From amittal at foodfirst.org Tue Feb 1 07:17:44 2000 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2000 14:17:44 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1391] (no title) Message-ID: <0.700000824.1841952520-951758591-949357064@topica.com> Dear friends, Hope you have received the Alert on The Biotech Industry uses "Organic" as Trojan Horse to enter Indian Market. (Attached below) We have managed to get the personal email address of UNDP Resident representative in India, Dr. Brenda Gael Mcsweeny. It is brenda.mcsweeny@undp.org. Otherwise you can also send your email at fo.ind@undp.org. The address of UNDP Resident Representative in India is United Nations Development Programme, 55 - Lodi Estate, Post Box No. 3059, New Delhi - 110 003 - India Tel: 0091 - 11 - 4628 877, Fax: 91 - 11 - 4627 612 Email: fo.ind@undp.org URL: http://www.undp.org.in UNDP Chief in USA Mark Mallock Brown Chief of Administration UNDP 1, UN Plaza, New York, USA Tel: 001 - 212 - 8262058, 9065001 Email: registries@undp.org Dear friends, The biotech as organic stunt is being replayed in India after its defeat in the USA. On February 8th 2000, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is holding a meeting on "the Role of Business Partnership in Promoting Trade and Sustainable Development" to promote biotechnology as Organic.Please send letters the UNDP chief in the US and the resident representative of UNDP in India to scrap this meeting and hold a meeting on sustainable agriculture and organic farming in association with full participation of the Agriculture Ministry and of the organic agriculture movements in India. I enclose an Alert which you can circulate among your friends. The address of UNDP Resident representative in India is Dr. Brenda Gael Mcsweeney, United Nations Development Programme, 55 - Lodi Estate, Post Box No. 3059, New Dlhi - 110003 -India Tel: 0091-11-4628877, Fax: 91-11-4627612 Email: ind@undp.org URL: http://www.undp.org.in UNDP Chief in USA Mark Mallock Brown Chief of Administration, UNDP 1, UN Plaza, New York, USA Tel: 001 - 212 - 8262058, 9065001 Email: registries@undp.org ______________________________________________________________________ Let Organic - Stay Organic Alert: The Biotech Industry uses "Organic" as Trojan Horse to enter Indian Market On February 8th 2000, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is holding a meeting on "the Role of Business Partnership in Promoting Trade and Sustainable Development" to promote biotechnology as Organic. This attempt to sell Genetically Engineered (G. E.) as organic had earlier been used in USA, but failed due to the protests by thousands of organic farmers and consumers. The fact that organic is being used as a Trojan Horse to launch G. E. products in India is evident from the total absence of the organic farming movement in the UNDP programme. In fact even the Agriculture Ministry is missing from the programme. Instead, it is officials of the Commerce Ministry who will be dealing with organic farming. Representatives of Mahyco, the Indian seed company bought up by the US Biotech company Monsanto, through whom Monsanto plans to launch its G.E. products in India, will be playing a leading role in the public private partnership. While last year Monsanto was visible and aggresive marketing G.E. crops in India, it now operates in biotech debates using MAHYCO using as a shield. Indian farmers organisation had uprooted Monsanto's G.E. field trials in December 1998. The Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, New Delhi, has also filed a case in the Indian Supreme Court to stop the field trials since they violate Biosafety regulations at every level. Since the global biotechnology industry is facing popular resistance in India, an attempt is being made to launch biotechnology via the public sector and as an organic option. We are concerned that instead of promoting genuine organic agriculture and biosafety, the UNDP is helping the biotech industry by confusing G.E. as organic and use the public sector to launch G.E. products. This is an attempt to hijack the organic label for the biotech industry. While using organic as a Trojan Horse, the unleashing of G.E. products in India will undermine organic agriculture by creating genetic pollution. This is yet another attempt by the biotech industry interests to undo the Biosafety Protocol negotiations currently underway in Montreal, and to reduce all biotech discussion to trade by taking them to WTO. This attempt to take Biotech to WTO was made at Seattle but failed because of protests by citizens, Third World countries and European Environment Ministers. We want organic to stay organic and be kept totally separate from G.E. We want the public sector to play a public role in working with farmers to evolve farmers' varieties of the desired crops that India grows and needs so that our biodiversity, sustainable agriculture and diverse food systems can be kept alive. Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. ______________________________________________ Faster, stronger and able to send millions of emails in one click: the new Topica site! http://www.topica.com/t/14 From notoapec at clear.net.nz Wed Feb 2 04:30:28 2000 From: notoapec at clear.net.nz (APEC Monitoring Group) Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 11:30:28 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1392] Brunei and APEC Message-ID: <000d01bf6cea$cdbb1440$563261cb@notoapec> Does anyone on this listserve have ideas about accessing, sharing and posting any Brunei media reports and other material about and/or arising from this year's APEC meetings? Would be good to post these on this list Aziz Choudry GATT Watchdog Aotearoa/NZ APEC Monitoring Group From aaronj at interchange.ubc.ca Wed Feb 2 02:27:30 2000 From: aaronj at interchange.ubc.ca (Aaron James) Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2000 09:27:30 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1393] Re: Brunei and APEC In-Reply-To: <000d01bf6cea$cdbb1440$563261cb@notoapec> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20000201092730.00852100@pop.interchange.ubc.ca> Would anyone on the list object to posting articles on APEC or using this as a platform for sharing ideas about APEC in Brunei? Has there been any talk about a parallel summit in Brunei? It seems that APEC NZ talks were used as a vehicle for US/Can to get countries in the south on side for support of the WTO millenium round. Now that the developing world has responded resolutely against key aspects of this WTO round, and WTO is slow, but steady, in regaining its momentum, what lies ahead for APEC? Aaron James Canada Asia Pacific Resource Network www.caprn.bc.ca At 11:30 AM 2/1/00 -0800, APEC Monitoring Group wrote: > >Does anyone on this listserve have ideas about accessing, sharing and posting any Brunei media reports and other material about and/or arising from this year's APEC meetings? > >Would be good to post these on this list > >Aziz Choudry >GATT Watchdog >Aotearoa/NZ APEC Monitoring Group > > From rcpd at mail1.info.com.ph Thu Feb 3 22:03:05 2000 From: rcpd at mail1.info.com.ph (rcpd) Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2000 21:03:05 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1394] Final Program of ISGN Forum in Bangkok Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20000203210305.0085ed80@mail.info.com.ph> Below is the final program of the parallel NGO events organized by ISGN in Bangkok. Those who want to participate, please fill up the registration below. ================================= In the aftermath of the WTO Fiasco in Seattle, the momentum of people's resistance to neo-liberalism should be sustained towards the direction of weakening and ultimately dismantling the WTO and all structural strongholds of global monopoly capital and achieving people's alternatives for national economic sovereignty and global economic justice. The International South Group Network (ISGN)invites you to a series of parallel NGO forum as trade ministers meet once again for the UNCTAD X Conference in Bangkok. "People's Alternatives to Neo-liberalism: Building on the Spirit of Seattle and Sustaining the Momentum of Struggles" **Post Seattle Forum on Trade and Agriculture: Advancing the Call to take Agriculture Out of the WTO (in cooperation with Focus on the GlobalSouth, Assembly of the Poor-Thailand, PKMM-Philippines, IRDF-Philippines) February 9-10, 2000 (program starts at 1:00 p.m. of Feb. 9 and will run through the whole day of Feb. 10) **Forum on Trade, Finance Liberalization and its Implications on the Debt Crisis (in cooperation with Focus on the Global South and members of the Jubilee South Movement) February 11, 2000 (program starts 9:00 a.m. and ends 5:00 p.m.) Venue: Or Por Lor Building (3rd floor) Faculty of Medicine Chulalongkorn University Hospital Rajadamri Road, Bangkok No participation fees required. Just register at the forum venue 30 minutes before the program starts. For more information, contact the ISGN secretariat while in Bangkok at str2000@hotmail.com or through Focus on the Global South and the Thai NGO-Coordinating Committee at CUSRI, Chulalongkorn University, Tel: 662 218 7363/7364/7365 Fax: 662 255 9976. E-mails: admin@focusweb.org/ Nbullard@focusweb.org --------------------- Post-Seattle Forum on Trade and Agriculture: "Advancing the Call to Take Agriculture out of the WTO" February 9, 1-5 p.m. Opening and Welcome Remarks: ISGN - Francisco Pascual Focus on the Global South - Nicola Bullard Assembly of the Poor Thailand- Bamrung Kayotha Plenary Panel I: The WTO Fiasco in Seattle: Analysis and Prospects - Walden Bello (Focus on the Global South) UNCTAD and Which Way Forward for Developing Nations - Yash Tandon (ISGN Director) Lessons from Seattle and Implications on People's Struggles and Movements - Alejandro Benda?a (CEI Nicaragua) February 10, 9 a.m. -12:00 noon Plenary Panel II: The WTO Review of the Agreement on Agriculture: Issues and Problems -Ruchi Tripathi (ActionAid UK) Trade and TRIPS - Renee Vellve (GRAIN) The Global Farmers' Campaign to Take Agriculture out of the WTO - La Via Campesina The Political Economy of Trade Liberalization in Agriculture -Francisco Pascual (RCPD Philippines) Lunch Break: 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Plenary Forum III: Perspective and Position of Farmers and Peasant Organizations 1. Philippines 2. Bangladesh 3. Norway 4. Pakistan 5. Thailand 6. Indonesia Sythesis and Closing Remarks -Arze Glipo (IRDF-Philippines) ------------------------ Forum on Trade, Finance Liberalization and Its Implications on the Debt Crisis February 11, 9-12 noon Opening and Welcome Remarks: Alejandro Benda?a (CEI Nicaragua) Plenary I: Trade and Capital Market Liberalization and the Debt Crisis Panelists: Yash Tandon (ISGN) Eric Toussaint ( CADTM-Belgium) Walden Bello (Focus on the Global South) Patrick Bond (AIDC South Africa) Lunch Break: 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Plenary II: Status and Prospects of the Jubilee and Global Campaign Against Third World Debt Panelists: John Dillon (CEJI -Canada) Ann Pettifor (Jubilee 2000 UK) Brian Ashley (Jubilee 2000 South Africa) Beverly Keene (Dialogo 2000 Argentina) Synthesis and Closing Remarks Bishop Bernardino Mandlate (Mozambique) ---------------------- R E G I S T R A T I O N F O R M Kindly write your answers in BLOCK letters. First name: Last Name: Age: Sex: Nationality: Home Address: Languages Spoken: Name of organization: Name of organization (in English, where applicable): Address: Telephone number(s) Fax number: E-mail: Date of arrival in Bangkok: Check the ISGN Forums that you are attending ___ February 9-10 Post-Seattle Forum on Trade and Agriculture: Advancing the Call to Take Agriculture out of the WTO ___ February 11 Forum on Trade, Financial Liberalization and Implications on the Debt Crisis Are you also attending the February 7-8 UNCTAD NGO Plenary Caucus? ______ Do you need a letter invitation for visa purposes? _____ Please send your registration form to: Naty Bernardino ISGN-Manila c/o Resource Center for People's Development (RCPD) e-mail address: rcpd@info.com.ph isgn@tri-isys.com Tel/fax: (632)-436-18-31 __________________________ ISGN is a network of individuals with roots and active involvement in social movements and centers of research and learning. It is part of the global movement towards peace, justice and democracy through people-centered development. The ISGN - International Secretariat is based in Manila, Philippines with the following e-mail addresses: rcpd@info.com.ph or at isgn@tri-isys.com. You can also visit ISGN's website at www.isgnweb.org Resource Center for People's Development #24, Unit 7, Mapang-akit St, Pinyahan, QC, Philippines telefax- (632)4361831 tel - 4350815 email: rcpd@info.com.ph From amittal at foodfirst.org Fri Feb 4 08:51:57 2000 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2000 15:51:57 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1395] GE Foods Lecture/SF Public Library/Peter Rosset Message-ID: <0.700000824.1412820659-951758591-949621917@topica.com> San Francisco Public Library Presents: Earth Day Lecture Series: Peter Rosset and Mark Lipson on: Food Fight! Genetically Modified vs Conventional vs Organic Tuesday, February 15, 2000 at 6:00 p.m Does the Cartagena agreement achieved in Montreal last weekend mean we've addressed the genetically modified foods issue at last? Hardly. The fight has only begun. Come hear what's left to understand and to do. On Tuesday, February 15, 2000 at 6:00 p.m. the Wallace Stegner Environmental Center at the San Francisco Main Library, the Bay Area Earth Day 2000 Coalition, Stacey's Bookstore and Clover-Stornetta Dairy will host the fourth in a six-part series of environmental lectures in celebration of Earth Day 2000. To be held in the Main Library's Koret Auditorium at the Civic Center, this free public lecture will focus on the issues and debate currently surrounding genetically modified foods. What are the implications when bioengineers transfer genetic codes from unrelated plans and animals into certain other plants such as corn and soybeans to "improve" them? A worldwide controversy has erupted. Featuring Peter Rosset, Executive Director of Food First/ The Institute for Food and Development Policy and Mark Lipson, Policy Program Director for the Organic Farming Research Foundation, this lecture will examine a range of food safety issues including whether or not genetic engineering can best meet our future food needs. If you would like more information on this lecture, please contact Eunice Groark at 415-437-4852. Free hors d'ouevres reception 5-6pm in Latino/Hispanic Community Room (A) across the hall from Koret Auditorium. Provided by Millennium Restaurant. Please join us. Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. _______________________________________________________ >From the primaries to the mosh pits, get updates on the U.S. presidential race by joining our Politics list! http://www.topica.com/lists/politics From panap at panap.po.my Fri Feb 11 17:54:15 2000 From: panap at panap.po.my (PAN Asia Pacific) Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2000 16:54:15 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1396] [KMP Updates] Action Alert for Philippine peasants - Central Mindanao University (fwd) Message-ID: Dear friends, This is call for support on peasants struggle against an agriculture university in Mindanao. Read the article below and understand the suffers that the farmers had gone through all these years. The government is favoring the reconcentration of lands and wealth into the hands of the big landlords, compradors and multinational firms. Please show your support by sending letters to Chairperson, Commission on Higher Education. You can use the sample letter given below or write your own letter. Visit KMP's website and get more update at http://www.geocities.com/kmp_ph. Or you can easily fill in form which will be sent to the targeted person in PAN AP website at http://www.poptel.org/uk/panap/la.htm. Struggle for land, is a struggle for life. Jumat M. Info-Doc Centre PAN AP FORWARDED MAIL ------- From: kmp@quickweb.com.ph Date: 03 Feb 00 Originally To: kmp@topica.com ACTION ALERT FOR LAND STRUGGLE Subject:Philippines - 800 peasant families threatened with violent eviction from farmlands inside state-owned school of the Central Mindanao University Background: MUSUAN is a town in Bukidnon province in the Southern Philippines, an agriculturally very productive region with samll farms as well as plantations that are producing grains, sugar cane, pineapples and lately, exotic cash crops for export. Big landlord families own most of the farmlands in Bukidnon while the landless peasants suffer in poverty. Landlessness is made worse by the government's Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and other policies that benefit landlords and foreign corporations. The government also owns 3,080 hectares of lands through the Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Musuan town for agricultural research. This government-owned school is far from a model for social justice and acts much like the landlords in violating the human rights of the people to feed themselves, to produce food and to food sovereignty. Before this, the CMU worked harmoniously with the natives and settlers. In the early 1970s, it hired a few agricultural workers to till the idle lands as part of the government's efforts to make its corporations earn some of their revenues. Many more farmworkers arrived to till rice for private firms which temporarily lease land from the CMU. They settled peacefully and raised their families in the school grounds. When the biggest firm, Philippine Packing Corp., was about to close in 1984, the CMU initiated an agribusiness project to combine agricultural research, training of the university students and income generation for the farmworkers. In 1986, the project was restarted as the Income Enhancement Program to exploit the idle lands of the school. When Dr. Leonardo Chua became the school's president in 1987, he turned away from the peaceful coexistence of farmworkers with the academic community of students, teachers, off-farm staff and managers, and started efforts to remove the farmers. Chua began branding the settled farmworkers as 'squatters.' In fact he only wanted to bring in other farmworkers willing to till the farms without settling and asking the school for just benefits. This provoked the farmworkers to organize themselves into the Bukidnon Free Farmers and Agricultural Labors Organization (BUFFALO) to protect their security of tenure. BUFFALO applied with the government=92s Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for the land rights of 1,200 hectares of the school grounds. In 1991, the DAR issued to BUFFALO certificates of land ownership (CLOAS) for 400 hectares, while two other farmer groups, Tamaraw and Limus, got 200 hectares each. The CMU under Chua consequently contested the land transfer in court. In October 1992, the government, through the Supreme Court, used CARP to exempt itself from the constitutional safeguards for landless farmers. The farmworkers opposed the ruling with militant protests but were dealt with cruelly by the school management. In 1994, Chua caused private security guards to demolish the houses of the farmworkers and two peasant leaders were shot dead. Chua was succeeded by Dr. Jaime Gellor, and in July 1998, by Dr. Mardonio Lao who is also determined to remove the farmworker-farmers. Since his first day as chief, he began to press all kinds of legal and illegal tricks to terrorize the three groups of farmworker-farmers. In sum, Lao is blackmailing the farmers to sign an agreement for a 'civil law lease' which allows him to order farmers to vacate the land anytime, keep them out and rent out the lands to agribusiness firms. Together with the governor of Bukidnon, he is using the 1992 Supreme Court ruling to justify the forcible eviction of the farmers by private security guards, the military and goons (even if the ruling merely declares exemption from land reform and did not say anything about eviction). The three farmer groups, led by BUFFALO, believe that only a leasehold agreement and a sound development plan would be fair for all parties. The leasehold proposes that farmers till the CMU lands, remit a fixed portion of the harvest to the campus and provide indigenous training for the agriculture students. Lao, however, rejects any settlement and pushes for a monopoly of power, as he convinced the school board and already violated an earlier agreement with the three farmer groups to negotiate for a leasehold. President Estrada, who was elected in 1998 because of his promise to improve the lives of the poor,is favoring the reconcentration of lands and wealth into the hands of the big landlords, compradors and multinational firms. The regime committed itself to the prescriptions of the IMF, World Bank and World Trade Organization to privatizate, liberalize and deregulate all sectors of the economy, including education. Last year, the Commission on Higher Education directed all state-owned schools such as CMU to raise their own funds from joint ventures with big business, while this year the government budget for education was cut in favor of the armed forces and foreign debt payments. Therefore, CMU=92s effort to remove the farmers is in line with the government's thrusts. It is part of the plan of all public agricultural training institutes (ATIs) to abandon assistance to small farmers and put themselves at the service of agrocorporations who will use the lands, talents and government research funds of ATIs for their own profit. Alarmingly, these government institutions are geared to further promote unsustainable corporate farming practices that will worsen landlessness in the country. Why the Action Alert?: The three farmer groups have no hope in the Estrada government to act favorably for a just settlement. There is no other way but to actively defend their rights because if they would be evicted, the farmers have nowhere to go and might be forced to migrate to the cities where they would have to live in misery. Most farmlands in Mindanao are monopolized by the ruling families and even the government admits it cannot find a place to relocate the farmers. Yet CMU's administration is ready to repeat the bloody eviction of 1994 and only a determined people will prevent the ruling elite from defeating the cause of the tillers. BUFFALO, Tamaraw, Limus and the national movement of landless peasants and farmworkers Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) are working to prevent this meaningless loss of lives and livelihood, and ask for support to make sure the Bukidnon farmers continue to be able to feed themselves and the nation as well. Recommended Action: Please write polite letters to the Commissioner of Higher Education asking her to take the CMU to task in assuring the farmers' rights to lead productive lives in the farmlands of the school. Please ask the Commissioner to prevent Dr. Lao from evicting the farmers and to order the CMU administration to allow them to lease the disputed lands in exchange for a fair share from their farm produce and to cooperate with the farmers to draw up a democratic school development plan. Please also mail a copy to Dr. Mardonio Lao of CMU. (We encourage you to write your own letters. Of course, you can also use or modify the sample letter below.) ************************************************************************* Hon.Ester Garcia Chairperson Commissionon Higher Education DAP Building Pasig City Copy: Dr. Mardonio Lao President Central Mindanao University University Town Musuan, Bukidnon Philippines Dear Madam, I would like to relay to you my concerns about the eviction threat against some 800 farming families from 400 hectares of the Central Mindanao University premises. I believe that as a farming school, the CMU ought to forge a partnership with the farmers because they devoted their lives to make the university a real training school for food security of the people. I am alarmed that Dr. Lao, the school's president, is using undemocratic methods in forcing out the farmers and suppressing the opposition among the students, faculty and staff of CMU. Lao is reportedly sending private guards to harass the farmers and scare the students who might sympathize with them. Dr. Lao derisively calls the farmers =93squatters=94 while he would prefer big corporations to profit from the land=92s productivity. I am aware that the Supreme Court has ruled that the CMU lands are in the custody of the state and cannot be alienated and disposed. Therefore, I believe that the lands should be used in the interest of the majority of Filipinos, the peasants. You will certainly agree with me that laws should serve the people and should not be tools that add to poverty, suffering and conflict. I simply ask that the farmers be given the fullest sense of justice and fairness, because they have already respected the ruling and they deserve the guarantee of equitable sharing of the nation's wealth.Therefore, I support the request of the BUFFALO, Tamaraw and Limus groups of farmers to be given first priority in leasing the CMU farmlands. I ask for the withdrawal of all armed guards from the farmers' lands and for a just and fair settlement of the conflict in the interest of the farmers. Please instruct CMU's administration to take immediate and appropriate action. I would greatly appreciate you keeping me informed about any future developments in this case. Yours sincerely, *********************************************************************** If you can still write to the following people, please do so because they can urge the administrators to sit down in a fair negotiation with the farmer groups. Letters by post and fax are preferred but you may send e-mail instead to save on postage and fax charges. Rep. Abdullah S. Mangotara Chairperson Committee on Agrarian Reform Congress of the Philippines House of Representatives Batasan Hills, Quezon City, Philippines Fax (632) 931-6888 Rep. Dante Liban Chairperson House Committee on Higher Education House of Representatives Quezon City, Philippines Fax (632) 9514333 Senator Teresita Aquino Oreta Chairperson Senate Committee on Higher and Technical Education Congress of the Philippines, Senate Room 516 GSIS Bldg., Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard Pasay City Email: legis@i-manila.com.ph Please inform KMP about any response to your letters by sending an email to kmp@quickweb.com.ph. Visit the KMP website at http://www.geocities.com/kmp_ph/ for more details and updates. --- Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Peasant Movement of the Philippines URL: http://www.geocities.com/kmp_ph Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Peasant Movement of the Philippines http://www.geocities.com/kmp_ph Reactions: kmp@quickweb.com.ph Subscribe: kmp-subscribe@topica.com Unsubscribe: kmp-unsubscribe@topica.com Subscribe: _______________________________________________________ >From the primaries to the mosh pits, get updates on the U.S. presidential race by joining our Politics list! http://www.topica.com/lists/politics PAN - Asia and the Pacific P.O. Box 1170 11850 Penang Malaysia Web : http://www.poptel.org.uk/panap Tel. : 604-6570271/6560381 Fax : 604-6577445 From amittal at foodfirst.org Tue Feb 15 03:55:24 2000 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2000 10:55:24 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1397] IMF CHIEF CALLS FOR END OF POVERTY AFTER PIE IN THE FACE Message-ID: <0.700000824.720838518-951758591-950554524@topica.com> PLESAE FIND ATTACHED ARTICLES ON UNCTAD'S MEETING IN THAILAND AND PROTESTS IT GENERATED: IMF CHIEF CALLS FOR END OF POVERTY AFTER PIE IN THE FACE The managing director of theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF), Michel Camdessus, has called for fresh efforts to eliminate poverty. Mr Camdessus told a conference of developing nations in the Thai capital, Bangkok, that the growing gap between rich and poor was morally outrageous. Mr Camdessus said poverty was the greatest concern of our time, adding the widening gaps between the most affluent and most impoverished nations were morally outrageous, economically wasteful and potentially socially explosive. But there have been wide-ranging critics of the IMF's policies in the rescue of the Asian economies in the past two years. Pie Earlier, Mr Camdessus became the latest victim of a notorious pie-throwing protest group, after a lone demonstrator landed a pastry on his face at the talks. He joins Microsoft boss Bill Gates, former World Trade Organisation (WTO) leader Renato Ruggiero and film director Jean-Luc Godard as embarrassed victims of Patissiers sans Frontieres (Bakers without Borders - PSF). Mr Camdessus, who was about to deliver his last major address as IMF managing director before retiring on Monday, was targeted by the self-styled "pastry commandos" as he arrived at the venue hosting the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). As he approached the lectern, the protester walked up casually to within arm's length of the IMF chief and unleashed the pie. Security personnel quickly moved to surround Mr Camdessus, who appeared shocked by the attack. The protestor, US national Robert Naiman, was later released by police after the UN declined to press charges. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan later said the attack was "a bit rude" adding Mr Camdessus and the IMF had "done a lot for the international system". PSF says the pie-throwing is designed to poke fun at prominent figures and those who are judged to take the public creamings with good humour are never bothered again. Security UNCTAD's Thai hosts have erected a massive security curtain around the meeting, anxious to prevent a repeat of the violence at WTO talks in Seattle last year and at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. However, 1,000 activists marched on the conference Saturday, calling for radical changes to the global financial system, which they say keeps much of the world locked in poverty. UNCTAD, which has earned a reputation as an advocate of developing nations, is attended by many delegates hostile to the role of world financial bodies. _______________________________________________________ OUTGOING IMF CHIEF HIT WITH PIE BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- The outgoing chief of the International Monetary Fund got a rude retirement present Sunday when an American anti-free trade activist penetrated security at a trade conference and hit him with a pie in the face. Moments before Michel Camdessus was to deliver his last speech as IMF chairman, the activist hurled a fruit-and-cream pie inside the meeting hall where some 190 nations are holding the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development. The action left Camdessus -- seen by many activists as Public Enemy No. 1 for dictating financial policies to poor countries -- and Thailand's tough-talking security officials with pie on their faces. Camdessus has been a prime target of both Thai and foreign anti-free trade activists gathered in Bangkok to demonstrate at the conference, seeking to repeat protests that derailed the World Trade Organization summit in Seattle last year. The pie-thrower, who identified himself as Robert Reuel Naiman, 34, of Washington, D.C., said he performed the stunt to give the IMF chief ``a friendly reminder of what we think of his policies and to give a warning to his successor we expect different policies.'' Camdessus was chatting to delegates in the main conference hall before making a keynote speech when Naiman snuck up beside him and threw a pie with a shout of ``Happy Birthday!''``It was a small cake, very tasty,'' Naiman told the ITV television network before he was taken away by security. Naiman had managed to sneak his projectile through a tight security cordon around the Queen Sirikit Convention Center, the site of the conference. Thai police have kept demonstrators away from the immediate area. Naiman was being questioned by U.N. security officials inside the center. National Police Chief Gen. Pracha Promnok said it would be up to the United Nations if they wished to file criminal charges and prosecute him. ``I'm disappointed,'' said Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan. ``It's absolutely impossible to prevent such an incident. We have left no stone unturned in our planning and preparation. We have been able to prevent bigger problems.'' The Brussels-based group said it had staged similar attacks at international conferences and called the attack a ``slight and sweet embarrassment'' compared to the tremendous suffering inflicted on poor countries by the IMF. Naiman, who described himself only as a ``private citizen,'' said that he had been at the WTO meeting in Seattle, which ended in acrimony when anti-free trade activists clashed violently with police. _____________________________________________________ CAMDESSUS DEFENDS IMF IN SPEECH BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Giving his last speech as chief of the International Monetary Fund, Michel Camdessus used the occasion Sunday to counter claims that his organization has ignored the concerns of ordinary people. Camdessus said foreign investment in the Third World has enormous potential to close the income gap, while information technology has given poor nations access to knowledge that was once the preserve of the rich. ``Globalization can now be seen in a positive light ... as the best means of improving the human condition throughout the world,'' he said. Camdessus, 66, retiring after heading the IMF since 1987, spoke at the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development shortly after an American anti-free trade activist threw a pie in his face in protest against the IMF. He spoke without mentioning the attack but was passionate in his defense of the fund's goal of stabilizing the global financial system as a prerequisite for reducing inequality in wealth. ``Macroeconomic stability is clearly necessary for growth and hence poverty alleviation,'' Camdessus told delegates from some 190 countries gathered for the eight-day meeting. UNCTAD aims to use trade to promote development in poor countries. Camdessus postponed a news conference that had been scheduled after his speech, which itself was delayed for half an hour after the pie-throwing incident. Critics of the IMF's bailout packages of Asian countries during the recent regional economic crisis see the Washington-based fund as a symbol of how globalization has benefitted rich countries at the expense of the poor. In Thailand, which will leave its IMF-brokered $17.2 billion economic bailout package in June, many people claim the fund's insistence on high interest rates to restore financial stability deepened recession, leading to heavy job losses. ____________________________________________________ IMF CHIEF CAMDESSUS HIT WITH PIE AT UN TRADE MEETING BANGKOK, Feb 13 (AFP) - A protester at a major UN trade talks here threw a fruit pie at International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Michel Camdessus Sunday as he entered the conference venue. The mess landed on Camdessus's face and he retreated to a corner of the room to clean himself up, while the lone demonstrator left the scene. The protester, who identified himself as US national Robert Naiman, was apprehended within the building shortly afterwards by security personnel, who had initially moved to surround Camdessus. The IMF chief quickly recovered and resumed his conversation with officials at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), where he is to deliver a keynote address later Saturday. Naiman told AFP he was acting as a private citizen and not on behalf of any group, but the protest group "Patissiers sans Frontieres" (Bakers without Borders) has issued a statement on the prank. Naiman also said he had demonstrated at the World Trade Organisation talks in Seattle, which were marred by violent demonstrations. "We wanted to tell Mr. Camdessus that we don't appreciate his leadership, because of the destruction IMF policies have caused," he said. "Mr. Camdessus is a servant of rich countries who enact economic policies which hurt the poor. We want to give a warning to his successor that we expect different policies," he said before he was hauled off by police. Camdessus is to step down from his post Monday and his address here will be his last major speech before retiring. UNCTAD's Thai hosts have erected a massive security curtain around the meeting, anxious to prevent a repeat of the violence at Seattle and at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. However, a thousand activists marched on the conference Saturday calling for radical changes to the global financial system, which they say keeps much of the world locked in poverty. UNCTAD, which has earned a reputation as an advocate of developing nations, is attended by many delegates hostile to the role of world financial bodies. _____________________________________________________ Agence France Presse - February 12 7:24 PM SGT PROTESTORS CONFRONT TRADE CONFERENCE, SLAM GLOABLAIZATION BANGKOK, Feb 12 (AFP) - A thousand activists marched on a major UN trade conference on Saturday calling for radical changes to the global financial system which they say keeps much of the world locked in poverty. Demonstrators were not deterred by a massive Thai security curtain around the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) designed to prevent a repeat of violence which marred trade talks in Seattle and Davos. As world leaders and delegates met inside a conference centre, singing and yelling protestors carrying banners lambasting the World Bank, World Trade Organization and IMF found their route to the venue blocked by riot police. "WTO/IMF/ADB/WB - Go to Hell" and "Struggle Against the New Imperialism" read banners hung between balloon-decked trucks carrying the protesters. Flanked by cordons of police, several hundred Thai and foreign protestors were later allowed to approach the conference centre hosting UNCTAD and stand across the road from the venue. Once in front of the venue, protestors slammed globalization and presented their demands to UNCTAD officials, who came out to police barriers to meet demonstrators. "We hope organizations realize globalisation is leading the world to chaos, inequality and madness," said protestor Demoussa Dembele, leader of a non-governmental organisation coordinating committee in Senegal. "UNCTAD is a good opportunity to rethink policies that more equally redistribute the benefits of globalisation and alter the international financial system," he said. Among their demands demonstrators called on UNCTAD delegates to reform the world's financial system to benefit developing countries and help protect natural resources. "We share your feelings, we have the same aspirations for developing countries to have a better life, and we want this conference to give you and your families hope," said Awni Behnam, secretary of the UN trade and development board, who received the protestors' demands. "Your cause is our cause," he said. Earlier, protestors gathered in a Bangkok park to coordinate their demands and plan the march, which progressed through slum districts near the conference centre. "The Thai government always says it's democratic, but they don't allow us a real protest, showing that they're just like a dictatorship," said Virasak Sunthorncamorn, director of Labour Academy, one of the protesting groups. Although there were brief outbreaks of pushing and shoving between demonstrators and the police, the protest was mostly peaceful. A number of protestors sang upbeat songs and laughed and joked with police. Several times protestors sat down in front of police. Most of the demonstrators came from Thai non-governmental organisations (NGOs), but they were joined by foreign protestors from over 40 countries and 200 textile workers who accuse the government of failing to save their struggling industry. In a statement, Bangkok-based NGO Assembly of the Poor lambasted UNCTAD as an organization dominated by a few states. Because UNCTAD is controlled by powerful countries and transnational corporations, it will not promote free trade and genuine development, and will exploit developing countries, the statement said. The group also accused the Thai government of selling control over its economy to foreigners. "The government does not protect the people's sovereignty but acts as a slave of imperialism," said the statement. "This organization of poor people is very important, since their mobilization shows that even the most disadvantaged people can have a say in determining trade policies," said Christopher Aguiton of a French NGO. Thai police were already on red alert after 10 Myanmar rebels last month besieged a hospital in western Thailand and took hundreds of hostages in a 24 hour stand-off. The 10 hostage-takers were killed by security forces. _____________________________________________________ Agence France Presse - February 12 7:27 PM SGT UN CHIEF SLAMS POWERFUL NATIONS AT GLOBA: TRADE TALKS BANGKOK, Feb 12 (AFP) - UN chief Kofi Annan attacked the world's most powerful nations at the opening of major trade talks Saturday, blaming them for scuppering last year's WTO talks and stunting the development of poor countries. Annan said the "leading economic powers" were solely responsible for the spectacular failure of the World Trade Organisation summit in Seattle, which was supposed to launch a new round of trade negotiations. He described as a "popular myth" the belief that the talks were derailed by the violent protests which paralysed the summit's program. "The round was not launched because governments -- particularly those of the world's leading economic powers -- could not agree on their priorities," he told the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Developing nations played a more "active and united role" in the Seattle talks than ever before, he said, while the industrial powers bickered among themselves and showed they did not have the will to implement reforms. UNCTAD, which has earned a reputation as an advocate of poor nations, aims to bring developing nations into the global economic fold and calm fierce anti-trade sentiment. But even before Annan opened the talks, 1,000 anti-globalisation protestors marched on the conference venue in central Bangkok, demanding immediate action to share the spoils of globalisation more fairly. "WTO/IMF/ADB/WB - Go to Hell" read a banner stretched between trucks, laden with hundreds of balloons, that carried the protesters through the Thai capital before a cordon of riot police blocked their advance. The secretary-general said the developing world remained excluded from the move towards globalisation, partly because of barriers put in place by industrialised countries. And he called for a "Global New Deal" where the benefits of globalisation would be spread among all pro-investment countries. "Can we not attempt on a global level what any successful industrialised country does to help its most disadvantaged or underdeveloped regions catch up," he asked. There are already signs that the world's most powerful nations and trade bodies are responding to criticism that developing nations have been dealt a raw deal in the liberalisation process. WTO chief Mike Moore told AFP Saturday that he was working on a package of proposals to offer poorer economies better access to lucrative markets. "We have agreed to try and negotiate free market access for least developed countries," he said, adding that WTO ambassadors had also agreed to discuss implementation issues. Moore said the acrimony of last year had now eased, and that WTO talks since then had made "considerable progress." "I think confidence is back, we have been working on (the issues) -- how successful we will be only time will tell." "We are talking, we are not there yet but we are working on it," he said. Conference organisers hope the inclusion within the UNCTAD program of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) -- which have spearheaded opposition to free trade -- will minimise the risk of violent disruption. At a round-table discussion that kicked off the talks Saturday, leading economists said widening inequality among the world's rich and poor must be addressed in the interests of maximising global development. They said that in a system where the rich make the rules, the incidence of poverty was rising and rates of development were becoming even more uneven. Leaders of nine Southeast Asian nations will be present at the week-long conference, as well as Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and the heads of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. _____________________________________________________________ Who will win the Oscars? Spout off on our Entertainment list! http://www.topica.com/lists/showbiztalk From amittal at foodfirst.org Tue Feb 15 03:55:24 2000 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2000 10:55:24 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1398] IMF CHIEF CALLS FOR END OF POVERTY AFTER PIE IN THE FACE Message-ID: <0.700000824.792832642-951758591-950554524@topica.com> PLESAE FIND ATTACHED ARTICLES ON UNCTAD'S MEETING IN THAILAND AND PROTESTS IT GENERATED: IMF CHIEF CALLS FOR END OF POVERTY AFTER PIE IN THE FACE The managing director of theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF), Michel Camdessus, has called for fresh efforts to eliminate poverty. Mr Camdessus told a conference of developing nations in the Thai capital, Bangkok, that the growing gap between rich and poor was morally outrageous. Mr Camdessus said poverty was the greatest concern of our time, adding the widening gaps between the most affluent and most impoverished nations were morally outrageous, economically wasteful and potentially socially explosive. But there have been wide-ranging critics of the IMF's policies in the rescue of the Asian economies in the past two years. Pie Earlier, Mr Camdessus became the latest victim of a notorious pie-throwing protest group, after a lone demonstrator landed a pastry on his face at the talks. He joins Microsoft boss Bill Gates, former World Trade Organisation (WTO) leader Renato Ruggiero and film director Jean-Luc Godard as embarrassed victims of Patissiers sans Frontieres (Bakers without Borders - PSF). Mr Camdessus, who was about to deliver his last major address as IMF managing director before retiring on Monday, was targeted by the self-styled "pastry commandos" as he arrived at the venue hosting the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). As he approached the lectern, the protester walked up casually to within arm's length of the IMF chief and unleashed the pie. Security personnel quickly moved to surround Mr Camdessus, who appeared shocked by the attack. The protestor, US national Robert Naiman, was later released by police after the UN declined to press charges. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan later said the attack was "a bit rude" adding Mr Camdessus and the IMF had "done a lot for the international system". PSF says the pie-throwing is designed to poke fun at prominent figures and those who are judged to take the public creamings with good humour are never bothered again. Security UNCTAD's Thai hosts have erected a massive security curtain around the meeting, anxious to prevent a repeat of the violence at WTO talks in Seattle last year and at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. However, 1,000 activists marched on the conference Saturday, calling for radical changes to the global financial system, which they say keeps much of the world locked in poverty. UNCTAD, which has earned a reputation as an advocate of developing nations, is attended by many delegates hostile to the role of world financial bodies. _______________________________________________________ OUTGOING IMF CHIEF HIT WITH PIE BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- The outgoing chief of the International Monetary Fund got a rude retirement present Sunday when an American anti-free trade activist penetrated security at a trade conference and hit him with a pie in the face. Moments before Michel Camdessus was to deliver his last speech as IMF chairman, the activist hurled a fruit-and-cream pie inside the meeting hall where some 190 nations are holding the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development. The action left Camdessus -- seen by many activists as Public Enemy No. 1 for dictating financial policies to poor countries -- and Thailand's tough-talking security officials with pie on their faces. Camdessus has been a prime target of both Thai and foreign anti-free trade activists gathered in Bangkok to demonstrate at the conference, seeking to repeat protests that derailed the World Trade Organization summit in Seattle last year. The pie-thrower, who identified himself as Robert Reuel Naiman, 34, of Washington, D.C., said he performed the stunt to give the IMF chief ``a friendly reminder of what we think of his policies and to give a warning to his successor we expect different policies.'' Camdessus was chatting to delegates in the main conference hall before making a keynote speech when Naiman snuck up beside him and threw a pie with a shout of ``Happy Birthday!''``It was a small cake, very tasty,'' Naiman told the ITV television network before he was taken away by security. Naiman had managed to sneak his projectile through a tight security cordon around the Queen Sirikit Convention Center, the site of the conference. Thai police have kept demonstrators away from the immediate area. Naiman was being questioned by U.N. security officials inside the center. National Police Chief Gen. Pracha Promnok said it would be up to the United Nations if they wished to file criminal charges and prosecute him. ``I'm disappointed,'' said Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan. ``It's absolutely impossible to prevent such an incident. We have left no stone unturned in our planning and preparation. We have been able to prevent bigger problems.'' The Brussels-based group said it had staged similar attacks at international conferences and called the attack a ``slight and sweet embarrassment'' compared to the tremendous suffering inflicted on poor countries by the IMF. Naiman, who described himself only as a ``private citizen,'' said that he had been at the WTO meeting in Seattle, which ended in acrimony when anti-free trade activists clashed violently with police. _____________________________________________________ CAMDESSUS DEFENDS IMF IN SPEECH BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Giving his last speech as chief of the International Monetary Fund, Michel Camdessus used the occasion Sunday to counter claims that his organization has ignored the concerns of ordinary people. Camdessus said foreign investment in the Third World has enormous potential to close the income gap, while information technology has given poor nations access to knowledge that was once the preserve of the rich. ``Globalization can now be seen in a positive light ... as the best means of improving the human condition throughout the world,'' he said. Camdessus, 66, retiring after heading the IMF since 1987, spoke at the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development shortly after an American anti-free trade activist threw a pie in his face in protest against the IMF. He spoke without mentioning the attack but was passionate in his defense of the fund's goal of stabilizing the global financial system as a prerequisite for reducing inequality in wealth. ``Macroeconomic stability is clearly necessary for growth and hence poverty alleviation,'' Camdessus told delegates from some 190 countries gathered for the eight-day meeting. UNCTAD aims to use trade to promote development in poor countries. Camdessus postponed a news conference that had been scheduled after his speech, which itself was delayed for half an hour after the pie-throwing incident. Critics of the IMF's bailout packages of Asian countries during the recent regional economic crisis see the Washington-based fund as a symbol of how globalization has benefitted rich countries at the expense of the poor. In Thailand, which will leave its IMF-brokered $17.2 billion economic bailout package in June, many people claim the fund's insistence on high interest rates to restore financial stability deepened recession, leading to heavy job losses. ____________________________________________________ IMF CHIEF CAMDESSUS HIT WITH PIE AT UN TRADE MEETING BANGKOK, Feb 13 (AFP) - A protester at a major UN trade talks here threw a fruit pie at International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Michel Camdessus Sunday as he entered the conference venue. The mess landed on Camdessus's face and he retreated to a corner of the room to clean himself up, while the lone demonstrator left the scene. The protester, who identified himself as US national Robert Naiman, was apprehended within the building shortly afterwards by security personnel, who had initially moved to surround Camdessus. The IMF chief quickly recovered and resumed his conversation with officials at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), where he is to deliver a keynote address later Saturday. Naiman told AFP he was acting as a private citizen and not on behalf of any group, but the protest group "Patissiers sans Frontieres" (Bakers without Borders) has issued a statement on the prank. Naiman also said he had demonstrated at the World Trade Organisation talks in Seattle, which were marred by violent demonstrations. "We wanted to tell Mr. Camdessus that we don't appreciate his leadership, because of the destruction IMF policies have caused," he said. "Mr. Camdessus is a servant of rich countries who enact economic policies which hurt the poor. We want to give a warning to his successor that we expect different policies," he said before he was hauled off by police. Camdessus is to step down from his post Monday and his address here will be his last major speech before retiring. UNCTAD's Thai hosts have erected a massive security curtain around the meeting, anxious to prevent a repeat of the violence at Seattle and at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. However, a thousand activists marched on the conference Saturday calling for radical changes to the global financial system, which they say keeps much of the world locked in poverty. UNCTAD, which has earned a reputation as an advocate of developing nations, is attended by many delegates hostile to the role of world financial bodies. _____________________________________________________ Agence France Presse - February 12 7:24 PM SGT PROTESTORS CONFRONT TRADE CONFERENCE, SLAM GLOABLAIZATION BANGKOK, Feb 12 (AFP) - A thousand activists marched on a major UN trade conference on Saturday calling for radical changes to the global financial system which they say keeps much of the world locked in poverty. Demonstrators were not deterred by a massive Thai security curtain around the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) designed to prevent a repeat of violence which marred trade talks in Seattle and Davos. As world leaders and delegates met inside a conference centre, singing and yelling protestors carrying banners lambasting the World Bank, World Trade Organization and IMF found their route to the venue blocked by riot police. "WTO/IMF/ADB/WB - Go to Hell" and "Struggle Against the New Imperialism" read banners hung between balloon-decked trucks carrying the protesters. Flanked by cordons of police, several hundred Thai and foreign protestors were later allowed to approach the conference centre hosting UNCTAD and stand across the road from the venue. Once in front of the venue, protestors slammed globalization and presented their demands to UNCTAD officials, who came out to police barriers to meet demonstrators. "We hope organizations realize globalisation is leading the world to chaos, inequality and madness," said protestor Demoussa Dembele, leader of a non-governmental organisation coordinating committee in Senegal. "UNCTAD is a good opportunity to rethink policies that more equally redistribute the benefits of globalisation and alter the international financial system," he said. Among their demands demonstrators called on UNCTAD delegates to reform the world's financial system to benefit developing countries and help protect natural resources. "We share your feelings, we have the same aspirations for developing countries to have a better life, and we want this conference to give you and your families hope," said Awni Behnam, secretary of the UN trade and development board, who received the protestors' demands. "Your cause is our cause," he said. Earlier, protestors gathered in a Bangkok park to coordinate their demands and plan the march, which progressed through slum districts near the conference centre. "The Thai government always says it's democratic, but they don't allow us a real protest, showing that they're just like a dictatorship," said Virasak Sunthorncamorn, director of Labour Academy, one of the protesting groups. Although there were brief outbreaks of pushing and shoving between demonstrators and the police, the protest was mostly peaceful. A number of protestors sang upbeat songs and laughed and joked with police. Several times protestors sat down in front of police. Most of the demonstrators came from Thai non-governmental organisations (NGOs), but they were joined by foreign protestors from over 40 countries and 200 textile workers who accuse the government of failing to save their struggling industry. In a statement, Bangkok-based NGO Assembly of the Poor lambasted UNCTAD as an organization dominated by a few states. Because UNCTAD is controlled by powerful countries and transnational corporations, it will not promote free trade and genuine development, and will exploit developing countries, the statement said. The group also accused the Thai government of selling control over its economy to foreigners. "The government does not protect the people's sovereignty but acts as a slave of imperialism," said the statement. "This organization of poor people is very important, since their mobilization shows that even the most disadvantaged people can have a say in determining trade policies," said Christopher Aguiton of a French NGO. Thai police were already on red alert after 10 Myanmar rebels last month besieged a hospital in western Thailand and took hundreds of hostages in a 24 hour stand-off. The 10 hostage-takers were killed by security forces. _____________________________________________________ Agence France Presse - February 12 7:27 PM SGT UN CHIEF SLAMS POWERFUL NATIONS AT GLOBA: TRADE TALKS BANGKOK, Feb 12 (AFP) - UN chief Kofi Annan attacked the world's most powerful nations at the opening of major trade talks Saturday, blaming them for scuppering last year's WTO talks and stunting the development of poor countries. Annan said the "leading economic powers" were solely responsible for the spectacular failure of the World Trade Organisation summit in Seattle, which was supposed to launch a new round of trade negotiations. He described as a "popular myth" the belief that the talks were derailed by the violent protests which paralysed the summit's program. "The round was not launched because governments -- particularly those of the world's leading economic powers -- could not agree on their priorities," he told the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Developing nations played a more "active and united role" in the Seattle talks than ever before, he said, while the industrial powers bickered among themselves and showed they did not have the will to implement reforms. UNCTAD, which has earned a reputation as an advocate of poor nations, aims to bring developing nations into the global economic fold and calm fierce anti-trade sentiment. But even before Annan opened the talks, 1,000 anti-globalisation protestors marched on the conference venue in central Bangkok, demanding immediate action to share the spoils of globalisation more fairly. "WTO/IMF/ADB/WB - Go to Hell" read a banner stretched between trucks, laden with hundreds of balloons, that carried the protesters through the Thai capital before a cordon of riot police blocked their advance. The secretary-general said the developing world remained excluded from the move towards globalisation, partly because of barriers put in place by industrialised countries. And he called for a "Global New Deal" where the benefits of globalisation would be spread among all pro-investment countries. "Can we not attempt on a global level what any successful industrialised country does to help its most disadvantaged or underdeveloped regions catch up," he asked. There are already signs that the world's most powerful nations and trade bodies are responding to criticism that developing nations have been dealt a raw deal in the liberalisation process. WTO chief Mike Moore told AFP Saturday that he was working on a package of proposals to offer poorer economies better access to lucrative markets. "We have agreed to try and negotiate free market access for least developed countries," he said, adding that WTO ambassadors had also agreed to discuss implementation issues. Moore said the acrimony of last year had now eased, and that WTO talks since then had made "considerable progress." "I think confidence is back, we have been working on (the issues) -- how successful we will be only time will tell." "We are talking, we are not there yet but we are working on it," he said. Conference organisers hope the inclusion within the UNCTAD program of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) -- which have spearheaded opposition to free trade -- will minimise the risk of violent disruption. At a round-table discussion that kicked off the talks Saturday, leading economists said widening inequality among the world's rich and poor must be addressed in the interests of maximising global development. They said that in a system where the rich make the rules, the incidence of poverty was rising and rates of development were becoming even more uneven. Leaders of nine Southeast Asian nations will be present at the week-long conference, as well as Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and the heads of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. _____________________________________________________________ Who will win the Oscars? Spout off on our Entertainment list! http://www.topica.com/lists/showbiztalk From amittal at foodfirst.org Tue Feb 15 03:55:29 2000 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2000 10:55:29 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1399] IMF CHIEF CALLS FOR END OF POVERTY AFTER PIE IN THE FACE Message-ID: <0.700000824.1451319253-951758591-950554529@topica.com> PLESAE FIND ATTACHED ARTICLES ON UNCTAD'S MEETING IN THAILAND AND PROTESTS IT GENERATED: IMF CHIEF CALLS FOR END OF POVERTY AFTER PIE IN THE FACE The managing director of theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF), Michel Camdessus, has called for fresh efforts to eliminate poverty. Mr Camdessus told a conference of developing nations in the Thai capital, Bangkok, that the growing gap between rich and poor was morally outrageous. Mr Camdessus said poverty was the greatest concern of our time, adding the widening gaps between the most affluent and most impoverished nations were morally outrageous, economically wasteful and potentially socially explosive. But there have been wide-ranging critics of the IMF's policies in the rescue of the Asian economies in the past two years. Pie Earlier, Mr Camdessus became the latest victim of a notorious pie-throwing protest group, after a lone demonstrator landed a pastry on his face at the talks. He joins Microsoft boss Bill Gates, former World Trade Organisation (WTO) leader Renato Ruggiero and film director Jean-Luc Godard as embarrassed victims of Patissiers sans Frontieres (Bakers without Borders - PSF). Mr Camdessus, who was about to deliver his last major address as IMF managing director before retiring on Monday, was targeted by the self-styled "pastry commandos" as he arrived at the venue hosting the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). As he approached the lectern, the protester walked up casually to within arm's length of the IMF chief and unleashed the pie. Security personnel quickly moved to surround Mr Camdessus, who appeared shocked by the attack. The protestor, US national Robert Naiman, was later released by police after the UN declined to press charges. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan later said the attack was "a bit rude" adding Mr Camdessus and the IMF had "done a lot for the international system". PSF says the pie-throwing is designed to poke fun at prominent figures and those who are judged to take the public creamings with good humour are never bothered again. Security UNCTAD's Thai hosts have erected a massive security curtain around the meeting, anxious to prevent a repeat of the violence at WTO talks in Seattle last year and at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. However, 1,000 activists marched on the conference Saturday, calling for radical changes to the global financial system, which they say keeps much of the world locked in poverty. UNCTAD, which has earned a reputation as an advocate of developing nations, is attended by many delegates hostile to the role of world financial bodies. _______________________________________________________ OUTGOING IMF CHIEF HIT WITH PIE BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- The outgoing chief of the International Monetary Fund got a rude retirement present Sunday when an American anti-free trade activist penetrated security at a trade conference and hit him with a pie in the face. Moments before Michel Camdessus was to deliver his last speech as IMF chairman, the activist hurled a fruit-and-cream pie inside the meeting hall where some 190 nations are holding the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development. The action left Camdessus -- seen by many activists as Public Enemy No. 1 for dictating financial policies to poor countries -- and Thailand's tough-talking security officials with pie on their faces. Camdessus has been a prime target of both Thai and foreign anti-free trade activists gathered in Bangkok to demonstrate at the conference, seeking to repeat protests that derailed the World Trade Organization summit in Seattle last year. The pie-thrower, who identified himself as Robert Reuel Naiman, 34, of Washington, D.C., said he performed the stunt to give the IMF chief ``a friendly reminder of what we think of his policies and to give a warning to his successor we expect different policies.'' Camdessus was chatting to delegates in the main conference hall before making a keynote speech when Naiman snuck up beside him and threw a pie with a shout of ``Happy Birthday!''``It was a small cake, very tasty,'' Naiman told the ITV television network before he was taken away by security. Naiman had managed to sneak his projectile through a tight security cordon around the Queen Sirikit Convention Center, the site of the conference. Thai police have kept demonstrators away from the immediate area. Naiman was being questioned by U.N. security officials inside the center. National Police Chief Gen. Pracha Promnok said it would be up to the United Nations if they wished to file criminal charges and prosecute him. ``I'm disappointed,'' said Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan. ``It's absolutely impossible to prevent such an incident. We have left no stone unturned in our planning and preparation. We have been able to prevent bigger problems.'' The Brussels-based group said it had staged similar attacks at international conferences and called the attack a ``slight and sweet embarrassment'' compared to the tremendous suffering inflicted on poor countries by the IMF. Naiman, who described himself only as a ``private citizen,'' said that he had been at the WTO meeting in Seattle, which ended in acrimony when anti-free trade activists clashed violently with police. _____________________________________________________ CAMDESSUS DEFENDS IMF IN SPEECH BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Giving his last speech as chief of the International Monetary Fund, Michel Camdessus used the occasion Sunday to counter claims that his organization has ignored the concerns of ordinary people. Camdessus said foreign investment in the Third World has enormous potential to close the income gap, while information technology has given poor nations access to knowledge that was once the preserve of the rich. ``Globalization can now be seen in a positive light ... as the best means of improving the human condition throughout the world,'' he said. Camdessus, 66, retiring after heading the IMF since 1987, spoke at the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development shortly after an American anti-free trade activist threw a pie in his face in protest against the IMF. He spoke without mentioning the attack but was passionate in his defense of the fund's goal of stabilizing the global financial system as a prerequisite for reducing inequality in wealth. ``Macroeconomic stability is clearly necessary for growth and hence poverty alleviation,'' Camdessus told delegates from some 190 countries gathered for the eight-day meeting. UNCTAD aims to use trade to promote development in poor countries. Camdessus postponed a news conference that had been scheduled after his speech, which itself was delayed for half an hour after the pie-throwing incident. Critics of the IMF's bailout packages of Asian countries during the recent regional economic crisis see the Washington-based fund as a symbol of how globalization has benefitted rich countries at the expense of the poor. In Thailand, which will leave its IMF-brokered $17.2 billion economic bailout package in June, many people claim the fund's insistence on high interest rates to restore financial stability deepened recession, leading to heavy job losses. ____________________________________________________ IMF CHIEF CAMDESSUS HIT WITH PIE AT UN TRADE MEETING BANGKOK, Feb 13 (AFP) - A protester at a major UN trade talks here threw a fruit pie at International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Michel Camdessus Sunday as he entered the conference venue. The mess landed on Camdessus's face and he retreated to a corner of the room to clean himself up, while the lone demonstrator left the scene. The protester, who identified himself as US national Robert Naiman, was apprehended within the building shortly afterwards by security personnel, who had initially moved to surround Camdessus. The IMF chief quickly recovered and resumed his conversation with officials at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), where he is to deliver a keynote address later Saturday. Naiman told AFP he was acting as a private citizen and not on behalf of any group, but the protest group "Patissiers sans Frontieres" (Bakers without Borders) has issued a statement on the prank. Naiman also said he had demonstrated at the World Trade Organisation talks in Seattle, which were marred by violent demonstrations. "We wanted to tell Mr. Camdessus that we don't appreciate his leadership, because of the destruction IMF policies have caused," he said. "Mr. Camdessus is a servant of rich countries who enact economic policies which hurt the poor. We want to give a warning to his successor that we expect different policies," he said before he was hauled off by police. Camdessus is to step down from his post Monday and his address here will be his last major speech before retiring. UNCTAD's Thai hosts have erected a massive security curtain around the meeting, anxious to prevent a repeat of the violence at Seattle and at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. However, a thousand activists marched on the conference Saturday calling for radical changes to the global financial system, which they say keeps much of the world locked in poverty. UNCTAD, which has earned a reputation as an advocate of developing nations, is attended by many delegates hostile to the role of world financial bodies. _____________________________________________________ Agence France Presse - February 12 7:24 PM SGT PROTESTORS CONFRONT TRADE CONFERENCE, SLAM GLOABLAIZATION BANGKOK, Feb 12 (AFP) - A thousand activists marched on a major UN trade conference on Saturday calling for radical changes to the global financial system which they say keeps much of the world locked in poverty. Demonstrators were not deterred by a massive Thai security curtain around the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) designed to prevent a repeat of violence which marred trade talks in Seattle and Davos. As world leaders and delegates met inside a conference centre, singing and yelling protestors carrying banners lambasting the World Bank, World Trade Organization and IMF found their route to the venue blocked by riot police. "WTO/IMF/ADB/WB - Go to Hell" and "Struggle Against the New Imperialism" read banners hung between balloon-decked trucks carrying the protesters. Flanked by cordons of police, several hundred Thai and foreign protestors were later allowed to approach the conference centre hosting UNCTAD and stand across the road from the venue. Once in front of the venue, protestors slammed globalization and presented their demands to UNCTAD officials, who came out to police barriers to meet demonstrators. "We hope organizations realize globalisation is leading the world to chaos, inequality and madness," said protestor Demoussa Dembele, leader of a non-governmental organisation coordinating committee in Senegal. "UNCTAD is a good opportunity to rethink policies that more equally redistribute the benefits of globalisation and alter the international financial system," he said. Among their demands demonstrators called on UNCTAD delegates to reform the world's financial system to benefit developing countries and help protect natural resources. "We share your feelings, we have the same aspirations for developing countries to have a better life, and we want this conference to give you and your families hope," said Awni Behnam, secretary of the UN trade and development board, who received the protestors' demands. "Your cause is our cause," he said. Earlier, protestors gathered in a Bangkok park to coordinate their demands and plan the march, which progressed through slum districts near the conference centre. "The Thai government always says it's democratic, but they don't allow us a real protest, showing that they're just like a dictatorship," said Virasak Sunthorncamorn, director of Labour Academy, one of the protesting groups. Although there were brief outbreaks of pushing and shoving between demonstrators and the police, the protest was mostly peaceful. A number of protestors sang upbeat songs and laughed and joked with police. Several times protestors sat down in front of police. Most of the demonstrators came from Thai non-governmental organisations (NGOs), but they were joined by foreign protestors from over 40 countries and 200 textile workers who accuse the government of failing to save their struggling industry. In a statement, Bangkok-based NGO Assembly of the Poor lambasted UNCTAD as an organization dominated by a few states. Because UNCTAD is controlled by powerful countries and transnational corporations, it will not promote free trade and genuine development, and will exploit developing countries, the statement said. The group also accused the Thai government of selling control over its economy to foreigners. "The government does not protect the people's sovereignty but acts as a slave of imperialism," said the statement. "This organization of poor people is very important, since their mobilization shows that even the most disadvantaged people can have a say in determining trade policies," said Christopher Aguiton of a French NGO. Thai police were already on red alert after 10 Myanmar rebels last month besieged a hospital in western Thailand and took hundreds of hostages in a 24 hour stand-off. The 10 hostage-takers were killed by security forces. _____________________________________________________ Agence France Presse - February 12 7:27 PM SGT UN CHIEF SLAMS POWERFUL NATIONS AT GLOBA: TRADE TALKS BANGKOK, Feb 12 (AFP) - UN chief Kofi Annan attacked the world's most powerful nations at the opening of major trade talks Saturday, blaming them for scuppering last year's WTO talks and stunting the development of poor countries. Annan said the "leading economic powers" were solely responsible for the spectacular failure of the World Trade Organisation summit in Seattle, which was supposed to launch a new round of trade negotiations. He described as a "popular myth" the belief that the talks were derailed by the violent protests which paralysed the summit's program. "The round was not launched because governments -- particularly those of the world's leading economic powers -- could not agree on their priorities," he told the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Developing nations played a more "active and united role" in the Seattle talks than ever before, he said, while the industrial powers bickered among themselves and showed they did not have the will to implement reforms. UNCTAD, which has earned a reputation as an advocate of poor nations, aims to bring developing nations into the global economic fold and calm fierce anti-trade sentiment. But even before Annan opened the talks, 1,000 anti-globalisation protestors marched on the conference venue in central Bangkok, demanding immediate action to share the spoils of globalisation more fairly. "WTO/IMF/ADB/WB - Go to Hell" read a banner stretched between trucks, laden with hundreds of balloons, that carried the protesters through the Thai capital before a cordon of riot police blocked their advance. The secretary-general said the developing world remained excluded from the move towards globalisation, partly because of barriers put in place by industrialised countries. And he called for a "Global New Deal" where the benefits of globalisation would be spread among all pro-investment countries. "Can we not attempt on a global level what any successful industrialised country does to help its most disadvantaged or underdeveloped regions catch up," he asked. There are already signs that the world's most powerful nations and trade bodies are responding to criticism that developing nations have been dealt a raw deal in the liberalisation process. WTO chief Mike Moore told AFP Saturday that he was working on a package of proposals to offer poorer economies better access to lucrative markets. "We have agreed to try and negotiate free market access for least developed countries," he said, adding that WTO ambassadors had also agreed to discuss implementation issues. Moore said the acrimony of last year had now eased, and that WTO talks since then had made "considerable progress." "I think confidence is back, we have been working on (the issues) -- how successful we will be only time will tell." "We are talking, we are not there yet but we are working on it," he said. Conference organisers hope the inclusion within the UNCTAD program of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) -- which have spearheaded opposition to free trade -- will minimise the risk of violent disruption. At a round-table discussion that kicked off the talks Saturday, leading economists said widening inequality among the world's rich and poor must be addressed in the interests of maximising global development. They said that in a system where the rich make the rules, the incidence of poverty was rising and rates of development were becoming even more uneven. Leaders of nine Southeast Asian nations will be present at the week-long conference, as well as Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and the heads of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. _____________________________________________________________ Who will win the Oscars? Spout off on our Entertainment list! http://www.topica.com/lists/showbiztalk From amittal at foodfirst.org Fri Feb 18 14:58:04 2000 From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal) Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 21:58:04 -0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1400] Action Alert - Methyl Bromide Message-ID: <0.700000824.1432342188-951758591-950853484@topica.com> Action Alert from Californians for Pesticide Reform February 17, 2000 Protect the Public from Methyl Bromide! ---Write letter --- Attend hearing --- On January 18, 2000 California's Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) issued draft regulations on the toxic pesticide methyl bromide, covering many aspects of how farmers can use this chemical. Unfortunately, the new regulations are totally inadequate at protecting the public from this deadly pesticide. To gather public input, DPR will hold 4 public hearings in March and is now accepting written comments on the proposed regulations. Letters and attendance at the hearings is URGENTLY needed to convince state officials to protect nearby residents, school children and farmworkers from methyl bromide (MB). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BACKGROUND * Methyl bromide is widely used across California to grow strawberries, grapes and other crops. In 1998, California used nearly 14 million pounds of methyl bromide, making it one of the largest methyl bromide-using regions in the world. * Methyl bromide is a potent nerve toxin that is extremely dangerous to people and the environment. EPA classifies it as a Toxicity Category I toxin and methyl bromide has caused birth defects and brain/nervous system damage to laboratory animals. Methyl bromide also depletes the Earth's protective ozone layer and is scheduled to be phased out in industrialized countries in 2005. * In 1999, a coalition of environmental and health organizations won a State Superior court law suit, charging that the state's previous methyl bromide guidelines were not uniform and enforceable regulations. The judge ordered Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) to draft new statewide regulations. * Environmental, health and farmworker organizations across the state are extremely disappointed with the proposed regulations. Instead of protecting the public from dangerous pesticides, Governor Davis and his Administration have largely repackaged the old methyl bromide guidelines into new regulations with no substantial changes. The proposed regulations fall far short of protecting the health of farmworkers, children and the general public. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PROBLEMS WITH THE REGULATIONS 1. Schools: The new rules prohibit MB use near an "adjoining" school within 36 hours of classes being in session. But DPR's own monitoring has shown that elevated levels of MB can remain in the air more than 48 hours after fumigations. This means that if farmers fumigate on Saturday morning, MB could still be present when school starts on Monday. In addition, the regulations do not define how close "adjoining" schools are to fumigated fields and does not take into account the number of after-school and weekend activities undertaken by children on school property. This despite recommendations from state scientists that children in particular need a higher level of protection from methyl bromide. 2. Buffer zones: The minimum distance that must be maintained between fumigations and neighboring properties (such as residences and schools) was actually DECREASED from 100 feet in the previous guidelines to the currently suggested 60 feet minimum. This is clearly a step backwards since the previous 100 foot buffer zone was not adequate to protect public health, and 60 feet is EVEN WORSE. In addition, the regulations make no attempt to protect residents, children or workers from long-term exposure to methyl bromide. 3. Public notification: DPR is proposing that methyl bromide users notify sensitive sites (schools, homes, hospitals, etc) that are 300 feet from the buffer zone about upcoming MB use. This is inadequate since MB can drift more than 300 feet from fumigation sites and users would have to notify just 8 days before the fumigation, not allowing residents enough time to challenge the action. Neighbors can ask for a more detailed information, but the public has a right to know about MB use and residents should not have to request this important information. The proposal also requires notice only to property operators, ignoring renters, school staff, students and other people who may be affected but do not own nearby property. 4. Worker safety: to protect farmworkers working near fumigated fields, DPR has proposed a worker buffer zone of 50 feet. But independent scientists have shown that this buffer zone should be at least 190 feet to adequately protect workers from short-term peak exposures of methyl bromide. The regulations also do nothing to protect workers against repeated or sub-chronic exposure, such as people working or living near fumigated fields and those assisting with fumigations. 5. Upcoming Ban: Under an international ozone protection treaty, methyl bromide use in industrialized countries (including the U.S.) will be reduced by 50% in 2001, 70% in 2003 and banned in 2005. But instead of helping California farmers meet these deadlines, the Davis Administration is conducting business as usual and made no provisions in the regulations to help farmers switch to sustainable alternatives. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TAKE ACTION 1. Send a letter immediately to Governor Gray Davis and the Department of Pesticide Regulation, protesting the Administration's failure to protect the public from methyl bromide. Please email or send us a copy. (See sample letter and our contact information below.) 2. Let us know if you want to attend the state's public hearings on methyl bromide where communities can criticize these regulations. DPR will hold hearings in Fresno, Salinas and Ontario and Ventura, at these locations: *Salinas: Tuesday March 7, 6:00 PM, 940 North Main Street (Santa Lucia Room) *Fresno Area: Thursday March 9, 1:00 p.m., University of California Kearney Agricultural Center, 9240 S. Riverbend Avenue, (in Parlier) * Ventura: Saturday March 11, 1 p.m., Seaside Park. * Ontario: Monday March 13, 1:00 p.m., Ontario Convention Center, 2000 Convention Center Way, Room 100A/B 3. For more information please contact: * Anne Schonfield, Pesticide Action Network, 415-981-1771, email: annes@panna.org * Bryan Neuberg, Pesticide Watch, 415-981-6205 x 323, email: nomethyl@earthlink.net ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SAMPLE LETTER ON METHYL BROMIDE (Please personalize and put on your letterhead) Governor Gray Davis State Capitol Building Sacramento, CA 95814 fax: 916 445 4633 (the governor does not accept email) Dear Governor Davis, My organization is extremely disappointed with the draft regulations on methyl bromide recently released by the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) and we urge you change them to better protect California school children, residents and farmworkers who are on the front lines of methyl bromide use in our state. I am particularly concerned about the following: 1. Schools: Since air monitoring has shown that high levels of methyl bromide can remain in the air more than 48 hours after fumigation, DPR's 36 hour window is inadequate to protect our children. The regulations also ignore state scientists' recommendations that children need a higher level of protection than adults. We believe that all methyl bromide applications within 1,000 feet of schools and day care centers should be banned. 2. Buffer zones: The suggested minimum buffer zone of 60 feet is actually WORSE than the 100 feet buffer zone under the Wilson Administration. THIS MUST BE CHANGED. We believe that the minimum residential buffer zone should be at least 1,000 feet to adequately protect the public. 3. Public notification: The public has a right to know about methyl bromide use near their homes, schools and work places, and Californians should not be forced to ask for detailed use information. We believe that all schools, residences and other facilities within 1 mile of fumigations should receive detailed written notification at least one month before methyl bromide applications. 4. Worker safety: to adequately protect farm workers from short-term peak exposures to methyl bromide, independent scientists have shown that worker buffer zones should be at least 200 feet. Since methyl bromide will be banned in the U.S. (and other industrialized countries) in 2005, we urge you to take a leadership role in helping farmers replace this pesticide with non-chemical alternatives that are much safer for people and the environment. Thank you for your attention to this important issue. Sincerely, Your Name and Organization ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ VERY IMPORTANT: To have your comments officially considered by DPR, you must fax/email a copy of this letter to: Fred Bundock, Department of Pesticide Regulation, 830 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95814-3510, email: dpr00001@cdpr.ca.gov, fax: 916-324-1452 Please also send a COPY of your letter to Anne Schonfield, Program Coordinator at Pesticide Action Network (email annes@panna.org, Fax (1-415) 981-1991) and to DPR Director Paul Helliker, fax: 916-324-1452 or phelliker@cdrp.ca.gov. ### Join the fight against hunger. For more information contact foodfirst@foodfirst.org. _____________________________________________________________ Who will win the Oscars? Spout off on our Entertainment list! http://www.topica.com/lists/showbiztalk From tpl at cheerful.com Tue Feb 22 10:22:12 2000 From: tpl at cheerful.com (tpl@cheerful.com) Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 09:22:12 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1401] [KMP Updates] Peasant leader falsely accused of killing mayor Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.20000222092212.007b3630@pop.skyinet.net> News release 15 February 2000 Peasants falsely accused in mayor's slay VICTORIA, ORIENTAL MINDORO -- MILITANT groups in the Southern Tagalog region condemned the Estrada administration for its blind, blanket vindictiveness against peasants when state forces blamed them for the death of a mayor in this province. The Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (KASAMA-TK) said that a warrant of arrest has been issued against Larry Aparato, vice- chairman of the Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Mindoro Oriental (KASAMA-MO), for his alleged involvement in the slaying of San Teodoro mayor Oscar Aldaba. Earlier, six unnamed people were picked up for the same accusation but were released yesterday. Harassment of the population by elements of Task Force Seagull PA since January 29 has not abated and have claimed innocent lives, including leaders of people's organizations working for genuine land reform. Curfews have been implemented in Bgy. Antonio where Aparato lives, preventing farmers from going about their normal farm chores. Twenty-eight families from the barangay evacuated their farms, while 13 more families in neighboring barangays also fled the military operations. According to the rights group Karapatan-Oriental Mindoro, ten children have fallen seriously ill in an evacuation center in the capitol Calapan. Orly Marcellana, KASAMA-TK secretary general, added that towns in Oriental Mindoro are also experiencing heightened military harassment from pursuing units of the government who are chasing NPA guerillas who supposedly killed mayor Aldaba. "Because they can't produce the assailants, the military vents its frustrations against innocent peasants and charge them with the killing. Accusing a well-known leader like Aparato of an insurgency-related incident bears the hallmarks of Oplan Makabayan which treats all opposition parties as enemies of the state," he said. "The real intent of the military actions is to suppress widespread popular discontent from the operations of the Mendex mining firm, which is wreaking damage to 27,000 hectares of upland farms," Marcellana added. # --- Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Peasant Movement of the Philippines URL: http://www.geocities.com/kmp_ph Subscribe to the KMP mailing list to keep you informed of the latest campaigns in support of land struggles in the Philippines. Just send a blank email to kmp-subscribe@topica.com Tell your friends about it! Reactions: kmp@quickweb.com.ph Subscribe: kmp-subscribe@topica.com Unsubscribe: kmp-unsubscribe@topica.com From tpl at cheerful.com Tue Feb 22 10:21:55 2000 From: tpl at cheerful.com (tpl@cheerful.com) Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 09:21:55 +0800 Subject: [asia-apec 1402] KMU Chair mauled/arrested at Manila Hotel strike Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.20000222092155.007ca330@pop.skyinet.net> NEWS RELEASE DATE: February 15, 2000 KMU CONSIDERS FILING CHARGES AGAINST HOTEL MANAGEMENT, POLICE FOR MANHANDLING BELTRAN AND OTHER WORKERS The national leadership of the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) today said that KMU is determined to intensify its demonstrations and worker-led actions - primarily the strikes - because it was clear that there was no other way for workers to be heard but through these militant actions. KMU is reacting to the violence that has marked the short continuing history of the strike at the historic Manila Hotel. Yesterday, KMU chairperson Crispin Beltran, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) secretary general Teddy Casino were mauled and manhandled by police as they helped lead the indignation rally in front of the said hotel. Beltran, Casi?o, Peter Banatan of MHEA-GLOWHRAIN-KMU, and Arnulfo Seminiano of the Ilaw at Buklod ng Manggagawa (IBM-KMU) were arrested and detained. Scores of workers and sympathizers were also hurt during the melee - head wounds and arm bruises being the most prevalent as strikers of the Manila Hotel Employees Association (MHEA) and their supporters were hit with rubber-wrapped iron truncheons and thick wooden nightsticks. Beltran said that the Joseph Estrada administration should be held directly accountable for every bruise, cut, head wound and broken bone sustained by MHEA members and their strike supporters. "Instead of putting his foot down against Emilio Yap and Gen. Arnulfo Acedera for their infamous attacks against the strikers, Estrada maintains a silence that condones the violence. The skirmish that exploded yesterday was a direct result of his indifference to the plight of the workers, and his support for his good buddy Emilio Yap," he said. "For the nth time, Estrada exposes his virulently anti-worker character. He has the power and the right to dismiss the assumption of jurisdiction order (AJ) laid down by the labor department against MHEA, and in the process help in the effort to resolve the strike and get the CBA negotiations underway; but he did nothing. Estrada is a coddler of despotic union busters the likes of Lucio Tan (PALEA), Danding Cojuangco (San Miguel Corp.), and Emilio Yap." Beltran also waxed indignant at the hotel management's stubborn refusal to negotiate with the union. "The workers only want to negotiate a CBA, it's a simple economic issue; but because of the management's viciousness, the fight has gained political color and it's now a national fight and we are holding Estrada among those directly accountable," he said. Meanwhile KMU secretary general Elmer Labog said that KMU is also considering filing charges against the chiefs of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Southern Police District (SPD) the Manila Hotel management and other instigators of the violence yesterday. "Besides the general anger we feel at the injustice being done against the Manila Hotel workers, we at KMU and our national membership are outraged at what they did to Beltran, Casi?o, Banatan and Seminiano and every other worker who was hurt in the rally. We were unarmed, but the police were ordered to viciously attack us," he said. " Labog also said that some KMU-affiliated unions in other five-star hotels have also declared that they will launch sympathy strikes in the coming days if the dispute in the Manila Hotel remains unresolved. Labog who is also the the national president of the Genuine Labor Organization of Hotels, Restaurants, and Allied Industries (GLOWHRAIN), said that the Manila Hotel strike serves as a tremendous inspiration to workers in the hotel industry. Finally, KMU chairman Beltran said that KMU, BAYAN, and MHEA will lead a big indignation rally on February 17, 2000 to continue exposing the labor dispute in the said hotel. Participants will assemble at 1:00 PM at the corner of Taft and Kalaw Avenues. #