphoric October month in 1993 to the Umno general assembly in June when Anwar came to stand as a rival. In 1993 Anwar had formed a coalition dubbed the Wawasan Team that shook the Umno old guard. Although Dr Mahathir and Anwar were returned unopposed, the Wawasan Team -- Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, Tan Sri Muhammad Mohd Taib and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin -- won the three vice-president's post along with his endorsed candidate for the Youth chief, Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik. During the 1996 assembly, however, the incumbents contested on their own. Muhyiddin, who had scored the highest votes in the 1933 election, lost badly while Muhammad Taib managed to squeeze in as third. Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who was ousted by the Wawasan Team three years earlier, made a dramatic comeback by polling the second highest number of votes. Anwar's position as the uncontested number two, however, enabled him to become stronger in the party, sparking talk that he would be considering a possible challenge for the top post in 1999. In the years before 1996 and after Anwar had professed his undivided loyalty to Dr Mahathir. The Prime Minister too, had repeated on a few occasions that Anwar was his heir apparent. However, the June Umno assembly opened with a air of expectations and rebellion. Many smelt blood. Anwar's key men raised the issues of nepotism and cronyism and the international media, on cue, hit out at Dr Mahathir who retaliated swiftly by releasing three long lists of leaders and their relatives who had benefitted from "positive discrimination" in the awarding of government contracts. Both also held diametrically divergent views on how to revive the stalled economy. But a hastily written book, 50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot be Prime Minister proved to be Anwar's Achilles Heel. The book detailed sexual irregularities which Anwar has denied but its wide distribution during the assembly and severely undermined Anwar's standing in the party. "Anwar found it difficult to fight down the allegations in the book especially after holding a high moral ground in politics for two decades," said a observer. In the many years that Anwar was touted far and wide, some who knew Anwar in his student days often repeated a story. One of his teachers had told Anwar: "If I have to field a football team, I will not make you (Anwar) the captain". It was a reminder, said Anwar's critics, that there were fundamental flaws in his character and leadership. "Anwar was a orator not a leader . . . his feet or his ears were not on the ground," said a longterm non-political friend of Anwar. Anwar surrounded himself with intellectual admirers, theorist and "bookish" strategist none of whom were political animals schooled in the art of survival. "He was strong on Malay language, culture, religion and race but lacked political savvy and let political opportunities pass," said a academic observer adding that Dr Mahathir was a formidable opponent who had survived many trials in his political career that span five decades. "Dr Mahathir is not a easy pushover like Ghafar Baba," said the academic adding politics was a constant art of alertness and survival and Anwar was simply not up to it. From panap at panap.po.my Thu Sep 3 12:24:55 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Thu, 03 Sep 1998 12:24:55 Subject: [asia-apec 605] Interview with Mahathir about recent currency policy (part 3 of 3) Message-ID: <2368@panap.po.my> Interview (cont'd) Q: Despite the evidence we see today, the IMF and other international agencies are not very keen to come in and stabilise the economy. Despite the fact that that is is actually their mandate. Can Datuk Seri enlighthen us what is the rationale that they are not helping us through. Dr M: They see in our trouble a means to force us to accept certain regimes. They want us to have reforms, meaning to say we should open our market wide for foreign companies to come in and do business without any conditions whatsoever. Their help is always based on that... we will give you the money provided you open up the economy. And when we open up our economy, we will of course lose control of our economy, all our companies, all our banks and all our industries will belong to foreigners. In Malaysia, in particular, we are in the process of restructuring the economy, we can't do that because they will object to any conditions being imposed upon them. So the IMF should in fact be helping developing countries which are in financial trouble but it wants to use the financial trouble in other countries to enable the giant companies from the rich countries to come in and take over the economy. That seems to me to be their objectives rather than helping. Of course they say reforms, but reforms (to) them means something beneficial to the developed countries. In fact among the speculators they actually say openly," we want to see blood. In others words we want to see killings. You know these companies must be killed, that is a measure of how serious you are about reforms. I can't understand that because we have seen blood enough. In some countries, millions of workers are unemployed now and they have no food, no medicine, no milk for their children and all thess people can think of is that this is the price we have to pay for the reforms and reforms are good for you. Q: Datuk Seri, in this regard do you see that this move taken by us can put a spanner in the works of the speculators? Dr M: We think so. That is the purpose in fact. We have to take the speculators out of the currency trade involving the ringgit. Because of course currencies need to be changed in order to trade to finance trade. That we can do without the speculators. We can do even without the hedge funds. Q: Datuk Seri, do you think other developing economies will come forward and do the same thing we have done here? Dr M: Well there are signs that people are losing faith in the operations of the free market. That's why Hong Kong went in in order to curb the speculators. Now Taiwan has given warning to (financial speculator George Soros) not to come to Taiwan and China has refused to allow its currency to be freely convertable. Now Russia has second thoughts, they may even go back to communism. Of course we have seen what Chile and Slovenia have done. People can realy find that when the system is abused and they suffer,then they are prepared to change. But some countries apparenly benefit from the abuses. Q: There is talk that following the implementation of these measures, deposits, people's savings in banks will be frozen. Is there any truth in this? Dr M: There is no reason. There is no reason. The internal economy is not touched in this matter.The domestic economy will become stronger, traders can trade without being disturbed by the fall in the value of the ringgit and share prices. The domestic financial system will become stronger and there is no reason for us to freeze fixed deposits for instance. The money in the bank is safe and will not be touched. Q: Our people going for the Umrah in Mecca, usually bring along our ringgit and then go and exchange it there but lately our Malaysian money is not popular in Mecca or in Medina so if we want to perform the haj, they get the ringgit and buy US dollars or Riyal here and they will have no problem in getting the money. Dr M: There is no problem of accommodation and surely the money they wish to bring will not be a big amount exceeding their needs but if they really need a big amount, we will arrange for them to change ringgit into riyal or pound or any currency they preferred. We can give them. Q: Is this governed by the regulation that it should not exceed RM10,000? Dr M: The maximum is RM10,000 but if they have to spend more than that and if they provide the proof there is no reason why we should not consider. Hence we do not at all have any plans to restrict such trips. It has never crossed the government's mind. We want our economy to expand and progress and to impose controls which would not benefit the people... surely the government would not want this. It only wants our country and the economy to recover and we are confident that with the various measures in place and that to be further taken, we will ensure that the economy recovered. Previously we were unable to take the measures. For each time we want our economy to recover, they will hit at our ringgit and shares so that we become poorer.... so poor that we will have to seek IMF help and then we will lose our freedom. Q: From Jan 1 till June, our economy contracted by 6.8 per cent, how do we explain this to the people as many are not clear as to what this contraction means. Dr M: If we want to take into account trading and economic activities, we can create wealth through this. But if there is less trade, fewer economic activities, there will be less money. This is what is happening. The question is why is it happening? For instance we are producers of microchips for computers but the demand for this had fallen because the whole of East Asia had become poor, unable to buy computers and so on. In Europe also demand had fallen and America is unable to sell computers to developing countries as they make computers but not all of them are sold in America which has a lot of money and they need to export and their own markets (East Asia) had been destroyed. For instance we are a market for Boeing aircraft but now we no longer buy the aircraft as tourism has fallen and the need for such planes had fallen and so we are not buying and the US economy will decline and when the economy declines the market for our goods also becomes smaller. The Japanese market had also declined and so demand for our usual exports to them had fallen and this had resulted in our trading and economic ectivities contracting by 6.8 per cent and not from January to June but in the second quarter (three months) from April to June. From January to March (first quarter, first three months) it contracted by 1.8 per cent. Q: Do you expect measures being taken will lead to a lower contraction of the economy and probably in six months result in a slight economic growth, or at least some growth? Dr M: I'm confident there would be some growth, because now we are focusing not on export activites but on domestic activities and that is why the government will spur infrastructure projects and the construction industry, which means we will spend a lot of money. The construction industry will generate activities in 140 other related industries such as creation of jobs, demand for building materials and if people have disposable income they will spend and all these will mean economic activities. But we have to remember that if we have money but do not spend, or do not save in banks but keep it at home, the money will be meaningless to the economy. But if the money is used 10 times daily, it will have the multiplier effect and everytime it is used, there will be people who will have money and the people with money will in turn spend it and make profit and the progit will generate the economy. So in this way we can develop our economy and that is why we would like to see, for example, more houses being built and bought and we find that the market for low-cost housing is still very good, so also medium-cost houses and if traders make profit, even luxury houses can be sold. We like to see our economy revived in this way. Q: Datuk Seri, do we have any changes to our investment policy? Dr M: No changes to our investment policy, they will still have the same treatment, privileges, tax-free incentives that we normally give. They will have all those and at the same time they can bring in money and they can take out money what is theirs, if they make a profit. Yes, they can take out their profit, and in order to make a profit they have to produce something which they sell, and we'll benefit from their activity of selling especially if they export, if say they export 10 million dollars of goods, they will bring back that 10 million dollars, their profit maybe one million dollars. That one million dollars, take it and repatriate it to their country we don't mind that, but they have to earn the profit first before they can repatriate, they can't simply take the money here and convert into foreign exchange and then send out. Q: You have said that the government will spend huge sums of money for infrastructure projects, who will build these projects, will the government reassume the role of implementors or will the government continue to do so via privatization? Dr M: I always believe that the government is less efficient. That's why we go for privatization and it doesn't matter if the money is from the government or the private sector, what is important is money changing hands. When there are economic activities, money will change hands, whether from the government to the private sector or between the private sector itself or to the workers, suppliers, the transport industry people, all these will happen if we spend money. Government or private sector is not the problem, what is important is that money is moved around and not just being kept idle. I'm confident that if the value of their shares once again is commensurate with the nett assets and the value of our currency is again stable, the companies will recover, if not fully recover, at least their NPLs will be reduced and they can borrow once more. If they can borrow, they can carry out economic activities and make profits and profitable activities will enable them to repay their loans and in this way, they can be revived. Q: Datuk Seri, there must be a sense of urgency all-round in reviving the economy? Dr M: Yes, I hope that everybody will understand that time really means money, everybody must work harder than usual, in the government I expect the people to work day and night to help the economy to recover. Ministers have been instructed that they must work day and night, they must go and see what's happening on the ground, not enough by just giving direction, go back and sleep, no way they can work that way now and government officers have been told, everybody has been told that you must work extra hard, because we are facing a very difficult economic situation and the only way we can overcome that is really to work very hard and not allow your kind of easy going way to interfere with the economic recovery in this country. --Bernama From panap at panap.po.my Thu Sep 3 12:21:45 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Thu, 03 Sep 1998 12:21:45 Subject: [asia-apec 606] Interview with Mahathir about recent currency policy (part 1 of 3) Message-ID: <2366@panap.po.my> The Star September 2, 1998 Transcript of special interview with Dr M Following is the transcript of the special interview with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad on the Malaysian economy carried "live" by RTM. The Prime Minister was interviewed by New Straits Times Press Group Editor-in-Chief Datuk A. Kadir Jasin, Bernama Economic Service acting Executive Editor Yong Soo Heong and Public Bank Berhad's Director of Economics Division Nasaruddin Arshad. Kadir: Bank Negara announced at noon today a series of measures to insulate and protect the economy to minimise the impact of the global financial turmoil on our country. These include the establishment of a fixed exchange rate for the Malaysian Ringgit and making the ringgit tradeable only in the country. The Bank Negara Governor will soon be fixing the value of the ringgit. Why are the measures being taken now and what are the benefits to our country? Dr Mahathir: This measure became necessary because when the ringgit's value is in an unstable situation business could not be continued in a way that would be profitable. Another point is when the ringgit's value is brought down, our income will be reduced particularly when we want to buy goods from overseas. In a situation like this we will become poor, the country will become poor, the government will be poor and the public at large will also become poor. They will need more ringgit to go overseas or to buy imported goods. As their income has not increased they will directly become poor. We have to fix the value of the ringgit permanently so that traders and individuals will be aware of their financial position and with that the economy will operate well. Q: In other words, does it mean that the ringgit no longer has a value outside the country? Dr M: Yes, we have decided that there will be no value attached to the ringgit outside Malaysia and as such any ringgit held outside Malaysia will not be legal tender. However as we know there is money outside Malaysia, we will allow such ringgit to be repatriated to Malaysia within a period of one month from today. If not repatriated by then we will regard such ringgit as invalid and we will not allow for the ringgit to be returned to Malaysia in any form whatsoever. Q: Don't you think that Malaysia's move would be considered a regressive step? Dr M: No, it is not regressive. I would consider the present situation as regressive. When people moved away from the Bretton Woods regime, they thought that the free market influence on exchange rate would be a better means of evaluating the relative values of currencies. But such a market has now become abused by the currency traders who do not care for the exchange rate in order to do trade and business but instead regard currencies as commodities which they trade in, when currencies in fact have got no intrinsic value of their own. But the currency traders wish to use it as a commodity and to buy and sell it according to their own system which enables them to make huge profits from the same trading while at the same time impoverishing a whole country, regions and peoples. The damage caused by them is something that has not been anticipated. And it is in fact very regressive. The world is not moving ahead, it is moving backwards. Q: Is this a last resort and will the measures be permanent? Dr M: This measure is probably the last resort as we see no other way. We have asked the International Monetary Fund to have some regulation on currency trading but it looks like they are not interested as they do not stand to lose in any way. We are the ones who stand to lose. Hence we have to resort to whatever methods we ourselves can take. And what we can do on our own is to take care of our own currency. It can be permanent. But on the other hand if the international community agrees that currency trading must be regulated and that the range that currency can fluctuate is limited and we see that this will enable economies to once again grow, then we will return to the free exchange rate system. But at the moment we can see the damage done in Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, in Russia, in Latin America and everywhere. All the countries' hard work has been destroyed in order to benefit a limited number of speculators as if the interest of the speculators is so important that people, millions of people, must have their income taken away from them and impoverished. We think that is rather retrogressive. Q: How do we see our move today in relation to what has happened in Hong Kong and Taiwan taking serious measures to stop speculation of their currencies. Dr M: What is obvious is that people can no longer stay with the so-called free market system. They need to take some action which is contrary to the philosophy of the principles of the free market. However, they have not gone far enough. We feel that we should really control foreign exchange to the point where it cannot be traded at all. The ringgit cannot be traded at all so that we regain control over the exchange rate involving our ringgit. Q: How does this new measure reduce speculation? Dr M: Normally the ringgit is used for speculation offshore, ringgit belonging to foreigners, particularly ringgit belonging to currency traders. They hold the ringgit in foreign banks but since the ringgit is totally valueless outside of Malaysia, they trade and sell the ringgit and in any case there is a corresponding account in a Malaysian bank and whenever they trade and sell the ringgit it is not only reflected in the foreign banks but also in banks in Malaysia. What we have done of course is to freeze completely the accounts that are in the Malaysian banks. Even if they sell ringgit outside of Malaysia, that will not have any effect in moving the ringgit from one account to another. In other words the actual ringgit, the ringgit in this country will not be sold at all because the account does not move. The trading outside Malaysia is totally meaningless because they are trading in something that has not affected the real ringgit in the country. They can buy and sell the ringgit but it will be useless ringgit because that ringgit even if somebody buys it will not be allowed to come into the country later. We will allow within one month, but not after the one month. Since the ringgit is only legal tender in Malaysia, and it cannot come into Malaysia, then it is useless ringgit. So anybody owning such ringgit after one month will find they are holding accounts or papers which are of no value whatsoever. Q: Will this move bring about a bad image to the country? Dr M: It will not cause bad image for the country, except of course for currency traders and probably certain members of the media who will not be very happy. But as far as investment is concerned, foreign money can still be brought into the country exchanged into ringgit, used in Malaysia to invest in whatever including the purchase of shares or buying properties or setting up industries. When they do business and want to take out the money they can apply to the central bank for permission to take out the money and we will still allow the foreign currency to be given to them in exchange for the ringgit that they have and taken out of the country according to the needs. For example, if they're going to purchase components from some countries in a foreign currency, they can obtain the foreign currency. So investment is not affected by this except investment in shares because that is considered hot money. If they want to invest in shares they can but such investment must stay in the country for at least one year. They cannot come and invest and then dispose off or push up or down the value of the shares. So as far as investors are concerned, genuine long-term investors are concerned, this will facilitate their investment because they will know exactly how much money to bring in because the exchange rate will be fixed and if they make any profit here and they want to remit their profit back home then they can change the profits made here from ringgit into whatever currency and that currency can be remitted out of Malaysia. There will be exchange but there will be no trading in the currency. Q: Will this remove elements of uncertainty? Dr M: Yes, certainly. People will know exactly how much ringgit they will get from the foreign currency they bring in and they will know how much they can expect to send out of the country from the profits they made because the exchange rate is fixed and they don't have to do the purging anymore. We can require them to stay with their investment for at least one year before they can sell off. That is being done in some countries. That will reduce the kind of speculative activities. What has damaged the stock market is this practice of buying a share repeatedly so as to push up the value of the share to a high level so much so that the price of the share bears no relation with the performance or assets of the companies. It's way beyond... once it reaches a very high level, the investors will dump or sell off completely, take the money and go out of the country leaving the locals with this company which has lost its value and probably it had borrowed money based on its share value. Now, the amount of borrowings is much less then the collateral in terms of share value and the companies are landed with non-performing loans (NPLs) and the companies will not be able to perform. We do not want them to come in and do that kind of thing. At the moment what they are doing is just the opposite, they're pushing down the value of the shares until it goes well below nett assets value and the cash the company may have goes down very well below. At that stage if we allow them to buy the shares, they would have got hold of the company at a very low price. Once they got that, they can do two things -- they can control and rebuild the company or they can get rid of the assets, take the money and let the company perish. So that is asset stripping Q: Are we suggesting that we have enough foreign exchange to meet our commitments? Dr M: Yes, because we are exporting more today than we are importing. Of course the services account is slightly less in our favour, but it is not very much and the surplus for the trade account would be sufficient even to pay for our service deficit. At the same time of course we are reducing the service balance for example through using our own ports and using our own insurances and reducing the number of students studying abroad. These are measures we have taken to reduce our imbalance in the services account. Q: So it shouldn't be a problem even under abnormal circumstances for us to have the foreign exchange, if there is demand for example higher than normal? Dr M: This could very well happen if for example the foreign currency holding in the country . . . the foreigners would want to take out their money they would then have to change their ringgit into a foreign currency and take the foreign currency and they have to justify why they are taking it out, otherwise obviously it will harm our economy, and we do not want their activities to harm our economy. But if they have valid reasons for example if they want to use the money to purchase something then they can convert and purchase whatever it is and bring it back into the country or they may want to use the money to buy palm oil and export the palm oil. But if they export the palm oil or anything at all, the requirement is that all earnings from export must be brought back into the country and must be deposited with the central bank. From panap at panap.po.my Thu Sep 3 12:23:45 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Thu, 03 Sep 1998 12:23:45 Subject: [asia-apec 607] Interview with Mahathir about recent currency policy (2 of 3) Message-ID: <2367@panap.po.my> Interview (cont'd) Q: What if there are people who do not bring back the money within the one-month period? Would we be stepping up the regulations at the entry points? Dr M: If they don't bring back their money after one month, that money cannot be brought back. Q: What about smuggling, can they smuggle the money, accounts. Dr M: Accounts, they cannot because our banks would not allow for any money held outside the country to be transferred to the local bank accounts but if they want to bring back cash, the capacity to do that is of course limited. We are now going to demonetise the 500 and 1,000 ringgit notes so they cannot bring it back unless they carry in very small denominations which would be very difficult to carry. We will check on that but if they don't bring it back within one month, then that money will be useless. If they are caught bringing in the money we will have to say that it is not money anymore. Q: We often hear of offshore ringgit and it is estimated that such offshore ringgit had reached a value of 100 million. Dr M: Actually in terms of cash, there is only 100 million outside the country and that we can repatriate within one month. If they don't of course the money is just waste paper. It's worth nothing at all. If they try to bring it in, we will stop them and we will confiscate such money. Q: How much is the offshore ringgit account? Dr M: That is much bigger. That is more than 20 billion certainly, maybe even 25 billion. But that money, of course, is outside of Malaysia even now has got no value. In order to give it value they must hold a parallel account in a Malaysian bank. When they do that we will negate the value of that currency by stopping any movement of the account in the Malaysian bank. They cannot move the account, in other words they cannot sell the ringgit, because if they sell the ringgit, the ringgit in Malaysia will not move. So effectively the person who has sold is still the owner. And whoever buys it buys nothing so it is not worthwhile for them to purchase the ringgit anymore outside the country. The only thing for them is to transfer the ringgit completely to Malaysia and they have one month to do that, which means that the ringgit in Malaysia will now be put back into circulation. It can be used to purchase goods, houses or whatever. Profit from palm oil export for instance must be brought back otherwise they will be in breach of the regulations and action will be taken against them and the bank involved. Q: How about Malaysians working in Singapore and have money in Singapore or those who trade at the Malaysia-Thailand border. Will they be given some kind of exemption? Dr M: They can bring back their money within the one month given. After that... usually people working outside of the country, go in the morning and return in the evening and may have a few ringgit in their pockets and can bring them provided the amount is not big. There is no problem here. The same applies with foreign currency. If the amount is small they can bring in and take it out ... we will not disturb them. However they will have to declare the ringgit, United States dollars or Singapore dollars they are carrying out or bringing in. Even now we have given the Customs the forms for people to fill as to the amount of money they are carrying. This is not something new. Many countries, including Australia, as we know have forms for people to fill as to the amount of money they are carrying with them. If not they are said to be breaching the laws. Such laws are in Malaysia but we have not enforced them for some time. Q: How about financing education overseas or for tourism? Dr M: Students studying overseas may for instance need pound sterling for which they would have to apply to Bank Negara and would have to provide adequate documents to support their application and Bank Negara would supply them the money that was only necessary for the purpose. Our people going as tourists will be allowed RM10,000 in foreign exchange and this we feel is sufficient for tourism but if they have other needs we can consider. Q: Does RM10,000 include spending through Credit Card? Dr M: The RM10,000 is inclusive of credit card spending. All included. If he has five credit cards each with RM10,000 that will be RM50,000. We know there are people with 10 credit cards each with credit limit of RM10,000 and for 10 cards it will add up to RM100,000. We cannot allow so much money to be spent outside the country. Q: On financing education, probably parents may ask if sending money to them will be affected. Datuk Seri said just now if they have the proof such as the fee slip from the children's university, Bank Negara can change the ringgit for whatever type of currency required by them. Usually they send the money via telegram, or ordinary bank transfer. Dr M: Ordinary bank transactions will continue to operate. It will be normal. There is no problem here as for all these we will have records. Q: On manufacturers, don't you think that these new measures will add some transaction cost to them? Dr M: Probably it will add some transaction costs to them but it will be much less then the hedging that they have to do when the value of the ringgit fluctuates. As you know sometimes people require as much as 15 per cent commission in order to take care of possible fluctuation. But when the rate is fixed you don't have to bother to hedge so that reduces your cost of doing business and also of course, payments and all that when they are made much later it will not be subjected to devaluation or revaluation for that matter. So business would be much more easy to conduct. Q: How long have you been looking at this matter, but yet we have gone ahead with measures that did not work...how long have you been looking at this option because this is seen as rather radical? Dr M: We have looked at other ways of trying to stabilise the exchange rates as well as the share prices.. as you know initially we have stopped the movements of cash across the border but that was of course ineffective because they can go....move all kinds of documents and papers and cheques and all that so that was totally useless. We also tried to force people buying shares to bring the scrip but because some shares are traded within nominee companies.. actually there is no changing of ownership because it is still with that nominee companies so the trade can go on within the nominee companies ... so all thess things we have examined and then finally we decided that the only way we can manage the economy is to insulate us from the activities of the currency traders and the share market speculators. To do this we have to take the exchange away from them...at the moment they are holding the exchange and the problem with other action is that every time we try to help our economy they tried to block it.. for example if we try to reduce the interest rates they will push down the value of the shares, they will push down the value of the currency so that creates a lot of damage to us. Each time we try to do anything they will fiddle around with the currency and the share market. When we tried to create Dana Harta and Dana Modal... they knew that in order to operate these institutions we will need more money (borrow). The moment we announced that, the rating agencies came in and downgraded us. Our credit rating was pushed down until it is almost at junk level and therefore the cost of funds becomes higher and the ability to implement this is restricted and so you can see that as long as they can fiddle around with this thing we cannot do very much to rehabilitate our economy. So the most important thing is how do we erect a barrier between them and us and what we have done actually is to negate their ability to interfere in the value of our currency, in the stock market etc. So once we are relieved of that we can now look into the internal economy. We can now actually reduce the interest rates to a level that will help to revive the businesses in the country... for example the NPLs will no longer be NPLs if the interest rate is reduced.. at the same time we were forced to reduce the time to declare a loan as non-performing from 6 months to 3 months and doing that of course increases the number of NPLs..so now we are less bothered about what they want to do to us. In many countries there is no time limit for NPLs ... it is 9 months or 6 months.. so we can now think about doing that. There are quite a lot of things we can do. For example we can revalue our companies according to their nett assets value because now the share prices are ridiculous. It is below the asset value of the companies or sometimes the companies may have a huge amount of cash and yet the share prices have gone very far below...so then we can now revalue our companies and once we revalue our companies then the NPLs will not be as bad because the collaterals using the value of the companies would now appreciate again and will go perhaps above the value of the collateral before. So there are a lot of things we can now do because we do not have to fear their actions to stop us by devaluing our currency or by pushing down our share market. Once we regain control of our exchange rate then we can actually reduce the interest rates and not have somebody devalue our currency because we are in control.. then our companies would be able to revive... they can now borrow more money.. and if in addition to that of course our ringgit is revalued upwards. Then if companies have to borrow to purchase something from outside they would not need so much money as they do now because where before they were borrowing RM 2.50 to buy one dollar worth of imports now they have to borrow 4.20 and when they borrow 4.20 then of course the cost goes up for them and they become no longer viable..but if we revalue the currency then they will not have to borrow so much and at the same time the companies' value will appreciate. Q: Do you see this move as protecting the country from the turbulence in other markets that we have seen falling, with this move how do you see the Malaysian market? Dr M: We will not be affected so much by what happens to other markets, otherwise you know they have this so-called contagion effect, anything happens in Russia will affect our share market and our currency. There is no connection between us and Russia but it is going to affect presently but with this we can determine whether we want to respond or not.It is important also for us to know the exchange rates of other countries because we are competing with them.Supposing our competitor currencies get devalued and we remain too strong then we cannot compete with them so it is important for us to watch what is happening in the world. If they devalue we can devalue our ringgit to a certain extent without affecting too much of our economic performance because eventhough we devalue ringgit.. that ringgit is actually stronger than a lot of other foreign currencies.. Malaysia is a trading nation... now.. it is important for us to be able to compete.. if we strengthen the ringgit too much, then we will not be able to compete with our neighbour, our competitor.... on the other hand if we strengthen our ringgit we would be able to buy our imports at a lower price and therefore we can also sell in our country at a lower price. But on the other hand, our earnings in terms of ringgit would be less for example. Our palm oil which we export is earning us much more money almost US$1,200 dollars more money than before.. if we strengthen our currency, than our earnings would be less. We can for example subsidise our imports through taxing our exports. Supposing our imports earn much more not through their efforts but because of our exchange rates, they earn like palm oil. We may have to have windfall profit tax and that money should be used to subsidise imports such as sugar which will go up in price and we will control the price of sugar by subsidising the price imports. Q: How will our relations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the rest of the multilateral organisation be conducted. Will it in any way affect our relations?. Dr M: Well, it might affect. It all depends on whether they are interested in our economic recovery or they want to do something for other people. From what we see their actions have benefited the currency traders, have benefited foreign companies which can buy local companies cheaply. All these are not to our interest. If they really profess to have concern for developing countries, then they should accept what we have done as a good thing. As you know for what the IMF has done it has come in for very strong criticism. Because initially they thought only the countries in Southeast are going to suffer. But today you can see the whole world is suffering and Dow Jones has gone down by another 500 points and of course their reaction to it is strangely quite different. Whereas, when we were in trouble we were told to increase our interest rates but when they get into that kind of situation they have decided to lower the interest rates. So it seems that the prescription for poor countries is to make them poorer and for rich countries is to make them richer. From appasec at tm.net.my Thu Sep 3 18:19:17 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1998 17:19:17 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 608] apologies- Response from PAN-AP to CI's letter Message-ID: <002e01bdd71d$5de8c040$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> Apologies for wrongly posting the response letter from PAN-AP to CI's withdrawal letter into the listserve.It was a mistake. APPA secretariat. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/asia-apec/attachments/19980903/0b90943c/attachment.html From gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz Fri Sep 4 10:01:49 1998 From: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (Gatt Watchdog) Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 13:01:49 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 609] Guess who's sponsoring the "The Engagement of Civil Society in the APECProcess" Message-ID: Some more information on the sponsors of "The Engagement of Civil Society in the APEC Process" conference next month in Malaysia - CIDA's South East Asia Fund for Institutional and Legal Development. Just so we're all clear about who's setting the agenda! Aziz Choudry GATT Watchdog Aotearoa (New Zealand) [Canadian International Development Agency - Canada] > [photographs representing CIDA's 6 priorities] > > [Français][Search][Site Map][Comments][CIDALinks][Home] > > About CIDA The Organization > Minister Chart > [CIDA 30th Anniversary Logo] Who we are and [Line] > Secretaries Program > The Canadian of State Branches > International Development Agency (CIDA) is Diane Africa and > the lead player in delivering Canada's Marleau Middle > official development assistance program. Minister East > for [Line] > What we do InternationaAmericas > Cooperation [Line] > The cornerstone of our development and Asia > assistance program is to support Minister [Line] > sustainable development in order to reduce responsible Canadian > poverty and to contribute to a more secure, for La Partnership > equitable and prosperous world. Francophonie[Line] > [Line] Central > Development is an enormous global effort. David and > It is a complex, long-term process that Kilgour Eastern > involves all of the world's people, and Secretary Europe > governments and organizations at all of State [Line] > levels. for Latin Multilateral > America [Line] > Canada, like other industrialized and Africa > countries, provides development assistance [Line] Corporate > in the form of goods, services, the Raymond Branches > transfer of knowledge and skills, and Chan President's > financial contributions. Secretary Office > of State [Line] > Working with partners in the private and for Policy > public sectors in Canada and in developing Asia-Pacific[Line] > countries and with international [Line] Communications > organizations and agencies, we support Claudette [Line] > foreign aid projects in more than 100 of Bradshaw Human > the poorest countries in the world. ParliamentarResources > Secretary and > The objective is to work with developing to the Corporate > countries and countries in transition to Minister Services > develop the tools to eventually meet their of [Line] > own needs. InternationaPerformance > Cooperation Review > To do this, we concentrate our efforts on and [Line] > six priority areas: Minister > responsible > + basic human needs for La > + women in development Francophonie > + infrastructure services [Line] > + human rights, democracy, good Telephone > governance Directory > + private-sector development [Line] > + the environment > > Making a world of difference > > How foreign aid is making a difference > > Canadian aid is helping the more than one > billion people who live in absolute poverty > in developing countries around the world to > realize their full human potential. >     > + It is providing people with access to > clean water and sanitation. > > + It is improving women's lives by > reducing poverty. > > + It is promoting access to essential > services, such as rural electricity > and communications. > > + It is strengthening democratic > development and increasing respect for > human rights. > > + It is helping to create jobs. > > + It is protecting the environment. > > How our aid program is benefiting Canadians > > + It is creating markets for Canadian > goods and services > > + Most of our international > cooperation programs use Canadian > goods and services. In fact, 70 > cents of every aid dollar > contributes to the Canadian > economy. > > + Fifty Canadian universities and > 60 colleges are carrying out > projects with developing > countries. > > + Two thousand Canadian businesses > are making connections with some > of the world's fastest growing > markets. > > + Many of the countries we have > helped in the past through our > aid program have now become > important trading partners. > > + It is creating jobs for Canadians > > + There is a direct link between > Canada's aid program and job > creation here at home. We > calculate that more than 35,000 > Canadians owe their jobs to > aid-related projects. > > -------------------------------------------- > > This site is maintained by the Canadian > International Development Agency (CIDA) > Copyright Her Majesty the Queen in Right of > Canada, 1998 > > [Top] http://w3.acdi-cida.gc.ca/agency-e.htm --Boundary_(ID_K/gvTFMMTfIFXvsPDbOHSA) Content-type: text/html; NAME=agency-e.htm; charset=us-ascii Content-disposition: inline; filename=agency-e.htm Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT CIDA: About CIDA
Canadian International Development Agency - Canada
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About CIDA

CIDA 30th Anniversary Logo

Who we are

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is the lead player in delivering Canada's official development assistance program.

What we do

The cornerstone of our development assistance program is to support sustainable development in order to reduce poverty and to contribute to a more secure, equitable and prosperous world.

Development is an enormous global effort. It is a complex, long-term process that involves all of the world's people, and governments and organizations at all levels.

Canada, like other industrialized countries, provides development assistance in the form of goods, services, the transfer of knowledge and skills, and financial contributions.

Working with partners in the private and public sectors in Canada and in developing countries and with international organizations and agencies, we support foreign aid projects in more than 100 of the poorest countries in the world.

The objective is to work with developing countries and countries in transition to develop the tools to eventually meet their own needs.

To do this, we concentrate our efforts on six priority areas:

  • basic human needs
  • women in development
  • infrastructure services
  • human rights, democracy, good governance
  • private-sector development
  • the environment

Making a world of difference

How foreign aid is making a difference

Canadian aid is helping the more than one billion people who live in absolute poverty in developing countries around the world to realize their full human potential.

  • It is providing people with access to clean water and sanitation.

  • It is improving women's lives by reducing poverty.

  • It is promoting access to essential services, such as rural electricity and communications.

  • It is strengthening democratic development and increasing respect for human rights.

  • It is helping to create jobs.

  • It is protecting the environment.

How our aid program is benefiting Canadians

  • It is creating markets for Canadian goods and services

    • Most of our international cooperation programs use Canadian goods and services. In fact, 70 cents of every aid dollar contributes to the Canadian economy.

    • Fifty Canadian universities and 60 colleges are carrying out projects with developing countries.

    • Two thousand Canadian businesses are making connections with some of the world's fastest growing markets.

    • Many of the countries we have helped in the past through our aid program have now become important trading partners.

  • It is creating jobs for Canadians

    • There is a direct link between Canada's aid program and job creation here at home. We calculate that more than 35,000 Canadians owe their jobs to aid-related projects.


This site is maintained by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Copyright Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 1998

  The Minister and Secretaries of State
Diane Marleau
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Top --Boundary_(ID_K/gvTFMMTfIFXvsPDbOHSA)-- From amc at HK.Super.NET Fri Sep 4 12:52:47 1998 From: amc at HK.Super.NET (AMC) Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 11:52:47 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 610] Re: Asian Migrant Yearbook 1998: Now Available Message-ID: <3.0.32.19980904114823.0074de7c@is2.hk.super.net> 4 Sept 98 Dear Etsuko, Thank you very much for ordering a copy of AMY 1998. We have actually sent last 8 Aug 1998 one complimentary copy to APWLD office in Sri Lanka (attention: Nimalka Fernando) I am mailing today 1 copy to your Bangkok address, including the invoice for US$20. This is actually a 1-year subscription (June 1998-June 1999), which includes one copy of AMY 98, a copy of our "Labour Nexus" map/poster on migration, and whatever pamphlets/materials we publish during the period. Payment details are on page 6 of AMY 1998. Thank you very much. Best regards, Rex At 03:16 PM 9/3/98 +0700, you wrote: >Dear Rex Varona, > > >I would like to order one copy of the report. >Could you send it to the address below? > > >Best wishes, > >Etsuko Ikeda >Resoiurce Officer > >ASIA PACIFIC FORUM ON WOMEN, LAW AND DEVELOPMENT >Santitham YMCA Building, 3rd floor, Room 305-307 >11 Sermsuk Rd, Soi Mengrairasmi >Chiangmai 50300, Thailand >Direct Tel: 66 53 404 613-4 >Fax: 66 53 404 615 >Email: apwld@loxinfo.co.th > > > > >>We are happy to announce that the Asian Migrant Yearbook 1998 (AMY 98), >>which contains that report, plus the most updated reports on the situation >>of migrant workers in 16 Asian countries, is now available. >> >>If you are interested to subscribe here are the details: >>* dimensions: 20 cm. x 27 cm., 160 pages; with some full-color maps and photos >>* commercial price (includes airmail postage): US$55 (outside Asia); US$40 >>(Asia) >>* 50% discount for non-profit groups/advocates (i.e. US$ 27 and US$20, >>respectively) >>* complimentary copy for grassroots migrant organisations and AMC partners >>* this is a 1-year subscription (June 1998-June 1999) which includes AMY >>98, and other publications that AMC releases during the year (e.g. poster, >>pamphlet, monograph). >> >>If you want to order, please confirm by replying to this email (sorry, we >>don't have an on-line order form), and please give us your mailing address. >>We will then airmail a copy to you (takes about 5-7 days). You can pay us >>by US$ cheque payable to "Asian Migrant Centre Ltd.", or remit through our >>US$ account (the remittance details are in the inside front cover of the >>yearbook). >> > >>4 Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong >>Tel: (852) 2312-0031 Fax: (852) 2992-0111 >> >> > > > From panap at panap.po.my Fri Sep 4 14:43:45 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 14:43:45 Subject: [asia-apec 611] Making Sense of Globalisation: Seminar in KL Message-ID: <2398@panap.po.my> Dear Friends, Please be informed that the APPA organising committee will hold a one-day seminar entitled 'Making Sense of Globalisation'. This is an effort to raise public awareness among Malaysians on the issue of globalisation and APEC. Please make use of this program fully by informing your network and friends to come for this seminar. Registration forms must be filled out and returned to us by 5 September either by fax or e-mail. Our fax number is 03-2833536 and email is . Thank you Cynthia APPA secretariat. MAKING SENSE OF GLOBALISATION!=20 Invitation to Seminar The Asia Pacific Peoples' Assembly organising committee, will hold a one-day seminar entitled "Making Sense of Globalisation" on 6 September 1998, at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, No: 1, Jalan Maharajalela, Kuala Lumpur. The seminar will address important concerns on globalisation, and it's impact on our distressed economy. Program 9.30 - 10.00 a.m. Registration 10.00- 11.00 a.m. From a village to a global economy: What has changed for us? (Premesh Chandran: Malaysian Trade Union Congress) 11.00- 11.15 a.m. Tea break 11.15 - 11.45 a.m. Open forum 11.45 - 12.45 p.m. The impact of globalisation on job security (Syed Sharir: National Union of Transport Equipment) The impact of globalisation on food security (Sarojeni Rengam: Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific) 12.45 - 1.15p.m. Open Forum 1.15 - 2.15p.m. Lunch (Session with Media Representatives) 2.15 - 3.15 p.m. Coming out of the Financial Crisis: Moving Away from APEC and the WTO (Charles Santiago: Stamford College) 3.15 - 3.45 p.m. Open Forum 4.00 p.m. Closing Remarks To register for the forum, please fill in the form below, and get back = to us by 2 September 1998. A registration fee of RM10 will be charged = for each participant (pay on seminar day). Meals will be provided.=20 Name: _________________________________ Organisation (if any): ____________________________________ E-mail:__________________________________ Contact address:_______________________________ Fax: ____________________ Tel: _________________ From panap at panap.po.my Fri Sep 4 14:42:26 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 14:42:26 Subject: [asia-apec 612] Deputy PM Anwar sacked! (part 1 of 2) Message-ID: <2396@panap.po.my> FORWARDED MAIL ------- From: panap@panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: 04 Sep 98 Originally To: asia-apec@jca.ax.apc.org The Star September 2, 1998 ANWAR SACKED KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister at 5.30pm today. A three-paragraph statement from the Prime Minister's Department said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Ja'afar had been informed of Anwar's removal. But no reason was given for the sacking which ended months of speculation on Anwar's position following reports of a widening rift between him and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad. No immediate response could be obtained from Anwar, 51. Policemen took up positions as Umno members and journalists gathered outside his residence in Jalan Damansara yesterday afternoon, hours before the statement was issued. By 5.30pm, the road to his house had been sealed and at 7pm, the Prime Minister's letter was delivered to Anwar. Shortly after, his wife Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was seen driving out alone. According to Anwar's supporters, she drove to the Prime Minister's official residence, 100m away, and left before 8pm. Five days ago, Anwar had told reporters after meeting his Permatang Pauh supporters in Penang that he was not resigning. Dr Mahathir had also said on Tuesday after announcing his measures to regain control of the ringgit that Anwar had not resigned but if his deputy gave "a very good reason, I will have to accept (it)." As a student leader, Anwar was detained in 1974 under the Internal Security Act for two years and was internationally known as president of the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (Abim). Once an outspoken critic of the Government, he was persuaded by Dr Mahathir to join Umno in 1982. He contested for the Permatang Pauh seat in 1982 and became Umno Youth chief the same year. That year he was also made Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, marking his meteoric rise as a leader, and culminating in his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister on Dec 1, 1993, to succeed Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba. Anwar's dismissal extends to all his other positions held in his capacity as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, including Cabinet committee posts and the National Economic Action Council (NEAC) deputy chairmanship. His position as Umno deputy president is likely to be discussed by the party's supreme council which has brought forward its meeting scheduled for Sept 8 to today. Once described as heir apparent to Dr Mahathir, Anwar was seen to be sidelined when Tun Daim Zainuddin was appointed NEAC chairman and later Special Functions Minister after the Umno General Assembly in June. Till press time, tight security was maintained outside Sri Perdana and Anwar's houses here and in Penang and journalists camped overnight outside the places. Response to the sacking from other leaders ranged from "no comment" to calls for calm amid speculation over who will take over from Anwar. Anwar is the third deputy prime minister to have served under Dr Mahathir who came to power in July 1981. In 1986, Tan Sri Musa Hitam resigned and in 1993, Ghafar stepped down after Anwar won the Umno deputy presidency. From panap at panap.po.my Fri Sep 4 14:33:37 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 14:33:37 Subject: [asia-apec 613] ANWAR: Plot to Topple me Message-ID: <2392@panap.po.my> The Star September 4, 1998 Anwar: High-level plot to topple me KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday denied allegations of links with foreign elements and sexual misconduct, claiming that there was a "high-level" conspiracy to topple him. The sacked Deputy Prime Minister told a press conference at his home in Bukit Damansara he also had evidence, in the form of witnesses, statutory declarations and tapes, to counter the allegations. He claimed that the conspiracy was partly motivated by "jealousy," noting that he was given red carpet treatment on a visit to the United States. Anwar was flanked by his wife Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Umno Youth chief Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, PAS president Fadzil Nor and about 50 supporters. He was removed from the posts of deputy prime minister and finance minister on Wednesday evening. No reasons were given for his dismissal. Asked if he thought that the Prime Minister was not being rational by sacking him, Anwar said: "That is for the media to interpret." At the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday, the Attorney-General and the police filed four affidavits to support the police decision to hold Datuk S. Nallakaruppan in a Bukit Aman lock-up instead of at the Sungai Buloh prison, citing security reasons including an investigation involving a top national leader. One of the affidavits alleged that Anwar had engaged in sexual misconduct which included sodomy and illicit sex with several women and a man and attempts to seduce a businessman's wife. To a question, Anwar claimed that all the allegations against him were fabricated in a political conspiracy of the "highest level." "I have appealed to the Prime Minister not to be influenced by the conspirators. I have even written two letters dated Aug 25 and 28 to him but they went unreplied. "Yesterday, (Datuk Seri) Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) gave me an ultimatum to either resign or be sacked with possible charges to be brought against me. "I refused to accede to his request and I challenged him to use the democratic process to prove the allegations," he said. Anwar also claimed that government institutions were manipulated by people who plotted against him and fabricated accusations. "If I, as the number two man in the country, cannot be assured of justice, then it is a great shame for the country," he said. However, Anwar declined to reveal the names of the alleged plotters, butsaid: "I have evidence to prove it." "It is certainly a political conspiracy against me to prevent any possibility that I will challenge the PM," he said. "I can't say if the PM is directing it. But they are rich people, businessmen and supreme council members (of Umno)," he claimed. Anwar also claimed that he might be arrested under either the Official Secrets Act or the Internal Security Act. He said that he had already started legal proceedings to fight his removal. "I will be around for a long time," he said. "The Malaysian people are not so stupid. I've advised my friends to remain calm and respect the law." He said he had also undergone two DNA tests, one of them abroad, to refute allegations that he had fathered an illegitimate child. Anwar said he planned to remain active in politics and vowed to fight "until I get justice." Later, he confirmed that the dismissal letter from the Prime Minister's Department was delivered to his house on Wednesday night by the police. From panap at panap.po.my Fri Sep 4 14:43:02 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 14:43:02 Subject: [asia-apec 614] Deputy PM Anwar sacked (part 2 of 2) Message-ID: <2397@panap.po.my> Statement from the PM's Department on Anwar's removal from the Cabinet Following is the full statement of the Prime Minister's Department on the removal of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from the Cabinet today: It is hereby announced that Yang Berhormat Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim has been removed from his posts as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and also other positions held by Yang Berhormat Dato' Seri Anwar in his capacity as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. The removal of his posts takes effect today, September 2, 1998 at 5.30pm. Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong has been informed of his removal from the posts. Prime Minister's Department, Kuala Lumpur, September 2, 1998 Chronology of events leading to Anwar's sacking June 7: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim urges Umno members to stop the practice of cronyism, corruption and nepotism in the party. Umno Youth chief Datuk Zahid Hamidi echoed his call and said it was a serious problem in awarding of government contracts to bumiputra giant companies. June 10: Zahid says Umno Youth will, at the the Umno General Assembly on June 18, reveal instances of nepotism in the awarding of mega projects. June 13: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad denies foreign media reports of a rift between him and Anwar. June 17: Anwar obtains an injunction against Khalid Jafri, author of 50 Dalil Mengapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Menjadi PM (50 Reasons why Anwar cannot become PM). June 19: Dr Mahathir says he will support Anwar if there is a contest for the number two post. He also says that Umno will investigate whether Khalid's book had any basis. June 21: Anwar reiterates his loyalty to Dr Mahathir. June 26: Police receives four reports in connection with Khalid's book, including a report from former Malacca Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik. June 30: Anwar refutes speculation that his position as Finance Minister will be undermined by the appointment of Tun Daim Zainuddin as Special Functions Minister. July 1: Anwar says there is an attempt to topple him and claims that Khalid's book is the tool used to achieve this. He also denies Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Ahmad Mohd Dom would resign. July 4: Anwar obtains fresh injunction on Khalid Jafri's book. July 11: Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Rahim Noor says police are making detail investigations into the book. July 20: Anwar denies reports of policy differences with Dr Mahathir following the resignation of group editors of Berita Harian and Utusan Melayu. July 31 : Anwar succeeds in getting an interim injuction to stop distribution of Khalid's book. Aug 1: A businessman implicated in the Khalid's book is detained for questioning. Aug 7: Anwar again denies rumours that he will resign because of differences with Dr Mahathir. Aug 11: Anwar, as Penang Umno liaison chief, along with the state's 11 divisions, again pledges his loyalty to Dr Mahathir, reiterating his promise that he will not challenge Dr Mahathir in the next party's elections. Aug 12: Khalid Jafri is charged in court and in connection with the case, Magnum Corporation Berhad's executive director Datuk Nallakaruppan Solaiman, is charged with possessing 125 rounds of ammunition without permit. Aug 12: Anwar again denies rumours of him resigning. Aug 15: Anwar calls on people to rally behind Dr Mahathir for the country's economic recovery. Aug 19: A Sessions Court fixes Khalid's hearing for Dec 7. Aug 22: Attorney-General Tan Sri Mokhtar Abdullah does not rule out the possibility of more arrests in connection with Khalid's book. Aug 27: Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Ahmad Dom and his deputy Datuk Fong Weng Phak resign. Sept 2: Anwar is sacked as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister effective 5.30pm. From panap at panap.po.my Fri Sep 4 14:42:10 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 14:42:10 Subject: [asia-apec 615] Interview with Mahathir about recent currency policy (part 3 of 3) Message-ID: <2395@panap.po.my> Interview (cont'd) Q: Despite the evidence we see today, the IMF and other international agencies are not very keen to come in and stabilise the economy. Despite the fact that that is is actually their mandate. Can Datuk Seri enlighthen us what is the rationale that they are not helping us through. Dr M: They see in our trouble a means to force us to accept certain regimes. They want us to have reforms, meaning to say we should open our market wide for foreign companies to come in and do business without any conditions whatsoever. Their help is always based on that... we will give you the money provided you open up the economy. And when we open up our economy, we will of course lose control of our economy, all our companies, all our banks and all our industries will belong to foreigners. In Malaysia, in particular, we are in the process of restructuring the economy, we can't do that because they will object to any conditions being imposed upon them. So the IMF should in fact be helping developing countries which are in financial trouble but it wants to use the financial trouble in other countries to enable the giant companies from the rich countries to come in and take over the economy. That seems to me to be their objectives rather than helping. Of course they say reforms, but reforms (to) them means something beneficial to the developed countries. In fact among the speculators they actually say openly," we want to see blood. In others words we want to see killings. You know these companies must be killed, that is a measure of how serious you are about reforms. I can't understand that because we have seen blood enough. In some countries, millions of workers are unemployed now and they have no food, no medicine, no milk for their children and all thess people can think of is that this is the price we have to pay for the reforms and reforms are good for you. Q: Datuk Seri, in this regard do you see that this move taken by us can put a spanner in the works of the speculators? Dr M: We think so. That is the purpose in fact. We have to take the speculators out of the currency trade involving the ringgit. Because of course currencies need to be changed in order to trade to finance trade. That we can do without the speculators. We can do even without the hedge funds. Q: Datuk Seri, do you think other developing economies will come forward and do the same thing we have done here? Dr M: Well there are signs that people are losing faith in the operations of the free market. That's why Hong Kong went in in order to curb the speculators. Now Taiwan has given warning to (financial speculator George Soros) not to come to Taiwan and China has refused to allow its currency to be freely convertable. Now Russia has second thoughts, they may even go back to communism. Of course we have seen what Chile and Slovenia have done. People can realy find that when the system is abused and they suffer,then they are prepared to change. But some countries apparenly benefit from the abuses. Q: There is talk that following the implementation of these measures, deposits, people's savings in banks will be frozen. Is there any truth in this? Dr M: There is no reason. There is no reason. The internal economy is not touched in this matter.The domestic economy will become stronger, traders can trade without being disturbed by the fall in the value of the ringgit and share prices. The domestic financial system will become stronger and there is no reason for us to freeze fixed deposits for instance. The money in the bank is safe and will not be touched. Q: Our people going for the Umrah in Mecca, usually bring along our ringgit and then go and exchange it there but lately our Malaysian money is not popular in Mecca or in Medina so if we want to perform the haj, they get the ringgit and buy US dollars or Riyal here and they will have no problem in getting the money. Dr M: There is no problem of accommodation and surely the money they wish to bring will not be a big amount exceeding their needs but if they really need a big amount, we will arrange for them to change ringgit into riyal or pound or any currency they preferred. We can give them. Q: Is this governed by the regulation that it should not exceed RM10,000? Dr M: The maximum is RM10,000 but if they have to spend more than that and if they provide the proof there is no reason why we should not consider. Hence we do not at all have any plans to restrict such trips. It has never crossed the government's mind. We want our economy to expand and progress and to impose controls which would not benefit the people... surely the government would not want this. It only wants our country and the economy to recover and we are confident that with the various measures in place and that to be further taken, we will ensure that the economy recovered. Previously we were unable to take the measures. For each time we want our economy to recover, they will hit at our ringgit and shares so that we become poorer.... so poor that we will have to seek IMF help and then we will lose our freedom. Q: From Jan 1 till June, our economy contracted by 6.8 per cent, how do we explain this to the people as many are not clear as to what this contraction means. Dr M: If we want to take into account trading and economic activities, we can create wealth through this. But if there is less trade, fewer economic activities, there will be less money. This is what is happening. The question is why is it happening? For instance we are producers of microchips for computers but the demand for this had fallen because the whole of East Asia had become poor, unable to buy computers and so on. In Europe also demand had fallen and America is unable to sellcomputers to developing countries as they make computers but not all of them are sold in America which has a lot of money and they need to export and their own markets (East Asia) had been destroyed. For instance we are a market for Boeing aircraft but now we no longer buy the aircraft as tourism has fallen and the need for such planes had fallen and so we are not buying and the US economy will decline and when the economy declines the market for our goods also becomes smaller. The Japanese market had also declined and so demand for our usual exports to them had fallen and this had resulted in our trading and economic ectivities contracting by 6.8 per cent and not from January to June but in the second quarter (three months) from April to June. From January to March (first quarter, first three months) it contracted by 1.8 per cent. Q: Do you expect measures being taken will lead to a lower contraction of the economy and probably in six months result in a slight economic growth, or at least some growth? Dr M: I'm confident there would be some growth, because now we are focusing not on export activites but on domestic activities and that is why the government will spur infrastructure projects and the construction industry, which means we will spend a lot of money. The construction industry will generate activities in 140 other related industries such as creation of jobs, demand for building materials and if people have disposable income they will spend and all these will mean economic activities. But we have to remember that if we have money but do not spend, or do not save in banks but keep it at home, the money will be meaningless to the economy. But if the money is used 10 times daily, it will have the multiplier effect and everytime it is used, there will be people who will have money and the people with money will in turn spend it and make profit and the progit will generate the economy. So in this way we can develop our economy and that is why we would like to see, for example, more houses being built and bought and we find that the market for low-cost housing is still very good, so also medium-cost houses and if traders make profit, even luxury houses can be sold. We like to see our economy revived in this way. Q: Datuk Seri, do we have any changes to our investment policy? Dr M: No changes to our investment policy, they will still have the same treatment, privileges, tax- free incentives that we normally give. They will have all those and at the same time they can bring in money and they can take out money what is theirs, if they make a profit. Yes, they can take out their profit, and in order to make a profit they have to produce something which they sell, and we'll benefit from their activity of selling especially if they export, if say they export 10 million dollars of goods, they will bring back that 10 million dollars, their profit maybe one million dollars. That one million dollars, take it and repatriate it to their country we don't mind that, but they have to earn the profit first before they can repatriate, they can't simply take the money here and convert into foreign exchange and then send out. Q: You have said that the government will spend huge sums of money for infrastructure projects, who will build these projects, will the government reassume the role of implementors or will the government continue to do so via privatization? Dr M: I always believe that the government is less efficient. That's why we go for privatization and it doesn't matter if the money is from the government or the private sector, what is important is money changing hands. When there are economic activities, money will change hands, whether from the government to the private sector or between the private sector itself or to the workers, suppliers, the transport industry people, all these will happen if we spend money. Government or private sector is not the problem, what is important is that money is moved around and not just being kept idle. I'm confident that if the value of their shares once again is commensurate with the nett assets and the value of our currency is again stable, the companies will recover, if not fully recover, at least their NPLs will be reduced and they can borrow once more. If they can borrow, they can carry out economic activities and make profits and profitable activities will enable them to repay their loans and in this way, they can be revived. Q: Datuk Seri, there must be a sense of urgency all-round in reviving the economy? Dr M: Yes, I hope that everybody will understand that time really means money, everybody must work harder than usual, in the government I expect the people to work day and night to help the economy to recover. Ministers have been instructed that they must work day and night, they must go and see what's happening on the ground, not enough by just giving direction, go back and sleep, no way they can work that way now and government officers have been told, everybody has been told that you must work extra hard, because we are facing a very difficult economic situation and the only way we can overcome that is really to work very hard and not allow your kind of easy going way to interfere with the economic recovery in this country. --Bernama From panap at panap.po.my Fri Sep 4 14:41:22 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 14:41:22 Subject: [asia-apec 616] Interview with Mahathir about recent currency policy (part 1 of 3) Message-ID: <2394@panap.po.my> The Star September 2, 1998 Transcript of special interview with Dr M Following is the transcript of the special interview with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad on the Malaysian economy carried "live" by RTM. The Prime Minister was interviewed by New Straits Times Press Group Editor-in-Chief Datuk A. Kadir Jasin, Bernama Economic Service acting Executive Editor Yong Soo Heong and Public Bank Berhad's Director of Economics Division Nasaruddin Arshad. Kadir: Bank Negara announced at noon today a series of measures to insulate and protect the economy to minimise the impact of the global financial turmoil on our country. These include the establishment of a fixed exchange rate for the Malaysian Ringgit and making the ringgit tradeable only in the country. The Bank Negara Governor will soon be fixing the value of the ringgit. Why are the measures being taken now and what are the benefits to our country? Dr Mahathir: This measure became necessary because when the ringgit's value is in an unstable situation business could not be continued in a way that would be profitable. Another point is when the ringgit's value is brought down, our income will be reduced particularly when we want to buy goods from overseas. In a situation like this we will become poor, the country will become poor, the government will be poor and the public at large will also become poor. They will need more ringgit to go overseas or to buy imported goods. As their income has not increased they will directly become poor. We have to fix the value of the ringgit permanently so that traders and individuals will be aware of their financial position and with that the economy will operate well. Q: In other words, does it mean that the ringgit no longer has a value outside the country? Dr M: Yes, we have decided that there will be no value attached to the ringgit outside Malaysia and as such any ringgit held outside Malaysia will not be legal tender. However as we know there is money outside Malaysia, we will allow such ringgit to be repatriated to Malaysia within a period of one month from today. If not repatriated by then we will regard such ringgit as invalid and we will not allow for the ringgit to be returned to Malaysia in any form whatsoever. Q: Don't you think that Malaysia's move would be considered a regressive step? Dr M: No, it is not regressive. I would consider the present situation as regressive. When people moved away from the Bretton Woods regime, they thought that the free market influence on exchange rate would be a better means of evaluating the relative values of currencies. But such a market has now become abused by the currency traders who do not care for the exchange rate in order to do trade and business but instead regard currencies as commodities which they trade in, when currencies in fact have got no intrinsic value of their own. But the currency traders wish to use it as a commodity and to buy and sell it according to their own system which enables them to make huge profits from the same trading while at the same time impoverishing a whole country, regions and peoples. The damage caused by them is something that has not been anticipated. And it is in fact very regressive. The world is not moving ahead, it is moving backwards. Q: Is this a last resort and will the measures be permanent? Dr M: This measure is probably the last resort as we see no other way. We have asked the International Monetary Fund to have some regulation on currency trading but it looks like they are not interested as they do not stand to lose in any way. We are the ones who stand to lose. Hence we have to resort to whatever methods we ourselves can take. And what we can do on our own is to take care of our own currency. It can be permanent. But on the other hand if the international community agrees that currency trading must be regulated and that the range that currency can fluctuate is limited and we see that this will enable economies to once again grow, then we will return to the free exchange rate system. But at the moment we can see the damage done in Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, in Russia, in Latin America and everywhere. All the countries' hard work has been destroyed in order to benefit a limited number of speculators as if the interest of the speculators is so important that people, millions of people, must have their income taken away from them and impoverished. We think that is rather retrogressive. Q: How do we see our move today in relation to what has happened in Hong Kong and Taiwan taking serious measures to stop speculation of their currencies. Dr M: What is obvious is that people can no longer stay with the so-called free market system. They need to take some action which is contrary to the philosophy of the principles of the free market. However, they have not gone far enough. We feel that we should really control foreign exchange to the point where it cannot be traded at all. The ringgit cannot be traded at all so that we regain control over the exchange rate involving our ringgit. Q: How does this new measure reduce speculation? Dr M: Normally the ringgit is used for speculation offshore, ringgit belonging to foreigners, particularly ringgit belonging to currency traders. They hold the ringgit in foreign banks but since the ringgit is totally valueless outside of Malaysia, they trade and sell the ringgit and in any case there is a corresponding account in a Malaysian bank and whenever they trade and sell the ringgit it is not only reflected in the foreign banks but also in banks in Malaysia. What we have done of course is to freeze completely the accounts that are in the Malaysian banks. Even if they sell ringgit outside of Malaysia, that will not have any effect in moving the ringgit from one account to another. In other words the actual ringgit, the ringgit in this country will not be sold at all because the account does not move. The trading outside Malaysia is totally meaningless because they are trading in something that has not affected the real ringgit in the country. They can buy and sell the ringgit but it will be useless ringgit because that ringgit even if somebody buys it will not be allowed to come into the country later. We will allow within one month, but not after the one month. Since the ringgit is only legal tender in Malaysia, and it cannot come into Malaysia, then it is useless ringgit. So anybody owning such ringgit after one month will find they are holding accounts or papers which are of no value whatsoever. Q: Will this move bring about a bad image to the country? Dr M: It will not cause bad image for the country, except of course for currency traders and probably certain members of the media who will not be very happy. But as far as investment is concerned, foreign money can still be brought into the country exchanged into ringgit, used in Malaysia to invest in whatever including the purchase of shares or buying properties or setting up industries. When they do business and want to take out the money they can apply to the central bank for permission to take out the money and we will still allow the foreign currency to be given to them in exchange for the ringgit that they have and taken out of the country according to the needs. For example, if they're going to purchase components from some countries in a foreign currency, they can obtain the foreign currency. So investment is not affected by this except investment in shares because that is considered hot money. If they want to invest in shares they can but such investment must stay in the country for at least one year. They cannot come and invest and then dispose off or push up or down the value of the shares. So as far as investors are concerned, genuine long-term investors are concerned, this will facilitate their investment because they will know exactly how much money to bring in because the exchange rate will be fixed and if they make any profit here and they want to remit their profit back home then they can change the profits made here from ringgit into whatever currency and that currency can be remitted out of Malaysia. There will be exchange but there will be no trading in the currency. Q: Will this remove elements of uncertainty? Dr M: Yes, certainly. People will know exactly how much ringgit they will get from the foreign currency they bring in and they will know how much they can expect to send out of the country from the profits they made because the exchange rate is fixed and they don't have to do the purging anymore. We can require them to stay with their investment for at least one year before they can sell off. That is being done in some countries. That will reduce the kind of speculative activities. What has damaged the stock market is this practice of buying a share repeatedly so as to push up the value of the share to a high level so much so that the price of the share bears no relation with the performance or assets of the companies. It's way beyond... once it reaches a very high level, the investors will dump or sell off completely, take the money and go out of the country leaving the locals with this company which has lost its value and probably it had borrowed money based on its share value. Now, the amount of borrowings is much less then the collateral in terms of share value and the companies are landed with non-performing loans (NPLs) and the companies will not be able to perform. We do not want them to come in and do that kind of thing. At the moment what they are doing is just the opposite, they're pushing down the value of the shares until it goes well below nett assets value and the cash the company may have goes down very well below. At that stage if we allow them to buy the shares, they would have got hold of the company at a very low price. Once they got that, they can do two things -- they can control and rebuild the company or they can get rid of the assets, take the money and let the company perish. So that is asset stripping Q: Are we suggesting that we have enough foreign exchange to meet our commitments? Dr M: Yes, because we are exporting more today than we are importing. Of course the services account is slightly less in our favour, but it is not very much and the surplus for the trade account would be sufficient even to pay for our service deficit. At the same time of course we are reducing the service balance for example through using our own ports and using our own insurances and reducing the number of students studying abroad. These are measures we have taken to reduce our imbalance in the services account. Q: So it shouldn't be a problem even under abnormal circumstances for us to have the foreign exchange, if there is demand for example higher than normal? Dr M: This could very well happen if for example the foreign currency holding in the country . . . the foreigners would want to take out their money they would then have to change their ringgit into a foreign currency and take the foreign currency and they have to justify why they are taking it out, otherwise obviously it will harm our economy, and we do not want their activities to harm our economy. But if they have valid reasons for example if they want to use the money to purchase something then they can convert and purchase whatever it is and bring it back into the country or they may want to use the money to buy palm oil and export the palm oil. But if they export the palm oil or anything at all, the requirement is that all earnings from export must be brought back into the country and must be deposited with the central bank. From panap at panap.po.my Fri Sep 4 14:34:13 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 14:34:13 Subject: [asia-apec 617] Interview with Mahathir about recent currency policy (2 of 3) Message-ID: <2393@panap.po.my> Interview (cont'd) Q: What if there are people who do not bring back the money within the one-month period? Would we be stepping up the regulations at the entry points? Dr M: If they don't bring back their money after one month, that money cannot be brought back. Q: What about smuggling, can they smuggle the money, accounts. Dr M: Accounts, they cannot because our banks would not allow for any money held outside the country to be transferred to the local bank accounts but if they want to bring back cash, the capacity to do that is of course limited. We are now going to demonetise the 500 and 1,000 ringgit notes so they cannot bring it back unless they carry in very small denominations which would be very difficult to carry. We will check on that but if they don't bring it back within one month, then that money will be useless. If they are caught bringing in the money we will have to say that it is not money anymore. Q: We often hear of offshore ringgit and it is estimated that such offshore ringgit had reached a value of 100 million. Dr M: Actually in terms of cash, there is only 100 million outside the country and that we can repatriate within one month. If they don't of course the money is just waste paper. It's worth nothing at all. If they try to bring it in, we will stop them and we will confiscate such money. Q: How much is the offshore ringgit account? Dr M: That is much bigger. That is more than 20 billion certainly, maybe even 25 billion. But that money, of course, is outside of Malaysia even now has got no value. In order to give it value they must hold a parallel account in a Malaysian bank. When they do that we will negate the value of that currency by stopping any movement of the account in the Malaysian bank. They cannot move the account, in other words they cannot sell the ringgit, because if they sell the ringgit, the ringgit in Malaysia will not move. So effectively the person who has sold is still the owner. And whoever buys it buys nothing so it is not worthwhile for them to purchase the ringgit anymore outside the country. The only thing for them is to transfer the ringgit completely to Malaysia and they have one month to do that, which means that the ringgit in Malaysia will now be put back into circulation. It can be used to purchase goods, houses or whatever. Profit from palm oil export for instance must be brought back otherwise they will be in breach of the regulations and action will be taken against them and the bank involved. Q: How about Malaysians working in Singapore and have money in Singapore or those who trade at the Malaysia-Thailand border. Will they be given some kind of exemption? Dr M: They can bring back their money within the one month given. After that... usually people working outside of the country, go in the morning and return in the evening and may have a few ringgit in their pockets and can bring them provided the amount is not big. There is no problem here. The same applies with foreign currency. If the amount is small they can bring in and take it out ... we will not disturb them. However they will have to declare the ringgit, United States dollars or Singapore dollars they are carrying out or bringing in. Even now we have given the Customs the forms for people to fill as to the amount of money they are carrying. This is not something new. Many countries, including Australia, as we know have forms for people to fill as to the amount of money they are carrying with them. If not they are said to be breaching the laws. Such laws are in Malaysia but we have not enforced them for some time. Q: How about financing education overseas or for tourism? Dr M: Students studying overseas may for instance need pound sterling for which they would have to apply to Bank Negara and would have to provide adequate documents to support their application and Bank Negara would supply them the money that was only necessary for the purpose. Our people going as tourists will be allowed RM10,000 in foreign exchange and this we feel is sufficient for tourism but if they have other needs we can consider. Q: Does RM10,000 include spending through Credit Card? Dr M: The RM10,000 is inclusive of credit card spending. All included. If he has five credit cards each with RM10,000 that will be RM50,000. We know there are people with 10 credit cards each with credit limit of RM10,000 and for 10 cards it will add up to RM100,000. We cannot allow so much money to be spent outside the country. Q: On financing education, probably parents may ask if sending money to them will be affected. Datuk Seri said just now if they have the proof such as the fee slip from the children's university, Bank Negara can change the ringgit for whatever type of currency required by them. Usually they send the money via telegram, or ordinary bank transfer. Dr M: Ordinary bank transactions will continue to operate. It will be normal. There is no problem here as for all these we will have records. Q: On manufacturers, don't you think that these new measures will add some transaction cost to them? Dr M: Probably it will add some transaction costs to them but it will be much less then the hedging that they have to do when the value of the ringgit fluctuates. As you know sometimes people require as much as 15 per cent commission in order to take care of possible fluctuation. But when the rate is fixed you don't have to bother to hedge so that reduces your cost of doing business and also of course, payments and all that when they are made much later it will not be subjected to devaluation or revaluation for that matter. So business would be much more easy to conduct. Q: How long have you been looking at this matter, but yet we have gone ahead with measures that did not work...how long have you been looking at this option because this is seen as rather radical? Dr M: We have looked at other ways of trying to stabilise the exchange rates as well as the share prices.. as you know initially we have stopped the movements of cash across the border but that was of course ineffective because they can go....move all kinds of documents and papers and cheques and all that so that was totally useless. We also tried to force people buying shares to bring the scrip but because some shares are traded within nominee companies.. actually there is no changing of ownership because it is still with that nominee companies so the trade can go on within the nominee companies ... so all thess things we have examined and then finally we decided that the only way we can manage the economy is to insulate us from the activities of the currency traders and the share market speculators. To do this we have to take the exchange away from them...at the moment they are holding the exchange and the problem with other action is that every time we try to help our economy they tried to block it.. for example if we try to reduce the interest rates they will push down the value of the shares, they will push down the value of the currency so that creates a lot of damage to us. Each time we try to do anything they will fiddle around with the currency and the share market. When we tried to create Dana Harta and Dana Modal... they knew that in order to operate these institutions we will need more money (borrow). The moment we announced that, the rating agencies came in and downgraded us. Our credit rating was pushed down until it is almost at junk level and therefore the cost of funds becomes higher and the ability to implement this is restricted and so you can see that as long as they can fiddle around with this thing we cannot do very much to rehabilitate our economy. So the most important thing is how do we erect a barrier between them and us and what we have done actually is to negate their ability to interfere in the value of our currency, in the stock market etc. So once we are relieved of that we can now look into the internal economy. We can now actually reduce the interest rates to a level that will help to revive the businesses in the country... for example the NPLs will no longer be NPLs if the interest rate is reduced.. at the same time we were forced to reduce the time to declare a loan as non-performing from 6 months to 3 months and doing that of course increases the number of NPLs..so now we are less bothered about what they want to do to us. In many countries there is no time limit for NPLs ... it is 9 months or 6 months.. so we can now think about doing that. There are quite a lot of things we can do. For example we can revalue our companies according to their nett assets value because now the share prices are ridiculous. It is below the asset value of the companies or sometimes the companies may have a huge amount of cash and yet the share prices have gone very far below...so then we can now revalue our companies and once we revalue our companies then the NPLs will not be as bad because the collaterals using the value of the companies would now appreciate again and will go perhaps above the value of the collateral before. So there are a lot of things we can now do because we do not have to fear their actions to stop us by devaluing our currency or by pushing down our share market. Once we regain control of our exchange rate then we can actually reduce the interest rates and not have somebody devalue our currency because we are in control.. then our companies would be able to revive... they can now borrow more money.. and if in addition to that of course our ringgit is revalued upwards. Then if companies have to borrow to purchase something from outside they would not need so much money as they do now because where before they were borrowing RM 2.50 to buy one dollar worth of imports now they have to borrow 4.20 and when they borrow 4.20 then of course the cost goes up for them and they become no longer viable..but if we revalue the currency then they will not have to borrow so much and at the same time the companies' value will appreciate. Q: Do you see this move as protecting the country from the turbulence in other markets that we have seen falling, with this move how do you see the Malaysian market? Dr M: We will not be affected so much by what happens to other markets, otherwise you know they have this so-called contagion effect, anything happens in Russia will affect our share market and our currency. There is no connection between us and Russia but it is going to affect presently but with this we can determine whether we want to respond or not.It is important also for us to know the exchange rates of other countries because we are competing with them.Supposing our competitor currencies get devalued and we remain too strong then we cannot compete with them so it is important for us to watch what is happening in the world. If they devalue we can devalue our ringgit to a certain extent without affecting too much of our economic performance because eventhough we devalue ringgit.. that ringgit is actually stronger than a lot of other foreign currencies.. Malaysia is a trading nation... now.. it is important for us to be able to compete.. if we strengthen the ringgit too much, then we will not be able to compete with our neighbour, our competitor.... on the other hand if we strengthen our ringgit we would be able to buy our imports at a lower price and therefore we can also sell in our country at a lower price. But on the other hand, our earnings in terms of ringgit would be less for example. Our palm oil which we export is earning us much more money almost US$1,200 dollars more money than before.. if we strengthen our currency, than our earnings would be less. We can for example subsidise our imports through taxing our exports. Supposing our imports earn much more not through their efforts but because of our exchange rates, they earn like palm oil. We may have to have windfall profit tax and that money should be used to subsidise imports such as sugar which will go up in price and we will control the price of sugar by subsidising the price imports. Q: How will our relations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the rest of the multilateral organisation be conducted. Will it in any way affect our relations?. Dr M: Well, it might affect. It all depends on whether they are interested in our economic recovery or they want to do something for other people. From what we see their actions have benefited the currency traders, have benefited foreign companies which can buy local companies cheaply. All these are not to our interest. If they really profess to have concern for developing countries, then they should accept what we have done as a good thing. As you know for what the IMF has done it has come in for very strong criticism. Because initially they thought only the countries in Southeast are going to suffer. But today you can see the whole world is suffering and Dow Jones has gone down by another 500 points and of course their reaction to it is strangely quite different. Whereas, when we were in trouble we were told to increase our interest rates but when they get into that kind of situation they have decided to lower the interest rates. So it seems that the prescription for poor countries is to make them poorer and for rich countries is to make them richer. From isecuk at pop.gn.apc.org Fri Sep 4 18:53:29 1998 From: isecuk at pop.gn.apc.org (isec) Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 09:53:29 +0000 Subject: [asia-apec 618] The Ecologist - Campaign Section Message-ID: Please send all information from now onwards to: lucinda@labes.demon.co.uk. Thanks, Michal Vanstone Manns ISEC International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC) Apple Barn Week, Dartington Devon, TQ9 6JP England From panap at panap.po.my Fri Sep 4 15:59:05 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 15:59:05 Subject: [asia-apec 619] Malaysian Government tells APPA to go through proper channels Message-ID: <2401@panap.po.my> The Star September 4, 1998 Go Through Proper Channels, Rafidah tells NGOs by Jacqueline Ann Surin KUALA LUMPUR: Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) organising a people's summit parallel to the APEC leaders' meeting here in November, will have to go through the proper channels to do so. International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said the ministry was aware that such a meeting was being organised but "we have nothing to do with it". "The NGOs have to seek permission through the proper channels- for example, getting a police permit for their meeting," she said. rafidah was responding to an announcement be the Asia Pacific Peoples' Assembly (APPA) Secretariat last week that a parallel people's meeting would be held before the APEC leaders' meeting. APPA spokesman Tian Chua had said that the parallel meeting would provide an alternative forum for people to discuss the APEC process and globalisation in its broader social and political context. Since the original APEC Leaders' Meeting in Osaka in 1993, representatives from NGOs, grassroots groups and social justice movements have met in similar alternative forums like in Manila in 1996 and in Vancouver last year. From serger at ichrdd.ca Sat Sep 5 02:34:46 1998 From: serger at ichrdd.ca (Serge Rousseau) Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 10:34:46 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 620] ORDER FOR ASIAn MIGRANT YEARBOOK 1998 Message-ID: <35F024B6.642C@ichrdd.ca> Dear Sirs, Could you please send a copy of the Asian Migrant Yearbook 1998 to the address below. We are a non-profit NGO, so please bill us accordingly. Thank you in advance, -- ____________________________________ Serge Rousseau Coordinator, Documentation Center ICHRDD Coordonnateur, Centre de documentation CIDPDD 63, Rue de Bresoles, Montreal, Quebec, H2Y 1V7, Canada Tel. (514) 283-6073 Fax. (514) 283-3792 E-mail: mailto:serger@ichrdd.ca Web:http://www.ichrdd.ca ____________________________________ From gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz Sat Sep 5 10:29:05 1998 From: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (Gatt Watchdog) Date: Sat, 05 Sep 1998 13:29:05 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 621] US & APEC Message-ID: <773BVe2w165w@corso.ch.planet.gen.nz> so ) ubc.ca (8.8.5/8.6.9) with ESMTP id FAA22683; Mon, 24 Nov 1997 05:48:33 -0800 (PST) , 24 Nov 1997 05:48:32 -0800 (PST) 0.3]) ) [I[NewsRoom - Business]   [Image] U.S. Official Says Apec Initiative Must Proceed   Friday, 4 September 1998, 12:44 pm Press Release: U.S. Official Says Apec Nine-Sector Initiative Must Proceed Washington, DC, Sept 3, 1998 /Capitol NewsWire - Washington, DC Bureau - Business Correspondent Despite widespread economic and financial turmoil, a U.S. trade official says the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum must go ahead with its initiative to reduce trade barriers in nine sectors. The official, who asked not to be identified, made the comment in a September 2 interview a few days before a series of APEC meetings in Kuantan, Malaysia, September 9-15. The official said he has had some anxious moments as the situation in Asia worsened. Just a day earlier the government of host country Malaysia imposed sweeping currency controls, immediately halting trading in the country's currency, the ringgit. "It just happened so I haven't had time to reflect on that one very much," the official said. The official emphasized the long-term nature of the APEC initiative to eliminate tariffs over three to five years. In subsequent years the initiative would eliminate non-tariff barriers, facilitate trade in other ways such as through better cooperation on customs and promote sharing of economic and technical expertise. Even so, the official said he suspects the Kuantan meeting could get contentious because of the current turmoil. "There's going to be a lot of anxiety; there's going to be a lot of resistance in some quarters to doing anything more," the official said. "But at the same time, I think there's a recognition that APEC and the countries of the region have to show they're on a steady course, that they're not backtracking on their commitments on liberalization," he said. Trade ministers from most of the APEC economies -- Mexico and Chile are not participating -- agreed at a June meeting on a basic framework for eliminating tariffs in six of the nine sectors: forest products, fish and fish products, toys, medical equipment, environmental products and energy. In another sector, gems and jewelry, the agreed goal will be either tariff elimination or reduction to 5 percent. In another sector, chemicals, the goal is for harmonization of tariff rates. In the last sector, telecommunications, the goal is a mutual recognition agreement on product standards. Pressure is on to finish a negotiated package for the nine sectors before the annual meetings of APEC leaders and ministers, which are scheduled this November in Kuala Lumpur. With the basic decisions made on the size and timetable for tariff cuts and on the scope of product coverage, trade officials will use the Kuantan meetings to attempt to work out special treatment for politically sensitive products. The U.S. trade official said the United States is requesting special treatment for only a few sensitive products in the fish, energy and environment sectors. He complained about the number of requests made by other APEC members. "The requests for product reservations can't sink the whole thing," he said. "Unless these are pared down we won't have a credible package .... The main task at Kuantan is to try to pare that down." He said the United States prefers that any special treatment for sensitive products come in the form of a "reasonable" deadline extension for full elimination of tariffs. "Some countries have requested excluding products or not reducing tariffs to zero but to some other level," the official said. "We're not very keen on those." He said Japan's continued reluctance to accept tariff elimination for fish and forest products threatens the success of the entire nine-sector initiative. Japan's new government has so far indicated no change of its position, the official said. "Certain other countries feel that, if there is not a meaningful fish and forest products initiative, then there's not that much in it for them," he said. "That, for example, is the position that Indonesia has taken. "Our view is, in order for this to succeed, Japan is going to have to modify its position," the official said. World trade in the nine sectors amounts to $1,500,000 million annually. If APEC leaders can endorse a package for reducing trade barriers in those sectors at their November meeting, then APEC members would seek to get broader agreement on it from the European Union (EU) and Latin American countries, probably in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Such a sequence would follow the pattern of the Information Technology Agreement, which was endorsed by APEC leaders in November 1996 and approved by WTO members the following month. Ends Home Page | Business | Previous Story | Next Story http://www.newsroom.co.nz/stories/BU9809/S00012.htm From panap at panap.po.my Mon Sep 7 11:11:26 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Mon, 07 Sep 1998 11:11:26 Subject: [asia-apec 622] malaysian ngo statement on anwar's dismissal Message-ID: <2413@panap.po.my> 4th Sept 1998, 12:00 am, Petaling Jaya JOINT PRESS STATEMENT ON DATUK SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM We are greatly concerned and disturbed by the manner in which Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been summarily dismissed by the Prime Minister. The total lack of transparency in this episode is a reflection of the utter contempt and disregard that the Prime Minister has for the views of the people of the country. The dismissal of a Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister during a time of severe economic crisis is a matter of great concern for the citizens of the country. This is all the more so, when until days ago, the Prime Minister had assured the people that all was well between him and his deputy. The people have a right to know the reasons for this sudden change of sentiment. Failure to provide a full and reasonable explanation of the events leading to the dismissal of Anwar, and the reasons for it will only lead the people to believe that they have been deliberately misled all this while, give rise to wild speculation and erode the last vestiges of credibility that this government has. Furthermore, failure to account properly for the dismissal of the Deputy Prime Minister will certainly give credence to the conspiracy theory that is being widely propagated. In fact, the events surrounding the dismissal of Anwar strongly indicate that there is a political conspiracy to remove him from all positions of power.The people of the country have a right to be fully informed of the real situation. If indeed Anwar is guilty of serious crimes which warrant his dismissal, he should be charged in open court and given a fair and independent hearing. The unsubstantiated affidavits, vague insinuations of treason and other nebulous accusations that have been presented today through the media without right of reply are unacceptable. This action on the part of the Prime Minister once again raises the fear that oppressive laws such as the ISA and the OSA will be used to ensure the political survival of Mahathir and his cronies. Malaysians, regardless of creed, race and political ideology should stand up to protest against any such repression of their fundamental rights and liberties. Signed by: 1. Amnesty International (Pro-tem Malaysia Group) 2. AWAM (All Women's Action Society) 3. CENPEACE (Centre for PeaceInitiatives) 4. COAC (Centre for Orang Asli Concerns) 5. DAP (Democratic Action Party) 6. INSAN (Institute for Social Analysis) 7. LRC (Labour Resource Centre) 8. MTUC (Malaysian Trade Unions Congress) 9. Persatuan Sahabat Wanita 10. PRM (Parti Rakyat Malaysia) 11. SCR (Society for Christian Reflection) 12. Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Youth Section 13. SUARAM (Suara Rakyat Malaysia) 14. TENAGANITA 15. WDC (Women's Development Collective) From panap at panap.po.my Mon Sep 7 11:10:58 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Mon, 07 Sep 1998 11:10:58 Subject: [asia-apec 623] Statement by ANWAR (Sept. 3) Message-ID: <2412@panap.po.my> Thursday September 3, 6:07 am Eastern Time TEXT-Statement by Malaysia's Anwar KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 (Reuters) - The following is a partial text of a written statement, translated by Reuters from Bahasa Malaysia, from the news conference on Thursday: ``Malaysia is wrestling with a bitter challenge. The miracle economy which was a source of pride is now more of a mirage, like a beautiful dream. Now it is shocked by the bitter bite of reality. The people will suffer because of the economic turmoil. Many will be jobless. The number of poor will rise. So we have to combine our strength and the resilience of the people to overcome the turmoil. But believe me that the economic problem is only one of a host of challenges which we are facing. We are faced with the problems of politics, social, culture, moral. Every problem if left to itself will become rotten. All of them require attention and have to be solved with wisdom and according to priority. We are also faced with problems which emerged with the birth of a new era. The economic turmoil is not the source of the suffering now, but it is due to our failure to make adjustments to the new era. We have already entered the new era. The era of globalisation. The era of information explosion. We may not be able to overcome the challenges without making changes. The time to launch a reformation has arrived. We must have a clear agenda. We must also decide on the ways, methods, rhythm and pace of reformation. The reformation is demanded from within, not due to external pressure. From the Islamic perspective it is in line with a Koranic verse: ``...There is nothing that I want except to make a success according to my ability.'' Therefore, let there not be groups who are accusing it of being an external conspiracy. We are opposed to any conspiracy. We are Malaysian patriots. We oppose external conspiracies. We will also fight conspiracies from within. We fight against external tyranny. But we must also fight any tyranny from within the country and in the midst of our society. It is not a question of East or West, North or South. It is a question of justice. We must oppose tyranny, be it from the East or from the West. The people demand reformation. The voice of reformation is the voice of the people. The cry of the people's hearts. But there is a small group who are worried about the wave of reformation. They are among those engaged in bribery, who are afraid their crimes will be exposed. Those who abuse power and position are scared. Those wealthy merchants who heap riches through practices of nepotism and cronyism are like worms under the sun. Don't be fooled and deceived by those who are afraid of the wave of reformation. They are void of ideas, repeatedly playing old songs. They are afraid of the new generation. Hence, they create a bogeyman to frighten the people. Only children can be frightened by the bogeyman. We have been independent for 41 years. As an independent nation, we have reached adulthood. The people need to unite in order to face the new generation. But the unity of the people flows from the unity of the leaders. The people stand behind the leaders. They will not scatter if their leaders do not quarrel with one another. Solid unity cannot be obtained if the leaders are always preaching unity, but allowing the elements that incite them to quarrel, to roam free right in front of the people's eyes. Since I was appointed as Deputy President of UMNO (United Malays National Organisation), I have always reiterated my loyalty to the party's president. I trust in the wisdom of the UMNO members. When they are asked to make decisions, especially at crucial moments, they will always make wise decisions. They want stability and unity within the party. They want the party to always be strengthened and be given new strength through the replacement of old leaders with new ones.` From arena at hk.net Mon Sep 7 18:20:46 1998 From: arena at hk.net (arena) Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 17:20:46 +0800 (HKT) Subject: [asia-apec 624] Gender Programme Officer Opening Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19960905180500.23676900@hk.net> INVITATION FOR APPLICATIONS Position : Programme Officer for Gender Concerns Date of Commencement of Appointment : January 1, 1998 Duties and Responsibilities : A Programme Officer's main responsibility will be to coordinate and faciltiate the conceptualisation, planning, and implementation of ARENA programmes on gender issues and concerns and their accompanying modalities, i.e., research, documentatiion, publication, workshops/meetings, advocacy campaigns, and overall networking. He/she will be a member of the ARENA Secretariat and a part of a Programme Working Group/s which includes Executive Board members and ARENA Fellows with whom there will be constant interaction in programme coordination. As needed, other programme duties may be assigned from time to time by the ARENA Coordinator. Qualifications : Research, writing, and coordinating experience in working on issues of gender, social justice and social development concerns in an Asian context and/or relevant educational degree (preferably, a Masters or equivalent); experience in development NGO work and academic work in an Asian setting; able to work in and relate to a multi-cultural setting; and an informed understanding and commitment to work for gender, environmental, and people-oriented concerns. Minimum Salary : USD 1,614 (equivalent to HKD 12,500) with annual increases Benefits : Medical, employment, and travel insurance, Provident Fund, housing allowance (for those paying rent), year-end bonus, paid annual home leave with air ticket (within Asia), and incoming and outgoing relocation allowane (including air ticket). Deadline for Application : 15 October 1998 Process : Send letter of application, resume/biodata, two letters of reference, and copies of published work to : The ARENA Coordinator, P.O. Box 31407, Causeway Bay Post Office Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, Fax : (852) 1504-1986, E-mail : arena@hk.net ARENA is a regional non-governmental forum for the promotion of alternative development paradigms and strategies that will promote equity among social class,caste, ethnic groups, and gender; strengthen popular participatin in public life; improve the quality of life of Asia's underprivileged peoples, prevent the marginalisation of communities; promote ecological consciousness, and strengthen aspects of indigenous knowledge which relate to social emancipation. Its long-term goal is to participate in building and nurturing a community of concerned Asian scholar-activists, critical researcher-writers, and progrssive academics who shall contribute to the process of social awakening and the people's struggle for a new, just, and humane social order. ARENA is engaged in research studies, publications, documentation, workshop-conferences, campaigns, and regional networking. From plawiuk at connect.ab.ca Tue Sep 8 01:39:51 1998 From: plawiuk at connect.ab.ca (EW Plawiuk) Date: Mon, 07 Sep 1998 10:39:51 -0600 Subject: [asia-apec 625] Edmonton City Council Opposes MAI Message-ID: <3.0.32.19980907103806.00740c2c@pop3.connect.ab.ca> VICTORY! On August 18 Edmonton City Council passed the following motion on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (M.A.I.): 1. That the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (F.C.M.) position, that the Federal Government consult with municipalities and respect municipal jurisdiction in its negotiations regarding the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (M.A.I), be supported. 2. That the F.C.M. be asked to seek, at a minimum, an explicit exemption in the form of either a general exception or an unbound national reservation to the M.A.I. in the area of municipal land use and planning, including municipal expropriation. 3. That the Federal Government be urged to consult widely and in depth with the people of Canada, especially and including responses from the Municipal Councils. The additional motion, by Councilor Michael Phair, "That City Council encourage the Provincial Government to add in the aea of "arts and culture" as a respected jurisdiction in its March 24 resolution" was not passed by City Council. While this is better than the orginal administration endorsement of the M.A.I. it still DOES NOT GO FAR ENOUGH. The failure to include Arts and Culture still needs to be addressed as does the fact that the council did not come out in 'opposition' to the M.A.I. With upcoming municipal elections this October its important for Anti-MAI activists to find out where the candidates stand. And it further pressure can be put on City Council. Remember that it was Councillors Cavanagh and Maitson that originated the PRO-MAI motion! Congratulations to all those who made presentations, mobilized calls and letters to City Council and of course the mass e-mailings that were sent from all over. Eugene Plawiuk Edmonton MAI ALERT Page http://www.geocities.com./CapitolHill/5202/mai.html From deo at igc.org Tue Sep 8 11:49:03 1998 From: deo at igc.org (David E. Ortman) Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 19:49:03 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [asia-apec 626] Re: Malaysian Government tells APPA to go through proper channels Message-ID: <2.2.16.19980907193342.2067644c@pop.igc.org> 4 September 1998 Regarding the article below, could someone write the Star a correction or forward this message: The original APEC Leaders' Meeting took place in 1993 in Seattle, WA (USA) not in Osaka. Human rights, labor and environmental NGOs came together at APEC '93 in Seattle under the banner, "The Hidden Costs of Free Trade". NGO representatives requested and obtained a two-hour meeting with the APEC Secretariart to present concerns directly to APEC. David E. Ortman NGO Coordinator (APEC '93) Seattle, WA At 03:59 PM 9/4/98, PAN Asia Pacific wrote: > >The Star >September 4, 1998 > > >Go Through Proper Channels, Rafidah tells NGOs >by Jacqueline Ann Surin > >KUALA LUMPUR: Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) organising a >people's summit parallel to the APEC leaders' meeting here in >November, will have to go through the proper channels to do so. > >International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz >said the ministry was aware that such a meeting was being >organised but "we have nothing to do with it". > >"The NGOs have to seek permission through the proper channels- for >example, getting a police permit for their meeting," she said. >rafidah was responding to an announcement be the Asia Pacific >Peoples' Assembly (APPA) Secretariat last week that a parallel >people's meeting would be held before the APEC leaders' meeting. >APPA spokesman Tian Chua had said that the parallel meeting would >provide an alternative forum for people to discuss the APEC >process and globalisation in its broader social and political >context. > >Since the original APEC Leaders' Meeting in Osaka in 1993, >representatives from NGOs, grassroots groups and social justice >movements have met in similar alternative forums like in Manila in >1996 and in Vancouver last year. > > > > From panap at panap.po.my Tue Sep 8 11:02:59 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 11:02:59 Subject: [asia-apec 627] ATTENTION ALL LISTSERV USERS Message-ID: <2427@panap.po.my> TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE ASIA-APEC LISTSERV 1. There have recently been a number of personal emails sent to the listserv. I assume that this is being done accidentaly. When you reply to a message posted to the listserv by replying to the listserv address, you automatically send the message to all listserv members. To send a personal reply to someone who has posted a message, you must send it to their personal address NOT the listserv address (this requires that you type in the personal address and not simply hit the reply button). 2. When you wish to send a reply to the entire listserv, please do not include the full email that you are replying to in your reply. Many of us pay per line for our email and pages of repeated text can be quite costly. If you are not clear about any of this or would like to make further comments, feel free to contact me AT MY PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS. Thanks for your cooperation, Devlin Kuyek Listserv moderator From arena at hk.net Tue Sep 8 16:49:22 1998 From: arena at hk.net (arena) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 15:49:22 +0800 (HKT) Subject: [asia-apec 628] Applications invited for Programme Officer for Gender Concerns Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19960906163339.24c74242@hk.net> Apologies for cross listing.Please circulate this to your networks. INVITATION FOR APPLICATIONS Position : Programme Officer for Gender Concerns Date of Commencement of Appointment : January 1, 1999 Duties and Responsibilities : A Programme Officer's main responsibility will be to coordinate and faciltiate the conceptualisation, planning, and implementation of ARENA programmes on gender issues and concerns and their accompanying modalities, i.e., research, documentatiion, publication, workshops/meetings, advocacy campaigns, and overall networking. He/she will be a member of the ARENA Secretariat and a part of a Programme Working Group/s which includes Executive Board members and ARENA Fellows with whom there will be constant interaction in programme coordination. As needed, other programme duties may be assigned from time to time by the ARENA Coordinator. Qualifications : Research, writing, and coordinating experience in working on issues of gender, social justice and social development concerns in an Asian context and/or relevant educational degree (preferably, a Masters or equivalent); experience in development NGO work and academic work in an Asian setting; able to work in and relate to a multi-cultural setting; and an informed understanding and commitment to work for gender, environmental, and people-oriented concerns. Minimum Salary : USD 1,614 (equivalent to HKD 12,500) with annual increases Benefits : Medical, employment, and travel insurance, Provident Fund, housing allowance (for those paying rent), year-end bonus, paid annual home leave with air ticket (within Asia), and incoming and outgoing relocation allowane (including air ticket). Deadline for Application : 15 October 1998 Process : Send letter of application, resume/biodata, two letters of reference, and copies of published work to : The ARENA Coordinator, P.O. Box 31407, Causeway Bay Post Office Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, Fax : (852) 2504-2986, E-mail : arena@hk.net ARENA is a regional non-governmental forum for the promotion of alternative development paradigms and strategies that will promote equity among social class,caste, ethnic groups, and gender; strengthen popular participation in public life; improve the quality of life of Asia's underprivileged peoples, prevent the marginalisation of communities; promote ecological consciousness, and strengthen aspects of indigenous knowledge which relate to social emancipation. Its long-term goal is to participate in building and nurturing a community of concerned Asian scholar-activists, critical researcher-writers, and progrssive academics who shall contribute to the process of social awakening and the people's struggle for a new, just, and humane social order. ARENA is engaged in research studies, publications, documentation, workshop-conferences, campaigns, and regional networking. From panap at panap.po.my Tue Sep 8 09:55:11 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 09:55:11 Subject: [asia-apec 629] Article by Vandana Shiva (1 of 2) Message-ID: <2419@panap.po.my> ********************************* FORWARDED BY DIVERSE WOMEN FOR DIVERSITY ********************************* Dear Friends, This just arrived from Giatanjali at the Diverse Women Secretariat: "You must be hearing of the "dropsy" epidemic in India, whereby people are dying due to mustard oil adulteration. Within a few weeks the Central Government has banned the sale of all loose mustard oil. The ramifications are enormous, particularly for the farmers. We believe foreign hands are behind this development, trying ensure the importation of edible oil subsitutes ie. soya bean. Enclosed is an article by Vandana titled "Destroying the Tropical Oilseeds to Create a Market for Genetically Engineered Soya Bean Exports?". Could you please circulate it widely through the Diverse Women list server, and others list servers you are in contact with." ************************* DESTROYING THE TROPICAL OILSEEDS TO CREATE A MARKET FOR GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SOYA BEAN EXPORTS? (The Case of India's Mustard Oil Tragedy) by Dr.Vandana Shiva When India carried out nuclear tests in May, the U.S. imposed trade sanctions on India. However, an exception was rapidly made to exports of agricultural commodities since U.S. agribusiness needed to capture Indian markets. In July India announced that it could import 1 million ton of soy bean as oil seeds. There was no guarantee that this soya bean would not be contaminated with genetically engineered soya bean. Since oilseeds were on the "restricted" list of imports, the government had to notify the decision. Citizen groups and the Agriculture Ministry challenged the imports because they were not necessary. We also raised concerns of food safety. Suddenly, on August 27th, the government announced a policy of free import of soya bean, while simultaneously banning sale of mustard oil. The justification used was high prices of edible oils and the mustard oil tragedy. During August a tragedy had started to unfold in Delhi due to a massive adulteration of mustard oil, the most popular edible oil in North and East India, with seeds of a weed "argemone mexicana" as well as other adulterants like diesel, waste oil, industrial oil etc. The "Dropsy" Epidemic Mustard oil adulteration had led to an epidemic of "dropsy". "Dropsy" is a term used to describe pathological swelling of the feet. In the context of the mustard oil adulteration, what is being referred to as cases of dropsy are not merely cases of swelling of the feet but an entire range of signs and symptoms affecting multiple organs and systems. These include nausea, vomitting, diarrohea, abdominal swelling, liver toxicity, kidney damage, cordio toxicity, breathlessness due to retention of fluids in the lungs and death due to heart failure. Besides the above, cases of blindness have been reported due to presence of asymptomatic retinal harmoerage. The links of dropsy with adulterated edible oil was first established by an Indian doctor in Bengal in 1926. The toxic damage in dropsy is caused by two alkaloids -- sanguinarine and dehydrosanguinarine which cause increased permeability of the blood vessels resulting in fluid collection in the tissues. The first case of dropsy was reported on 5th August. By early September the official death toll was 41, and 2300 people had been affected. Mustard sale was banned in Delhi, Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Tripura and Karnataka. On September 4th, the Government banned sale of all unpackaged edible oils, thus ensuring that all household and community level processing of edible oils was stopped and edible oil became fully industrialised. This in effect is a total destruction of the food culture of India and the food economy of the poor who depend on unpackaged oil since it is cheaper and they can buy it in small quantities. The Economic Ecological and Cultural Significance of Mustard or "Sarson" "Sarson" or Mustard in India is central to our culture. It is the symbol of spring and renewal. The yellow of the mustard flower is the colour of spring (Basant). Songs on the theme of "Sarson" are an integral part of folk culture. Makki ki roti and Sarson ka Saag (Corn bread with vegetable made of mustard leaf) is the best known food linked to Punjab culture and identity. Mustard oil is the Olive oil of Bihar, Bengal, Orissa and East Uttar Pradesh and is used for flavouring and cooking. Bengalis' Hilsa fish fried in mustard oil is the ultimate delight and North Indians like their pakoras fried in it because of the unique taste and aroma. In the South, mustard seeds are the preferring seasoning for "Upma", Vegetables, Rice curd etc. Mustard is not just an edible oil. It is an important medicine in the indigenous Ayurvedic system of health care. It is used for therapeutic massages, muscular and joint problem. Oil with garlic and turmeric is used for rheumatism and joint pains. Mustard oil is also used as a mosquito repellant, a significant contribution in a country and region where resurgence of malaria is responsible for the death of thousands. Since mustard seed has high oil content and can be processed locally, it is locally available to the poor at low cost. It is an integral part of India's food and health culture and food economy, having been integrated into cropping patterns and food patterns over centuries. The threat to mustard due to the adulteration of mustard oil and the ban of its sale across India is thus a threat to Indian culture, Indian food systems and the food economy of the poor. The Mustard Oil Tragedy: Who Gains, Who Looses? When a crime takes place, the first question asked is who has a motive? Who could gain from the crime? The relevant questions to ask about the mustard oil tragedy is who could possibly gain by such a high level conspiracy of adulteration that has affected the health of thousands and has already killed many victims of dropsy and has nearly killed the domestic edible oil industry. The mustard oil tragedy that has unfolded over the past month is unlike all earlier cases of food adulteration. Firstly, while typical cases of adulteration by local traders are restricted to particular brands and remote and marginalised regions so that they go unnoticed, the mustard oil tragedy has affected nearly all brands and India's capital Delhi is the worst affected region. Thus, adulteration was done in order to be noticed immediately and get immediate response. Secondly, while adulterating mustard oil with argemone is an old practice, the adulteration was never more than .01%. This time the adulteration has gone up to 10% - 30%. Argemone is not in itself toxic. It is a medicinal plant whose roots are used internally worms and stomach ailments. The high level of adulteration with argemone and other toxic substances such as diesel and waste oil clearly indicates that the tragedy was not a result of the normal business of adulteration but an abnormal occurrence with a clear motive. As the Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has stated, this is not possible without a organised conspiracy. The adulteration was therefore done in such a way that it could kill people, and it could kill conspicuously so that an immediate ban on mustard oil and free import of oilseeds including soya bean for oil becomes inevitable. From panap at panap.po.my Tue Sep 8 09:55:42 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 09:55:42 Subject: [asia-apec 630] Article by Vandana Shiva (2 of 2) Message-ID: <2420@panap.po.my> Adulteration of mustard oil is not new. But adulteration on a genocidal scale is unprecedented. Domestic traders cannot afford to destroy themselves through such life threatening adulteration on such a large scale that the entire mustard oil trade and industry is forced to shut down through the ban on mustard oil sale. In fact, the Rajasthan Oil Industries Association has demanded a CBI inquiry into the cases of adulteration of edible oils and necessary punitive action against the guilty. The association claimed that a "conspiracy" was being hatched to undermine the mustard oil trade and felt that "invisible hands of the multinationals" were involved in the present controversy singling out mustard oil. The Multinationals did gain from the mustard oil tragedy at the cost of the Indian consumers whose lives were put at risk, and Indian traders, whose livelihoods have been put at risk. While announcing the ban on mustard oil sale, the government announced the free import of oilseeds, especially soyabean. This follows the earlier announcement to import 1 million tonnes of soya bean from the U.S. against which there had been major protests on grounds that the import was not necessary. The mustard oil tragedy has ensured that India is forced to ban mustard oil and import soya bean which could be contaminated with genetically engineered soya. The U.S. has been unable to sell its genetically engineered soya to Europe because of consumer rejection and the demand for labelling of genetically engineered foods. In the U.S. a wide ranging coalition of scientists, health professionals, consumers, farmers, religious leaders filed a law suit demanding mandatory labelling. Ex-President Jimmy Carter has in fact written an article in the New York Times that segregation and labelling of genetically engineered foods will make U.S. exports rot at ports. It is estimated that over 18 million acres are planted with genetically engineered Round up Ready Soya beans in 1998. The soya beans are engineered by Monsanto's Corporation to contain a bacterial gene that confers tolerance to the herbicide. Round up is also made by Monsanto. Soya bean has been genetically engineered not to give more yields or better products. The sole purpose of Round up Ready Soya is to sell more chemicals for seeds tailored to these chemicals. The U.S. is, therefore, desperate to dump its genetically engineered (g.e.) soya on countries like India. The mustard oil tragedy thus serves as a perfect "market opening" for U.S. agri-business corporations. Not only can they now sell g.e. soya to India, they can make us completely dependent on soya bean for our edible oil requirements because of the ban on mustard oil and the consumer fear created through life threatening levels of adulteration. If traders cannot sell mustard oil, they will not buy mustard from farmers and farmers will stop growing mustard. This will lead to the extinction of a crop that is central to our farming system and food culture, a crop whose yellow flowers are the very symbol of spring or Basant. Once mustard oil has gone out of cultivation, even if the ban is lifted on mustard oil, we will be forced to continue dependence on soya bean for edible oil, or introduce imported g.e. brassica varieties. Ironically, Calgene, now owned by Monsanto has patented the Indian brassica. Therefore we would be dependent on Monsanto for patented seeds of soya bean and mustard. The free imports of soya bean is the main outcome of the mustard oil tragedy. Now that import of oilseeds has been put on the OGL list, as a result of the mustard oil tragedy, there will be large scale dumping of imported oilseed which will destroy the rest of the domestic edible oil industry which has not been affected by the mustard oil ban. In effect, as a result of free import of oilseeds, a death knell has been sounded for the entire domestic edible oil industry. Further, while our domestic industry is being killed, food safety is not ensured. One form of adulteration is being replaced by another form of adulteration. In terms of food safety, we are jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Genetic Engineering: A New Visible Form of Food Adulteration The mustard oil tragedy has opened the way for dumping of genetically engineered foods, especially soya bean on Indian consumers. Indian consumers would still be denied the right to safe food since genetic engineering is a new kind of food adulteration which takes place at the genetic level and is hence invisible. Instead of toxic seeds like those of argemone being added externally, genetic engineering in effect allows food adulteration to be done internally by introducing genes for toxins from bacteria, viruses, animals into crops. Genetic engineering is adulterating foods with toxins from rats and scorpions. Bt. crops are crops with high dose Bt-toxin in it. The Terminator will produce crops with lethal toxin. The new Verminator technology uses genes for toxins from rats. Health Hazards Linked to Genetically Engineered Foods There are major food safety concerns about genetically engineered foods. In 1988, more than 37 people died and more than 1500 were permanently disabled due to a toxin present in genetically engineered tryptophan, a food supplement. In May 14, 1996 issue of the New England Journal Medicine a study from the University of Nebraska was reported which showed that genetically modified soya bean with Brazil nut genes created allergies. Health professionals are also concerned that the mass consumption of genetically engineered foods could make treating infections more difficult because most genetically engineered foods contain antibiotic resistant genes. Further, genes from viruses and bacteria introduced into genetically engineered foods could interact with bacteria and viruses in our bodies and create super bugs and super viruses. Since genetically engineered foods use genes from animals and microorganisms, this can also volate the ethical and religious principles of groups such as Jews and Muslims who need to avoid foods with substances from specific animals, or of vegetarians who want to avoid substances from any animal. Mixing animal genes in plants is clearly adulteration from diverse religious perspectives and such adulteration should be totally banned both for health reasons and ethical reasons. Laws for the Prevention of Food Adulteration need to be redefined and strengthened taking pollution and adulteration related to genetically engineered foods into account. In light of the mustard oil tragedy and the potential dumping of genetically engineered soya bean through free imports of oil seeds, we are starting a Pure Food Campaign. The Pure Food Campaign will build on Navdanya our Biodiversity Conservation Movement. We will continue to conserve and propagate indigenous oil seed crops in all their diversity. The Pure Food Campaign will promote the consumption of chemical free, genetically engineering free, unadulterated, pure organic foods. The Pure Food Campaign will also work for citizens right to safe food and will create awareness on hazards of genetic engineering as well as other forms of adulteration. Our Demands to the Government of India 1. We support the demand of the Agriculture Minister of Kerala to stop free imports of oilseeds and remove oilseeds from the OGL list. 2. The government must announce a very high procurement price for mustard to ensure that farmers grow it, and the present ban does not have a negative impact on our agriculture. 3. Mustard oil processing and distribution should be carried out with full safeguards so that the ban can be lifted at the earliest and consumer confidence in our culturally preferred edible oil options can be rebuilt. 4. The government should not import genetically engineered soya bean for edible oil. 5. If India cannot get a guarantee for genetic engineering free shipments from exporting countries, all imports of oilseeds, especially soya bean, should be segregated between genetically engineered products and non-genetically engineered products. Products derived from genetic engineering, including oil should carry a label stating that it is made from genetically engineered crops so that consumers right to know and right to choose is important since genetically engineered crops often contain genes from animals and microorganisms, thus violating the religious beliefs of many Indians. Forcing such foods on people amounts to violation of the free exercise of religious and practice of religious beliefs. Respect for diverse religious beliefs is central to genuine secularism. This requires that labelling of genetically engineered foods be mandatory. 6. The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act should be supplemented with a Food Safety Act. The new invisible forms of "food adulteration or "biological pollution" linked with genetically engineered foods should be subjected to specific safety tests so consumers can be provided safe food which is free of hazards linked to genetically engineered since introducing alien genes in foods through genetic engineering is equivalent to putting food additives in food. From panap at panap.po.my Tue Sep 8 10:42:14 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 10:42:14 Subject: [asia-apec 631] Program of the Forum on Land, Food Security, and Agriculture Message-ID: <2424@panap.po.my> Forum on Land, Food Security, and Agriculture The Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia November 11-12, 1998 ****************************************************************************** PAN-AP and ERA Consumer will host the Forum on Food Security and Agriculture as part of the Asia- Pacific Peoples' Assembly (APPA). APPA takes place November 10-15, 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Forum will be a two-day event at the beginning of the Assembly that will bring together concerned individuals, farmers and representatives of NGOs, people's organizations, and social movements to build on experiences, to develop strategies, and to commit to actions in opposition to current agricultural models being promoted in multilateral forums such as APEC and the WTO. ****************************************************************************** Why a Forum on Land, Food Security, and Agriculture? Globalization has dramatically altered the rural landscape and our systems of food production. The results are devastating: Agricultural land is converted to non-food commercial crops, industrial zones, urban centres, and golf courses, and forest lands are destroyed for mining and logging. Communities are left landless, impoverished, and shattered as corporations reap the profits. Food production is shifted away from local and national needs for basic foods to the demands of transnational agribusiness. In Brazil, local populations go hungry as nearby large-scale farms grow soybeans to feed cattle destined for the North American market. The logic is to increase trade, increase the distance that food travels, increase the amount of processing, and increase the amount of packaging. Those who benefit are corporations. Today, a handful of TNCs have significant control of all aspects of the agriculture and food systems. One company, Cargill, now controls 60 percent of the global cereal trade. And, recent developments in genetic engineering and the rising number of mergers between transnational biotechnology, seed, and agrochemical companies is taking corporate control of the food system to new heights. Agribusiness corporations amass billions and farmers and rural labourers are left with next to nothing; in Malaysia, while plantation company profits rose by over 30 per cent last year alone, plantation workers haven’t received real wage increases in the last 10 years. The Asian crisis has quickly made it apparent that the export-led agriculture policies of Asian governments, which left Asians dependent on food imports, were short-sighted. As Asians watch the prices of food escalate, more and more people see the value of local food systems that do not rely on imported foods, chemical inputs, and animal feed. Governments and multilateral institutions, however, continue to ignore the lesson. Liberalisation is pushed along by the WTO, the IMF, and the World Bank, while unfair agricultural subsidies in the North keep prices low, Northern exports high, and small farmers in poverty. The globalisation of food production and agriculture only makes sense to the corporations, large-landholders, and elites that gain from it. For the hundreds of millions of small farmers throughout the world, the logic is devastating. But, the system continues to expand. TNCs are winning the battle in government circles and at the multilateral level. The WTO and its biggest fan, APEC, are pushing a liberalization regime that will open the world up to corporate plunder. This must change. The Forum on Land, Food Security, and Agriculture is about understanding: Who are those driving this brutal system? We will call them by name and reveal what they are doing. The Forum is about resistance: We will take actions against those responsible. We will build our own communities, our own lives. The Forum is also about solidarity: We will come together from all regions of the Asia-Pacific to unite behind a common vision that will strengthen our local struggles. Programme (Some speakers are unconfirmed) DAY 1 (November 11) 8:30-9:30 Registration 9:30-10:15 Opening Plenary Overview of Globalisation and its Impacts on Food Security and Agriculture Issues Speakers: Vandana Shiva (Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Natural Resource Policy, India) Sarojeni V. Rengam (Pesticide Action Network- Asia and the Pacific, Malaysia) 10:15- 11:15 Overview of Trade Agreements The WTO and Agriculture (Bhagirath Lal Das, India) The Impacts of NAFTA on Agriculture and Food Security (Ana de Ita, CECCAM, Mexico) 11:15-13:00 3. Reports from Grassroots Movements: Country Specific Chiapas, Mexico Philippines Thailand Malaysia Korea 13:00-14:00 Lunch 14:00-18:00 Workshops 1. Land Issues and Resources Recent protests by peasants and farmers in the Philippines and Indonesia and the ongoing violence in Chiapas highlights the massive and unjust displacement of people that globalization has brought. Farmers and indigenous peoples are driven off their lands for industrial development, mines, tourism, and golf courses. Small farmers are displaced from their lands to make way for transnational agribusiness and large-scale, high-input industrial farms. The result is increased militarization, impoverishment, injustice, and degradation of the environment through unsustainable agriculture practices. Promised agrarian reforms have failed to materialize. What can we do to reverse this misappropriation of land and resources? 2. Aquatic Resources: Industrial pollution, corporate over-fishing, and the pursuit of quick-profits have depleted marine resources and devastated fishing communities and the coastal environment. Are in-land fish and shrimp farms a sustainable response to these problems? How can fishing communities resist this process and build viable alternatives? 3. Trade Agreements Multilateral trade agreements such as the WTO and trade bodies like APEC strengthen corporate agriculture and deepen global inequalities. The recent WTO agreement on agriculture legitimizes US and European dumping and subsidies while it attacks the small protective barriers of the developing world. Free trade does not equal fair trade. In fact, this brand of free trade is responsible for the growing dependency of Asian, Pacific, and Latin American countries on food imports. It is also largely responsible for the widespread displacement of small farmers and the loss of local food systems, as multinational corporations swoop down to take advantage of the removal of regulations. The food system becomes more distant and less safe as wealth flows to fewer and fewer people. Nevertheless, APEC governments, committed to a narrow focus on economic growth and industrial development, continue to support these trade measures. The recent crisis in Asia shows how harmful such an approach is to food security. How can we fight these trade agreements? How can we ensure food security for all? 4. Transnational Corporations Transnational corporations, throughout the world, are rapidly taking over all levels of the food system. They are also transforming it; genetic engineering, cash crops, and chemical inputs are all on the rise. To effectively oppose transnational agribusiness, we have to properly understand it. What are the strategies of transnational agriculture corporations? What mechanisms do they use to expand their control and markets? The workshop will then look at ways to monitor and resist corporate expansion 5. Grassroots Resistance and Alternatives The growth of corporate agriculture and the displacement of people is matched by the growth of resistance. Farmers and peasant movements struggle to retain their lands and control over their own knowledge. In the face of corporate agribusiness, biotechnology, food processing, and trade liberalization, people are looking for alternatives. How can we strengthen grassroots resistance? What tactics and projects can we adopt and support to build alternatives? How should we utilize our limited resources? DAY 2 (November 12) Closing Plenary 9:00-10:40 Reports from Workshops 10:40-13:00 Development of Shared Analysis 13:00: 14:00 Lunch 14:00-16:00 Development of Shared Analysis (continued) and Adoption of Final Statement 16:00-18:00 Common Action (to be announced) (Note: the closing plenary of APPA takes place November13-14. APPA closing ceremonies and a final activity will occur on November 15. You are welcome and encouraged to attend all of these events. Your US$50 registration fee gives you access to all APPA forums and events.) Preliminary Registration Form (Please send this back to us so that we can get a better sense of how many people will need financial support and so that we can put your name and others on the mailing list) Full Name: Mr. Ms. Organisation: Address: Fax Tel Email Do you require financial assistance? What assistance do you wish to apply for (example: air tickets, accommodation, registration fees)? (Note: the registration fee for APPA is US$50. Accommodation is approximately US$25 per day) Please use the remainder of this page and the back to list the contacts and addresses of others that you feel would want to receive registration materials for APPA and the Forum on Land, Food Security, and Agriculture. Return to PAN-AP PAN-AP P.O. Box 1170, 10850 Penang, Malaysia Fax: 604-6577445 Tel: 604-6570271 Email: panap@panap.po.my From gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz Wed Sep 9 09:27:20 1998 From: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (Gatt Watchdog) Date: Wed, 09 Sep 1998 12:27:20 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 632] NZ: APEC Regulatory Reform Symposium Message-ID: <0ZeJVe2w165w@corso.ch.planet.gen.nz> Newsgroups: nz.politics.announce Subject: GVT: APEC Regulatory Reform Symposium Followup-To: nz.politics Date: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 04:53:37 GMT Organization: Ministerial Services Approved: nz-politics-announce@usenet.net.nz Message-ID: <35f4b838.336813502@news> NNTP-Posting-Host: mspw210114.parliament.govt.nz X-Newsreader: Forte Free Agent 1.11/32.235 Xref: news.wlg.netlink.net.nz nz.politics.announce:1278 MEDIA RELEASE 8 September 1998 APEC Regulatory Reform Symposium New Zealand's proposal to focus part of its preparatory work for next year's APEC Leaders Meeting on competition and regulatory frameworks was launched at the APEC Ministers Meeting on Small and Medium Enterprises in Malaysia this week, Enterprise and Commerce Minister Max Bradford said today. Speaking from Kuala Lumpur where he was attending the APEC Ministers SME meeting, Mr Bradford said an APEC Regulatory Reform Symposium, organised by New Zealand, also took place in Kuatan, Malaysia, this week. "It was the first such symposium for APEC. New Zealand has led the work in APEC over the past four years on competition policy and deregulation as Chair of the APEC Competition Working Group," he said. The symposium attracted business people, academics and government officials from around the APEC region. "The globalisation of business activity has focused increasing attention on domestic regulation across economies," Mr Bradford said. "The severe economic problems being experienced by many APEC economies are making it all the more urgent that sound approaches to regulatory reform are adopted. "New Zealand is not immune to the current economic difficulties. They underscore why it is so important for us to continue to drive to bring down the cost of government on our own businesses. "APEC has an important role to play in promoting regulatory reform that stimulates business activity and business growth in the region. The symposium laid the foundation for further work on these issues which New Zealand will seek to advance next year during our chairmanship of APEC." ________________________________________________________________________ This is an official release from a NZ Minister of the Crown. An archive of releases can be viewed at http://www.cabinet.govt.nz E-mail to Ministers can be sent to mailto:mailbox@ministers.govt.nz Please include a postal address if you require a reply From aspieldoch at coc.org Wed Sep 9 09:46:04 1998 From: aspieldoch at coc.org (Alexandra Spieldoch) Date: Wed, 09 Sep 1998 09:46:04 Subject: [asia-apec 633] APEC and Infrastructure Development Message-ID: <3.0.3.16.19980909094604.29ef3a00@internet.coc.org> Dear everyone, I would like to e-mail Devlin Kuyek directly to receive the paper on APEC and Infrastructure Development. Yet, I do not have the direct address. Can anyone send this to me? Thank you, Alexandra Spieldoch Global Women's Project Center of Concern 3700 13th Street, NE Washington, DC 20017 tel. 202-635-2757 fax: 202-832-9494 From davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca Thu Sep 10 03:27:03 1998 From: davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca (David Webster) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1998 10:27:03 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 634] Van Sun: Suharto APEC threats detailed Message-ID: Last Updated: Wednesday 9 September 1998 TOP STORIES --------------------------------------------------------- Suharto threats detailed in secret APEC memos The Vancouver Sun Rick Ouston and Ian Mulgrew Vancouver Sun Internal government and RCMP correspondence covering the visit to Vancouver last year of then-Indonesian president Suharto show the RCMP were concerned about the threat of violence from his bodyguards and the federal government was intent on ensuring he was not embarrassed by protesters. Suharto's visit, part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit of world leaders, resulted in the arrests of dozens of protesters at the University of B.C., many of whom claimed their rights were violated by RCMP officers using excessive force. Police have also been criticized for removing signs and placards from protesters. RCMP Staff Sergeant Peter Montague, who was in charge of security for the Indonesian delegation, said Tuesday he was "taken aback" and "shocked" his memoranda and other sensitive government documents detailing security arrangements for Suharto's visit have fallen into the hands of the media. "Where the hell did he get those documents?" Montague asked after Reform MP John Reynolds distributed edited versions of the private correspondence, which was obtained by CBC News. The contents of the documents raise the possibility that the threat posed by armed Indonesian bodyguards and a desire to please Suharto may have motivated a more aggressive police response to the protests than normal. "[Indonesian] Ambassador Parwoto asked us what would happen to one of their FSOs [foreign security officers] if he pulled his gun and shot someone during the visit," Montague acknowledged writing in one memo. "They were told categorically that such a situation would not be tolerated and to keep their guns out of sight." RCMP officers may have pepper-sprayed unruly demonstrators with alacrity at the UBC gathering of the leaders for fear they would breach the security cordon and alarm the bodyguards surrounding Suharto. "That would probably be the main reason our members weren't charged with anything, because they took what action, the only appropriate action they could take knowing what the threat level was," Montague said. "I know we had some legitimate concerns, some very legitimate concerns, with respect to the possible actions by the foreign security agents from Indonesia and that was discussed at length with all of our APEC team." Hearings of the RCMP public complaints commission are set to begin Sept. 14 into complaints by protesters that they were beaten and suffered the effects of pepper spray while engaging in a protest against Suharto and his nation's occupation of East Timor. But Reynolds, the MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast, said Tuesday the documents he obtained from CBC News indicate a stronger probe is needed into the affair. "Nothing less than a full independent judicial inquiry into events leading up to the violation of freedom of speech and the manner the protesters were manhandled is acceptable," Reynolds said. "I call on the government to appoint a retired judge of national stature to investigate this unacceptable cover-up and this violation of a basic Canadian right." Notes of a meeting between Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy and Indonesian Prime Minister Ali Alatas July 30, 1997, show the pair talked about a campaign of "wanted posters" featuring Suharto that had popped up across Canada. "The minister apologized for the poster campaign. It was outrageous and excessive," an internal department of foreign affairs and international trade memo quoted Axworthy as saying. Alatas responded: "If it caused concern to the Canadian government because agitation of these groups could not be controlled and the dignity of the president was sullied, the president would rather not come to Canada." The handwritten notes of RCMP Superintendent Wayne May state that it was a "specific wish" of Prime Minister Jean Chretien "that this is a retreat and leaders should not be distracted by demos, etc." Briefing notes for a meeting between Chretien and the Indonesian ambassador last September included the message that "Canada will be taking particular care to ensure the President's stay is a pleasant and rewarding one. His personal security is assured, and steps will be taken to preserve his comfort." An Oct. 3 letter from Chretien to Suharto states: "I have directed my officials to spare no effort to ensure that appropriate security and other arrangements are made for your stay in Canada as our guest." And when protesters erected a tent city at an APEC meeting site, RCMP Inspector Perry Edwards gave RCMP Superintendent Trevor Thompson a note saying: "Trevor T... :P.M. 'wants the tenters out.'" Chretien, in Montreal to attend a book-launching by a former Quebec TV personality, denied there had been any interference. "The police have to do their job," Chretien said, denying that he had any personal role in instructing police. Once the conference was finished, the Canadian embassy in Jakarta received a note from Indonesia's Chief of Protocol Ambassador Dadang Sukandar: "My President was very pleased," the ambassador wrote. "Canada had promised to ensure safety and comfort and you lived up to your word completely." _ _ _ \ / "Long words Bother me." \ / -- Winnie the Pooh From oppenh at theory.physics.ubc.ca Thu Sep 10 05:00:07 1998 From: oppenh at theory.physics.ubc.ca (Jonathan Oppenheim) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1998 13:00:07 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [asia-apec 635] Re: Van Sun: Suharto APEC threats detailed Message-ID: <199809092000.NAA05388@theory.physics.ubc.ca> Actually, the Vancouver Sun and Globe article are garbage and mostly the result of RCMP spin doctoring. ie. the RCMP claim they needed to pepper spray students to save them from being shot. I have seen no evidence in the documents that they were concerned about students being shot, except for the quote mentioned. The biggest concern is certainly embarrasing soeharto I will forward the web address where some of the documents can be seen as well as a summary of the contents. jonathan ----- Begin Included Message ----- >From owner-asia-apec@mail.jca.ax.apc.org Wed Sep 9 12:21:30 1998 To: indonesia-act@igc.apc.org, reg.easttimor@conf.igc.apc.org, asia-apec@jca.ax.apc.org From: davidweb@interchange.ubc.ca (David Webster) Subject: [asia-apec 634] Van Sun: Suharto APEC threats detailed Sender: owner-asia-apec@jca.ax.apc.org X-Sequence: asia-apec 634 Reply-To: asia-apec@jca.ax.apc.org Last Updated: Wednesday 9 September 1998 TOP STORIES --------------------------------------------------------- Suharto threats detailed in secret APEC memos The Vancouver Sun Rick Ouston and Ian Mulgrew Vancouver Sun Internal government and RCMP correspondence covering the visit to Vancouver last year of then-Indonesian president Suharto show the RCMP were concerned about the threat of violence from his bodyguards and the federal government was intent on ensuring he was not embarrassed by protesters. Suharto's visit, part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit of world leaders, resulted in the arrests of dozens of protesters at the University of B.C., many of whom claimed their rights were violated by RCMP officers using excessive force. Police have also been criticized for removing signs and placards from protesters. RCMP Staff Sergeant Peter Montague, who was in charge of security for the Indonesian delegation, said Tuesday he was "taken aback" and "shocked" his memoranda and other sensitive government documents detailing security arrangements for Suharto's visit have fallen into the hands of the media. "Where the hell did he get those documents?" Montague asked after Reform MP John Reynolds distributed edited versions of the private correspondence, which was obtained by CBC News. The contents of the documents raise the possibility that the threat posed by armed Indonesian bodyguards and a desire to please Suharto may have motivated a more aggressive police response to the protests than normal. "[Indonesian] Ambassador Parwoto asked us what would happen to one of their FSOs [foreign security officers] if he pulled his gun and shot someone during the visit," Montague acknowledged writing in one memo. "They were told categorically that such a situation would not be tolerated and to keep their guns out of sight." RCMP officers may have pepper-sprayed unruly demonstrators with alacrity at the UBC gathering of the leaders for fear they would breach the security cordon and alarm the bodyguards surrounding Suharto. "That would probably be the main reason our members weren't charged with anything, because they took what action, the only appropriate action they could take knowing what the threat level was," Montague said. "I know we had some legitimate concerns, some very legitimate concerns, with respect to the possible actions by the foreign security agents from Indonesia and that was discussed at length with all of our APEC team." Hearings of the RCMP public complaints commission are set to begin Sept. 14 into complaints by protesters that they were beaten and suffered the effects of pepper spray while engaging in a protest against Suharto and his nation's occupation of East Timor. But Reynolds, the MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast, said Tuesday the documents he obtained from CBC News indicate a stronger probe is needed into the affair. "Nothing less than a full independent judicial inquiry into events leading up to the violation of freedom of speech and the manner the protesters were manhandled is acceptable," Reynolds said. "I call on the government to appoint a retired judge of national stature to investigate this unacceptable cover-up and this violation of a basic Canadian right." Notes of a meeting between Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy and Indonesian Prime Minister Ali Alatas July 30, 1997, show the pair talked about a campaign of "wanted posters" featuring Suharto that had popped up across Canada. "The minister apologized for the poster campaign. It was outrageous and excessive," an internal department of foreign affairs and international trade memo quoted Axworthy as saying. Alatas responded: "If it caused concern to the Canadian government because agitation of these groups could not be controlled and the dignity of the president was sullied, the president would rather not come to Canada." The handwritten notes of RCMP Superintendent Wayne May state that it was a "specific wish" of Prime Minister Jean Chretien "that this is a retreat and leaders should not be distracted by demos, etc." Briefing notes for a meeting between Chretien and the Indonesian ambassador last September included the message that "Canada will be taking particular care to ensure the President's stay is a pleasant and rewarding one. His personal security is assured, and steps will be taken to preserve his comfort." An Oct. 3 letter from Chretien to Suharto states: "I have directed my officials to spare no effort to ensure that appropriate security and other arrangements are made for your stay in Canada as our guest." And when protesters erected a tent city at an APEC meeting site, RCMP Inspector Perry Edwards gave RCMP Superintendent Trevor Thompson a note saying: "Trevor T... :P.M. 'wants the tenters out.'" Chretien, in Montreal to attend a book-launching by a former Quebec TV personality, denied there had been any interference. "The police have to do their job," Chretien said, denying that he had any personal role in instructing police. Once the conference was finished, the Canadian embassy in Jakarta received a note from Indonesia's Chief of Protocol Ambassador Dadang Sukandar: "My President was very pleased," the ambassador wrote. "Canada had promised to ensure safety and comfort and you lived up to your word completely." _ _ _ \ / "Long words Bother me." \ / -- Winnie the Pooh ----- End Included Message ----- From oppenh at theory.physics.ubc.ca Thu Sep 10 05:03:34 1998 From: oppenh at theory.physics.ubc.ca (Jonathan Oppenheim) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1998 13:03:34 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [asia-apec 636] Documents Inplicate PM in APEC 97 Crackdown Message-ID: <199809092003.NAA05433@theory.physics.ubc.ca> ----- Begin Included Message ----- News Advisory Wednesday, September 7, 1998 Documents Implicate PM in APEC Crackdown Documents to be released today directly link Prime Minister Jean Chretien to the crackdown on dissent which occurred during the APEC Leaders' Summit at the University of BC and in the weeks leading up to the meeting. The evidence against the Prime Minister was gathered by students from documents which will be submitted before the RCMP Public Complaints Commission Hearing into APEC. The students will be releasing the documents this morning at a 10 a.m. press conference. The documents reveal that the Prime Minister, Lloyd Axworthy, and officials in the Federal Government promised General Soeharto, deposed President of Indonesia, that he would see no sign of protest during the APEC Summit. They also reveal that the Prime Minister gave orders to the RCMP to ensure that there would be no sign of dissent. The documents indicate that the PM ordered the RCMP to arrest students who were peacefully camping out at the site of the Leaders' Summit, and as a result, six students were charged with mischief days before the meeting even occurred. The RCMP considered ridiculous methods to prevent demonstrations from being seen, including the planting of trees and the hanging of drapes to block students and their banners from view. The students have put the documents on a web page which can be accessed through http://www.cs.ubc.ca/spider/fuller/apec_alert. They are encouraging members of the public to view the documents for themselves. They are also engaged in an attempt to subpoena the PM. Under the RCMP Act, complainants have the power to call and subpoena witnesses. The PM is expected to give testimony relating to a phone call he made to Soeharto, as well as assurances he gave to him through various officials. He is also expected to testify about the orders he gave to the RCMP. "The Prime Minister should consider creating a motto for the PMO: We put the Arse in RCMP," said Michelle Bernstein, 26, a student of Art History at UBC. "The extent to which Chretien went to appease APEC leaders is absolutely appalling," said Guy Debord, 27. "He set the Mounties on students for the sake of cheap labor in Indonesia. Our leaders are so insolated, that they have no sense of what people on the streets are thinking." "Of course, we should not just be concerned with what went on during APEC. While overt suppression makes the six o'clock news, it is the constant, grinding suppression which occurs everyday which we should be worried about," Debord added. The students will release the documents at 10am at Library Square (300 W Georgia St. Lower level, Alma Van Dusen Room) and discuss their significance. For more information contact Jonathan Oppenheim at (604) 224-2482, or 822-1393 or email jono@physics.ubc.ca ----- End Included Message ----- From oppenh at theory.physics.ubc.ca Thu Sep 10 05:06:54 1998 From: oppenh at theory.physics.ubc.ca (Jonathan Oppenheim) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1998 13:06:54 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [asia-apec 637] Summary of Documents Re: PM Implicated in APEC 97 Crackdown Message-ID: <199809092006.NAA05445@theory.physics.ubc.ca> Documents are available through http://www.cs.ubc.ca/spider/fuller/apec_alert Documents Regarding PM Involvement into APEC Crackdown 1.1-1.2 July 18th, 1997 Memo from the Ambassador to Indonesia, Gary Smith Anti-Soeharto "wanted" posters put up in various Canadian cities become a topic of intense diplomatic discussion at the highest level. 2 July 30th Memo Re: meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs Lloyd Axworthy and Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas "Alatas said ...if it caused concern to Canadian government because agitation of these groups could not be controlled and dignity of President [Soeharto] was sullied, the President would rather not come to Canada." "The minister [Axworthy] said he apologised for the poster campaign. It was outrageous and excessive and not the way Canadians behaved." 3 Aug 11th Draft Comments for Letter from Lloyd Axworthy "With respect to security arrangements for the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting...you have my assurance that the interests/concerns of the Indonesian government will be given the utmost consideration.... Security measures...will not permit demonstrators on any sidewalks immediately adjacent to the Hotel Vancouver or on any access route into the Hotel." *4 Aug 27 Notes of RCMP Supt. Wayne May "Walk through of sites and meeting with PMO - Jean Carle [Director of Operations], Peter Vanderloo [Executive Director of ACCO]...Security perimeter will need to be adjusted at UBC Re: Protestors. PM specific wish that this is a retreat and leaders should not be distracted by demos, etc." 5 Aug 27 Email from RCMP Insp. Bill Dingwall to Supt. May "Jean Carle does not want the demonstrators close at all!" 6.1-6.2 Sept 3 Lloyd Axworthy's letter to Minister Ali Alatas "I have conveyed the security concerns of President Soeharto to Prime Minister Chretien. I can assure you that [demonstrators] will not be permitted in close proximity to the President." 7 Sept 4 Email from Insp. Bill Dingwall to Cpl. Peter Koleyak "Jean Carle (PMO Director of Operations) and Robert's (Vanderloo) request to have demonstrators pushed back a bit further than originally planned...In addition, Robert is considering placing plants/trees at the foot of Gate 4 so that when the leaders depart they will be surrounded by trees, etc. (aesthetically pleasing.) This also helps with the sight lines." 8 Sept. 12th Email from Dingwall to Cst. Don Merkel Re: coverings to block sight lines 9.1-9.4 Sept. 12th Re: Delivery of Axworthy's Letter on AELM security measures. "address both the physical security and "proximity" concerns" *10.1-11 Sept. 19th Memorandum for the Prime Minister and Talking Points. "Ambassador Parwoto [Indonesia's Ambassador to Canada] is apparently skeptical about the degree to which Canada is prepared to take action to avoid embarrassment to President Soeharto. Your [Chretien's] meeting with him will serve as an important opportunity to underline the importance Canada attaches, at the highest levels, to President Soeharto's attendance at the AELM, and seriousness with which it intends to address his physical security in Vancouver." "Please convey to the President my [Chretien's] intention to telephone him personally in the coming days to discuss his participation in the Vancouver APEC Leaders' Meeting." "Canada will be taking particular care to ensure the President's stay is a pleasant and rewarding one. His personal security is assured, and steps will be taken to preserve his comfort." 12.1-12.2 Oct. 1 Memorandum for the PM Re: Invitation Letters to APEC Leaders "Your letter to Indonesia's President Soeharto contains additional language acknowledging his personal concerns and stressing your determination that all arrangements will be taken to ensure an uneventful stay in Vancouver." "Your letter to Chinese Taipei's President Lee has..." *13.1-13.2 Oct. 2nd Fax from Cpl. Koleyak to S/Stg. Peter Montague "They are very worried about any embarrassing incident, such as a demonstration or somebody calling him [Soeharto] a name or throwing an object at the motorcade.... I assured them that if there was a demonstration on a major motorcade route, we would take an alternate route to avoid potential embarrassment.... They asked us to control what the media publishes respecting the President and they were told that that would be impossible." "Ambassador Parwoto asked us what would happen to one of their FSO's [Foreign Service Officer] if he pulled his gun and shot someone during the Visit. They were told uncategorically that such a situation would not be tolerated and to keep their guns out of sight." 14.1-14.2 Oct. 3 Letter from Jean Chretien to Soeharto "I understand you have had discussions with my Minister of Foreign Affairs on the arrangements for the Vancouver meetings. I have directed my officials to spare no effort to ensure that appropriate security and other arrangements are made for your stay in Canada as our guest." 15.1-15.2 Oct. 9th Ambassador Smith Re: Delivery of PM's letter by Len Edwards "The President therefore has decided to attend. Step one has been achieved. Now we have to turn our attention to ensuring that he gets back without too much difficulty." *16.1-16.3 Oct 21st Memo from Koleyak to S/Sgt. Peter Montague [Security Liaison to Indonesia] "The ambassador...wanted me to assure him that he could tell his President that things were under control and there would be no reason for concern regarding embarrassing incidents and that the President would not see any major demonstrations. I gave him my assurance that all procedures are in place to address his concerns.... He then informed me that Prime Minister Chretien had advised him that he could personally contact the Prime Minister if he had any concerns with the security arrangements and the Prime Minister had assured him that he would personally see to it that his concerns were addressed." 17 Nov 9th Email from Supt. Wayne May to Insp. Dingwall "A bigger issue here is that any demo area will have to be endorsed by ACCO and approved by PMO." 18 Post-APEC RCMP Q&A`s for media "The Prime Minister's Office was not involved in RCMP security arrangements" RCMP Public Relations Officer John Buis also repeatedly insists to media that PMO had no involvement in security arrangements. 19 Nov 11th Email from Supt. May to Supt. Thompsett re: Sound Test - UBC RCMP conducts sound test to ensure that demonstrators will not be heard. During the protest on Nov. 25th, everyone with a megaphone was either arrested, or had their megaphone confiscated. *20 Nov. 14th Email from Insp. Dingwall to Supt. May "If they hang banners towards the MoA [Museum of Anthropology - the site of the Leaders' Summit], are they going to be visible through the trees? Could we erect some sort of draping to cut off the view? Secondly, they are only leasing the building and I suppose that we could make the argument that the exterior of the building is not being rented and the University, as landlord, could remove them... We could wait until game day and remove them ourselves ... Common sense tells us we do not want banners nor would the PMO's office. Having said that, banners are not a security issue. They are a political issue. Who is looking after that? If they are not going to be permitted, what is the authority for removing them and who is going to do it?" 21 Nov. 20th Email from Insp. Dingwall to Supt. May "Supt. Thompsett advised that tent city will probably be moving down from current location to [MoA]. Robert Vanderloo advised who in turn advised PMO - who are very concerned. Tomorrow #1 had planned to tour several sites and this may be affectedWe will also need to examine options of limiting media coverage should the decision be made to remove them...(during the quiet hours, moving in buses, moving media back, etc.)" *22-24 Nov. 21st. Various RCMP notes (P.L. Edwards, Thompsett and Dingwall) The PM directs the RCMP to arrest members of APEC Alert who are peacefully camped out at the site of the Leaders' Summit. Various "economies" are scheduled to tour the site in the next few days. The PM himself is scheduled to visit the site on the 21st. Various other documents show that the APEC Threat Assessment Group (TAG) and RCMP do not believe that the students pose any threat to the site. "PM "wants the tentors out."" "PM says leave them until 6pm" "PM wanted everyone removed." 25 Nov. 21st. Memo from Chris Brown (APEC-UBC Liaison) to UBC President Piper The Federal Government threatens the University that they will take over the Summit site prior to the agreed date in order to arrest the students camping there. The University capitulates, and hands the site over to the Government. Six students are arrested on the 22nd and 23rd and charged with mischief. They are not released from jail until they sign a set of conditions which include: "I will not participate or be found in attendance at any public demonstration or rally that has gathered together for the sole purpose of demonstrating against the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation or against any nation participating in the so named conference." 26 Dec. 3 Rick Anderson to Supt. Thompsett Re: APEC Debriefing The night before the Leader's Summit, the Tent City located at the University of British Columbia includes over 80 tents, with 100-200 people sleeping inside the occupied Student Union Building. On November 25th, the day of the Leader's Retreat, approximately 3000 people rally outside the Goddess of Democracy statue and then march to the Summit. During the various protests, students are arrested for being protest organizers, "saying foolish things," holding signs, walkie-talkies or megaphones. Students involved in civil disobedience are pepper-sprayed rather than being arrested, and students blocking one of the three motorcade exits are pepper-sprayed out of the way without warning. Almost all the woman arrested are strip-searched and some have "cavity searches". In all, 78 APEC related arrests are made at UBC in the weeks surrounding the Summit. "my recommendation is to never hold an APEC event at a University." From tpl at cheerful.com Thu Sep 10 10:48:01 1998 From: tpl at cheerful.com (tpl@cheerful.com) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 09:48:01 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 638] The Philippine Fisheries Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19980910094801.0069bc38@pop.skyinet.net>

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Tels: (63-2)713-2729, 713-2737, 713-0912 (Circulation) EC Nationwide: (141) 129141 E-mail: 0000,0000,ffffibonred@info.com.ph New Email Addresses: ibon@info.com.ph General Correspondences iped@info.com.ph IBON Partnership in Educ. for Development ibonred@info.com.ph Reach & Expansion Dept./Circulations atujan@info.com.ph Executive Director Visit our homepage http://www.sequel.net/~ibon <<<<<<<< From gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz Thu Sep 10 10:40:31 1998 From: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (Gatt Watchdog) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 13:40:31 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 639] Re: SUHARTO THREATS DETAILED IN SECRET APEC MEMOS In-Reply-To: <3.0.5.32.19980909114300.007ce4a0@popserver.sfu.ca> Message-ID: <92cLVe5w165w@corso.ch.planet.gen.nz> >From owner-sid-l@rm-rstar.sfu.ca Thu Sep 10 06:14:06 1998 Received: by corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (1.65/waf) via UUCP; Thu, 10 Sep 98 10:46:44 +1200 for gattwd Received: from rm-rstar.sfu.ca (root@[142.58.120.21]) by tofu.ch.planet.gen.nz (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id GAA22085 for ; Thu, 10 Sep 1998 06:14:06 +1200 (NZST) Received: from sid (nwmr01m06-192.bctel.ca [209.52.116.192]) by rm-rstar.sfu.ca (8.8.7/8.8.7/SFU-4.0H) with SMTP id LAA05605; Wed, 9 Sep 1998 11:06:01 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19980909114300.007ce4a0@popserver.sfu.ca> X-Sender: shniad@popserver.sfu.ca X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.5 (32) Date: Wed, 09 Sep 1998 11:43:00 -0700 To: ccpa@policyalternatives.ca From: Sid Shniad Subject: SUHARTO THREATS DETAILED IN SECRET APEC MEMOS Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The Vancouver Sun Wednesday 9 September 1998 SUHARTO THREATS DETAILED IN SECRET APEC MEMOS Rick Ouston and Ian Mulgrew Internal government and RCMP correspondence covering the visit to Vancouver last year of then-Indonesian president Suharto show the RCMP were concerned about the threat of violence from his bodyguards and the federal government was intent on ensuring he was not embarrassed by protesters. Suharto's visit, part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit of world leaders, resulted in the arrests of dozens of protesters at the University of B.C., many of whom claimed their rights were violated by RCMP officers using excessive force. Police have also been criticized for removing signs and placards from protesters. RCMP Staff Sergeant Peter Montague, who was in charge of security for the Indonesian delegation, said Tuesday he was "taken aback" and "shocked" his memoranda and other sensitive government documents detailing security arrangements for Suharto's visit have fallen into the hands of the media. "Where the hell did he get those documents?" Montague asked after Reform MP John Reynolds distributed edited versions of the private correspondence, which was obtained by CBC News. The contents of the documents raise the possibility that the threat posed by armed Indonesian bodyguards and a desire to please Suharto may have motivated a more aggressive police response to the protests than normal. "[Indonesian] Ambassador Parwoto asked us what would happen to one of their FSOs [foreign security officers] if he pulled his gun and shot someone during the visit," Montague acknowledged writing in one memo. "They were told categorically that such a situation would not be tolerated and to keep their guns out of sight." RCMP officers may have pepper-sprayed unruly demonstrators with alacrity at the UBC gathering of the leaders for fear they would breach the security cordon and alarm the bodyguards surrounding Suharto. "That would probably be the main reason our members weren't charged with anything, because they took what action, the only appropriate action they could take knowing what the threat level was," Montague said. "I know we had some legitimate concerns, some very legitimate concerns, with respect to the possible actions by the foreign security agents from Indonesia and that was discussed at length with all of our APEC team." Hearings of the RCMP public complaints commission are set to begin Sept. 14 into complaints by protesters that they were beaten and suffered the effects of pepper spray while engaging in a protest against Suharto and his nation's occupation of East Timor. But Reynolds, the MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast, said Tuesday the documents he obtained from CBC News indicate a stronger probe is needed into the affair. "Nothing less than a full independent judicial inquiry into events leading up to the violation of freedom of speech and the manner the protesters were manhandled is acceptable," Reynolds said. "I call on the government to appoint a retired judge of national stature to investigate this unacceptable cover-up and this violation of a basic Canadian right." Notes of a meeting between Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy and Indonesian Prime Minister Ali Alatas July 30, 1997, show the pair talked about a campaign of "wanted posters" featuring Suharto that had popped up across Canada. "The minister apologized for the poster campaign. It was outrageous and excessive," an internal department of foreign affairs and international trade memo quoted Axworthy as saying. Alatas responded: "If it caused concern to the Canadian government because agitation of these groups could not be controlled and the dignity of the president was sullied, the president would rather not come to Canada." The handwritten notes of RCMP Superintendent Wayne May state that it was a "specific wish" of Prime Minister Jean Chretien "that this is a retreat and leaders should not be distracted by demos, etc." Briefing notes for a meeting between Chretien and the Indonesian ambassador last September included the message that "Canada will be taking particular care to ensure the President's stay is a pleasant and rewarding one. His personal security is assured, and steps will be taken to preserve his comfort." An Oct. 3 letter from Chretien to Suharto states: "I have directed my officials to spare no effort to ensure that appropriate security and other arrangements are made for your stay in Canada as our guest." And when protesters erected a tent city at an APEC meeting site, RCMP Inspector Perry Edwards gave RCMP Superintendent Trevor Thompson a note saying: "Trevor T... :P.M. 'wants the tenters out.'" Chretien, in Montreal to attend a book-launching by a former Quebec TV personality, denied there had been any interference. "The police have to do their job," Chretien said, denying that he had any personal role in instructing police. Once the conference was finished, the Canadian embassy in Jakarta received a note from Indonesia's Chief of Protocol Ambassador Dadang Sukandar: "My President was very pleased," the ambassador wrote. "Canada had promised to ensure safety and comfort and you lived up to your word completely." From gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz Thu Sep 10 10:36:15 1998 From: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (Gatt Watchdog) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 13:36:15 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 640] APEC 97: Indonesians considered shooting Canadians Message-ID: <5ucLVe2w165w@corso.ch.planet.gen.nz> Indonesians considered shooting Canadians Documents reveal talks with RCMP during Suharto protests Wednesday, September 9, 1998, Globe and Mail By Jeff Sallot Ottawa -- Indonesian authorities went so far as to ask the RCMP what would happen if bodyguards accompanying former president Suharto shot anti-Suharto demonstrators during a Pacific Rim summit meeting in Vancouver last year, internal police documents say. The Mounties told the Indonesians that Suharto's bodyguards would be allowed to carry concealed weapons during the summit, but shooting demonstrators "would not be tolerated," say the documents obtained yesterday by The Globe and Mail. The Indonesians also wanted the police to clamp down on Canadian news media that might be critical of Suharto. The Mounties said they couldn't control the press. The RCMP reports and other federal documents were turned over to the RCMP Public Complaints Commission, which is investigating whether police violated civil liberties in dealing with protesters at the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation summit last November. At that time federal officials said protesters would be allowed to demonstrate in Vancouver, expressing their opposition to things such as Indonesia's annexation of East Timor. The material indicates that senior Canadian officials, including Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, the host to 15 Pacific Rim leaders, went to elaborate lengths to reassure the now-deposed Indonesian dictator that he would not have to see or hear Canadians exercising their rights to protest. Among the disclosures in the documents: The RCMP ran sound tests -- using the wail of a police cruiser's siren -- before the summit to make sure that demonstrators would not be heard in the summit meeting hall if they used loudspeakers outside. Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy apologized to his Indonesian counterpart five months before the APEC summit, saying that anti-Suharto "Wanted" posters then appearing in Canadian cities were "outrageous and excessive and not the way Canadians behaved." Mr. Axworthy followed up with a letter to the Indonesian minister assuring him that demonstrators would not be allowed in close proximity to Suharto. Mr. Chrétien gave the same assurances to the Indonesian ambassador and then to Suharto in a personal letter. Officials in the Prime Minister's Office, including operations chief Jean Carle, closely supervised security arrangements, including instructions to keep demonstrators far from the summit venues. The PMO has tried to distance itself from the RCMP's treatment of demonstrators, which included use of pepper spray to clear motorcade routes. Mr. Chrétien's officials have said the RCMP alone was responsible for security issues. But the documents tell a different version. One internal RCMP E-mail note said that the PMO didn't want protest banners at a campus building where they might be seen by summit leaders. "Common sense tells us we do not want banners nor would the PMO's office. Having said that, banners are not a security issue. They are a political issue. . . . What is the authority for removing them?" the E-mail says. The previously undisclosed documents are to be made public today by students from the University of British Columbia who have complained to the commission that their rights were violated by the Mounties when they were arrested for protesting at the APEC summit, which was held on the UBC campus. The UBC students, as official complainants before the commission, have been granted access to the documents, including the RCMP report that indicates the Indonesian authorities were thinking of dealing with anti-Suharto demonstrators in their own violent way. The Mounties drew the line at shooting, according to the report, prepared last October by RCMP Staff Sergeant Peter Montague after he briefed Indonesian Ambassador Benjamin Parwoto and Indonesian security officials about preparations for the summit. The Indonesians "are very worried about any embarrassing incident such as a demonstration or somebody calling him a name or throwing an object at the motorcade," Staff Sgt. Montague's report says. The Mountie said that alternative motorcade routes were planned to avoid demonstrations. "This was the most important concession given to them over the past three days. They asked me several times to repeat this assurance and I did," Staff-Sgt. Montague wrote. His memo says that the Indonesians "asked us to control what the media publishes respecting the President and they were told that this would be impossible." The Indonesians said they wanted Suharto's airplane parked in a position at the Vancouver Airport that would allow for a "more efficient quick getaway in the event of an incident" and that two Indonesian armed guards would remain on board the aircraft. The memo goes on to say: "The subject of guns was discussed. We told them [deleted words] could carry weapons and they would have to apply through diplomatic channels." Several words were deleted in the document filed with the commission, apparently for security reasons. But an RCMP spokesman, Sgt. Russ Grabb, said yesterday that four Indonesian security officers were allowed to carry their personal handguns into Vancouver and onto the UBC campus while guarding Suharto. In the memo, Staff Sgt. Montague said the Indonesians wanted more of their officers to carry weapons. "Ambassador Parwoto asked us what would happen to one of their FSOs [foreign security officers] if he pulled his gun and shot someone during the visit. They were told uncategorically that such a situation would not be tolerated and to keep their guns out of sight. He then asked what would happen if one of their FSOs grabbed somebody who came too close to the President. We told them that it should never happen and to leave that type of thing to us. They seemed to understand." The memo shows just how paranoid Suharto was about demonstrators, says UBC law student Craig Jones, who was arrested by the Mounties when he tried to hold up a placard saying "human rights" along one of the motorcade routes. Mr. Jones, who is suing Ottawa on the ground that his rights were violated, suspects that the RCMP will try to build a case before the Public Complaints Commission that the police had to detain and remove protesters for their own safety in the face of possible trigger-happy Indonesian security officers. The Mounties should not have allowed the Indonesian officers into the country with firearms if that was the case, Mr. Jones said in an interview yesterday. Several anti-Suharto demonstrators at the time reported seeing armed Indonesian government agents at the summit. As the summit date approached, the documents show an ever-increasing concern in Ottawa that protesters might spoil things for Mr. Chrétien. The handwritten notes of one RCMP officer indicate that orders came directly from Mr. Chrétien to remove demonstrators who had pitched tents near the main conference building. "PM wants tentors out," one entry says. In Montreal last night, Mr. Chrétien defended the RCMP but said he didn't speak to police directly about Suharto's security. "The RCMP had to do its job, and they did their job," Mr. Chrétien said after attending the launching of the memoirs of pioneering Quebec broadcaster Michelle Tisseyre. "It is normal in a democracy that you can protest -- but in an orderly fashion." Mr. Chrétien acknowledged that Suharto had raised security concerns about his visit. "I was the host and I wanted to make sure that the security of our guest was completely assured," he said. "Nobody wanted to have any violence." From panap at panap.po.my Thu Sep 10 15:26:20 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 15:26:20 Subject: [asia-apec 641] ABAC September Report Message-ID: <2463@panap.po.my> (Please note ABAC's proposed APEC Food System. Does anybody know what corporation is behind this suggestion?) APEC Secretariat Press Release 27/98 APEC Business Advisory Council Charts Strategy for November meeting with Leader Members of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) agreed today on a package of measures to recommend to Economic Leaders to respond to the ongoing regional financial and economic turmoil. ABAC members developed the package during a three-day meeting in Chinese Taipei. ABAC, the private sector arm of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, has a mandate to advise APEC Leaders on issues affecting business in the region. The Council will deliver its recommendations in a series of letters to APEC Ministers in the coming days and will discuss them further when ABAC members meet with the Economic Leaders, November 17 in Kuala Lumpur. The business leaders stressed the need for urgent action to address the financial crisis and endorsed a number of specific recommendations for restoring confidence in the region and promoting inward capital flows. The package includes measures that ABAC recommends national economies take and also addresses the regional dimension of destabilizing capital flows. The package proposes special measures to redress the especially severe impact of the crisis on the region's small and medium-sized enterprises. As part of the package, ABAC also recommends that APEC Leaders reaffirm their commitment to continued trade and investment liberalization as vital to the region's long-term economic health. They urged APEC members to finalize a credible program of early voluntary sectoral liberalization at the November Ministerial meeting in Kuala Lumpur. At the same time, ABAC members stressed that while the benefits of trade and investment liberalization are clear, the ramifications of speculative currency trading in the absence of adequate governance structures are not clear and need to be urgently addressed. "This combination is all-important," said ABAC Chairman Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli of Malaysia. "Desperate times call for urgent tangible action by governments to restore growth in the affected economies. But APEC must also stick to its program of liberalization because this will also help get us over the crisis." While giving priority to the financial crisis, ABAC members finalized additional recommendations to be delivered to APEC governments. ABAC will reiterate its recommendations for establishing a sound enabling environment in which electronic commerce can flourish. The Council urges APEC governments to intensify efforts to help regional companies become Y2K compliant, with priority on the transport, medical, utilities and financial services sectors. ABAC also proposes a new joint public-private action plan to build an APEC Food System for the region. This would include promotion of trade in food products, upgrading of rural infrastructure and diffusion of new agricultural technologies. ABAC will present updated assessments of APEC member's individual action plans. Although transparency has improved, to become more useful to business people, future action plans should give more information about how each economy plans to reach the goal of free trade and investment in the region. ABAC also recommends that economies include in their plans their new commitments to respond to the financial crisis and their liberalization measures in the EVSL sectors. Council members also finalized plans to establish the Partnership for Equitable Growth, a new private sector-led organization that aims to increase business involvement in APEC's economic and technical cooperation, or "ecotech," activities. ABAC's 1998 report to APEC Leaders, to be released in November, will summarize its activities this year and the various recommendations it has made to Leaders and Ministers, From panap at panap.po.my Thu Sep 10 15:14:06 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 15:14:06 Subject: [asia-apec 642] APEC Business Briefing (Spetember, 1998) Message-ID: <2462@panap.po.my> >From the APEC Secretariat What's Happening in APEC? Business Briefing Vol. 2 - September 1998 Trade and Investment Liberalization APEC technical experts are continuing work on the terms of early trade liberalization in 15 industrial and service sectors. Trade Ministers meeting in Kuching, Malaysia in June made progress on an initial set of nine sectors and expressed hope that they would reach final agreement on the package at their November meeting in Kuala Lumpur. A key issue is the degree of flexibility economies would be allowed in meeting the basic timetables for tariff cuts. Trade Ministers also urged continued APEC work on electronic commerce, taking into account private sector views. Next steps will include possible development of principles and practical cooperation to promote use of e-commerce, recommendations on capacity-building efforts, including for government use of e-commerce, and outreach programs. More information is available at the APEC E-Commerce Task Force's website, www.dfat.gov.au/apec/ecom. Meanwhile, an overview of APEC members' laws affecting electronic commerce is available at https://www.bakerinfo.com/apec. The Transport Working Group has completed a comprehensive report on More Competitive Air Services with Fair and Equitable Opportunity. It recommends various options for enhancing competition in the air transport operating environment for consideration by APEC Transport Ministers in 1999. Business Facilitation APEC Telecommunications Ministers meeting in Singapore in June approved a Mutual Recognition Agreement for conformity assessment of telecoms equipment. The MRA provides a mechanism whereby an exporter may designate conformity assessment bodies to test and/or certify telecoms equipment to the requirements of the importing economy. The agreement is expected to facilitate and expand telecoms trade flows in the APEC region, currently estimated at US$45 billion. For more on TelMin-3, see www.mediacity.com.sg/apectelmin. In an effort to facilitate movement of business people, Trade Ministers endorsed plans to grant multiple-entry visas to regular business travelers from other APEC economies unless there are reasonable grounds in the case of specific travelers not to do so. Business people at the APEC Customs-Industry Dialogue in June in Kuala Lumpur pressed governments to adopt more information technology applications and ensure well-trained work forces in customs administration. They called for new mechanisms for cooperation with the private sector, and for integrity and transparency in such "smart partnerships" between business and customs authorities. The Trade Promotion Working Group's new APECNet website includes a search function for business opportunities and matching services. It also provides information on WG activities and links to member economies' homepages (www.apecnet.org.sg). Economic and Technical Cooperation Following recommendations from their Ecotech Subcommittee, Senior Officials have issued new guidance to all APEC fora to cooperate more closely with the business/private sector to ensure that ecotech activities are more results-oriented. SOM wants APEC sub-groups to work with business to develop their collective work programs and to involve business in all stages of the ecotech project cycle. The Human Resource Development Working Group (HRD) has endorsed the recommendations of its Task Force on the Human Resource and Social Impacts of the Financial Crisis, which held a symposium on this topic 15 June in Taipei. The team suggested that HRD: examine best practices in member economies on balancing market liberalization with labor market adjustment; cooperate with the Finance Ministers process to strengthen corporate governance and financial sector supervision and regulation, through support to training programs; develop closer links with business and civic groups to enable them to contribute to its activities; and that APEC work with international financial institutions to ensure that social needs of the affected economies are addressed. The fourth APEC Public-Business Sector Dialogue on Infrastructure Development, May 20-22 in Taipei, addressed the impact of the crisis on this key sector. The Dialogue's message was that the need for sound infrastructure was becoming more urgent, not less. Delegates called for a strong government role in the short run, in terms of both direct support to infrastructure and improving policy frameworks, while recognizing the long-term need to promote private investment. A new study by the Tourism Working Group and the World Travel & Tourism Council estimates APEC economies will spend US$2.1 trillion on travel and tourism this year, supporting almost 89 million jobs in the region. The study confirms that the financial crisis has dampened short-term prospects but still forecasts average growth in industry receipts of 3.7 percent per year to 2010. Financial Cooperation APEC Finance Ministers met May 23-24 in Kananaskis, Canada. They reviewed the causes of the regional financial crisis, policies to restore stability and growth - including measures to cushion the impact on the poor, and ways to strengthen financial markets to reduce the chances of a recurrence. Ministers agreed to continue efforts over the next year in three priority areas: Capital market development. Collaborative initiatives in such areas as pension reform, developing securitization activities and strengthening credit rating agencies will continue. Ministers also launched a new initiative on developing domestic bond markets and asked the ADB to explore strategies to promote private financing for infrastructure over the medium term. Capital account liberalization. Ministers pledged to continue developing a Voluntary Action Plan for Supporting the Freer and Stable Flow of Capital. Finance Deputies will work with the IMF and World Bank to study how to promote freer capital flows while maintaining macroeconomic and financial stability. Strengthening financial systems. Ministers called for timely and comprehensive implementation of plans to improve training of bank supervisors and securities regulators, and welcomed an initiative by the APEC Financiers Group to create a private-sector training program. Ministers also launched an initiative to study ways to strengthen corporate governance in the APEC region. Australia will host a seminar with senior business people to identify priorities for reform in this area. Organizational News At its July 29-30 meeting in Singapore, the Budget and Administrative Committee endorsed, subject to SOM's and Ministers' approval, a 1999 administrative budget (support staff, travel, communications costs, etc.) for the APEC Secretariat of US$2.21 million, new Operational Account projects totaling $1.87 million, and new TILF Special Account projects totaling $4 million. BAC also endorsed new guidelines to strengthen project evaluation, pending SOM's approval. From rreid at actrix.gen.nz Thu Sep 10 18:25:43 1998 From: rreid at actrix.gen.nz (Robert Reid) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 21:25:43 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 643] Reaction to Canadian APEC Revalations from Aotearoa Message-ID: <199809100934.VAA22715@mail.actrix.gen.nz> AOTEAROA / NZ APEC MONITORING GROUP MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10 SEPTEMBER 1998 LID BLOWN ON CANADIAN APEC ABUSES The lid has been blown on major abuses of the rights of Canadians to freedom of speech and movement at last year's APEC Leaders Meeting in Vancouver. The revelations were made by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) on Monday night and have been followed up by print media over the last few days. In a programme entitled The APEC Files, CBC have released the contents of secret Government files that show that the Prime Minister's Office directed police operations that went far beyond security matters. It shows that hundreds of Canadian citizens were pepper sprayed, beaten and arrested, not because they had broken the law or were a security risk but because they may have caused embarrassment to former Indonesian dictator General Suharto. "Such revelations are a chilling reminder of what New Zealand citizens can expect if the APEC Leaders come to Auckland in 1999," said Robert Reid, spokesperson for the Aotearoa/NZ APEC Monitoring Group. "The signs are already not looking good for the rights of New Zealanders to free speech and assembly," he said. "Already a bungled SIS operation has occurred against a Christchurch citizen who has spoken out against APEC and its free trade agenda. This case is currently before the courts. "Second, the New Zealand Government is involved in "very delicate negotiations" with foreign Governments on whether armed security guards will be able to accompany their Leaders inside New Zealand. It is well known that US President Clinton and some other leaders will refuse to come to New Zealand unless their armed security are allowed into the country. Will New Zealand gun laws be weakened simply to appease some APEC Leaders? "Every city where APEC Leaders meetings have been held have suffered from restrictions on the freedom of local citizens. Alternative Press Conferences were broken up by the military in Indonesia. Homeless were removed and the entire Osaka CBD was shut down for days in Japan. Thousands of slum dwellers had their homes destroyed and hundreds of protesters were arrested in Manila in 1996. "APEC once was the showcase of the so-called Asian tigers. Now these tigers have turned to sick cats and Russia, the sickest cat of all has been invited to join APEC. New Zealand does not need APEC, and we certainly do not need the APEC Leaders Meeting in 1999," said Robert Reid. NOTE TO EDITORS: The CBC Web site on The APEC Files is: http://WWW.TV.CBC.CA/national/pgminfo/apec/index.html It contains a feature story, a video clip of the CBC programme and copies of the files. From rgibson at web.net Fri Sep 11 00:24:24 1998 From: rgibson at web.net (Robin Gibson) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 11:24:24 -0400 Subject: [asia-apec 644] John Vandenberg Message-ID: <35F7EF27.6920385E@web.net> September 10, 1998 Dear friends and colleagues in the APEC network This letter is to officially inform you about the loss of our friend-colleague John Vandenberg and the sadness that is affecting PWRDF and all of us together in the Asia region. As you, may have heard already, on Saturday, September 5th a tragic bicycling accident claimed the life of John Vandenberg and robbed the international development community of one of its finest workers. John and his wife Monica were cycling together in Toronto when he was struck from behind by a vehicle. Monica was not hurt. John immediately lost consciousness and was taken to hospital where he died early Sunday morning, September 6th. John was 32 years old and he and Monica had been married a little over a year. John was the Asia Pacific Development Co-ordinator for the Primate$B(Bs World Relief and Development Fund. He had been working at PWRDF with the Anglican Church for three and a half years. John was deeply respected by his colleagues at PWRDF and by ecumenical colleagues and partners around the world. He will be sorely missed. His gentle spirit, his firm convictions about justice and his capacity for hard work characterized his work and relationships. Staff at PWRDF are gathering together a collection for John$B(Bs family and his wife, Monica, of people$B(Bs work memories of John. Those wishing to send a written contribution may mail it to PWRDF at 600 Jarvis Street, Toronto, Ontario, M4Y 2J6 or fax it to 416 924 3483. Those wishing to make a donation in John$B(Bs memory are asked to contribute to the Mennonite Central Committee, the development organization of John$B(Bs home church and the place where John and Monica met. Contributions can be sent to MCC, 50 Kent Avenue, Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 3R1. Until we make other arrangements, Rob Shropshire will be in charge of dealing with work related correspondance, so if you need to contact him, please do so at 600 Jarvis St. Toronto, Ont, M4Y 2J6 E. Mail rshop@web.net ( (416) 924-9199 Ext. 266. We will be in touch with all you as soon as we have a new person to cover the work. It is very sad to think about replacing a loved one, but our ministry shall continue to help those in need. Sincerely. Robin Gibson Director PWRDF From dohrs at u.washington.edu Fri Sep 11 01:22:10 1998 From: dohrs at u.washington.edu (W. Kesavatana-Dohrs) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 09:22:10 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [asia-apec 645] News: Revoke UNOCAL's Charter Message-ID: Press Release Contacts: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Mary Hood September 10, 1998 Feminist Majority Foundation 213/651-0495 Nick Penniman Alliance for Democracy 781/259-9395 ENVIRONMENTAL, HUMAN RIGHTS, WOMEN'S AND PRO-DEMOCRACY GROUPS PETITION ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CALIFORNIA TO REVOKE UNOCAL'S CHARTER ___________________________________ "State is Soft on Corporate Crime" Aiming to guard the public from a global oil company which they say is "a dangerous scofflaw corporation," 30 citizens' organizations and individuals today filed a 127-page petition seeking action by the California Attorney General to revoke the charter of the Union Oil Company of California (Unocal). Petitions were delivered to California Attorney General Dan Lungren's Sacramento office and, in simultaneous 11 a.m. press conferences, to his representatives at his Los Angeles and San Francisco offices. Outraged over Unocal's business ties with the anti-woman Taliban militia in Afghanistan and the military dictators of Burma, as well as over the corporation's record as a "repeat offender" of environmental, labor and deceptive practices laws and its "usurpation of political power," petitioners ask that the attorney general call on a court to revoke the company's charter, appoint a receiver, and wind up the corporation's affairs "in order to fully protect jobs, workers, stockholders, unions, communities, the environment, suppliers, customers, government entities, and the public interest." "We're letting the people of California in on a well-kept legal secret," said Robert Benson, professor of law at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and lead attorney for the National Lawyers Guild's International Law Project for Human, Economic and Environmental Defense (HEED) which prepared the petition. "The people mistakenly assume that we have to try to control these giant corporate repeat offenders one toxic spill at a time, one layoff at a time, one human rights violation at a time. But the law has always allowed the attorney general to go to court to simply dissolve a corporation for wrongdoing and sell its assets to others who will operate in the public interest. California attorneys general haven't often done it because they've become soft on corporate crime. Baseball players and convicted individuals in California get only three strikes. Why should big corporations get endless strikes? " Benson said that the attorney general of New York recently asked a court to revoke the charters of two corporations that allegedly put out deceptive scientific research for the tobacco industry, and a judge in Alabama has asked his state courts to dissolve the tobacco companies themselves. In California, according to Benson, in 1976 conservative Republican Attorney General Evelle Younger asked a court to dissolve a private water company for allegedly delivering impure water to its customers. Unocal, the petition alleges on information and belief, was principally responsible for the notorious 1969 oil blowout in the Santa Barbara Channel, and since then has grievously polluted multiple sites from San Francisco to Los Angeles, has been identified as a potentially responsible party at 82 "Superfund" or similar toxic sites, has committed hundreds of violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, treats U.S. workers unethically and unfairly, has usurped political power, has undermined U.S. foreign policy, and has engaged in a pattern of illegal deceptions of the courts, stockholders and the public. Additionally, the groups allege, Unocal has been complicit in "unspeakable" human rights violations perpetrated by foreign governments with which it has business ties in Afghanistan and Burma. The company's dealings with the Taliban militia in Afghanistan, known for its extremely cruel treatment of women, have particularly enraged women's groups. Katherine Spillar, national coordinator for the Feminist Majority Foundation, one of the petitioning groups, denounced Unocal for its business dealings with the Taliban to build a gas pipeline which would bring the regime revenue and legitimacy. "If Unocal thinks it can do business with a regime that, in effect, denies women their right to exist as human beings, then we think Unocal's privilege to exist as a corporation must also be denied," commented Spillar. Other petitioning organizations include the National Organization for Women (NOW), Rainforest Action Network, Global Exchange, Earth Island Institute, Free Burma Coalition, the Alliance for Democracy, the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy, Action Resource Center, Amazon Watch, Asian/Pacific Gays and Friends, Burma Forum of Los Angeles, Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County (California), No Petro-Dollars for SLORC, Project Maje, Project Underground, Surfers' Environmental Alliance, and the Transnational Resource and Action Center. Individual petitioners include feminist attorney Gloria Allred, consumer advocate and attorney Harvey Rosenfield, Santa Monica City Councilmember Michael Feinstein, and Randall Hayes, president of Rainforest Action Network. Ronnie Dugger, founder of the petitioning group Alliance for Democracy, former editor and publisher of the Texas Observer newspaper, and a biographer of Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan, helped edit the Unocal petition, and noted: "This is an historic event. It is the first broad-based effort of this century to use the people's sovereign authority over a corporation chartered by one of our states to terminate its privilege to do business. It is a step toward regaining actual democratic control over these giant corporations we've created." The petition credits as its inspiration a 1993 pamphlet by Richard Grossman and Frank Adams, "Taking Care of Business: Citizenship and the Charter of Incorporation." Grossman, co-founder of the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy, one of the petitioning groups, said Thursday that the courts have "always held that corporations are artificial entities, 'mere creatures of the state,' and must be summoned to answer to the people for usurpations of power and violations of the public trust such as those repeatedly committed by the Union Oil Company of California." ### Editor's Note: To arrange interviews with Professor Robert Benson of Loyola Law School, Kathy Spillar of the Feminist Majority Foundation, Ronnie Dugger of the Alliance for Democracy or other members of the coalition please contact Mary Hood (213/651-0495) or Nick Penniman (781/259-9395). The 127-page petition is available on the HEED website at http://www.heed.net. ADDENDUM 1: THE PETITION'S THESES ABOUT CORPORATIONS Here, with page references in parentheses, are the petition's ten theses concerning democratic power over law-breaking corporations in general. THESIS 1: "The courts have consistently held that corporations are 'mere creatures of the state,' and as U.S. Supreme Court Justice White said in 1978about corporations: 'The state need not permit its own creation to consume it.'" (2, and see 19-20) THESIS 2: "Corporations like Unocal claim legal rights as 'persons' under the law, yet if they were real persons their many 'strikes' would have put them 'out' of social action permanently." (4) THESIS 3: "It is hardly a radical or drastic notion that some corporations should be permanently prevented from doing harm. The state permanently revokes the privilege to do business of accountants, doctors, lawyers and others licensed by the state--hundreds of them every year." (4) "Banks can be seized by the state and liquidated. Insurance companies may have their certificates of authority revoked. All fifty states and the District of Columbia have statutes providing for revocation of corporate charters. The statutes codify the English common law of quo warranto...meaning by what authority." (21) THESIS 4: "Why, then, are so few corporate charters revoked in California, and relatively few across the nation?..Our attorneys general and our governors have been soft on corporate crime...Now it is seldom even mentioned that corporate charters are legally revocable." (5, 8) "Most of us proceed as if the state is limited to fighting corporate abuses one pollutant at a time, one layoff at a time, one human rights violation at a time. The public is shammed into believing that government is trying to govern corporations when in fact the giant recidivist corporations have figured out how to make their anti- social acts tolerated by society." (23, 24) THESIS 5: "..(T)he root of the problem [is] corporate power over sovereign, democratic people...The [late 19th Century American] Populists tough program to subordinate corporate power to the will of the people was eroded by Progressive and New Deal regulatory 'protections' that protected large corporations..." (12) THESIS 6: "Corporations today operate out of control as private governments, more powerful than nation-states...The de facto reality is that modern day corporations have become entities unto themselves, a privately-owned company 'can be validly termed a 'private government' whose power is not responsible or accountable to anyone.'" (14, 15) "...corporate entities exercise power across borders, in ways which supercede state control...powers which have not been given to them through a democratic process but which have been grasped through economic dominance." (30) THESIS 7: "...only the full resources of the state will be adequate to challenge a corporation of Unocal's wealth and size. If the state were to tell petitioners that they may sue Unocal directly themselves...that would be a cynical message that the Attorney General, abdicating his responsibility to protect the public, will nevertheless allow them to go into the lion's den themselves, armed with sticks." (36) THESIS 8: The California Unfair Competition Act "incorporates international law since '(f)rom the earliest days of this republic our international obligations have been considered part of controlling common law.' Thus violations of international law that take place thousands of miles overseas by California corporations are also violations of California law, actionable here. This is not theory, but hard California law." (38) THESIS 9: Even under incorporation statutes "liberalized" in the race for the laxest state regulation of corporations, "corporate activity must be...'lawful,' ...and...always in accord with the public policy of the state...The [latter] limit is inherent in the common law doctrine of California that the law may never be construed to authorize violations of public policy." (40) THESIS 10: Advanced in the context of Unocal: "The State of California, which granted the Union Oil Company of California existence, possesses the greatest responsibility to protect the public from the goliath it created." (40-41) ADDENDUM 2: SUMMARY OF PETITION'S 10 COUNTS AGAINST UNOCAL Here is a summary of the petitioners' ten-count "Case Against Unocal," with page numbers in parentheses. ONE. Ecocide; Environmental Devastation. Being in the oil and gas business, Unocal owed the public "a duty of care," which it has failed. "The company's environmental devastation extends from local to global and is serious enough to describe as ecocide...[In California] Unocal has demonstrated a pattern and practice of polluting the locations where it operates...Unocal has proved itself an incorrigible recidivist environmental polluter." Illustrations are given concerning an 18-mile stretch of coastline between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara County, concerning which Unocal has just agreed to pay $44 million, exclusive of the costs of clean-up. Concerning pollution from its refinery in Rodeo, California, the company paid $3 million in criminal and civil fines to the county in 1995 and in 1997 agreed to pay $80 million to settle private lawsuits for 18,000 individuals. Other offenses are recited. (42-52) TWO. Unfair and Unethical Treatment of Workers. Becoming a global company, Unocal has sold off its U.S. refineries and gasoline stations to finance expanding oil and gas production overseas, abandoning past and future generations of workers and moving into repressive countries "where the company could exploit cheap and even slave foreign labor. While this is an increasingly typical story as U.S. companies move offshore abetted by free trade agreements and cheered on by extremist economic ideologues, it is not an ethical story, nor one that the People of the State of California, represented by the Attorney General, must sit cross-legged listening to." This count also reviews the company's hundreds of violations of federal health and safety workplace rules. (54-58) THREE THROUGH SEVEN: Complicity in Crimes Against Humanity THREE. Aiding Oppression of Women. "Unocal has initiated business dealings with a repressive rebel military force in Afghanistan infamous for gross violations of human rights." As lead partner, with $54.11% interest, in the Centgas consortium for the future construction of a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and, potentially, India, Unocal opened negotiations with the Taliban, "a militia faction of Muslin extremists in a nation at civil war." "At gunpoint, the Taliban have enforced the most oppressive regime of gender apartheid known to the world, banning girls from going to school, banning women from attending university, prohibiting women from holding jobs, requiring women to be accompanied at all times in public by a male member of their immediate families, requiring women to be covered from head to toe in a 'burqa' with only a small mesh facial openings...requiring windows of homes with women to be darkened...Women cannot be treated by male doctors, women are forced to seek care at a primitive women's hospital with limited supplies, only a few beds, and no running water. For violation of the Taliban's harsh edicts women have been beaten, shot at, publicly flogged, tortured, and even killed." "As a collaborator with the Taliban, Unocal has become an integral participant in the ongoing violation of the human rights of Afghanistan's entire female population...The Taliban stand to collect $50 million to $100 million a year in transit fees if the pipeline is built." A company denial that it was dealing with the Taliban is said by the petitioners not to square with reputable press accounts. In July 1998 the company acknowledged that the CentGas consortium deals "with all factions in Afghanistan." In late August after the U.S. dropped missiles on an alleged terrorist camp in Afghanistan the company "suspended" all activities concerning the proposed pipeline and said it would not go forward on it until the U.S. recognizes a government in the country. (60-70, 107, 122) FOUR. Aiding Oppression of Homosexuals. In Afghanistan, "Taliban policy is to put anyone convicted of homosexual sodomy to death by burying them alive under mud walls pushed over them by a bulldozer. Two homosexuals were recently executed in this fashion. Three others who were still alive 30 minutes after a wall was pushed over them were allowed to live, with broken bones..... "Doing business with the Taliban unavoidably supports their regime of torture and death for homosexuals, just as doing business with Nazi Germany supported the ovens of the Holocaust," the petition states. (71, 72) FIVE. Enslavement and Forced Labor. Unocal has formed a business enterprise with the illegal military dictatorship of Burma to build a natural gas pipeline across a civil war zone in the country. That dictatorship set aside election results that went 82% for its opposition in 1990. Unocal's interest in the pipeline consortium is 28.16%. The military dictatorship (SLORC) has confiscated land, relocated villages, and destroyed rainforest and other habitat for the pipeline; and Unocal "has profited from the use of forced and slave labor" by the military dictatorship and "knew or should have known and could have reasonably foreseen that its military partner would use forced labor to clear the land for the pipeline route, build related infrastructure in the area, and provide security for the pipeline." U.S. State Department reports on forced labor in Burma are quoted. Human Rights Watch/Asia estimates that since 1992 at least two million people have been forced to work without pay on roads, railways, and bridges across Burma. Unocal says there has never been forced labor on the pipeline itself and the company would not countenance it. (77-85) SIX. Forced Relocations of Burmese Villages and Villagers. "Unocal has knowingly profited from the large-scale forcible relocation of Burmese villages and villagers without compensation," the petition alleges. (86) SEVEN. Killings, Torture and Rape. "Unocal's military business partner [in Burma] has committed widespread killings, torture, and rapes....Unocal has to have known that it was dealing with a notorious outlaw regime condemned worldwide for heinous human rights violations." U.S. State Department and U.N. Commission on Human Rights reports are quoted concerning, respectively, credible reports of soldiers "extrajudicial killings and rape" and "extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and enforced disappearances, torture, abuse of women and children by government agents." According to the petition, "Unocal knew or should have known that SLORC security for the pipeline would lead to human rights violations and death." (90-96) EIGHT. Complicity in Gradual Cultural Genocide of Tribal and Indigenous Peoples. In the case of the Lubicon Cree people of Canada, Unocal has operated the Slave Lake oil and gas field since 1981; Slave Lake lies in the Lubicon Cree's traditional lands. In the summer of 1994, despite U.N. attempts to protect the Lubicon Cree people from development impinging on their lands, Unocal built a $10 million sour gas plant, which smells like rotten eggs, a little more than a mile upwind from the boundary of the proposed reserve which the Lubicon Cree and the government of Canada had previously agreed upon. "The Lubicon Cree believe their traditional economy has been deliberately destroyed by the governments of Canada and Alberta as part of a legal strategy. In this context, Unocal is complicit as a joint participant...in accomplishing a gradual cultural genocide." (97-101) Concerning principally the Karen and Mon tribes in Burma, "Unocal knew or should have known and could have reasonably foreseen that its military partner would intensify its civil war against the tribal peoples of the pipeline region." (102-103) NINE. Usurpation of Political Power. Unocal has "usurped" political power "that it cannot, by its corporate nature, exercise" and has aggressively undermined democratic processes at home and abroad. In Burma and Afghanistan it has taken sides "with brutal human rights abusers, giving them legitimacy, defending them publicly, working with them." In Burma, acting in hostile opposition to the democratically elected government, Unocal has worked "to subvert the Burmese people's right to self- determination." Unocal "has decided to become a global economic and political force unto itself," "deploys diplomats as if it were the State Department itself," and "works to thwart U.S. foreign policy." One of Unocal's business partners in Burma, wholly owned by the government, is accused of being "the main channel for laundering the revenues of heroin" exported from Burma under control of the Burmese army, and in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. State Department, the Taliban "claim to forbid drug use but they control the opium growing lands and collect a tax from opium farmers." Yet Unocal management sought strenuously to block its stockholders' consideration of its business partner's alleged laundering of drug money in Burma. (105-113) TEN. Deception of the Courts, Shareholders, and the Public. Unocal "has exhibited a pattern of deceiving the courts, its shareholders, and the public about its activities." In 1996 a federal district judge found that a Unocal paralegal, with either the tacit or overt approval of her superiors, altered data, withheld information, and gave false responses in verified court documents. Unocal, contrary to press reports, told its investors and the public that it was not doing business with any party in Afghanistan. Unocal is one of a number of oil companies alleged to have defrauded the public out of hundreds of millions of dollars by underpaying oil royalties due from leases on public lands. (114-119) ______________________________________ A C T I O N R E S O U R C E C E N T E R Box 2104, Venice, CA 90294 310.396.3254 (voice) * 310.392.9965 (fax) arcla@envirolink.org Mission: To spearhead and support campaigns that protect the environment, human rights and social justice; and to provide training and coordination for grassroots organizing, education and non-violent direct action. PGP key available ______________________________________ From gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz Fri Sep 11 08:38:57 1998 From: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (Gatt Watchdog) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 11:38:57 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 646] NZ - MFAT Poised For Global Trade Talks Message-ID: National Business Review, September 4 1998 Mfat poised for global trade talks By David Barber The business sector will soon be canvassed by the government for its priorities in a new round of international trade liberalisation negotiations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) says it wants to ensure the government's negotiating position reflects real market opportunities for exporters. Initial preparations for a new series of talks on freeing up global trade in agricultural products and services will be launched in a meeting at World Trade Organisation (WTO) headquarters in Geneva later this month. That meeting will start the preparatory process for developing a negotiating agenda to be put to trade ministers from all over the world for approval late next year. New Zealand is looking for a comprehensive series of multilateral negotiations along the lines of the Uruguay Round, which ended in 1994, to ensure wide-ranging further trade liberalisation. But there is a fine balance to be achieved in having a round broad enough to provide scope for trade-offs between the WTO's 130-odd members while not so extensive that it will drag on for more than seven years as the Uruguay Round did. Much will depend on the readiness of the world's biggest trading blocs to enter serious negotiations. The European Union has long argued for comprehensive talks in what it has christened the Millenium Round, though it is thought likely to continue to seek protection for its agricultural sector. The US has been less enthusiastic about a full-scale round but is pressing for more progress in freeing up agriculture. The agricultural sector was included in global negotiations for the first time in the Uruguay Round and further liberalisation is bound to be at the top of New Zealand's agenda, given its continuing importance to the economy. A range of farm products remains subject to absurdly high tariffs in many parts of the world - rates of 300% are not uncommon and for dairy products some go up to 700%. But New Zealand also has keen interest in freeing up trade in other sectors, including fisheries and forest products, which are already subject to liberalisation moves in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) grouping. The services sector is no less important as it accounts for about 25% of foreign exchange earnings. The WTO has also done work on issues such as competition policy, investment and trade and the environment which could be brought into the final negotiations. A satisfactory agreement on implementing provisions agreed in the Uruguay Round will be essential to get a new round off to a good start. A number of developing countries, including India, Pakistan and some in Latin America, are unhappy with progress made in freeing up their textile exports. They accuse their customers in developed countries of being slow to give them the market access they promised. From appasec at tm.net.my Fri Sep 11 19:28:51 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 18:28:51 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 647] APPA children forum concept paper Message-ID: <015c01bddd6f$8142f800$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: multipart/alternative Size: 10200 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/asia-apec/attachments/19980911/072691e9/attachment.bin From davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca Sat Sep 12 09:28:22 1998 From: davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca (David Webster) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 16:28:22 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 648] Van Sun: APEC fallout continues Message-ID: >Vancouver Sun, September 10/98 > >3 stories -- news report > -- editorial > -- opinion piece > >Victims of pepper spray vow to boycott APEC probe >The Vancouver Sun > >Rick Ouston Vancouver Sun and Canadian Press > >Most of the people who claim they were pepper-sprayed by >police during a controversial protest last year say they >will not attend an inquiry into alleged police >wrongdoing -- even though they've been summoned to >attend, according to other protesters who held a news >conference Wednesday. > > The protesters also said they plan to subpoena Prime > Minister Jean Chretien so he can be questioned about > what, if any, involvement the prime minister's office > had in directing police to break up the protest at the > University of B.C., held during the Asia Pacific > Economic Cooperation conference, in Vancouver last > November. > > Meanwhile, a lawyer for 27 students pepper-sprayed by > police during the protest planned to be in court today > to seek an adjournment into the RCMP Public Complaints > Commission inquiry into the affair. > > The commission is scheduled to start hearing evidence > into the police action Sept. 14, but several of those > who claim they were victims of out-of-control police > said at the news conference they need time to examine > documents disclosed by the RCMP to prepare their case. > > Alissa Westergaard-Thorpe, who said she represents 26 > other people who were manhandled by police at the APEC > protest, said two boxes of evidence have been released, > but the RCMP Complaints Commission has retained another > 38 boxes of material that was gathered but not released > to complainants. > > "There's no way we can investigate something so > important when 95 per cent of the relevant information > is unavailable," she said. > > During the same news conference, other protesters said > that the majority of the more than 50 people > pepper-sprayed by police have decided not to attend the > commission hearing if it goes ahead, even though they > have received summonses which make it an offence to > refuse to attend. > > The protesters also charged that the two boxes of > internal police and government documents released to > them through the complaints commission last week contain > evidence police were acting under direct orders of > Chretien. > > The protesters contended that aggressive police actions > were a direct result of the Canadian government's desire > to ensure that Suharto not be embarrassed, distressed or > intruded upon by protesters during the APEC conference. > > Chretien has denied the claims, telling reporters > Wednesday that he had no personal role in instructing > police and he will not answer questions at the inquiry. > > "I don't have to explain anything," Chretien said. "I > did not talk to any RCMP person. I just asked to make > sure that the security of our visitors was properly > served." > > Chretien, in the face of mounting criticism, insisted > that the whole affair "was handled very well by the > police." > > Without mentioning Suharto by name, he acknowledged that > some foreign officials expressed worries about security > before the conference but denied he gave any assurances > that he would suppress demonstrations. > > "It was my duty to say: 'No. You come in Canada, there > might be some protesters.' " > > Although Chretien said he would not testify, spokesman > Peter Donolo said the prime minister's chief of staff, > Jean Pelletier, and former operations director Jean > Carle will give evidence under oath. > > But Westergaard-Thorpe said her group has received legal > advice that, under rules governing the public complaints > process, they can issue a subpoena to force Chretien to > testify. > > Vancouver lawyer Cameron Ward, who said he is > voluntarily representing several of the APEC protesters, > said he has arranged for a tele-conference from the > Federal Court of Canada courthouse in Vancouver with an > Ottawa judge who will hear his request for an > adjournment today. > > Ward also charged that his clients' right to summons > witnesses to the inquiry was being denied. > > Lawyer Chris Considine, an independent counsel appointed > by the complaints commission, said he will oppose the > adjournment request today. > > "We have 120 witnesses ready to go, six weeks set aside, > three independent panel members hearing this case which > come from outside of town, two of which come from > outside B.C.," he said. > > "If the matter is adjourned, it will be difficult to get > the matter on again for a number of months, and it is > important that these public issues be reviewed as > quickly as possible bearing in mind the interest that > exists." > > He said witnesses are expected to include RCMP officers, > complainants, foreign affairs officials, UBC employees > and "of course people from the prime minister's office." > > Documents include e-mails, memorandums and material from > the prime minister's office, Considine said. > > >[Image] [Image] Last Updated: Thursday 10 September 1998 OPINION > --------------------------------------------------------- >Today's editorial: > >Being embarrassed vs. being in danger > Using pepper-spray on demonstrators at the APEC summit > was the lesser of two evils, according to secret > documents. But what promises did the federal government > make to visiting dictators? > > Vancouver Sun > The unofficial leak has become an official leak. In > media circles it's been rumoured for months that the > RCMP's aggressive pepper-spraying of a crowd of > protesters against then-president Suharto of Indonesia > during last November's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation > meeting in Vancouver was carried out only to save the > crowd, mostly students, from something infinitely worse: > the bullets of Suharto's security guards. > > Some in the crowd of 1,000 were pressing against a > temporary fence along Suharto's motorcade route at the > University of B.C. when the Mounties began > pepper-spraying them -- prematurely, haphazardly, > overzealously, totally unnecessarily, by several > accounts. > > Internal government documents leaked in recent days > bolster the theory that Suharto's armed bodyguards might > have opened fire if the crowd had pushed through the > RCMP security cordon -- and that that will be the core > of the police argument when the RCMP public complaints > commission hearing into the incident begins on Monday. > In short: What would the protesters rather have lost, > their civil rights or their lives? > > Put aside that that would be an enormously self-serving > argument by the RCMP. Put aside also the obvious fact > that the matter shouldn't be prejudged, and that > evidence before the commission may change previous > perceptions, its nuances perhaps revealing that both > protesters and police were caught in a classic drama > where order and freedom are not black and white but > sometimes fall into the no-man's-land of a morally > ambiguous grey. Even Suharto's regime, though repressive > and corrupt, allowed more freedom of protest than many > others that have survived it. (Nor should it be > forgotten that there were campus posters and loose talk > about a "citizen's arrest" of Suharto as a war > criminal.) > > But will the hearing fully expose the federal > government's role in the matter? The prima facie > evidence doesn't look promising. > > There's a wide world of difference between Suharto being > embarrassed and being in danger. Did Prime Minister Jean > Chretien and, even more so, Foreign Minister Lloyd > Axworthy wag their tails with such puppy-dog eagerness > to assure Suharto and his Canadian ambassador that he > wouldn't be embarrassed on his visit that they were > willing to suspend Canadians' democratic rights to that > end? > > If so, as the leaked documents at least suggest, they > will have not only unpardonably compromised the rights > of Canadians and besmirched our democratic principles. > They may have emboldened Suharto's retinue -- which even > asked the Mounties (who reacted coldly) if they would > silence media criticism of Suharto while he was here -- > to think they could get away with the kind of rough > stuff they practised at home. Even shooting people. > > > > > [Image] [Image] Last Updated: Thursday 10 September 1998 OPINION > --------------------------------------------------------- >Guest column: > >How far should police go in protecting dictators? > Free speech and freedom of assembly lie at the heart of > what it means to live in a democracy. Without them > citizens are not able to exercise sovereignty over their > government. > > Andrew Irvine Vancouver Sun > By Andrew Irvine Jeff Vinnick, Reuters / > President, > B.C. Civil Liberties AFTERMATH: A protester covers > Asssociation his face after being hit with > pepper spray during a > Did police officers use demonstration at the APEC > excessive force while summit. Hearings begin Monday > trying to control to determine whether police > student protesters at used excessive force. > last year's APEC > conference in > Vancouver? > > Were the free speech rights of demonstrators > inappropriately compromised? > > Was the RCMP influenced by political directives, rather > than by security concerns, when carrying out its mandate > to protect conference delegates? > > When public complaint commission hearings begin Monday > into events surrounding the November 1997 Asia Pacific > Economic Cooperation conference, the B.C. Civil > Liberties Association will try to obtain answers to all > three of these questions. Given the lack of legal > counsel for most other complainants, it will be uphill > work. > > In explaining why the government was unwilling to fund > lawyers for student protesters, even though it is doing > the same for government witnesses and members of the > RCMP, Solicitor General Andy Scott noted, "RCMP members > will be represented by government-provided counsel > because these members may be subject to disciplinary > measures as a result of the proceedings; complainants do > not face similar potential consequences." > > This is true, as far as it goes. Individual complainants > will not need to have their rights protected by counsel > in the same way that individual officers will. So, if > the only reason for holding these hearings is to > determine whether individual officers used excessive > force while arresting and detaining protesters, there > will be little need for additional counsel. > > But if the public is ever to discover the real reasons > that officers felt obliged to restrict the free speech > rights of protesters, legal counsel will be needed to > question RCMP and government witnesses. > > This is why it is unfortunate that the government failed > to provide counsel for all complainants. It is also why > the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, represented by our > counsel from the B.C. Public Interest Advocacy Centre, > will be working hard to question all witnesses during > the six weeks of these hearings. > > Not only does it appear that some peaceful protesters > had their signs forcibly removed, others allege that > they were arrested simply for refusing to take down > their paper and cloth signs prior to the outbreak of > violence. Still others report that they were intimidated > by the police into signing guarantees that they would > give up their free-speech rights for the duration of the > conference. > > The fact that these events may have taken place on a > Canadian university campus makes it all the worse. > Universities have long been recognized as centres of > free speech. > > Even more importantly, free speech and freedom of > peaceful assembly both lie at the heart of what it means > to live in a democracy. Without them, citizens are no > longer able to exercise their sovereignty over > government. > > Yet last November we saw how easy it is for police to > restrict these fundamental freedoms. And if we are ever > to discover why, and to what degree, these restrictions > were enforced, government and police witnesses will need > to be expertly cross-examined, something individual > complainants are not trained to do. > > When it was approached to fund counsel for protesters > and for the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, the > government was being asked, in effect, to provide > funding which would be used to investigate its own role > in this affair. Perhaps it is not surprising that it > denied these requests. If Canadians' rights to free > speech and peaceful assembly are to be anything more > than mere platitudes, they have to be the kinds of > rights which cannot be overridden at the whim of > individual police officers or our political leaders. > > As George Orwell reminds us, "If liberty means anything > at all, it means the right to tell people what they do > not want to hear." > > During the APEC conference, the main object of protest > was Indonesia's then-president Suharto. It is thus > ironic that when student protests took place several > months later in Indonesia -- a country not noted for its > strong human rights record -- Suharto was forced to > resign. > > When similar protests took place here in Vancouver last > November, students were pepper-sprayed and arrested. > > Prime Minister Jean Chretien then publicly and > condescendingly joked about the heavy-handedness of the > police. > > As the current hearings unfold it will not only be > crucial to discover which individual officers were > responsible for which actions. > > We need to know that Canada's chief law enforcement > agency is not arbitrarily restricting the most > fundamental rights of Canadian citizens in order for > politicians to ingratiate themselves with visiting > dictators. > > If politicians influenced or attempted to influence > police policy for political ends, they must be held > accountable. > > Ministers have resigned, and governments have fallen, > for less. > > _ _ _ > \ / "Long words Bother me." > \ / -- Winnie the Pooh > > _ _ _ \ / "Long words Bother me." \ / -- Winnie the Pooh From davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca Sat Sep 12 09:28:27 1998 From: davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca (David Webster) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 16:28:27 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 649] Van Sun: Judge rules APEC hearing will proceed Message-ID: Last Updated: Friday 11 September 1998 TOP STORIES --------------------------------------------------------- Judge rules APEC hearing will proceed The Vancouver Sun Janet Steffenhagen and Peter O'Neil Vancouver Sun A public review of police actions during a student-led protest last year will begin Monday as planned after a federal court judge refused Thursday to halt the hearing. Justice James Hugessen said it is in everyone's best interest for the RCMP Public Complaints Commission to proceed with its review of allegations that police mishandled protesters during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation conference last November. The judge expressed some surprise at the application, filed by five protesters whose complaints about police actions -- including their use of pepper spray -- helped trigger the review. "It's unjust and improper that they should now attempt to bootleg the process that they started by bringing it to a halt when it is at the point of bearing fruit," Hugessen said from Ottawa during the teleconference hearing. Lawyer Cameron Ward, acting for the protesters, argued the review should be stopped because the commission, established by the RCMP Act, is not independent and is incapable of providing a fair hearing. Ward said the commission had the appearance of bias because Solicitor-General Andy Scott is the minister responsible for both it and the RCMP, and he and Prime Minister Jean Chretien have already said police acted reasonably. If not halted, Ward said, the hearing should at least be postponed, because he and his clients have not had time to review large stacks of documents and interview transcripts that were only delivered in the last few days. But Chris Considine, independent counsel acting for the commission, said most pertinent documents could have been reviewed at the commission's office over the summer. And he noted that only five people requested a delay, while 44 others who also filed complaints about police actions are keen to proceed. Protesters complained to the commission after they were pepper-sprayed and arrested during the summit. They allege the RCMP tried to stifle their protest on orders from Chretien and say the prime minister should be required to testify. Considine said he will call the prime minister if there is evidence he acted in a manner that needs explaining. Chretien has said he will not testify. Some protesters said earlier they would not participate in the hearing, despite being summonsed. But after the judge's ruling, one protester, Garth Mullins, said they would attend Monday and make a decision then. Meanwhile, in Banff, Opposition leader Preston Manning said Canadians are shocked by the disclosure this week of documents showing the lengths to which Chretien's office went to shield former Indonesian President Suharto from protests. If the facts are correct, he said, he will demand an apology and a public inquiry and will "insist that measures be taken to assure all of us that the prime minister will never again be in a position to use the instruments of state to bully and intimidate individual Canadian citizens." _ _ _ \ / "Long words Bother me." \ / -- Winnie the Pooh From rverzola at phil.gn.apc.org Sat Sep 12 14:16:56 1998 From: rverzola at phil.gn.apc.org (Roberto Verzola) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1998 14:16:56 Subject: [asia-apec 650] meetings vs apec in KL Message-ID: <199809120553.NAA22398@phil.gn.apc.org> I am interested in getting some updates about how the preparations for the KL NGO meetings vs APEC are progressing. I would like to know, for example, which organizations have firm commitments to attend (especially from the Philippines), what forums (tracks?) are going to be held, who are coordinating these forums, who are presenting papers, how to submit a paper for distribution, etc. Can this information be posted here? Thanks, Obet Verzola From tpl at cheerful.com Sat Sep 12 15:47:53 1998 From: tpl at cheerful.com (tpl@cheerful.com) Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1998 14:47:53 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 651] Children's Workshop in APPA Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19980912144753.006b1ff8@pop.skyinet.net> Announcement & Invitation Asia Pacific People's Assembly (APPA) November 10-15, 1998 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia DON'T TOY WITH OUR FUTURE! Children's Forum on Globalization and Children's Rights November 11-12, 1998 Dear Friends, The Children's Forum on Globalization and Children's Rights: Don't Toy With Our Future! will be one of the issue and sector forums of the Asia Pacific People's Assembly to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this November. The APPA is being convened by Malaysian people's organizations and other non-governmental organizations as a parallel people's summit to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 1998 Leaders Summit where heads of state of APEC member countries/economies will formalize commitments in line with the trade liberalization provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Participants to the children's forum will be streetchildren, children of migrant workers, and child victims/survivors of child labor, bonded labor, prostitution, physical and/or sexual abuse, and displacement due to militarization/situation of armed conflict, demolition of urban poor communities, land-use conversion and maldevelopment projects. Their ages should range within 11-15 years old. Adult child development workers, child rights advocates and representatives of organizations working with children can attend the forum as observers. In this connection, we would like to invite your organization to help send at least one or two child delegates from your country to the forum. The child delegates should be accompanied by an interpreter-guide, preferably a child development worker or social activist. The objectives of the children's forum are: - to highlight the social and economic impact of APEC and globalization on the lives of grassroots children; - to provide a venue for children to share their actual experiences along specific children's issues and be able to contextualize them within the globalization trends in their country; - to foster child-to-child international solidarity in addressing the impact of globalization on the lives of grassroots children of the Asia Pacific peoples; and - to link up with and mobilize development of child-focused organizations and child rights advocates in forging stronger unity and cooperation in resisting globalization. Convenors of the Children's Forum are Philippine organizations such as SALINLAHI Alliance for Children's Concerns, GABRIELA, Parents Alternative Inc. (PAI) and Children's Rehabilitation Center (CRC). They will work with Malaysian child-focused organizations. Within the children's forum, there will be five (5) workshops composed of 10-15 children each. Each workshop will be facilitated by a child development worker and a junior-child educator/animator. We are working on having at least five (5) Malaysian children and 5-10 children delegates from other countries in each workshop. Attached is the concept paper so you can get a better idea of the children's forum, but below is the basic schedule: Nov 10 (whole day) Registration to APPA and the Children's Forum (evening) APPA Opening Ceremony 11-12 Simultaneous children's workshops 13 Presentation of children's resolutions and unity statement in APPA plenary 14 Media event with Malaysian public; Theatre presentation in APPA solidarity night 15 APPA people's action There will also be sharing sessions and consultations among child development workers in the forum. Please ensure that the delegation from your country bring advocacy and information materials on the children's situation and issues for distribution to the adults and children in the forum and the people's assembly. Because of financial limitations of the Malaysian Working Committee (MWC) and the convenors of the children's forum, we request you to source funding for your country's child delegates and the interpreter-guide. Expenses will include plane fare, visa and passport fees, travel and airport taxes, food, accomodation, and registration fee of US$50 per delegate. Food and accomodation will be around 150 Malaysian ringgit per person (~US$38.00) per day but we have requested the MWC to negotiate for a lower rate for the children. We are also negotiating with the MWC if the registration fee of the interpreter-guides can be waived. Those of you who are in worse financial strait can communicate with us if you need partial or full subsidy for the cost of the plane fare, registration fee, food and accomodation. Please shoulder the expenses for passport and visa fees, travel and airport taxes and transportation to and from airports. We will respond to the requests based on the funds that the convenors are able to raise. Please attend to the application for permit to travel of the children as soon as possible as there might be additional requirements by your government in this regard (per regulations against child trafficking). In the Philippines, we need a certification from the Department of Social Welfare and Development in addition to the regular travel requirements asked of adults. Other forms for child delegates would be the parental consent forms and the sample excuse letter for school absences during the conference. The APPA information kit and the children's registration forms will be sent by the APPA Secretariat as soon as you communicate your desire to participate in APPA and the Children's Forum. Please write to the secretariat copy furnished Salinlahi at these addresses: The Secretariat 57 Lorong Kurau Lucky Gardens 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Telephone (60-3) 283 6245 Email Last Updated: Saturday 12 September 1998 TOP STORIES --------------------------------------------------------- B.C. Fed to help defend APEC protesters The Vancouver Sun Doug Ward Vancouver Sun The B.C. Federation of Labour is giving $10,000 to a campaign to raise legal funds for complainants in next week's hearing into RCMP actions during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit last year. [Image] Federation president Ken Georgetti said Friday that the [Image] anti-APEC protesters deserve legal counsel in the RCMP Public Complaints Commission inquiry, set to begin Monday. "Someone has to come forward and allow these students to pursue what is a very legitimate complaint," said Georgetti. "It's outrageous to expect that students at UBC can afford the cost of justice in this circumstance." The federal government has refused to fund legal counsel for complainants. The probe will look at RCMP treatment of student protesters at the University of B.C., which hosted a portion of the APEC conference. Officers pepper-sprayed protesters and in some cases subjected them to strip searches. Georgetti said the hearing is about an issue traditionally important to the labour movement -- free speech. "The labour movement has a history of championing free speech." Georgetti said the federation intends to use some of the money to carry out further fund-raising for the students. "And since we announced the donation this morning [Friday], my office has been telling me that calls have been coming in like crazy asking where to send the money." The complainants say they need up to $200,000 to have adequate legal counsel. "It's a big relief," said complainant Craig Jones. "But $10,000 is not going to do it. So this is seed money and we want to make it grow." Federation communications official Miriam Sobrino said the federation does not normally provide money for legal defence funds, but has donated money to social justice causes in the past. A federal court justice rejected a plea Thursday by complainants to suspend the hearing. The student protesters alleged that the commission's panel had a bias because its members were appointed by the federal government. Many of the complainants are considering a boycott of the hearing. The protesters have alleged that the prime minister's office ordered the RCMP to ensure that Indonesian dictator Suharto was not embarrassed by demonstrations. _ _ _ \ / "Long words Bother me." \ / -- Winnie the Pooh From alarm at HK.Super.NET Tue Sep 15 08:55:28 1998 From: alarm at HK.Super.NET (ALARM (APEC Labour Rights Monitor)) Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 16:55:28 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 653] Price of Asian crisis tops IMF accounts Message-ID: <199809140952.RAA21002@kwaifong.hk.super.net> Washington (Xinhua) - The Asian financial crisis that appeared in July 1997 in Thailand and its subsequent global reverberations dominated the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) work report in 1997/98, also prompted a record level of IMF lending in the year. According to the Annual Report 1998 released here yesterday by the IMF, member countries drew some US$25.6 billion from the IMF's General Resources Account in the credit tranches in the year 1997/87, ended on April 30, 1998, nearly four times the level of the previous year. Meanwhile, the IMF approved nine new Stand-By Arrangements, with total commitments of 27.3 billion Special Drawing Rights (SDR), which is equivalent to some US$27.3 billion (as of April 30, SDR1 is equal to US$1,34666). Besides, there were 4 new Extended Arrangements with total commitments of SDR2.8 billion, which is about US$3.77 billion. The largest Stand-By Arrangements were for South Korea, Indonesia, and Thailand; the largest Extended Arrangement was for Argentina. In addition, the IMF also approved eight new ESAF (the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility) Arrangements with commitments totalling SDR1.7 billion, or some US$2.29 billion. As of April 30, this year, 14 Stand-By Arrangements, 13 Extended Arrangements, and 33 ESAF Arrangements were in effect with member countries. Net of repayments of previous drawings rose to a record US$75.4 billion as of April 30 this year as compared with US$55.3 billion a year earlier. *** From alarm at HK.Super.NET Tue Sep 15 08:43:17 1998 From: alarm at HK.Super.NET (ALARM (APEC Labour Rights Monitor)) Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 16:43:17 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 654] Gap keeps growing Message-ID: <199809140950.RAA20675@kwaifong.hk.super.net> Gap keeps growing between rich and poor by Chen Yanni China Daily, September 10, 1998 THE gap between rich and poor countries continues widening regardless of the burgeoning consumption of goods and services globally. This undermines the possibility of sustainable human development internationally, suggests the United Nations Development Programmme's (UNDP) Human Development Report. Global consumption of goods and services will reach US$24trillion this year, six times higher than in 1975, notes the report. The UN released the document yesterday in The Hague and in more than 100 nations' capitals, including Beijing. The UNDP has commissioned the report exploration of major global issues by experts - every year since 1990. One billion people still go without basic necessities - food, water and proper housing - while 86 per cent of the world's output is used by 20 per cent of the population, the report adds. This group uses 58 per cent of the world's energy, 45 per cent of the meat and fish, drive 87 per cent of the motor vehicles and use 74 per cent of the telephones, reveals the report. Three-fifths of the world's 4.4 billion people in developing countries live in communities without basic sanitation; one-third do not have safe drinking water; one-fourth lack adequate housing; one-fifth are without modern health care; one-fifth of the children do not advance beyond fifth grade; and one-fifth of the children are malnourished, the report notes. "The report looks beyond per capita income as a measure of human progress, by assessing it against such factors as average life expectancy, literacy rates and people's overall well-being," note UNDP officials. This year the report focuses on consumption of goods and services and examines how this advances or hinders human progress. Canadians ranked first for overall health, general level of education and the average standard of living. France and Norway placed second and third respectively. This is the fifth consecutive year Canada topped the report's list, a distinction the UNDP says is "unmatched by any other nation." China ranked 106 out of the 174 nations, up from 108 out of 175 last year. The UNDP implemented its China Human Development Report 1997 two months ago, the agency's first report on China. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson on a 10-day visit to China, praised the nation, during her speech at the ceremony, for its efforts in eradicating poverty. "A half century after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, China can be commended for efforts to eliminate poverty, and to meet the basic needs of all," Robinson said. "But the full realisation of human rights, like development, is a process," she said. From alarm at HK.Super.NET Wed Sep 16 03:08:11 1998 From: alarm at HK.Super.NET (ALARM (APEC Labour Rights Monitor)) Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 11:08:11 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 655] Apec fast-track may face delays Message-ID: <199809150325.LAA11294@kwaifong.hk.super.net> Apec fast-track may face delays China Daily, 14 September 1998 Kuantan, Malaysia (Agencies via Xinhua) - Unfinished work could delay a Pacific Rim early voluntary sectoral liberalisation (EVSL) agreement between 18 economies until November, just ahead of a meeting of regional leaders, officials said yesterday. Delegates to a meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) forum said opposition from several members - particularly Japan - to opening up some of the nine industry sectors was delaying finalisation of the EVSL package. Senior trade officials from the member economies meeting at a seaside resort in Kuantan, Malaysia, said some form of agreement could emerge by November, though action in many of the nine "fast-track" sectors could be finalised at their current meeting. "Clearly there is a lot of work to be done to implement the mandate given to us by ministers in Kuching," said the US ambassador to Apec John Wolf. In the June meeting at the Borneo town of Kuching, trade ministers had set September as the deadline for the finalisation of the accord. Wolf said the "fast track" EVSL had not yet been discussed by senior officials, while work had been going on in finalising common products lists and flexibility in implementation. The package is to be presented to trade ministers for their approval before being sent on to the leaders, who meet in Kuala Lumpur in November. However, Abdul Razak Ramli, the Malaysian chairman of the Apec trade officials meeting, told reporters that the "breakthrough" was achieved by allowing for reservations expressed by various economies and making provisions for greater flexibility in implementation. "We have got breakthroughs already if you look at where we are now," he said. "We are now looking at working out flexibilities rather than remaining static ... or objecting or making reservations as to participation. I think economies are looking at various flexibilities as to how they can get on board," he added. Delegates said fish and forestry products remained stumbling blocks. The two areas are considered politically sensitive in Japan. The nine sectors covered by the Apec "fast-track" programmes are environmental goods and services, fish and fish products, forest products, medical equipment and instruments, telecommunications mutual recognition agreement, energy, toys, gems and jewellry and chemicals. Another six sectors are to be targeted for liberalisation at a later date. Japan's opposition prevented the Apec forum from reaching an agreement on EVSL covering US$1.5 trillion in trade. The Apec coordinator for the fisheries sector, Marshall Moffat, said opposition from Japan would slow but not stop an agreement on opening up the sector. "I am confident that we will have for the fish sector a good agreement for approval by trade ministers and leaders in November," Moffat said. "We are getting closer and closer to what trade ministers had asked us to develop, which is designing a trade agreement," Moffat said problems faced by Japan were the same faced by many other member economies. "The fisheries sector is naturally a sensitive one ... because governments worry about their small-scale fishermen and fish farmers," he said. Many delegates said several economies were facing a problem with many of the products and sub-sectors being proposed for liberalisation. "I wouldn't be surprised if the ministers have to roll up their sleeves and do some work when they get down here in November," one senior official said. *** From alarm at HK.Super.NET Wed Sep 16 03:23:01 1998 From: alarm at HK.Super.NET (ALARM (APEC Labour Rights Monitor)) Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 11:23:01 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 656] Malaysian retreat may signal start of global currency control Message-ID: <199809150326.LAA11601@kwaifong.hk.super.net> Malaysian retreat may signal start of global currency control China Daily, 14 September 1998 Hong Kong (Agencies via Xinhua) - Malaysia's retreat from free markets could signal the start of a global backlash against the brand of tough medicine to cure economic ills offered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), analysts say. The likelihood of an immediate rush to emulate Malaysia's controls on foreign exchange seemed remote given the IMF's heavy involvement in the region. But analysts said the depth and breadth of the emerging markets crisis could portend a shift in attitudes on the merits of capital controls in emerging market economies. Malaysia took a giant step back from the free market when it recently introduced a range of foreign exchange controls to shield its battered currency, the ringgit, and its economy from speculators and global financial instability. "As we progress through the next few years, investors will see the rest of the world increasingly blending government, societal and market forces together in driving assets prices," one major European brokerage said recently. "The complete domination of market forces in this process is at its zenith." The brokerage went on to argue that the type of government interference now evident in Hong Kong - the government brought shares aggressively last month to foil "market manipulators" - would soon no longer be criticised but seen as standard operating procedure. Global capital will realign itself accordingly, it said. Asian analysts said that while Malaysia represented the first example of an expected free market backlash, it should not be viewed as a model for Asian nations disaffected by more than a year of apparently ineffective IMF policy. Some argue the IMF's insistence upon high real interest rates and full debt repayment to foreign creditor banks is condemning Asia to a lengthy depression similar to the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s known as the "Lost Decade". Others argue that high rates are an appropirate reflection of the political, social and economic risk now attached to shattered Asia. The IMF's only mistake, said Schroders Asia chief strategist Andrew Ballingal, was to fail to insist that deficit financing be used to reconstruct banks. And Malaysia's mistake, he argued, was to give up before making any serious attept at IMF-style reform. Malaysia has firmly resisted turning to the IMF for financial assistance. Chris Tinker, head of regional economics at ING Barings, said that while exchange controls would allow Malaysia to reflate, what it needed to do was reflate and restructure. *** From alarm at HK.Super.NET Wed Sep 16 07:48:37 1998 From: alarm at HK.Super.NET (ALARM (APEC Labour Rights Monitor)) Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 15:48:37 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 657] Conditional support for Apec "fast-track" Message-ID: <199809150751.PAA16066@kwaifong.hk.super.net> Conditional support for Apec "fast-track" China Daily, 15 September 1998 Kuantan, Malaysia (Agencies via Xinhua) - China said yesterday it will open trade in all sectors proposed by the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) forum for "fast-track" liberalisation but its support will be partial and conditional. "We are ready to participate in all nine sectors, but partially and conditionally, on the basis of voluntaryism," Wang Yusheng, Chinese ambassador to Apec, told a press conference. He said Apec strongly emphasised the principle of voluntary participation. He said the trade liberalisation package being discussed was called Early Voluntary Sectoral Liberalisation (EVSL). "You must not forget that it is voluntary," he said. He said that Apec senior trade officials meeting in Kuantan were heading towards a "credible agreement" on the nine industry sectors under discussion. Leaders from the 18 member economies of Apec agreed at last year's summit to open trade in nine sectors on a fast track basis followed by another six sectors at a later date. This was to help accelerate the longer-term programme of making the economies tariff free by 2010 for developed countries and 2020 for developing countries. Asked if a consensus was emerging on the nine sectors, Wang said: "It seems to be gradually." He said that to get co-operation from members in getting an agreement, they had to recognise the diversity in the grouping and collectively set a target. He said decisions should be on the basis of Apec principles of flexibility, gradualism and open regionalism. "In the spirit of Apec approach, I am optimistic (of an agreement)," Wang said.*** From panap at panap.po.my Tue Sep 15 14:50:15 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 14:50:15 Subject: [asia-apec 658] Peasants junk Estrada govt's "Hush Puppies" stand Message-ID: <2484@panap.po.my> FORWARDED MAIL ------- From: kmp@info.com.ph Date: 11 Sep 98 10 September 1998 News Release For immediate release RURAL FOLK REBUKE VFA Peasants and fisherfolk asserted their right to picket the tightly-guarded US embassy today, 10 September and jostled with police to deliver their message of opposition to the US-RP Visiting Forces Agreement. They brought with them mongrel puppies representing President Joseph Estrada and defense secretary Orlando Mercado, who were held with leashes by an activist dressed as Uncle Sam. Rafael Mariano, chair of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) which led the protest action, said it is the millions of peasants, fisherfolk and indigenous people which have the most to lose if the Senate bows down to pressure from US imperialism to ratify the treaty, because the military exercises are to be conducted in the expanses of populated farms and fishing grounds. The vaguely worded VFA allows the US government immunity from liabilities to pay for damage to civilian property, while resources and areas deemed necessary to sustain operations can be expropriated from the lands and seas if the leadership of the visiting forces declares them necessary to achieve their military aims. This would translate into massive dislocations of and human rights violations against large sections of the rural population, perpetrated by the civilian and armed forces of both the US and the Philippine governments whose criminal liabilities can be dismissed simply by invoking national security interests. The numerous cases of abuses documented in the two former baselands in Subic and Olongapo will now be replicated in the entire country. Renewed formal ties with and supplies of weapons from American militarists would intensify the fascist character of the AFP, the police and paramilitary units under the Estrada administration's inclination towards authoritarian rule, with the aim of crushing democratic dissent and the national liberation movement. Mariano said that the VFA has no benefits for Filipinos and being the military component of globalization can only serve the traditional strategic agenda of the US-Japan military-industrial alliance. The military bases and free access to territories in many countries serve to extend the capability of the US to either dominate, intimidate or actively intervene in the affairs of these nations, to protect its own political and economic interests against other imperialist countries. In the Philippines and surrounding countries in the Asian region, the VFA would dovetail into the designee of the IMF and World Bank to keep backward countries in a state of agrarian and pre-industrial backwardness. The agreement also secures from political instability the vast landholdings and investments of multinational corporations and the oil and raw material supply routes vital to the needs of industrial countries. In exchange of all these, Filipinos are caught in the crossfire between the US and its increasing array of sworn enemies. The peasants and fisherfolk reiterated their demands for genuine agrarian reform and national industrialization, which they said, will in the long term strengthen the nation politically and economically against foreign aggression. KMP urged the Senate to reject the VFA and abrogate the US-RP Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951 and other unequal and one-sided treaties and agreements. He called on the people to continue with the struggle for national freedom and democracy and a truly sovereign with a democratic government that would pursue a non-aligned, peaceful and independent foreign policy. ### Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas 69 Maayusin St., UP Village, Quezon City Philippines kmp@info.com.ph From tpl at cheerful.com Wed Sep 16 18:40:56 1998 From: tpl at cheerful.com (tpl@cheerful.com) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 17:40:56 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 659] Statement of Unity: Rural & Indigenous Women Against Globalization Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19980916174056.006aefa0@pop.skyinet.net> Reprint: STATEMENT OF UNITY Asian Rural & Indigenous Women's Conference "Rural and Indigenous Women Speak Out Against Globalization" May 22-24, 1998 Chiangmai, Thailand convened by the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law & Development (APWLD) and hosted by IMPECT WE, the rural, indigenous and other women in this conference, come together to take a close and critical look at globalization and its effects on us, our families and our communities. We link arms and forge our sisterhood to resist the onslaught of the global market and foreign monopoly capital not only on our living conditions but also on the political, social and cultural aspects of our lives. WE are both saddened and angered as we hear stories about the: * multiple role of women in sustaining the family and the community and contributing to the national and regional economies, yet the worsening unjust, inhuman and marginal treatment that they get in the supposedly "new economic order;" * further undermining of the rights of indigenous women to their ancestral resources -- land, water, forests and other livelihood sources -- due to logging concessions, mining operations and hydroelectric projects; * large-scale, export-oriented agricultural production such as oil palm, cocoa, pineapple, cut flowers, teak trees, bananas, and trees for paper and pulp which threatens food security, worsens landlessness, intensifies impoverishment, further marginalizes and dislocates women, and degrades the environment; * migration of rural and indigenous women who get heavily indebted, selling or mortgaging what little property' they have for job opportunities abroad, ending up with low wages and at times sexual and physical abuse, and having to deal with disrupted families, adverse effects on young children losing their mothers' care, family breakdowns, loneliness and cultural shock; * increasing sexual abuse and other forms of violence against rural and indigenous women as they seek work away from their communities, take on roles not considered normal in their villages, are forced into prostitution because of dire poverty or victimized by sex traffickers, and become convenient target of physical abuse from husbands and fathers upset by the economic crisis; * sacrifice of the agricultural sector to an export-driven industrialization strategy in so called NICs where women are not acknowledged as independent producers nor managers of agricultural production; and where they are excluded from opportunities in farming education, subsidies for the purchase of farm machinery, financial support from and participation in agricultural cooperatives; * destruction of rural self-reliant economy, inflation, high cost of production inputs and deterioration in social services resulting from the opening up to the global market and adoption of globalization policies and programs in Indochina and Central Asia; * increasing resourcelessness and enslaving conditions of women particularly created through the new economic disorder that more than ever guarantees profits for the multinational and transnational corporations (MNCs/TNCs) and their partners, the local ruling elite, while destroying nascent local manufacturing and trading due to unequal competition from imported goods; * collusion between our governments and monopoly capitalists whereby laws and even constitutions are amended to institutionalize liberalization, deregulation and privatization; and where militarization is the state's response to people's discontent and protest; and * globalization as a continuing colonization of less industrialized nations whose national barriers are being removed to render them wide open to economic control and plunder by the powerful nations and the MNCs/TNCs. WE, therefore, reject the policies of trade, investments and import liberalization, of deregulation and privatization and the whole globalization scheme. WE deplore their imposition on our countries by the global powers --U.S., Japan and the E.U. -- the MNCs/TNCs, and IMF/WB/WTO/APEC which are all assisted and protected by the local ruling elite and governments of our countries who benefit financially and politically from the deal. As globalization of the market economy wreak havoc on our lives, we will in turn globalize our resistance, in the spirit of internationalism and people's solidarity, against caste and class oppression, women's subordination, environmental degradation and destruction, human rights/women's rights violations, and the over-all exploitation and oppression of our people especially the rural and indigenous women. WE will use all strategies -- organizing and mobilizing for self-determination, increasing visibility of issues, research, education, solidarity networking -- to effectively resist and eliminate unjust and unequal systems that exploit and oppress the rural poor and indigenous peoples, especially the women. In particular, we make the following demands that require immediate action: * the unconditional release of the Palong, Lahu, Lisu, impoverished lowland Thai and their visitors who were illegally arrested on March 26, 1998 in Pang Daeng on charges of encroachment and clearing of the Chiang Dao forests; * a stop to the forced labor and sexual abuses perpetrated against the indigenous peoples, especially the Karen women, by the Burmese military regime (SLORC/SPDC) in the Burmese-Thai border; the harassment of refugees by the Thai military; and the massive forced relocation affecting over 300,000 villagers in the Central Shan State, Burma; * recognition of the Ainus of Japan as a people and not as "former aborigines"; respect for their economic, political, social and cultural rights; and a stop to the commercialization of Ainu culture; * immediate stop to all commercial logging operations in Ratanakiri, Cambodia until exclusion from commercial concessions of all customary forest areas in Ratanakiri and their management and control by the local communities are legally recognized; and consultation with the local people of Ratanakiri before any development of the hydroelectric project on the Sesan and Sri Pok rivers to ensure that there are no detrimental effects on the indigenous peoples; and * a stop to the operation of mining TNCs in the Philippines; indemnification of individuals and communities affected by environmental disasters brought about by TNC mining operations; withdrawal of permits awarded for new mining explorations; and repeal of the 1995 Philippine Mining Act. Signed on this day, May 25, 1998 in Chiangmai, Thailand by the participants of the Asian Rural and Indigenous Women's Conference Against Globalization convened by the Asia-Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD). l. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz Director, Tebtebba Foundation, Inc. Founding Convenor, Asian Indigenous Women's Network (AIWN) Chairperson, Board of Trustees, United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations 2. Virada Somswasdi Regional Coordinator, APWLD 3. Elisa Tita Lubi GABRIELA & BAYAN, Philippines Steering Committee member, APWLD Co-Convenor, Rural and Indigenous Women's Task Force, APWLD 4. Burnad Fatima N. Society for Rural Education and Development (SRED), India Convenor, Rural and Indigenous Women's Task Force, APWLD 5. Judy Taguiwalo Women & Development Program, College of Social Work & Community Development, University of the Philippines Regional Council Member, APWLD 6. Teo Sew Eng Ideal Time, Malaysia 7. Govind Kelkar Gender and Development Program, Asian Institute of Technology 8. Marilyn C. Cepe BATAS (Center for People's Law), Philippines NFR (NGOs for Fisheries Reform), Philippines 9. Anchalee Phonklieng IMPECT, Thailand 10. Madhevi Kuckreja VANANGANA, India 11. Tiann Monie Highland Peoples Programme/ Carere Ratanakiri, Cambodia 12. Ting Peap Highland Peoples Programme/ Carere Ratanakiri, Cambodia 13. Paulraj Epsibai Tamil Nadu Women's Forum, India 14. Michiyo Yoshida Yay Yukar Park, Japan 15. Tomoko Keira Yay Yukar Park, Japan 16. Geum-Soon Yoon Korea Women Farmers' Association 17. Ji-Young Lee Korea Ecological Youth 18. Ainura Madraimova Forum of Women's NGOs of Kyrghyzstan, Kyrgyz Republic 19. Olga Djanaeva Rural Women's Union, 'Alga', Kyrgyz Republic 20. Bouakham Khattignavong World Education, Lao PDR 21. Viengxong Chitavong Oxfam - Belgium, Laos 22. Niloh Anak Ason Ideal Time, Malaysia 23. Mana Thapa Masar Kamal Women Service Center, Nepal 24. Sandya Basnet-Bhatta Service for Unprivileged Section of Society, Nepal 25. Sumika Perera Women's Development Foundation, Sri Lanka 26. Cholada Montreevat New Life Center, Chiang Mai, Thailand 27. Lee Ray Costa Women's Studies Center, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Thailand 28. Phanomwan Yoodee Chiangrai YMCA, Chiangrai Thailand 29. Judith P.A. Pasimio Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, The Philippines 30. Mary Kumvaj Maria Graterol Etsuko Ikeda Sachee Vilaithon Parichaat Thronchaisith from APWLD Secretariat From gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz Thu Sep 17 12:43:25 1998 From: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (Gatt Watchdog) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 15:43:25 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 660] NZ: Mike Moore and the WTO Message-ID: <3eHyVe1w165w@corso.ch.planet.gen.nz> PM backs Moore for trade job By Victoria Main Political Editor, The Dominion, Wellington, September 17 1998 Labour MP Mike Moore's chances of getting the job of director-general of the Geneva-based World Trade Organisation rose yesterday when Prime Minister Jenny Shipley threw her Government's weight behind his candidacy. Mr Moore is understood to have the backing of the United States in his bid for the post that Renato Ruggiero will vacate early next year. During a joint press conference with Mr Moore in her Beehive office, Mrs Shipley said "a significant number of prominent New Zealanders and other embassies" had told the Government that his candidacy had widespread support. She said the Government had given Mr Moore, a former prime minister and foreign affairs and trade minister, unofficial backing as he sounded out his chances. It would now offer him active support. "There is reform required in the WTO and we think that Mike Moore is the person for that task," she said. The Government thought he had "a very good chance" of getting the job. Mrs Shipley indicated she did not think the Government's backing for his candidacy would jeopardise Foreign Affairs Minister Don McKinnon's chances of becoming Commonwealth secretary-general next year. She said Mr Moore said the jobs were completely different and the Government would not be supporting one candidate at the risk of another. Mr Moore said: "I am completely content with the intensity and the level of the Government's support. It's totally appropriate and I don't see in any way a competition between myself and Don McKinnon." Mr Moore said he would relish the challenge the job would offer. "I see this as economic peacekeeping. I see the WTO as an institution as important to our daily lives, our living standards, our health system, our environment, as other great institutions such as the United Nations." Mrs Shipley said the position was important both from a New Zealand perspective and internationally. "And we do believe that Mike Moore has not only the skills but also the political experience to take on this extremely important role." Nominations close on October 1. A decision is due by the end of the year. Mr Moore, MP for Waimakariri, said he would contest the next election if he missed on the WTO job. United States ambassador Josiah Beeman said last night that the United States had not formally endorsed any WTO candidate but "Mr Moore, by his background, experience and temperament, is certainly a competitive candidate for the job." Moore bids for world's top trade post By Peter Luke, The Press, Christchurch 17/9/98 Labour MP Mike Moore could soon be swapping the Canterbury Plains for the Swiss Alps as he formally vies for the world's top trade job. Mr Moore yesterday confirmed long-standing speculation that he would bid for the post of director-general of the World Trade Organisation, based in Geneva. His attempt has the full blessing of the National minority government. Prime Minister Jenny Shipley said Mr Moore would be the official nominee of New Zealand. This means Mr Moore would have behind him the full resources of New Zealand diplomats overseas, including his former political opponent and present Ambassador to the United States, Jim Bolger. Labour leader Helen Clark has also offered her support for Mr Moore's bid. A decision on who will succeed Renato Ruggiero as WTO director-general is expected by the end of the year. Rivals for Mr Moore already declared are the Thai deputy prime minister and a former Canandian (sic) trade minister. Neither Mr Moore nor Mrs Shipley would comment on what nations were likely to support the New Zealand bid. Informal soundings with other countries have been going on for several weeks. Mr Moore has visited South America and Europe to assess support. He believed the chances for a New Zealand nominee were higher than four years ago, when a bitter WTO battle led to Mr Ruggiero's appointment. This time it was accepted that the post would not go to a European. Mr Moore did not believe that lobbying would be weakened if New Zealand was also pushing Foreign Minister Don McKinnon for the job of Commonwealth secretary-general. Mr Moore, trade minister in the fourth Labour Government and former party leader, was still being promoted to wrest back party leadership as recently as 1996. He appears to have given up leadership aspirations, although if his WTO bid fails he will remain in Parliament. Mr Moore said that the WTO was second in international standing only to the United Nations. He had been previously approached to seek the director-general's job. From davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca Wed Sep 16 04:11:30 1998 From: davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca (David Webster) Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 11:11:30 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 661] Vancouver APEC inquiry postponed Message-ID: Vancouver Sun Last updated: Tuesday 15 September 1998 NATIONAL NEWS --------------------------------------------------------- Hearing into RCMP handling of APEC protest delayed ------------------------------------------------------- VANCOUVER (CP) - An inquiry into how the RCMP dealt with protesters at last fall's APEC summit is being delayed for three weeks. Lawyers for the protesters requested the delay Monday to give them more time to prepare and allow the protesters to raise money for lawyers' fees. Joseph Arvay and Cameron Ward said their request is modest because it would take another six months to properly prepare for the hearing before the RCMP Public Complaints Commission. But they prefer a short adjournment to none at all. "Three weeks is just barely long enough . . . to allow me to satisfy myself that indeed there will be funding available," said Arvay. "It is just barely long enough to allow me to prepare for this inquiry." The hearing before the independent civilian commission is scheduled to resume Oct. 5. The protesters allege Mounties pepper-sprayed and manhandled them during a demonstration along the Asia Pacific leaders' motorcade route under orders from Prime Minister Jean Chretien. They say documents show officials in Chretien's office wanted to protect controversial leaders such as Indonesian president Suharto from embarrassment by keeping protesters out of sight. The RCMP was also worried Suharto's bodyguards might become trigger-happy. The delay was opposed by a lawyer representing one of the RCMP officers named in the complaint. JIm Williams said his client has been vilified and wants the hearing to proceed. Ivan Whitehall, acting for the federal government, called the adjournment request self-serving but said he would reluctantly agree to a three-week postponement. _ _ _ \ / "Long words Bother me." \ / -- Winnie the Pooh From rverzola at phil.gn.apc.org Thu Sep 17 04:26:52 1998 From: rverzola at phil.gn.apc.org (Roberto Verzola) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 04:26:52 Subject: [asia-apec 662] The financial crisis and the millennium bomb Message-ID: <199809170608.OAA01327@phil.gn.apc.org> [Note: If the article is going to be serialized because it is too long, I suggest that the second part starts with the paragraph "BYTE Magazine, one of the oldest...". The third part can start with the heading "The psychology of panic".] THE MILLENNIUM BUG: A TIME BOMB IN THE HEART OF INDUSTRIAL ECONOMIES (Should we prepare for the blast or the fallout?) by Roberto Verzola When the final midnight of this millennium ushers in the year 2000, less than 500 days from now, many expect a grand celebration. Year 2000: expecting the worst In the United States and other highly-automated societies, however, an increasing number of people expect the opposite. They foresee a failure in basic services; water and food shortages; long periods without gas, electric and telephone services; and a general breakdown of society. The cause of the breakdown? The millennium bug, a technological bomb planted in the very heart of the world industrial system and set to trigger at the precise moment of arrival of the new millennium. With a world on verge of a recession, the millennium bomb can push the world economy beyond the brink and trigger the collapse of what is even today a shaky world financial system. The problem is simple enough to understand. Many hardware and software designers of the past decades, in what is now clearly a monumentally short-sighted effort at efficiency, used only two instead of four digits to represent the year in time-and-date computations. Thus 1980 was stored as 80, and 1990 as 90. The approach was considered clever as well as efficient, because it saved two bytes of storage every time the year was stored. It illustrates the typical industry preoccupation with maximization and efficiency, with little regard for long-term risk and reliability. But on the midnight of December 31, 1999, electronic year 99 will become electronic year 00, turning the millennium bug into a millennium bomb. (The M-bomb is also called the Y2K problem, 2K being computer jargon for 2,000). Electronic time will suddenly move back one century. To computers, the elapsed time between 23:59:59 of 12/31/99 and 00:00:00 of 1/1/00 will not be one second, but more than 3 billion negative seconds. And any elapsed-period computation between any time in the 20th century and another in the 21st century will be wrong by the same huge negative amount. The consequences are unpredictable. Some computers will simply freeze and stop working. While this will be the simplest problem to detect and correct, it is itself bad enough, especially if the computers are doing such tasks as controlling a nuclear plant. Others may suddenly generate astronomically high figures (in interest computations, for example) or even negative figures. Watchful eyes of auditors should be able to catch these errors, unless, of course, the computer is one that controls the fuel fed to the engines of a 747 in the air. Still others may automatically try to correct the problem and produce some reasonable, but wrong, figures. Where checks are automatically generated, sorted, and mailed and where other time-dependent financial transactions are initiated, processed and concluded all without human intervention -- as is now done in many highly-computerized economies -- the implications are enormous. Going after microefficiencies, technologists created instead a millennium bomb. Every piece of electronic equipment that performs time-dependent calculations will be affected. This includes interest computations (banks and other financial institutions), age calculations (insurance firms and social security institutions), wage calculations (all payroll systems), income calculations (all financial reporting systems). It also includes all rate-of-change measurements such as speed, flow-rate, revolutions per minute, etc. Every financial, industrial, manufacturing and processing quantity that is measured electronically in terms of time units (per year, per month, per day, per hour, per minute, per second, etc.) can give a wrong figure, and trigger automatic actions that can lead to a chain reaction of problems. Software compliance in three months? Most efforts to correct the situation are centered today on huge software systems in large computers. The problems are daunting because such software is highly complex, comprising millions of lines of instructions, where slight changes in some part of the system can introduce new bugs that can lead to failures later. (The industry statistic is that for every 14 lines changed -- presumably to correct an old bug -- one new bug is introduced.) Thus every single change must be tested thoroughly for its potential side-effects on other parts of the system. According to the New York Federal Reserve Bank, a large corporation needs a full year of thorough testing before such systems can be certified to be working properly. Thus, the real deadline for Y2K software conversions, if time is alloted for thorough testing, is not year-end 1999, but year-end 1998. Yes, we are talking about the end of this year, 1998. Excluding weekends and the holidays, that means a three-month deadline. So, any effort to start a major software conversion project today is probably already too late. And while today's efforts are centered mostly on huge software systems and large computers, they are in fact the systems where the problem is easier to correct. What about the billions of embedded systems? What gives conversion experts even worse nightmares are the more than twenty billion computers-on-a-chip, or microprocessors, which are at the core of most automated equipment in all industrial societies. The software of these chips are either built-in or are stored on equally-tiny memory chips called read-only memories (ROMs), permanently wired on electronic boards beside their computing counterparts. These are the embedded systems, and they are everywhere from microwave ovens to nuclear submarines, from VCRs to missile systems. They are in all kinds of automated equipment in industrial plants, power plants, chemical plants, and nuclear plants. They are in telecommunications equipment, data equipment, and satellite equipment. They are in hospital equipment, transportation equipment, shipping equipment, airplane equipment... And they are used in elevators, air traffic control, traffic lights, emergency room equipment ... Even if only one in a thousand of these embedded systems caused serious trouble if it failed, that is still 20 million pieces of equipment, ticking towards failure. DOST secretary William Padolina cites a study of a single hospital in the Netherlands which identified 10,000 pieces of equipment that needed to be upgraded for Y2K compliance! BYTE Magazine, one of the oldest and most respected computer industry publications worldwide, estimates that it will cost the U.S. around $1 trillion (or twice the cost of the Vietnam War) to test all its systems, identify the problematic ones, and replace them. As the millennium date approaches, the cost estimates will probably go up. If the world's financial and industrial centers are behind in their preparations, the newly-industrialized economies of Asia have hardly begun their Y2K efforts, crippled as they are by the debilitating financial crisis which has been raging for more than a year, with no signs of abatement. Modern technology itself has become the worst terrorist of all -- planting millions of electronic triggers inside most major pieces of automated equipment in all industrial economies, all timed to set off at the same moment. Should the Philippines be worried too? Ground Zero of the M-bomb will cover every financial and industrial center in the world. All will be hard-hit, there is no doubt about that. The less highly-automated -- and therefore electronically- dependent -- a society is, the less vulnerable it will be to the M-bomb. It means that Filipinos should be able to cope with most breakdowns in basic services. Blackouts, no dial tones, offline ATMs, broken traffic lights, stuck elevators? We have been coping with these problems a long time ago. And while these issues are worrisome enough, they are not the biggest of our worries. We should be worrying less about a direct blast -- we are far from Ground Zero -- and worrying more about the heavy fallout to come. What the government should be preparing for is insulating the Philippine economy from the financial and economic turmoil and from the potential collapse that will radiate from the industrial and financial centers of the world, as they get badly hit by the M-bomb. The millennium fallout Even without the Y2K problem, the world financial system today is shaky. Mere rumors of devaluation can trigger the panic buying and selling of currencies or stocks. In Asia, bad news in one country leads to further depreciation in another, which in turn makes matters even worse. Whether it is the devaluation of the yen, the yuan or the ruble, or the collapse of a bank in Korea or a conglomerate in Indonesia, or perhaps another round of oil price hikes, or another war involving an oil-exporting country, each event builds up the tension, which then needs only a hair trigger to set off yet another round of financial crises and turmoil. Analysts who had no idea of the M-bomb had been warning for sometime that the entire financial system could headed for collapse. Authors Richard Barnett and John Cavanagh (Global Dreams: Imperial Corporations and the New World Order) call it "a global system in trouble." David Korten, who wrote the book When Corporations Rule the World, points out that for every $1 circulating in the world economy of real tangible products, $20 to $50 of speculative capital circulates -- totally unassociated with any real value. The banking system can create this speculative capital, Korten says, because it can lend $20 or more for every $1 on deposit, and because the values of real assets can be manipulated upwards until those bloated stock values take a life of their own, quite unrelated to the real value of the asset. Eventually, that bubble must burst. The world financial system today is one such a huge bubble. And there is widespread fear that enough pin pricks could burst the bubble. Newspapers increasingly refer to the possibility of a "global meltdown," reflecting public concern about the Asian financial crisis causing a worldwide recession. If isolated triggers in the peripheries can cause such fears, just imagine the havoc that millions of pieces of Y2K-vulnerable equipment can create, as they fail practically simultaneously and cause economic dislocation throughout the industrial and financial centers of the world. The psychology of panic Because everybody knows exactly when the M-bomb will be set off, the tension throughout the industrial world will build as the new millennium approaches. As the realization sinks in that it is too late to convert the automated systems at the core of every industrial and financial process, attention will shift towards coping with the possible breakdown of basic services. Those who have the money will stock up on essential goods. Since for every $1 of real goods available, $20 to $50 are currently circulating, the excess purchasing power will compete to push prices up. Eventually, shortages will occur, as those who have more money buy more than they need in anticipation of shortages. The rush to buy and stock up on goods will make things worse, because people will be withdrawing money at the same time. They will also want to keep large amounts of cash in anticipation of breakdowns in bank and credit card services. Should a bank run out of funds to meet the heavy withdrawals, that shortage can trigger a bank run which, if not immediately controlled, can spread to bigger banks. And, as every banker knows, the banking system can cope with a run on one, perhaps a few, banks, but not a run occuring simultaneously on many small and big banks, and in every financial center of the world. This scenario is exactly what Ed Yourdon is worried about. Yourdon: a scared computer guru Edward Yourdon is a highly respected consultant and expert on systems analysis and design, with several textbooks to his credit. Widely recognized as a systems guru, he is intimately familiar with the extent of the industrial world's dependence on computers and embedded systems. Yourdon thinks that many Y2K problems will be corrected within a few days, causing only minor trouble. However, he also warns that the some problems will be felt for several months; a few will last for a year or so; and a smaller portion might linger for a decade or more. Yourdon has written a book, entitled Time Bomb 2000 and published 1998, about his warnings. Recently, however, Yourdon sold his New York property and took his family with him to live in a U.S. mountain community. He has stocked up on food, water, and other essentials -- including cash -- and expects that a widespread breakdown in basic services in the U.S. will lead to general lawlessness as people become desparate for basic necessities. Here is one expert who was at the center of the design processes that deployed the computer systems which now automatically run the U.S. economy. If he is that scared, isn't it reason for the rest of his compatriots to be worried? By 1999, we can expect that an increasing number of failures and disasters such as plane crashes, ship collisions, hospital deaths, industrial accidents, and bank mistakes will be blamed -- justifiably or not -- on the Y2K bug. Those who produce movies like "Armageddon" or "Deep Impact" will probably exploit the M-bomb's tantalizing box-office potential, and bring it even closer to the popular psyche. As the world ticks towards the new millennium, more and more people will react as Yourdon did, and the sense of tension, hysteria and panic will build. We also know from historical accounts that doomsday cults, millenarian movements, and even mainstream religions tend to give special meaning to calendar transitions, particular one as momentous as the coming millenial transition. It will be a time when every comet, solar eclipse, earthquake, volcanic eruption or flood tends to acquire apocalyptic significance and to fuel popular fears and expectations. This will aggravate the situation even more, as the surreal melds with the real and as the millenarians' hysterical warnings and the public's justified anxiety over the M-bomb reinforce each other. While the worldwide M-bomb and the shaky world financial system comprise an extremely volatile combination, a third ingredient -- end-of-the-millennium mass psychology -- turns the whole thing into a truly explosive mix. It is perhaps one of the greatest ironies of history that the much-vaunted industrial system unknowingly built within itself a potentially universal self-destruct mechanism set to go off at the exact turn of the millennium. Coping with disaster Given the certainty that millions of automated systems will fail at the end of the millennium and the real possibility that this failure will bring the world industrial and financial system to its knees, the Philippine government should totally reexamine its basic assumptions. Forget about open economies and globalization. The more open our economy is, the more susceptible we are going to be to millennium fallout. U.S. bank runs, for example, can reach our shores and spill over to local banks. U.S bank failures can victimize local depositors. Local savings can be rapidly sucked out of our economy into the bottomless pits that the M-bomb will create. The government should change its present approach to the Y2K problem, which is basically a copy of the U.S. approach. President Estrada is talking about software compliance programs; DOST secretary Padolina has expressed pessimism about embedded systems; some government officials are still talking of training Y2K programmers for deployment abroad to earn foreign exchange for the country. For the Philippines to prepare as if it were part of Ground Zero is to waste scarce resources on unnecessary expenses. According to news reports, for example, President Estrada has ordered the Presidential Commission on Y2K Compliance to "reprogram or replace computer-based systems in all state offices," an effort which, the commission estimates, will cost P270 billion ($6 billion). What a way for the hardware and software suppliers to make fast money! Many of the older machines are already compliant anyway, and quite a number of those which are not compliant only run word processors and perhaps Solitaire and other games instead of mission-critical tasks. There is no point wasting government (and private) funds to convert these systems. The government should concentrate on coping with the financial and economic fallout of the M-bomb. We should instead be thinking about building what computer designers call firewalls, policies to insulate our economy from the impact of the fallout. These policies can include reinstituting foreign exchange (forex) controls, regulating banks more tightly to guard against the threat of bank runs, and discouraging speculative investments. Malaysia has already done so (although for a different reason, as a move against speculators). Once the Malaysians realize the more serious threats posed by the millennium bug, they would be glad they acted quickly in reinstituting forex controls. China and India have never really fully opened their economies to global finance and speculators. They would be crazy to do so now. The sooner developing countries can put firewalls into place, the better prepared they will be when the millennium fallout from the hard-hit industrial world comes. We need to unlink our local currency from the U.S. dollar, so our economy can function reliably even when the dollar's value fluctuates wildly as the financial maelstrom whipped up by the M-bomb releases its full force. Forex controls and similar measures are a necessary short-term step. But over the long-term, unlinking can only be done by putting more importance to internal production for local markets and to internal trade, rather than export production and foreign trade. Our country is heavily dependent on the foreign exchange sent home by the more than five million Filipino contract workers overseas. If their host countries face an economic crisis or slide into a recession, our OCW compatriots will have nowhere to go but home. We should have jobs waiting for them, not to mention the 10.8 million under- and unemployed we already have. In short, we should be doing what it takes to keep an economy self-sufficient and self-reliant in the first place. Only such a shelter can protect us from the fallout of the millennium bomb.  From davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca Fri Sep 18 02:18:11 1998 From: davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca (David Webster) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 09:18:11 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 663] Van Sun: Cdn PM replies to APEC accusations Message-ID: Last Updated: Thursday 17 September 1998 TOP STORIES --------------------------------------------------------- Chretien says APEC elite were promised 'no danger' The Vancouver Sun Vancouver Sun and Southam Newspapers Canadian officials involved in the conduct of last November's APEC conference assured foreign leaders the event would be peaceful and they faced no danger coming to Vancouver, Prime Minister Jean Chretien revealed Wednesday. [Image] When violence did break out it was student demonstrators at the University of B.C. who were pepper-sprayed, man-handled and arrested. Chretien revealed the high-level "no danger" assurances in an Ottawa interview during which he was questioned about RCMP officers pepper-spraying demonstrators protesting the presence on their campus of then Indonesian President Suharto. "You know, we had visitors," Chretien said in the interview with Southam News, "and we had all these people, when they come they ask questions about the organization. "The United States ask a lot of questions. The Chinese ask a lot of questions . . . and we have to tell them, 'don't worry, it will be peaceful and there will be no danger for any one of you.' That's normal routine." Chretien was cautious responding to questions about the incident, in which 40 people -- including two Indonesian security officers -- were arrested after more than 1,000 people began tearing down a fence separating them from the 18 leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. He was also defensive about his initial response to the pepper-spray attack, which he dismissed at the time with the quip: "For me, pepper , I put it on my plate." Asked if he now regrets the joke, he told Southam News: "(At the time) I didn't know what they (reporters) were talking about. I didn't know. I didn't know what it was. I had not seen anything. I was not even aware. So I said, pepper for what, for me pepper is for something else. I didn't know what it was." Chretien would not comment when asked if he directed the RCMP in its handling of the situation, or when asked if he would testify at the inquiry investigating the affair. "I don't reply to hypothetical questions. I said what I had to say and let the inquiry do its job, that's all." _ _ _ \ / "Long words Bother me." \ / -- Winnie the Pooh From jaggi at vcn.bc.ca Fri Sep 18 19:18:24 1998 From: jaggi at vcn.bc.ca (Jaggi Singh) Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 03:18:24 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [asia-apec 664] More APEC revelations Message-ID: NEWS ADVISORY For immediate release -- Intelligence files confirm that nabbing of anti-APEC organizer was stage-managed to occur just before APEC Summit to prevent protest -- -- Charges and arrests requested "with a view of eliminating" anti-APEC organizers -- -- Documents also reveal that Vancouver's activist community was the target of surveillance by a "Strike Force" months before APEC -- VANCOUVER, September 18, 1998 -- Recently released intelligence files confirm that a senior RCMP officer at the University of British Columbia (UBC) requested the arrests and charges of activists "with a view of eliminating some of the more high profile members" of anti-APEC groups. The documents also confirm widespread surveillance of local activists, with detailed reports of meetings and events, some several months before the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Summit in November 1997. Much of the surveillance was conducted by the hitherto unknown "Vancouver Police Department Strike Force." These revelations are being made as the trial for an alleged assault by an anti-APEC organizer has been postponed to February 1999. The trial of Jaggi Singh was to take place today in Richmond. However, due to the lack of full disclosure of relevant evidence by the Crown Counsel, and the fact that Singh will be making various Charter of Rights motions alleging abuses of process, deprivation of liberty and other violations, the trial date was postponed. The case against Singh is the only charge laid against an anti-APEC demonstrator that is actually being pursued to trial after the arrest of close to 70 people last fall for protests against APEC. Interestingly, the Vancouver Crown Counsel's office has decided not to lay any charges against RCMP or Vancouver Police Department members, despite the fact that the RCMP Public Complaints Commission has yet to even commence its own limited and flawed investigation into police brutality, excessive force, intimidation and other instances of inappropriate conduct at APEC. After the largest multi-million dollar security operation in the history of the RCMP (larger even than the military siege and smear campaign against indigenous sovereignists at Gustafsen Lake in 1995), the only charge being pursued to trial is an alleged assault on a UBC Traffic Patrol officer. The alleged incident occurred at a protest almost three weeks before the actual APEC Summit at UBC during a street theatre protest action on November 7, 1997. Singh is alleged to have used a megaphone too loud, hence, the charge of assault. Singh was nabbed on November 24, 1997 during a teach-in at UBC the day before the Leaders' Summit while walking between two univeristy buildings alone. He was manhandled and wrestled to the ground by at least three undercover officers who did not identify themselves. When Singh tried to resist and cry for help, his mouth was covered, his arms were wrenched behind his back, and he was cuffed. He was thrown into the back of an unmarked black car, which sped away at high speed. The latter part of this nabbing was captured on video and shown widely on CBC News last fall. Released police notes confirm that National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS) agents who were part of a "Crowd Infiltration Unit" carried out the nabbing, with many other undercover officers onhand to keep anyone from intervening. According to the notes of one NSIS officer, "Our instructions were the effect that if Singh could be isolated -- he was to be arrested on the outstanding warrant." Recently revealed intelligence files strongly support what many people believed at the time of the nabbing: the "arrest" and charge for assault of Singh was carried out to remove someone seen by the police as an organizer of anti-APEC demos. In a report to Crown Counsel dated November 17, 1997, Staff Sergeant Lloyd Plante, head of the UBC RCMP Detachment, writes that "with a view towards eliminating some of the high profile members of Apec Alert from the UBC area" charges should be laid against specific perceived leaders. APEC ALERT was an active anti-APEC group at UBC last fall. Plante further writes in the same document that "a charge of assault be laid against SINGH" and that such a charge "will have a positive impact, in particular should a charge be laid against SINGH and he be placed on a "no go UBC" condition." The RCMP and NSIS anticipated that a "no go UBC" condition might be contested by Singh. As one intelligence document states, "If granted the warrant, the Detachment hopes to get a no-go to the entire UBC campus as a condition of SINGH's release. If SINGH doesn't agree, the next court dates in Richmond are now into January 1998, which would effectively keep him from campus during APEC." As it so happens, after failing to convince an oblivious judge that the RCMP and Crown were colluding to prevent his right to protest, Singh agreed to the condition of release. He then promptly returned to UBC, ripped up his conditions of release, and proceeded to carry out an anti-APEC action that had been pre-planned with other members of APEC ALERT. He was arrested and jailed for what would end up being four days. He was only released until well after APEC was over. Singh has yet to be convicted of anything, has no criminal record and was an active participant in an anti-APEC campaign that was avowedly non-violent. Indeed, a bulletin by an NSIS "Threat Assessment Group" just before the APEC Summit was due to begin mentions that, referring to anti-APEC activists, "some of these individuals may engage in civil disobedience, however, ... none are considered violent." Documents also reveal that the warrant for Singh's arrest, while processed and valid on November 21, 1997, was deliberately delayed for entry onto police computers until the morning of November 24, 1997, the day before the Leaders' Summit. This is clear evidence of the political nature of the arrest, despite claims of the RCMP at the time that they were following proper procedure for a simple assault. These recent documents only help to confirm that the overkill security around APEC last fall was more about preventing embarassment to the proponents of APEC's business-driven agenda than preventing injury to a so-called world "leader." Included below is a verbatim transcript of Staff Sergeant Plante's "will says," which will form the basis of his testimony at the RCMP Public Complaints Commission in October. Plante's statements corroborate the other intelligence reports referred to above: "Staff Sergeant Plante will say that the Report to Crown Counsel was forwarded with a view to eliminating some of the more high profile members of APEC ALERT from the UBC area. Staff Sergeant Plante will say that, some investigators believed that Mr. Singh should be charged with a "No go UBC" condition. Staff Sergeant Plante will say that, on November 22, 1997, he contacted Staff Sergeant Ken Handy, NSIS [National Security Intelligence Service, the secretive intelligence arm of the RCMP], who indicated that Jaggi Singh was subject of a surveillance being conducted by the Vancouver Police Department Strike Force. The Staff Sergeant contacted Sergeant Evison of the Strike Force and decided that, considering that Singh would probably attend UBC on November 24, 1997, his arrest must occur prior to his attendance on campus. It was arranged that Sergeant Evison would affect the arrest and the UBC Detachment would be notified immediately. The Vancouver Police Department would transfer him to Richmond and Constable Lee would attend and process him. Constable Lee would be in contact with Crown Counsel would be seeking a condition that, considering the victim's employment, Mr. Singh should not attend UBC. Staff Sergeant Plante requested that the warrant be entered onto the CPIC [Canadian Police Information Computer] system at 0700 hours on November 24, 1997 with remarks to immediately advise Constable Lee or the Staff Sergeant upon arrest. Constable Lee's Continuation Report, dated November 24, 1997, indicates that on November 23, 1997, Staff Sergeant Plante advised him that Jaggi Singh had been located and would be arrested on November 24, 1997. On November 24, 1997, at 0700 hours, Constable Lee added the warrant of arrest for Mr. Singh to the CPIC. A copy of the CPIC entry, dated November 24, 1997, is on file. Staff Sergeant Plante's [sic] will say that, at 1115 hours, he advised Constables Howell and Labadie of NSIS that Jaggi Singh was observed at Brock Hall, however, he was to be arrested off campus or in an area of campus where his supporters would be unaware of his arrest so as to avoid making Mr. Singh a martyr." Jaggi Singh, a former student in linguistics at UBC (although not enrolled at the time of APEC), was very active in many groups last fall including APEC ALERT, the NO! To APEC Coalition, the East Timor Alert Network, the International of Hope (a Zapatista solidarity group) and others. He now lives in Montreal where he is a writer and activist. For more information, phone 604-255-1509 or e-mail . APEC ALERT webpage: http://www.cs.ubc.ca/spider/fuller/apec_alert [end] From gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz Sun Sep 20 09:57:20 1998 From: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (Gatt Watchdog) Date: Sun, 20 Sep 1998 12:57:20 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 665] NZ Govt launches APEC colours Message-ID: <0PT4Ve1w165w@corso.ch.planet.gen.nz> Distinctive New Zealand Flavour For APEC 1999 Friday, 18 September 1998, 10:00 am Press Release: New Zealand Government "Next year's series of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) = meetings will see the eyes of the world on New Zealand and we will be ready to knock their socks-off," Prime Minister Jenny Shipley said today on launching the official branding for APEC 1999. The APEC logo will either be in black or in white with the New Zealand Way fern incorporated into it, and has nine distinctive New Zealand colours and images attached to it. The colours have been specially named for APEC 1999 to reflect unique New Zealand attitudes and values. We have specifically chosen tones = that are seen everyday in homes, workplaces, at play and in rural and urban settings all over New Zealand. "They are more than just New Zealand colours, they also represent our essence as a people," the Prime Minister said at the launch at Auckland's Mt Roskill Grammar School. The colours represent: =B7 quarter acre OCHRE - landscape, lifestyle, personal space =B7 kiwi BROWN - our roots, kiwiana, down to earth =B7 cultuRED - passion, artistic and cultural flair =B7 SILVER lining - potential, enthusiasm, youth, young industries =B7 awe BLACK - competitive spirit, sportiness =B7 zeal TEAL - pioneering spirit, adventurous =B7 GREEN as - our environment, outdoor recreation =B7 long WHITE - an island nation, purity, individuality, our vision =B7 BLUE horizons - entrepreneurs, new ventures, no limitations "APEC 1999 is a tremendous opportunity for huge numbers of people from around the world to view New Zealand and our region - either directly = as visitors, or through international coverage. "APEC has a combined population of nearly 3 billion people and represents more than half of the total world income and half of world trade. "Chairing APEC gives New Zealand an unprecedented opportunity to influence the shape of this forum's work on trade and economic cooperation. We are looking forward to hosting 21 of the world's most powerful leaders, more than 11,000 delegates, and the international = news media during APEC. "We have some of the best scenery, food, culture, products and businesses in the world, and APEC will be an unparalleled opportunity for New Zealanders to showcase our corner of the world. "With so much happening next year, from APEC 1999 to the America's Cup campaign through to the Millennium events and the Rugby World Cup campaign, the eyes of the world will be on New Zealand and we will be ready," said Mrs Shipley. ENDS From tpl at cheerful.com Sun Sep 20 12:36:19 1998 From: tpl at cheerful.com (tpl@cheerful.com) Date: Sun, 20 Sep 1998 11:36:19 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 666] Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19980920113619.006b0d64@pop.skyinet.net> > >Initial Announcement & Invitation > >PAMALAKAYA and NACFAR invite you to attend and join other fisherfolk >organizations in a workshop on the impact of globalization on fisheries and >the initiatives being taken by organized fisherfolk against IMF-WB-WTO imposed trade and investments liberalization and privatization. > >Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly (APPA) >November 10-15 >Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia > >Forum on Land, Food Security and Agriculture >November 11-12 > >Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries: >"Fisherfolk Says No to Monopoly Capital's Thirst for Profit" >November 11 > > The Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries is part of the Forum on Land, Food Security and Agriculture of the Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly (APPA) which is being held parallel to the 1998 APEC Leaders Summit. It is being organized by PAMALAKAYA (National Federation of Fisherfolk Organizations in the Philippines) and NACFAR (Nationwide Coalition of the Fisherfolk for Aquatic Reform - Phil). > > The theme for the workshop is "Fisherfolk Says No to Monopoly Capital's >Thirst for Profit." Representatives of fisherfolk organizations in >APEC-member and other countries/economies are expected to participate. They will collectively discuss their situation especially about the problems >confronting the fisherfolk and affecting aquatic resources and the marine environment as a result of globalization. They will share viable options for the fisherfolk to work and struggle for both at local and regional levels. > > Workshop participants will tackle the devastating effects of trade and >investments liberalization on small fisherfolk and food producers in >fisheries. They will discuss the ill effects on the fisherfolk, the people and the environment of commercial aquaculture, extensive commercial >fish-catch operations, conversion/privatization of coastal shores, industrial pollution and use of chemicals. > > There will be 4-5 speakers who will cover the following topics: > >- economic and social impact of liberalization and privatization in >fisheries; >- impact of globalization on aquatic resources and marine environment; >- fisherfolk initiatives and alternatives; and >- case studies i.e. commercial aquaculture, extensive commercial >fish-catch operations, BIMP-EAGA programs in fisheries. > >Objectives: > >Rally strong opposition to corporate take-over of fishing grounds and hold >multinational and domestic fishing monopolies liable for the rapid >destruction of the marine environment and aquatic resources. > >Come up with a united position against GATT/WTO and APEC impositions and >programs in fisheries and take a solid stand against trade arrangements and >other instruments of imperialist and state maneuverings. > >Expand and strengthen fisherfolk participation in a broad movement against >globalization's onslaught on food security and on nations' economies and >peoples. > >Programme: > >November 10 > >Whole Day: Registration to APPA >Afternoon: Registration to the Forum on Land, > Food Security & Agriculture and its Workshop > on Globalization and Fisheries >Early Evening: APPA Opening Ceremony > >November 11 > >0830-0930 Additional Registration >0930-1015 Opening Addresses: Globalization and > Its Impact on Land, Food Security & > Agriculture > by Dr. Vandana Shiva and Sarojeni Rengam > (PAN-AP) >1015-1030 Tea Break >1030-1115 On Trade Agreements > - WTO and Agriculture by Bhagirath Lal Das > (author of "An Introduction to the WTO > Agreements" and "The WTO Agreements: > Deficiencies, Imbalances and Required > Changes") > - Impact of NAFTA on Agriculture and > Food Security by Ana de Ita (Ceccam, Mexico) >1115-1300 Sharing from Grassroots Movements > - Chiapas, Mexico > - Philippines (KMP/AMIHAN) > - Thailand (Forum of the Poor) > - South Korea (Wheat Revival Movement) > - Malaysia >1300-1400 Lunch >1400 Start of simultaneous workshops > > Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries > >1400-1430 Workshop Introduction >1430-1630 Presentations: > - Liberalization & Privatization in > Fisheries: Impact, Fisherfolk Resistance > and Alternatives (PAMALAKAYA) > - Impact of Globalization on Marine > Environment and Aquatic Resources > (India) > - Case Studies: > * commercial aquaculture (Thailand or > Bangladesh) > * extensive commercial fishing (Chile > or Canada) > * BIMP-EAGA (Indonesia or NACFAR) >1630-1700 Tea Break >1700-1900 Open Forum: Further discussion of issues > and sharing of struggles and > alternatives >1900-2000 Dinner >2000-2200 Open Forum: Resolutions and > Statement of Unity > >November 12 Closing Plenary of Forum on Land, > Food Security and Agriculture > >0900-1040 Workshop Reports >1040-1100 Tea Break >1100-1300 Development of Shared Analysis >1300-1400 Lunch >1400-1600 Continuation of Development of Shared > Analysis and Adoption of Final Statement >1600-1800 Common Action (to be announced) > >Nov. 13-14 APPA Plenary > >November 15 APPA Closing Ceremony and Final Activity > >====================================================== > >Preliminary Registration Form for >Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries >"Fisherfolk Says No to Monopoly Capital's >Thirst for Profit" > >Full Name: >Mr ____ Ms ______ >Organization: >Mailing Address: >Telephone: >Fax: >E-mail: > >Neither Pamalakaya nor Nacfar is in a position to subsidize expenses of >participants, however those who really need financial assistance can >indicate so below and we will see if we can help get sponsors. > >Kind of financial assistance needed: (airfare, food and accomodations, >registration fee, etc.) > > >The registration fee for APPA is US$50 which entitles you to attend all >APPA events and activities. Cost of food and accomodation is >approximately US$25-35 per person per day. > >Please list down other organizations and individuals whom you think should >be sent APPA registration and information materials. Please specify their >mailing and/or e-mail addresses. > >Please send the filled out form to: > PAMALAKAYA > 18 Mabuhay Street > Central District, Quezon City > Philippines > Tel/Fax (632) 434 3836; 434 6680 > E-mail: cc > > From rverzola at phil.gn.apc.org Sun Sep 20 04:59:39 1998 From: rverzola at phil.gn.apc.org (Roberto Verzola) Date: Sun, 20 Sep 1998 04:59:39 Subject: [asia-apec 667] Re: The financial crisis and the millennium bomb Message-ID: <199809200612.OAA26062@phil.gn.apc.org> I posted on this list the article on the financial crisis and its relation to the millennium bomb, because it has direct relevance to the APEC discussions. The basic message of the article is that the millennium bomb (year 2000 computer bug) will trigger throughout the financial and industrial centers of the world major disruptions in their technological backbone, which will interact with the ongoing Asian crisis and can lead to more serious worldwide crises, if not financial collapse. I hope the APPA assembly will also take time to consider the implications of this and other emerging information technology issues for developing countries. Obet Verzola From rverzola at phil.gn.apc.org Sun Sep 20 04:58:12 1998 From: rverzola at phil.gn.apc.org (Roberto Verzola) Date: Sun, 20 Sep 1998 04:58:12 Subject: [asia-apec 668] Re: Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries Message-ID: <199809200612.OAA26061@phil.gn.apc.org> >PAMALAKAYA and NACFAR invite you to attend and join other fisherfolk It would be nice for the organizers of the forum to make available in this list the materials that will be distributed in the workshop, as these become available, for the benefit of those who may not be able to attend the workshop but are interested in the issues. >environment as a result of globalization. They will share viable options >for the fisherfolk to work and struggle for both at local and I am particularly interested in these viable options. If papers are already available which discuss these topics, I for one would appreciate seeing them. Fisherfolk are perhaps the largest remaining section of society still engaged in hunting-gathering. This makes fishing qualitatively different from agriculture, although they both belong to what we in the Philippine Greens call the ecology sector (ie, the sector of living matter, which includes agriculture). Regards to all, Obet Verzola From jaggi at vcn.bc.ca Sun Sep 20 19:46:43 1998 From: jaggi at vcn.bc.ca (Jaggi Singh) Date: Sun, 20 Sep 1998 03:46:43 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [asia-apec 669] apec "expert" witnesses needed Message-ID: hello everyone -- in a few weeks, the royal canadian mounted police (rcmp) public complaints commission will begin public hearings into the conduct of rcmp officers at the apec summit in vancouver last november. as a complainant to the commission, i have standing. that means, i have the right to call witnesses. therefore, i'm writing to request suggestions for "expert" witnesses from a critical perspective on the following incomplete list of topics: apec the broader context of apec (corporate globalization, imperialism, etc) apec conferences and police repression apec and the repression of dissenting voices indonesia, suharto, prabowo, indonesian security forces, etc. rcmp involvment in the repression of political dissent rcmp complicity in indigenous genocide police/intelligence service surveillance techniques police/intelligence service surveillance and repression of activists police media manipulation and control "crowd control" and the police the use and misuse of pepper spray and other related topics ... an "expert" witness just means someone who has knowledge on a given topic, not necessarily a professor or professional. for example, the commission is calling cops as "experts" on pepper spray. some of us complainants are hoping to call other "experts" from american copwatch groups that can offer another perspective on the (mis)use of pepper spray. keep in mind that funding for travel to testify as a witness is possible. moreover, if you can get to vancouver yourself (or live here), there really is nothing preventing me (and other complainants and lawyers) from calling you as a witness. the rcmp public complaints commission is a profoundly flawed process. however, those of us who are reluctantly participating hope to bring forward some dissenting points of view. we need your help to make this succeed. please get in touch with your suggestions. thanks. peace. -- jaggi singh please send your suggestions to both or phone 604-255-1509. From tpl at cheerful.com Sun Sep 20 19:25:07 1998 From: tpl at cheerful.com (tpl@cheerful.com) Date: Sun, 20 Sep 1998 18:25:07 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 670] Workshop on Strategies, Gains and Challenges in Women's Struggle Against Globalization (2nd announcement/invitation) Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19980920182507.006b0a64@pop.skyinet.net> 2nd Announcement and Invitation APWLD (Asia-Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development), GABRIELA, SRED (Society for Rural Education and Development - Madras) and the Tamilnadu Women's Forum invite you to the Workshop on Strategies, Gains and Challenges in the Women's Struggle Against Globalization. It will be one of the simultaneous forums in the 3rd International Women's Conference Against APEC to be held on November 8-9. The women's conference is the initial activity of the Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly (APPA) which will continue until November 10-15. 3rd Women's Conference Against APEC November 8-9, 1998 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Workshop on Strategies, Gains and Challenges in Women's Struggle Against Globalization November 8 (2:30 - 10:00 p.m.) Objectives To learn from one another's strategies and gains in the women's struggle against globalization. To determine challenges for the next decade in the women's struggle against globalization. To determine burning issues that will be the basis for regional and/or international women's action in the next years. Programme November 7 Registration to the 3rd International Women's Conference and the Workshop on Strategies, Gains and Challenges November 8 Morning Session 0900 Welcome 0930 Opening Plenary with Vandana Shiva and irene Fernandez as keynote speakers 1045 Plenary Session: Sharing of Women's Struggles Against Globalization - Assembly of the Poor (Thailand) - Wheat Revival Movement (South Korea) - GABRIELA's Campaign Against Imperialist Globalization (Philippines) - On Migration (Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia) - Fundamentalism and Violence Against Women (SRED, India) 1230 Open Forum Afternoon Session 1430 Start of Simultaneous Workshops Workshop on "Strategies, Gains and Challenges in Women's Struggle Against Globalization" Introduction by Elisa Tita Lubi of APWLD and GABRIELA 1500 A Challenge to Women: Resist Globalization, Liberalization and Privatization by Dr. Pao-Yu Ching, university professor and social activist, U.S. and Taiwan 1530 Impact of Globalization and Challenges for South Asian Women by Nimalka Fernando, President, IMADR 1600 Tea Break 1615 The Indonesian Situation by women from Kalyanamitra Foundation, Aceh, West Papua and East Timor 1715 Tamilnadu Rural Women's Caravan by Fatima Burnad Executive Director, SRED 1745 Organizing and Mobilizing Women Youth and Students by Maricel Gavina Secretary General, GABRIELA - Youth 1815 From the Point of View of Socialist Women by Joan Hinton a former nuclear physicist who has worked in agriculture in China in the past 50 years 1845 Legal Strategies in the Hands of Women Radhika Coomaraswamy (to be confirmed) UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women 1915 Dinner 2015 Open Forum: Issues Resolutions Action plans for regional and international women's campaigns 2200 Adjourn November 9 0900 Plenary Session of the 3rd International Women's Conference - Workshop Reports and Resolutions 1300 Lunch 1430 Plenary Continued: Additional Discussion and Synthesis 1700 Closing Ceremony and Cultural Event Please write to APWLD copy furnish the 3rd Women's Conference Secretariat if you plan to attend: > APWLD > Tel (66-53) 404 613 to 614 > Fax (66-53) 404 615 > Email > > Sarojeni Rengam > Tel (60-4) 657 0271 > Fax (60-4) 657 7445 > Email > Participants to the 3rd Women's Conference are enjoined to stay for the Asia Pacific People's Assembly (APPA) which will be held on November 10-15. The APPA schedule is indicated below: Nov 10 (whole day) Registration (evening) APPA Opening Ceremony 11-12 Issue and Sector Forums/Workshops (We are holding the women's conference earlier than APPA so the women can join these forums/workshops.) 13-14 APPA Plenary Sessions 15 Closing and People's Action For APPA registration and information materials, please write to the APPA Secretariat You can also subscribe to the APPA listserve by sending a message to with the following in the body of your message: subscribe asia-apec. For purposes of budgeting: food and accomodation in Malaysia will cost approximately M$120-150 (~US$30-38) per person per day. There is also an APPA registration fee of US$50 per person which will entitle you to attend all APPA activities and events. The Malaysian government charges US$11 for airport tax. Taxi from the international airport to Kuala Lumpur is US$42 roundtrip. > >See you in Kuala Lumpur! --------------------------------------- Rationale Women have been in the forefront of the struggle against globalization. This comes as no surprise as women shoulder the heaviest burden of denationalization, liberalization, deregulation and privatization, the main components of the globalization scheme that throw women and men to the sharkteeth of the so-called free market. Women workers suffer mass lay-offs, insecurity of tenure due to casualization and contractualization, slave wages, debilitating working conditions, sexual harassment and violations of their right to strike and unionize. Rural and indigenous women continue to be deprived of their right to own land due to monopoly land ownership by big landowners and agrocorporations, land conversion to tourist resorts, residential subdivisions and so-called industrial centers, crop conversion to export products, and maldevelopment projects like logging and mining by multinational corporations and construction of huge dams. The urban poor are driven away from their communities as their houses are demolished to give way to commercial centers. Women have to work even longer hours to keep their families afloat with additional income that can absorb currency devaluation and spiraling prices of basic commodities and services. Small wonder that women from various sectors are forced to go abroad to earn a living, despite the low wages, terrible working conditions, violation of contracts, racial discrimination, cultural trauma, the loneliness of being away from their loved ones and even physical and sexual violence. Some women are also forced into prostitution in their own countries and abroad. Globalization, instead of easing, only intensifies the global economic and financial crisis. It benefits a few, not the majority of the peoples of the world. It is the handiwork of the centers of global power - the US, Japan and the European Union led by Germany - and the multi national and transnational corporations (MNCs/TNCs), all of them expanding their wealth and power to further exploit and dominate the poorer nations. They have their client states of the Third World and the local ruling elite as their partners. "The current economic and political agenda in the Asia-Pacific region disempowers women, feminizes poverty and disintegrates families and communities. It has also given rise to dangerous 'anti-globalisation forces' based on narrow, chauvinistic nationalisms. In South Asia, fundamentalism increases violence against women. In East Asia, 'nationalist' reactions to the crisis amplify harsh treatment of migrant workers. In Australia, the lobby against Asian immigration escalates. These emerging local and national trends are especially worrying for women." (Rag, 1 Jul 1998). It is therefore important to share and replicate pro-people and pro-women strategies of resistance and alternatives to globalization as more and more women and men among the workers, peasants, indigenous peoples, urban poor communities, youth & students, professionals, church people, health sector, teachers, government employees and local entrepreneurs have become aware of the true nature and ill effects of globalization. More and more have taken up the fight against globalization and found alternatives: the Assembly of the Poor in Thailand, Wheat Revival Movement in South Korea, anti-dam campaign in Malaysia and Cambodia, the Cordillera people's campaign against open pit mining in the Philippines, campaigns against trafficking of women and the International People's Campaign Against Imperialist Globalization led by the Philippine people's movement. APWLD, GABRIELA, SRED and the Tamilnadu Women's Forum have organized the workshop on Strategies, Gains and Challenges in the Women's Struggle Against Globalization to provide a venue through which women can share and learn from each other and plan concerted actions. End results Statement of Unity Resolutions that will guide national, regional and international women's action Initial regional and/or international campaign plans From tpl at cheerful.com Sun Sep 20 20:31:45 1998 From: tpl at cheerful.com (tpl@cheerful.com) Date: Sun, 20 Sep 1998 19:31:45 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 671] Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19980920193145.006a54f0@pop.skyinet.net> Announcement & Invitation PAMALAKAYA and NACFAR invite you to attend and join other fisherfolk organizations in a workshop on the impact of globalization on fisheries and the initiatives being taken by organized fisherfolk against IMF-WB-WTO imposed trade and investments liberalization and privatization. Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly (APPA) November 10-15 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Forum on Land, Food Security and Agriculture November 11-12 Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries: "Fisherfolk Say No to Monopoly Capital's Thirst for Profit" November 11 The Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries is part of the Forum on Land, Food Security and Agriculture of the Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly (APPA) which is being held parallel to the 1998 APEC Leaders Summit. It is being organized by PAMALAKAYA (National Federation of Fisherfolk Organizations in the Philippines) and NACFAR (Nationwide Coalition of the Fisherfolk for Aquatic Reform - Phil). The theme for the workshop is "Fisherfolk Say No to Monopoly Capital's Thirst for Profit." Representatives of fisherfolk organizations in APEC-member and other countries/economies are expected to participate. They will collectively discuss their situation especially about the problems confronting the fisherfolk and affecting aquatic resources and the marine environment as a result of globalization. They will share viable options for the fisherfolk to work and struggle for both at local and regional levels. Workshop participants will tackle the devastating effects of trade and investments liberalization on small fisherfolk and food producers in fisheries. They will discuss the ill effects on the fisherfolk, the people and the environment of commercial aquaculture, extensive commercial fish-catch operations, conversion/privatization of coastal areas, industrial pollution and use of chemicals. There will be 4-5 speakers who will cover the following topics: - economic and social impact of liberalization and privatization in fisheries; - impact of globalization on aquatic resources and marine environment; - fisherfolk initiatives and alternatives; and - case studies i.e. commercial aquaculture, extensive commercial fish-catch operations, BIMP-EAGA programs in fisheries. Objectives: Rally strong opposition to corporate take-over of fishing grounds and hold multinational and domestic fishing monopolies liable for the rapid destruction of the marine environment and aquatic resources. Come up with a united position against GATT/WTO and APEC impositions and programs in fisheries and take a solid stand against trade arrangements and other instruments of imperialist and state maneuverings. Expand and strengthen fisherfolk participation in a broad movement against globalization's onslaught on food security and on nations' economies and peoples. Programme: November 10 Whole Day: Registration to APPA Afternoon: Registration to the Forum on Land, Food Security & Agriculture and its Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries Early Evening: APPA Opening Ceremony November 11 0830-0930 Additional Registration 0930-1015 Opening Addresses: Globalization and Its Impact on Land, Food Security & Agriculture by Dr. Vandana Shiva and Sarojeni Rengam (PAN-AP) 1015-1030 Tea Break 1030-1115 On Trade Agreements - WTO and Agriculture by Bhagirath Lal Das (author of "An Introduction to the WTO Agreements" and "The WTO Agreements: Deficiencies, Imbalances and Required Changes") - Impact of NAFTA on Agriculture and Food Security by Ana de Ita (Ceccam, Mexico) 1115-1300 Sharing from Grassroots Movements - Chiapas, Mexico - Philippines (KMP/AMIHAN) - Thailand (Forum of the Poor) - South Korea (Wheat Revival Movement) - Malaysia 1300-1400 Lunch 1400 Start of simultaneous workshops Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries 1400-1430 Workshop Introduction 1430-1630 Presentations: - Liberalization & Privatization in Fisheries: Impact, Fisherfolk Resistance and Alternatives (PAMALAKAYA) - Impact of Globalization on Marine Environment and Aquatic Resources (India) - Case Studies: * commercial aquaculture (Thailand or Bangladesh) * extensive commercial fishing (Chile or Canada) * BIMP-EAGA (Indonesia or NACFAR) 1630-1700 Tea Break 1700-1900 Open Forum: Further discussion of issues and sharing of struggles and alternatives 1900-2000 Dinner 2000-2200 Open Forum: Resolutions and Statement of Unity November 12 Closing Plenary of Forum on Land, Food Security and Agriculture 0900-1040 Workshop Reports 1040-1100 Tea Break 1100-1300 Development of Shared Analysis 1300-1400 Lunch 1400-1600 Continuation of Development of Shared Analysis and Adoption of Final Statement 1600-1800 Common Action (to be announced) Nov. 13-14 APPA Plenary November 15 APPA Closing Ceremony and Final Activity ====================================================== Preliminary Registration Form for Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries "Fisherfolk Say No to Monopoly Capital's Thirst for Profit" Full Name: Mr ____ Ms ______ Organization: Mailing Address: Telephone: Fax: E-mail: Neither Pamalakaya nor Nacfar is in a position to subsidize expenses of participants, however those who really need financial assistance can indicate so below and we will see if we can help get sponsors. Kind of financial assistance needed: (airfare, food and accomodations, registration fee, etc.) The registration fee for APPA is US$50 which entitles you to attend all APPA events and activities. Cost of food and accomodation is approximately US$25-35 per person per day. Please list down other organizations and individuals whom you think should be sent APPA registration and information materials. Please specify their mailing and/or e-mail addresses. Please send the accomplished form to: PAMALAKAYA 18 Mabuhay Street Central District, Quezon City Philippines Tel/Fax (632) 434 3836; 434 6680 E-mail: cc From tpl at cheerful.com Mon Sep 21 09:36:07 1998 From: tpl at cheerful.com (tpl@cheerful.com) Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 08:36:07 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 672] Workshop on Strategies, Gains and Challenges in Women's Struggle Against Globalization (2nd announcement/invitation) Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19980921083607.006aaa1c@pop.skyinet.net> > >2nd Announcement and Invitation > >APWLD (Asia-Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development), GABRIELA, SRED (Society for Rural Education and Development - Madras) and the Tamilnadu Women's Forum invite you to the Workshop on Strategies, Gains and Challenges in the Women's Struggle Against Globalization. It will be one of the simultaneous forums in the 3rd International Women's Conference Against APEC to be held on November 8-9. The women's conference is the initial activity of the Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly (APPA) which will continue until November 10-15. > >3rd Women's Conference Against APEC >November 8-9, 1998 >Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia > >Workshop on Strategies, Gains and Challenges >in Women's Struggle Against Globalization >November 8 (2:30 - 10:00 p.m.) > > >Objectives > >To learn from one another's strategies and gains in the women's struggle against globalization. > >To determine challenges for the next decade in the women's struggle against globalization. > >To determine burning issues that will be the basis for regional and/or international women's action in the next years. > >Programme > >November 7 Registration to the 3rd International Women's Conference > and the Workshop on Strategies, Gains and Challenges > >November 8 > >Morning Session >0900 Welcome >0930 Opening Plenary with Vandana Shiva and irene Fernandez > as keynote speakers >1045 Plenary Session: Sharing of Women's Struggles Against Globalization > - Assembly of the Poor (Thailand) > - Wheat Revival Movement (South Korea) > - GABRIELA's Campaign Against Imperialist > Globalization (Philippines) > - On Migration (Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia) > - Fundamentalism and Violence Against Women (SRED, India) >1230 Open Forum > >Afternoon Session > >1430 Start of Simultaneous Workshops > > Workshop on "Strategies, Gains and Challenges > in Women's Struggle Against Globalization" > > Introduction by Elisa Tita Lubi of APWLD and GABRIELA > >1500 A Challenge to Women: Resist Globalization, Liberalization and > Privatization by Dr. Pao-Yu Ching, university professor and > social activist, U.S. and Taiwan > >1530 Impact of Globalization and Challenges for South Asian Women > by Nimalka Fernando, President, IMADR > >1600 Tea Break > >1615 The Indonesian Situation > by women from Kalyanamitra Foundation, Aceh, > West Papua and East Timor > >1715 Tamilnadu Rural Women's Caravan > by Fatima Burnad > Executive Director, SRED > >1745 Organizing and Mobilizing Women Youth and Students > by Maricel Gavina > Secretary General, GABRIELA - Youth > >1815 From the Point of View of Socialist Women > by Joan Hinton > a former nuclear physicist who has worked in agriculture > in China in the past 50 years > >1845 Legal Strategies in the Hands of Women > Radhika Coomaraswamy (to be confirmed) > UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women > >1915 Dinner > >2015 Open Forum: Issues > Resolutions > Action plans for regional and international > women's campaigns > >2200 Adjourn > >November 9 > >0900 Plenary Session of the 3rd International Women's Conference > - Workshop Reports and Resolutions >1300 Lunch >1430 Plenary Continued: Additional Discussion and Synthesis >1700 Closing Ceremony and Cultural Event > > >Please write to APWLD copy furnish the 3rd Women's Conference Secretariat >if you plan to attend: > >> APWLD >> Tel (66-53) 404 613 to 614 >> Fax (66-53) 404 615 >> Email >> >> Sarojeni Rengam >> Tel (60-4) 657 0271 >> Fax (60-4) 657 7445 >> Email >> >Participants to the 3rd Women's Conference are enjoined to stay for the Asia Pacific People's Assembly (APPA) which will be held on November 10-15. The APPA schedule is indicated below: > > Nov 10 (whole day) Registration > (evening) APPA Opening Ceremony > 11-12 Issue and Sector Forums/Workshops > (We are holding the women's conference > earlier than APPA so the women can join these > forums/workshops.) > 13-14 APPA Plenary Sessions > 15 Closing and People's Action > >For APPA registration and information materials, please write to the APPA Secretariat You can also subscribe to the APPA listserve by sending a message to with the following in the body of your message: subscribe asia-apec. > >For purposes of budgeting: food and accomodation in Malaysia will cost approximately M$120-150 (~US$30-38) per person per day. There is also an APPA registration fee of US$50 per person which will entitle you to attend all APPA activities and events. The Malaysian government charges US$11 for airport tax. Taxi from the international airport to Kuala Lumpur is US$42 roundtrip. >> >>See you in Kuala Lumpur! > >--------------------------------------- > >Rationale > >Women have been in the forefront of the struggle against globalization. This comes as no surprise as women shoulder the heaviest burden of denationalization, liberalization, deregulation and privatization, the main components of the globalization scheme that throw women and men to the sharkteeth of the so-called free market. > >Women workers suffer mass lay-offs, insecurity of tenure due to casualization and contractualization, slave wages, debilitating working conditions, sexual harassment and violations of their right to strike and unionize. Rural and indigenous women continue to be deprived of their right to own land due to monopoly land ownership by big landowners and agrocorporations, land conversion to tourist resorts, residential subdivisions and so-called industrial centers, crop conversion to export products, and maldevelopment projects like logging and mining by multinational corporations and construction of huge dams. The urban poor are driven away from their communities as their houses are demolished to give way to commercial centers. > >Women have to work even longer hours to keep their families afloat with additional income that can absorb currency devaluation and spiraling prices of basic commodities and services. Small wonder that women from various sectors are forced to go abroad to earn a living, despite the low wages, terrible working conditions, violation of contracts, racial discrimination, cultural trauma, the loneliness of being away from their loved ones and even physical and sexual violence. Some women are also forced into prostitution in their own countries and abroad. > >Globalization, instead of easing, only intensifies the global economic and financial crisis. It benefits a few, not the majority of the peoples of the world. It is the handiwork of the centers of global power - the US, Japan and the European Union led by Germany - and the multi national and transnational corporations (MNCs/TNCs), all of them expanding their wealth and power to further exploit and dominate the poorer nations. They have their client states of the Third World and the local ruling elite as their partners. > >"The current economic and political agenda in the Asia-Pacific region disempowers women, feminizes poverty and disintegrates families and communities. It has also given rise to dangerous 'anti-globalisation forces' based on narrow, chauvinistic nationalisms. In South Asia, fundamentalism increases violence against women. In East Asia, 'nationalist' reactions to the crisis amplify harsh treatment of migrant workers. In Australia, the lobby against Asian immigration escalates. These emerging local and national trends are especially worrying for women." (Rag, 1 Jul 1998). > >It is therefore important to share and replicate pro-people and pro-women strategies of resistance and alternatives to globalization as more and more women and men among the workers, peasants, indigenous peoples, urban poor communities, youth & students, professionals, church people, health sector, teachers, government employees and local entrepreneurs have become aware of the true nature and ill effects of globalization. More and more have taken up the fight against globalization and found alternatives: the Assembly of the Poor in Thailand, Wheat Revival Movement in South Korea, anti-dam campaign in Malaysia and Cambodia, the Cordillera people's campaign against open pit mining in the Philippines, campaigns against trafficking of women and the International People's Campaign Against Imperialist Globalization led by the Philippine people's movement. > >APWLD, GABRIELA, SRED and the Tamilnadu Women's Forum have organized the workshop on Strategies, Gains and Challenges in the Women's Struggle Against Globalization to provide a venue through which women can share and learn from each other and plan concerted actions. > >End results > >Statement of Unity >Resolutions that will guide national, regional and international > women's action >Initial regional and/or international campaign plans > From gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz Mon Sep 21 12:57:28 1998 From: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (Gatt Watchdog) Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 15:57:28 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 673] MAI - NZ Media Coverage 21/9/98 Message-ID: Investment talks resume after 3 months - The Dominion, Wellington, NZ 21 September 1998 By Cathie Bell Government officials have resumed talks about the Multilateral Agreement on Investment three months after the Cabinet issued instructions for a "pause" in negotiations. Treasurer and Finance Minister Bill Birch said in response to a written parliamentary question from Alliance leader Jim Anderton that the first meeting with other countries' officials about the agreement had been held in Wellington at the end of July. Officials from the Treasury and Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry had talked about the agreement with a Canadian foreign affairs and international trade department official when he was in Wellington for air services negotiations, because the official was also Canada's chief negotiator on the agreement, he said. Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry officials also took the opportunity of regular annual discussions with their Australian counterparts on multilateral trade issues to discuss Australia's views on the agreement at a meeting in Canberra on August 20. "On the same day, the foreign affairs and trade ministry officials met with Australian Treasury officials to discuss Australian views on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment," Mr Birch said. General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs Watchdog [sic - GATT Watchdog] spokeswoman Leigh Cookson said the agreement was about to "rear its ugly head again". She said American contacts had told her group that negotiators from the United States, Europe and Canada had been having bilateral meetings to discuss the agreement and exceptions to it. "United States negotiators have described recent discussions on the agreement as 'clearing cobwebs' and working out how to move on to resolve the many disagreements which have threatened to derail negotiations." Ms Cookson said the resumption of talks in October was expected to lead to a further meeting in April with the aim of concluding the agreement before the World Trade Organisation started its next trade-liberalisation round. "The New Zealand Government and others who want to push ahead further and faster with free trade and investment show few signs of rethinking their economic direction in the wake of the international economic crises which many critics of unregulated markets have long predicted." From jaggi at vcn.bc.ca Mon Sep 21 18:06:16 1998 From: jaggi at vcn.bc.ca (Jaggi Singh) Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 02:06:16 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [asia-apec 674] Remember what APEC protests were all about Message-ID: >From the TORONTO STAR September 17, 1998 www.thestar.com Remember what APEC protests were all about by Naomi Klein We've been outraged by the pepper spray bath on the nightly news. We have heard the Prime Minister deny he gave direct orders to the RCMP. What is getting lost is the reason students were protesting in the first place. What with Reform Party members latching on to SprayPEC to get them through those autumnal blahs, it seems like a good time for a refresher. The Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation summit held in Vancouver last November was a forum for world leaders to meet with bankers, economists, and corporate leaders. Like so much of the acronym alphabet soup which makes up our de facto global government, APEC has resisted all calls for it to meet the standards of transparency and accountability which democratic countries demand of their national governments. It has also refused to couple its push for increased trade liberalization with a strategy for dealing with the human and ecological impacts of that trade. The effect of APEC policies on workers in Asian export sweatshops, on aboriginal people living on resource-rich land, and on farmers up against the agribusiness giants are simply not on the agenda. Why? Because APEC is not an alliance of nations but of denationalized "economies." It attempts to seperate the flow of money from all other aspects of what makes up a civil society -- from wealth distribution, to labour, to human rights. Unencumbered by the cloying demands of their citizenry, politicians at APEC are free to act according to the same rules as private corporations. Just like on the stock market, economic growth -- not people's welfare -- is the only measure of success. Given all of this, when it was announced that Vancouver would be APEC's next backdrop, there were deep divisions among the summit's opponents over how best to rise to the occasion. Should those committed to labour, human rights and environmental sustainability push for "social clauses" to be tacked onto any APEC agreement? Or should they dismiss such clauses as "table scraps" and oppose APEC outright? The unions, the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development and several other established groups opted for the first approach and staged an official People's Summit. There were speeches by activists from around the world, lively debates, daily press briefings, meetings with Lloyd Axworthy, mock trials, and lots of legal-sounding resolutions. It was so official, in fact, that you could almost have forgotten that none of it mattered one iota to the politicians and business leaders locked in their embarrassment-free enclave over at the real APEC Summit. Then there were the distinctly more confrontational activities of groups called No to APEC! and APEC Alert! The activists involved, many from grassroots immigrant women's groups and students from the University of British Columbia, argued that APEC's opponents should expose the summit as a glimpse at the global economy in fast-forward. It was too late to tinker around the edges. Some, like student and community activist Jaggi Singh, claimed that to engage with APEC at all was to legitimize the anti-democratic process which had excluded them in the first place. If you have not been invited to a party which is redesigning your future, don't throw your own pretend party like an obedient child -- crash the real one. When the bouncers toss you out, well, they will have made your point for you. Which is precisely what ended up happening. Because the students were willing to put themselves on the line to force a head-on collision between two radically different visions of globalization, the rest of us got a close-up shot of the ugly face of APEC's brand of global governance. When the RCMP swooped down on the protesters, they gave Canadians images we would never have seen if APEC's critics had restricted their activities to carpeted hotel conference rooms and polite marches. We saw citizens transformed into outsiders looking in, and into trespassers dragged out. As the RCMP Public Complaints Commission examines whether or not students' civil liberties were violated and by whom, let's remember that the debate about who would be heard at APEC began long before the police started ripping down signs and wielding their canisters of pepper spay with Shwartzenegger-like zeal. For its opponents, APEC was always about being shut up and shut out. The protesters were relegated to having to scrawl their concerns on signs from the wrong side of a security zone precisely because those concerns had no place on the side of the fence that actually mattered. -30- From panap at panap.po.my Mon Sep 21 16:01:11 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 16:01:11 Subject: [asia-apec 675] SOM Press Release (3 of 3) Message-ID: <2527@panap.po.my> APEC SECRETARIAT PRESS RELEASE 32/98 1530 Hours, 15 SEPTEMBER 1998 KUANTAN, MALAYSIA PRESS BRIEFING BY MR ABDUL RAZAK RAMLI, APEC SOM CHAIR 1998, MALAYSIA 1.The Meeting discussed the following issues on its final day: financial instability, electronic commerce, and organizational issues. 2.On financial stability, the meeting was updated on recent economic developments in member economies. Members also discussed the APEC initiative on economic governance capacity building, which is aimed at strengthening economic governance capacity building initiatives and demonstrating an APEC effort in responding to the crisis. This initiative is in addition to the important measures already undertaken under the Finance Ministers process to strengthen regional financial infrastructure and to improve capacities. The meeting also stressed the need to expand the scope of discussions to the social impact of the crisis and the need for social safety nets. 3.With regard to electronic commerce, APEC has agreed to a work program to promote the use of electronic commerce in member economies. Capacity building measures will be a strong feature of this work programme, particularly the promotion of its use among SMEs. Another focus will be the public sector’s use of electronic commerce towards developing a paperless trading system. APEC is also looking into assisting members in dealing with the issue of the Y2K problem. 4.Senior Officials had a very fruitful discussion on the review of the APEC management process. Several recommendations were agreed upon for further consideration by Ministers in November, with a view towards strengthening and streamlining the APEC process. There was a general agreement that the APEC process could be made more manageable to enable effective participation by all economies, particularly, by those smaller economies with resource constraints. The review will also stress the need for outcomes and deliverables in APEC. From panap at panap.po.my Mon Sep 21 16:03:10 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 16:03:10 Subject: [asia-apec 676] SOM Press Release (2 of 3) Message-ID: <2528@panap.po.my> APEC SECRETARIAT PRESS RELEASE 31/98 1800 Hours, 14 SEPTEMBER 1998 KUANTAN, MALAYSIA  PRESS BRIEFING BY MR ABDUL RAZAK RAMLI, APEC SOM CHAIR 1998, MALAYSIA 1.The meeting discussed two agenda items today, namely the report of the Economic Committee and the Early Voluntary Sectoral Liberalization (EVSL) initiative. 2.The meeting heard a report from the Chair of the Economic Committee (EC). A major task of the Economic Committee is the publication of the annual Economic Outlook. The preparation of this year’s Outlook, coordinated by the People’s Republic of China, has been challenging, in view of the financial crisis and the several revisions made to the forecast on economic growth. This year’s Outlook will have a special feature on economic trends in the region, with a review of the current thinking on the causes and consequences of the Asian financial crisis. The Outlook would be ready for the Ministerial/Leaders meeting in November. 3.The EC also reported on the recommendations which will be made to Leaders in November on joint actions regarding the Impact of Expanding Population and Economic Growth on Food, Energy, and Environment (FEEEP). These joint actions would be in the areas of research and development, investment in infrastructure and trade. 4.The meeting also heard the outcome of the Public – Business/Private Sector Dialogue on the Infrastructure that was held in Chinese Taipei in May this year. The work in this area will focus on developing an agenda on investment in infrastructure. This work is particularly relevant to economies affected by the crisis as it helps to ensure that investment in this area remains significant despite the economic downturn. 5.On the preliminary discussions on EVSL, progress has been made towards finalizing the sectoral arrangements on the basis of the agreement reached by Trade Ministers in Kuching. Some more work on energy and environment needs to be carried out before we have a complete package. The final package would be endorsed by the Ministers in November. From panap at panap.po.my Mon Sep 21 16:04:16 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 16:04:16 Subject: [asia-apec 677] SOM Press Release (1 of 3) Message-ID: <2529@panap.po.my> APEC SECRETARIAT PRESS RELEASE 29/98 2.00 PM, 12 SEPTEMBER 1998 KUANTAN, MALAYSIA PRESS BRIEFING BY MR ABDUL RAZAK RAMLI, APEC SOM CHAIR 1998, MALAYSIA ------------------------------------------------------- 1.The third APEC Senior Officials in Kuantan, Malaysia from 13-15 September 1998, will be the last Senior Officials Meeting for the year. Meetings of the APEC sub-fora were also held prior to the SOM. 2.A number of issues will be dealt with at this meeting. These include the issue of Early Voluntary Sectoral Liberalisation (EVSL), finalisation of the Committee on Trade and Investment Report to Ministers and the Report on Economic and Technical Cooperation, and presentations of Individual Action Plans. Other issues on the agenda also include infrastructure, electronic commerce and the impact of expanding population and economic growth on food, energy and the environment (FEEEP) and harnessing of technologies. 3.Senior Officials will also be finalising recommendations to Ministers on the several issues relating to the management review, business private sector involvement in APEC and on APEC’s response towards alleviating the impact of the financial crisis. 4.On the EVSL issue, SOM will be continuing work to finalise by this month, the sectoral arrangements on the nine fast-track sectors, as was directed by Trade Ministers in June. A series of technical group meetings are on-going to compile economies’ positions and responses to the nine sectors and further develop work in the other six sectors. 5.Individual Action Plans continue to feature significantly in APEC work, being recognised as the core mechanism for achieving APEC goals. Senior Officials will be briefed on progress made in improvements to the IAPs in this third year of implementation. 6.On the management review, the SOM, on the instructions of Ministers last year, is undertaking a review of APEC processes. SOM will provide a preliminary report for Ministers’ consideration in November. Three economies, being the current and future APEC Chairs, are taking the lead to prepare the initial report, namely Malaysia, New Zealand and Brunei Darussalam. This report would be discussed by Senior Officials in Kuantan. Basically, the issues going to be discussed are the APEC structures, proliferation and consolidation issues. 7.SOM would also discuss how to widen involvement of the business/private sector in the APEC process. 8.On the response of APEC to alleviating the impact of the financial crisis, APEC through its Finance Ministers, agreed to develop and strengthen regional financial and capital markets. In addition, APEC is also considering measures on economic governance and strengthening social safety nets to minimise the impacts on the population. From pspd at soback.kornet.nm.kr Mon Sep 21 19:48:14 1998 From: pspd at soback.kornet.nm.kr (PSPD) Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 19:48:14 +0900 Subject: [asia-apec 678] Apeal letters for political prisoners Message-ID: <36062EED.4498397D@soback.kornet.nm.kr> KHIS NEWS No 5. Appeal Letter ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- >From : 190-6 Haksung-dong Joong-gu Ulsan-shi Kyungsangnam Province 681-180 Korea / tel 82-52-294-7278 / fax 82-52-293-1213 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To : social organizations and individuals CC: To Whom It May Concern Date : 1998.9.21 Title : Response to the Issue of the Health and Treatment of Patients Detained Among the Members of KCTU Ulsan Regional Council ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. We express our thanks to those of you working in solidarity for democracy and reunification for Korea.. 2. The people who were arrested in connection with the so-called 'Youngnam Committee' on July 22 and 23, went into a hunger strike on Thursday, September 17, demanding appropriate medical care for arrestees requiring medical attention. 3. Urgent, stable and appropriate treatment is needed for Kyung-soon Park(owner of 'Nulpoorun' Bookstore), Eun-mi Lee(president of Ulsan Women's Preparatory Committee) and Jung-ryun Hong(chairperson of Family Association of Hundai Heavy Industry). 4. Kyung-soon Park is suffering from liver cirrhosis. He had been diagnosed with 6 months to live and was being treated with Oriental medicine and under a special diet before he went to jail. His condition has been getting worse due to the lack of treatment after he was sent to the detention center by the prosecutor's office. 5. Eun-mi Lee had been being continuously suffering of chronic disc problems and she was arrested while her operation schedule was set and she was trying to raise money for the hospital fees. According to the result of the general diagnosis conducted by a doctor after her arrest, an operation is deemed necessary( Check to apply for bail). 6. Jung-ryun Hong has enteritis and arthritus in her knees, and back problems due to a car accident. She was jailed while undergoing treatment. She has not received any guarantees for proper treatment. 7. It is most likely that the condition of these three patients will dramatically worsen unless the urgent proper treatments are guaranteed now. 8. The ad-hoc committee and the other arrestees have been requesting guarantees for proper treatment for the patients, but the authorities have refused. Eventually, the arrestees decided to go on hunger strike. 9. The arrestees' demands are as following: 1) permission for treatment(including the treatment outside the jail) for the patients 2) pemission for Oriental Medicine for Kyung-soon Park 10. As of Saturday, September 19, a total of 17 prisoners, including the members of the so-called 'Youngnam Committee,' are on hunger strike, and during the strike Hee Lee collapsed and was moved to the prison dispensary. 11. The ad hoc committee, appeal to you for the following action: - Send letters and phone calls of protest to the Jure Detention Center in Pusan to the hief of the detention center, security supervisor, dispensary supervisor Il-mo Hur) Address : Pukpusan B.O. Box 58 Sasang-gu Pusan 616-600 Korea Tel : 82-51-324-5501~2 Send protest or appeal letters to the Blue House, Kim Dae Joong President President Kim Dae-Jung The Blue House 1 Sejong-no, Chongno-gu, Seoul. Republic of Korea Fax.: +82-2-770-0253 E-mail: webmaster@cwd.go.kr Ulsan Bang Suhk-soo KCTU Ulsan Regional Council, Education-Publicity Director Kim Myong-ho KMWF Ulsan Regional Office, Policy Director Lee Hee KMWF Ulsan Regional Office, Publicity Director Chung Tae-yeun NADRK Ulsan Alliance Lee Chul-hyun NADRK Ulsan Alliance Youth Group Hong Jeung-hyun Hyundai Heavy Industries Workers Families Association Lee Eun-mee Open Women's Association Lee Chang-kyu Advance 2001 (young workers association) Lim Dong-shik Advance 2001 General Secretary Lee Jung -hee Advance 2001 Chairperson Hwang Seung-soon student Chang Hyun-soo student Kim Won-cheol student Lim Kyu-seup graduate of Ulsan University Kim Mee-kyung wife of Park Kyung-son Park Kyung-soon Owner of a book store Pusan Lee Eui Hyun Pusan Workers Association, Education Officer Kim Seung-nan Pusan Workers Association, Former General Secretary Kim Yong-kyu Pusan Workers Association, member ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please send copy of letters or fax or e-mail to Korean House for International Solidarity (KHIS) in PSPD. KHIS: Tel no : 822-723-4255, 822-723-5621 Fax no : 822-723-5055 E-mail : pspd@soback.kornet.nm.kr c/o : Serapina Cha, Mi-kyung. Jang So-young From panap at panap.po.my Mon Sep 21 15:11:15 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 15:11:15 Subject: [asia-apec 679] APPA ISSUE AND SECTOR FORUMS Message-ID: <2526@panap.po.my> Labour Date: 11&12 November 1998 Local lead organisers: Labour Resource Centre, National Union of Transport Equipment Workers are most affected by the globalisation phenomena. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), was specifically set up to speed up the pace of trade liberalisation and to create the world's most resourceful and liberal market that is conducive to capital movement and profit maximisation. The emphasis on export-oriented production, rapid growth and a complete reliance on foreign investment has led to the denial of union rights, heavy workload, lack of social security, inadequate wages and poor health and safety standards for millions of workers around the region. The major themes of the labour forum are: -linking the current economic crisis with globalisation and liberalisation -assessing the full impact of the economic crisis on workers -To develop strategies for workers around the region against globalisation. Human Rights, Democracy and Militarisation Date: 11&12 November 1998 Local lead organisers: Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) Globalisation and its impact on citizens, manifested more directly through the economic crisis, has further deteriorated human rights in the region. The human rights forum will be broken up into two parts: -Exposure and discussion on the local human rights situation, followed by -An international meeting The meeting will be a gathering of human rights victims and activists from around the Asia Pacific, to discuss issues and trends affecting human rights in the region. A serious reflection of the UDHR after 50 years, will be done to help capture and analyse the actual human rights situation in our respective countries. There will also be case presentations from South Korea, Indonesia and perhaps a Latin American country. Privatisation and Financial Deregulation Date: 11 &12 November 1998 Local lead organisers: Charles Santiago The theme for this forum is 'The Peoples Alternative to Financial Deregulation and Privatisation'. Several major issues will be addressed with the following topics: -Government, Civil Society and the Retrenchment of the Public Sector: The Privatisation of Healthcare and Social Services. -People’s Response and Action Against Financial Deregulation and Privatisation -Alternative Models of Development - alternative international financial architecture that is sustain- able and people centred. -The Fight Against the MAI and WTO -The Future of the State and Civil Society in the Era of Financial Deregulation and Privatisation. The 3rd Women's Conference Against APEC Date: 8-9 November 1998 Local lead organisers: Pesticide Action Network- Asia and the Pacific (PAN-AP), Tenaganita The third International Women's Conference Against APEC, has the theme: 'Women Resist Globalisation. Assert Women's Rights'. The women's groups around the Asia Pacific have kicked off their own campaigns against globalisation and have convened meetings in the last two parallel peoples summits held in Manila, 1996 and Vancouver, 1997. The main objectives of the conference are: - To assess new emerging trends of globalisation and liberalisation, which will have major implications on the lives of women and women's rights. -To enhance women's participation and leadership in forwarding development alternatives with women's vision -To strengthen women's global perspective and analysis -To develop strategies for resistance against globalisation -To strengthen solidarity among women Student & Youth Date: 7-10 November 1998 Local lead organisers: Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Youth, Selangor Graduates Society, Youth Centre This forum will address three main areas of concern: -Privatisation and Education -Job Security -Human Rights Urban Poor Date: 11&12 November 1998 Local lead organisers: Parti Rakyat Malaysia, Nadi Komunikasi, Support Committee for Urban Settlers (JSPB) Globalisation and industrialisation can be said to be directly responsible for the rapidly growing urban poor communities around the region. TNC's, by setting base in developing countries, have created huge demands for industrial workers, causing massive population shifts from rural to urban areas. Although these rural migrants were encouraged to come live in the city, through several major economic policies adopted by government, the infrastructure needed to accommodate a bigger population, especially for housing, went unnoticed. Housing needs became a huge problem, leaving large numbers of people to build their own shelters which later grew into communes, known as squatter areas. The urban poor forum, which will be held at a squatter community, will address these contradictions. It will focus on forced evictions and involuntary displacement of communities that make way for rapid development. There will be a visit to several urban poor communities around Kuala Lumpur. The forum will bring together leaders of urban poor communities in Malaysia and around the region, peoples' organisations and NGOs working on land rights and housing rights issues. Common regional trends of involuntary displacement will be assessed, to develop a common response and strategy to protect the rights of urban poor communities with the growing threat of globalisation. Indigenous People Date: 6-7 November 1998 Local lead organisers: Borneo Research Institute The indigenous peoples' forum will have the theme of displacement from their native lands, and involuntarily relocated into commercial plantation schemes, as a result of development projects. Case studies from around the region will be presented. Migrant Labour Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 Local lead organisers: Tenaganita The forum will focus on 3 main areas facing migrant workers in the region. They are: -the increasing erosion of the rights of migrant workers, especially in the context of globalisation, and the Asian economic crisis; -the continuous decline on the quality of life of the migrants and their families. This includes healthcare, education, housing and other amenities; - the control and lack of democratic participation of migrants in decision making, in the right to form associations or join unions, especially with receiving countries that are becoming more repressive. There will be a photo exhibition, from November 10-15, the launch of posters and the migrant yearbook on 11 November, a press conference on November 15, and will close with a solidarity evening with migrant workers. Globalisation and Children Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 Local lead organiser: Salinlahi (Philippines) Participants of this forum would comprise street children, child workers and children of migrant workers, within the age group of 11-15 years old. Participants will be divided into five workshops of 15 children each where a specific module will be used which will view these children as survivors rather than victims. Consumers Date: 11 November 1998 Local lead organiser: Third World Network The forum will dwell on the nature and risks of globalisation and liberalisation on consumers. It will focus on latest developments by major institutions such as the World Bank, World Trade Organisation, International Monetary Fund etc. where further liberalisation initiatives are being launched by the TNCs and G7 countries. The forum will also explore ways in which citizens of the Asia-Pacific region can link up better to avoid further crises. Land, Food Security and Agriculture Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 Local lead organiser: PAN-AP The forum on food security and agriculture is a two-day event to examine the impacts of globalisation on food security and agriculture and to develop alternatives. The forum will open with an overview of trade agreements and reports from representatives of farmers' movements from Chiapas, Korea, Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia. In the afternoon, participants will break into workshops. There will be five workshops on land issues and resources, aquatic resources, trade agreements and institutions, agribusiness TNCs, and grassroots resistance and alternatives. On the second day, participants will join in a plenary session to build a common analysis and share action plans from the workshops. (Please note that the Strategies of Peasant Movements Forum has amalgamated with this forum) Community Livelihood Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 Local lead organiser: Sustainable Development Network (SUSDEN) There is a fundamental flaw in our development approach. This is because our current economic model is dominantly capital-centred and not people-centred. To remedy the flaw, the strategy is to transform the decision-making framework to a people-centred approach. Then and only then can we attain a development that is socially just, ecologically sustainable, economically viable, politically participatory and culturally vibrant. The APEC meeting in November in Malaysia is a timely forum to bring together development practitioners and community entrepreneurs in the region to see how regional groupings such as APEC impact on the people. The forum will not only examine the impacts on livelihoods maintained through community enterprises but also on options for fair trade, environmental conservation and people-centred sustainable development. Media Date: 11 &12 November 1998 Local lead organiser: None The media forum will have two main issues: the globalisation of information and press freedom in the region. Environment and Forestry CANCELLED Please contact the APPA Secreatariat for registration information at From jkellock at amnesty.org Tue Sep 22 00:17:15 1998 From: jkellock at amnesty.org (jkellock@amnesty.org) Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 16:17:15 +0100 Subject: [asia-apec 680] Job Advert Researcher on Korea and Japan - if interested please reply as stated. Message-ID: <80256686.0053D1B1.00@fox.amnesty.org> Researcher - East Asia(Excluding China) ?22,431 pro rata / per annum Amnesty International (AI) needs a researcher at the International Secretariat to take the lead responsibility for implementing strategies and programs of human rights research and action. Working as part of the East Asia Team you will monitor, investigate and analyse political, social, economic and legal developments and human rights conditions in North and South Korea, Japan and other East Asian countries. You will need first hand working or research experience in East Asia, proven research skills and sound political judgement. You should have experience of analysing complex political and social situations, interviewing for information and summarizing research information into a concise format for action. In addition to your specialist country knowledge you will need an understanding of the cultures of the region, impartiality, ability to think strategically and experience in working as part of a team. You will need to be fluent in English and have a good working knowledge of Korean and/or Japanese. ASIA/98/6 Closing date : 25 November 1998 For further information and an application form please contact:Human Resources Program, Amnesty International, International Secretariat, 1 Easton Street, London WC1X 8DJ. Tel +44 171 413 5911 Fax +44 171 956 1157 The International Secretariat of Amnesty International actively promotes cultural diversity and Equal Opportunities. From gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz Tue Sep 22 13:36:59 1998 From: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (Gatt Watchdog) Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 16:36:59 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 681] Re: 1733 ECONOMY: Skate invites Clinton to visit PNG In-Reply-To: <3607A04A.5C26@usp.ac.fj> Message-ID: >From null@maneaba.pactok.net Tue Sep 22 12:52:30 1998 Received: by corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (1.65/waf) via UUCP; Tue, 22 Sep 98 13:44:59 +1200 for gattwd Received: from maneaba.pactok.net (pactok.lnk.telstra.net [139.130.37.212]) by tofu.ch.planet.gen.nz (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id MAA10206 for ; Tue, 22 Sep 1998 12:52:30 +1200 (NZST) Received: from [144.120.8.5] by maneaba.pactok.net (NTList 3.02.13) id fa089887; Tue, 22 Sep 1998 10:55:04 +1000 Received: from teri.usp.ac.fj by usp.ac.fj (PMDF V5.1-10 #28367) with SMTP id <01J23W87F2R8000R4O@usp.ac.fj> for nius@pactok.net.au; Tue, 22 Sep 1998 12:56:48 +1200 Received: from [144.120.10.232] by teri.usp.ac.fj (5.65v3.2/1.1.10.5/19Nov97-1014AM) id AA29917; Tue, 22 Sep 1998 12:54:22 +1200 Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 13:04:07 +0000 From: David Robie Subject: 1733 ECONOMY: Skate invites Clinton to visit PNG To: Pasifik Nius Reply-to: robie_d@usp.ac.fj Message-id: <3607A04A.5C26@usp.ac.fj> Organization: Journalism, University of the South Pacific MIME-version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.04 (Macintosh; I; PPC) Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit X-Info: The Papua Niugini Nius X-Unsubscribe: to leave this list send 'leave nius' to listserver@pactok.net X-ListMember: gattwd@corso.ch.planet.gen.nz [nius@maneaba.pactok.net] Title -- 1733 ECONOMY: Skate invites Clinton to visit PNG Date -- 22 September 1998 Byline -- None Origin -- Pasifik Nius Source -- The National (PNG), 22/9/98 Copyright -- The National Status -- Unabridged ------------------- SKATE INVITES CLINTON TO VISIT PNG PORT MORESBY: Prime Minister Bill Skate has invited US President Bill Clinton to stop over in PNG on his way to the Apec summit next year, the National reports. Mr Skate gave the invitation during a meeting in Washington with Stanley Roth, the deputy to Secretary of State Madeline Albright on Friday. Mr Roth paid a courtesy call on Mr Skate at his hotel and apologised for Secretary Albright who he said was unable to meet him. During the discussions, the Prime Minister and Mr Roth discussed Mr Skate's meeting with President Bill Clinton in November last year and Mrs Albright's visit to Papua New Guinea this year. Mr Roth expressed Mrs Albright's appreciation for the welcome she received in Port Moresby. The Prime Minister has invited Mrs Albright to visit again. Mr Roth praised Mr Skate for his leadership in the Bougainville peace process. Mr Skate said it was the people of Bougainville who had opted for peace, and that as Prime Minister his role was to approach the crisis with patience and an open mind. Mr Skate said the peace process had to be determined by Bougainvilleans. The Prime Minister thanked the US government for its during the recent natural disasters including the Rabaul volcanic eruption, the drought and the Aitape tidal wave disaster. Referring to the law and order issue, Mr Skate said he believed that Papua New Guinea could learn a great deal from the US. The Prime Minister also expressed the views of Papua New Guinea and other nations in the region on the issue of climate change and global warming. Mr Roth acknowledged and welcomed Papua New Guinea's lead role in taking a strong stand on these environmental issues. +++niuswire This document is for educational and personal use only. Recipients should seek permission from the copyright source before reprinting. PASIFIK NIUS service is provided by the niusedita via the Journalism Program, University of the South Pacific. Please acknowledge Pasifik Nius: niusedita@pactok.net.au http://www.usp.ac.fj/journ/nius/index.html From tpl at cheerful.com Tue Sep 22 13:07:40 1998 From: tpl at cheerful.com (GABRIELA) Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 12:07:40 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 682] Preview of Poster: 3rd International Women's Conference Against APEC Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19980922120740.006c59b4@pop.skyinet.net> Dear Sisters/Friends, Attached is the poster of the 3rd International Women's Conference Against APEC with the theme "Women, Resist Globalization! Assert Women's Rights!" Filename poster1.pdf can be viewed using Acrobat Reader 3.0 which you can download for free from the Adobe website . Be sure to click icon to "make current page fit inside window." If you are not able to download Acrobat 3.0, you can open instead filename poster.jpg, but the image will not be as sharp. The conference secretariat, thru PAN-AP and TENAGANITA, will try to send to women's organizations in your countries a teaser version of the poster. The final poster will be distributed later. Remember, this is just a preview. The real thing with sharper and more colorful image will be available in the women's conference itself. Let's attend the 3rd International Women's Conference Against APEC on November 8-9 and the Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly (APPA) on November 10-15. See you there! GABRIELA and APWLD Members, Women's Conference Organizing Committee Note: Registration and information package on the women's conference can be requested from the secretariat while that for the APPA from . -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: poster1.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 78576 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/asia-apec/attachments/19980922/d7987a06/poster1.bin -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: poster.jpg Type: application/octet-stream Size: 59753 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/asia-apec/attachments/19980922/d7987a06/poster.bin From alarm at HK.Super.NET Wed Sep 23 06:01:57 1998 From: alarm at HK.Super.NET (ALARM (APEC Labour Rights Monitor)) Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 14:01:57 -0700 Subject: [asia-apec 683] Update on PT Maspion Case, Indonesia Message-ID: <199809220646.OAA12911@kwaifong.hk.super.net> The following is the letter from the Department of Manpower Republic of Indonesia in response to Mr Jantien Meijer of Clean Clothes Campaign, Netherlands. ---- Mr Jantien Meijer Clean Clothes Campaign PO Box 11584, Amsterday Netherlands Dear Mr. Meijer, In responding to your letter of 13 July 190 regarding the death of Mr. Lasimo, a worker of PT Maspion in East Java, I am pleased to inform you as follows: On the 3rd of June 1998, the SPSI trade union and PT Alumindo reached agreement on several items. On the 4th of June some of the workers who are not happy with the agreement started to mobilize the workers from the 4 plant units of PT Maspion for a strike. In the morning of the 5th of June 1998, the strikers were planning to go to the Provincial House of People Representatives of East Java at Indrapura Street, Suraboya, during which Mr. Lasimo fell down and was immediately brought to the hospital by his colleague for medical treatment. He went home from the hospital on the 6th of June 1998, but then died at home on the 7th of June 1998. The strike went through until they reached agreement on the 9th of June 1998 at the Provincial House of People Representatives. The company was informed on the death of Mr. Lasimo by his wife on the 12th of June. On 15th June 1998, a meeting was held and attended by Mr. Lasimo's family, representatives of Branch of FSPSI (trade union) of Sidoarjo, representative of FSPSI at Central Level, Security Coordinatory of PT Maspion, and Chief of Regional Police of Surabaya. The meeting concluded among others the following point: (i) a close investigation of the case will be taken; and, (ii) the death and old age insurance benefits should be paid promptly. On the 16th of June, the management has paid benefits about Rp 1.5 million, and on 7 July 1998, the Social Security Scheme has paid death benefits of about Rp. 1.8 million. The military continues to investigate if there was of the security official on the case. I hope this information will be useful and meet your expectation. Thank you. Yours sincerely, On behalf of the Minister of Manpower for Secretary General, From jkellock at amnesty.org Tue Sep 22 18:59:15 1998 From: jkellock at amnesty.org (jkellock@amnesty.org) Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 10:59:15 +0100 Subject: [asia-apec 684] Amnesty International News Release on Malaysia Message-ID: <80256687.0036503A.00@fox.amnesty.org> AI INDEX: ASA 28/20/98News Service: 184/98 21 September 1998 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Malaysia: Amnesty International calls for Anwar to be charged promptly or released The Malaysian authorities should promptly charge Anwar Ibrahim and his political associates, detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA), with a recognised criminal offence or release them, Amnesty International said today. "In light of the events leading up to their arrest, and the past misuse of the ISA for political purposes, Amnesty International is concerned that Anwar Ibrahim and the other detainees are being held solely because of their critical political views and are possible prisoners of conscience", the organization said "The use of the ISA seems to indicate that authorities are more intent on pursuing a political agenda than on conducting an independent criminal investigation leading to fair and open trials." The worldwide human rights organization also called on the government to respect the right of Malaysians to peaceful assembly, and for the police to exercise the maximum restraint in their treatment demonstrators. More than 50 demonstrators are reported to have been arrested in recent days and their whereabouts and welfare remain unclear. Those arrested with Anwar over the weekend include the head of the youth wing of the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and four senior members of ABIM, a Muslim youth organization. "The improper release into the public domain of untested court affidavits alleging Anwar?s involvement in a series of criminal offences, which was then followed not by charges, but by the application of the ISA -- allowing indefinite detention without trial -- raises serious questions about the government?s real motivations", Amnesty International said. Under the ISA police are empowered to arrest without a warrant any person suspected of acting in ?any manner prejudicial to the security of Malaysia...or the economic life thereof? and to question them for a period of up to sixty days before a Minister signs a detention order of up to two years, renewable indefinitely. Detention orders are not open to judicial review and habeas corpus petitions have proved ineffective. Amnesty International has repeatedly protested the application of the ISA as falling short of international standards on the right to fair trial, and the right to peacefully express opinion free from the threat of arbitrary arrest and detention. ...\ENDS From jkellock at amnesty.org Tue Sep 22 19:10:29 1998 From: jkellock at amnesty.org (jkellock@amnesty.org) Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 11:10:29 +0100 Subject: [asia-apec 685] Re: Malaysia and human rights Message-ID: <80256687.0037D756.00@fox.amnesty.org> AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AI INDEX: ASA 28/19/98 News Service 183/98 18 September 1998 -- For Immediate Release MALAYSIA: A crossroads for human rights and the rule of law? Events in Malaysia following the dismissal of Anwar Ibrahim as Deputy Prime Minister on 2 September 1998 have reinforced Amnesty International?s longstanding concerns over the imposition of unjustified restrictions on the exercise of fundamental human rights - particularly the right to peacefully express opinion free from the threat of arbitrary arrest and detention. Shortly after Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad dismissed Anwar Ibrahim, the police announced publicly that the former Deputy Prime Minister was under criminal investigation for sedition and other crimes. The police lodged at the High Court a number of affidavits, affirmed by the Attorney-General, alleging that Anwar had been involved in acts of sexual impropriety, tampering with evidence, bribery and threatening national security. Although the affidavits were unsubstantiated, and no charges have been filed against Anwar, the judge chose to allow their entire contents to be made public. Attorney-General Mohtar Abdullah has stated that, subject to investigations, Anwar could be charged under the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Official Secrets Act (OSA), the Penal Code, the Women and Girls Protection Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Five of Anwar's associates have been arrested. Two of them, businessman S Nallakarrupan and journal editor Munawar Anees, have been charged under the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows indefinite detention without charge, and Amnesty International is calling for them to be immediately released or charged with a recognised criminal offence. As large crowds of supporters continued to gather at Anwar?s residence and during his visits outside the capital the police also threatened to invoke the Police Act, which prohibits gatherings of more than three people without a permit and prescribes a punishment of up to six months imprisonment. These events come on top of other prominent cases involving the government?s selective application of restrictive laws and apparent misuse of judicial procedures, in particular the imprisonment of opposition parliamentarian and prisoner of conscience Lim Guan Eng, now entering the fourth week of a 18-month sentence, for sedition and printing ?false news?, and the trial of women?s rights activist Irene Fernandez, charged for publishing ?false news? about the ill-treatment of detainees in camps for migrant workers. These cases have had a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Malaysia as those in power signal that the space for the dissenting political opinion is limited, and that the penalties for alleged transgressions severe. While Amnesty International is not in a position to ascertain the truth of the allegations against Anwar or his associates, the government's actions have galvanized reaction within Malaysia society to the apparently politically-motivated misuse by government leaders of state institutions and judicial procedures. The timing and nature of statements and actions by the Royal Malaysia Police and the Attorney-General?s office have prompted charges of political bias which appears at odds with their professional and constitutional duties to uphold the law equally. More and more Malaysians, including politicians, lawyers, social and human rights activists and ordinary citizens, have stressed how recent government actions against Anwar and his associates pose a threat to the rights of all in Malaysia. Amnesty International is monitoring developments in the wake of Anwar's dismissal and is urging the Malaysian authorities to ensure that Malaysian law is applied at all times in accordance with the basic human rights principles, enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution and in international human rights instruments, and is not misused to detain or imprison people solely for the non-violent expression of critical political views. .../ENDS From pet at web.net Tue Sep 22 23:21:13 1998 From: pet at web.net (Sharon R.A. Scharfe) Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 10:21:13 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [asia-apec 686] Cda. Hansard, Sept. 21, re: APEC '97 Message-ID: <2.2.16.19980922102440.39276198@pop.web.net> September 21, 1998 House of Commons Ottawa, Canada excerpts from official hansard ----- ORAL QUESTION PERIOD [English] APEC SUMMIT Mr. Preston Manning (Leader of the Opposition, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, documents, memos and e-mails from the privy council office, the prime minister's office and the RCMP indicate that the Prime Minister was directly involved in the security arrangements for the APEC summit in Vancouver. Why has the Prime Minister been denying his involvement for almost a year when all the evidence points to the fact that he bent over backwards to protect an Asian dictator not from violence but from political embarrassment? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, there is an inquiry being held at the moment on this matter. I do not want to comment on the incident. During the APEC summit we received 19 leaders from countries around the world. We had the president of the United States, the president of China, the prime minister of Australia, the president of the Philippines and many others. As the government it was our duty to ensure their security in Canada. Mr. Preston Manning (Leader of the Opposition, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, this story has been coming out in dribs and drabs. The Indonesian bodyguards were given the right to shoot Canadian demonstrators. Canadians were arrested for holding up signs which stated such subversive things as democracy and human rights. The protesters were pepper sprayed because they might have been seen by APEC leaders. The Prime Minister has a chance today to clear the air. Exactly what did he direct his officials to do with respect to APEC security? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, it was the responsibility of the RCMP to ensure the security of all the leaders who came to Canada. There was an incident and a committee is now reviewing the incident. It was our responsibility to ensure that all the national leaders who came to Canada would be received in a very safe way, which is exactly what happened. Mr. Preston Manning (Leader of the Opposition, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, Canadians want answers, not evasions. According to an official in the privy council office working on security arrangements for the APEC summit: ?The Prime Minister will want to be personally involved?. Canadians want to know the extent therefore to which the Prime Minister was personally involved in the security arrangements for APEC. Why did the Prime Minister trample on the political rights of Canadian citizens in order to protect an Asian dictator? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, arrangements were made by local authorities in Vancouver to ensure order was maintained. Protesters were in areas where everyone could see them. If the Leader of the Opposition had been in Vancouver at that time he would have seen the protesters that some of my ministers and all the members of the delegation saw during their visit. Miss Deborah Grey (Edmonton North, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister deliberately ordered police to quash peaceful protesters. Canadians want to know why and what it was he said. Why was the Prime Minister more concerned about the feelings of a foreign dictator than he was about protecting the rights of our own Canadian citizens? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the public complaints commission is investigating the incidents around the APEC meetings. I think that institution, which has been in existence since 1986, has established a good record and deserves the opportunity to get to the bottom of this. That is how Canadians will find out the answers to the questions. Miss Deborah Grey (Edmonton North, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, Canadians want to know what the Prime Minister will do about this and where his fingerprints are all over this deal. The RCMP had to stare down these bodyguards and Canadians want to know why the Prime Minister gave in to a foreign dictator who uses goons with guns. Why would that be? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the public complaints commission has existed for a long time. It has done very good work. I think it has the confidence of Canadians. It certainly has the confidence of the government. Consequently I think members opposite should let the appropriate tribunal, at arm's length from the government, do its job and get to the bottom of this. * * * ... APEC SUMMIT Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Prime Minister and his staff made a decision to sacrifice the democratic rights of Canadians in order to create a comfort zone for a brutal foreign dictator. Today I ask the Prime Minister one simple question. Was it worth it? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the security rules applied in Vancouver were applied for the protection of all the leaders of the 19 countries there on that occasion. There were problems. Some people from other delegations were not comfortable. Some even protested to me because they saw some signs they did not like. I told them that it is Canada, that I see protests all the time, that it is the way Canada operates, that real democracy is applied here. It was a good example to the others to see that people can protest? The Speaker: The hon. leader of the New Democratic Party. Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Mr. Speaker, Canadians want their Prime Minister to be a statesman, not a doormat for brutal foreign dictators. Will the Prime Minister admit today that he was wrong to put the dictates and the demands of a brutal foreign dictator ahead of the democratic rights and civil liberties of Canadians? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, an inquiry has begun on that. I have to repeat that we had 19 leaders in Canada. We had to offer them a secure place. There was room for protesters. Perhaps there was some problem at the last hour of the last day. The solicitor general has a mechanism at arm's length from the government that is dealing with that. It will conduct its inquiry. We will look at the report and advise. Mrs. Elsie Wayne (Saint John, PC): Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said in January that RCMP investigations are not the responsibility of political authorities, and I agree. Canadians now know the RCMP believes the prime minister's office wanted the RCMP to remove banners at the APEC summit. An RCMP memo states: ?Banners are not a security issue. They are a political issue?. Could the Prime Minister tell us who in his office made the political decision to have the RCMP remove banners and signs at the APEC meeting? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, they do not know. When I was there I saw signs and banners in protest against me and against others. Mrs. Elsie Wayne (Saint John, PC): Mr. Speaker, this is a government that does not believe in justice for all the innocent victims of tainted blood. Should we wonder that it would pepper spray Canadians? The Prime Minister agreed with the solicitor general who said in January that his role was ?not to interfere with the operation of the RCMP?. I ask the solicitor general, the minister responsible for the RCMP, to tell us who ordered the political interference, who gave the RCMP the order to tear down banners, banners that were a political issue, not a security issue. Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, to be specific, I am also the minister responsible for the public complaints commission which is why that organization is getting to the bottom of this right now. Mr. John Reynolds (West Vancouver?Sunshine Coast, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister. It is about the signs at APEC he has been talking about. On November 25, 1997 at the APEC conference, UBC law student Craig Jones was arrested and jailed without charge after he refused to remove signs that said free speech, democracy and human rights. Does the Prime Minister not agree that this clear violation of free speech and civil rights is contrary to the Canadian way? Should those people not get an apology? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the subjects that are being asked about right now are subjects that are being investigated by the appropriate administrative tribunal. I think it is appropriate for parliament to give it the opportunity to do its job. Mr. John Reynolds (West Vancouver?Sunshine Coast, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, parliament does not need to wait for a Liberal appointed commission to tell us that people's free rights, that their freedom of speech is violated. On November 21 at the APEC conference the RCMP told Karen Pearlston that if she did not remove a sign from her home, she would be arrested. When she asked why, they told her that the Prime Minister did not want to embarrass our visitors. This is a violation of her human rights, of her freedom of speech. We do not need to wait for anybody to tell us that this is wrong. Will this minister, the Prime Minister or this government not apologize to those British Columbians whose human rights and freedom of speech were violated? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, in fact it was parliament that made the decision to establish the public complaints commission in 1986. It functioned for 12 years quite effectively and I am sure it will do its job well again. * * * ... [Translation] APEC SUMMIT Mr. Richard Marceau (Charlesbourg, BQ): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister. The government is hiding behind the RCMP investigation to avoid answering any question on the role played by the Prime Minister in repressing the demonstration against dictator Suharto in Vancouver. Does the Prime Minister recognize having participated, either directly or through his cabinet, in setting up the security measures applied in Vancouver? [English] Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I think it is important for everybody to understand exactly the process at play here. The public complaints commission is an institution that was established by parliament specifically to deal with complaints against the RCMP. That is why it is called the public complaints commission. I wish that the members opposite would give that organization the opportunity to do its job as parliament would have it do it. [Translation] Mr. Richard Marceau (Charlesbourg, BQ): Mr. Speaker, we are not asking for the videotape. The former Indonesian ambassador to Canada said he had received from the Prime Minister himself the assurance that all would be done to avoid embarrassment for bloodthirsty dictator Suharto. Does the Prime Minister confirm this statement? [English] Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, all the questions being raised are subject to this inquiry. As I said, I think we should let that inquiry do its job. Mr. Jim Abbott (Kootenay?Columbia, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, on today of all days the United States has spent $40 million and seven months with the president prevaricating and trying to turn away answers to the obvious questions. We are asking the Prime Minister right now to save the money. Will the Prime Minister admit that he was involved in this process? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the members opposite are displaying a remarkable lack of understanding as to how these processes work. The administrative tribunal is available to the public to seek recourse when it believes there has been a grievance. That is the process in play. I have high regard for that process, as I believe most Canadians do and I would ask the hon. member to join them. Mr. Jim Abbott (Kootenay?Columbia, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, we very clearly understand what the process is. The process is called cover-up. That is exactly what is going on in this case. Some hon. members: Oh, oh. The Speaker: I ask the hon. member to go to his question. Mr. Jim Abbott: Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Prime Minister one more time, will he do it here and do it now? Will he admit that his fingerprints are all over this process, that he is fully responsible for the fact that democratic rights of Canadians were taken away as a public statement, a political statement by him? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I would appeal to the members opposite to recognize the appropriate role for the public complaints commission that was established by parliament. It deserves our support and I would ask the members opposite to give it to the commission. * * * ... APEC SUMMIT Mr. Peter MacKay (Pictou?Antigonish?Guysborough, PC): Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister should really learn from the president of the United States, his golfing buddy, that the longer he bobs and weaves to avoid public accountability on this issue, the more he will undermine the integrity of his office and his government. There are numerous documents that indicate direct interference of the Prime Minister and his office in the RCMP security of the APEC summit. Will the Prime Minister make a full ministerial statement in the House, this public forum, on his role in the affair, or is he going to persist with his slippery guy from Shawinigan routine? The Speaker: Colleagues, I urge you to be very judicious in your choice of words. Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should know that documents he is referring to, the allegations that have been made and the questions that have been put are all subject to a public complaints commission review. That review is being undertaken right now. It does a discredit to those Canadians who choose to serve their country as members of that commission to suggest in any way that their integrity should be in question. That does a disservice to this exercise and to the truth. Mr. Peter MacKay (Pictou?Antigonish?Guysborough, PC): Mr. Speaker, what does a discredit to this institution is the fact that answers are given in this House. The Prime Minister and the solicitor general know full well that the RCMP public complaints commission is not holding a criminal proceeding. There is absolutely nothing to prevent the government from answering questions in the House. Instead, the Prime Minister is hiding his role in oppressing innocent Canadians to appease a foreign dictator. Why is he afraid to talk about this issue in this House? When can we expect the Prime Minister to show some integrity and leadership on this issue? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I find it shocking that the member opposite as a critic for the solicitor general would not be aware that it would be completely inappropriate for the minister responsible for that tribunal to speak to it in this House during the investigation. * * * ... APEC SUMMIT Mr. Gilles Bernier (Tobique?Mactaquac, PC): Mr. Speaker, generally, when the Prime Minister sees fit, in a matter of great importance, to become involved in an area that comes under the responsibility of one of his ministers, he consults the minister in question in order to determine the best way to proceed. My question is for the Solicitor General. Did the Prime Minister consult him before ordering the RCMP to violate the constitutional freedom of expression and assembly of a group of students during the APEC summit last year? [English] Hon. Andy Scott (Fredericton, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, again the hon. member opposite shows a tremendous misunderstanding as to how this works. The reality is that the security questions are handled by the RCMP specific to the kinds of questions that are being investigated by the public complaints commission. The public complaints commission is going to get to the bottom of this. That is what parliament has mandated it to do and I have every confidence it will do it well. * * * ... APEC SUMMIT Mr. Svend J. Robinson (Burnaby?Douglas, NDP): Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the APEC summit. According to a memo written by Canada's ambassador to Indonesia, our Minister of Foreign Affairs apologized to Indonesia's foreign minister for the anti-Suharto poster campaign in Canada, saying that it was ?outrageous, excessive and not the way Canadians behave?. Will the minister now apologize to Canadian students and indeed to all Canadians? The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs. Hon. Lloyd Axworthy (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, one thing the hon. member conveniently forgets is that during the APEC conference this government provided substantial financial support for the people's summit where all kinds of groups that had opposition to APEC had an opportunity to come together to voice their concerns. Ministers met with that group. They passed on the message to the leaders of APEC so that full open discussion could take place. It is about time the hon. member started recognizing the truth. * * * ... [Translation] ASIA PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION SUMMIT Mr. Gilles Bernier (Tobique?Mactaquac, PC): Mr. Speaker, I have been a member of this House for one year now, and I am proud of it. Whenever we put a question to the solicitor general, we always get one of three answers: either it is before a committee, under investigation or before the courts. My question is an easy one. Did the Prime Minister consult the solicitor general before ordering the spraying of students with pepper gas, or did he simply bypass him because he knew those actions were illegal? 1500 [English] Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, it would seem to me that members who are representative of the political party that established the public complaints commission should understand its purpose. I think all of the questions being put are being put specifically around this particular incident which is being investigated right now. It would be completely inappropriate to discuss any of the details around that investigation. ... Routine Proceedings ... REQUEST FOR EMERGENCY DEBATE APEC SUMMIT Mr. Bill Blaikie (Winnipeg?Transcona, NDP): Mr. Speaker, as you have indicated, I did write to you pursuant to Standing Order 52(2) to tell you that I would be rising in my place today to seek leave to propose an emergency debate concerning the actions of the officials of the Prime Minister and of the Prime Minister himself in relation to actions taken by the RCMP during the APEC summit in Vancouver. Documents have been released to the RCMP public complaints commission inquiry that lend credence to concerns that have previously been raised about the direct intervention of the Prime Minister's office with the RCMP concerning security arrangements at the summit. There is now documentary evidence that officials with the PMO and perhaps the Prime Minister himself requested that actions be taken against peaceful demonstrators exercising their democratic rights. Any political interference in policing is highly improper, but when there is documentary evidence that the Prime Minister intervened with the RCMP to take actions against demonstrators so he could retain cordial relations with Mr. Suharto, the former authoritarian leader of Indonesia, and that such political interference resulted in the use of pepper spray and of physical force to arrest peaceful demonstrators, we know there is a real possibility that Canadian democracy has suffered a deep wound. Standing Order 52(5) states that in deciding upon an application for an emergency debate, the Speaker shall consider ?the probability of the matter being brought before the House within a reasonable time by other means?. The Prime Minister has clearly stated that he will make no statement in the House of Commons concerning the matter so there is no likelihood that the House of Commons will have an opportunity to address this grave and urgent matter. An emergency debate is therefore the only way for members of this House to address threats that have possibly been made to two of the foundation stones of democratic governance: freedom of expression and the political independence of the police. An emergency debate in the House of Commons would in no way interfere with the RCMP inquiry. The public complaints commission has a specific mandate under the RCMP Act to conduct investigations. The House of Commons is a body with its own constitutional duties and obligations to hold the government publicly accountable for its actions. Surely it is appropriate that members of the House should have an opportunity to perform those democratic duties during the week that Nelson Mandela will address the House. I urge you, Mr. Speaker, to consider favourably this request. It would give an opportunity not just to us but to the Prime Minister to give an account of himself and perhaps to refute convincingly the allegations that have been made against him. Nevertheless, in the interest of the public and of democracy that kind of debate should occur and occur soon in this Chamber. The Speaker: I thank my colleague from Winnipeg?Transcona. I received his letter about an hour and a half ago. I have had occasion to consider both the letter and what he has said here in the House of Commons. In my view the hon. member's application does not meet the requirements of Standing Order 52 at this time. Therefore I would rule that there will not be a standing debate on this issue today. ... [end] ******************************************************************************** For more information on Parliamentarians for East Timor, Please Contact: Sharon Scharfe, International Secretariat Parliamentarians for East Timor Suite 116, 5929-L Jeanne D'Arc Blvd., Orleans, ON K1C 7K2 CANADA Fax: 1-613-834-2021 E-Mail: pet@web.net ******************************************************************************** From davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca Wed Sep 23 02:31:14 1998 From: davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca (David Webster) Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 09:31:14 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 687] Post-APEC rant Message-ID: Catholic New Times, Toronto, 27 September 1998 Front Burner editorial By David Webster If anyone needed further proof of the complete moral bankruptcy of the Liberal government, it came this month with the release of new documents implicating Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy and others in a systematic campaign to stifle democratic protest at last yearUs APEC summit in Vancouver. Documents released as part of the RCMP public complaints commissionUs review of police actions at the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' gathering centre on moves made to prevent the embarrassment of Indonesian dictator Suharto. Some of the internal RCMP correspondence released seems designed to justify police actions as protecting protesters from heavily-armed Indonesian security officers. The main effect, however, has been to shift some of the attention to the Prime Minister's Office, where the actual decisions to stifle protest in the interests of a successful photo-op summit were made. Now, even the Reform Party has joined the call for a public inquiry. In the lead-up to the APEC, a broad-based coalition of Canadian organizations carried out a host of actions designed to spotlight the human rights record of some of the leaders being feted as part of CanadaUs RYear of the Asia Pacific.S Stung by the prospect of opposition, Suharto's foreign minister announced that the long-ruling ex-general was considering staying away from the summit. Canada, he said, was a hotbed of anti-Indonesian sentiment. Chretien and Axworthy were appalled by the notion that Suharto would give the APEC summit a miss. Canadian Ambassador Gary Smith publicly pleaded with Suharto to come. Chretien, the documents reveal, made promises to IndonesiaUs ambassador in Ottawa that Suharto would not have to face protesters. Axworthy took it upon himself to apologize on behalf of all Canadians for posters that had gone up across the country bearing Suharto's picture and the caption: "Wanted for Crimes Against Humanity." So while our foreign minister campaigned for an international war-crimes tribunal, he showed that his government only opposed war criminals not allied with Canadian business interests. Suharto, who presided over the deaths of over a million Indonesians and over the bloody genocide in East Timor, was an honoured guest -- in fact, Canadian officials had to beg him to come to Vancouver. There were limits. Officials told Suharto's entourage that shooting of Canadian protesters would not be tolerated. Five Indonesian intelligence officers were arrested during APEC, for installing bugging equipment and for refusing to identify themselves to RCMP. The defining image of anti-APEC protests has become the sight of protesters at the University of British Columbia charging a security fence, only to be repulsed by police wielding pepper-spray. Other police actions have been less well-documented. This may now change. Now we know that the Prime Minister's Office ordered the removal of a group of students holding a vigil outside the designated security zone. We know that the Prime MinisterUs Office violated an agreement with the university to allow even a token protest zone. We know that political orders came to the RCMP to remove flags, banners and placards that could not by the wildest stretch of the imagination be seen as a security threat. We know that Suharto's bodyguards, after asking flat out if they could shoot Canadian protesters, were still allowed to carry arms in order to obtain SuhartoUs promise to attend. And we know much more that is not in the documents. Somewhere, a decision was made to use violent force against protesters who were engaging in non-violent civil disobedience and who were prepared to accept the consequences of their actions (arrest). We know that the Canadian government (and to hear Lloyd Axworthy tell it, all Canadians) were more concerned about the feelings of Suharto than the people of Indonesia, who overthrew him in May. (One Indonesian journalist at the major UBC protest was amazed at the restraint of Canadian students. In Indonesia, he said, students would be throwing stones.) We know that somewhere in the Prime Minister's Office, a decision was made that image was more important than human rights. Nothing new there: this government has long placed trade interests ahead of the rights of Indonesians, Mexicans, or anyone else in countries where thereUs money to be made. Now, it's clear that Canadians' human rights are also less important than a good photo-op for the Prime Minister. -30- David Webster is graduate student at the University of British Columbia. He covered the APEC summit for CNT. _ _ _ \ / "Long words Bother me." \ / -- Winnie the Pooh From apfischer at igc.org Wed Sep 23 01:54:31 1998 From: apfischer at igc.org (A. Paige Fischer) Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 09:54:31 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [asia-apec 688] Correction! APPA Forest Forum Message-ID: <2.2.16.19980922095442.2a5f20bc@pop.igc.org> Actually, Pacific Environment and Resources Center (PERC) does plan to organize a meeting on FORESTS and TRADE on November 11 and 12. PERC will co-organize the meeting with American Lands Alliance and any interested Malaysian group. This meeting will bring together forest activists and community members from many APEC countries. We will discuss APEC's current plan to remove tariffs and regulations on forest product trade. We will also develop community-based strategies for protecting Pacific Rim forests and forest-dependent people from the increased exploitation and consumption of forests that will result from free trade. For more information, please contact Paige Fischer, Pacific Environment and Resources Center, . At 03:11 PM 9/21/98, PAN Asia Pacific wrote: >Labour >Date: 11&12 November 1998 >Local lead organisers: Labour Resource Centre, National Union of Transport Equipment > >Workers are most affected by the globalisation phenomena. The Asia Pacific Economic >Cooperation (APEC), was specifically set up to speed up the pace of trade liberalisation and to >create the world's most resourceful and liberal market that is conducive to capital movement and >profit maximisation. The emphasis on export-oriented production, rapid growth and a complete >reliance on foreign investment has led to the denial of union rights, heavy workload, lack of social >security, inadequate wages and poor health and safety standards for millions of workers around the >region. > >The major themes of the labour forum are: >-linking the current economic crisis with globalisation and liberalisation >-assessing the full impact of the economic crisis on workers >-To develop strategies for workers around the region against globalisation. > >Human Rights, Democracy and Militarisation >Date: 11&12 November 1998 >Local lead organisers: Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) > >Globalisation and its impact on citizens, manifested more directly through the economic crisis, has >further deteriorated human rights in the region. The human rights forum will be broken up into two >parts: >-Exposure and discussion on the local human rights situation, followed by >-An international meeting > >The meeting will be a gathering of human rights victims and activists from around the Asia Pacific, >to discuss issues and trends affecting human rights in the region. A serious reflection of the UDHR >after 50 years, will be done to help capture and analyse the actual human rights situation in our >respective countries. There will also be case presentations from South Korea, Indonesia and >perhaps a Latin American country. > >Privatisation and Financial Deregulation >Date: 11 &12 November 1998 >Local lead organisers: Charles Santiago > >The theme for this forum is 'The Peoples Alternative to Financial Deregulation and Privatisation'. >Several major issues will be addressed with the following topics: >-Government, Civil Society and the Retrenchment of the Public Sector: The Privatisation of >Healthcare and Social Services. >-People's Response and Action Against Financial Deregulation and Privatisation >-Alternative Models of Development - alternative international financial architecture that is sustain- >able and people centred. >-The Fight Against the MAI and WTO >-The Future of the State and Civil Society in the Era of Financial Deregulation and Privatisation. > >The 3rd Women's Conference Against APEC >Date: 8-9 November 1998 >Local lead organisers: Pesticide Action Network- Asia and the Pacific (PAN-AP), Tenaganita > >The third International Women's Conference Against APEC, has the theme: 'Women Resist >Globalisation. Assert Women's Rights'. The women's groups around the Asia Pacific have kicked >off their own campaigns against globalisation and have convened meetings in the last two parallel >peoples summits held in Manila, 1996 and Vancouver, 1997. The main objectives of the conference >are: >- To assess new emerging trends of globalisation and liberalisation, which will have major >implications on the lives of women and women's rights. >-To enhance women's participation and leadership in forwarding development alternatives with >women's vision >-To strengthen women's global perspective and analysis >-To develop strategies for resistance against globalisation >-To strengthen solidarity among women > >Student & Youth >Date: 7-10 November 1998 >Local lead organisers: Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Youth, Selangor Graduates Society, Youth >Centre > >This forum will address three main areas of concern: >-Privatisation and Education >-Job Security >-Human Rights > > >Urban Poor >Date: 11&12 November 1998 >Local lead organisers: Parti Rakyat Malaysia, Nadi Komunikasi, Support Committee for Urban >Settlers (JSPB) > >Globalisation and industrialisation can be said to be directly responsible for the rapidly growing >urban poor communities around the region. TNC's, by setting base in developing countries, have >created huge demands for industrial workers, causing massive population shifts from rural to urban >areas. Although these rural migrants were encouraged to come live in the city, through several >major economic policies adopted by government, the infrastructure needed to accommodate a >bigger population, especially for housing, went unnoticed. Housing needs became a huge problem, >leaving large numbers of people to build their own shelters which later grew into communes, known >as squatter areas. >The urban poor forum, which will be held at a squatter community, will address these >contradictions. It will focus on forced evictions and involuntary displacement of communities that >make way for rapid development. There will be a visit to several urban poor communities around >Kuala Lumpur. The forum will bring together leaders of urban poor communities in Malaysia and >around the region, peoples' organisations and NGOs working on land rights and housing rights >issues. Common regional trends of involuntary displacement will be assessed, to develop a >common response and strategy to protect the rights of urban poor communities with the growing >threat of globalisation. > >Indigenous People >Date: 6-7 November 1998 >Local lead organisers: Borneo Research Institute > >The indigenous peoples' forum will have the theme of displacement from their native lands, and >involuntarily relocated into commercial plantation schemes, as a result of development projects. >Case studies >from around the region will be presented. > >Migrant Labour >Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 >Local lead organisers: Tenaganita > >The forum will focus on 3 main areas facing migrant workers in the region. They are: >-the increasing erosion of the rights of migrant workers, especially in the context of globalisation, >and the Asian economic crisis; >-the continuous decline on the quality of life of the migrants and their families. This includes >healthcare, education, housing and other amenities; >- the control and lack of democratic participation of migrants in decision making, in the right to form >associations or join unions, especially with receiving countries that are becoming more repressive. >There will be a photo exhibition, from November 10-15, the launch of posters and the migrant >yearbook on 11 November, a press conference on November 15, and will close with a solidarity >evening with migrant workers. > >Globalisation and Children >Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 >Local lead organiser: Salinlahi (Philippines) > >Participants of this forum would comprise street children, child workers and children of migrant >workers, within the age group of 11-15 years old. Participants will be divided into five workshops of >15 children each where a specific module will be used which will view these children as survivors >rather than victims. > >Consumers >Date: 11 November 1998 >Local lead organiser: Third World Network > >The forum will dwell on the nature and risks of globalisation and liberalisation on consumers. It will >focus on latest developments by major institutions such as the World Bank, World Trade >Organisation, International Monetary Fund etc. where further liberalisation initiatives are being >launched by the TNCs and G7 countries. The forum will also explore ways in which citizens of the >Asia-Pacific region can link up better to avoid further crises. > >Land, Food Security and Agriculture >Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 >Local lead organiser: PAN-AP > >The forum on food security and agriculture is a two-day event to examine the impacts of >globalisation on food security and agriculture and to develop alternatives. The forum will open with >an overview of trade agreements and reports from representatives of farmers' movements from >Chiapas, Korea, Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia. In the afternoon, participants will break into >workshops. There will be five workshops on land issues and resources, aquatic resources, trade >agreements and institutions, agribusiness TNCs, and grassroots resistance and alternatives. On >the second day, participants will join in a plenary session to build a common analysis and share >action plans from the workshops. >(Please note that the Strategies of Peasant Movements Forum has amalgamated with this forum) > >Community Livelihood >Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 >Local lead organiser: Sustainable Development Network (SUSDEN) > >There is a fundamental flaw in our development approach. This is because our current economic >model is dominantly capital-centred and not people-centred. To remedy the flaw, the strategy is to >transform the decision-making framework to a people-centred approach. Then and only then can >we attain a development that is socially just, ecologically sustainable, economically viable, politically >participatory and culturally vibrant. > >The APEC meeting in November in Malaysia is a timely forum to bring together development >practitioners and community entrepreneurs in the region to see how regional groupings such as >APEC impact on the people. The forum will not only examine the impacts on livelihoods >maintained through community enterprises but also on options for fair trade, environmental >conservation and people-centred sustainable development. > >Media >Date: 11 &12 November 1998 >Local lead organiser: None > >The media forum will have two main issues: the globalisation of information and press freedom in >the region. > >Environment and Forestry >CANCELLED > >Please contact the APPA Secreatariat for registration information >at > > > From davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca Wed Sep 23 10:20:42 1998 From: davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca (David Webster) Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 17:20:42 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 689] Van Sun: Cdn PM grilled over APEC, Suharto Message-ID: 3 stories from today's Vancouver Sun, as the Canadian parliament opened its fall session. The enws report describes attacks by all four opposition parties, followed by an editorial and comment from a poopular columnist. Last Updated: Tuesday 22 September 1998 TOP STORIES --------------------------------------------------------- Opposition grills Chretien over APEC The Vancouver Sun Peter O'Neil, Sun Ottawa Bureau Vancouver Sun with files from Southam News OTTAWA -- Amid fierce opposition questioning Monday, Prime Minister Jean Chretien acknowledged there was "perhaps" a problem on the final day of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, when protesters at the University of B.C. were pepper-sprayed and arrested or threatened with arrest by Mounties. "We had 19 leaders in Canada," Chretien said as Parliament resumed after its summer break. "We had to offer them a secure place in Canada. There was room for protesters. "Perhaps there was some problem on the last hour of the last day but the solicitor-general has a mechanism at arm's length from the government [the RCMP Complaints Commission] that is dealing with that." Chretien suggested the APEC demonstrations did, in fact, help teach visiting leaders of undemocratic countries about Canadian values. "Some even protested to me because they saw some signs they did not like. I told them that it is Canada, that I see protests all the time, that it is the way Canada operates, that real democracy is applied here." The prime minister admitted that "some people from other delegations were not comfortable," but wouldn't say if President Suharto of Indonesia was one of them. It has been suggested that Mounties used heavy-handed tactics on protesters in order to prevent them from coming close to and being harmed by Suharto's guards, four of whom were allowed to carry guns while here. The prime minister's House comments came as the RCMP said in an interview that the prime minister had nothing to do with allowing the foreign agents to carry firearms. Sergeant Andre Guertin said security officers from eight of the 19 countries represented at the APEC summit were allowed to carry guns. It was reported Monday that an Oct. 29, 1997 memo from the federal government's Privy Council Office said Chretien would "want to be personally involved" in APEC security arrangements. And former Indonesian ambassador to Canada Benjamin Parwoto told the Toronto Star last week that in a face-to-face meeting with Chretien last September, the prime minister assured him he would do his utmost to keep Suharto from being embarrassed by demonstrators. In the House of Commons, opposition members pressured the prime minister over his involvement in security arrangements, charging that Chretien is hiding his involvement in the suppression of protesters. "Why did the prime minister trample on the political rights of Canadian citizens in order to protect some Asian dictator?" Official Opposition leader Preston Manning asked. New Democratic Party leader Alexa McDonough said Chretien should explain himself now rather than avoid questions because of the RCMP Public Complaints Commission hearing into the RCMP's violent reaction to protesters. The hearings begin on Oct. 5. "Mr. Speaker, Canadians want their prime minister to be a statesman and not a doormat for foreign brutal dictators," McDonough said. Today's Editorial: Chretien has some explaining to do Stifling protesters' right to free speech at the APEC summit was a serious matter. Since RCMP memos contradict the prime minister's denials of responsibility, who ordered the crackdown? Vancouver Sun On his return to Indonesia from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit last year, then-president Suharto did what all guests of a certain quality would do; he sent a thank-you note, saying he had been "very pleased" by Canadian efforts to provide for his safety and comfort. The note did not express the usual turnabout -- "We would be pleased to put you up should you get down this way" -- and just as well. By May Suharto had been forced from power by rioting citizens and was no doubt wistfully looking at slides from his APEC trip and wishing he were back in Vancouver, where dissidents were more easily dealt with. Handcuffs and pepper-spray were probably not the lesson in democracy Suharto was supposed to learn. The concept of isolation is to cut off troubling countries and regimes until they smarten up. Its opposite is engagement, which (ideally) exposes the other party to democratic principles while building trade ties which may further influence reforms. Prime Minister Jean Chretien is doubtless nostalgic for that earlier time as well, in fact anytime at all before internal correspondence began to suggest he or the Prime Minister's Office had provoked the RCMP's pepper-spraying and arrest of dozens of students exercising their right to protest. (That right to free expression of opinion and public assembly is not only guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms but was assured when the University of British Columbia signed an agreement with the federal government allowing the students to protest. One man claims to have been sprayed, cuffed and arrested without charge for carrying a sign reading "Free Speech," at the least a breach of contract.) Mr. Chretien's insistence that the police did their job without special instruction from the PMO or himself is hard to credit. When the RCMP public complaints commission resumes its inquiry into the incident it is likely to examine a note from the minutes of a Privy Council Office meeting which seems to flatly contradict Mr. Chretien. Regarding protesters and security measures, the note advises: "PM will want to be personally involved." Another from the desk of RCMP Superintendent Wayne May says: "Re: Protesters. PM specific wish that this is a retreat and leaders should not be distracted by demos, etc." Another inter-RCMP memo about bivouacking protesters says: "PM wants tenters out." The prime minister insists he will not testify if called and he has nothing to explain. But several questions are obvious: Why did the government bend over backwards to ensure Suharto's attendance? Another certainly deserves an answer: Asked if he guaranteed there would be no protesters at APEC, Mr. Chretien replied, "It was my duty to say, 'No. You come to Canada, there might be some protesters.'" Why didn't he say that, then? Come and tell us what you know, Mr. Chretien. Barbara Yaffe: Chretien's APEC imbroglio may be his undoing Imperious and remote, the PM steadfastly refuses to take any responsibility for the pepper-spraying of APEC protesters. Barbara Yaffe Vancouver Sun In what is surely a quirky parallel, U.S. President Bill Clinton is facing a huge challenge to his moral leadership just as Jean Chretien is beginning a battle to safeguard his own political reputation. Having sex with a young woman and lying about it under oath is certainly racier than playing a role in squelching the constitutional freedoms of one's countrymen. But the allegations being made against Chretien -- that he had a hand in suppressing the civil rights of University of B.C. student protesters last November -- is every bit as serious. The prime minister is our numero uno. He speaks for Canada to the world, has final say in the management of our economy, sets our legislative agenda and safeguards our rights. Canadians take enormous pride in living in a country that is one of the freest on earth. And one of the most peaceful and genteel. Though Canada is a young nation, it has a mature, civil society. Compared to our neighbours to the south, our citizens are mostly tolerant and believe strongly in the equality of everyone. Few of us carry guns. We regularly settle disputes through the courts. Our demonstrations tend to be orderly. The current prime minister projects himself as a politician in tune with the common folk. He plays the populist, a modest guy from the boonies, an informal fella who can hop on a bicycle or commandeer a bus at the drop of a hat -- as he has done for photo ops. In fact, Jean Chretien has lost touch with the grassroots. He has grown frighteningly remote and imperious. (Albertans got the back of his hand last week with his complete disregard for their Senate elections.) Even 10 months after the strong-arming of University of B.C. protesters, Chretien has failed to recognize or acknowledge the seriousness of the accusations made against him. Accusations that he, directly or indirectly, interfered with security arrangements at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference to protect Indonesia's then-president Suharto from embarrassment and possibly to prevent Suharto's armed bodyguards from going ballistic. As a result of that alleged interference, UBC student protesters holding signs championing free speech and democracy were pepper-sprayed, manhandled, arrested and, in the case of some female protesters, strip-searched. This, in Canada! While documents coming to light in advance of an RCMP public complaints commission hearing point to Chretien as the person who wanted protests contained, the PM has been entirely dismissive about his role. More alarmingly, he has yet to express the least regret that a group of Canadians had their constitutional freedoms trampled. Does Chretien believe he has a role in upholding the Charter of Rights? If he does, it's not clear from his statements to date. For example, immediately after the conference ended, Chretien called the use of pepper- spray reasonable. "Those who did not follow the law, broke the lines and tried to jump over the fence to disturb the conference, had to face the police. And the police took a means that was apparently very efficient, and there was nobody hurt and the conference was not disturbed." Then, last week, he said: "I don't have to explain anything. I did not talk to any RCMP person. I just asked to make sure that the security of our visitors was properly served." (Did Chretien have to speak directly to the RCMP for him to be implicated in influencing the force's actions? That's like Clinton insisting he didn't have sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky because they never had intercourse.) An indication that this issue is about to cause Chretien major problems came Monday when, after a three-month recess, the House of Commons got back to business. A flurry of questions was put by the Reform, New Democratic Party, Conservative and Bloc Quebecois MPs focusing on the suppression of Canadians' constitutional rights at the APEC conference. Again, Chretien ducked and dodged. The opposition parties obviously have concluded that the prime minister is vulnerable on this issue. Now that it is becoming a major focus in the Commons and is to be at the centre of the RCMP complaints commission hearing scheduled to begin Oct. 5, the matter -- until now largely a B.C. one -- will increasingly be covered in the eastern media. Anyone with a decent set of antennae in the prime minister's office has likely already recognized that the abrogation of the UBC students' Charter rights is about to become Chretien's Monica Lewinsky mess. _ _ _ \ / "Long words Bother me." \ / -- Winnie the Pooh From pet at web.net Wed Sep 23 21:10:28 1998 From: pet at web.net (Sharon R.A. Scharfe) Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 08:10:28 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [asia-apec 690] Cda Hansard re: APEC '97, Sept.22/98 Message-ID: <2.2.16.19980923081357.2127b9f0@pop.web.net> Official excerpts/translations Hansard Parliament of Canada Ottawa, Canada September 22, 1998 ... Statements ... SOUTHEAST ASIA Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I recently returned from Indonesia and Thailand on a mission led by the Canadian Council for International Co-operation to see the impact of the Asian financial crisis on the people who live there. The impact is catastrophic. Families are desperate, reeling from massive unemployment and skyrocketing food prices. And for many, the last threads of hope are rapidly unwinding. Upon our return we called on the government to fundamentally change its role in global economic management. The World Bank and IMF's prescription is disastrous. These institutions must be completely overhauled to ensure that the forces of globalization create equity and serve the needs of people. Instead of using pepper spray to stifle students protesting APEC in Vancouver, instead of ignoring the cries of hunger from citizens around the world who are paying the consequences of global capital gone berserk, this government must end its complicity with the financial power brokers and champion global reform to alleviate poverty and environmental degradation. ... Oral Question Period APEC SUMMIT Mr. Preston Manning (Leader of the Opposition, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister and it is a simple question that has been asked by many Canadians. Why will the Prime Minister not simply apologize to the Canadian students who were wrongfully pepper sprayed at the APEC summit conference? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I am sorry that some people had a problem with the police there. No one wished for that to happen and that is why there is an inquiry. Where there are situations like that, when people feel that they have not been treated fairly, there is a process to help them. It allows them to see whether the police acted in an unethical or illegal fashion. There is an inquiry into this. At the end we will see who is responsible and who is not. That is why there is an inquiry. If some people were not well treated, certainly? The Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Preston Manning (Leader of the Opposition, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is playing dumb on this question. Our complaint is not with the RCMP but with the Prime Minister who gave them their orders. Our concerns cannot be resolved by the commission. They can only be resolved by the Prime Minister himself coming clean on this issue. Will the Prime Minister explain to this House and to the students his role, not the RCMP's role, in this fiasco? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, my role was very simple. I was the host of 19 leaders who came to Canada. The RCMP was responsible for keeping order so that the leaders visiting Canada could be safe. This is done for every meeting of this nature. My role was to be chairman of the APEC meeting on behalf of Canada at that time. The people of Vancouver received the leaders very well. Mr. Preston Manning (Leader of the Opposition, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, that is very interesting because that is not what the RCMP say. They say they were instructed to suppress peaceful protesters even if they were not a security risk. RCMP memos say things like ?PM's specific wish? or ?PM wants the protesters out?. That PM was not me and it was not the Minister of Finance. Who was it? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I know at least one of the two will not become the PMr. I have been in politics for a long time. As a minister, I have seen many people in departments speaking on behalf of their ministers or on behalf of the prime minister, not knowing? Some hon. members: Oh, oh. The Speaker: Colleagues, I know we all want to hear the questions and the answers. The hon. member for Edmonton North. Miss Deborah Grey (Edmonton North, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister seems to have his fingerprints all over this. The ?PM? he is talking about is a post-mortem that Canadians want on this whole issue because they are disgusted. Why is it that the Prime Minister resorts to blaming a bureaucrat? Why does he not believe in ministerial accountability, stand up in his place right now and say ?I'm responsible. I apologize and I will explain what I did in this affair?? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, there is an inquiry that is being conducted in Vancouver on this incident, which occurred during the last hours of the APEC meeting, when the 19 leaders came to Canada and we were the hosts. The inquiry will look at all the facts. I said before, and I will repeat, that I hosted the meeting. Until the end everything went very well. After it was over they informed me that there was an incident at the last hour of the meeting. There is an inquiry into what happened there because? The Speaker: The hon. member for Edmonton North. Miss Deborah Grey (Edmonton North, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, I can understand why the Prime Minister was shocked there was an incident because he very clearly pointed out that he did not want to be embarrassed and have other leaders be embarrassed. This public commission looks into the activities of the RCMP, not the unethical activities of politicians. When is the Prime Minister going to stand up in his place and admit he was wrong, or is he above the law? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member tends to exaggerate a bit. Just a bit. She is very consistent. Today on the Hill she was applauding a group of people who object to gun control and yesterday she did not want us to have people with guns registered in Canada coming from abroad. [Translation] Mr. Gilles Duceppe (Laurier?Sainte-Marie, BQ): Mr. Speaker, the further we delve into ?peppergate?, the more we realize that the real responsibility for suppressing anti-Suharto demonstrators lies not with the RCMP but with the Canadian government, which was consumed with reassuring the dictator. Yesterday, we learned that the RCMP liaison officer was told to do everything necessary to meet Suharto's demands. Will the Prime Minister admit that the testimony by officer Peter Montague confirms that the extreme intervention by the RCMP in Vancouver is directly related to the directives his government issued to the RCMP? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, as I said, there is an investigation into this matter. A commission will conduct an inquiry, giving members of the public with complaints against the RCMP an opportunity to present their views, and the RCMP an opportunity to justify its actions. The commission is to begin its work shortly. Let us leave it to do its work. Mr. Gilles Duceppe (Laurier?Sainte-Marie, BQ): Mr. Speaker, the commission of inquiry will investigate the actions of the RCMP, as the Prime Minister points out. Our questions are directed not at the RCMP, but at the Prime Minister. Would the Prime Minister be so good as to tell us what lesson we are to learn from seeing a supposed statesman deliberately crushing the individual rights of his fellow citizens so that he can stay on good terms with a dictator, because that is the fact of the matter? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Such rhetoric, Mr. Speaker. I would like to inform the hon. member that, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs pointed out yesterday, we provided financial assistance to bring protestors to the parallel summit in Vancouver. We ourselves provided assistance for protestors to come from other countries to hold a parallel summit in Vancouver. For people who do not want to hear anything about civil liberties, I think we have gone further than anyone in issuing an invitation to these people and paying their expenses so that they could come and protest. Mr. Richard Marceau (Charlesbourg, BQ): Mr. Speaker, for two days now the Prime Minister has been hiding behind the RCMP public complaints commission in order to avoid answering questions on the role he and his office played in repressing Vancouver students during the visit of dictator Suharto. How can the Prime Minister hide behind this commission when the issue is that he and his office dealt with the RCMP as if it were a political police force? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, there will be an inquiry. Inquiry members will question those who come before them. As everyone knows, two senior officials from my office have agreed to go and testify. Mr. Richard Marceau (Charlesbourg, BQ): Mr. Speaker, we keep hearing the same tape. The question is very simple: are we to understand that in future the behaviour of the RCMP at demonstrations will be determined by foreign visitors, including dictators? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the rules proposed were for the protection of all leaders of all the governments present, and they were all given the same reatment. [English] Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Mr. Speaker, my question is also for the Prime Minister. A federal government lawyer claims that the Prime Minister has no relevant testimony to give before the Public Complaints Commission. Is the Prime Minister pretending that he never discussed the handling of protesters or the accommodating of Suharto's sensitivities with any of his officials? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I was aware that some of the delegations wanted reassurance. I did that for many. For example, the President of China was supposed to go to Victoria to receive a doctorate. We could not guarantee him that there would be no demonstrations and he declined to go. We knew that people could protest. The President of China did not accept the offer to receive a doctorate from the University of Victoria because we could not guarantee there would be no protesters. Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Mr. Speaker, Canadians are not demanding accountability for the Prime Minister's awareness, they are demanding accountability for the Prime Minister's actions. The solicitor general has already said that any witness requested to appear before the Public Complaints Commission should do so, including presumably the Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister agree with the solicitor general? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I just said that at this moment there is an inquiry. It will look at all the facts. Nobody has asked me to appear. Under the circumstances we looked at the precedence and it is not usual in Canada for the Prime Minister to appear in front of a commission. It has never happened before. We will see what happens, but there is no need now. I am not preoccupied. I want people to let the inquiry do its work. The leader of the fourth party is inventing stories. The facts will be told to the commission in a few weeks. Mrs. Elsie Wayne (Saint John, PC): Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister, with his answer a few moments ago in the House to the Reform members, appears to indicate that it is better to have the armed thugs of a dictator in Canada than to leave lawful and legitimate long gun owners free from government regulations and taxation. The truth is out there somewhere about who ordered the RCMP to stifle legitimate protesters at the APEC summit. The solicitor general said yesterday that the Prime Minister cannot avoid a subpoena to testify about the real story. Will the Prime Minister simply explain to the House his role in the pepper spray matter today? No one? The Speaker: The Right Hon. Prime Minister. Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I have to confess one thing. After it was all over I was asked a question about the pepper spray. I did not know what they were talking about. I asked the journalist what he meant. It is a product that I have never used. I did not know that it existed. That is why I made the joke and I probably should not have made it. I did not know that here was a spray of pepper. Mrs. Elsie Wayne (Saint John, PC): Mr. Speaker, reality seems to be imitating fiction when it comes to our American neighbours. They may already have a case like the movie Sex, Lies and Videotapes. Soon we may be watching a northern spinoff, Suharto, pepper spray and cover-up. Will the Prime Minister tell us why a subpoena may be necessary before he is accountable to Canadians about the APEC affair? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I think it is very important to make a distinction because a couple of questions have actually represented what I said yesterday incorrectly. The reality is the public complaints commission can call whomever it wants. That is its prerogative. Mr. John Reynolds (West Vancouver?Sunshine Coast, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, my question is also for the Prime Minister. We know from documents on November 14 that the RCMP were unhappy with the political role they were asked to play in the APEC affair. Like the Prime Minister, we want the inquiry to work. Can the Prime Minister guarantee the House and Canadians that the inquiry will be allowed to investigate the office of the Prime Minister and not just look into the issue of the RCMP? Can it guarantee us that it will be able to look into the political role that was played in the Prime Minister's office? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the reality is the public complaints commission acts on the complaints of citizens. It has a wide range of opportunities to investigate and it has a good history for the last 12 years of doing Canada justice. These people should let that committee do its work. Mr. Jim Abbott (Kootenay?Columbia, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, let it be very clear that the solicitor general did not answer the question. The Prime Minister said the public complaints commission can look into those who have grievances against the RCMP. The question posed by my colleague is can it look into the affair from a political point of view into the Prime Minister's office and his complicity. Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, obviously the hon. member does not understand that it is not for me or the government to direct it as to what to do. It has a job to do and it will do it. * * * ... APEC SUMMIT Mr. Peter MacKay (Pictou?Antigonish?Guysborough, PC): Mr. Speaker, it is now clear that we have a triple E Prime Minister: evasive, elusive and erroneous. The Prime Minister clearly showed his contempt for Parliament yesterday by hiding behind the solicitor general on APEC. The solicitor general clearly showed his lack of knowledge in his own portfolio by confusing an RCMP complaints commission with a public forum. I ask the Prime Minister, not his human shield, the solicitor general, did he or his office give the RCMP instructions to remove the protesters from the UBC campus and will he give an accounting in this House? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, there will be an inquiry into it. I saw protesters when I was there. I did not ask anybody to withdraw them at all. A place was provided for protesters in Vancouver and on the campus. That was the plan. There were to be protesters and there were. The problem that occurred is being analysed by the commission at this time. It will report and we will act accordingly. Mr. Peter MacKay (Pictou?Antigonish?Guysborough, PC): Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what part of this is not a criminal proceeding. The Prime Minister and the solicitor general do not understand. This is a question of political interference from the highest office in the land and the Prime Minister is hiding behind this. Canadians deserve to know what has happened in this affair. There should be a detailed explanation, and I ask the Prime Minister again, or the solicitor general, will they guarantee that they will broaden the mandate of the public inquiry to allow for the question of political interference to be examined at that level. Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, once again my critic from the Conservative Party fails to understand this process, that the public complaints commission itself will make the decisions as to the nature of this investigation. I have every confidence that it will do it in a way that will satisfy all our interests if we let it do its job. * * * ... APEC SUMMIT Mr. Andr? Bachand (Richmond?Arthabaska, PC): Mr. Speaker, I am ashamed to rise today in this House as Progressive Conservative foreign affairs critic. I must say that human rights have been violated, not in Indonesia or elsewhere, but right here, in Canada, at the APEC summit in Vancouver. In the name of freedom of expression for all Canadians, after the excuses he made today and his statement that members of his staff will testify, will the Prime Minister confirm to this House that he and all of his ministers concerned will go and testify before the commission? Yes or no? [English] Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I can only once again repeat that the public complaints commission is mandated. It is an instrument that was put forward through parliament by the former government to deal with complaints against the RCMP. If members opposite will give it a chance, it will do that in the fine fashion it has done it in for the last 12 years. * * * ... ******************************************************************************** For more information on Parliamentarians for East Timor, Please Contact: Sharon Scharfe, International Secretariat Parliamentarians for East Timor Suite 116, 5929-L Jeanne D'Arc Blvd., Orleans, ON K1C 7K2 CANADA Fax: 1-613-834-2021 E-Mail: pet@web.net ******************************************************************************** From gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz Thu Sep 24 05:16:41 1998 From: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (Gatt Watchdog) Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 08:16:41 +1200 Subject: [asia-apec 691] NZ Employers Federation Target of Friday 25th MAI Protest Message-ID: GATT Watchdog PO Box 1905 Christchurch AOTEAROA (NZ) MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE USE 23 September 1998 NZ EMPLOYERS FEDERATION TARGET OF FRIDAY 25th MAI PROTEST The Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) and the New Zealand Employers Federation are the targets of a protest outside the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce at 57 Kilmore Street, Christchurch at 12pm, Friday 25th September as part of an International Week of Action Against the MAI. Other actions opposing the MAI are planned for Wellington and Auckland the same day. The Week of Action, from 21 to 28 September, includes anti-MAI activities in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, and the USA. The MAI is a controversial agreement being negotiated among the 29 OECD nations and described as a bill of rights and freedoms for big business by many non-governmental organisations, unions, and people's organisations worldwide. Street theatre involving a giant "MAI maggot" will accompany the protest. A copy of the draft MAI will be burnt, and a letter handed to the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce. GATT Watchdog calls on the Employers Federation and the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce "to join the great majority of people, both in NZ and internationally, who see the MAI for the dangerous nonsense that it is". "Contrary to widespread media and popular belief, the MAI is not dead,", said a GATT Watchdog spokesperson, Aziz Choudry. "Big business, particularly the transnational corporations dominating the global economy, is the driving force behind the MAI. The OECD Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) has been consulted throughout the negotiations for business and industry input. The Employers Federation is New Zealand's official representative on BIAC. We're calling on it to front up to and rethink its role in promoting this fundamentally flawed agreement, especially now it seems that negotiations will be back on track in mid-October." He says that any perceived coolness of the New Zealand government towards the MAI is no cause for celebration for the treaty's opponents. "Its qualms are about the MAI not going far enough in stripping away governments' abilities to regulate foreign investment, and the numerous exceptions which continue to threaten it being concluded. They're not due to any concerns about the social, political, economic and environmental costs that this binding agreement would have." He said that OECD ministers had agreed to a 6-month "pause" in negotiations, but the resumption of MAI negotiations in October is expected to lead to a further meeting in April 1999 with the aim of concluding the MAI before the World Trade Organisation (WTO) launches its next trade liberalisation round. He said that at the April 28th OECD Ministerial Meeting Ministers decided on a six-month "period of assessment and further consultation between the negotiating parties and with interested parts of their societies". The Ministerial Statement also stated that "[m]inisters are committed to a transparent negotiating process and to active public discussion on the issues at stake in the negotiations." "The Shipley MAI-nority government has failed to honour such commitments. Pressure needs to be kept on them over the MAI, but we're also looking to the Employers Federation to come clean about its involvement in supporting this corporate greed treaty," commented Mr Choudry. "In a recent letter to GATT Watchdog, Treasurer Bill Birch confirmed information which we received last month from an overseas contact that in July and August, officials from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Treasury met with senior counterparts from Canada and Australia to discuss their governments' views on the MAI. The government would prefer to continue to participate in MAI talks in secrecy, rather than risk the same level of political embarrassment and outrage that it faced when this agreement was exposed last year." Mr Choudry warned that under the MAI, a foreign investor could sue the government of any signatory country if it feels that it has been disadvantaged in an actual or planned investment. "The 'expropriation' and 'investor dispute settlement' provisions of the MAI are based on provisions in NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) which allows for such cases to be conducted in secret. In July, Canadians were horrified to learn that the federal government paid US petrochemical corporation Ethyl Corp US $13 miillion for lost business over a briefly banned fuel additive MMT, in exchange for dropping a legal case against Ottawa which claimed that the federal government had broken its NAFTA obligations in imposing the ban." "Under the MAI such antidemocratic standover tactics by powerful companies fixated on making a fast buck and little else will snowball and spread throughout the 29 OECD countries. Big business will effectively use the MAI to bully governments into only passing laws which favour them. This is outrageous," he concluded. "We need to crush the MAI before it crushes us." For further comment, contact Aziz Choudry, GATT Watchdog at (03) 3662803 From davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca Thu Sep 24 05:46:51 1998 From: davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca (David Webster) Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 13:46:51 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [asia-apec 692] Newsflash on malaysia (fwd) Message-ID: Dear friends, Having seen nothing on this list about turmoil in malaysia, i'm reposting an item from the act-indonesia list. Any info from the organizers of events planned for this year, and/or advice on how outsiders can be of help if that would be useful, would be very valuable.... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: 23 Sep 1998 05:06:29 From: tapol@gn.apc.org Reply-To: "Conference act.indonesia" To: Recipients of indonesia-act Subject: Newsflash on malaysia From: tapol@gn.apc.org (TAPOL) newsflash on malaysia Subject: Political Crisis POLITICAL CRISIS - SOME THOUGHTS! Events that have transpired since the dismissal of Anwar Ibrahim from the government and the Party are a cause of great concern. On Saturday, Sukma and Munawar were charged and sentenced; on Sunday a huge crowd participated in a rally at the Dataran Merdeka and on Sunday night crowds protested at the PWTC and attempted to march on to Sri Perdana. On Sunday night Anwar was arrested under the ISA and ISA detentions of others associated with the Reformation Movement continue to take place. On Monday the police despite the use of teargas, water cannons and several charges were unable to disperse crowds that gathered at the Courts from 9. 00 am till about 4.30 pm. How are we to view what is taking place? 1. Anwar has been vilified in both the print media and the electronic media. Despite this he has much sympathy at the popular level - as has been demonstrated by large crowds at rallies that have taken place throughout the country. Nothing more clearly demonstrates this sympathy and unhappiness with what is going on than the huge crowds that turned up for the rally at the Masjid Negara and the Dataran Merdeka. It is important to note that 10s of thousands of Malaysians were prepared to participate in an "illegal" gathering and "break the law" in a place where there was obviously going to be a heavy police presence. More importantly this outpouring of support for Anwar came in the wake of Saturday's guilty pleas by Sukma and Muniwar. These 10s of thousands were demonstrating their total disregard and lack of faith in what had been "determined" in the courts. 2. What we saw taking place on Sunday night at the PWTC and Sri Perdana and on Monday morning at the courts cannot be viewed as a problem of "law and order". People participate in "illegal" assemblies and in processions at great risk to life and liberty. They would not do this if they did not feel strongly about what is taking place. What happened was merely a symptom of the frustration that is felt by many people at the way in which Anwar is being treated; in particular the way in which the media has been manipulated and used and the way in which the police appear to be partisan. Many people are also frustrated because they believe the courts to be biased and not a place where they can get justice. 3. This feeling of unhappiness is now compounded with the use of the ISA against people involved in the Reformation Movement and the brutal way in which the protesters were put down on Monday at the courts. Perhaps some explanation needs to be made about what took place on Monday. There were no clashes or street battle - this word conjures up the impression that the crowd is attacking the police or fighting back. All that took place was people spontaneously trying to demonstrate their unhappiness with what is taking place. The people were peaceful and unarmed. All that they did was to stand around and chant slogans. In response they were subjected to tear gas, water cannons and police charges. The more unfortunate members who had gathered there were beaten up, kicked and dragged off. The crowd responded to all this violence in a completely non violent manner. They responded by running, hiding and then regrouping. For them what was important was that they be allowed to continue to make their presence felt and to do this for long as possible. 4. Who is to be blamed when people lose faith in the system? When people have a complete lack of trust and faith in those institutions of state that are supposed to uphold justice - the police, the AG's office and the judiciary - who is to be blamed? The answer is fairly obvious - the Executive - or more specifically the political elite. WHAT IS TO BE DONE? There are some who continue to view the situation as nothing more than a political struggle between Mahathir and Anwar. Both they argue are two sides of the same coin. Fine, if you feel this way then stay out of it. It is better to stay out of it than to write articles or make statements that will in anyway support and endorse the Prime Minister in what he is doing to the Country! If you however feel that something has to be done and some kind of position needs to be taken then these are some of the things that we can campaign on. Groups and individuals will have to decide for themselves how far they want to go. In any event to work on #1 alone or #1 and #2 only or #1, #2 and #3 will be infinitely better than not doing anything at all. 1. We have to deplore the use of the ISA. We have to demand that ISA detentions cease and all those who have been detained are released immediately and unconditionally. The use of the ISA to crush the Reformation Movement just lends credence to the allegation made by Anwar that there is a "political conspiracy" at work. The ISA must be repealed. 2. We have to deplore the use of force and violence by the police against crowds that gather to show their support of Anwar and frustration against what has been happening. Let us remember that these so called "mobs" are simply our fellow Malaysians who have all these years not seen the need to take the risk of taking to the streets and breaking the law. We must urge restraint on behalf of the police and condemn any unwarranted violence perpetuated by the police. 3. Perhaps we should call for the conducting of fair trials, or a Royal Commission or the setting up of a independent Parliamentay Committee to address what has happened. But will any of these, in the present climate, function in a neutral, independent and non partisan manner? This is the problem in making such a call. I do however believe that making such a call is better than not saying anything at all. But perhaps it is now also time to become more direct in our approach. Somebody has to be held accountable for the manipulation of the media and the eroding of all the institutions of state - from the Police and the AG's office to the Judiciary. When more than 50,000 people can gather peacefully in Dataran Merdeka and call on the PM to resign, perhaps this is a call that we should also consider making. The speed in which events have taken place over the past few weeks is truly amazing. I don't think that we have the luxury of waiting for things to "settle down" before we decide to take a position and act. I think that based on what information we have, we can already in our own small way make a limited response. The way in which the media can be manipulated and used, the complete lack of independence of the institutions of state are not new issues to many of us in the NGO movement. But what we have seen taking place is the acceptance of these ideas at the popular level. At the popular level, there is a great reaction and revulsion to the way in which Anwar has been treated. It is now time for us to do our little 2 cents worth! If not now then when? Rajen & Stephanie 22 September, 1998 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Just reply a short message to me if you have already received this material and wish to be taken off from the mailing list. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign 111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 8HW, UK Phone: 0181 771-2904 Fax: 0181 653-0322 email: tapol@gn.apc.org Campaigning to expose human rights violations in Indonesia, East Timor, West Papua and Aceh Join us to celebrate TAPOL's 25th anniversary on 20 October 1998. Contact us for ticket details. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From tpl at cheerful.com Thu Sep 24 07:57:51 1998 From: tpl at cheerful.com (GABRIELA) Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 06:57:51 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 693] Rally for justice on the 26th anniversary of Martial Law Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19980924065751.006a67bc@pop.skyinet.net> From: KARAPATAN 26 years after declaration of Martial Law, victims/survivors of human rights violations assail continuing violations Victims/survivors of human rights violations and their relatives have taken their grief and protest to the streets in a march from Morayta to Mendiola on September 21 to rally for justice that has been denied them for years. The protest-march, dubbed as the ‘Prusisyon ng Bayan Para sa Katarungan’ (People's March for Justice), coincides with the 26th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law by the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. The rallyists were in black and wore red arm bands. “Human rights victims/survivors, particularly those who suffered under Martial Law, have long been fighting for justice. It has been 12 years but the quest for justice of the 10,000 victims of human rights violations (HRVs) who filed a class suit against the dictator Marcos remain unfulfilled,” said Emily Garcia, secretary general of the DESAPARECIDOS (Families of the Disappeared for Justice). Garcia recounted the harrowing experience of Marcos’s victims. “The tyranny that was Martial law bore witness to arbitrary arrests, detention and torture, abduction, involuntary disappearance and summary execution,” Garcia lamented. “They will never fail to remind us, families and relatives of the victims of salvaging and disappearances, of the unspeakable agony over the loss of a husband, wife or children. We just can’t lay the matter to rest and forget about it as our plight signifies the very absence of justice.” KARAPATAN and its member organizations led the protest-march of the HRV victims and their relatives to demand justice and condemn the continuing repression primarily directed at the peasants and workers protesting against the state's anti-people and pro-imperialist policies and programs. According to Marie Hilao-Enriquez, secretary general of the human rights alliance KARAPATAN and of SELDA, an association of former political prisoners, human rights violations remain unabated in the past three decades. “The climate of fear and terror that characterized Martial Law remains after 26 years,” Enriquez affirmed. “Barely two months after the grandiose oathtaking of President Estrada who has sworn his commitment to serve the poor, we witness instead the full-blast rehabilitation of the Marcoses and their cronies as well as the continuing militarization.” EMJP (Ecumenical Movement for Justice and Peace) deputy secretary general Rey Quindara cited the salvaging of peasant Richard Balangiao of Misamis Oriental last September 10 by the 31st Special Forces of the Philippine Army, the recent abduction of union leader Ramon Baylon of Los Banos, Laguna and the arrest and detention of 58 PICOP workers in Surigao del Sur. “These cases are unquestionably a prelude to the continued violations of civil and political rights by the Estrada regime,” Quindara said. “Indeed, the military and police brutality and atrocities that marked the dark years of Martial Law, still loom today." Quindara added, “In a futile attempt to quell the growing discontent of the people, the Estrada government resorts to the suppression of the basic and legitimate rights of the Filipino people. The intensifying militarization in the countryside primarily directed against the peasantry only lay bare the insincerity of the Estrada administration in promising a government that is supposedly for the poor and for the masses.” Antonio Liongson, KARAPATAN deputy secretary general, likewise assailed the continued detention of 186 political prisoners in the country, 58 of them the PICOP workers who went on strike. Liongson averred, “Political detainees continue to languish in jail, despite the approval of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CA-HRIHL) between the government and the National Democratic Front. In closing, Enriquez said, “During the dark years of Martial Law, patriots and freedom-loving citizens were not cowed by water jets, tear gas, truncheons and guns of the Metrocom. National freedom and democracy, which the martyrs and victims of Martial Law fought and died for, remain an aspiration yet to be realized. Let us continue to make the streets a parliament of protests and mass actions in the assertion of our rights.” ### From davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca Thu Sep 24 13:32:17 1998 From: davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca (David Webster) Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 20:32:17 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 694] Van Sun: RCMP spied on protesters Message-ID: Last Updated: Wednesday 23 September 1998 TOP STORIES --------------------------------------------------------- [GO] RCMP spied on protesters before APEC The Vancouver Sun [Image] [Image] [Image] Jeff Lee Vancouver Sun Police infiltrated the protest group APEC Alert before [Image] [Image] the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit was held in [Image] [Image] Vancouver last fall, according to internal RCMP documents. [Image] Not only did the RCMP keep higher-profile anti-APEC [Image] activists under surveillance, but at one point they had an informant join the group and make regular reports to a pair of police handlers. The surveillance culminated in a series of pre-planned arrests of some activists "with a view to eliminating some of the more high-profile members of APEC Alert" from the University of B.C. site on the day world leaders were to tour the university, police documents indicate. The information is contained in two internal reports. One was prepared by an officer under investigation for alleged assault following the pepper-spraying of protesters who tore down a chain-link fence while decrying the presence at the summit of some world leaders with poor human rights records. The other report is part of a criminal case against one protester who allegedly assaulted an officer by yelling at him through a megaphone. Although the police, according to internal documents, considered the anti-APEC protesters to be non-violent, a special RCMP "threat assessment group" believed it was necessary to assemble dossiers on them in the months leading up to the summit, and they issued daily bulletins, including books of mug shots of three different groups to help officers identify potential troublemakers. "We learned there was an undercover operation taking place which involved an RCMP undercover operator having direct access to some of the APEC protesters identified with the group APEC Alert," Sergeant Pete McLaren wrote in a report to RCMP internal affairs. "I learned that the RCMP handlers of the undercover operator were Corporal Cal Krustie and Constable Stephanie Leach." McLaren confirmed Tuesday that he wrote the 10-page report and that he was aware of an undercover operation against the anti-APEC protesters. But he said he could not say more about the operation because he was expected to testify before an RCMP Public Complaints Commission hearing into the arrests and pepper-spraying of some of the protesters during the summit. McLaren said he was one of two officers responsible for maintaining a perimeter fence, and had learned that protesters intended to rip the fence down. "I wanted to find out as much information as I could," he said. The report was part of a statement McLaren filed after Crown counsel considered whether to charge officers involved in two pepper-spraying melees with assault. They ultimately decided not to lay charges. McLaren did not identify the infiltrator in his report, but APEC Alert member Jonathan Oppenheim said information the group has indicates police had them under surveillance for more than a year. The group also believes their telephones were tapped, but have been unable to confirm whether wire taps were applied, he said. "There are still indications that we're under surveillance because we've been denied reports because they [the RCMP] say it is part of a continuing investigation. They had information that they couldn't have gotten any other way than wire taps," Oppenheim said. "Frankly, I find it a bit frightening that the RCMP had us under investigation, because we have always been a non-violent, peaceful group," he said. On occasion the surveillance bordered on the ridiculous. The protesters finally figured they had an informant in their midst during a Halloween "Corporate Tour" of UBC buildings that were to be used for the summit. The group of 20 costumed protesters were putting "hexes" on each of the buildings when a cell phone went off in their midst. "We kind of figured we had an informant because none of us have cell phones," he said. "The guy who was leading us said 'Oops, we have an informant with us.' and we all laughed." The owner of the phone was a big, beefy man wearing an alien mask, Oppenheim said. The man quickly disappeared from the crowd. The surveillance was part of an attempt to neutralize potential summit troublemakers, including protesters Jaggi Singh, Oppenheim and pot crusader David Malmo-Levine. The police kept tabs on the whereabouts of potential threats and, according to the other report, deliberately set out to arrest at least one person as close to the summit's start as possible as a way of keeping him away from the university. The document, called a "will say", was written for Staff Sergeant Lloyd Plante of the University of B.C. RCMP detachment as part of police explanations for why Singh was arrested on Nov. 24 on a charge of assaulting an officer by yelling at him through a megaphone. Singh faxed out portions of the report in a press release alleging that a Vancouver police department strike force targeted the anti-APEC activists for months before the summit. "Plante will say that the report to Crown counsel [against Singh] was forwarded with a view to eliminating some of the more high-profile members of APEC Alert from the UBC area," the report indicates. _ _ _ \ / "Long words Bother me." \ / -- Winnie the Pooh From pet at web.net Thu Sep 24 21:00:59 1998 From: pet at web.net (Sharon R.A. Scharfe) Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 08:00:59 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [asia-apec 695] Cda Hansard, Sept.23/98 re: APEC '97 Message-ID: <2.2.16.19980924080430.22177b58@pop.web.net> House of Commons Ottawa, CANADA Canadian Parliament Official Hansard (and translation) (English version only) >From Proceedings on September 23, 1998 ... ORAL QUESTIONS APEC SUMMIT Mr. Preston Manning (Leader of the Opposition, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, the greatest security risk at the APEC summit was not from peaceful protesters, it was from armed bodyguards surrounding dictator Suharto of Indonesia. Some of these bodyguards even talked about shooting Canadians for carrying signs. Five of them became so violent they actually had to be arrested themselves. What does it say about the Prime Minister's priorities when foreign hit men are allowed to do their own thing on Canadian streets but Canadian students are not? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, they were arrested. Mr. Preston Manning (Leader of the Opposition, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, five were arrested? Some hon. members: Oh, oh. The Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Preston Manning: Five were arrested, Mr. Speaker. The rest were not and none of them were pepper sprayed. Surely it is the responsibility of the Prime Minister to stand up for human rights, at least at home, and not to fluff the pillow for some foreign dictator. What Canadians do not understand is why the Prime Minister went to such extraordinary lengths for a foreign dictator who is reviled in his own country, even suppressing the rights of Canadians in order to protect him simply from embarrassment. The next time the government invites a brutal dictator to Canada, does the Prime Minister intend to conduct himself in the same way? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the APEC meeting rules were established to protect the security of all the leaders. The rules apply to all the leaders: the resident of the United States, the Prime Minister of Australia, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, the Prime Minister of Japan. We had a system to make sure that they could come to the APEC meeting, a very important meeting, and deliberate in a peaceful atmosphere. The exact same rules applied to everyone. Mr. Preston Manning (Leader of the Opposition, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, Canadians are still waiting to hear precisely what was the Prime Minister's role in authorizing the special treatment of Suharto and the attack on the Canadian students. The public complaints inquiry will not tell us that because, according to the RCMP Act, that inquiry only investigates the conduct of RCMP officers and not their political masters. Who will be investigating the role of the Prime Minister in this whole affair? Will the Prime Minister co-operate fully? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I have nothing to hide. There is an inquiry and in fact it has asked two members of my staff to appear. They have volunteered to be there. The sherpa responsible for the conference will appear also. The commission will decide who it wants to hear. It will do its work. Let it do its work. Mr. John Reynolds (West Vancouver?Sunshine Coast, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister. Forty boxes of evidence were turned over to commission counsel and virtually nothing in those boxes had any evidence from the Prime Minister's office or the PMO. What assurance can the Prime Minister give Canadians that, unlike the Somalia affair, documents of the APEC affair will not be shredded? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I think the Public Complaints Commission has distinguished itself over the years quite remarkably. In fact, Canadians have every right to the truth on this matter. Parliament, this institution, decided that the way to get to that truth was through this very organization. I really wish that they would let them do their work. Mr. John Reynolds (West Vancouver?Sunshine Coast, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, my supplementary question is to the Prime Minister. We, like all Canadians, want to know the truth. We know there is a commission. We know the commission cannot investigate the government. We want assurances from this government that unlike Somalia, unlike the Krever commission, documents will not be shredded so that this commission gets everything that is available from this government. Anybody who did anything from the PMO, the solicitor general's office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be before that commission. That is what Canadians demand. We want the assurance from this government that they will do that. Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, it is because we have such high regard for the Public Complaints Commission that when it makes these requests it gets the information it asked for. [Translation] Mr. Gilles Duceppe (Laurier?Sainte-Marie, BQ): Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister said, and I quote ?I have been in politics for a long time. As a minister, I have seen many people in departments speaking on behalf of their ministers or on behalf of the Prime Minister, not knowing?? Was the Prime Minister telling us that individuals in his own office acted without his knowledge in the Suharto matter, without his being informed? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the answer is no. Mr. Gilles Duceppe (Laurier?Sainte-Marie, BQ): Mr. Speaker, either the Prime Minister was informed or he was talking for the sake of talking yesterday. It has to be one or the other, not both. Could the Prime Minister tell us whether the Minister of Foreign Affairs, on his return from Indonesia, told him of the commitments he had made that there would be no problems and that Suharto would not be troubled during his visit to Vancouver? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs made a statement about that yesterday. We told all heads of state that they could come to Canada, that their lives would not be in danger and their security would be ensured and that we could carry on normal talks, because we were discussing very important problems at that point, such as the Asian financial crisis. Mr. Richard Marceau (Charlesbourg, BQ): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister. One might wonder how innocuous student groups could endanger the lives of other leaders. We learned this morning that not only did the RCMP brutally repress the demonstrators in Vancouver, but that it also infiltrated student groups. Does the Prime Minister deny the direct link between the extraordinary promises of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the extraordinary actions of the RCMP, who pepper-spray, infiltrate, shove and even, as a preventive measure, arrest completely harmless students? [English] Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, it surprises me that members of parliament would have such disregard for an instrument that was set up by parliament to get to the truth of this matter. These are old questions that relate to that inquiry and they have the responsibility to let the instrument of this place do its job. [Translation] Mr. Richard Marceau (Charlesbourg, BQ): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister, since the solicitor general has, as usual, been left out of the loop. Is the clearly extreme behaviour of the RCMP, who infiltrate, rough up, and?I repeat?as a preventive measure, arrest demonstrating students, not the direct result of this Prime Minister's obsession with doing whatever it took to bring this dictator to Canada? [English] Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, in a free and democratic society Canadians have the right to a way of challenging the law enforcement agencies, in this case the RCMP. That instrument, as established by the Parliament of Canada, is the Public Complaints Commission. Most of the questions being put here today are questions that would be directed to the Public Complaints Commission and I wish that the members opposite would let it get to the truth because that is what Canadians deserve. Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister. Yesterday the Prime Minister blamed staff for the shameful suppression of the peaceful protest that took place at the APEC summit. He has now had time to reflect on those facts. Will the Prime Minister tell us today whether it was his staff acting in his name or whether he himself gave the orders? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the hon. member likes to make vague accusations based on nothing. There is an inquiry and the inquiry will ask questions. They have asked for the presence of two people on my staff, who said they would be happy to go. The other people who are responsible for the meeting, like the sherpa, are willing to go. Everything will be available for the commission to look at. We received these leaders and everything went according? The Speaker: The hon. leader of the New Democratic Party. Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister may deny involvement, but eyewitnesses suggest otherwise. Inside the APEC security net, Chief Gail Sparrow saw the Prime Minister barking out orders, not just to his own staff but to security staff as well. When will the Prime Minister stop denying his direct participation in this fiasco? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I think it is important for members of all parties to recognize that, in Canada, Canadians have the opportunity to challenge the authority of the RCMP in this case. There is a process in place. It was set up by the previous government and it deserves the right to do its job. Mrs. Elsie Wayne (Saint John, PC): Mr. Speaker, today Canada welcomes President Nelson Mandela, who spent his life fighting for human rights and civil liberties. Canada's former prime minister, Brian Mulroney, stood up with President Mandela in that noble struggle. Today we have a Prime Minister who appears to care less about civil liberties and more about sparing dictator embarrassment. Will the Prime Minister, like Mr. Mandela, do the right thing? Will he give this House a full account of his role in the RCMP actions against Canadians at the APEC summit? Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I can see that the hon. member is moving from blue to almost red at this moment. We know that she understands the party has to evolve a bit. Yes, I am happy to say that Prime Minister Mulroney, like his predecessors, starting with Prime Minister Diefenbaker, were working strongly against apartheid in South Africa. And we are very happy that Nelson Mandela is coming here. With respect to human rights, I would like to tell the hon. member that I was the one, as the minister of justice, who worked for months with attorneys general and the House of Commons to have? The Speaker: The hon. leader of the Conservative Party. Mrs. Elsie Wayne (Saint John, PC): Mr. Speaker, section 19 of the Immigration Act prohibits security personnel who work for a government engaged in gross human rights violations from entering Canada unless the immigration minister is satisfied these people are not detrimental to the national interest. Indonesia under Suharto killed countless people. Since the Prime Minister will not answer my first question, will the minister of immigration tell us if she believes it was in Canada's interest to let in Suharto's so-called goons with guns, the same goons who asked the RCMP if it was okay to shoot Canadians? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, once again the hon. member displays a real lack of understanding as to the process in place. The public complaints commission established by her government, the last government, was established specifically so Canadians would have recourse. They have it and I feel strongly that we need to protect the integrity of that process so that we can get to the truth. Mr. Jim Abbott (Kootenay?Columbia, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, so far the Prime Minister has been hiding behind the solicitor general under the assumption of the Canadian public that this is actually going to be a public inquiry. It is not. It is under the public complaints commission of the RCMP act. It has no ability to be able to go after the Prime Minister and the political interference. I ask the solicitor general to quit guarding and hiding the Prime Minister under his assertions and to the right thing, a judicial inquiry so we can uncover this affair. Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I would ask the hon. member to quit undermining the integrity of the public complaints commission and let it do its job. Mr. Jim Abbott (Kootenay?Columbia, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, it will be of interest to this House to realize that under the Canada Evidence Act, which this inquiry is working under, in section 37 a minister of the crown may object to disclosure of information. What kind of an inquiry are we going to have if the minister, the Prime Minister, decides that he wants to withhold information? This minister has a responsibility as the solicitor general. He is not just a cabinet minister. He is the Solicitor General of Canada for all Canadians. Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): That is quite right, Mr. Speaker, and I am very much aware of that. That is the reason I am protecting this process from the slams it is receiving from the other side. [Translation] Mr. Michel Gauthier (Roberval, BQ): Mr. Speaker, we recently learned that the members of dictator Suharto's entourage were arrested, heavily armed, and even wearing commando fatigues. My question for the government is the following: Does the fact that these people feel so free to behave as they wish in Canada not indicate that the Minister of Foreign Affairs went too far in the guarantees he gave Mr. Suharto and his entourage that nothing would be done to make his visit in any way unpleasant for him? [English] Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the security arrangements around the APEC conference were the responsibility of the RCMP. The RCMP have a system to do an inquiry into the actions of the RCMP. That is the inquiry that is in play right now. It deals specifically with the kinds of allegations being put. If we will allow them to do their job I think the interests of Canadians will be served as was intended when the PCC was struck. [Translation] Mr. Michel Gauthier (Roberval, BQ): Mr. Speaker, just as, in our opinion, the Minister of Foreign Affairs went too far in meeting the demands of Suharto and his gang, did not the Prime Minister also go too far in his directives to the RCMP, which authorized its officers, they claim, to arrest young Canadian students merely wishing to exercise their civil rights before they had even done anything? [English] Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the security arrangements are the responsibility of the RCMP and the RCMP are being investigated in the broadest possible way by the public complaints commission. We will get to the truth, as Canadians expect. This is an institution that was struck by this House and I think it deserves the respect of this House. * * * ... APEC SUMMIT Mr. Svend J. Robinson (Burnaby?Douglas, NDP): Mr. Speaker, we wish the Prime Minister would avoid the politicization of the RCMP in the same way. Canadians were appalled to learn that when our foreign minister met with Indonesia's foreign minister before APEC last year he apologized to him for the anti-Suharto poster campaign in Canada and attacked the East Timor alert network. Will the Prime Minister now apologize to all Canadians for this disgusting sucking up to a third world dictator all in the name of promoting? Some hon. members: Oh, oh. The Speaker: Colleagues, I would ask all of you to be a bit more judicious in your choice of words. Right Hon. Jean Chr?tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I believe members are going a bit far in their accusations based on no facts at all, especially making a statement like that, which a veteran of the House of Commons for many years and an extremely respected person, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, denied yesterday. It is a shame to see the member making that accusation, just to be sure he will be on TV tonight. Mr. Svend J. Robinson (Burnaby?Douglas, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the document of the ambassador speaks for itself. We have now learned that the RCMP planted a spy in the We have now learned that the RCMP planted a spy in the student group APEC Alert before the APEC summit. Will the Prime Minister explain to Canadians why the RCMP infiltrated this peaceful, non-violent group, using the kind of tactics that Suharto uses instead Canadian democratic values? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member is aware of the role of the public complaints commission. I know the hon. member is aware that these issues are being investigated. I know he is aware that if I were to express an opinion on this it would be called political influence on my part, and I will not have it. [Translation] Ms. Diane St-Jacques (Shefford, PC): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister. Suharto's bodyguards needed the approval of the Minister of Immigration to enter Canada. Once they got here, they threatened to shoot Canadians. Why did the Prime Minister not expel them from the country? [English] Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I think it is vitally important that members opposite, particularly members of the party that created the commission, would respect its right to do its work and that we would not be reacting to every piece of information as it comes along. It is very important that we let this exercise continue because Canadians deserve to know the truth. [Translation] Ms. Diane St-Jacques (Shefford, PC): Mr. Speaker, in case this government does not know, I will inform it. Suharto's army has killed millions of people in Indonesia. These are the very soldiers they let into Canada. When they asked the RCMP if they could shoot at the demonstrators, why did the Prime Minister not have them expelled from the country? [English] Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, as I have said, the security arrangements around APEC were the responsibility of the RCMP. It is those very arrangements that are being investigated by a structure that was put in place by the House and deserves our respect. They are going to get to the truth and I wish members opposite would let them do their job. * * * ... APEC SUMMIT Mr. Peter Mancini (Sydney?Victoria, NDP): Mr. Speaker, yesterday and again today the Prime Minister said students with complaints against the RCMP would have an opportunity to present their views to the public complaints commission. My question is for the solicitor general, and he should be able to answer this one. Why was funding for legal counsel to the students denied even after the federal court indicated funding would be essential to assist the students in presenting their case? How can they tell their story, or is this something else the solicitor general just will not have? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, quite the contrary. Because the public complaints commission represents the interests of Canadians, that was the reason we did not want to offer support to hire lawyers. We do not want this to become a court. We do not wish this to take on an adversarial nature. We have been assured by the public complaints commission that these processes are done informally. It is not intended to be adversarial. The students will have their opportunity to appear before the agency that has been struck in their interest. * * * ... [end] ******************************************************************************** For more information on Parliamentarians for East Timor, Please Contact: Sharon Scharfe, International Secretariat Parliamentarians for East Timor Suite 116, 5929-L Jeanne D'Arc Blvd., Orleans, ON K1C 7K2 CANADA Fax: 1-613-834-2021 E-Mail: pet@web.net ******************************************************************************** From tpl at cheerful.com Thu Sep 24 21:29:58 1998 From: tpl at cheerful.com (GABRIELA) Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 20:29:58 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 696] Chossudovsky on the Financial Crisis Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19980924202958.0069dd1c@pop.skyinet.net> >From: Michel Chossudovsky >Subject: financial crisis > >FINANCIAL WARFARE > >by Michel Chossudovsky > >Professor of Economics, University of Ottawa, author of "The Globalisation >of Poverty, Impacts of IMF and World Bank Reforms", Third World Network, >Penang and Zed Books, London, 1997. > >Copyright by Michel Chossudovsky Ottawa 1998. All rights reserved. To >publish or reproduce this text, contact the author at >chossudovsky@sprint.ca or fax 1-514-4256224 > >* * * > >"Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court >of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men". (Franklin D. >Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address, 1933) > > >Humanity is undergoing in the post-Cold War era an economic crisis of >unprecedented scale leading to the rapid impoverishment of large sectors of >the World population. The plunge of national currencies in virtually all >major regions of the World has contributed to destabilising national >economies while precipitating entire countries into abysmal poverty. > >The crisis is not limited to Southeast Asia or the former Soviet Union. The >collapse in the standard of living is taking place abruptly and >simultaneously in a large number of countries. This Worldwide crisis of the >late twentieth century is more devastating than the Great Depression of the >1930s. It has far-reaching geo-political implications; economic dislocation >has also been accompanied by the outbreak of regional conflicts, the >fracturing of national societies and in some cases the destruction of >entire countries. This is by far the most serious economic crisis in modern >history. > >The existence of a "global financial crisis" is casually denied by the >Western media, its social impacts are downplayed or distorted; >international institutions including the United Nations deny the mounting >tide of World poverty: "the progress in reducing poverty over the [late] >20th century is remarkable and unprecedented..."1. The "consensus" is that >the Western economy is "healthy" and that "market corrections" on Wall >Street are largely attributable to the "Asian flu" and to Russia's troubled >"transition to a free market economy". > >Evolution of the Global Financial Crisis > >The plunge of Asia's currency markets (initiated in mid-1997) was followed >in October 1997 by the dramatic meltdown of major bourses around the World. >In the uncertain wake of Wall Street's temporary recovery in early 1998 >--largely spurred by panic flight out of Japanese stocks-- financial >markets backslided a few months later to reach a new dramatic turning-point >in August with the spectacular nose-dive of the Russian ruble. The Dow >Jones plunged by 554 points on August 31st (its second largest decline in >the history of the New York stock exchange) leading in the course of >September to the dramatic meltdown of stock markets around the World. In a >matter of a few weeks (from the Dow's 9337 peak in mid-July), 2300 billion >dollars of "paper profits" had evaporated from the U.S. stock market.2 > >The ruble's free-fall had spurred Moscow's largest commercial banks into >bankruptcy leading to the potential take-over of Russia's financial system >by a handful of Western banks and brokerage houses. In turn, the crisis has >created the danger of massive debt default to Moscow's Western creditors >including the Deutsche and Dresdner banks. Since the outset of Russia's >macro-economic reforms, following the first injection of IMF "shock >therapy" in 1992, some 500 billion dollars worth of Russian assets >--including plants of the military industrial complex, infrastructure and >natural resources-- have been confiscated (through the privatisation >programmes and forced bankruptcies) and transferred into the hands of >Western capitalists.3 In the brutal aftermath of the Cold War, an entire >economic and social system is being dismantled. > >"Financial Warfare" > >The Worldwide scramble to appropriate wealth through "financial >manipulation" is the driving force behind this crisis. It is also the >source of economic turmoil and social devastation. In the words of renowned >currency speculator and billionaire George Soros (who made 1.6 billion >dollars of speculative gains in the dramatic crash of the British pound in >1992) "extending the market mechanism to all domains has the potential of >destroying society".4 This manipulation of market forces by powerful actors >constitutes a form of financial and economic warfare. No need to recolonise >lost territory or send in invading armies. In the late twentieth century, >the outright "conquest of nations" meaning the control over productive >assets, labour, natural resources and institutions can be carried out in an >impersonal fashion from the corporate boardroom: commands are dispatched >from a computer terminal, or a cell phone. The relevant data are instantly >relayed to major financial markets -- often resulting in immediate >disruptions in the functioning of national economies. "Financial warfare" >also applies complex speculative instruments including the gamut of >derivative trade, forward foreign exchange transactions, currency options, >hedge funds, index funds, etc. Speculative instruments have been used with >the ultimate purpose of capturing financial wealth and acquiring control >over productive assets. In the words of Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir >Mohamad: "This deliberate devaluation of the currency of a country by >currency traders purely for profit is a serious denial of the rights of >independent nations".5 > >The appropriation of global wealth through this manipulation of market >forces is routinely supported by the IMF's lethal macro-economic >interventions which act almost concurrently in ruthlessly disrupting >national economies all over the World. "Financial warfare" knows no >territorial boundaries; it does not limit its actions to besieging former >enemies of the Cold War era. In Korea, Indonesia and Thailand, the vaults >of the central banks were pillaged by institutional speculators while the >monetary authorities sought in vain to prop up their ailing currencies. In >1997, more than 100 billion dollars of Asia's hard currency reserves had >been confiscated and transferred (in a matter of months) into private >financial hands. In the wake of the currency devaluations, real earnings >and employment plummeted virtually overnight leading to mass poverty in >countries which had in the post-War period registered significant economic >and social progress. > >The financial scam in the foreign exchange market had destabilised national >economies, thereby creating the preconditions for the subsequent plunder of >the Asian countries' productive assets by so-called "vulture foreign >investors".6 In Thailand, 56 domestic banks and financial institutions were >closed down on orders of the IMF, unemployment virtually doubled >overnight.7 Similarly in Korea, the IMF "rescue operation" has unleashed a >lethal chain of bankruptcies leading to the outright liquidation of >so-called "troubled merchant banks". In the wake of the IMF's "mediation" >(put in place in December 1997 after high-level consultations with the >World's largest commercial and merchant banks), "an average of more than >200 companies [were] shut down per day (...) 4,000 workers every day were >driven out onto streets as unemployed".8 Resulting from the credit freeze >and "the instantaneous bank shut-down", some 15,000 bankruptcies are >expected in 1998 including 90 percent of Korea's construction companies >(with combined debts of $20 billion dollars to domestic financial >institutions).9 South Korea's Parliament has been transformed into a >"rubber stamp". Enabling legislation is enforced through "financial >blackmail": if the legislation is not speedily enacted according to IMF's >deadlines, the disbursements under the bail-out will be suspended with the >danger of renewed currency speculation. > >In turn, the IMF sponsored "exit programme" (ie. forced bankruptcy) has >deliberately contributed to fracturing the chaebols which are now invited >to establish "strategic alliances with foreign firms" (meaning their >eventual control by Western capital). With the devaluation, the cost of >Korean labour had also tumbled: "It's now cheaper to buy one of these [high >tech] companies than buy a factory -- and you get all the distribution, >brand-name recognition and trained labour force free in the bargain"...10 > >The Demise of Central Banking > >In many regards, this Worldwide crisis marks the demise of central banking >meaning the derogation of national economic sovereignty and the inability >of the national State to control money creation on behalf of society. In >other words, privately held money reserves in the hands of "institutional >speculators" far exceed the limited capabilities of the World's central >banks. The latter acting individually or collectively are no longer able >to fight the tide of speculative activity. Monetary policy is in the hands >of private creditors who have the ability to freeze State budgets, paralyse >the payments process, thwart the regular disbursement of wages to millions >of workers (as in the former Soviet Union) and precipitate the collapse of >production and social programmes. As the crisis deepens, speculative raids >on central banks are extending into China, Latin America and the Middle >East with devastating economic and social consequences. > >This ongoing pillage of central bank reserves, however, is by no means >limited to developing countries. It has also hit several Western countries >including Canada and Australia where the monetary authorities have been >incapable of stemming the slide of their national currencies. In Canada, >billions of dollars were borrowed from private financiers to prop up >central bank reserves in the wake of speculative assaults. In Japan --where >the yen has tumbled to new lows-- "the Korean scenario" is viewed >(according to economist Michael Hudson), as a "dress rehearsal" for the >take over of Japan's financial sector by a handful of Western investment >banks. The big players are Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Morgan >Gruenfell among others who are buying up Japan's bad bank loans at less >than ten percent of their face value. In recent months both US Secretary of >the Treasury Robert Rubin and Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright have >exerted political pressure on Tokyo insisting "on nothing less than an >immediate disposal of Japan's bad bank loans--preferably to US and other >foreign "vulture investors" at distress prices. To achieve their objectives >they are even pressuring Japan to rewrite its constitution, restructure its >political system and cabinet and redesign its financial system... Once >foreign investors gain control of Japanese banks, these banks will move to >take over Japanese industry..."11 > >Creditors and Speculators > >The World's largest banks and brokerage houses are both creditors and >institutional speculators. In the present context, they contribute (through >their speculative assaults) to destabilising national currencies thereby >boosting the volume of dollar denominated debts. They then reappear as >creditors with a view to collecting these debts. Finally, they are called >in as "policy advisors" or consultants in the IMF-World Bank sponsored >"bankruptcy programmes" of which they are the ultimate beneficiaries. In >Indonesia, for instance, amidst street rioting and in the wake of Suharto's >resignation, the privatisation of key sectors of the Indonesian economy >ordered by the IMF was entrusted to eight of the World's largest merchant >banks including Lehman Brothers, Credit Suisse-First Boston, Goldman Sachs >and UBS/SBC Warburg Dillon Read.12 The World's largest money managers set >countries on fire and are then called in as firemen (under the IMF "rescue >plan") to extinguish the blaze. They ultimately decide which enterprises >are to be closed down and which are to be auctioned off to foreign >investors at bargain prices. > >Who Funds the IMF Bailouts? > >Under repeated speculative assaults, Asian central banks had entered into >multi-billion dollar contracts (in the forward foreign exchange market) in >a vain attempt to protect their currency. With the total depletion of >their hard currency reserves, the monetary authorities were forced to >borrow large amounts of money under the IMF bailout agreement. Following a >scheme devised during the Mexican crisis of 1994-95, the bailout money, >however, is not intended "to rescue the country"; in fact the money never >entered Korea, Thailand or Indonesia; it was earmarked to reimburse the >"institutional speculators", to ensure that they would be able to collect >their multi-billion dollar loot. In turn, the Asian tigers have been tamed >by their financial masters . Transformed into lame ducks-- they have been >"locked up" into servicing these massive dollar denominated debts well into >the third millennium. > >But "where did the money come from" to finance these multi-billion dollar >operations? Only a small portion of the money comes from IMF resources: >starting with the Mexican 1995 bail-out, G7 countries including the US >Treasury were called upon to make large lump-sum contributions to these IMF >sponsored rescue operations leading to significant hikes in the levels of >public debt.13 Yet in an ironic twist, the issuing of US public debt to >finance the bail-outs is underwritten and guaranteed by the same group of >Wall Street merchant banks involved in the speculative assaults. > >In other words, those who guarantee the issuing of public debt (to finance >the bailout) are those who will ultimately appropriate the loot (eg. as >creditors of Korea or Thailand) --ie. they are the ultimate recipients of >the bailout money (which essentially constitutes a "safety net" for the >institutional speculator). The vast amounts of money granted under the >rescue packages are intended to enable the Asian countries meet their debt >obligations with those same financial institutions which contributed to >precipitating the breakdown of their national currencies in the first >place. As a result of this vicious circle, a handful of commercial banks >and brokerage houses have enriched themselves beyond bounds; they have also >increased their stranglehold over governments and politicians around the >World. > >Strong Economic Medicine > >Since the 1994-95 Mexican crisis, the IMF has played a crucial role in >shaping the "financial environment" in which the global banks and money >managers wage their speculative raids. The global banks are craving for >access to inside information. Successful speculative attacks require the >concurrent implementation on their behalf of "strong economic medicine" >under the IMF bail-out agreements. The "big six" Wall Street commercial >banks (including Chase, Bank America, Citicorp and J. P. Morgan) and the >"big five" merchant banks (Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley >and Salomon Smith Barney) were consulted on the clauses to be included in >the bail-out agreements. In the case of Korea's short-term debt, Wall >Street's largest financial institutions were called in on Christmas Eve (24 >December 1997), for high level talks at the Federal Reserve Bank of New >York.14 > >The global banks have a direct stake in the decline of national currencies. >In April 1997 barely two months before the onslaught of the Asian currency >crisis, the Institute of International Finance (IIF), a Washington based >think-tank representing the interests of some 290 global banks and >brokerage houses had "urged authorities in emerging markets to counter >upward exchange rate pressures where needed...". 15 This request >(communicated in a formal Letter to the IMF) hints in no uncertain terms >that the IMF should advocate an environment in which national currencies >are allowed to slide.16 Indonesia was ordered by the IMF to unpeg its >currency barely three months before the rupiahs dramatic plunge. In the >words of American billionaire and presidential candidate Steve Forbes: "Did >the IMF help precipitate the crisis? This agency advocates openness and >transparency for national economies, yet it rivals the CIA in cloaking its >own operations. Did it, for instance, have secret conversations with >Thailand, advocating the devaluation that instantly set off the >catastrophic chain of events?" (...) Did IMF prescriptions exacerbate the >illness? These countries' moneys were knocked down to absurdly low >levels".17 > >Deregulating Capital Movements > >The international rules regulating the movements of money and capital >(across international borders) contribute to shaping the "financial >battlefields" on which banks and speculators wage their deadly assaults. In >their Worldwide quest to appropriate economic and financial wealth, global >banks and multinational corporations have actively pressured for the >outright deregulation of international capital flows including the movement >of "hot" and "dirty" money.18 Caving in to these demands (after hasty >consultations with G7 finance ministers), a formal verdict to deregulate >capital movements was taken by the IMF Interim Committee in Washington in >April 1998. The official communique stated that the IMF will proceed with >the Amendment of its Articles with a view to "making the liberalization of >capital movements one of the purposes of the Fund and extending, as needed, >the Fund's jurisdiction for this purpose". 19 The IMF managing director, >Mr. Michel Camdessus nonetheless conceded in a dispassionate tone that "a >number of developing countries may come under speculative attacks after >opening their capital account" while reiterating (ad nauseam) that this can >be avoided by the adoption of "sound macroeconomic policies and strong >financial systems in member countries". (ie. the IMF's standard "economic >cure for disaster").20 > >The IMF's resolve to deregulate capital movements was taken behind closed >doors (conveniently removed from the public eye and with very little press >coverage) barely two weeks before citizens' groups from around the World >gathered in late April 1998 in mass demonstrations in Paris opposing the >controversial Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) under OECD >auspices. This agreement would have granted entrenched rights to banks and >multinational corporations overriding national laws on foreign investment >as well derogating the fundamental rights of citizens. The MAI constitutes >an act of capitulation by democratic government to banks and multinational >corporations. > >The timing was right on course: while the approval of the MAI had been >temporarily stalled, the proposed deregulation of foreign investment >through a more expedient avenue had been officially launched: the Amendment >of the Articles would for all practical purposes derogate the powers of >national governments to regulate foreign investment. It would also nullify >the efforts of the Worldwide citizens' campaign against the MAI: the >deregulation of foreign investment would be achieved ("with a stroke of a >pen") without the need for a cumbersome multilateral agreement under OECD >or WTO auspices and without the legal hassle of a global investment treaty >entrenched in international law. > >Creating a Global Financial Watchdog > >As the aggressive scramble for global wealth unfolds and the financial >crisis reaches dangerous heights, international banks and speculators are >anxious to play a more direct role in shaping financial structures to their >advantage as well as "policing" country level economic reforms. Free market >conservatives in the United States (associated with the Republican Party) >have blamed the IMF for its reckless behaviour. Disregarding the IMF's >intergovernmental status, they are demanding greater US control over the >IMF. They have also hinted that the IMF should henceforth perform a more >placid role (similar to that of the bond rate agencies such as Moody's or >Standard and Poor) while consigning the financing of the multi-billion >dollar bail-outs to the private banking sector.21 > >Discussed behind closed doors in April 1998, a more perceptive initiative >(couched in softer language) was put forth by the World's largest banks and >investment houses through their Washington mouthpiece (the Institute of >International Finance). The banks proposal consists in the creation of a >"Financial Watchdog --a so-called "Private Sector Advisory Council"-- with >a view to routinely supervising the activities of the IMF. "The Institute >[of International Finance], with its nearly universal membership of leading >private financial firms, stands ready to work with the official community >to advance this process." 22 Responding to the global banks initiative, >the IMF has called for concrete "steps to strengthen private sector >involvement" in crisis management --what might be interpreted as a "power >sharing arrangement" between the IMF and the global banks.23 The >international banking community has also set up it own high level "Steering >Committee on Emerging Markets Finance" integrated by some of the World's >most powerful financiers including William Rhodes, Vice Chairman of >Citibank and Sir David Walker, Chairman of Morgan Stanley. The hidden >agenda behind these various initiatives is to gradually transform the IMF >--from its present status as an inter-governmental body-- into a full >fledged bureaucracy which more effectively serves the interests of the >global banks. More importantly, the banks and speculators want access to >the details of IMF negotiations with member governments which will enable >them to carefully position their assaults in financial markets both prior >and in the wake of an IMF bailout agreement. The global banks (pointing to >the need for "transparency") have called upon "the IMF to provide valuable >insights [on its dealings with national governments] without revealing >confidential information...". But what they really want is privileged >inside information.24 > >The ongoing financial crisis is not only conducive to the demise of >national State institutions all over the World, it also consists in the >step by step dismantling (and possible privatisation) of the post War >institutions established by the founding fathers at the Bretton Woods >Conference in 1944. In striking contrast with the IMF's present-day >destructive role, these institutions were intended by their architects to >safeguard the stability of national economies. In the words of Henry >Morgenthau, US Secretary of the Treasury in his closing statement to the >Conference (22 July 1944): "We came here to work out methods which would do >away with economic evils --the competitive currency devaluation and >destructive impediments to trade-- which preceded the present war. We have >succeeded in this effort"25 > > NOTES > >1. United Nations Development Program, Human Development Report, 1997, New >York, 1997, p. 2. > >2. Robert O'Harrow Jr., "Dow Dives 513 Points, or 6.4", Washington Post, 1 >September 1998, page A. > >3. Bob Djurdjevic, Return looted Russian Assets, Aug. 30, Truth in Media's >Global Watch, Phoenix, 30 August 98. > >4. See "Society under Threat- Soros", The Guardian, London, 31 October 1997. > >5. Statement at the Meeting of the Group of 15, Malacca, Malaysia, 3 >November 1997, quoted in the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong, 3 >November 1997. > >6. See Michael Hudson and Bill Totten, "Vulture speculators", Our World, >No. 197, Kawasaki, 12 August 1998. > >7. Nicola Bullard, Walden Bello and Kamal Malhotra, "Taming the Tigers: the >IMF and the Asian Crisis", Special Issue on the IMF, Focus on Trade No. 23, >Focus on the Global South, Bangkok, March 1998. > >8. Korean Federation of Trade Unions, "Unbridled Freedom to Sack Workers Is >No Solution At All", Seoul, 13 January 1998. > >9. Song Jung tae, "Insolvency of Construction Firms rises in 1998", Korea >Herald, 24 December 1997. Legislation (following IMF directives) was >approved which dismantles the extensive powers of the Ministry of Finance >while also stripping the Ministry of its financial regulatory and >supervisory functions. The financial sector had been opened up, a Financial >Supervisory Council under the advice of Western merchant banks arbitrarily >decides the fate of Korean banks. Selected banks (the lucky ones) are to be >"made more attractive" by earmarking a significant chunk of the bail-out >money to finance (subsidise) their acquisition at depressed prices by >foreign buyers, --ie. the shopping-spree by Western financiers is funded by >the government on borrowed money from Western financiers. > >10. Michael Hudson, Our World, Kawasaki, December 23, 1997. > >11. Michael Hudson, "Big Bang is Culprit behind Yen's Fall", Our World, No. >187, Kawasaki, 28 July 1998. See also Secretary of State Madeleine K. >Albright and Japanese Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi, Joint Press >Conference, Ikura House, Tokyo, July 4, 1998 contained in Official Press >Release, US Department of State, Washington, 7 July, l998. > >12. See Nicola Bullard, Walden Bello and Kamal Malhotra, op. cit. > >13. On 15 July 1998, the Republican dominated House of Representatives >slashed the Clinton Administration request of 18 billion dollar in >additional US funding to the IMF to 3.5 billion. Part of the US >contribution to the bail-outs would be financed under the Foreign Exchange >Stabilisation Fund of the Treasury. The US Congress has estimated the >increase in the US public debt and the burden on taxpayers of the US >contributions to the Asian bail-outs. > >14. Financial Times, London, 27-28 December 1997, p. 3). > >15. Institute of International Finance, Report of the Multilateral Agencies >Group, IIF Annual Report, Washington, 1997. > >16. Letter addressed by the Managing director of the Institute of >International Finance Mr. Charles Dallara to Mr. Philip Maystadt, Chairman >of the IMF Interim Committee, April 1997, quoted in Institute of >International Finance, 1997 Annual Report, Washington, 1997. > >17. Steven Forbes, "Why Reward Bad Behaviour, editorial, Forbes Magazine, 4 >May 1998. > >18. "Hot money" is speculative capital, "dirty money" are the proceeds of >organised crime which are routinely laundered in the international >financial system. > >19. International Monetary Fund, Communiqu? of the Interim Committee of the >Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund, Press Release No. >98/14 Washington, April 16, 1998. The controversial proposal to amend its >articles on "capital account liberalisation" had initially been put forth >in April 1997. > >20. See Communique of the IMF Interim Committee, Hong Kong, 21 September >1997. > >21. See Steven Forbes, op cit. > >22. Institute of International Finance, "East Asian Crises Calls for New >International Measures, Say Financial Leaders", Press Release, 18 April 1998. > >23. IMF, Communiqu? of the Interim Committee of the Board of Governors, >April 16, 1998. > >24. The IIF proposes that global banks and brokerage houses could for this >purpose "be rotated and selected through a neutral process [to ensure >confidentiality], and a regular exchange of views [which] is unlikely to >reveal dramatic surprises that turn markets abruptly (...). In this era of >globalization, both market participants and multilateral institutions have >crucial roles to play; the more they understand each other, the greater the >prospects for better functioning of markets and financial stability... ". >See Letter of Charles Dallara, Managing Director of the IIF to Mr. Philip >Maystadt, Chairman of IMF Interim Committee, IIF, Washington, 8 April 1998. > >25. Closing Address, Bretton Woods Conference, Bretton Woods, New >Hampshire, 22 July 1944. The IMF's present role is in violation of its >Articles of Agreement. > > Michel Chossudovsky > Department of Economics, > University of Ottawa, > Ottawa, K1N6N5 > Voice box: 1-613-562-5800, ext. 1415 > Fax: 1-514-425-6224 > E-Mail: chossudovsky@sprint.ca > Alternative fax: 1-613-562-5999 > > From panap at panap.po.my Thu Sep 24 10:46:03 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 10:46:03 Subject: [asia-apec 697] Re: Cda Hansard re: APEC '97, Sept.22/98 Message-ID: <2544@panap.po.my> The PM's statement is simply not true. First, funding for the People's Summit from the Canadian Government fell well short of a sincere commitment. CDN$60,000,000 was spent on the APEC Leaders' Meeting, CDN$3,000,000 on the Year of the Asia-Pacific Cultural Program (designed to promote the Asia-Pacific in light of Canada hosting the Leaders' Meeting), CDN$500,000 on a Winnipeg APEC Youth Conference and CDN$100,000 on the Peoples' Summit. The latter amount was only coughed up after considerable lobbying. Second, although we specifically asked for funding for foreign delegates, the funds came with the specific precondition that they COULD NOT BE USED TO SUPPORT THE PARTICIPATION OF FOREIGN DELEGATES (or "protestors"). Axworthy made it clear in a letter that the funds were for admisitrative expenses only. The government told the Canadian Advisory Board that it was CIDA policy not to fund the participation of foreign delegates. If this was policy, it certainly wasn't followed in a number of CIDA supported events that year. As hosts of the Leaders' Meeting, the funding was a face-saving measure. Where is Canada's support now? CIDA is funding a conference in Malaysia on Engagement with Civil Society in APEC that has nothing to do with the Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly (odd that CIDA will fund delegates to this conference). This must not be confused with support for the parallel process or "protestors". Devlin Kuyek APPA Secretariat >Right Hon. Jean Chr=E9tien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Such rhetoric, Mr.= > Speaker.=20 > >I would like to inform the hon. member that, as the Minister of Foreign >Affairs pointed out yesterday, we provided financial assistance to bring >protestors to the parallel summit in Vancouver. We ourselves provided >assistance for protestors to come from other countries to hold a parallel >summit in Vancouver. > >For people who do not want to hear anything about civil liberties, I think >we have gone further than anyone in issuing an invitation to these people >and paying their expenses so that they could come and protest.=20 > From panap at panap.po.my Thu Sep 24 09:42:15 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 09:42:15 Subject: [asia-apec 698] Australian Deputy PM wants stability in Malaysia so APEC can go on Message-ID: <2542@panap.po.my> >Monday September 21, 6:08 am Eastern Time > >APEC Malaysia summit at risk - Australia deputy PM > >CANBERRA, Sept 21 (Reuters) - A meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders scheduled >for Kuala Lumpur in mid-November will be in jeopardy if political protests >in the Malaysian capital increase or grow more violent, Australia's deputy >prime minister said on Monday. > >``I have absolute fear that things might deteriorate very rapidly and that >in turn will jeopardise the prospects of a constructive working meeting of >APEC (the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum),'' Australian Deputy Prime Minister >and Trade Minister Tim Fischer said. > >The 18-member Pacific Rim grouping is negotiating trade liberalisation in >nine industry sectors, representing some $1.5 trillion in annual trade. > >Malaysian police on Monday fired teargas and water cannons on two separate >occasions to disperse thousands of anti-government demonstrators in the >centre of Kuala Lumpur, the third such demonstration in the city in 24 hours. > >Police arrested former finance minister Anwar Ibrahim, who has spearheaded >a movement for political reform, on Sunday after 30,000 supporters marched >through the capital. > >Fischer told reporters while campaigning for Australia's October 3 general >election that Asia's year-old economic crisis had already weakened the >18-nation trade body. > >``APEC is in a fragile state due to the economic difficulties faced by >Asia,'' Fischer said. > >Australia's political leaders earlier on Monday said they were concerned by >the developments in Malaysia. > >Fischer was concerned the protests would turn more violent, threatening the >APEC forum and associated meetings set for Kuala Lumpur. > >``We certainly don't want to see the holding of the APEC leader's summit >and the build-up meetings to APEC in any way reduced by the turmoil on the >Malaysian political scene,'' Fischer said. > >``I certainly hope it will be a peaceful circumstance over the next couple >of months in Malaysia. I just don't want any threat to the holding of that >APEC summit.'' > >Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad sacked Anwar on September 2, >calling him morally unfit. > >Anwar, 51, is under investigation for sodomy, treason, corruption and other >crimes, but was detained under Malaysia's Internal Security Act, a sweeping >law that provides for detention without trial. He had denied the allegations. > >APEC groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, >Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, >Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States. > >Malaysia is the 1998 APEC chairman. Russia, Peru and Vietnam will become >members from November. > From pet at web.net Thu Sep 24 22:20:27 1998 From: pet at web.net (Sharon R.A. Scharfe) Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 09:20:27 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [asia-apec 699] Ott.Cit: Native Chief says Chretien gave security orders at APEC Message-ID: <2.2.16.19980924092357.0c27b5e0@pop.web.net> Ottawa Citizen Online September 24, 1998 Native chief says Chretien gave security orders at APEC JIM BROWN OTTAWA (CP) - A British Columbia aboriginal chief at last fall?s Asia-Pacific summit in Vancouver says she saw Prime Minister Jean Chretien giving orders to security and other officials at the site. "They gave him a briefing on all the events that were taking place," Chief Gail Sparrow of the Musqueam Indian band said Wednesday. "He stood by the front door and gave directions constantly to his secret service and the officials and security . . . I saw him actively involved in everything that was taking place." Sparrow acknowledged she couldn?t hear anything the prime minister was saying outside the anthropology museum at the University of British Columbia, where 19 APEC leaders were gathered. But she asked officials what was going on and they indicated there was concern about protesters along a motorcade route. "They said there were protesters out there and they?re taking another alternative route. They knew what was going on because the prime minister and officials were right there talking." Sparrow emphasized that she never heard Chretien give any orders about removing or arresting protesters. Police eventually arrested more than 40 demonstrators on the final day of the summit, pepper-spraying some of them in incidents currently under investigation by the RCMP Public Complaints Commission. Opposition critics and student protesters accuse the Prime Minister?s Office of political interference in the students? right to protest. Former Indonesian president Suharto was the target of most of the protests. His government had warned he wouldn?t come to Vancouver if there was danger that he would be politically embarrassed by protesters. Documents already filed with the complaints commission suggest officials in Chretien?s office were closely involved in subsequent security planning. But the prime minister has said he never personally spoke to the RCMP about security preparations for the summit. He has so far refused to follow the lead of two of his senior officials - chief of staff Jean Pelletier and former operations director Jean Carle - who have agreed to testify before commission. Sparrow?s comments were dismissed by Peter Donolo, a spokesman for Chretien, as "a bizarre statement that?s not grounded in fact. By her own admission, she says she didn?t hear any discussion." Donolo said it was "totally false" that Chretien was barking orders to security personnel and the prime minister would not have been involved in decisions like changing a motorcade route. But New Democrat Leader Alexa McDonough, who raised Sparrow?s comments in the Commons, interpreted them as proof that Chretien played a central role in security planning. "Both staff and security officials (were) very much receiving orders from the prime minister about the whole issue of protecting the visiting leaders from these demonstrations and supposedly offensive signs," said McDonough. She renewed her call for a full judicial inquiry, rather than leaving the matter to the police complaints commission. Sparrow has been at the centre of controversy over the APEC meeting before. She had been scheduled to deliver welcoming remarks to delegates, but her address was abruptly cancelled the night before. Sparrow maintained that officials in Chretien?s office objected to references in her speech to human rights. The prime minister?s office said the speech was ditched because it ran 12 minutes, twice the time that had been allotted. In Vancouver on Wednesday, a protester alleged that documents crucial to the inquiry have been destroyed. Jonathan Oppenheim, a member of APEC Alert, one of the protesters arrested by RCMP during last fall?s economic summit, said documents were destroyed by officials in the Prime Minister?s Office. But the counsel to the RCMP Public Complaints Commission, which begins hearings next month, vigorously discounted the claim. Chris Considine insisted Wednesday there is "no evidence of documents being destroyed in order to deprive us of access to them. "I have no reason to believe there?s been a deliberate destruction of documents." There were revelations Tuesday that the RCMP had infiltrated the protest groups before APEC and compiled information and photographs. ? The Canadian Press, 1998 Copyright 1998 The Ottawa Citizen From pet at web.net Thu Sep 24 22:20:24 1998 From: pet at web.net (Sharon R.A. Scharfe) Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 09:20:24 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [asia-apec 700] OttCit: Re: Destroyed Docs? Message-ID: <2.2.16.19980924092354.0c27336e@pop.web.net> Ottawa Citizen September 24, 1998 Ottawa Citizen Online Commission counsel refutes protesters' claim GREG JOYCE VANCOUVER (CP) - Documents crucial to an inquiry into an RCMP crackdown on protesters at the Asia-Pacific economic summit have been destroyed, a protester alleged Wednesday. But the counsel to the RCMP Public Complaints Commission, which begins hearings next month, vigorously discounted the claim. Jonathan Oppenheim, a member of APEC Alert and one of the protesters arrested by RCMP during last fall?s economic summit with 18 world leaders, said documents were destroyed by officials in the Prime Minister?s Office. "We know that Jean Carle and Jean Pelletier have no documents with them," said Oppenheim, referring respectively to the former director of operations during APEC and Prime Minister Jean Chretien?s chief of staff. "They were asked for the documents and said they don?t have any." Carle and Pelletier are both scheduled to testify at the inquiry, which begins Oct. 5 in Vancouver. Documents already filed with the commission indicate officials in the PMO played a key role in security arrangements for the summit. But Chris Considine, counsel for the commission, insisted Wednesday that there is "no evidence of documents being destroyed in order to deprive us of access to them. "I have no reason to believe there?s been a deliberate destruction of documents." Considine agreed Carle and Pelletier had no documents to bring to the inquiry because "documents that are relevant are already with the Foreign Affairs Department or the Privy Council Office." There were revelations Tuesday that the RCMP had infiltrated the protest groups before APEC and compiled information and photographs. In a sworn statement before the commission, Sgt. Peter McLaren said "there was an undercover operation taking place which involved an RCMP undercover operator having direct access to some of the protesters identified with the APEC Alert group." APEC Alert was one of the main student groups protesting the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation conference held in Vancouver last November. McLaren?s statement says that RCMP officers who were the "handlers" for the undercover operator told him that information gathered was channelled directly to the RCMP team dealing with the demonstrators. RCMP spokesman Sgt. Russ Grabb said the RCMP are authorized to investigate individuals or groups they believe are allegedly involved in criminal activities. "At APEC there was a concern that certain individuals were planning criminal breaches of security such as penetration of security fences in order to get close to world leaders," said Grabb. "The RCMP had the responsibility to investigate and prevent such alleged crimes from happening." ? The Canadian Press, 1998 Copyright 1998 The Ottawa Citizen ******************************************************************************** For more information on Parliamentarians for East Timor, Please Contact: Sharon Scharfe, International Secretariat Parliamentarians for East Timor Suite 116, 5929-L Jeanne D'Arc Blvd., Orleans, ON K1C 7K2 CANADA Fax: 1-613-834-2021 E-Mail: pet@web.net ******************************************************************************** From pspd at soback.kornet.nm.kr Fri Sep 25 16:29:12 1998 From: pspd at soback.kornet.nm.kr (PSPD) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 16:29:12 +0900 Subject: [asia-apec 701] The People's Campaign for Chaebols' Reform Message-ID: <360B4647.4AC2F978@soback.kornet.nm.kr> The People's Campaign for Chaebols Reform ? The people's campaign to prosecute and call for the resignation of the heads of chaebols, or Korean conglomerates, and recapturing of ill-gotten assets : ?Prosecute chaebols to hold them commercially and criminally responsible for overseas assets(offshore assets), bribing government officials for business favors, embezzlement, etc ?Hold rallies for criminal prosecution, urging for investigation, resignation of chairpersons, and recapturing of ill-gotten assets - Urge the investigation into the actions of the heads of each chaebol and appropriate criminal punishment if found guilty. - Urge the investigation of the heads of each chaebol by the Office of Tax Administration, the Public Decision Administration, the Board of Audit and Inspection, and the Financial Supervisory Commission - Hold a series of rallies in front of the chaebols' main buildings and petition drives calling for the resignation of the chairpersons and recapturing of ill-gotten assets ?Develop campaigns to recruit prosecutors to implement people's prosecution actions ?Enact a special law for preventing insolvent operators from obtaining seats on the board of directors of chaebols ?Organize college student action groups ? The purpose of calling for the resignation of chairpersons and recapturing of ill-gotten assets : ?Removing leaders from management positions, who have not only turned their businesses but the national economy ?Create guarantees and guidelines for companies' social responsibilities ?Use recovered ill-gotten assets(or 'dirty money') to create a relief fund for the unemployed and compensate insolvent businesses ? The lawful reasons for resignation of the chairpersons from the management and recapturing of ill-gotten assets : ?Strengthen accountability and responsible management according to the international traditions and the requirements of IMF(International Monetary Fund) period ?Carry out the right of indemnity of those tax payers to the national asset that pays for recovering the insolvent business ?Inquire about recapturing of ill-gotten assets according to the Korean Commercial and Criminal Act ? Action to recapture illegal overseas assets of chaebols' and the elite : ?Investigate into illegal overseas assets ?Discuss methods on recapturing ?Establish an information center - Create an internet website in English and Korean - Appeal to the overseas Korean community and foreign press ? People's investigation into actions for chaebols' and privileged classes' irregularities : ?Publish a white paper on chaebols' revealing - Total amount and details of properties for heads of chaebols - Details of chaebols' overseas loaning and foreign currency - Overseas assets(offshore assets) - Illegal inheritance - Embezzlement - Present conditions of particular pardons for chaebols and ireegularities allowed for the privileged class ? Action plan of social and chaebols' reform : ?Hold a public hearing on the economic crisis ?Appeal to enact a special law for preventing insolvent operators from obtaining seats on the board of directors of chaebols ?Hold an intermediate evaluation debate over chaebols' reformation on - Actual conditions - Outcome - Limits ?Hold a debate over reforming accessing organs - Topic 'Who guards our guardians?' ? If you have any related information, documentation, and article with our campaign, please contact us at PSPD. c/o Cha, MiKyung (Chief Coordinator of Korean House for Int'l Solidarity) Park, Eunyool (Volunteering Staff) From panap at panap.po.my Fri Sep 25 16:52:01 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 16:52:01 Subject: [asia-apec 702] The RAG, Issue No.3 (part 1 of 3) Message-ID: <2566@panap.po.my> *************THE RAG************* (Resistance Against Globalisation) The Monthly Newsletter of the Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly Issue No.3, September 1998 In this issue: -State terrorism visited upon Indonesia's Chinese women -Malaysia's many-sided economic policies -The APEC Food System -Plantation workers' campaign postponed -Over 120,000 gather in Kuala Lumpur to support Anwar and his call for reformation MALAYSIA BOLEH! AFTER 17 YEARS, AN HISTORICAL CALL FOR REFORM Sunday the 20th of September, 1998 was a historic day for Malaysia; the events of that day represent the most significant threat to Malaysia's record of political stability in recent memory. It was a day of high drama and emotions, as supporters of Anwar Ibrahim, the now sacked Deputy Prime Minister, came in droves to hear him speak. The huge gathering of people at Merdeka Square was a climax of sorts, as many felt that Anwar would soon be detained after the Commonwealth Games, and that Sunday's gathering would take the 'Reformasi Movement' a step further. Never before in the 17 years of Mahathir's rule, has Malaysian society, particularly the Malay community, come out and openly defied the Prime Minister, bravely demanding his resignation. Anwar Ibrahim, in a fiery speech, criticised Mahathir, the police force and the judiciary and led a march of more than 100,000 people from the National Mosque to the Merdeka Square, some 500 metres away. People chanted and sang songs of support for Anwar while calling for Mahathir to step down. A declaration for the Reformasi Movement was read out by his wife Wan Azizah, and repeated by the thousands of supporters gathered there. For many justice seekers, Sunday's gathering was more than a call of support for Anwar Ibrahim, it was a call for reform, and a call for a true democracy. GANG RAPE IS A VIOLENCE OF STATE TERRORISM! "Gang rape is more than a racism issue, this is state terrorism!" said an Indonesia woman social worker when commenting on the gang rape against Indonesian Chinese women, which took place in several cities of Indonesia in mid-May during the mass riots. The woman, who cannot be identified, works with a women's groups that is a member of the Team of Volunteers for Humanitarian Causes. The team is now conducting a fact-finding mission on the gang rape cases. To date, they have recorded 168 cases, 126 of which took place in Jakarta and 12 of which took place in Surabaya. Out of these 168 gang rape cases, 20 victims died either by being burnt to death in a blazing building or by committing suicide out of the shame suffered from the rape. The result of the facts finding by Volunteers Team for Humanity, which was put up in a report, strongly suggests that the sexual violence against the Chinese women was carried out in very organized and efficient ways. According to eyewitness accounts, the mobs were transported in a bus or truck coming from unknown places. The leaders of the looting/burning and the perpetrators of gang-rape were muscular persons, wearing military boots, having the appearance of goons and hitmen. "The mobs shouted orders such as "attack", "set fire", "retreat" among themselves, which are very similar to commands used in military operations", said a social worker from another women's group that is involved in the facts finding campaign launched by the Team of Volunteers for Humanitarian Causes. "It was clear that the violence was targeted on the women of Chinese ethnicity. All the victims were Chinese, and the gang rape only took place in West Jakarta and North Jakarta, which are the main Chinese business and residential areas in Jakarta." "The most outrages part was that all these violence took place without any efforts from the police or the military to stop it!" She is convinced that there are no other groups in Indonesia, besides the military, that have the kind of resources and capacity to launch such a massive, destructive action in such a short time. "The riots are a knife with two edges, they incited hatred between Chinese and the Pribumi, thus strengthening the divide and rule policy of the ruling class in the society", she concluded. WORKSHOP FOR URBAN POOR COMMUNITIES IN JOHOR BARU The first of a series of workshops for urban poor communities was held in southern Johor Baru, on 6 September 1998. About 35 community leaders from several squatter communities in the area participated in this one-day workshop. The workshop was organised to raise awareness about globalisation, and to assess its impact on the lives of poor communities living in big cities. Participants discussed the impacts of globalisation and APEC on urban poor communities and how these processes affected their access to housing and housing rights. They also examined Malaysian law in relation to squatters. Participants gave their support to the Asia Pacific Peoples' Assembly, and to the Urban Poor Issue Forum to be held during the assembly. Although issues affecting the urban poor communities are wide ranging- low wages, health, housing and education- the group decided to focus on forced evictions and involuntary displacement as the main issues that will be addressed during the urban poor forum in November. A second workshop will be held in Kuala Lumpur on 27 September 1998. Contact Abdul Rahim Ishak of Party Rakyat Malaysia at 03-6262989 or 03-7744531for more information. >From The Sun, September 18,1998: REVOLUTION THREAT UMNO vice-president Datuk Seri Najib Razak says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's nationwide campaign for reformation can lead to a revolution if unchecked. He said the campaign could create chaos and spark a revolution which will eventually lead to anarchy in the country. "What the country needs now is evolution not revolution which will cause hardship to the people," said Najib. Senator Club Chairman Datuk Rahim Baba: "[Anwar] has never come out of his Abim (Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement) cocoon and will always be a rebel activist and anti-establishment . . . I think his revolution is not in harmony with Malay culture. It is simply not in the psychological make-up of Malays to do so . . . Sons and daughters of rubber tappers and farmers are now doctors and lawyers. Poverty has practically been eradicated. So what is this reformation Anwar is talking about?" (The Sun, Sept. 21) *********************************************************************** The Rag is the monthly newsletter of the Asia Pacific Peoples' Assembly (APPA). All organizations and individuals from within and outside of Malaysia that are concerned about globalisation are encouraged to participate and join in hosting APPA. If you or your organisation are interested in participating in or hosting or assisting with a Peoples' Assembly event, an issue or sector forum, or a cultural activity, please contact the Secretariat for more information. The intention is to create a genuine space to contest crucial ideas and issues in an open and participatory way. Comments about and contributions to the Rag should be addressed to the Secretariat. If you would like to receive the printed version of The Rag, please send a request by email to the Secretariat with your complete address. The Secretariat 57 Lorong Kurau, 59100 Lucky Gardens, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Email: appasec@tm.net.my Tel: 604-2836245 Fax: 604-2833536 ******************************************************************************** From panap at panap.po.my Fri Sep 25 16:51:45 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 16:51:45 Subject: [asia-apec 703] The RAG, Issue No. 3 (part 3 of 3) Message-ID: <2565@panap.po.my> *************THE RAG************* (Resistance Against Globalisation) The Monthly Newsletter of the Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly Issue No.3, September 1998 U.S. PUSHES SECTORAL LIBERALISATION. WILL MALAYSIA RESIST? This month, the APEC host country, Malaysia, announced a set of sweeping currency controls on the ringgit. The move flies in the face of APEC objectives, which seek full trade and investment liberalisation in all member countries by the year 2020. But despite the setback, American negotiators will not back down from applying more pressure on APEC countries to liberalize. According to one US official, "APEC and the countries of the region have to show they're on a steady course, that they're not backtracking on their commitments to liberalisation." This leaves Malaysia in a curious position. This year it is footing the massive APEC bill that comes from hosting the leaders' meeting. Last year the event cost the federal government of Canada nearly CDN$60 million. Why would Malaysia want to host this meeting, when its current policies directly contradict APEC's mandate? Malaysia is not the only APEC country resisting the push towards liberalisation. Japan continues to keep APEC from achieving early voluntary sectoral liberalisation in the nine sectors agreed to by APEC Leaders last November. Japan is particularly reluctant to liberalise the fish and forestry sectors, which are politically sensitive in Japan. However, according to the APEC coordinator for the fisheries sector, Japanese opposition will slow down but not stop the opening of the sector. "The fisheries sector is naturally a sensitive one . . . because governments worry about their small-scale fishermen and fishfarmers," he said. Unfortunately, for farmers and fishermen, APEC doesn't. THE APEC FOOD SYSTEM: GUARANTEED TO MAKE YOU ILL An "Apec Food System" has been proposed by the APEC Business Advisory Council. ABAC recommends that the system be a joint private-public "action plan" for the region. According to New Zealand's Minister for International Trade, "the idea is to design what an Efficient Food System- free trade in food- would look like." Clearly, the assumption is already being made that "efficiency" equals "free trade". The word "efficient" rings many alarm bells. Policies that support agriculture industrialisation and trade liberalisation are often implemented in the name of "efficiency" even though they force small-farmers from their lands, encourage the use of dangerous chemical inputs, and destroy local food systems by favouring monocrop farming for export. ABAC states that the Food System will promote the upgrading of rural infrastructure and the diffusion of new agricultural technologies. In other words, it will promote agricultural industrialisation and the use of such controversial and expensive technologies as genetic engineering and pesticides. These technologies are almost completely controlled by a handful of American and European companies. The ABAC vision is essentially the current US agriculture system. And why would any country want to imitate this system? It is highly subsidized (the average subsidy to an American farmer is seven times that of the annual income of a Malaysian farmer); unsustainable (in the 1980s the US lost 400,000 hectares of land to soil erosion); unhealthy (despite numerous potential side effects, animals are filled with hormones, crops are genetically engineered and pesticides use is out of control and increasing); and unfair (while farmers get 4 cents of every consumer dollar spent on food, one company, Phillip Morris, gets 10 cents). ABAC claims that the APEC food system will promote trade in food products. But who benefits from increased trade? The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) promised to slightly lower the price of corn in Mexico (which it hasn't) by bringing in cheap subsidized American corn. But these imports threaten the livelihoods of 2.4 million Mexican farming families. Within the current global food system, increased trade only means increased corporate profit. It's easy to see why: fewer than five companies control 90 per cent of the export market for each of wheat, corn, coffee, tea, pineapple, cotton, tobacco, jute, and forest products. USCC PREDICTS DOWNFALL OF INDUSTRY DUE TO ENVIRO EXTREMEISTS (Wed, 2 Sep 1998 Australian Broadcast Corporation) Australia's Plastics and Chemicals Industries Association has been warned growth in the use of the Internet poses a threat to industry profits in a climate of growing environmental activism. United States Chamber of Commerce vice-president William Kovacs was commenting at the association's convention in Port Douglas. Mr Kovacs told delegates the biggest threat to plastics and chemicals, and perhaps all industry, is the ability for anyone to disseminate incorrect information cheaply to the entire world. He says the use of the Internet by extreme environmentalists and greater amounts of public disclosure law will create fear and allow the sabotage of industries. Mr Kovacs warns that when the tide changes against industry, industrialised nations will act like countries dominated by religious fundamentalists. CONFRONTING GLOBALISATION: REASSERTING PEOPLES' RIGHTS This year's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting will be held in November in Malaysia. Since the first Leaders' Meeting in 1993, representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), people's organisations, and social movements have met in parallel gatherings to highlight concerns about the "free trade, free market" model of trade and investment liberalisation that APEC promotes. Today, a strong global movement continuously monitors, educates and mobilises people to fight the neoliberal economic programmes causing untold hardship to workers, women and peoples the world over. More than 500 participants from the Asia-Pacific region are expected to attend the Peoples' Assembly in Kuala Lumpur. This year's assembly is of utmost importance given the current financial crisis in Asia, the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and upcoming negotiations at the WTO. Issues and sector forums will feed into a two-day plenary session on November 13-14 in Kuala Lumpur. Forums include: Human Rights, Democracy and Militarisation, Food Security and Agriculture, Consumers, Community Livelihood, Sustainability, Urban Poor, Labour, Migrant Labour, Women, Youth and Students, Strategies of Peasant Movements, Globalisation and Children, Environment and Forestry, Privatisation and Financial Deregulation, Media, and Indigenous Peoples. The plenary will build a common analysis and a plan of action with the overall objective to strengthen the peoples' movement against globalisation. To register for APPA please contact the secretariat. Challenging the Global Economy A Forum on Malaysia, the Asian Crisis, and Globalisation Sunday, October 4, 1998 7:00 pm Disted College, 340 Jalan Macalister, Penang, Malaysia Speakers: Meenakshi Raman, Consumers' Association of Penang, Malaysia "The Winners and Losers of Globalisation" Marzuki Darusman, Human Rights Commission of Indonesia, Indonesia "Human Rights and Economic Development: The case of Indonesia" Sarojeni V. Rengam, Pesticide Action Network- Asia and the Pacific, Malaysia "You can't eat Rubber: Globalisation and Food Security" Charles Santiago, Economist, Stamford College, Malaysia "The Malaysian Response: What the recent currency policies really mean?" Irene Fernandez, Tenaganita, Malaysia "Struggling Sisters: Women and the Asian Crisis" Robert David, Alternatives, Canada "Swimming Upstream: What are the alternatives?" To request an invitation contact the APPA Secretariat (tel: 03-2836245 email: appasec@tm.net.my)or PAN-AP (tel: 04-6570271 email:panap@panap.po.my) NEXT ISSUE: Report from the Malaysian Consultation on Food Security Info on APPA What the recent economic policies are all about *********************************************************************** The Rag is the monthly newsletter of the Asia Pacific Peoples' Assembly (APPA). All organizations and individuals from within and outside of Malaysia that are concerned about globalisation are encouraged to participate and join in hosting APPA. If you or your organisation are interested in participating in or hosting or assisting with a Peoples' Assembly event, an issue or sector forum, or a cultural activity, please contact the Secretariat for more information. The intention is to create a genuine space to contest crucial ideas and issues in an open and participatory way. Comments about and contributions to the Rag should be addressed to the Secretariat. If you would like to receive the printed version of The Rag, please send a request by email to the Secretariat with your complete address. The Secretariat 57 Lorong Kurau, 59100 Lucky Gardens, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Email: appasec@tm.net.my Tel: 604-2836245 Fax: 604-2833536 ******************************************************************************** From panap at panap.po.my Fri Sep 25 16:51:14 1998 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 16:51:14 Subject: [asia-apec 704] The RAG, Issue No. 3 (part 2 of 3) Message-ID: <2564@panap.po.my> *************THE RAG************* (Resistance Against Globalisation) The Monthly Newsletter of the Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly Issue No.3, September 1998 PM MAHATHIR: "ALL THE FORCES OF THE RICH AND POWERFUL ARE ALIGNED AGAINST US " The following is from a statement made by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad published in the September 14 issue of Time Magazine: "We are being told that the only system allowed is that of capitalist free markets, of globalisation. Everyone must accept this system or be considered a heretic and punished accordingly. . . That the unfettered, unregulated free market has destroyed the economies of whole regions and of many countries in the world does not matter. The important thing is that the system is upheld. ". . . Many ideologies took decades, even centuries to be acknowledged as wrong. So the question must be asked: How long before we reject the infallibility of the free market dogmas? Some are already timidly criticising the IMF, the speculators, the capital flows across borders, the right of self-appointed market forces to discipline elected governments. Can we wait 300 years? The damage is already extensive. It will take decades to restore the economies. Should we fiddle? "Malaysia cannot wait. Malaysia has chosen to become a heretic, a pariah if you like. . . We may fail, of course, but we are going to do our damndest to succeed, even if all the forces of the rich and the powerful are aligned against us. God willing, we will succeed." BUT, IN OTHER NEWS . . . A subsidiary of the world's largest financial institution has been appointed as key financial advisors to the Malaysian government. Salomon Smith Barney of Travelers Group has been hired to implement Malaysia's financing programme for the next two years. Deryck Maughn, co-chairman and co-CEO of the Salomon Smith Barney says that "a team of our investment bankers and research analysts will meet with more than 100 institutions in Europe and the United States next week to tell the story and obtain their input on the strategies we will devise." He also maintains that the fund-raising program will involve all the major investors in the world. This is hardly the team one would expect an "heretic" of the free-market to hire for advice. But, as the PM explains, "anybody willing to lend a helping hand is welcome" (with the exception, of course, of migrant workers). PLANTATION WORKERS' WAGE CAMPAIGN POSTPONED PM Mahathir not in sound position to receive them Last month we reported that Malaysian plantation workers were going to unite in Kuala Lumpur on September 5 in a rally to issue demands for wage increases. Due to the recent political turmoil in the country and government unwillingness to meet with the workers at this time, the plantation workers decided to reschedule the rally. A date has not yet been announced. For more information, contact the Plantation Workers Support Committee d/a ALAIGAL, 26 A Tingkat Jaya 1, Taman Tasek Jaya, 31400 Ipoh, Malaysia. CORPORATE RULE: THE CASE OF MMT IN CANADA Last month in Canada, something happened that the whole world must pay attention to. Through legal action, a large American corporation was able to overturn the decision of a democratically elected and sovereign parliament. Ethyl Corp of the USA produces a fuel additive called MMT that is widely believed to be a highly dangerous neurotoxin. It can enter the body through the lungs and causes nerve damage, leading to psychosis, memory loss, and early death. In 1991, the present Prime Minister wrote in a letter to the then PM, "Some of our leading neurotoxic scientists, as well as studies and documents from medical schools and universities, in addition to other institutions, outline in detail the truly horrific effects that allowing the continued use of this neurotoxin could have on the Canadian people." In April 1997, after lengthy debate, the Canadian parliament, out of concern for its citizens' health, banned the sale of MMT. One would assume that this decision was well within the right of a sovereign government. But, as it turns out, under the regulations of the North American Free Trade Agreement that Canada, Mexico, and the USA signed in 1992, this is no longer the case. Ethyl Corp. sued the Canadian government under a section of NAFTA for using unfair trade barriers against its product. The suit was to be brought to the NAFTA tribunal-- a body made up of a representative from Canada, another from the USA, and a neutral candidate agreeable to both parties. The Canadian government, perhaps unwilling to enter into a lengthy and costly legal battle or perhaps assuming that it would lose its case in front of such a tribunal, decided to settle out of court. In August, it allowed Ethyl to resume sales of MMT, paid the company CDN $13M million in compensation and announced that "MMT poses no health threat." The case makes it clear that the Canadian government (and Mexican and American), under NAFTA, no longer has the sovereign right to protect its citizens in ways that it sees fit. The world should take note; the Multilateral Agreement on Investments (MAI) that is being pushed in the OECD and in APEC, and which aims to become part of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), is modeled on NAFTA. The MAI would allow corporations to sue governments for damages and loss of profits (including expected profits) for legislation that imposes unfair barriers to its trade. As the MMT case signals, "unfair" is a very flexible term. MAI negotiations at the OECD broke down last April, but negotiations continue at a bilateral level and the agreement is far from dead. APPA CHILDREN'S FORUM ON GLOBALISATION A Children's Forum on Globalisation and Children's Rights: Don't Toy with Our Future! will be held November 11-12 in Kuala Lumpur as part of the Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly (APPA). Participants will include streetchildren, children of migrant workers, and child victims/survivors of child labour, bonded labour, prostitution, battering, and displacement due to militarisation, armed conflict, demolition of urban communities, and maldevelopment projects. The child participants will be within the ages of 11-15 years old and will come from APEC-member and other countries/economies. Participants will be divided into three to four workshops of 10-15 children. The children will share their experiences, link them with globalisation and come up with specific suggestions on how their situation can be alleviated. The children will present the workshop results through creative forms. Child development workers are likewise invited to attend, observe and learn from the workshops. Those interested in registering with or learning more about the Forum can contact the APPA secretariat or Salinlahi Alliance for Children's Concerns, 15-A Marilag Street, UP Village, Quezon City, Philippines, tel: 63-2-4354258, fax: 63-2-9205641, email: slhacc@pworld.net.ph APEC LEADERS' MEETINGS MEAN VIOLENCE AGAINST PEOPLE The international movement against APEC has always maintained that APEC policies devastate human rights in the region. APEC Leaders counter by saying either that APEC is an economic arrangement not mandated to discuss human rights and social concerns or that APEC will improve democracy in the region by engaging non-democratic governments in the region with democratic ones. Recent revelations in Canada show just how weak these defenses are. Not only do APEC's trade and investment policies undermine people's rights, but so do the APEC events themselves. At the 1996 APEC Leaders' Meeting in Manila, the surrounding area was militarised, domestic opposition was suppressed, thousands of poor Manila residents were relocated and squatter communities were demolished to ensure that the meeting proceeded smoothly. The Canadian government maintained that the Vancouver meeting in 1997 would be different. Recently released intelligence files reveal that this was not the case. They confirm that the RCMP, Canada's national police force, charged and arrested anti-APEC protestors at the local university campus in order to avoid embarrassing the Indonesian leader Suharto and other APEC leaders. They also show that the RCMP permitted foreign security forces to carry arms in Vancouver during the events despite the fact that the Indonesian forces had asked if they were permitted to shoot protestors if they felt threatened. The RCMP also pepper-sprayed and brutalized student demonstrators in order to distance them from the APEC leaders meeting nearby. Most importantly, the recent information demonstrates that the Canadian PM was directly involved in the suppression of his citizen's rights for the sole purpose of hosting the APEC leaders without causing them embarrassment. When concerns were raised about APEC and human rights, the PM and others in his government always defended their involvement in APEC by saying that through engagement others would learn from Canada about the benefits of democracy. Some lesson! Clearly, the only lesson to be learned from an APEC Leaders' Meeting is that APEC cannot exist without undermining the rights of people throughout the region. (Note: Malaysia's PM claimed at the Vancouver meeting that "tradition" would be upheld and anti-APEC activists could meet freely in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.) WHAT ABOUT KUALA LUMPUR IN NOVEMBER 1998? Malaysia's PM, Dr. Mahathir, claimed at the Vancouver meeting that "tradition" would be upheld and anti-APEC activists could meet freely in Kuala Lumpur during the 1998 APEC Leaders' Meeting. On September 20th, 1998, twelve persons were arrested under Malaysia's Internal Security Act for being "prejudicial to the security of the nation". An additional 126 persons were detained for their participation in riots and illegal assemblies. Most were arrested while demonstrating outside the Magistrates Court and Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur in support of former Deputy PM Anwar Ibrahim. FORESTS AND TRADE ON THE PACIFIC RIM: HOW TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES An issue forum of APPA (November 11-12) The Forum on Forests and Trade will bring together forest activists and community leaders opposed to APEC's agenda for fast-track liberalisation of forest products. The Forum will address such questions as: -What does globalisation mean for forests and communities? -How will communities protect their forests from increased logging and destruction brought by free trade? -What can we do to stop MNCs from moving into our forests and taking away the resources we depend on? -How can we build a network to keep each other informed and to develop strategies for confronting the impacts of free trade on Pacific Rim forests and communities? For more information, contact Paige Fisher of the Pacific Environment and Resources Center (PERC). Tel: 1-415-332-8200; Fax: 1-415-332-8167; email: perc@igc.org *********************************************************************** The Rag is the monthly newsletter of the Asia Pacific Peoples' Assembly (APPA). All organizations and individuals from within and outside of Malaysia that are concerned about globalisation are encouraged to participate and join in hosting APPA. If you or your organisation are interested in participating in or hosting or assisting with a Peoples' Assembly event, an issue or sector forum, or a cultural activity, please contact the Secretariat for more information. The intention is to create a genuine space to contest crucial ideas and issues in an open and participatory way. Comments about and contributions to the Rag should be addressed to the Secretariat. If you would like to receive the printed version of The Rag, please send a request by email to the Secretariat with your complete address. The Secretariat 57 Lorong Kurau, 59100 Lucky Gardens, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Email: appasec@tm.net.my Tel: 604-2836245 Fax: 604-2833536 ******************************************************************************** From pet at web.net Fri Sep 25 20:46:22 1998 From: pet at web.net (Sharon R.A. Scharfe) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 07:46:22 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [asia-apec 705] Cda. Hansard, Sept. 24/98 re: APEC '97 Message-ID: <2.2.16.19980925074953.508f9fb0@pop.web.net> House of Commons Ottawa, CANADA Canadian Parliament Official Hansard (and translation) (English version only) >From Proceedings on Thursday, September 24, 1998 ... ORAL QUESTIONS APEC SUMMIT Mr. Preston Manning (Leader of the Opposition, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is stonewalling Canadians with respect to his actions at the APEC summit. Police notes continue to connect the Prime Minister with the suppression of student protesters. Now an eye witness, who as the Prime Minister's guest, claims that she saw him personally involved in directing security ativities. Canadians want the truth. Will the government now revise its position that the Prime Minister was never personally involved in police actions at the APEC summit? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the allegations referred to by the Leader of the Opposition were made by a guest, Ms. Sparrow, who admitted that she could not hear what the Prime Minister was saying. The Prime Minister categorically denied the allegations of Ms. Sparrow, so I think that should end that aspect of this matter. Mr. Preston Manning (Leader of the Opposition, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, whatever happened to the concept of ministerial accountability? Whatever happened to the concept of prime ministerial acceptance of responsibility? The Prime Minister passes the buck to the police. He passes the buck to his staff. He blames the protesters and now his spin doctors are smearing a witness. Why does the Prime Minister continue to refuse to tell Canadians what he told the RCMP and his staff to do? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been in the House every day until today answering questions over and over again. I might add that the student protesters themselves asked the RCMP Public Complaints Commission, an arm's length civilian body, to look into their concerns. The complaints commission is proceeding to do this. Why is the Leader of the Opposition trying to undermine the work of this reputable body set up by parliament? Mr. Preston Manning (Leader of the Opposition, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, the RCMP Internal Complaints Commission is the only commission looking into the APEC summit event right now. That inquiry cannot investigate politicians. It cannot investigate bureaucrats. Even if the commission subpoenas documents from the Prime Minister he can withhold them if he so chooses. The commission is toothless as long as the Prime Minister continues to stonewall its activities. Will the government commit today to personally have the Prime Minister co-operate with the commission, including the provision of all documents and appearing as a witness if called? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the government is providing material to the commission. The commission has not asked the Prime Minister to appear, so that is perfectly hypothetical at this point. I again say to the Leader of the Opposition that he should not be undermining the work of the arm's length civilian commission which has been asked by the student protesters themselves to look into the matter. Why is he trying to prevent the commission from doing the work the protesters themselves are seeking if he is on their side? He is not acting on their side. He is not acting for human rights. He is just making a lot of noise. Mr. John Reynolds (West Vancouver?Sunshine Coast, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, this government says ?Let the Public Complaints Commission work. We will get out the truth?. Let me tell members? Some hon. members: Hear, hear. Mr. John Reynolds: Mr. Speaker, they love it now, but they hated it in 1986 when the bill was introduced. The present minister of heritage said in 1986 ?The only reason you like the Public Complaints Commission now is that your government is in trouble?, and that was the government of the day. The reason this government likes the Public Complaints Commission now is that it is in trouble and it is the government of the day. Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I have to thank the hon. member for reminding us that when he was a Conservative supporting the Mulroney government that government brought this measure to this House. It was adopted by this parliament. His contradiction at this time of what he was supporting then shows that the attack on the commission is totally unwarranted. He should give the commission the support now that he gave it then because it is ready to do the job for the protesters that the protesters themselves want to see done. Mr. John Reynolds (West Vancouver?Sunshine Coast, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, the Acting Prime Minister should realize that I was not there then. I was not a member of the Mulroney government. I want to quote for him again what the present heritage minister said about that bill in debate. She said that the commission would be hamstrung and only be allowed to have internal investigations and review evidence, but would not be allowed conduct its own investigation. Members of this government in opposition did not like this bill. They did not like the aspect that it is not independent and it cannot investigate the government. Why have they changed their minds? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I want to apologize to the hon. member for not recalling exactly when he left. I guess his aura hung over the government at the time this bill? The Speaker: Colleagues, we all heard the question and I know we would like to hear the answer. The hon. Deputy Prime Minister. Hon. Herb Gray: Mr. Speaker, I think the best thing to do is to let the commission do its work. Once it makes its report, if there are valid complaints to be made, then they can be brought up and dealt with at that time. Right now the words of the statute give the commission the powers to look into complaints, to investigate, to hear evidence and to make public reports. Let the commission do its work. That is what the student protesters are asking. Why is the opposition trying to undermine the concerns of the student protesters instead of letting them have the process they themselves have asked for? [Translation] Mr. Gilles Duceppe (Laurier?Sainte-Marie, BQ): Mr. Speaker, to date, the Prime Minister has denied all involvement in the APEC affair. However, we learn that a witness saw him becoming personally and directly involved in security matters at the opening of the summit. How should we interpret the behaviour of the Prime Minister, who was still saying at thestart of the week that he knew nothing, as more and more testimony and facts incriminate him? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has categorically denied the testimony of this so called witness. The witness claims not to have heard what the Prime Minister was actually saying at the time. Therefore the allegations made by the leader of the third party are totally erroneous. Mr. Gilles Duceppe (Laurier?Sainte-Marie, BQ): Mr. Speaker, we know what a denial from the Prime Minister is worth; he said he would abolish the GST. His denial is no reassurance. In the light of the latest facts and given that we know the Prime Minister was personally involved at the heart of the action, given that he ?clennetted? a demonstrator across the river, and that he was the one giving the RCMP orders, how much credibility can the RCMP investigation have if the Prime Minister is refusing to testify? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the commission did not ask the Prime Minister to testify. Second, the commission established by this Parliament works at arm's length from the government and the RCMP. So let us let the commission do its work. This is the request of the students who submitted their complaints to this commission. Mr. Richard Marceau (Charlesbourg, BQ): Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister said, and I quote: ?I am a populist and I can even defend myself on occasion?. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister has lost control of himself more than once. Is it not a bit of a concern to Canadians to have a Prime Minister who completely loses control of himself in tense situations? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, it is the Bloc Quebecois that has completely lost control, with its misguided questions today. Mr. Richard Marceau (Charlesbourg, BQ): Mr. Speaker, does the Prime Minister realize that, by engaging in conduct so inappropriate to his office, he brings discredit on all Canadians, purely for the purpose of keeping a paranoid dictator happy? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I wonder who prepared that question. Was it Mr. Landry or Mr. Parizeau? [English] Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the Solicitor General keep dodging our questions by hiding behind the Public Complaints Commission. But how can the commission do its job and get at the truth if the Prime Minister is not to appear and if the PMO has destroyed crucial documents? Why the cover-up? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the NDP is making an allegation which, as far as I am aware, is not founded on fact. Second, the commission has not asked the Prime Minister to appear. Third, the commission was set up by this Parliament. It was given powers by this Parliament. There has been no indication in any way that it will not do the job expected of it by this Parliament and, more important, the job expected of it by the student protesters who have lodged their complaints before that commission. Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Student protesters, Mr. Speaker, who are not going to get any legal representation. Yesterday the Prime Minister refused to answer questions about the destruction of APEC documents. Today we learned that former operations director, Jean Carle, has admitted to destroying documents pertaining to Spray-PEC. What is the PMO hiding? Who are they trying to protect? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): The first thing I have to do, Mr. Speaker, is to look into the accuracy of the hon. member's assertions and innuendo. After I check into them either I myself or the Prime Minister will reply more fully. Mrs. Elsie Wayne (Saint John, PC): Mr. Speaker, ministerial permits to allow a general and six of Suharto's commandos into Canada were issued the same day that Indonesians applied for them, November 19, 1997. These permits were issued after the Indonesians asked the RCMP if it was okay to shoot Canadian protesters, and a week before the APEC summit. Could the Minister of Immigration tell us when or if her officials informed the RCMP that she issued these permits and will she table any documents related to these permits in this House? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the question of security around the APEC summit falls within the mandate of the RCMP. Therefore it is the subject of a Public Complaints Commission investigation. We have to protect the integrity of that investigation to get to the truth, despite the fact that many would have that integrity questioned here in the House. Mrs. Elsie Wayne (Saint John, PC): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister responsible for issuing permits into Canada, not the Solicitor General, and it is not about the Public Complaints Commission. We know that permits to let Suharto's commandos into Canada were issued. Under the law only the Minister of Immigration can issue them. These permits were issued after the RCMP were asked by the Indonesians if it was okay to shoot Canadians. On what basis did the Minister of Immigration issue the permits? Did the Prime Minister's office ask her to issue them? Did her office immediately inform the RCMP that the permits had been issued? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, as I have said this week many times, the reality is that security questions fall within the purview of the RCMP. Since the RCMP is the subject of a public complaints commission inquiry, which was asked for by the protesters themselves, it would be imprudent, in fact inappropriate, for me to do anything that might influence politically the outcome of that investigation. Mr. Jim Abbott (Kootenay?Columbia, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, quoting from today's Vancouver Sun, an article by Peter O'Neil says ?the commissioner of the Public Complaints Commission says he is still trying to obtain documents from the Prime Minister's Office, the Privy Council and the Department of Foreign Affairs?. We remember Somalia. We remember the Krever inquiry. We remember the destruction of documents, and we did not receive an assurance from the Prime Minister or the solicitor general yesterday that there would be no destruction of documents. Will we have that assurance today? Yes or no. Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has my assurance that at this point there has been no indication of any problems in that regard. In fact the council for the commission very specifically said there have been no problems getting access to any information requested. Mr. Jim Abbott (Kootenay?Columbia, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, that is a pretty cute answer coming from the solicitor general. It speaks to the whole issue of the level of the inquiry that is going on. There is no level of inquiry. It is under the Public Complaints Commission, and I quote from the RCMP Act ?They only may look into any member or any other person employed under the authority of this act?. That is what the Public Complaints Commission can look into. It is strictly a snow job that the solicitor general is doing the cover-up for this? The Speaker: The hon. solicitor general. Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, this inquiry has exactly the same powers as the kind of inquiry the hon. member was demanding, very specifically the powers of a board of inquiry. * * * APEC SUMMIT Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. Today we heard how Canada brought honour to itself as a leader in the battle to end apartheid, a system deplored for its violent contempt of human rights. But at APEC the Prime Minister brought dishonour when he trampled on the rights of Canadian students to welcome a dictator deplored for his contempt of both human rights and human life. Will the government come clean on APEC and reassure the young people of Canada that we are a defender, not an abuser, of human rights? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I have to reject the premise of the hon. member's question. The Prime Minister is a vigorous spokesman for human rights. He was the chief protagonist of the charter of rights and freedoms. This should be recognized and the Prime Minister should be praised for his continuous defence of human rights in Canada and around the world. Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, for a Prime Minister who talks so much about human rights, his actions in Vancouver speak louder than words. Students opposed to APEC were detained without cause, violently attacked and are expected to defend themselves with neither funding nor support against a battalion of backroom government lawyers. Will the Prime Minister and the government do the right thing and provide the legal representation for students attacked at APEC? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, it is because we respect due process that we would like to see it work and let the public complaints commission do its job as the students have requested. Mr. Scott Brison (Kings?Hants, PC): Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says it is more effective to engage dictators than to isolate them. The whole idea with engagement is that by engaging dictators in a dialogue, we can teach them something about human rights. My question for the Prime Minister is did Suharto learn about human rights while he was in Canada or did the Prime Minister take lessons from Suharto in systematic abuse of power and oppression? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I reject the unwarranted premise of the hon. member's question. I know it has been publicly reported that both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs raised the human rights issue with Suharto in Indonesia itself. That took a lot of guts. They should be praised for that and their continued defence of human rights in Canada and around the world. ... APEC SUMMIT Mr. David Price (Compton?Stanstead, PC): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. In order to enter Canada, Suharto's soldiers first had to obtain the minister's permission. They had her blessing. Will the minister continue to state in the House that there was no abuse of power, when it was she who, under the Prime Minister's authority, gave known criminals a licence to kill on Canadian soil? What is the truth? [English] The Speaker: I think we are starting to reach a little bit much in our questions. I would like to give you as much room as I can but I think we are getting to the end. If there is an answer from the solicitor general, we will hear it. Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I can only repeat that the security arrangements around APEC were the responsibility of the RCMP. Canadians have a system at play right now to get to the truth of these incidents. I wish hon. members would let us get to the truth through the instrument that was designed by this House out of respect for this House. * * * ... [end] ******************************************************************************** For more information on Parliamentarians for East Timor, Please Contact: Sharon Scharfe, International Secretariat Parliamentarians for East Timor Suite 116, 5929-L Jeanne D'Arc Blvd., Orleans, ON K1C 7K2 CANADA Fax: 1-613-834-2021 E-Mail: pet@web.net ******************************************************************************** From davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca Fri Sep 25 10:40:23 1998 From: davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca (David Webster) Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 17:40:23 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 706] Van Sun: Chretien dodges, Mounties weave Message-ID: 3 more from today's Vancouver Sun -- RCMP secret units watched Indonesian intel at APEC -- PM still dodging parliament questions -- editorial: RCMP over-reacts to students to protect Suharto feelings Last Updated: Thursday 24 September 1998 TOP STORIES --------------------------------------------------------- Secret units watched Indonesians at APEC The Vancouver Sun Jeff Lee Vancouver Sun RCMP intelligence officers involved in last fall's APEC summit were so concerned that Indonesian security personnel might shoot Canadian protesters that they surreptitiously slipped a heavily armed emergency response vehicle into then-president Suharto's Vancouver motorcade, police documents show. The ERT vehicle, carrying officers armed with sub-machineguns, was planted in the motorcade without the knowledge of the RCMP security detail responsible for Suharto's safety. The support vehicle was added as part of the surveillance of the Indonesians that began after it became clear the visitors were not going to obey Canadian security protocols. Moreover, the conduct of some of the two dozen Indonesian security staff so alarmed the police that two high-ranking RCMP officers discussed the possibility they might have to shoot one of the nationals if he drew his gun on protesters, the documents indicate. RCMP eventually arrested five of the security officers: three at gunpoint after they were found in "no go" zones at the Hotel Vancouver, and two in camouflage uniforms and trenchcoats who had mingled with protesters at the University of B.C., where the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation summit was held. The details are contained in a taped interview RCMP internal affairs conducted with Staff Sergeant Peter Montague, who was in charge of Suharto's security during the November summit. Montague confirmed the interview Wednesday, but would not comment further until he testifies before an RCMP Public Complaints Commission hearing that is investigating complaints that police used excessive force in putting down several protests during the summit. Montague's report appears to bolster suggestions that police actions during two pepper-spraying melees were motivated by fear that the Indonesian security officers would take matters into their own hands if the protesters were able to reach Suharto. But members of the protest group APEC Alert say that Montague's report is an attempt to blame the Indonesians for alleged police excesses during the pepper-sprayings. The transcripts paint a picture of an organizational nightmare for RCMP and department of foreign affairs personnel who had to deal with Indonesian security officers who wanted to prevent Suharto from being exposed to protesters. Police handlers, including Montague, were repeatedly told by the Indonesians that they did not want Suharto to encounter a manhandling protester, as he did in Dresden, Germany, several years ago. Despite assurances that Suharto would be protected, the Indonesians were determined to carry out their own security arrangements, so much so that on short notice and without previous police knowledge, they arranged for a crack commando team of six officers to arrive in Vancouver. The RCMP scrambled to intercept the team, and searched them to make sure they had no weapons. The RCMP reluctantly allowed the Indonesian team to carry four handguns, but rejected demands for permits for 21 more. However, the RCMP strongly suspected the security officers obtained more guns without their knowledge, even though searches turned up nothing. Most of the weapons the Indonesians wanted to bring in were Smith & Wesson 9.6 mm Magnums and Sig Sauer 9 mm handguns. The Indonesians tried to impose their own security at the Hotel Vancouver, where Suharto was staying, and brought in bouncers to take care of any protesters who might make it into the lobby. It was only after Montague threatened to go to the media and say the Indonesians didn't trust the Canadians that they agreed to remove the men. In the weeks leading up to the summit, Indonesian foreign affairs delegates repeatedly questioned police on what would happen if their agents shot or roughed up protesters, raising RCMP fears that they were not willing to obey Canadian security protocols that gave the RCMP responsibility for Suharto's safety. Almost immediately after an Indonesian advance team landed, they began to breach security areas despite warnings by Montague and others to behave. In one case, panicked hotel staff called police after several Indonesian officers barged into a party looking for access to the roof to install radio equipment. Montague said he repeatedly told top brass about the problems he was having controlling the Indonesians, and they responded by starting counter surveillance, some of which he never knew about until later. "Staff Sergeant [Hugh] Stewart [who was responsible for some aspects of UBC ground security] . . . was fully cognizant of our major problems and concerns. So much so that when we picked Suharto up at the airport . . . our motorcade was 12 cars, [but] leaving the airport it was 13, because without my knowledge as the overall coordinator and in charge of this visit, Intelligence decided that it was too dangerous for us to travel alone and actually put an ERT vehicle, a support vehicle in our motorcade complete with machineguns and everything else that it carries," Montague said. Montague said the RCMP feared that the Indonesians would over-react to the protesters and might shoot or hurt someone in the midst of a peaceful protest. At one point the Indonesian officer in charge of his team told Montague that if something went wrong at UBC, "they would engage first, not the RCMP." Montague repeatedly told the Indonesians to keep their guns holstered. But the concern over rogue action by the Indonesians so alarmed Montague that he and Stewart discussed the possibility police might have to shoot one of them if protesters stopped Suharto's motorcade at UBC. Montague recalled: "I said picture it, we're gonna probably have to shoot the Indonesian security officer. I mean, it was such a bizarre thought, but we knew that was a possibility, that if somebody over-reacted to go [for their] gun, that I had to deal with this with my security team." Montague said he was convinced that if Suharto's motorcade had been stopped by the protesters, or if they had succeeded in tearing down a security fence and storming the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, the Indonesian officers would have shot the students. PM dodges grilling over APEC spraying The Vancouver Sun Peter O'Neil and Jeff Lee Vancouver Sun OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Jean Chretien accused opposition MPs Wednesday of making exaggerated and unsubstantiated allegations about his role in security leading up to the violent APEC protests last year. Chretien was responding to new allegations that the prime minister's senior officials destroyed documents in a bid to cover up Chretien's role in directing an RCMP crackdown on summit protests that might have embarrassed then Indonesian dictator President Suharto. "I do believe members are going a bit far in their accusations based on no facts at all," Chretien told the Commons. But Chretien and Solicitor General Andy Scott continued to dodge most questions about the prime minister's involvement, saying matters will be resolved when the RCMP Public Complaints Commission hearing begins in Vancouver on Oct. 5. Protesters who have laid complaints against 40 officers -- and the RCMP itself -- allege that Chretien's office and the RCMP have destroyed documents needed for the police complaints commission hearing. "We know that Jean Carle [director of operations during APEC] and Jean Pelletier [Chretien's chief of staff] have no documents with them," said Jonathan Oppenheim, a member of APEC Alert and one of the protesters arrested by RCMP during last fall's economic summit. The accusations were down-played by Chris Considine, counsel for the commission, who said he has seen no evidence that either the prime minister's office or the RCMP engaged in document-shredding. Considine said some people in the prime minister's office did not take notes during some meetings, and at times documents were destroyed because copies were known to exist in the custody of other departments. But he said he is still trying to obtain documents from Chretien's office, the privy council office and the department of foreign affairs. George McIntosh, a lawyer representing 38 of the officers, said his clients made full disclosure of any documents they had. "I look forward to these people proving these very serious allegations concerning my clients' integrity. I have no knowledge whatsoever of document-shredding being the case and I will be extremely surprised if that is proven to be true." Chretien's patience started to wear thin during question period after facing a sequence of charges, including the allegations of document-shredding and the NDP's presentation of Musqueam Chief Gail Sparrow's statement that Chretien was "barking out orders" to security officials at APEC. Peter Donolo, Chretien's communications director, said Sparrow's accusation is "totally false." Sparrow, who complained in November that Chretien's office cancelled her planned opening address to APEC participants because they didn't like her plan to discuss human rights, did not return a call from The Sun to the Musqueam band office. New Democratic Party leader Alexa McDonough, who spoke with Sparrow earlier Wednesday, said the chief's account proves Chretien was deeply involved in security issues prior to the arrests, pepper-spraying, and strip-searching of some protesters. "Mr. Speaker, the prime minister may deny involvement but eyewitnesses suggest otherwise," McDonough said. "Inside the APEC security net, Chief Gail Sparrow saw the prime minister barking out orders, not just to his own staff, but to security staff personnel as well." Chretien didn't respond and McDonough subsequently explained to reporters her account of a discussion with Sparrow. "She [Sparrow] was astounded to see the prime minister, as she described it, running around like a chicken with his head cut off and barking orders," McDonough said. Last Updated: Thursday 24 September 1998 OPINION --------------------------------------------------------- Today's Editorial: A matter of luck for over-zealous RCMP In their excesses to protect a foreign dictator, the RCMP compiled dossiers and 'pre-arrested' protesters. But it appears the real dangers came from within Suharto's entourage. Vancouver Sun Had the RCMP security force at last fall's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit arrived in a tiny little car, tripping over each other as they exited, honking horns and squirting seltzer, they could hardly have appeared more clownish than recent details of their operation make them appear. The officer assigned to infiltrate one of the APEC protest groups, for one, who gave himself away when his cell phone rang. "Oops, looks like we've got an informant with us," the group's leader joked. The mysterious stranger suddenly recalled pressing business elsewhere and took his leave. As crack police work it brings to mind Insp. Clouseau, an equally cunning operative. Fortunately, the RCMP were investigating radicals whose idea of terrorist activity to protest then-Indonesian president Suharto's attendance was to stage puppet shows, write "Say Boo to APEC" in washable marker on windows and cast "hexes" on University of British Columbia buildings to be used for the conference. The RCMP did their job with zeal. Excessively so, thuggishly so, it seems from reports now being released to the RCMP public complaints commission. They compiled dossiers on dozens of the protesters detailing their political leanings, sexual preferences and HIV status; some higher-profile leaders were targeted for "pre-arrest." And, of course, the manhandling and pepper-spraying of students has been well-documented. It was only luck that no student was seriously injured. Why this rabid protection of Suharto? Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy had promised, with squirm-inducing eagerness, that Suharto would not be embarrassed by demonstrations or heckling. The police might have misapplied their power but government-RCMP correspondence shows the prime minister's office, Mr. Chretien's close aides and perhaps Mr. Chretien himself instigated it by insisting that everything be just-so for the big day, as if it were a June wedding under the trees. The result was farcical but not so comic. The real danger -- as Vancouver Sun stories from November pointed out -- came from Suharto's own men. The RCMP had already been asked what would happen if his guards shot a Canadian. The RCMP explained it would be frowned upon and the guards stopped just short of that, although several were deported for dangerous conduct. Mr. Chretien said Tuesday he was not preoccupied by the matter. But it will be prominent in his thoughts if the inquiry finds his preoccupation with appeasing Suharto caused it. _ _ _ \ / "Long words Bother me." \ / -- Winnie the Pooh From appasec at tm.net.my Fri Sep 25 13:02:47 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 12:02:47 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 707] APPA invitation and registration package (part 1) Message-ID: <000001bde84f$5f37e140$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> Dear Friends, INVITATION TO THE ASIA PACIFIC PEOPLES? ASSEMBLY On behalf of the APPA Working Committee, I would like to invite you to attend the Asia Pacific Peoples? Assembly. Attached is the registration package for the Assembly, which consist of Registration Form, Sponsorship Form, Accommodation Request Form, APPA flyer and Summary On Sector/Issue Forums. Please send back the registration package to APPA secretariat before Oct 23, 1998 (by mail, fax or e-mail) to confirm your attendance. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting will be held this November in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Since the first Leaders? Meeting in 1993, representatives of NGOs, people?s organizations, and social movements have met in parallel gatherings to oppose the "free trade, free market" model of trade and investment liberalization that APEC promotes. This year, more than 400 participants from the Asia-Pacific region are expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Peoples? Assembly (APPA) in Kuala Lumpur, which willbe held on 10-15 November 1998. The Assembly will start on November 10 with the theme of "Confronting Globalisation: Reasserting Peoples? Rights". Various issue and sector forums will take place prior to the People?s Assembly and will culminate in a two-day plenary session on November 13-14 . Each forum will be required to commit to specific actions that it can present at the plenary session. The plenary will build a common analysis and a plan of action with the overall objective to strengthen the peoples? movement against globalization. The final assembly is on November 15. After receiving your registration form, APPA secretariat or the relevant Issue/Sector Forum coordinators will contact you shortly about the programme of events, travel and accommodation logistics, and financial sponsorship. We would also be very grateful if you could look for your own funding for your travel and other expenses. Please feel free to make copies of the registration package for interested groups and individuals. Looking forward for your attendance. Sincerely, APPA Secretariat From appasec at tm.net.my Fri Sep 25 13:06:52 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 12:06:52 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 708] APPA invitation & registration package (part 2) Message-ID: <000101bde84f$67994400$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> Summary on Issue / Sector Forums Labour Date: 11&12 November 1998 Workers are most affected by the globalisation phenomena. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), was specifically set up to speed up the pace of trade liberalisation and to create the world?s most resourceful and liberal market that is conducive to capital movement and profit maximisation. The emphasis on export-oriented production, rapid growth and a complete reliance on foreign investment has led to the denial of union rights, heavy workload, lack of social security, inadequate wages and poor health and safety standards for millions of workers around the region. The major themes of the labour forum are: - linking the current economic crisis with globalisation and liberalisation - assessing the full impact of the economic crisis on workers - To develop strategies for workers around the region against globalisation. Human Rights, Democracy and Militarisation Date: 11&12 November 1998 Globalisation and its impact on citizens, manifested more directly through the economic crisis, has further deteriorated human rights in the region. The human rights forum will be broken up into two parts: - Exposure and discussion on the local human rights situation, followed by - An international meeting The meeting will be a gathering of human rights victims and activists from around the Asia Pacific, to discuss issues and trends affecting human rights in the region. A serious reflection of the UDHR after 50 years, will be done to help capture and analyse the actual human rights situation in our respective countries. There will also be case presentations from South Korea, Indonesia and perhaps a Latin American country. Privatisation and Financial Deregulation Date: 11 &12 November 1998 The theme for this forum is ?The Peoples Alternative to Financial Deregulation and Privatisation?. Several major issues will be addressed with the following topics: - Government, Civil Society and the Retrenchment of the Public Sector: The Privatisation of Helthcare and Social Services. - Peoples Response and Action Against Financial Deregulation and Privatisation - Alternative Models of Development ? alternative international financial architecture that is sustainable and people centred. - The Fight Against the MAI and WTO - The Future of the State and Civil Society in the Era of Financial Deregulation and Privatisation. The 3rd Women?s Conference Against APEC Date: 8-9 November 1998 The third International Women?s Conference Against APEC, has the theme: ?Women Resist Globalisation! Assert Women?s Rights?. The women?s groups around the Asia Pacific have kicked off their own campaign against globalisation and have convened meetings in the last two parallel peoples summits held in Manila, 1996 and Vancouver, 1997. The main objectives of the conference are: - To assess new emerging trends of globalisation and liberalisation, which will have major implications on the lives of women and women?s rights. - To enhance women?s participation and leadership in forwarding development alternatives with women?s vision - To strengthen women?s global perspective and analysis - To develop strategies for resistance against globalisation - To strengthen solidarity among women Student & Youth Date: 7-10 November 1998 This forum will address three main areas of concern: - Privatisation and Education - Job Security - Human Rights Urban Poor Date: 11&12 November 1998 Globalisation and industrialisation can be said to be directly responsible for the rapidly growing urban poor communities around the region. TNC?s, by setting base in developing countries, have created huge demands for industrial workers, causing massive population shifts from rural to urban areas. Although these rural migrants were encouraged to come live in the city, through several major economic policies adopted by government, the infrastructure needed to accommodate a bigger population, especially for housing, went unnoticed. Housing needs became a huge problem, leaving large numbers of people to build their own shelters which later grew into communes, known as squatter areas. The urban poor forum which will be held at a squatter community, will address these contradictions. The theme will be on forced evictions and involuntary displacement of communities that have to make way for rapid development. There will be a visit to several urban poor communities around Kuala Lumpur. The forum will bring together leaders of urban poor communities in Malaysia and around the region, peoples? organisations and NGOs working on land rights and housing rights issues. Common regional trends of involuntary displacement will be assessed, to develop a common response and strategy to protect the rights of urban poor communities with the growing threat of globalisation. Indigenous People Date: 6-7 November 1998 The indigenous peoples? forum will have the theme of displacement from their native lands, and involuntarily relocated into commercial plantation schemes, as a result of development projects. Case studies from around the region will be presented. Migrant Labour Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 The forum will focus on 3 main areas facing migrant workers in the region. They are - the increasing erosion of the rights of migrant workers, especially in the context of globalisation, and the Asian economic crisis. - The continuous decline on the quality of life of the migrants and their families. This includes healthcare, education, housing and other amenities. - The control and lack of democratic participation of migrants in decision making, in the right to form associations or join unions, especially with receiving countries that are becoming more repressive. There will be an photo exhibition, from November 10-15, the launch of posters and the migrant yearbook on 11 November, a press conference on November 15, and will close with a solidarity evening with migrant workers. Strategies of Peasant Movements Date: 11&12 November 1998 The forum has the theme ?Throwing off the yoke of imperialist globalisation?. The forum aims to provide a venue for sharing and discussion of effective strategies adopted by the various peasant movements in their struggle against capitalist monopoly, expand and consolidate the Asian and global network of peasant and fisherfolk organisations and identify and plan for international peasant campaigns. Workshops will be conducted to provide participants small group venues to discuss the impact of globalisation in their global region, share with one another the strategies that have proven effective and pinpoint burning issues as bases for international peasant campaigns. Globalisation and Children Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 Participants of this forum would comprise street children, child workers and children of migrant workers, within the age group of 11-15 years old. Participants will be divided into five workshops of 15 children each where a specific module will be used which will view these children as survivors rather than victims. Consumers Date: 11 November 1998 The forum will dwell on the nature and risks of globalisation and liberalisation on consumers. It will focus on latest developments by major institutions such as the World Bank, World Trade Organisation, International Monetary Fund etc, where further liberalisation initiatives are being launched by the TNCs and G7 countries. The forum will also explore ways in which citizens of the Asia Pacific region can link up better to avoid further crises. Food security and Agriculture Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 The forum on food security and agriculture is a two-day event to examine the impacts of globalisation on food security and agriculture and to develop alternatives. The forum will open with an overview of trade agreements and reports from representatives of farmers? movements from Chiapas, Korea, Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia. In the afternoon, participants will break into workshops. There will be five workshops on land issues and resources, aquatic resources, trade agreements and institutions, agribusiness TNCs, and grassroots resistance and alternatives. On the second day, participants will join in a plenary session to build a common analysis and share action plans from the workshops. Community Livelihood Date: 11 & 12 November 1998 There is a fundamental flaw in our development approach. This is because our current economic model is dominantly capital-centred and not people-centred. To remedy the flaw, the strategy is to transform the decision making framework to a people-centred approach. Then and only then can we attain a development that is socially just, ecologically sustainable, economically viable, politically participatory and culturally vibrant. The APEC meeting in November in Malaysia is a timely forum to bring together development practitioners and community entrepreneurs in the region to see how such regional groupings such as APEC is impacting on the people not only for livelihood through community enterprises but more as an option for fair trade, environmental conservation and a people-centred sustainable development. Media Date: 11 &12 November 1998 The media forum will have two main issues; the globalisation of information and press freedom in the region. Environment and Forestry Date: 11 November 1998 The environment and forestry forum will focus on the issues of forest fire and environment, especially in the region of Asia Pacific. (tentative programme) From appasec at tm.net.my Fri Sep 25 15:39:43 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 14:39:43 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 709] APPA invitation & registration package Message-ID: <000201bde84f$710ed5e0$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> REGISTRATION FORM ----------------- Title: ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fullname(Ms./Mr./others) :---------------------------------------------------------- Preferred nametag name :--------------------------------------------------------- Organization:--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Acronym :----------------------------------------------------------- Contact Adderss :-------------------------------------------------------------------- Mailing Address : -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-mail : -------------------------------------------------------------- Fax: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Tel : ------------------------------------------------------------------- Short description of Organization : --------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emergency contact :----------------------------------------------------------------- Name : --------------------------------------------------------------- Address : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tel : ------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you require assistace in obtaining a visa? (Yes/No) Do you require financial support? (Yes/No) (If Yes, please complete the sponsorship request form) Will you require translation? (Yes/No) In which language :------------------------------------------------ (Note : translation may not be available) Do you have any special medical requirements/allergies? (Yes/No) The following 16 Issue/ Sector Forums will take place during APPA. your registration with APPA entitles you to participate in any of any of these foums. 6-10 Nov Women's Conference (Nov 8-9) Student & Youth (Nov 7-10) Indigenous Peoples (Nov 6-7) 11 Nov Consumer Environment & Forestry 11-12 Nov Privatisation & Financial Deregulation Food Security & Agriculture Strategies of Peasant Movements Globalisation & Children Media Community Livelihood Urban Poor Labour Migrant Labour Human Rights & Democracy Please select the Issue/Sector Forums you wish to register with according to priority. 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Below US$15 ii. US$15-US30 iii. US$30-US$40 iv. US$40-US$60 v. Above US$60 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For Secretariat Use Only Accommodation Venue------------------------------------ Period of Stay : From -------- To ------------------- Payment : By Participant Sponsored by: ---------------------------------- Date : ------------------ Authorised By : ------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASIA-PACIFIC PEOPLES' ASSEMBLY 57 Lorong Kurau, Lucky Gardens, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel : 603-2836245 Fax : 603-2833536 E-mail : appasec@tm.net.my URL : www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/8340 From appasec at tm.net.my Fri Sep 25 16:32:09 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 15:32:09 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 710] Situation in Malaysia (Sept 24) Message-ID: <000001bde856$dbacac40$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> UPDATE 2: 24th September 1998 SITUATION IN MALAYSIA (includes updates and corrections) SUARAM is urging all NGOs and individuals to take immediate action on the current situation in Malaysia. We suggest that you email or fax copies of your protest letters to SUARAM, as well as letters of support for families of the ISA detainees, especially for the wife and children of former Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim because of the intense intimidation, harassment and harsh conditions imposed on her. We will be able to pass her your letters. a) Arrests i) There have been an additional 3 people detained under the Internal Security Act S 73(1)(A), making the total number of ISA detainees 15 to date. The latest detainees are as follows: 1.Ahmad Shabrini Md. Sidek, Sec-Gen of the National Muslim Students Association 2.Asma?on Ismail, State Assemblymen for Panti 3.Dr. Zamri Abdul Kadir, UMNO Youth Head of Lumut ii) Also, the correct name for *Abdul Manan, President of National Muslim Students Association* should be: Amidi Abdul Manan, President of National Muslim Students Association iii) The 126 people arrested during the protest outside the court has been released on police bail. b) Police Violence Police arrested two men (names unknown) at the courts, while over 200 people waited for the arrival of Anwar Ibrahim. He didn?t show up in the end. When his wife left the court house to continue giving her statement to the police, one young man was arrested while the crowd shouted "reformasi". The other was arrested around the time the courts were close; he allegedly insulted OCPD Zainal. c) The Situation at Anwar?s Home i) Dr. Wan Azizah, wife of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was summoned to give a police witness statement for the police to investigate her claims regarding the well-being of Anwar for a CNBC news programme. She is being investigated under the Sedition Act S 4(1). ii) She was also served on 23rd Sept, 1720 hours, an order under the Internal Security Act, in which she has been forbidden to have gatherings at her home, to speak at public rallies or be involved in ?political? activities. Visitors have been barred from entering her home with the exception of close relatives, lawyers and press with signed invitations from Dr. Wan Azizah. There are police roadblocks set up in the two roads leading to the house and armed police guard both gates of the house. d) Others i) Eight lawyers involved in the Anwar Ibrahim case have been summoned as well to give witness statements to the police. This means that these 8 lawyers may not be able to serve as Anwar's legal counsels if the police decides that these lawyers has to testify for the police. ii) CNN news report at 1 am Malaysian time on Anwar was censored on television. (note: Because there has been a lot of rumours circulating inside and outside Malaysia, SUARAM has been tasked to verify all information that it receives and disseminate whatever that can be confirmed. Thus it takes time to do the update. We hope you will be patient and please give any suggestions that you think may improve our work.) WHAT YOU CAN DO SUARAM urges you to continue to protest and take immediate action by writing letters or faxing to the appropriate authorities. We suggest that you include the following demands: ? To immediately and unconditionally release all ISA detainees or charge them in court, ? To condemn the use of the ISA on legitimate expressions of dissent; ? To condemn and urge for the immediate halt in excessive use of police force which had resulted only in violence; ? To release all those arrested in the streets immediately or charge them immediately; ? To ensure that there will be no further political crackdown on supporters of the Reformation movement, opposition parties and NGO activists; Please continue to send your appeals to the following people: Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohammad Prime Minister?s Department Jalan Dato Onn 50502 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Fax: 60-3-2984172, 2383784 Datuk Mokhtar Abdullah Attorney General?s Chambers Jabatan Peguam Negara Malaysia, Tingkat 20, Bangunan Bank Negara Malaysia Jalan Tangsi, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Fax: 60-3-2984172 Tan Sri Rahim Noor, Inspector-General of Police Ibu Pejabat Polis Persekutuan, Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Fax: 603-2910707 Please also send your protest to your diplomatic representative of Malaysia accredited to your country. Please send copies to SUARAM office for our documentation. On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, please urge our Malaysian government to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. --------------------------------------------------------- SUARA RAKYAT MALAYSIA (SUARAM) struggling for human rights in Malaysia add: 11, Jalan 1A/71E, Jalan Carey, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia tel: 60-3-7943525 fax: 7943526 email: suaram@geocities.com, wkpeng@pc.jaring.my website:http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/1577 From appasec at tm.net.my Fri Sep 25 17:49:04 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 16:49:04 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 711] APPA annoucement: Forum on Forestry and Trade on the Pacific Rim Message-ID: <000101bde861$852f8e40$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT from Pacific Environment and Resources Center and American Lands Alliance FORESTS AND TRADE ON THE PACIFIC RIM: HOW TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES? November 11 - 12 at the Asia Pacific People's Assembly in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Last November, APEC approved forest products for a fast track free trade plan which will increase logging and consumption around the Pacific Rim. At the upcoming November 18, 1998 Summit in Kuala Lumper, where citizens are not welcome, APEC hopes to finalize this plan. In order to address what APEC and globalization means for forests before it's too late, forest activists and community leaders are holding their own meeting to discuss such important questions as: * What does globalization mean for forests and communities? * How will communities protect their forests from the increased logging and destruction that will result from free trade plans such as APEC's? * What can we do to stop multinational corporations from moving into our last pristine forests and taking away the resources we depend on? * How can we build a network to keep each other informed and to develop strategies for confronting the impacts of free trade on Pacific Rim forests and communities? By joining together at this workshop, we find ways to protect our forests from the threats of free trade. * * Regional forest updates * * Small group strategy sessions * * Network-building activities * * Opportunities to meet forest activists from around the Pacific Rim * * We will distribute registration packets soon. For more information about the event, low cost airfares, and accommodations in Kuala Lumpur, contact: Paige Fischer, Pacific Environment and Resources Center, * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A. Paige Fischer Campaign on APEC and Pacific Rim Forests Pacific Environment and Resources Center (PERC) 1055 Fort Cronkhite Sausalito, California 94965 U.S.A. Phone: 415-332-8200 Fax: 415-332-8167 E-mail: From appasec at tm.net.my Fri Sep 25 17:52:05 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 16:52:05 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 712] APPA annoucement: Forum on Forests and Trade on the Pacific Rim Message-ID: <000d01bde861$c7f90760$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT from Pacific Environment and Resources Center and American Lands Alliance FORESTS AND TRADE ON THE PACIFIC RIM: HOW TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES? November 11 - 12 at the Asia Pacific People's Assembly in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Last November, APEC approved forest products for a fast track free trade plan which will increase logging and consumption around the Pacific Rim. At the upcoming November 18, 1998 Summit in Kuala Lumper, where citizens are not welcome, APEC hopes to finalize this plan. In order to address what APEC and globalization means for forests before it's too late, forest activists and community leaders are holding their own meeting to discuss such important questions as: * What does globalization mean for forests and communities? * How will communities protect their forests from the increased logging and destruction that will result from free trade plans such as APEC's? * What can we do to stop multinational corporations from moving into our last pristine forests and taking away the resources we depend on? * How can we build a network to keep each other informed and to develop strategies for confronting the impacts of free trade on Pacific Rim forests and communities? By joining together at this workshop, we find ways to protect our forests from the threats of free trade. * * Regional forest updates * * Small group strategy sessions * * Network-building activities * * Opportunities to meet forest activists from around the Pacific Rim * * We will distribute registration packets soon. For more information about the event, low cost airfares, and accommodations in Kuala Lumpur, contact: Paige Fischer, Pacific Environment and Resources Center, * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A. Paige Fischer Campaign on APEC and Pacific Rim Forests Pacific Environment and Resources Center (PERC) 1055 Fort Cronkhite Sausalito, California 94965 U.S.A. Phone: 415-332-8200 Fax: 415-332-8167 E-mail: From csamdup at ichrdd.ca Sat Sep 26 04:50:09 1998 From: csamdup at ichrdd.ca (Carole Samdup) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 15:50:09 -0400 Subject: [asia-apec 713] Prime Minister Chretien Misrepresents Facts Message-ID: <360BF3F1.59AF9004@ichrdd.ca> Press Release from organizers of the 1997 Peoples' Summit on APEC: PRIME MINISTER CHRETIEN MISREPRESENTS FACTS: PEOPLE'S SUMMIT ORGANIZERS SAY THEY RECEIVED NO FEDERAL FUNDS FOR ``TRAVEL OF PROTESTORS'' OTTAWA, Sept. 25 /CNW/ - Federal funds received by organizers of the Vancouver Peoples' Summit were limited to in-Canada expenses related to organizational and logistical costs and were not to be used for delegate travel from abroad. ``The Prime Minister's statement in the House of Commons on September 23rd, 1998 was a clear misrepresentation of the facts'' said Bob White, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, adding that organizers pleaded with the government officials in several meetings to allow at least part of the funding to be used to bring non-governmental organizations from other countries. Organizers added the funding was not only conditional, it was offered reluctantly following a tense, confrontational meeting in Ottawa, April 24, 1997 between senior government officials and Peoples' Summit organizers. During the meeting organizers pointed out that support for southern country representation at international NGO events had been recognized as a legitimate, important activity in a recent CIDA policy paper. ``The government's decision sent the wrong signal and was inconsistent with its own policy guidelines'', said Betty Plewes, President and CEO of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation. ``The $100,000 finally received by the Peoples' Summit was a mere drop in the bucket compared with what government spent on official events and security for the 18 leaders,'' said University of Victoria professor, John Price, one of the local organizers.'' It was a token gesture.'' Responding to demands for transparency regarding government APEC expenditures in Canada during 1997, officials said they couldn't provide the total amount of taxpayers' dollars spent hosting APEC because the budget was ``rolling". Subsequent attempts to get the amount through an Access to Information request were denied because ``Cabinet confidences are excluded from the ambit of the Act.'' ``None of our recommendations to the government of Canada were implemented'', said Maude Barlow, of the Council of Canadians. ``It remained unresponsive to our critique of APEC and the free trade agenda was pursued without any heed to our concerns.'' In June, 1997, Peoples' Summit representatives submitted a list of recommendations to the Government of Canada, including: - that it conduct a full trade policy review - that it set up a review process to ensure that APEC activities do not conflict with other international commitments, notably those contained in the International Bill of Rights - that it endorse the principle of non-governmental parallel events to APEC - that it guarantee people's right to freedom of expression and assembly (including demonstrations) would be respected during the APEC Leaders' Meeting, and that there would be no massive security operations that might compromise this right. Many Canadian NGOs now feel Prime Minister Chretien's statement in the house is part of a broader strategy to hide behind the Peoples' Summit to avoid responsibility for the government's failure to protect the rights of Canadians and non-governmental guests in Canada last November. ``We are told that increasing trade with undemocratic countries will lead to improvements in human rights'' said Shauna Sylvester, organizer of the media forum at the Peoples' Summit. ``Instead we have seen Canadians lose their rights in order to protect the likes of President Suharto.'' ``The minimal funding received from the Canadian government for the Peoples' Summit can in no way condone the abominable behavior of RCMP at the University of British Columbia campus'', added Joan Grant Cummings, President of the national Action Committee on the Status of Women. ``Human rights abuse and APEC seem to go together.'' ``Now we turn our eyes towards Malaysia'', said Warren Allmand, President of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development. ``Already the Malaysian NGO coalition is facing difficulties and several local activists have been arrested this week and remain in detention without charge''. Organizers of the Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly have applied to CIDA for funding but so far the government hasn't responded to their request. According to a CIDA spokesperson the final decision will be made at the ``highest levels''. Indicating full support for the University of British Columbia students called to testify at the RCMP Inquiry, the Canadian Advisory Board to the Peoples' Summit announced today it will contribute $5,000 towards their legal fees, since the government still refuses support. Signed by The British Columbia Council for International Cooperation The Canadian Council for International Cooperation The Canadian Labour Congress The Council of Canadians The International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development IMPACS-the Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society ETAN-The East Timor Alert Network/Canada -30- For further information: Carole Samdup, International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development (514) 283-6073; Tom O'Brien, Canadian Labour Congress, (613) 526-7425 From appasec at tm.net.my Fri Sep 25 18:57:36 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 17:57:36 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 714] GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES--ISA & Police Brutality Message-ID: <000001bde86d$21408e00$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> Press Statement - 21 September 1998 GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES ISA & POLICE BRUTALITY SUARAM condemns the detention of various people under the Internal Security Act (ISA), and also the baseless police brutality at peaceful gatherings in Kuala Lumpur. Since Anwar?s arrest, it is believed that at least six other people has been detained under the ISA. The detainees include leaders of Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) and the UMNO Youth Movement. It is also believed that approximately forty people have been arrested by the police. The ISA, in itself, is a threat to human rights, the rule of law and democracy in Malaysia. Not only are detainees deprived of their right to a fair trial, the ISA also gives one man (the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad) the power to decide the fate of dissenters in the country. As a result, citizens with genuine concerns dare not voice their opinions, and outspoken critics of the government are locked-up without due process of law. The tense situation in the capital is further inflamed by the violent actions of the police. People who gathered at the Magistrate Court this morning, expecting the arrival of Anwar, were brutally dispersed by the police. Innocent people were attacked with water cannons, and tear-gas were fired at them. Some of the people were dragged by the police and beaten up. Witnesses also claim that some people were shot by the police. As the Home Minister, Datuk Sri. Dr. Mahathir should heed the people?s call for justice and stop ordering further detentions under the ISA. If laws have been broken, the perpetrators should be charged and tried in a court of law; not detained arbitrarily and silenced. Further, the Prime Minister should ensure that police brutality is curbed immediately. The government and the police should respect the people?s hope for reforms; and not attack them without just cause. SUARAM demands that all ISA detainees be released immediately without conditions. If there is evidence that these people have broken the law, then they should be given a open and fair trial. SUARAM also hopes that the police will perform their duties diligently by serving and protecting the people, instead of attacking them. Released by: Jonson Chong Coordinator On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, please urge our Malaysian government to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. --------------------------------------------------------- SUARA RAKYAT MALAYSIA (SUARAM) struggling for human rights in Malaysia add: 11, Jalan 1A/71E, Jalan Carey, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia tel: 60-3-7943525 fax: 7943526 email: suaram@geocities.com, wkpeng@pc.jaring.my website:http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/1577 From appasec at tm.net.my Fri Sep 25 19:09:35 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 18:09:35 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 715] SACKING OF ANWAR: ANY PROSPECT FOR REFORM? Message-ID: <000101bde86d$25267ac0$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> SACKING OF ANWAR: ANY PROSPECT FOR REFORM? By Dr Syed Husin Ali Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, was removed from his senior government posts on 2 September 1998. A day later he was sacked as Deputy President and member of UMNO, the leading party in the government coalition. Now Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad not only holds the position of Home Minister, but has also assumed the function as First Finance Minister. He is also virtually the Foreign Minister and Minister of Trade. Mahathir has concentrated power on himself both in the government and his party; and he has also strong hold on the cabinet, the court and the media. His dictatorial powers are becoming stronger now than ever. Sixteen years ago, six years after his release from a 22 month detention without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and enjoying great popularity as president of the Islamic Youth Association (ABIM), Anwar was successfully enticed by Mahathir, then already Prime Minister and UMNO president, to join that party. Since then Anwar climbed very fast until he reached quite near the peak in the political hierarchy. Mahathir opened many avenues and opportunities to help Anwar go up. In most people's mind there was no doubt that Anwar was going to be Mahathir's successor. Nevertheless, soon it was clear that there was difference in approach and style between the two leaders, and both admitted this fact. But they were mutually supportive of each other and it appeared impossible to separate them. But by 1997, differences had developed into conflicts between them. A few days before the UMNO Assembly in the middle of that year, Mahathir confirmed the existence of a poison pen letter, arising from a report made to the Premier, alleging Anwar of being involved in a sexual affair with someone's wife and homosexual activities with a driver. Mahathir's confirmation brought the matter to public knowledge, and many believed this to be Mahathir's way of weakening Anwar, who was believed to be preparing to vie for the president's position in UMNO. Anyhow, not long afterwards Mahathir and the police dismissed the poison pen letter as false and a lot of rubbish. Differences Become Clearer As time went on, stories about the differences and conflicts between Anwar and Mahathir became more widespread. When Malaysia began to face its economic crisis, in the form of depreciation of the ringgit and fall in the value of shares beginning July 1997, differences between them became clearer. Right from the beginning Mahathir blamed foreign financial speculators for the crisis and named George Soros as the main culprit. Mahathir rejected the pressure to follow Thailand and Indonesia by accepting help from the IMF and the World Bank. He branded, and quite correctly too, that both institutions were instruments of what he identified as neo-colonialism or new capitalism. He advocated control over international financial speculation. Mahathir's position was viewed by some section of the Western ruling elite as being against liberalisation and free market, and a section of the western media began to attack him or gave him poor coverage. But the truth is that it was Mahathir himself who was responsible for opening the country to globalisation and the attendant liberalisation and free market policies. He supported them when they helped corporate figures close to him to amass wealth. In fact, Malaysia, through its Central Bank, was involved in speculation over the sterling in 1992-3, as a result of which it was believed the bank incurred a loss of around US$6 billion then. Perhaps it was infuriating for Mahathir that at the same time Soros made enormous profits. Although Anwar did not openly oppose Mahathir's stand, yet in many speeches and interviews outside and inside the country, he quite frequently referred to weaknesses in the leadership and administration. He often alluded to terms like corruption, cronyism and nepotism, which were looked down by Mahathir as originating from the neo-colonial press and regarded by him as direct attack on him. As Finance Minister, Anwar appeared to be more open to IMF and World Bank prescriptions for overcoming the crisis. Nevertheless, he was never on record as stating that Malaysia should accept IMF bailout. Anwar's relationship with the highest officials of the IMF and World Bank appeared to be more than cordial. This became clearer especially after Anwar became chairman of the Development Committee of IMF. Anwar was also becoming a darling of the western media, frequently receiving from them wide and sympathetic coverage. Some members of the US ruling elite were also seen to favour Anwar more than Mahathir. For example, during a visit to the Pentagon, Anwar was given red carpet treatment complete with gun salute. His close relationship with some high US officials at the time when Mahathir was attacking the neo-colonialism did not go down well with the latter and in fact aroused his suspicion against Anwar. Fifty Proofs Things came to a head during the UMNO general assembly in June this year. Just before the assembly started a book entitled "Fifty Proofs Why Anwar Cannot Be Prime Minister" was published. Copies of the book found their way into some conference bags that were distributed among delegates to the assembly. How could this happen, if not with the blessing of the top leaders, ask Anwar's "boys". The Secretary General of UMNO dismissed the complaint by saying that only one bag contained that book. The main chapters of the book consisted of a list of fifty allegations against Anwar, which involved sex scandals, as agent of foreign government, receiving money from foreign intelligence agency and so forth, and the poison letter that was exposed by Mahathir a year ago. The book used foul and vulgar language. It appeared to be put together in a great hurry. On the other hand, accusations on corruption, cronyism and nepotism were hurled at the UMNO top leadership by the head of the UMNO youth wing, Zahid Hamidi. Mahathir and those around him took it as an attack on him in order to oust him. He was convinced that Anwar was behind this attack. During the assembly Mahathir disclosed several lists of people who were awarded special shares, privatised projects and transport permits. The lists showed that many prominent corporate figures close to Mahathir and also his children benefited from these. But it also showed that Zahid and some of Anwar's family members and close associates also enjoyed similar privileges. This blunted their attack on Mahathir. The "50 Proofs", more than these lists damaged Anwar's reputation as a religious person. It strengthened Mahathir's position. After making a long and convincing speech at the end of the assembly, it was clear that Mahathir had won the day. Nevertheless, during the assembly and later, both Mahathir and Anwar continued to state that they would be mutually supporting each other. On a few occasions, Anwar pledged his undivided loyalty to Mahathir, but the latter seemed to be cynical. Anwar's position continued to be weakened and there was widespread speculation that his days were numbered. Anwar's Power Curbed Not long after the assembly, Mahathir announced the formation of a National Economic Action Council to be chaired by him with Daim Zainuddin, the former Finance Minister whom Anwar succeeded, as the chief executive. This move was viewed by many as an attempt to clip Anwar's wings. NEAC (or more appropriately Daim) was to take over the main functions of planning and executing measures to overcome the economic crisis. The majority of NEAC membership comprised ministers, corporate representatives and administrators. Then Daim was brought back to the cabinet, to enhance his powers. Soon he announced a National Economic Recovery Plan (NERP). Although Anwar continued to be Finance Minister, he was without any voice or power to deal with the key financial and economic matters. The economic crisis affected a number of big corporate figures who were burdened with huge foreign loans that had increased following the fall of the ringgit against US dollars by about 50 percent. Furthermore, listed companies suffered heavy losses as a result of the fall of the share market by more than 70 percent, valued at around RM700 billion (or about US$185 billion at current rate). Among these companies were those owned indirectly through cronies of the UMNO leadership. They were set on using public money from the Employee's Provident Fund and the Pilgrimage Board Fund, as well as the country's reserves in order to bail out some of the crony companies. There was opposition to this and so voices of dissent had to be shut. Mahathir immediately acted against the media so that they could be controlled effectively. The senior editors of two influential Malay newspapers - Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian - and a senior programme officer of TV3 (a private television channel) were forced to resign. They were considered to be strong supporters of Anwar. Those who could be dominated by Mahathir succeeded them. A few weeks later, the Central Bank governor together with his deputy also sent in their resignation. They were regarded as being opposed to Mahathir's assertion that interest rates should be lowered and that there must be control over foreign exchange. Meanwhile, Anwar's occasional tennis partner by the name of Datuk Karuppan, who was earlier investigated in connection with the publication of "50 Proofs" was detained under the ISA and to be charged for illegal possession of 125 live bullets which carried death sentence. Mahathir Acts On 1 September 1998, Mahathir announced what he promised to be "shocking measures", which included fixing the ringgit at RM3.8 against the greenback, allowing a maximum of RM10,000 to be taken in and out of the country, and forcing back the ringgit stocked overseas by declaring that they would regarded as worthless after the lapse of a month. In a more shocking move, on the following day at 5.30 p.m., the Prime Minister's Department issued a statement announcing that Anwar had been stripped of all his government positions. On the same night the television and the next day all newspapers gave full publicity to four affidavits which were in response to Karuppan's affidavit requesting to be transferred from the ISA holding centre to an ordinary lockup. In the affidavits almost all allegations contained in the "50 Proofs" were repeated. On the night of 3 September Anwar was stripped of his position in and sacked from UMNO. Apparently, the removal of Anwar from his government and party positions was precipitated because he refused to admit guilt and step down. He considers all these these allegations to be fabricated and false. It is possible that there are several reasons why these shocking events took place. But I believe that the main one was that Mahathir and his associates feared Anwar would challenge and possibly defeat him in the forthcoming general assembly due in April 1998. Furthermore, a handful of billionaires and millionaires who had become very wealthy with the help of Mahathir wanted him to continue in power in order to protect their interests and help to rescue their ailing companies. At the same time they also wanted to be sure that in case anything happened to Mahathir, who was already 73 and had undergone heart surgery over then years earlier, he would be succeeded by someone reliable. Anwar was not seen as the right candidate, because not only he has declared to take stern action against corruption but also he was surrounded by a new set of ambitious young businessmen, who seemed to be in great hurry to replace the established ones surrounding Mahathir. Anwar's Moves After being sacked, Anwar expected to be arrested under the ISA or some other obnoxious acts. But at the time this article is written, over a week has passed without anything of this kind happening. Perhaps Anwar is temporarily saved by the presence of hundreds of media representatives who have come for the Commonwealth Games. Instead new allegations have been slapped on him under the Sedition Act and he is now also accused of interfering with police investigation. Right from day one large number of supporters and well wishers have been coming in droves every day in support of Anwar. Every night he addresses thousands of people who gather around his home. His speeches are recorded and the audio as well as videotapes are sold widely all over the country. His confidential letters to the Prime Minister have been distributed publicly too. Anwar has announced that he intends to form a reform movement. But the meaning of the reform and the nature of the movement have not been spelt out. His main target is also still vague. He seems to be carried away by the Indonesian development. Up to date only four organizations closely associated with him, the main one being ABIM, have announced their involvement in the movement. Nevertheless, public sympathy for him is widespread and seems to be increasing, especially among the youths, the lower classes, professionals and government servants. Anwar's main problem seems to arise from UMNO's political culture. A leader who loses power will easily lose his political support. UMNO leaders often hold well-paid positions in government and enjoy many perks and great wealth. Therefore, they often quickly turn to and pledge loyalty to the leader who still holds power. But these pledges may just be superficial. In case Mahathir falls, they can easily make new pledges of loyalty, even to Anwar should he come back to power. Another problem is that Anwar does not seem to have a compact organisation and he also lacks tested cadres. It is hard to predict, therefore, how long the support given to him will persist should he be detained or jailed. The Future Anwar has stated categorically that he would neither form a new political party nor join any of the existing ones. He still seems to be toying with the idea of being reinstated in the party and government in order to continue with his reform movement within UMNO. In fact, there are a number of UMNO divisions within his home state of Penang which, while upholding Mahathir's leadership, are appealing for Anwar to be reinstated to all his former positions. This is impossible to happen as long as Mahathir remains in power. As the Malay saying goes, he will not lick his own sputum. Further, according to the UMNO constitution, a sacked person can only reapply to be member after three years. No doubt there have been cases where a number of members who were sacked following allegations of involvement in money politics were taken back after about a year; the UMNO supreme council apparently has the power to decide so. But in the case of Anwar, this cannot happen as easily, because the allegations against him are too many and too heavy, and made by none other than Mahathir himself. Now Mahathir seems to have ignored the other allegations and now concentrates on those relating to sex and moral issues. Mahathir will try to convince the country that Anwar is not fit to hold important leadership positions because his real character is not consistent with the religious fa?ade that he presents. Mahathir already has most of the UMNO leaders in his pocket. But if he fails to move the public to his side or should he suddenly die, then only then will Anwar would have a chance to go back to UMNO, but not necessarily with the guarantee that he could return to his old positions. There seems to be not much choice between Mahathir and Anwar. Progressives can be easily attracted to Mahathir's pronouncement against neo-colonialism and the fear of foreign capital dominating the country. How genuine is he and how long can or will he maintain this position? At the same time he cannot be trusted because he has slowly turned into a one-man dictator, violating fundamental practices of democracy and basic human rights. On the other hand Anwar may attract a lot of people because of his populist approach and concern for civil society and human rights. But then, there may be strong reservations among certain quarters because of his strong leanings towards the West, foreign capital and IMF. Certainly a third alternative has become necessary. Petaling Jaya 10/9/1998 From appasec at tm.net.my Fri Sep 25 19:11:20 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 18:11:20 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 716] MAHATHIR MUST RESIGN Message-ID: <000201bde86d$315d0160$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> MAHATHIR MUST RESIGN Statement by Dr Syed Husin Ali, PRM President Now that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been arrested, PRM demands that he must be accorded full justice and fair play, although there is widespread cynicism if he can ever get this under the present dictatorial system prevailing. Earlier, PRM decided to support Anwar Ibrahim's call that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad must step down. The decision was reached this afternoon, 20 September 1998, after a three hour meeting of its Central Committee. On 10 October 1997, we called on Dr Mahathir to plan his retirement as early as possible and name his successor in order to ensure political stability in this country. But the call fell on deaf ears. Events are unraveling so fast now, rendering the future of this country uncertain. Dr Mahathir is becoming a virtual dictator who is in the process of killing democracy and destroying human rights in this country. Dr Mahathir and the ruling clique that he leads are shamelessly continuing to rape and sodomise the media, the court and the police. Dr Mahathir and his cronies continue to plunder the wealth and resources of this country to build megamonuments and to bail out their ailing or technically bankrupt companies. Dr Mahathir is responsible for tarnishing the good image of the country built over the years, by allowing all kinds of crazy things to be done during the past few weeks. PRM remembers the saying that all those whom God wants to destroy, he drives them crazy first. We fear that at the throes of his political death, Dr Mahathir would resort to the use of the ISA (Internal Security Act) to carry out mass arrests or even to declare yet another emergency. PRM will hold him responsible for all his dictatorial actions. Dr Syed Husin Ali President PRM 20 September 1998 From appasec at tm.net.my Fri Sep 25 19:12:58 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 18:12:58 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 717] SITUATION IN MALAYSIA (Sept 22) Message-ID: <000301bde86d$397b40a0$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> 22 Sept 1998 SITUATION IN MALAYSIA (includes update) SUARAM is urging all NGOs and individuals to take immediate action on the current situation in Malaysia. a) Arrests As of 10:00 am, 22nd September 1998, there are 12 individuals confirmed detained under the Internal Security Act S 73(1)(A). According to Bukit Aman police headquarters public relations chief, the 12 were arrested because their actions were "prejudicial to the security of the nation". The 12 are as follows: 1. Anwar Ibrahim, ex-Deputy Prime Minister 2. Ruslan Kassim, Chief of Negeri Sembilan UMNO Youth 3. Kamaruddin Mat Noor, Semarak state assenblyman 4. Zahid Hamidi, UMNO Youth Chief, MP for Bagan Datoh 5. Ahmad Azam Abdul Rahman, President of ABIM 6. Mukhtar Redhuan, Deputy President ABIM 7. Shaharuddin Badaruddin, Secretary General ABIM 8. Abdul Halim Ismail, Deputy National President ABIM 9. Kamarudin Jaafar, Chairman of Institute for Policy Research 10. Tamunif Mokhtar, Division Head of Cheras UMNO 11. Abdul Manan, President of National Muslim Students Association 12. Prof. Dr. Siddiq Baba, Student Affairs Rector of International Islamic University Furthermore, S. Nallakarupan, a businessman and ex-Director of Public Relations for Magnum Corporation has been under ISA detention since July, 1998. A total of 126 persons detained for questioning allegedly for rioting and illegal assembly. Most of these people were arrested from demonstrations outside the Magistrates Court and Dataran Merdeka (Merdeka Square). As of today at noon, they have not been brought to the courts. b) Police Violence Presently Kuala Lumpur is quiet yet tense after police violence yesterday. c) The Situation at Anwar?s Home AFP reports that the police has set up a roadblock outside the home of Anwar Ibrahim. However, it was also reported that that a senior police officer stated that people are still free to go to Anwar?s home. Anwar?s wife, Dr. Wan Azizah was warned not to speak at public rallies and she announced that there would be no more public meetings. d) Others Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, in a press conference this afternoon, said that Anwar will appear in court despite his arrest under the Internal Security Act. He stated that "it is not their intention to arrest him under the ISA. However, because of this incitement to violence, they want to get more evidence against him." "But I believe it is their intention to charge him according to the normal process." WHAT YOU CAN DO SUARAM urges you to protest and take immediate action by writing letters or faxing to the appropriate authorities. We suggest that you include the following demands: n To immediately and unconditionally release all ISA detainees or charge them in court, n To condemn the use of the ISA on legitimate expressions of dissent; n To condemn and urge for the immediate halt in excessive use of police force which had resulted only in violence; n To release all those arrested in the streets immediately or charge them immediately; n To ensure that there will be no further political crackdown on supporters of the Reformation movement, opposition parties and NGO activists; Please send your appeals to the following people: Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohammad Prime Minister?s Department Jalan Dato Onn 50502 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Fax: 60-3-2984172, 2383784 Datuk Mokhtar Abdullah Attorney General?s Chambers Jabatan Peguam Negara Malaysia, Tingkat 20, Bangunan Bank Negara Malaysia Jalan Tangsi, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Fax: 60-3-2984172 Tan Sri Rahim Noor, Inspector-General of Police Ibu Pejabat Polis Persekutuan, Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Fax: 603-2910707 Please also send your protest to your diplomatic representative of Malaysia accredited to your country. Please send copies to SUARAM office for our documentation. On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, please urge our Malaysian government to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. --------------------------------------------------------- SUARA RAKYAT MALAYSIA (SUARAM) struggling for human rights in Malaysia add: 11, Jalan 1A/71E, Jalan Carey, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia tel: 60-3-7943525 fax: 7943526 email: suaram@geocities.com, wkpeng@pc.jaring.my website:http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/1577 From appasec at tm.net.my Fri Sep 25 19:15:26 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 18:15:26 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 718] PRM CONDEMNS DETENTIONS UNDER ISA Message-ID: <001301bde86d$6bccb8e0$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> 22 September 1998 PRM CONDEMNS DETENTIONS UNDER ISA It is most shameful! The government has once again resorted to the ISA to detain its opponents without trial. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and eleven others have been detained allegedly for being involved in organising illegal assembly and threatening public order. There are numerous laws and acts to deal with such types of offenses. Why not use them? Why the need for ISA? The police is practically promising more arrests. Even Anwar's wife, Dr Wan Azizah has not been spared the intimidation that she would be arrested if she carried on with making public speeches. There are indications now that the ISA net will be widened. PRM condemns the detention of Anwar and the others under the ISA. We also view very seriously the use of ISA to intimidate and buttress the culture of fear among the people. We call upon Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to act with restrain and good sense for the sake of the political and economic future of this country. We would like to know, what has happened to all the allegations, accusations and innuendoes piled against Anwar relating to sex, homosex, treason, passing of secret information, sedition, interfering with police investigation and umpteen others? Do not tell us that investigations are still under way. How long more and how many more ISA arrests will be needed before formal charges can be made against him? Allegations against Anwar's sexual misdemeanours were made public by none other than the Prime Minister himself more than a year ago. He and the police are on record as having said that there was no basis for the allegations and that they were untter rubbish. The book "50 Dalil Mengapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi Perdana Menteri" has been published and distributed, almost with official approval, more than tree months ago. Yet no thorough investigation or severe action seems to have been taken on the publisher and the writers. Ironically, it is Anwar who has been punished and publicly humiliated. Now he and those who are supposed to be his close associates have been detained under the ISA. What kind of justice is this? What type of dictatorship does Dr Mahathir wants to take this country to? Dr Syed Husin Ali President, PRM 22 September 1998 PARTI RAKYAT MALAYSIA (PRM) Tel: 03-7769149 03-7918704 Telefaks: 03-7744531 From bobolsen at aracnet.net Sun Sep 27 04:27:01 1998 From: bobolsen at aracnet.net (Bob Olsen) Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1998 15:27:01 -0400 Subject: [asia-apec 719] Chossudovsky 28 Sept - FINANCIAL WARFARE Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.19980926152701.00844de0@aracnet.net> FINANCIAL WARFARE Humanity is undergoing in the post-Cold War era an economic crisis of unprecedented scale leading to the rapid impoverishment of large sectors of the World population. The plunge of national currencies in virtually all major regions of the World has contributed to destabilising national economies while precipitating entire countries into abysmal poverty. ..... this Worldwide crisis marks the demise of central banking meaning the derogation of national economic sovereignty and the inability of the national State to control money creation on behalf of society. This ongoing pillage of central bank reserves, however, is by no means limited to developing countries. Ottawa economist, Michel Chossudovsky speaks Ottawa economist, Michel Chossudovsky speaks Monday Sept 28, 7:30pm Monday Sept 28, 7:30pm St. Lawrence Centre, 27 Front St. E, Toronto St. Lawrence Centre, 27 Front St. E, Toronto The following recent article by Professor Chossudovsky was forwarded to me by David Wilson. Forgive me if you have already seen it. Please pass it on, even if you are a few thousand miles from Toronto. Thanks............................................!!!!!! Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 07:29:25 -0400 Subject: Chossudovsky: Financial crisis From: James_Wilson@ridley.on.ca (James Wilson) ********************************************** FINANCIAL WARFARE by Michel Chossudovsky Professor of Economics, University of Ottawa, author of "The Globalisation of Poverty, Impacts of IMF and World Bank Reforms", Third World Network, Penang and Zed Books, London, 1997. Copyright by Michel Chossudovsky Ottawa 1998. All rights reserved. To publish or reproduce this text, contact the author at chossudovsky@sprint.ca or fax 1-514-4256224 * * * "Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men". (Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address, 1933) Humanity is undergoing in the post-Cold War era an economic crisis of unprecedented scale leading to the rapid impoverishment of large sectors of the World population. The plunge of national currencies in virtually all major regions of the World has contributed to destabilising national economies while precipitating entire countries into abysmal poverty. The crisis is not limited to Southeast Asia or the former Soviet Union. The collapse in the standard of living is taking place abruptly and simultaneously in a large number of countries. This Worldwide crisis of the late twentieth century is more devastating than the Great Depression of the 1930s. It has far-reaching geo-political implications; economic dislocation has also been accompanied by the outbreak of regional conflicts, the fracturing of national societies and in some cases the destruction of entire countries. This is by far the most serious economic crisis in modern history. The existence of a "global financial crisis" is casually denied by the Western media, its social impacts are downplayed or distorted; international institutions including the United Nations deny the mounting tide of World poverty: "the progress in reducing poverty over the [late] 20th century is remarkable and unprecedented..."1. The "consensus" is that the Western economy is "healthy" and that "market corrections" on Wall Street are largely attributable to the "Asian flu" and to Russia's troubled "transition to a free market economy". Evolution of the Global Financial Crisis The plunge of Asia's currency markets (initiated in mid-1997) was followed in October 1997 by the dramatic meltdown of major bourses around the World. In the uncertain wake of Wall Street's temporary recovery in early 1998 --largely spurred by panic flight out of Japanese stocks-- financial markets backslided a few months later to reach a new dramatic turning-point in August with the spectacular nose-dive of the Russian ruble. The Dow Jones plunged by 554 points on August 31st (its second largest decline in the history of the New York stock exchange) leading in the course of September to the dramatic meltdown of stock markets around the World. In a matter of a few weeks (from the Dow's 9337 peak in mid-July), 2300 billion dollars of "paper profits" had evaporated from the U.S. stock market.2 The ruble's free-fall had spurred Moscow's largest commercial banks into bankruptcy leading to the potential take-over of Russia's financial system by a handful of Western banks and brokerage houses. In turn, the crisis has created the danger of massive debt default to Moscow's Western creditors including the Deutsche and Dresdner banks. Since the outset of Russia's macro-economic reforms, following the first injection of IMF "shock therapy" in 1992, some 500 billion dollars worth of Russian assets --including plants of the military industrial complex, infrastructure and natural resources-- have been confiscated (through the privatisation programmes and forced bankruptcies) and transferred into the hands of Western capitalists.3 In the brutal aftermath of the Cold War, an entire economic and social system is being dismantled. "Financial Warfare" The Worldwide scramble to appropriate wealth through "financial manipulation" is the driving force behind this crisis. It is also the source of economic turmoil and social devastation. In the words of renowned currency speculator and billionaire George Soros (who made 1.6 billion dollars of speculative gains in the dramatic crash of the British pound in 1992) "extending the market mechanism to all domains has the potential of destroying society".4 This manipulation of market forces by powerful actors constitutes a form of financial and economic warfare. No need to recolonise lost territory or send in invading armies. In the late twentieth century, the outright "conquest of nations" meaning the control over productive assets, labour, natural resources and institutions can be carried out in an impersonal fashion from the corporate boardroom: commands are dispatched from a computer terminal, or a cell phone. The relevant data are instantly relayed to major financial markets -- often resulting in immediate disruptions in the functioning of national economies. "Financial warfare" also applies complex speculative instruments including the gamut of derivative trade, forward foreign exchange transactions, currency options, hedge funds, index funds, etc. Speculative instruments have been used with the ultimate purpose of capturing financial wealth and acquiring control over productive assets. In the words of Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad: "This deliberate devaluation of the currency of a country by currency traders purely for profit is a serious denial of the rights of independent nations".5 The appropriation of global wealth through this manipulation of market forces is routinely supported by the IMF's lethal macro-economic interventions which act almost concurrently in ruthlessly disrupting national economies all over the World. "Financial warfare" knows no territorial boundaries; it does not limit its actions to besieging former enemies of the Cold War era. In Korea, Indonesia and Thailand, the vaults of the central banks were pillaged by institutional speculators while the monetary authorities sought in vain to prop up their ailing currencies. In 1997, more than 100 billion dollars of Asia's hard currency reserves had been confiscated and transferred (in a matter of months) into private financial hands. In the wake of the currency devaluations, real earnings and employment plummeted virtually overnight leading to mass poverty in countries which had in the post-War period registered significant economic and social progress. The financial scam in the foreign exchange market had destabilised national economies, thereby creating the preconditions for the subsequent plunder of the Asian countries' productive assets by so-called "vulture foreign investors".6 In Thailand, 56 domestic banks and financial institutions were closed down on orders of the IMF, unemployment virtually doubled overnight.7 Similarly in Korea, the IMF "rescue operation" has unleashed a lethal chain of bankruptcies leading to the outright liquidation of so-called "troubled merchant banks". In the wake of the IMF's "mediation" (put in place in December 1997 after high-level consultations with the World's largest commercial and merchant banks), "an average of more than 200 companies [were] shut down per day (...) 4,000 workers every day were driven out onto streets as unemployed".8 Resulting from the credit freeze and "the instantaneous bank shut-down", some 15,000 bankruptcies are expected in 1998 including 90 percent of Korea's construction companies (with combined debts of $20 billion dollars to domestic financial institutions).9 South Korea's Parliament has been transformed into a "rubber stamp". Enabling legislation is enforced through "financial blackmail": if the legislation is not speedily enacted according to IMF's deadlines, the disbursements under the bail-out will be suspended with the danger of renewed currency speculation. In turn, the IMF sponsored "exit programme" (ie. forced bankruptcy) has deliberately contributed to fracturing the chaebols which are now invited to establish "strategic alliances with foreign firms" (meaning their eventual control by Western capital). With the devaluation, the cost of Korean labour had also tumbled: "It's now cheaper to buy one of these [high tech] companies than buy a factory -- and you get all the distribution, brand-name recognition and trained labour force free in the bargain"...10 The Demise of Central Banking In many regards, this Worldwide crisis marks the demise of central banking meaning the derogation of national economic sovereignty and the inability of the national State to control money creation on behalf of society. In other words, privately held money reserves in the hands of "institutional speculators" far exceed the limited capabilities of the World's central banks. The latter acting individually or collectively are no longer able to fight the tide of speculative activity. Monetary policy is in the hands of private creditors who have the ability to freeze State budgets, paralyse the payments process, thwart the regular disbursement of wages to millions of workers (as in the former Soviet Union) and precipitate the collapse of production and social programmes. As the crisis deepens, speculative raids on central banks are extending into China, Latin America and the Middle East with devastating economic and social consequences. This ongoing pillage of central bank reserves, however, is by no means limited to developing countries. It has also hit several Western countries including Canada and Australia where the monetary authorities have been incapable of stemming the slide of their national currencies. In Canada, billions of dollars were borrowed from private financiers to prop up central bank reserves in the wake of speculative assaults. In Japan --where the yen has tumbled to new lows-- "the Korean scenario" is viewed (according to economist Michael Hudson), as a "dress rehearsal" for the take over of Japan's financial sector by a handful of Western investment banks. The big players are Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Morgan Gruenfell among others who are buying up Japan's bad bank loans at less than ten percent of their face value. In recent months both US Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin and Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright have exerted political pressure on Tokyo insisting "on nothing less than an immediate disposal of Japan's bad bank loans--preferably to US and other foreign "vulture investors" at distress prices. To achieve their objectives they are even pressuring Japan to rewrite its constitution, restructure its political system and cabinet and redesign its financial system... Once foreign investors gain control of Japanese banks, these banks will move to take over Japanese industry..."11 Creditors and Speculators The World's largest banks and brokerage houses are both creditors and institutional speculators. In the present context, they contribute (through their speculative assaults) to destabilising national currencies thereby boosting the volume of dollar denominated debts. They then reappear as creditors with a view to collecting these debts. Finally, they are called in as "policy advisors" or consultants in the IMF-World Bank sponsored "bankruptcy programmes" of which they are the ultimate beneficiaries. In Indonesia, for instance, amidst street rioting and in the wake of Suharto's resignation, the privatisation of key sectors of the Indonesian economy ordered by the IMF was entrusted to eight of the World's largest merchant banks including Lehman Brothers, Credit Suisse-First Boston, Goldman Sachs and UBS/SBC Warburg Dillon Read.12 The World's largest money managers set countries on fire and are then called in as firemen (under the IMF "rescue plan") to extinguish the blaze. They ultimately decide which enterprises are to be closed down and which are to be auctioned off to foreign investors at bargain prices. Who Funds the IMF Bailouts? Under repeated speculative assaults, Asian central banks had entered into multi-billion dollar contracts (in the forward foreign exchange market) in a vain attempt to protect their currency. With the total depletion of their hard currency reserves, the monetary authorities were forced to borrow large amounts of money under the IMF bailout agreement. Following a scheme devised during the Mexican crisis of 1994-95, the bailout money, however, is not intended "to rescue the country"; in fact the money never entered Korea, Thailand or Indonesia; it was earmarked to reimburse the "institutional speculators", to ensure that they would be able to collect their multi-billion dollar loot. In turn, the Asian tigers have been tamed by their financial masters . Transformed into lame ducks-- they have been "locked up" into servicing these massive dollar denominated debts well into the third millennium. But "where did the money come from" to finance these multi-billion dollar operations? Only a small portion of the money comes from IMF resources: starting with the Mexican 1995 bail-out, G7 countries including the US Treasury were called upon to make large lump-sum contributions to these IMF sponsored rescue operations leading to significant hikes in the levels of public debt.13 Yet in an ironic twist, the issuing of US public debt to finance the bail-outs is underwritten and guaranteed by the same group of Wall Street merchant banks involved in the speculative assaults. In other words, those who guarantee the issuing of public debt (to finance the bailout) are those who will ultimately appropriate the loot (eg. as creditors of Korea or Thailand) --ie. they are the ultimate recipients of the bailout money (which essentially constitutes a "safety net" for the institutional speculator). The vast amounts of money granted under the rescue packages are intended to enable the Asian countries meet their debt obligations with those same financial institutions which contributed to precipitating the breakdown of their national currencies in the first place. As a result of this vicious circle, a handful of commercial banks and brokerage houses have enriched themselves beyond bounds; they have also increased their stranglehold over governments and politicians around the World. Strong Economic Medicine Since the 1994-95 Mexican crisis, the IMF has played a crucial role in shaping the "financial environment" in which the global banks and money managers wage their speculative raids. The global banks are craving for access to inside information. Successful speculative attacks require the concurrent implementation on their behalf of "strong economic medicine" under the IMF bail-out agreements. The "big six" Wall Street commercial banks (including Chase, Bank America, Citicorp and J. P. Morgan) and the "big five" merchant banks (Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley and Salomon Smith Barney) were consulted on the clauses to be included in the bail-out agreements. In the case of Korea's short-term debt, Wall Street's largest financial institutions were called in on Christmas Eve (24 December 1997), for high level talks at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.14 The global banks have a direct stake in the decline of national currencies. In April 1997 barely two months before the onslaught of the Asian currency crisis, the Institute of International Finance (IIF), a Washington based think-tank representing the interests of some 290 global banks and brokerage houses had "urged authorities in emerging markets to counter upward exchange rate pressures where needed...". 15 This request (communicated in a formal Letter to the IMF) hints in no uncertain terms that the IMF should advocate an environment in which national currencies are allowed to slide.16 Indonesia was ordered by the IMF to unpeg its currency barely three months before the rupiahs dramatic plunge. In the words of American billionaire and presidential candidate Steve Forbes: "Did the IMF help precipitate the crisis? This agency advocates openness and transparency for national economies, yet it rivals the CIA in cloaking its own operations. Did it, for instance, have secret conversations with Thailand, advocating the devaluation that instantly set off the catastrophic chain of events?" (...) Did IMF prescriptions exacerbate the illness? These countries' moneys were knocked down to absurdly low levels".17 Deregulating Capital Movements The international rules regulating the movements of money and capital (across international borders) contribute to shaping the "financial battlefields" on which banks and speculators wage their deadly assaults. In their Worldwide quest to appropriate economic and financial wealth, global banks and multinational corporations have actively pressured for the outright deregulation of international capital flows including the movement of "hot" and "dirty" money.18 Caving in to these demands (after hasty consultations with G7 finance ministers), a formal verdict to deregulate capital movements was taken by the IMF Interim Committee in Washington in April 1998. The official communique stated that the IMF will proceed with the Amendment of its Articles with a view to "making the liberalization of capital movements one of the purposes of the Fund and extending, as needed, the Fund's jurisdiction for this purpose". 19 The IMF managing director, Mr. Michel Camdessus nonetheless conceded in a dispassionate tone that "a number of developing countries may come under speculative attacks after opening their capital account" while reiterating (ad nauseam) that this can be avoided by the adoption of "sound macroeconomic policies and strong financial systems in member countries". (ie. the IMF's standard "economic cure for disaster").20 The IMF's resolve to deregulate capital movements was taken behind closed doors (conveniently removed from the public eye and with very little press coverage) barely two weeks before citizens' groups from around the World gathered in late April 1998 in mass demonstrations in Paris opposing the controversial Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) under OECD auspices. This agreement would have granted entrenched rights to banks and multinational corporations overriding national laws on foreign investment as well derogating the fundamental rights of citizens. The MAI constitutes an act of capitulation by democratic government to banks and multinational corporations. The timing was right on course: while the approval of the MAI had been temporarily stalled, the proposed deregulation of foreign investment through a more expedient avenue had been officially launched: the Amendment of the Articles would for all practical purposes derogate the powers of national governments to regulate foreign investment. It would also nullify the efforts of the Worldwide citizens' campaign against the MAI: the deregulation of foreign investment would be achieved ("with a stroke of a pen") without the need for a cumbersome multilateral agreement under OECD or WTO auspices and without the legal hassle of a global investment treaty entrenched in international law. Creating a Global Financial Watchdog As the aggressive scramble for global wealth unfolds and the financial crisis reaches dangerous heights, international banks and speculators are anxious to play a more direct role in shaping financial structures to their advantage as well as "policing" country level economic reforms. Free market conservatives in the United States (associated with the Republican Party) have blamed the IMF for its reckless behaviour. Disregarding the IMF's intergovernmental status, they are demanding greater US control over the IMF. They have also hinted that the IMF should henceforth perform a more placid role (similar to that of the bond rate agencies such as Moody's or Standard and Poor) while consigning the financing of the multi-billion dollar bail-outs to the private banking sector.21 Discussed behind closed doors in April 1998, a more perceptive initiative (couched in softer language) was put forth by the World's largest banks and investment houses through their Washington mouthpiece (the Institute of International Finance). The banks proposal consists in the creation of a "Financial Watchdog --a so-called "Private Sector Advisory Council"-- with a view to routinely supervising the activities of the IMF. "The Institute [of International Finance], with its nearly universal membership of leading private financial firms, stands ready to work with the official community to advance this process." 22 Responding to the global banks initiative, the IMF has called for concrete "steps to strengthen private sector involvement" in crisis management --what might be interpreted as a "power sharing arrangement" between the IMF and the global banks.23 The international banking community has also set up it own high level "Steering Committee on Emerging Markets Finance" integrated by some of the World's most powerful financiers including William Rhodes, Vice Chairman of Citibank and Sir David Walker, Chairman of Morgan Stanley. The hidden agenda behind these various initiatives is to gradually transform the IMF --from its present status as an inter-governmental body-- into a full fledged bureaucracy which more effectively serves the interests of the global banks. More importantly, the banks and speculators want access to the details of IMF negotiations with member governments which will enable them to carefully position their assaults in financial markets both prior and in the wake of an IMF bailout agreement. The global banks (pointing to the need for "transparency") have called upon "the IMF to provide valuable insights [on its dealings with national governments] without revealing confidential information...". But what they really want is privileged inside information.24 The ongoing financial crisis is not only conducive to the demise of national State institutions all over the World, it also consists in the step by step dismantling (and possible privatisation) of the post War institutions established by the founding fathers at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944. In striking contrast with the IMF's present-day destructive role, these institutions were intended by their architects to safeguard the stability of national economies. In the words of Henry Morgenthau, US Secretary of the Treasury in his closing statement to the Conference (22 July 1944): "We came here to work out methods which would do away with economic evils --the competitive currency devaluation and destructive impediments to trade-- which preceded the present war. We have succeeded in this effort"25 NOTES 1. United Nations Development Program, Human Development Report, 1997, New York, 1997, p. 2. 2. Robert O'Harrow Jr., "Dow Dives 513 Points, or 6.4", Washington Post, 1 September 1998, page A. 3. Bob Djurdjevic, Return looted Russian Assets, Aug. 30, Truth in Media's Global Watch, Phoenix, 30 August 98. 4. See "Society under Threat- Soros", The Guardian, London, 31 October 1997. 5. Statement at the Meeting of the Group of 15, Malacca, Malaysia, 3 November 1997, quoted in the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong, 3 November 1997. 6. See Michael Hudson and Bill Totten, "Vulture speculators", Our World, No. 197, Kawasaki, 12 August 1998. 7. Nicola Bullard, Walden Bello and Kamal Malhotra, "Taming the Tigers: the IMF and the Asian Crisis", Special Issue on the IMF, Focus on Trade No. 23, Focus on the Global South, Bangkok, March 1998. 8. Korean Federation of Trade Unions, "Unbridled Freedom to Sack Workers Is No Solution At All", Seoul, 13 January 1998. 9. Song Jung tae, "Insolvency of Construction Firms rises in 1998", Korea Herald, 24 December 1997. Legislation (following IMF directives) was approved which dismantles the extensive powers of the Ministry of Finance while also stripping the Ministry of its financial regulatory and supervisory functions. The financial sector had been opened up, a Financial Supervisory Council under the advice of Western merchant banks arbitrarily decides the fate of Korean banks. Selected banks (the lucky ones) are to be "made more attractive" by earmarking a significant chunk of the bail-out money to finance (subsidise) their acquisition at depressed prices by foreign buyers, --ie. the shopping-spree by Western financiers is funded by the government on borrowed money from Western financiers. 10. Michael Hudson, Our World, Kawasaki, December 23, 1997. 11. Michael Hudson, "Big Bang is Culprit behind Yen's Fall", Our World, No. 187, Kawasaki, 28 July 1998. See also Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and Japanese Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi, Joint Press Conference, Ikura House, Tokyo, July 4, 1998 contained in Official Press Release, US Department of State, Washington, 7 July, l998. 12. See Nicola Bullard, Walden Bello and Kamal Malhotra, op. cit. 13. On 15 July 1998, the Republican dominated House of Representatives slashed the Clinton Administration request of 18 billion dollar in additional US funding to the IMF to 3.5 billion. Part of the US contribution to the bail-outs would be financed under the Foreign Exchange Stabilisation Fund of the Treasury. The US Congress has estimated the increase in the US public debt and the burden on taxpayers of the US contributions to the Asian bail-outs. 14. Financial Times, London, 27-28 December 1997, p. 3). 15. Institute of International Finance, Report of the Multilateral Agencies Group, IIF Annual Report, Washington, 1997. 16. Letter addressed by the Managing director of the Institute of International Finance Mr. Charles Dallara to Mr. Philip Maystadt, Chairman of the IMF Interim Committee, April 1997, quoted in Institute of International Finance, 1997 Annual Report, Washington, 1997. 17. Steven Forbes, "Why Reward Bad Behaviour, editorial, Forbes Magazine, 4 May 1998. 18. "Hot money" is speculative capital, "dirty money" are the proceeds of organised crime which are routinely laundered in the international financial system. 19. International Monetary Fund, Communiqu? of the Interim Committee of the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund, Press Release No. 98/14 Washington, April 16, 1998. The controversial proposal to amend its articles on "capital account liberalisation" had initially been put forth in April 1997. 20. See Communique of the IMF Interim Committee, Hong Kong, 21 September 1997. 21. See Steven Forbes, op cit. 22. Institute of International Finance, "East Asian Crises Calls for New International Measures, Say Financial Leaders", Press Release, 18 April 1998. 23. IMF, Communiqu? of the Interim Committee of the Board of Governors, April 16, 1998. 24. The IIF proposes that global banks and brokerage houses could for this purpose "be rotated and selected through a neutral process [to ensure confidentiality], and a regular exchange of views [which] is unlikely to reveal dramatic surprises that turn markets abruptly (...). In this era of globalization, both market participants and multilateral institutions have crucial roles to play; the more they understand each other, the greater the prospects for better functioning of markets and financial stability... ". See Letter of Charles Dallara, Managing Director of the IIF to Mr. Philip Maystadt, Chairman of IMF Interim Committee, IIF, Washington, 8 April 1998. 25. Closing Address, Bretton Woods Conference, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, 22 July 1944. The IMF's present role is in violation of its Articles of Agreement. Michel Chossudovsky Department of Economics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N6N5 Voice box: 1-613-562-5800, ext. 1415 Fax: 1-514-425-6224 E-Mail: chossudovsky@sprint.ca Alternative fax: 1-613-562-5999 -------------------------------------- Bob Olsen Toronto bobolsen@aracnet.net (:-) From infonews at info.com.ph Mon Sep 28 01:38:51 1998 From: infonews at info.com.ph (infonews@info.com.ph) Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 00:38:51 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 720] Filipino queers jeers Mahathir's sneers Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19980927163851.00711950@pop.info.com.ph> 27 September 1998 PRESS STATEMENT >From the Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines (PROGAY-Philippines) reference: Oscar Atadero, secretary-general pager 125-1046769 e-mail: oca69@hotmail.com progay@yahoo.com manuelde@pworld.net.ph snail mail: PO Box 1764 QCCPO 1157 Philippines WE'RE HERE, WE'RE QUEER, WE SHOULD DUMP MAHATHIR! The Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines (PROGAY-Philippines) condemns the fascist regime of Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad for fanning anti-gay hatred in his attacks against Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim. Once again, the multitudes of peace-loving gay men, bisexuals, lesbians and transgenders in Asia and elsewhere are being slandered by both old and modern fundamentalist extremes. The Malaysian community of sexual minorities are crushed between the malevolent mixture of misplaced nationalist and religious fanatacism on one hand and on the other hand, the even more harmful fundamentalism of imperialist economic dogma now destroying the patrimonies of East Asia. Filipino gay men are deeply concerned with our Malaysian siblings because we share a common Malayan heritage of anti-colonial and anti-imperialist struggles that were brutally suppressed by puppet regimes backed by US, British, Japanese and other imperialist military forces. We share the same hardships of opposing governments that attacked the masses of workers and farmers when these regimes imposed the cruel trade liberalization policies of the International Monetary Fund and the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade - World Trade Organization (GATT-WTO). All throughout the region, Dr. Mohamad, his racist-authoritarian partymates and fascist friends Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, Lee Kwan Yew of Singapore, Suharto of Indonesia, Chiang Kai Chiek of Taiwan and the military regimes of South Korea imposed on their citizens ambitious programs of shallow industrialization based on export-orientation and import-substitution. Dangling promises of development and increased incomes, these strongman regimes committed massive human rights violations against poor workers, peasants, women and students demanding more democratic redistribution of resources. We remember with indignation the mass murders of workers in Kwangju, the massacres of peasants in the cities of Manila and Bacolod, the bloody coup in Jakarta, the marginalization of forest dwellers in Sarawak and many other atrocities that are not addressed until this day. We shudder at the trend of racial and anti-gay hatred appearing elsewhere in the region such as the popular One Nation Party in Australia. Alas, these so-called economic miracles benefitted only the oligarchy and their foreign backers in each country while wages and jobs continued to drop, farmers went bankrupt from the flood of cheap agricultural imports and millions of migrants were forced to slave overseas just to prop up their corrupt governments. The doctrines inspired by the IMF and the full financial deregulation that the Asian dictators foolishly adopted despite popular protests have now caused the final destruction of the tiger economies. With his dream of converting Malaysians into materialistic robots now becoming a nightmare in the face of massive civil protests, Mahathir wants desperately to divert the people's brewing discontent on to Mr. Anwar's supposed bisexuality. This crude attempt to generate anti-gay hatred has only served to further Mahathir's political isolation. Progay also denounces Mahathir's hypocritical preference for Japanese hegemony in Asia over US hegemony as a throwback to the days of the Greater Eastern Co-Prosperity Zone where imperial Japan lorded over puppet Asian regimes in killing and exploiting Asian citizens. The prime minister's miscalculations are rightfully giving prestige to the militant citizens' movement working for the genuine liberation of Malaysia that goes way beyond the Mahathir's opportunistic patriotism. We demand that Dr. Mahathir and his cronies renounce their anti-gay machinations, issue an apology to all sexual minorities and victims of economic and political rights in Malaysia, release all political prisoners, repeal the Internal Security Act, order the military and police back to the barracks and dismantle the police state, then simultaneously resign. We Filipino gays and other citizens warmly salute all the democratic forces in Malaysia which have rejected and denounced the unfair witchhunting and gaybaiting tactics wielded by the authorities against the political rights not only of Mr. Anwar but also of all the gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people. We ask that you maintain the vigil until a fully just and democratic society is realized in Malaysia. We call on the Malaysians everywhere to intensify their support for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people and deepen their understanding of the imperialist globalization that is really to blame for the problems being faced by the regional economy. We call on the democratic and anti-imperialist forces from around the world to join the Malaysian democratic forces in the Asia-Pacific Peoples Assembly in November this year to resist the growing fascism of the Mahathir regime and expose and oppose the official ministerial meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). In the face of Mahathir's increasing use of violence, homophobia and misinformation, we call on the people everywhere to boycott products and services of Malaysian state corporations. We are gay and proud, and together with the basic masses of Australasia, Africa, the Americas and Europe, we will continue to fight for meaningful social changes even as we promote human rights in action for gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered peoples. (Progay Philippines is a national federation of gay and bisexual men working for genuine gay and lesbian rights in the basic context of national and social liberation of the Filipino people. We are also interested in building links with other national and international solidarities of sexual minorities.) From pet at web.net Tue Sep 29 01:04:57 1998 From: pet at web.net (Sharon R.A. Scharfe) Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 12:04:57 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [asia-apec 721] Cda. Hansard, Sept.25/98 re: APEC'97 Message-ID: <2.2.16.19980928120831.222fd6b8@pop.web.net> September 25, 1998 Excerpts from Official Transcript (English version) House of Commons Ottawa, Canada ... Official Statements ... APEC SUMMIT Mr. Grant McNally (Dewdney?Alouette, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, the peaceful protesters gathered, charged with a fervent belief in democracy. They stood tall and voiced their opposition to tyranny, dictatorship and the denial of fundamental human rights. When the risk of embarrassment was too much to handle, the dictatorial leader ordered the police to move in and use excessive force to silence those students who dared speak out against the regime. I am not talking about Tiananmen Square, I am talking about Vancouver. We cannot take the incidents that transpired at the APEC conference lightly, for the precedence they establish is frightening. Canadians gathered to use their fundamental human rights to raise the awareness of atrocities taking place in other countries. Rather than extol the virtues of democracy, the Prime Minister and the foreign affairs minister decided to make the dictators feel at home by sanitizing the scene and shutting down protesters. The Prime Minister is concerned about what legacy he will leave Canada. He will be remembered as the leader who called a democratic election in his own country a joke and revoked Canadian civil rights in order to satisfy a brutal dictator. What a legacy. * * * ... ORAL QUESTION PERIOD APEC SUMMIT Mr. John Reynolds (West Vancouver?Sunshine Coast, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, in 1986, while the government was in opposition and the Conservative Party brought in legislation for the Public Complaints Commission, the current heritage minister said ?I urge the government to make changes to allow the Public Complaints Commission to investigate beyond the RCMP?. The Acting Prime Minister knows that the Public Complaints Commission cannot investigate the role of the PMO. Can the minister tell the House if he will make changes so we can guarantee that the PMO, if it is to be investigated, can be investigated by the Public Complaints Commission? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the Public Complaints Commission has been in existence for some 12 years. It has built up a very fine record of outstanding work looking into complaints that are brought before it. I do not see any reason why one should assume that the Public Complaints Commission will not do everything necessary to thoroughly investigate the matters that are brought before it at the request of the student protesters. The student protesters want to see the Public Complaints Commission look into this matter. Why does the hon. member try to undermine the work of the commission before it even begins? Mr. John Reynolds (West Vancouver?Sunshine Coast, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, it is nice for the Acting Prime Minister to say we are trying to undermine the Public Complaints Commission. In 1989 when the Public Complaints Commission wanted to investigate Norman Inkster's role in a budget leak, it was this government that went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada to keep the Public Complaints Commission from doing its job. How can the Canadian public be assured that this government will allow the Public Complaints Commission to investigate the role of the PMO in the APEC affair? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the value of the hon. member's question is shown by his assertion that this government was in office in 1989. It was not. We would have liked to have been, but we were not. Mr. Jim Abbott (Kootenay?Columbia, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, I ask the acting Prime Minister this question. In 1989 there was an attempt to interfere on the part of the government of the day and shut down the ability of the Public Complaints Commission to do its job. As a matter of fact, their position was that Mr. Inkster was no longer an employee of the RCMP, which is the assertion that I was making yesterday. This board can only look into the affairs of people who are employees or agents of the RCMP. Will the minister give us the assurance today that the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister's office will? The Speaker: The Hon. Deputy Prime Minister. Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the hon. member talks about the government of the day. It was not this government. I do not think that one should attempt to hold us in any way responsible for the position taken at that time by another government. I also want to say that we want to see the commission do its work in an active and thorough manner. That is what the chair of the commission said when she announced the inquiry. Let us see the commission start its work and get on with its work. If after its report is out? ... APEC SUMMIT Mrs. Suzanne Tremblay (Rimouski?Mitis, BQ): Mr. Speaker, in connection with the ?peppergate? affair, the government repeatedly told us all week that the RCMP public complaints commission will have all the answers to the questions we have been asking since the beginning of this affair. If this is the case, how can the Deputy Prime Minister explain the remarks made by his colleague, the hon. member for Vancouver Quadra, who stated that the public complaints commission would not disclose all that took place at the APEC summit? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I will check to make sure the hon. member was not misquoted, but as far as we are concerned, the commission is in a position to conduct an in-depth investigation into these incidents, and we expect the hearings to start as soon as possible. Mrs. Suzanne Tremblay (Rimouski?Mitis, BQ): Mr. Speaker, what the hon. member for Vancouver Quadra said is that the mandate of the RCMP commission would be limited to determining whether RCMP actions were in accordance with the law and whether the nature of these actions was appropriate. So, will the government give us every assurance that this commission will be able to get to the bottom of the events in Vancouver, including the Prime Minister's involvement? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's question is purely speculative and hypothetical, since the Prime Minister has not been asked to appear before the commission. We already know, however, that two senior officials in the Prime Minister's office are prepared to testify: senior secretary Jean Pelletier and former director of operations Jean Carle. This goes to show how open we plan to be with the commission. Mr. Richard Marceau (Charlesbourg, BQ): Mr. Speaker, in December 1997, the auditor general wrote the following about the RCMP commission, and I quote ?The Commission needs to significantly improve the way it carries out public hearings, both by prescribing clear and precise terms of reference for each hearing and by providing its members with training in conducting hearings?. With the commission unable to clarify its terms of reference and to properly hold hearings, how can the minister say to us that he can give us all the details of the sombre events in Vancouver? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, when the public hearings were announced, the chair of the commission, Ms. Heafey, said, and I quote ?The commission has received 42 complaints concerning the incidents that occurred on the campus of UBC. I think a public hearing is the best way to guarantee the public that these complaints will be thoroughly, fairly and impartially examined?. Mr. Richard Marceau (Charlesbourg, BQ): Mr. Speaker, let's get serious. Even the present government in opposition had doubts about the credibility of the RCMP complaints commission. In 1986, the current Minister of Canadian Heritage, who is sitting opposite, said that the government of the time appreciated the work of the commission because it would help it get out of trouble. Are we to understand that the government is hiding behind this commission because it has been in trouble for a week now? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, since 1986, the commission has had a record of fine work?for some 12 years. Furthermore, the work of this commission, created by Parliament, is non partisan and at arm's length from the government. The chair has assured the public that the commission is prepared to do this sort of work, and we should wait for the hearings. [English] Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister keeps dodging questions about his direct involvement and that of his staff in suppressing peaceful protests at APEC. The correspondence between UBC and the PMO clearly documents the extent of his involvement. When will the Prime Minister come clean about his role in the disgraceful Spray-PEC suppression of civil rights? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, when will the leader of the NDP withdraw and apologize for the statement she made in the House yesterday, which was totally incorrect, that Jean Carle had declared that he had destroyed documents? That is not correct. Instead of asking her question the first thing she should have done was got to her feet and apologized if she had any respect for the traditions of this House. Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Mr. Speaker, it is quite clear they do not want to hear the facts. When the UBC president wrote to the Prime Minister complaining about PMO decisions to unreasonably restrict protesters, she got a letter from Jean Carle, a PMO staffer, and a phone call from the PMO's closest adviser, none other than Eddie Goldenberg. When is the Prime Minister going to stop denying his role in this APEC fiasco? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I think the first thing to do is check the accuracy of the hon. member's assertions. It will likely turn out that they have no more value than what she wrongly asserted yesterday. * * * ... [end] ******************************************************************************** For more information on Parliamentarians for East Timor, Please Contact: Sharon Scharfe, International Secretariat Parliamentarians for East Timor Suite 116, 5929-L Jeanne D'Arc Blvd., Orleans, ON K1C 7K2 CANADA Fax: 1-613-834-2021 E-Mail: pet@web.net ******************************************************************************** From tpl at cheerful.com Tue Sep 29 09:35:41 1998 From: tpl at cheerful.com (GABRIELA) Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 08:35:41 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 722] 2nd Announcement: APPA Workshop on Fisheries Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19980929083541.006afd98@pop.skyinet.net> From: nacfar@mnl.sequel.net Second Announcement and Invitation Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries "Fisherfolk Say No to Monopoly Capital's Thirst for Profit" November 11, 1998 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia [This workshop is part of the Forum on Land, Food Security and Agriculture of the Asia-Pacific Peoples' Assembly (APPA) which is being held parallel to the 1998 APEC Leaders Summit. It is being organized by PAMALAKAYA (National Federation of Fisherfolk Organizations in the Philippines) and NACFAR (Nationwide Coalition of the Fisherfolk for Aquatic Reform - Phil).] Many of the world's most productive ecosystems are found in Asia. The region has nine of the world's top fishing nations. Ironically, the developing countries of the region have not been able to derive full benefits from their resources. It is rather the developed and affluent countries which have profited from the exploitation of the region's resources. Over the years, the fisheries sector has been on the decline all over the world, but the solutions that governments, especially Asian regimes under pressure from global powers, resort to are liberalization, denationalization and privatization. Lately, fishery plans under Asian governments have become the center of attraction in the drive for "globalization" because Asian fisheries has become the primary target of Japanese, US and European trade and investments. Wide open are the opportunities to "globalize" the capital and products of multinational and transnational corporations (MNCs/TNCs) facilitated by provisions of WTO agreements and speeded up by regional trade blocks like NAFTA and APEC. "Globalization," government leaders and technocrats claim, is the panacea to the woes of the sector and the poverty of the fisherfolk. "Globalization" has given rise instead to the uncontrolled expansion of large fishing fleets mercilessly devastating productive fishing grounds with their ever advancing technology and ever present capital. The result is monopoly of vast waters in the hands of those who already have the most concentration of capital and the "best" of technology -- the MNCs/TNCs -- and the global powers -- the US, Japan and the EU. The wholesale commercialization and subsequent disintegration of vital fishery resource bases are then used to rationalize the expansion of unsustainable corporate aquaculture operations as a placebo to the continued collapse of coastal and traditional capture fisheries production. Worsened is the degradation of the already critically fragile coastal zone ecosystems. In the end, supposed hopes of `saving the environment' become naught with the reality of unabated degradation of coastal and offshore resources and ecosystems. "Globalization" renders traditional fisheries uncompetitive through the systematic manipulation of national programs and policies to suit the profiteering motives of capital-intensive, commercially-efficient, high-valued and export-geared fisheries production. What it results into are highly unsustainable fishing practices, fishery trade crises, and the uncontrollable price increases of basic fishery commodities. The capitalist-imperialist competition for fishery enclaves causes the vicious depravity of millions of artisanal fisherfolk and the dangerous imperilment of food security all over the world. But the very same phenomenon of imperialist globalization that intensifies global economic and financial crisis strengthens fisherfolk and peoples' resolve to resist and to struggle to change their situation. Programme: November 10 Whole Day: Registration to APPA Afternoon: Registration to the Forum on Land, Food Security & Agriculture and its Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries Early Evening: APPA Opening Ceremony November 11 0830-0930 Additional Registration 0930-1015 Opening Addresses: Globalization and Its Impact on Land, Food Security & Agriculture by Dr. Vandana Shiva and Sarojeni Rengam (PAN-AP) 1015-1030 Tea Break 1030-1115 On Trade Agreements - WTO and Agriculture by Bhagirath Lal Das (author of "An Introduction to the WTO Agreements" and "The WTO Agreements: Deficiencies, Imbalances and Required Changes") - Impact of NAFTA on Agriculture and Food Security by Ana de Ita (Ceccam, Mexico) 1115-1300 Sharing from Grassroots Movements - Chiapas, Mexico - Philippines (KMP/AMIHAN) - Thailand (Assembly of the Poor) - South Korea (Wheat Revival Movement) - Malaysia 1300-1400 Lunch 1400 Start of simultaneous workshops Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries 1400-1430 Workshop Introduction 1430-1630 Presentations: - Liberalization & Privatization in Fisheries: Impact, Fisherfolk Resistance and Alternatives (PAMALAKAYA) - Impact of Globalization on Marine Environment and Aquatic Resources (India) - Case Studies: * commercial aquaculture (Thailand or Bangladesh) * extensive commercial fishing (Chile or Canada) * BIMP-EAGA (Indonesia or NACFAR) 1630-1700 Tea Break 1700-1900 Open Forum: Further discussion of issues and sharing of struggles and alternatives 1900-2000 Dinner 2000-2200 Open Forum: Resolutions and Statement of Unity November 12 Closing Plenary of Forum on Land, Food Security and Agriculture Nov. 13-14 APPA Plenary November 15 APPA Closing Ceremony and Final Activity ====================================================== Preliminary Registration Form for Workshop on Globalization and Fisheries "Fisherfolk Say No to Monopoly Capital's Thirst for Profit" Full Name: Mr ____ Ms ______ Organization: Mailing Address: Telephone: Fax: E-mail: Neither Pamalakaya nor Nacfar is in a position to subsidize expenses of participants, however those who really need financial assistance can indicate so below and we will see if we can help get sponsors. Kind of financial assistance needed: (airfare, food and accomodations, registration fee, etc.) The registration fee for APPA is US$50 which entitles you to attend all APPA events and activities. Cost of food and accomodation is approximately US$25-35 per person per day. Please list down other organizations and individuals whom you think should be sent APPA registration and information materials. Please specify their mailing and/or e-mail addresses. Please send the accomplished form to: PAMALAKAYA 18 Mabuhay Street Central District, Quezon City Philippines Tel/Fax (632) 434 3836; 434 6680 E-mail: cc From pet at web.net Tue Sep 29 21:11:30 1998 From: pet at web.net (Sharon R.A. Scharfe) Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 08:11:30 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [asia-apec 723] Cda.Hansard, Sept.28/98, re: APEC'97 Message-ID: <2.2.16.19980929081506.21ff1e70@pop.web.net> September 28, 1998 Excerpts from Official Transcript (English version) House of Commons Ottawa, Canada ... ORAL QUESTIONS ... APEC SUMMIT Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister keeps giving assurances that the Public Complaints Commission will get to the bottom of the Prime Minister's actions and those of his staff in the Spray-PEC fiasco, but the government's own lawyer says that documents from the Prime Minister's Office are not even relevant to the inquiry. How does the Prime Minister explain the contradiction? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, there is no contradiction. The commission hearings will open on Monday. I am sure they will look thoroughly into the matters that have been brought before it by the protesters who have made complaints. How does the hon. member explain that she once again said something to the House on Friday that was inaccurate, and fails to get up to apologize, when she claimed that Mr. Goldenberg took an initiative to contact the president of the University of British Columbia and it was just the opposite? Why does she not get up and apologize? Explain that contradiction. Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Mr. Speaker, earlier today a motion was filed with the Public Complaints Commission seeking assurances that the commission would include the actions of the Prime Minister and his staff. In view of the Prime Minister's stated commitment to co-operate fully, will the government instruct its lawyers to immediately support this motion? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, under the law setting up the commission, its terms of reference are set by the commission itself and not by the government. Therefore I am sure the commission, which is at arm's length from the government, a non-political and non-partisan body, will listen carefully and make the proper decision. I do not think it is appropriate for the leader of the NDP to call on the government to in effect instruct the commission. * * * ... APEC SUMMIT Mr. Jim Abbott (Kootenay?Columbia, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, the solicitor general loves to tell us that the public complaints commission is going to get to the bottom of the APEC affair. Under that commission it has been demanded that protester Jones release between 800 and 1,200 documents to the public complaints commission, including private correspondence even with his girlfriend. By contrast, the Prime Minister's office has released one thin binder. Are we to believe a 33 year old student protester has more documentation on this than the Prime Minister? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, surely the hon. member, after all of last week, will understand that the public complaints commission is the instrument that has been established by parliament to get to the truth. I think most Canadians would appreciate allowing it the opportunity to find that truth, as that is ultimately what we are all after. Mr. Jim Abbott (Kootenay?Columbia, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, to be very candid, I do not believe the solicitor general is interested in getting to the bottom of this affair. I believe he is blocking it by using the public complaints commission. How is it that a 33 year old student has more documentation demanded of him by the public complaints commission than the Prime Minister to this point has revealed? How can he explain that this is not a cover-up by the Prime Minister's office? Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that I do want to get to the truth and I think most people are aware of that. The instrument to do that is the PCC. On the question of availability, the PCC makes the decisions as to where to get its information. It is its job to get to the truth and it will get there. * * * ... APEC SUMMIT Mr. Peter MacKay (Pictou?Antigonish?Guysborough, PC): Mr. Speaker, day after day Canadians have been forced to witness the sad spectacle of the Prime Minister cowering behind the solicitor general and his broken record responses about the independence of the APEC inquiry that is going on. Why should Canadians have any confidence that a government that ignored the findings of the Krever commission and the findings of a human rights tribunal on pay equity will respond to any finding by that so-called independent body when it has ignored the findings of every other independent inquiry the country has had? Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is quite wrong in the premise of his question, as usual. The government has not ignored the findings of these other commissions. It has taken them very seriously. I want to say that the commission is not a ?so-called independent commission?. It is based on legislation presented by a previous Conservative government that created the commission as an arm's length, independent civilian body. And certainly the government will take very seriously the report of this commission once it concludes its work. * * * ... [end] ******************************************************************************** For more information on Parliamentarians for East Timor, Please Contact: Sharon Scharfe, International Secretariat Parliamentarians for East Timor Suite 116, 5929-L Jeanne D'Arc Blvd., Orleans, ON K1C 7K2 CANADA Fax: 1-613-834-2021 E-Mail: pet@web.net ******************************************************************************** From appasec at tm.net.my Tue Sep 29 22:27:11 1998 From: appasec at tm.net.my (appasec) Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 21:27:11 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 724] Asia's Silence Deafening on Malaysian rights Message-ID: <000001bdebac$f702cca0$0100a8c0@tmnet.tm.net.my> Asia's silence deafening on Malaysian rights by David Williams TOKYO, Sept 29 (AFP) - Malaysia's treatment of ousted deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, who appeared in court Tuesday bruised and complaining of a severe police beating, has raised little protest in Asia. Human rights groups said the Asian reaction to Anwar's arrest under national security laws which allow for detention without trial was a worrying reflection of its lack of concern. Anwar was arrested September 20, shortly after being sacked by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. He denied in court charges of corruption and unnatural (homosexual) sex. "The tendency in Asia is to to treat the question of human rights through the prism of 'Asian values' of which Mahathir is the champion," said Christine Lamarre, human rights expert and Tokyo University professor. "From that angle, these countries consider there is an Asian version of human rights although these Asian values are often a pretext for Asian leaders to stay in power." Criticism has been rife in the West, but few have come to Anwar's defence in his own region. "Our stance, which remains the same as before, is that making any comments on their internal affairs would be inappropriate," said a Japanese foreign ministry official. In Taiwan, Foreign Minister Jason Hu said there were no signs of chaos in Malaysia and "Taiwan-Malaysia ties will not be affected." A Thai foreign ministry spokesman said this week the Anwar case was "an internal affair for Malaysia but we are concerned about the recent developments." There has been little official comment at all from the Philippines. Hideki Morihara, campaigner for Amnesty International in Tokyo, said he had been seeking to meet Japanese officials to express the group's concern. "But it is even difficult for us to make an appointment with the Japanese government on this matter," he added. "The Japanese government should act more proactively towards such matters." Outside of Asia, however, Anwar has found friends. The US State Department expressed concern about his detention and restrictions clamped on his wife's activities. Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he was worried about Malaysia's apparent "drift towards a more authoritarian approach," earning a sharp rebuke from Mahathir. French Finance Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn said Anwar had been "arrested in his country for defending opinions that are not those of Dr. Mahathir." And former British Hong Kong governor Chris Patten said Anwar had fought for freedom and democracy, asking rhetorically: "Where have Mr Anwar Ibrahim's friends and admirers been over the last few days?" Amnesty International's development coordinator for the Asia-Pacific region, Davadass Gnanapragasam, said it was "not was very surprising these (Asian) countries have not responded to the situation." Many of them, he said, had their own national security legislation which they misused to supress dissent. Lamarre of Tokyo University said Japan, however, was an Asian economic superpower "giving the image of a country that does not fulfil its responsibilities in defending human rights." Japan found it difficult to give moral lessons to its neighbours "since it hasn't answered about its own recent past," she said, referring to Japan's wartime agression in the region. Anwar, who had a swollen eye and bruises on his right arm, meanwhile pleaded not guilty in a Kuala Lumpur court to charges of unnatural sex and corruption. He has said he was beaten until he almost fainted on his first night in custody. If convicted of corruption, Anwar faces a maximum of 20 years jail or a fine or both. If unnatural sex is proved he could go to jail for 20 years or be caned, officials said. From jkellock at amnesty.org Wed Sep 30 00:49:45 1998 From: jkellock at amnesty.org (jkellock@amnesty.org) Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 16:49:45 +0100 Subject: [asia-apec 725] Amnesty International - Statement on Malaysia Message-ID: <8025668E.00569E70.00@fox.amnesty.org> AI INDEX: ASA 28/26/98News Service 189/98 29 SEPTEMBER 1998 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MALAYSIA: Anwar?s ill-treatment in custody raises serious concern Amnesty International today condemned the reported severe ill-treatment of former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim while in detention, and reiterated its call on Prime Minister Mahathir to release him, and other prisoners of conscience held under the Internal Security Act (ISA), immediately and unconditionally. The organization also expressed serious concern about eye-witness testimony of beatings of detained pro-reform protesters Reports that Anwar had been severely beaten while blindfolded and handcuffed, and denied access to a doctor for five days heighten concern for the safety of at least 16 of his political associates who continue to be denied access to lawyers and their families. "Anwar?s treatment at the hands of the police shows the government?s blatant disregard for basic human rights. If a high-profile figure can be subjected to such treatment, we fear for the safety of those who are not so well known and who continue to be denied access to lawyers and their families," Amnesty International said. "Prime Minister Mahathir must order an immediate investigation into these reports and bring those responsible to justice. He must also allow all detainees held under the ISA immediate access to lawyers, medical personnel and families -- in line with international legal standards." "The continuing arrest of Anwar? associates under the ISA, which was also cited to deny Anwar bail after he was charged today with the bailable offences of ?unnatural sex acts? and corruption, reinforces Amnesty International?s belief that this is a politically motivated prosecution," the organization argued. "News that the two Anwar associates recently sentenced to six months in jail for ?allowing Anwar to sodomize them? have retracted their confessions saying they were not given voluntarily, is yet another indication that the charges against Anwar have no real basis." Under the Malaysian penal code homosexual acts between consenting adults are deemed to be "against the order of nature" and punishable by up to 20 years? imprisonment and whipping. Amnesty International is also calling for the immediate and unconditional release of prisoners of conscience Sukma Darmawan and Munawar Ahmad Aness -- the Anwar associates jailed for six months for sodomy. From davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca Wed Sep 30 06:35:44 1998 From: davidweb at interchange.ubc.ca (David Webster) Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 13:35:44 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 726] ST: Malay Crossfire Message-ID: The reform pressure from Indonesia (!) is one interesting aspect of this piece, but the really interesting bit seems to be Ghafar's vicious homophobia. Whetehr Anwar is gay or not is beside the point, surely..... >The Straits Times -- SEP 28 1998 > >You can have Anwar, Ghafar tells Indonesia > >He takes the Jakarta press to task for backing >the former Deputy Premier and says Anwar can be >a leader in Indonesia because 'homosexuality >is allowed' > > >JAKARTA -- Veteran Umno leader Tun Ghafar Baba >yesterday slammed the Indonesian press for >championing jailed former Deputy Premier Anwar >Ibrahim and said Indonesia could take him "as >homosexuality is allowed here". > >"If you think Anwar Ibrahim is so important, you >can take him and make him your leader," said >Tun Ghafar, who was replaced by Datuk Anwar as >Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister in 1993 and is >now retired. > >"Maybe he is more fitting to be a leader in Indonesia, >because I heard that it is okay to be homosexual here, >but in Malaysia it is against the law," he told a press >conference at the Shangri-La Hotel. > >"You can take them too," he said when questioned >about the thousands of supporters who had protested >against his arrest and called for reform. > >Tun Ghafar, who was accompanied by staff members >from the Malaysian Embassy here, said he had not >been sent to Indonesia by Malaysian Prime Minister >Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad or "anyone in the >administration". > >He said he had come to Jakarta on his own as a man >"fighting for my country". > >Earlier, the Indonesian state Antara news agency >said Tun Ghafar had been sent to Indonesia to explain >Datuk Anwar's arrest on Sept 20 after he was ousted >as Finance Minister and Deputy Premier earlier >this month. > >The Embassy said Tun Ghafar was also due to meet >several senior Indonesian figures on behalf of >Dr Mahathir, Antara added. > >He also suggested that both Indonesia and the US, >which had criticised Dr Mahathir's use of the Internal >Security Act (ISA) to hold Datuk Anwar, would be safer >places if they too adopted a law which allowed >indefinite detention without trial. > >"The United States is arguing that it is a violation >of human rights, but in the United States people get >killed all the time. Maybe, if the United States had >ISA it would be safe there, too," he said. > >Lashing out at prominent Indonesian lawyer Adnan >Buyung Nasution who has formed an Anwar support group >here, he said Mr Buyung would be better off donating >the money to Indonesia's hungry. > >"To Buyung Nasution I say not to bother because Anwar >has lots of money. He is going to have 70 lawyers to >represent him. I suggest to Adnan that he donate it >to the Indonesian people for food," he said. > >He also fought off parallels to the reform movement >in Indonesia -- whose battle cry of "Reformasi" has >been taken up by Anwar supporters and which led to >the toppling of former Indonesian President Suharto >on May 21, by saying Malaysia underwent reform >"50 years ago". > >"How can you even draw the parallel, for one thing >Mahathir was elected," he retorted. > >Defending Dr Mahathir's sacking of Datuk Anwar shortly >after the Premier imposed capital controls to defend >the country's economy, he said the concept of sacking >one's deputy had been going on "since Adam and Eve". > >And, he said, it was as much Dr Mahathir's right >to sack Datuk Anwar, as it was for a husband to >divorce his wife. > >"A man chooses a woman as a wife, they live happily >but at a certain time there is no more harmony. They >could no longer live peacefully and safely. There is >no benefit in continuing with that marriage, and so >the husband can divorce his wife. > >"No one can argue that is his right," he said. > >"There were no differences in their economic beliefs >... it was simply because Mahathir finds Anwar unfit >to be a leader ... If there were a homosexual leader, >that would be terrible." > >Tun Ghafar erupted in anger when an Indonesian journalist >argued that one homosexual saying he had relations with >another man was not proof of the other man's homosexuality. > >"If I said I had relations with you, would that be >proof that you are homosexual?" the journalist asked. > >"Prime Minister Mahathir has solid information that >he is homosexual," Tun Ghafar shouted, after waving >Malaysian newspapers with the headlines containing >the accusations. > >And he insisted angrily: "Boris Yeltsin fired his Prime >Minister and his whole Cabinet but the whole world did >not make a fuss about that." AFP > _ _ _ \ / "Long words Bother me." \ / -- Winnie the Pooh From tpl at cheerful.com Wed Sep 30 08:51:25 1998 From: tpl at cheerful.com (GABRIELA) Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1998 07:51:25 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 727] US Torpedoes Endanger Communities Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19980930075125.006b7610@pop.skyinet.net> From: BAYAN Bayan webpage URL: http://www.bigfoot.com/~bayan-phils ----------------------------------------------------------- From tpl at cheerful.com Wed Sep 30 08:59:52 1998 From: tpl at cheerful.com (GABRIELA) Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1998 07:59:52 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 728] Bayan warns of IMF-WB role in pushing for VFA Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19980930075952.006b3958@pop.skyinet.net> From: BAYAN@iname.com News Release 25 September 1998
BAYAN warns of IMF-WB role in pushing for VFA
THE Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today accused Pres. Joseph Estrada of rumor-mongering and using scare tactics in its campaign to have the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) ratified by the Senate next month. Bayan said the President was sounding false alarms again by linking the approval of the VFA to the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) and World Bank's (WB) release of loans to the Philippines. Bayan made the accusation after the media quoted Cagayan de Oro Mayor Vicente Emano as saying that the Senate ratification of the VFA is tied up with the release of IMF and WB funds. He concluded this after a meeting with President Joseph Estrada who was in Cagayan de Oro recently to launch a pro-VFA campaign drive among Mindanao mayors and governors. "The President is using the very same arguments used by the pro-bases camp in 1991. Doesn't he have any originality?" chided BAYAN and KMP Chairperson Rafael Mariano. He warned however that if the presidential rumors were true, "then this is outright economic blackmail which is utterly condemnable." He said this was a litmus test for the Senate. "The Senate should not give in to such scare and pressure tactics if it is really committed to the country's sovereignty and security. In the first place, IMF-WB conditionalities can never justify the ratification of a one-sided and onerous treaty such as the VFA," he said. Mariano said BAYAN will launch a series of rallies starting October 1, the day the Estrada administration plans to submit the VFA to the Senate for discussion and ratification. #### --------------------------------------------------------- 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 arnomd at online.no Wed Sep 30 21:19:04 1998 From: arnomd at online.no (=?iso-8859-1?Q?Arno_Mong_Daast=F8l?=) Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1998 14:19:04 +0200 Subject: [asia-apec 729] FW: Mahatir Demonstrates an Alternative Asian Solution Message-ID: <000501bdec6c$897967a0$0b064382@ringebu.uio.no> In spite of the Western media storm against Mahathir - some perspective might be useful - and necessary. Best! Arno Arno Mong Daast?l http://daastol.com PhD Cand. Department of Public Economics, University of Maastricht SUM - Centre for Development and Environment, University of Oslo -----Original Message----- From: Technology Transfer in International Development [mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU] On Behalf Of Jay Hanson Sent: Thursday, September 24, 1998 7:31 AM To: DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU Subject: Asia pulling out of MacWorld? It looks as though Asia is going to be pulling out of MacWorld. (This is a good, free newsletter. Instructions to subscribe on the end.) Jay-www.dieoff.com -------------------------------------------- Global Intelligence Update Red Alert September 24, 1998 Mahatir Demonstrates an Alternative Asian Solution The focus of the Asian crisis is shifting to Malaysia, where the political consequences of economic meltdown are now being played out The overt crisis revolves around the decision of Prime Minister Mahatir Mohamad to fire and then arrest his Deputy Prime Minister, who also served as his Finance Minister and heir apparent. The deeper issue, transcending both personality and politics, concerns how Malaysia will respond to its own version of the general Asian crisis. Mahathir, who has long been an advocate of Asian solidarity, has charted a course that is both idiosyncratic and, in our mind, a model of the direction Asia is going to be moving in the coming months. Thus, the political crisis points in an interesting and revealing direction. The split between Mahathir and Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim began over differences of opinion as to the best way to achieve economic stability in Malaysia. Anwar favored a Western-style financial reform package, similar to the IMF packages being put in place all over Asia. Mahathir, however, was more in favor of a national approach to solving the problems, one which relied more on Kuala Lumpur than on multilateral agencies. Mahathir, who had carefully observed events in neighboring Indonesia, including the fall of Suharto in May, became increasingly convinced that the IMF solution to the Indonesian problem was not only ineffective, but that it had directly led to the fall of the Suharto government and the resulting disorder in Indonesia. Since he was convinced that the IMF did not have any workable solutions in hand, he was not prepared to risk his regime by following IMF dictates. After Suharto's fall, Mahathir became concerned about the support his erstwhile protege, Anwar, had been developing in the ruling party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). Anwar and one of his deputies made remarks in June suggesting that the Malaysian situation was analogous to that of Indonesia, with the clear implication that Mahathir's fate ought to be the same as Suharto's. Needless to say, Mahathir vigorously disagreed with this analysis. With the UMNO becoming divided over the ability of Mahathir to lead Malaysia out of its economic turmoil, Mahathir needed to act swiftly. In July he brought in his friend Daim Zainuddin as Special Functions Minister, removing much of the control Anwar had over Malaysia's financial decisions. A campaign of vilification against Anwar was launched, including the interesting charge by his brother in law that he had been sodomized by Anwar. Apart from personality and power, the struggle between Mahathir and Anwar represents a struggle between two visions of how Malaysia and Asia are to recover from their shared economic crisis. Anwar and his allies represent the conventional view on how to solve Malaysia's crisis. Their focus is on external aid, particularly from multilateral organizations like the IMF. Since the price for IMF support is austerity at home, the imposition of market reforms and a decrease in protection, this faction is prepared to make fundamental changes in Malaysia's economy. Of course, since economic liberalization runs counter to Mahathir's more authoritarian, less liberal economic strategy, it followed that Mahathir had to go. Mahathir's own analysis was fundamentally different. In his view, the IMF offered no solution at all. The amount of money and credit being offered was completely insufficient to solve Malaysia's problems. Moreover, the IMF's price would create social chaos in Malaysia. For example, the IMF required a rigorous program of closing insolvent banks, writing off bad loans and decreasing available credit accordingly. Having seen the consequences of these policies in Indonesia, Mahathir's position was that, since the IMF provided no real solution anyway, it followed that it made no sense to pay the price. Mahathir has pursued a radically different course. On September 1, Mahathir announced new foreign exchange controls, effectively limiting the convertibility of the Ringgit. In addition, earlier this week, Mahathir's government introduced new banking regulations that provided banks with more time in which to write off bad loans, reduced reserve requirements, and generally allowed Malaysian banks, at least internally, more room for maneuver. In addition, Mahathir had Anwar arrested in the midst of the Commonwealth Games and Queen Elizabeth's visit. What is important about events in Malaysia is that they demonstrate a new economic response to the crisis emerging. The previous response has been to look to the outside for support. Malaysia's response to is cast itself free from the outside, on the theory that the outside world not only doesn't hold open a solution but that the solutions it offers will be more harmful. Since Malaysian exports have declined precipitously, the inflow of investment into Malaysia has collapsed altogether, and outside aid is completely insufficient to solve any problems, Mahathir has clearly decided that economic nationalism no longer bears much of a cost. Naturally his neighbors are appalled, and none more so than Singapore. Singapore, one of the healthiest economies in the region, is intimately tied to a liberal trade regime, given its role as financial center and exporter. Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong warned yesterday that Malaysia's model, if followed by the rest of Asia, could trigger U.S. protectionism and a collapse of interregional trade. Mahathir's position, of course, is that with or without formal protectionism, Malaysia's economy has already been smashed, and there is little hope in looking for salvation in trade with the United States. Punctuating this exchange on economic theory, Malaysia banned overflights by Singapore aircraft, disputes over minor border issues have begun to flare again, and Malaysia has threatened to ban exports by Malaysian companies through the port of Singapore. Thus, Malaysia's internal political argument has important international ramifications. One of the most interesting was the decision by Japan to loan Mahathir's government about $1 billion after Anwar's arrest and the announcement of a nationalist economic policy. So while Australia condemns Mahathir's suppression of Anwar and Singapore warns of dire consequences, the Japanese are lending him money. Interesting. Nothing is decided in Malaysia. The Central Bank moves back and forth on regulations and the situation is fluid. Our sense, however, is that Mahathir will carry the day both because of his entrenched power and because his economic policies promise, albeit only in the short run, some relief from economic pressure. The debate between Singapore and Malaysia sets the stage between the two great camps forming up in Asia: Asianists and Internationalists, those looking to the West for answers and those arguing that answers are national and regional. This debate, of course, takes place on the Straits of Malacca, one of the most strategic waterways of the world. Should the debate adjourn from the theoretical and political, it would have extraordinarily important consequences for nations outside the region. We are far from that point, of course. But then, just two years ago today's events would have been unthinkable. ___________________________________________________ To receive free daily Global Intelligence Updates or Computer Security Alerts, sign up on the web at http://www.stratfor.com/mail/, or send your name, organization, position, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address to alert@stratfor.com