From amittal at foodfirst.org Thu Oct 4 11:41:16 2001
From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal)
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 02:41:16 +0000
Subject: [asia-apec 1805] Food Rights Watch--Focus on Trade and Human Rights
Message-ID: <0.700000824.671178615-212058698-1002163278@topica.com>
Welcome to Food Rights Watch: Focus on Trade and Human Rights
Food Rights Watch provides information about economic and social human
rights issues in the belief that education leads to action.
Trade agreements such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), have been the institutional
drivers of economic globalization. These trade agreements have attracted
serious criticism from civil society groups who hold them responsible
for further weakening of human rights and labor standards, undermining
public health and national sovereignty, and accelerating environmental
destruction.
Food Rights Watch with focus on trade and human rights, hopes that
education will lead to action. Please read on, forward to friends, send
story ideas, and most importantly- take action!!!
Food First - For Land and Liberty, Jobs and Justice
Stephanie Yan
Editor
********************************************************
U.S.
(1) Massive Layoffs in Travel Industry
(2) Families Question Safety of Alabama Mine
(3) United States Prepares to Steal Indian Nation’s Livestock While
Western Shoshone Delegation Appeals to United Nations for Assistance
INTERNATIONAL
(4) Poverty deepens disgust at Zimbabwe’s economic policies
(5) Chinese labor activist jailed
(6) Going Hungry is a Violation of Human Rights says UN Agency Head
(7) And So The Babies Die
U.S.
(1) Massive Layoffs in Travel Industry
Early this year, rumors of mergers and consolidation of the airline
industry ran high because of one of the sharpest revenue declines in two
decades. In the summer, the top five U.S. airlines slashed air fares in
domestic and international markets as they struggled to shore up
crumbling revenues weakened by the plunge in business travel. After the
attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, ten major airlines, along
with aircraft maker Boeing, announced layoffs of more than 100,000
workers.
Congress approved a $15 billion bailout last week for the airline
industry that includes nothing for the estimated 100,000 laid-off
workers. Thousands of airline workers are let go without severance
packages included in their union contracts. Carrier’s defend their
actions citing an emergency clause in the contracts that justifies
withholding the benefits. Organized labor is pressing Congress for a
relief package that would include benefits for the workers. A proposal
by Sen. Jean Carnahan, D-Mo., is aimed at laid-off airline workers, and
would extend employment benefits beyond 26 weeks and provide job
training, health care coverage and relocation benefits.
Note: Layoffs also with non-U.S. airlines as well. Air Canada announced
to cut an additional 5,000 jobs to the 4,000 it eliminated in August.
The airline is also grounding 84 planes and cutting its flights by 20
percent. Airplane makers are feeling the crunch. Canadian plane
manufacturer Bombardier sliced 3,800 jobs. Overseas, British Airways has
had to cut 7,000 jobs while its rival Virgin Atlantic will let go of
1,200 employees. However, the British government has no bail out plan
for their airline industry because European law prevents EU countries
from providing direct state aid to companies in financial difficulties.
Alitalia is cutting 2,500, while Belgian carrier Sabena is set to hand
out 500 pink slips and reduce its staff by an additional 1,500 positions
through early retirement. SwissAir said it is slashing 3,000 jobs, while
Scandinavian Airlines is losing 1,100.
Your voice is needed to make sure that the laid-off workers of the
airline industries are not forgotten in vying for aid, while huge
airline companies get their share and to pressure airlines to give the
workers their severance packages. Please send emails, call or write to
your state’s Senators and Represenatative (contact info below) to
support the proposal by Sen. Jean Carnahan, D-Mo. Include your name and
address, why this issue is important, and that you’d like a written
response. Ask them to insist on an aid package for the benefits of
laid-off workers that will provide them of extended employment benefits,
job training, health care coverage and relocation benefits. Urge them
to communicate these needs to the Senate Committee on Appropriations
Subcommission on Transportation Chair, Patty Murray.
Your Senator’s contact info, quickly, by zip code:
http://www.congress.org
For more information about labor issues:
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Affairs,
http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/index.html
AFL-CIO, http://www.aflcio.org/home.htm
*************************************************************
(2) Families Question Safety of Alabama Mine
In Brookwood, Alabama, co-workers and families of 13 killed in mine
explosions want to know why the mine, described as the nation’s deepest
vertical shaft coal mine, wasn’t made safer after at least 5 accidents
last year in which roofs collapsed or rocks fell on workers- accidents
similar to what caused the deadly blast Sunday evening. Some miners
said rising levels of volatile methane gas had been ignored by officials
at Jim Walter Resources Inc., the mine operator. Explosions have been
blamed on methane igniting after a cave in. Blue Creek No. 5 Mine
reported 20% more serious, non-fatal accidents last year than the
national rate of 8.3 accidents. This is the deadliest mining accident
in the US since 1984.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20010926_953.html
WIRE: 09/26/2001 12:29 am ET, The Associated Press
For more information regarding labor safety and policies, please visit
these websites:
http://www.labor.org/
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Affairs,
http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/index.html
AFL-CIO, http://www.aflcio.org/home.htm
********************************************************
(3) United States Prepares to Steal Indian Nation’s Livestock While
Western Shoshone Delegation Appeals to United Nations for Assistance
As Western Shoshone herdspeople in Crescent Valley and South Fork brace
for BLM’s attempt to confiscate their livestock, delegation of Western
Shoshone citizens arrive in Geneva, Switzerland to solicit the UN human
rights bodies to support the Western Shoshone Land and Treaty rights.
The delegation will testify before the UN Subcommision on the Protection
and Promotion of Human Rights as well as educate members of the UN
Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. They have
requested from Elko BLM of documentation of how the US acquired the
title to Western Shoshone lands. "The Shoshone delegation is asking
that the Committee recommend to the US to enjoin immediately all
impoundment and trespass notices against Western Shoshone people,
refrain from prosecuting Western Shoshone hunters, take measures to
ensure mining development and other activities do not impede Western
Shoshone physical and cultural survival, and to proceed forthwith in
binding negotiations to resolve Western Shoshone land and resource
issues with Western Shoshone leaders. For over 100 years since the
signing of a Treaty of Peace and Friendship with the United States in
1863, the Western Shoshone Nation has asserted their continuing rights
to use and occupy their ancestral lands. As part of the agreements
within the Treaty, the Western Shoshone agreed to adapt their
traditional lifestyles and become "agriculturists and herdsmen." However
the U.S has refused to recognize the right to graze animals on ancestral
land, ignoring the Treaty, and arguing all rights to Western Shoshone
ancestral lands have been extinguished."
Source:
http://www.moles.org/ProjectUnderground/pr_archive/pr010801shoshone.html
To learn more about the Western Shoshone people’s struggle for their
land and way of life, please contact:
Raymond Yowell, Chief, Western Shoshone National Council 775-744-4381
Deborah Schaaf or Andy Huff, Indian Law Resource Center 406-449-2006
Christopher Sewall, Western Shoshone Defense Project 775-468-0230
***********************************************************
INTERNATIONAL
(4) Chinese Labor Activist Jailed
US-based group, Human Rights in China, reports that Chinese labor
activist, Li Wangyand, who was jailed in 1989 after setting up an
independent trade union (the Shaoyang Workers Autonomous Federation) and
was granted parole in June 2000, has been sentenced to another 10 years
in prison after reportedly demanding that the government pay to treat
his heart, lung and back ailments developed while in prison where he was
held in solitary confinement and regularly beaten severely.
He was charged with "incitement to subvert state power," says his
brother-in-law. Li’s sister, Li Wanglin, was also sentence 3 years of
"re-education through labor" for helping publicize Li’s 22-day hunger
strike earlier this year and to speaking to foreign journalists. Also
reported by the human rights group, 4 intellectuals are due to be tried
on charges of subversion Sept. 26 and could be jailed for up to 10 years
for founding an online discussion group.
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_1556000/1556375.stm
Friday, 21 September, 2001, 13:42 GMT 14:42 UK, BBC News
Human Rights in China, http://www.hrichina.org/
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights 2001 Report on China,
http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/TestFrame/318c37bbea256b20c1256a0700512271?Opendocument
Report on China 2001 submitted by Human Rights Watch, a non-governmental
organization in special consultative status,
http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/TestFrame/5ea4adce719d358dc12569eb002f8fc2?Opendocument
*******************************************
(5) Going Hungry is a Violation of Human Rights says UN Agency Head
With the world in turmoil following the recent tragic events on
September 11 and with attention focused on the poverty and deprivation
in Afghanistan, the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) has warned that under-nourishment and starvation
should not be considered less serious than blatant violations of other
human rights.
"The state has the obligation, as an instance of last resort, to ensure
that nobody should die of hunger," said Jacques Diouf, the FAO's
Director-General.
Arguing that the World Food Summit had not only reaffirmed the right to
adequate food, but had also explicitly recognized the crucial link
between food security and democracy, Dr Diouf called upon the
international community to assist those states that did not have the
means to ensure minimum access to food for all their people. "It is well
known that in the presence of hunger, the ability to exercise other
human rights is severely hampered," he said.
According to FAO, there is enough wealth in the world to ensure a
minimum standard of living for everyone and the international community
should devote its joint efforts to enable the poor to enjoy a free and
dignified life. "Failure to address the silent under-nourishment of
millions of children and adults in peacetime should also be regarded as
a violation of the right to food," he said.Dr. Diouf warned that the
scandal of hunger merited more outrage than it was getting - not only on
moral grounds, but because it was a human rights violation on a massive
scale.
©EuropaWorld 2001
Source: http://www.europaworld.org/issue49/goinghungry21901.htm
UN Food and Agricultural Organization , http://www.fao.org/
World Food Summit, http://www.fao.org/wfs/index_en.htm
*************************************************
(6) And So The Babies Die
(Excerpts from an analysis of the causes of infant deaths and
malnutrition by a doctor working in rural South Africa. Trudy Thomas
was MEC for health in the Eastern Cape until she resigned earlier this
year.)
"The Transkei's infant mortality rate speaks volumes about the poverty
of the people and their services. One in 10 infants in the Transkei dies
during its first 12 months of life, mainly from starvation, according to
a study carried out earlier this year by the Health Systems Trust.
More in-depth research was undertaken that clearly implicated migrant
labor as the culprit. It showed that if babies were cared for by their
mothers and supported by their fathers they were fat and fit. In
contrast, mothers of malnourished children were mostly destitute,
usually due to desertion by fathers. As one woman put it on being
harangued and "nutritionally educated" in time-honored medical fashion
on the miserable state of her child: "Doctor, I have no man, no money,
no milk."
About 60% of mothers of malnourished children had, in desperation, left
their babies with makeshift guardians - sick or senile or psychotic, or
even young children - to look for work in the cities…
The research concluded that childhood malnutrition was merely a medical
manifestation of social disorganization and extreme impoverishment, both
mainly politically determined -a finding that the Carnegie Poverty
Enquiry of the Seventies amply confirmed…
The IMR is not only a health indicator but a much-used and accurate
socio-economic one. With literacy and income levels, through life
expectancy, it contributes substantially to the Human Development Index,
which provides one of the best markers of prevailing levels of the
economy and development and their potential for growth…
In South Africa the IMRs are color coded: 10:25:54 per 1 000 white,
colored and black live-born children respectively. In the Ciskei in the
1980s it ranged around 50.
So in this the third millennium, in the seventh year of transformation
in the new South Africa, an infant mortality rate of 100 out of 1,000 in
the Transkei is shocking. It speaks volumes about the poverty of its
people and their services.
Although shocking, these figures -which emanate from work being
undertaken by researchers and trainers from the University of the
Western Cape in the Mount Fletcher district of the Eastern Cape - will
come as no surprise to many nurses and doctors working in poor rural
communities. They reflect conditions that drove many old-timers, while
doing what they could to ameliorate its effects, to join the struggle to
oust apartheid. It saw them standing on the threshold of a brave, new
land in April 1994, eager to offer their energy, experience and passion
to help bring about "Better Health For All".
Many doctors have been trying to raise the alarm, especially since 1997
when the country opted for rapid apartheid debt repayments and the
"fiscal discipline" of structural adjustment to woo Western financiers.
This was meant to attract foreign investment that in turn was meant to
stimulate the growth, employment and redistribution strategy.
A declining economy, deteriorating health services and a tattered social
safety net provide the circumstances for an entirely predictable, rising
and unacceptably high IMR. Unfortunately the pleas of health workers
about this crisis have fallen on deaf ears or - worse - been labeled
anti-transformational. And so the babies die of hunger.
The infant mortality figures released by the Health Systems Trust have
added little new information, but have helped to confirm trends. They
have also succeeded in engaging the media and so finally stung the
attention of politicians. The provincial health MEC has said that with
his welfare counterpart he will visit affected areas to see this tragedy
for himself. He has also opined that "malnutrition is the end of the
line. It is a manifestation of poverty, unemployment, lack of education
- social factors that all contribute to parents being unable to
adequately care for their children."
Many would agree, but if so should he not be inviting those MECs
responsible for agriculture, public works, education, economic
development and finance to see first-hand the hunger and poverty of the
people? For just as in the bad old days of apartheid and migrant labor,
childhood malnutrition is merely a medical manifestation of social
disorganization and extreme impoverishment mainly determined by
(current) political decisions.
Once-off token aid, however well intentioned, is not the answer. The
problem is enormous and pervasive, deeply structural and systematic, and
the systems and structures through which help must flow in these places
are grossly dysfunctional, if they exist at all…
The MEC for Health is also going to intensify the training of nurses to
feed babies at 2am so that they do not die of cold or convulsions.
Surely what is actually needed here is to hold someone accountable for
incompetence, negligence or malpractice. This might be a nurse who is
sleeping in the bath instead of checking her patients, a matron who has
allocated only one junior nurse to a ward of 40 babies, or politicians
who do not allocate enough staff to care safely for patients or who,
preferring to be applauded by International Monetary Fund-leaning
financiers, resist releasing enough money to hire them…
Infant starvation and death are among the most accurate indicators of
poverty and poor services. The bodies of our babies are signaling to us.
But this is not only a message to the soft-hearted, who are sentimental
about the suffering of children. It is also for the hard-nosed and
tough-minded for whom economic growth drives the world. They are
increasingly being proved wrong, of course, and not only by Seattle
hotheads but by an ever-growing body of respectable and cool-headed
thinkers and doers.
Growth by no means guarantees job creation and redistribution and,
arguably, structural adjustment particularly disadvantages
underdeveloped societies that lack the skills, systems and
infrastructure receptors to latch onto or disburse any largesse. The
enthusiastic cooperation with this adjustment by the political bosses in
poor provinces, manifesting as the suspension of money from services to
pay back deficits instead of advocating for the minimum needs of their
people, also does not help.
The Transkei's IMR of 100 is therefore of the gravest import and an
urgent call to review our strategies. One of these is that it is being
resourced in a way that is perpetuating and even increasing the
inequalities of apartheid. We need to find a financing formula that
focuses primarily on the poor rather than on bank accounts. We may well
find that if we look after the health of the babies, the whole economy,
and not only its growth component, will begin to grow healthier too."
Source: Read the whole analysis at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200109260010.html
September 26, 2001, By Trudy Thomas, Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg)
For more information, to order Food First Books,or to join our member-supported organization, go to:
http://www.foodfirst.org.
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From amittal at foodfirst.org Fri Oct 5 03:17:57 2001
From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal)
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 18:17:57 +0000
Subject: [asia-apec 1806] Time To Act On fast Track
Message-ID: <0.700000824.191102221-951758591-1002219479@topica.com>
Urgent Action From Public Citizen Forwarded by Food Rights Watch
You may have heard in the media that the republicans are
trying to exploit this moment of national tragedy to promote
some of their long-time agenda items, including Fast Track
trade negotiatin authority. Here is a clear and helpful
comunication we have received from Global Trade watch, as
well as a useful "dear Colleague" letter. Please call your
member of Congress right away. If you are represented by
Brown, Tubbs-Jones or Kucinich in this area, please thank
them for their support and urge them to be steadfast in
resisting Fast Track. But whoever your representative is,
please call now.
Here's the mail from Public Citizen:
Fast Track mark-up on October the 5th !
Possible floor-vote next week !
Call Congress toll-free 1-800-393-1082 and tell your Member
to vote No on Fast Track
Despite the incredible inappropriateness of pushing such a
controversial issue after the tragic events of September 11th, Rep
Thomas (R-CA) has decided that he wants to try to push Fast Track
through Congress no matter what.
Today at a press conference, Thomas unveiled his Fast Track
bill, tried to label it as a bi-partisan measure, and scheduled it for a
mark-up in the Ways and Means committee on this coming Friday, October
the 5th (a "mark up"is when a bill gets voted on in the relevant
committee clearing the way for a floor vote).
This is no bi-partisan bill - instead it is a lite-version
of the truly offensive GOP Crane Fast Track bill. There are a few
Democratic co-sponsors - but these are Members who would have supported
the original Crane bill and not some moderate Democrats. In fact, the
vast majority of Democrats are disgusted with Thomas for his crass
political profiteering and lack of bi-partisanship (see attached Dear
Colleague letter from some leading Democrats in the House).
Thanks to the great work done by people like yourself around
the country - we have been able to stall of Fast Track. Now Thomas is
playing a game of chicken. The Fast Track bill can only get momentum if
there is a perception that there is no cost for moving forward. We need
to do a sudden pile on to any and all swing members and also to Speaker
Hastert. Thomas is going to have a hard time pushing his bill through -
especially if we all join forces and start calling our Members of
Congress NOW to tell them to oppose Fast Track.
The AFL-CIO has put up a toll-free number to the Capitol: 1-800-393-1
082 (you just have to enter your zip-code to get connected to your
Member), and we need your help in making the call and giving that
number out to friends/family/co-workers/neighbors and having them make
the calls as well.
Rep. Thomas is talking about a possible floor-vote next week
and we will keep you updated with the latest information.
Some talking points:
1. This is no time to bring up a controversial and divisive
issue like Fast Track. Congress needs to focus on issues that unites it,
as well as the responses to the terrorist attacks.
2. Fast Track will set the terms of U.S. trade and investment policies
for the next 5-10 years and needs a thoughtful and thorough debate.
3. There is nothing bi-partisan about Thomas' proposal, and
does not address in any meaningful way the real negative impacts that
trade agreements like NAFTA and the WTO have had on jobs, the
environment and our family farmers.
After you have called your own Member, call Speaker of the
House Hastert and tell him how much you appreciate how he has been
working to create a bi-partisan spirit in the House and that you
hope that he will oppose this crass attempt by Thomas to break it. You
can reach his office in DC at 202-225-2976 (or call the toll-free number
and enter the zip-code for
Hastert's district: 60510.
If you have any questions about how a particular Member is
leaning on Fast Track, please give us a call at 202-546-4996 (ask for
any member of the Global Trade Watch field team) or e-mail
mstrand@citizen.org. For more information about Fast Track, please visit
www.tradewatch.org. If you want to read the Thomas Fast Track bill go
to:
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/fullcomm/107cong/tpa/tpa.pdf
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
National Journal's CongressDaily
Thomas Unveils Trade Negotiating Authority Proposal
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
Ways and Means Chairman Thomas this afternoon formally
unveiled a proposal to renew presidential trade negotiating authority,
and announced his committee will mark up the legislation Friday. Thomas
said he had received no assurances from House Speaker Hastert that the
bill would be debated, but said he believes that if the committee
approves a bill it will be brought up. Ways and Means ranking member
Charles Rangel of New York and other Democrats on the panel have
cautioned against bringing up the contentious issue at this time.
However, Thomas and Majority Leader Armey have said they believe support
for restoring what they call trade promotion authority has grown
considerably.
On hand this afternoon for the announcement were Democratic Reps.
Calvin Dooley of California, John Tanner of Tennessee and James Moran of
Virginia, and Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman
Philip Crane, R-Ill., even though he has opposed the linkage of
environmental and labor standards to trade. Rep. William Jefferson,
D-La., who has also worked with Thomas on the bill, was not present. The
Business Roundtable has already praised the bill as a "fair and
bipartisan compromise." - by Stephen Norton
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
THOMAS: A BIPARTISAN COMPROMISE IS NEITHER
Dear Democratic Colleague:
Yesterday, Chairman Thomas released a summary of a proposal for renewed
fast track/trade promotion authority (TPA). The proposal is entitled A
Bipartisan Compromise. In addition, you may have seen repeated press
reports that Chairman Thomas may schedule a mark up of this legislation
as early as next week.
The purpose of this letter is to provide you with a brief update and
our perspective, since the House is not scheduled to be in session until
late Tuesday. We expect to get more detailed information to
you next week, including our comprehensive proposal.
First, we urge you not to reach a conclusion with respect to the
purported bipartisan compromise until we have had the opportunity to
discuss with you our proposal, which, we believe, holds the prospect for
broad and true bipartisan support.
Second, Committee Democrats have been discussing the key issues of fast
track/TPA. Those conversations will continue next Tuesday, upon our
return. Bringing up a fast track bill at this time would disrupt the
current bipartisan approach to legislation, particularly when the
Democratic leadership on the Committee has not been consulted in the
development of Chairman Thomas proposal. Further, we are concerned over
the prospect of a mark up when we have yet to see an actual legislative
proposal.
Third, based just on the summary released by Chairman Thomas, we have
significant concerns with the so-called compromise in each of three key
areas:
In terms of labor standards, the proposal would provide only that a
country enforce its own law there is no requirement that a country's
law include any of the five core ILO standards. The proposal treats
achievement of ILO core standards as essentially a rhetorical objective,
addressed in the lower tier of negotiating goals.
In terms of environmental protection, the proposal does not
address key problems in the area of investment (while ensuring effective
investor protections) or provide that concrete steps be taken to
reconcile Multilateral Environmental Agreements with trade agreements.
With regard to the role of Congress, the proposal calls only
for more consultations; there is no attempt actually to provide a
meaningful opportunity for Congress to be involved at key junctures
during the negotiating process more essential than ever in light of
the increasing importance of trade and the growing number of
traditionally domestic issues implicated.
These points are illustrative. Many other important issues, including
agriculture, services, electronic commerce and trade remedies need to
be addressed. A number of these areas are not even covered by the
summary. These and other points and concerns will be among
those under discussion when we meet on the Committee next Tuesday and
with all of you thereafter.
We look forward to working with you at that time.
Sincerely,
Charles B. Rangel Ranking Democrat
Sander M. Levin Member of Congress
Robert T. Matsui Member of Congress
For more information, to order Food First Books,or to join our member-supported organization, go to:
http://www.foodfirst.org.
Or send your tax-deductible check to:
Food First, 398 60th St. Oakland, CA 94618
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From amittal at foodfirst.org Thu Oct 11 09:16:16 2001
From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal)
Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2001 00:16:16 +0000
Subject: [asia-apec 1807] Debate on Free Trade and Trade Promotion Authority for the President on
Message-ID: <0.700000824.134320835-212058698-1002759378@topica.com>
Food First's Co Director, Anuradha Mittal will debate
Daniel Griswald, Associate Director of Trade Policy at
the Cato Institute. on Forum, San Francisco's KQED radio
show tomorrow, Thursday, October 11 at 9 a.m.
The Bush administration is trying to push through the
Fast Track legislation, now known as the Trade Promotion
Authority as a way to counter terrorism. Please tune
in to this call in show.
If you are not in the Bay Area, listen to it on the web at:
http://www.kqed.org/streamingfiles/kqed_real.ram
Or
http://www.kqed.org/streamingfiles/kqed_wpm.asx
Also, check out Anuradha's op-ed on Countering
Terrorism with Trade? at http://www.alternet.org
or see it on Food First's web site at
http://www.foodfirst.org/media/news/2001/terrorwithtrade.html
For more information, to order Food First Books,or to join our member-supported organization, go to:
http://www.foodfirst.org.
Or send your tax-deductible check to:
Food First, 398 60th St. Oakland, CA 94618
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From kevinyli at pacific.net.hk Fri Oct 12 20:12:54 2001
From: kevinyli at pacific.net.hk (Kevin Yuk-shing Li)
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 19:12:54 +0800
Subject: [asia-apec 1808] Beyond War and Retribution: Deciding the Course of History--A Public Forum in HK
Message-ID: <004401c1530e$d9635da0$671140ca@kevinli>
----- Original Message -----
From: ARENA
Sent: Friday, October 12, 2001 4:58 PM
Subject: Beyond War and Retribution: Deciding the Course of History--A
Public Forum
Beyond War and Retribution: Deciding the Course of History
A Public Forum
Organised by Asian Regional Exchange for New Alternatives (ARENA) and
Focus on the Global South
Date: 26th October, 2001
Time: 9:30am-12:30noon
Venue: YMCA International House, 23 Waterloo Road, Yaumatai, Kowloon, Hong
Kong
Programme:
9:30am - Registration
9:50am - Welcome
10:00am - The Making and Unmaking of a Terrorist -- Kumar David,HK
Polytechnic University
10:15am - An Endless War -- Walden Bello, Focus on the Global South
10:30am - Open Forum
10:50am - Walking a Tightrope: Pakistan's Balancing Act --
Karamat Ali/BM Kutty, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education
and Research (PILER)
11:05am - Deepening the Divide: Implications for South Asia -
Admiral L Ramdas, Pakistan-India Peoples' Forum for Peace
and Democracy
11:20am - Open Forum
11:40am - Crisis in Afghanistan: Towards a Humanitarian Response -- Oxfam
Hong Kong (Invited)
11:55am - Saying No to War: Challenges to Civil Society
Vinod Raina, Asian Regional Exchange for New Alternatives
12:10 - Open Forum and Other Responses
12:30 - Closing
Moderator: Jeannie Manipon, ARENA Coordinator
RSVP Lot Felizco: lotf@asianexchange.org, or Amy Yeung amy@asianexchange.org
Asian Regional Exchange for New Alternatives (ARENA) is a regional network
of concerned Asian scholars, which aims to contribute to processes of
meaningful and people-oriented social change. It is committed to the study,
conceptualisation and promotion of alternative theories and practices and
seeks to build alliances among intellectuals and grassroots activists.
Website:
Focus on the Global South aims to consciously and consistently articulate,
link and develop greater coherence between local community-based and
national, regional and global paradigms of change. It is committed to
disseminating information and analysis and building extensive networks.
Website:
The Speakers
Kumar David, who teaches at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, is a
lifelong advocate of interracial justice and equality. He was one of ARENA'
s earliest members, and has written extensively on the ethnic question of
Sri Lanka, including editing 'Ethnicity: Identity, Conflict, Crisis'
published by ARENA Press.
Walden Bello is the director of Focus on the Global South. He is also
Professor of Sociology and Public Administration at the University of the
Philippines. He has authored many books and numerous articles on Asian
economies, political systems, and security issues.
Karamat Ali and BM Kutty of the Pakistani Institute of Labour Education and
Research (PILER) are actively engaged in movements striving for peace in the
region.
Admiral L Ramdas retired as India's Chief of Naval Staff and has devoted his
time to the goal of improving relations amongst the peoples in
conflict-ridden South Asia. He heads the Pakistan-India Peoples' Forum for
Peace and Democracy.
Oxfam Hong Kong is an independent development and relief agency. Under the
umbrella of Oxfam International, it has been working to improve living
conditions of Afghan refugees in camps in Pakistan and Iran, in addition to
food distribution work in Afghanistan.
Vinod Raina, an ARENA fellow and former member of its Executive Board, gave
up his profession as a physicist to work for profound social change through
active participation and leadership in various people's movements in India
challenging the dominant development paradigm. He has been among the
vanguard of the people's science movement in India and has written
extensively on the interface of science, environment and development.
From notoapec at clear.net.nz Fri Oct 19 03:04:21 2001
From: notoapec at clear.net.nz (GATT Watchdog)
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 07:04:21 +1300
Subject: [asia-apec 1809] New Zealand Herald: China covers all bases as APEC leaders gather
Message-ID: <002001c157ff$523b9cc0$d784a7cb@apecgrou>
China covers all bases as APEC leaders gather
16.10.2001
The Prime Minister leaves for the Apec talks in Shanghai on Thursday. JOHN ARMSTRONG says the summit will be dominated by the global response to combating terrorism.
Don't expect to see anti-globalisation protesters rampaging through the streets of Shanghai during this week's Apec meetings.
Bustling Shanghai may be China's most cosmopolitan metropolis. But it is not Seattle or Genoa. The Chinese brook no disruption of their gatherings of world leaders - and this is the biggest they have hosted.
For obvious reasons, security has been ratcheted up several notches, given that the Presidents of the United States, Russia and China will be in town.
More than 10,000 police and security personnel have been mobilised, with People's Liberation Army soldiers guarding checkpoints on roads leading into Shanghai.
The last time Apec leaders were confronted by an international crisis was at the Auckland summit two years ago. But unlike East Timor, collective action against terrorism will be the main item on the agenda, rather than being treated as something separate from formal business.
Apec is technically an economic forum, but the justification for including such a heavy-duty political subject is the likely economic effects of the September 11 terrorist attacks on Pacific Rim economies, some of which have only tentatively recovered from the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s.
As with East Timor, Apec has another opportunity to demonstrate a wider relevance beyond its free trade agenda. As one observer notes, the leaders of the world's three great powers - George W. Bush, Vladimir Putin and Jiang Zemin - will join hands in a spectacular photo opportunity that will capture the new alignment of world powers in common cause against terrorism.
According to a draft text, the 21 Apec leaders will "unequivocally condemn in the strongest terms" the terrorist attacks against the US "as a profound threat to the peace, prosperity and security of all people, of all faiths, of every nation".
They will call for the early signing of an international convention restricting the financing of terrorism and seek action on money laundering, aviation security, energy security and customs checks. But the text makes no specific mention of Osama bin Laden or the US-led bombings of Afghanistan.
The statement has been carefully worded to ensure unanimous approval. China is keen to avoid acrimony, given that Apec includes Malaysia and Indonesia, which have large Muslim populations.
The big question is whether the unity will stretch to kickstarting moves to further break down trade barriers to stimulate economic growth and stave off recession.
Apec's broad goals of open borders for goods and investment over the next two decades remain in place. But the will to move faster has been lacking - as evidenced by last year's summit in Brunei.
Member economies have instead opted for the fallback option of negotiating cosy bilateral deals country-to-country, rather than relying on Apec to ensure all export products are treated equally and not shut out of some markets.
But the prospect of global recession will focus minds in Shanghai. The communique issued after this year's meeting is expected to give impetus for a new round of world trade negotiations to get under way after the Mike Moore-led World Trade Organisation meets in Qatar next month.
Officials are cautiously optimistic there is now more enthusiasm for a new trade round - stalled for two years - than Apec leaders have shown at recent summits.
Much will hinge on the drive displayed by the Chinese as hosts and Apec's chair. Given his country's export reliance on a strong American economy, it it likely President Jiang will show some leadership and steer debate.
Reflecting Helen Clark's social democratic ethos, New Zealand's priorities for the meeting include securing an "enhanced role" for trade unions in Apec to balance the loud voice of business.
But Helen Clark may find little support for the idea - only Canada and possibly South Korea may back such an initiative.
Scheduled to lead debate on Apec's future during the leaders' retreat, the Prime Minister will suggest a strengthening of the Apec secretariat in Singapore and measures to ensure member economies carry out agreed decisions.
From notoapec at clear.net.nz Fri Oct 19 03:06:05 2001
From: notoapec at clear.net.nz (GATT Watchdog)
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 07:06:05 +1300
Subject: [asia-apec 1810] NZ Herald - APEC 2001
Message-ID: <002b01c157ff$8f30c6a0$d784a7cb@apecgrou>
Fears in 'safest city in the world'
19.10.2001
By JOHN ARMSTRONG in Shanghai
It is the one thing everyone prefers not to think about. It is the one thing everyone cannot avoid thinking about.
Even the most thick-skinned among the 11,000 delegates in Shanghai for this week's Apec summit will have pondered the obvious - this is the No 1, gold-plated terrorist opportunity for any Osama bin Laden, real or wannabe.
Not only are Bush, Putin and company hitting town. The conference venue in the Pudong economic zone is just a few hundred metres from two of Asia's tallest buildings, the 420m, 88-storey Jin Mao Tower and the slightly lower Oriental Pearl Broadcasting and Television Tower, which is doubling as the media centre for the 3000 journalists covering this political extravaganza.
Perhaps all this makes Apec too obvious a target. If the world has learned one thing about terrorism, it is to expect the unexpected.
Shanghai's mayor obviously thinks so. He proclaims Shanghai to be "the safest city in the world". That is the kind of boast a politician almost certainly lives to regret, even though his city is telling Apec delegates they are protected by a net from the earth to the sky.
But it is a boast made in the knowledge that every conceivable apparatus of this huge, one-party state is devoted to avoiding a loss of face, his and China's. So, if that means temporarily refusing visas to citizens of Middle Eastern countries, so be it. If it means closing the local insect museum because President Bush's hotel is nearby, so be it.
Anything to cocoon Shanghai for the next three days.
And Shanghai has bunkered down - and almost closed down. Many of the city's 13 million inhabitants have been granted an enforced public holiday until Monday. The message from authorities: stay out of town.
The streets are eerily empty, punctuated only by the police at every intersection waving on the dribbles of traffic.
Cross-town trips which took a lifetime now take just minutes. The expressways are truly expressways.
In Pudong, the skyscraper-strewn glass-and-steel reminder that China will become the century's economic giant, roads have been closed altogether. One almost expects to see tumbleweed billowing down the pavements in the breeze.
Hordes of People's Liberation Army troops are being deployed at checkpoints on the outskirts of the city as part of a mobilisation of 10,000 armed police and ID-checking security personnel.
A mere handful were on view outside the International Convention Centre, where Apec foreign ministers have been meeting for the past two days. But they blanket the city, backed up by a phalanx of red-shirted Apec "volunteers", drafted to ensure foreigners know where they are going and do not go where they should not.
The city's flash hotels, which have ratcheted up their room rates in best capitalist fashion to exploit a captive market, have installed x-ray machines and metal detectors in their lobbies along with scrum-loads of security guards.
That is standard for Apec. Not so standard are the jet fighters that the state media say are patrolling the skies above the city as well as escorting the aircraft bringing the presidents and prime ministers when they enter Chinese air space. Naval boats patrol the Huangpu River, which weaves through the city.
Leaving nothing to chance, a nationwide sweep of criminals rounded up 23,000 fugitives.
The Police Daily, published by the Ministry of Public Security, said most were sought in connection with violent crimes such as bombings, murder, kidnapping and robbery.
"Police forces nationwide launched blanket searches in key areas and used the internet as well as compact discs to spread information about fugitive criminals and suspects still at large."
For all that, the security in Shanghai, though pervasive, is not totally intrusive. The usual drone of police helicopters that accompanies such events is peculiarly absent; the standard wailing of police car sirens muted.
That will change today as motorcades criss-cross the city carrying the Apec leaders to pre-summit one-on-one meetings with each another.
Shanghai will hold its breath until some time on Monday when the last leader has left town.
From amittal at foodfirst.org Fri Oct 19 09:10:19 2001
From: amittal at foodfirst.org (Anuradha Mittal)
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 00:10:19 +0000
Subject: [asia-apec 1811] URGENT ACTION: Oppose the Thomas Fast Track Bill!
Message-ID: <0.700000824.2139479381-951758591-1003450221@topica.com>
URGENT ACTION: Oppose the Thomas Fast Track Bill (HR 3005)!
VOTE IN CONGRESS IS LIKELY IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS!
Soon after the tragedies of September 11, Representative Bill Thomas
(R-CA), in an attempt to capitalize on national bipartisan
sentiment, introduced the controversial "Thomas Fast Track Bill" (HR
3005) in the House. In an attempt to diminish democratic
representation, this fast track trade bill, now called "Trade
Promotion Authority," would give the President sole authority to
negotiate free trade agreements, limiting action by our
congressional representatives to voting up or down on the treaty
without debate. It will not require the president to include
enforceable protections for the environment and workers' rights in
any trade agreement. More outrageously, attached to this bill is a
rider that would prevent the labeling of genetically modified food,
claiming that GM labeling is a barrier to free trade!
*** Call Congress TODAY ***
Use the AFL-CIO toll-free number to call Congress at:
1-800-393-1082
We urge you to call your representatives immediately and let
them know that you oppose the Thomas Fast Track Bill!
A sample statement that you can fax or send to your Representative
is included below-
To find out the phone number, fax, and address of your
representative, simply enter your zip code at:
http://www.congress.org/
For more information about the HR 3005 Bill:
Public Citizen - "Fast Track Facts"
http://www.citizen.org/hot_issues/issue.cfm?ID=141
----------
Proposed Message to your representative/senator:
Dear Representative/Senator,
I strongly urge you to vote against HR 3005, and any
legislation that grants the President Fast Track Trade
negotiation authority or that results in Free Trade
policy without guarantees for labor standards
and environmental safeguards.
HR 3005, introduced by Representative Bill Thomas,
does not call for mandatory provisions that protect workers'
rights or environmental standards. In addition, the bill
will not require foods that contain Genetically Modified
ingredients to be labeled, claiming that labeling is a barrier
to Free Trade.
The bipartisan spirit of Congress that has resulted in
response to the September 11 tragedy should not be used to push
a controversial bill through the House. Free Trade legislation is
controversial and divisive, and it should only be considered after
much debate. I urge you to vote against Fast Track legislation
and to oppose approaches to trade policy that do not consider
address labor rights and environmental standards.
Sincerely,
----------
Other sample letters can be found at:
http://www.citizen.org/trade/fasttrack/action/articles.cfm?ID=5465
http://cw2k.capweb.net/aflcio/letterstate.cfm?letter_id=1760
For more information, to order Food First Books,or to join our member-supported organization, go to:
http://www.foodfirst.org.
Or send your tax-deductible check to:
Food First, 398 60th St. Oakland, CA 94618
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From notoapec at clear.net.nz Fri Oct 19 09:27:47 2001
From: notoapec at clear.net.nz (GATT Watchdog)
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 13:27:47 +1300
Subject: [asia-apec 1812] APEC 2001 Cashing in on September 11 - GATT Watchdog
Message-ID: <003401c15835$0da7db60$8784a7cb@apecgrou>
GATT Watchdog
PO Box 1905
Christchurch
Aotearoa/New Zealand
MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE USE
October 19 2001
APEC: Dying Economic Forum Cynically Seeks to Revive Free Trade Agenda by Cashing in on September 11
As officials, ministers and Leaders of the 21 APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) member economies meet in Shanghai, GATT Watchdog has accused advocates of free trade and investment of exploiting popular sentiment and war hysteria in the wake of the September 11 attacks to add new impetus to a discredited market model of economic development and a regional forum going nowhere fast. Yesterday, APEC foreign and trade ministers agreed on "the critical importance and urgency" for the launch of a new round of global trade talks under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
GATT Watchdog has been at the forefront of New Zealand opposition to free trade and investment for many years and was involved in mobilising opposition to APEC when the Shipley government hosted the 1999 APEC meetings.
"In 1999 we said that APEC itself is dying slowly. It has been on life support for several years now. We warned that internal tensions among the 21 APEC countries would paralyse efforts to speed up and broaden trade and investment liberalisation. When the Seattle WTO talks dissolved in disarray, we were proved right. The tide has turned even further against the economic model promoted by APEC and the WTO over the last two years. In desperation the cheerleaders of economic liberalisation at APEC are trying to cash in on the September 11 events to revive the forum and its goals, " says GATT Watchdog spokesman, Aziz Choudry.
"GATT Watchdog has always maintained that APEC was primarily a forum for trying to build regional support for deals in other arenas like the WTO, rather than for reviving the economies of the region. APEC is nearly dead but it has spawned bilateral and sub-regional trade and investment agreements such as last year's Singapore-New Zealand Closer Economic Partnership agreement and the one currently being negotiated between New Zealand and Hong Kong which seek to stitch up a web of deals to deliver the outcomes which APEC - and the WTO itself - has failed to achieve."
"With only a few weeks to go before the WTO Ministerial meeting, the divisions within the 142 member global trade body remain as wide as they did in Seattle. Some hope that the US-led "war against terrorism" could help forge consensus and rally domestic support for economic liberalisation. The US government is making an all-out effort to capitalise on September 11 to advance its own economic and political agendas - to "counter terror with trade" as US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick puts it. The New Zealand government seems to be meekly dancing to its tune."
"It is truly sickening to see the cynical manner in which many of the region's most ardent cheerleaders for free trade and investment view the September 11 attacks as a lifeline to push their cause harder and faster. Around the world the free market crusaders have rushed to equate the so-called war against terrorism with support for free trade and the battle to open up the world's economies. Yet the fist of the free market has long been used as an instrument of terror against millions worldwide through structural adjustment policies advanced by such groupings as APEC. The USA and its allies are far more interested in making the world safe for global capital to flow freely across borders than in making the world safe for all of its peoples."
"We have long been told APEC is an economic forum and that non-trade issues have no place on its agenda. APEC has tried to pretend that economies can exist in some sort of vacuum. We have long maintained that economic issues cannot be isolated from social, political and environmental issues in the way that APEC has tried to do. Yet clearly when it suits, APEC meetings will grasp at events that are not narrowly defined as "trade-related" in an attempt to conceal the failure of the forum to be anything more than a talkfest.
"In April 1999 at an Alternatives to the APEC Agenda conference in Christchurch, we specifically identified war as a logical consequence of market competition and pointed that historically war has always followed free trade. The shift of focus from economics to politics in the Shanghai APEC meeting is a clear vindication of this view."
"While governments in APEC member countries like New Zealand and the USA preach to the rest of the world about the desirability and inevitability of open markets and free trade, they are providing massive bailouts to privatised industries at home. If the free trade and investment, free market model is so fantastic, why are market forces not now deemed sufficient to stabilise these industries?"
"The Helen Clark-led government seems as gung-ho about trade and investment liberalisation as its predecessors. We have always maintained that privatisation - part of the package of policies promoted by APEC - was about siphoning public wealth to private companies. The Air New Zealand crisis is a clear example that the privatisation process has come full circle. The public has lost out twice - first when it was privatised and then when it was bought back."
"The global free market agenda has led to deepening inequalities within and among countries, underdevelopment, environmental degradation, and increasing power of transnational corporations which dominate the global economy."
"An August 2000 report to the UN subcommittee on the protection of human rights called the WTO a "veritable" nightmare" for developing countries. It said WTO rules "reflect an agenda that serves only dominant corporatist interests that already monopolise the area of international trade.""
"There are many forms of terror afoot in the world. But once again those gathered at APEC have shown a callous disregard for the human havoc caused by the market policies which APEC promotes" said Mr Choudry.
For further comment contact Aziz Choudry notoapec@clear.net.nz
From kevinyli at pacific.net.hk Fri Oct 19 18:33:40 2001
From: kevinyli at pacific.net.hk (Kevin Yuk-shing Li)
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 17:33:40 +0800
Subject: [asia-apec 1813] Fw: Important notice: Change of Venue
Message-ID: <003001c15881$23a18d20$8d0740ca@kevinli>
----- Original Message -----
From: ARENA
IMPORTANT NOTICE: CHANGE OF VENUE
Beyond War and Retribution:
Defining the Course of History
A Public Forum
Organised by Asian Regional Exchange for New Alternatives (ARENA) and
Focus on the Global South
Date: 26th October, 2001
Time: 9:30am
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to move the public forum to a
new venue. It will now be held at the:
Assembly Hall I, 4/F North Tower,
YMCA OF HONG KONG
41 Salibury Road, Tsimshatsui,
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Thank you for your attention.
From aaronj at interchange.ubc.ca Tue Oct 23 11:21:29 2001
From: aaronj at interchange.ubc.ca (Aaron James)
Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 21:21:29 -0500
Subject: [asia-apec 1814] China beefs up APEC security
Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20011022212041.00a13250@pop.interchange.ubc.ca>
China beefs up APEC security
Beijing wants talks to focus on finance but terrorism may dominate agenda
By TIFFANY WU
Reuters News Agency
Monday, October 15, 2001 ? Print Edition, Page B6
SHANGHAI -- With patrol boats cruising Shanghai waterways and armed
soldiers at the city limits, host China beefed up security yesterday for
the highest profile gathering of world leaders since the Sept. 11 attacks
on the United States.
But Chinese officials said they were determined the terrorism issue would
not overshadow the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation meeting of 21 members
which opens today in Shanghai.
More than 10,000 police and security personnel have been mobilized to
protect the event to be attended by U.S. President George W. Bush, Chinese
President Jiang Zemin, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders.
"Do not worry," Shanghai mayor Xu Kuangdi told a news conference.
He said after the attacks on America "we tightened our security and put in
place more meticulous arrangements." In answer to a reporter's question,
Mr. Xu shrugged off a warning last week by Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda
network not to "ride planes or live in tall buildings."
"He didn't say don't take a flight to Shanghai or stay in high rises in
this city," said Mr. Xu, whose metropolis boasts the world's third tallest
building.
People's Liberation Army soldiers wearing camouflage and face paint guarded
checkpoints on roads leading into Shanghai, inspecting luggage on buses and
turning back out-of-town trucks.
In the heart of China's financial centre, police have been checking IDs at
train stations and on street corners ahead of the arrival of some 7,800
delegates.
German shepherds, Rottweilers and spaniels sniffed for bombs at the media
centre, expected to host about 3,000 journalists.
State media said China had added more guards aboard commercial airliners
and imposed quarantine restrictions on international express mail to
prevent germ warfare by post.
China's APEC spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said she hoped the meeting would focus
on its traditional economic agenda.
"Of course, the attack on the United States that took place on September 11
is an issue that is a concern to everyone," Ms. Zhang told a news conference.
"As the host of this APEC meeting, our leaders have also proposed the
exchange of views concerning this question to be discussed," she said.
"But I think the character and the nature of this APEC meeting will remain
the same."
Host China is keen to keep terror from dominating the week of talks. Ms.
Zhang said the global economy, already teetering before the attacks, should
top the agenda.
Analysts say a successful summit could help soften the downturn in the
world's economies through shoring up fragile business and consumer confidence
From aaronj at interchange.ubc.ca Tue Oct 23 11:21:42 2001
From: aaronj at interchange.ubc.ca (Aaron James)
Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 21:21:42 -0500
Subject: [asia-apec 1815] Singapore free-trade talks planned
Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20011022211553.009e98a0@pop.interchange.ubc.ca>
Globe and Mail
Singapore free-trade talks planned
By CAMPBELL CLARK
Monday, October 22, 2001 ? Print Edition, Page B1
SHANGHAI -- Canada plans to launch free-trade talks with Singapore in a bid
to both increase modest trade levels and set up a stepping stone to future
trade deals in Southeast Asia.
Prime Minister Jean Chr?tien and his Singaporean counterpart, Goh Chok
Tong, announced the talks yesterday after a one-on-one meeting at the
Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in Shanghai, finally pushing
ahead after agreeing to explore the idea of a free-trade agreement more
than a year ago.
"Mr. Goh and I have been discussing that for some time, and now everybody
agreed that it would be possible, and it is advantageous," Mr. Chr?tien said.
A senior Canadian official said the trade agreement is seen not only as a
way to open further trade ties with Singapore but also as a first step
toward future trade agreements with other Southeast Asian nations.
The deal will provide experience in negotiating a trade deal in the region,
where Singapore is already involved in trade arrangements, he said.
Despite International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew's announcement in
June, 2000, that the two countries would explore the possibility of a deal,
there were questions over whether the relatively small amount of trade
between the two countries would justify concluding such an arrangement, the
official said.
It was decided that the opening to Asia, and the possibility of opening
trade and investment particularly in service sectors such as financial
services, was worth the challenge, the official said. Singapore has bars to
foreign ownership in some service sectors, he noted.
Canada exported $369-million in goods and services to Singapore in 2000,
and imports from Singapore were $1.4-billion, making it Canada's
29th-largest trading partner.
In its small way, the announcement also echoed a key concern raised by APEC
leaders at their summit in Shanghai.
The concern is that they must send a free-trading signal at a time when
economic confidence is shaken.
Most Asian economies were already ailing before the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks in the United States, but the expected decline in U.S. demand has
caused United Nations economists to adjust their predicted economic growth
rates this year downward by about two percentage points.
The APEC leaders expressed strong support for the launch of a new round of
global trade talks under the World Trade Organization.
Trade ministers from the 142 members are slated to meet in Doha, Qatar, in
November to try to launch a new round.
From notoapec at clear.net.nz Wed Oct 24 03:51:52 2001
From: notoapec at clear.net.nz (GATT Watchdog)
Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2001 07:51:52 +1300
Subject: [asia-apec 1816] NZ Herald on APEC 2001
Message-ID: <000a01c15bf3$cac87580$63cca7cb@apecgrou>
Apec leaders call for urgency on trade talks
24.10.2001
By BRIAN FALLOW
The Apec summit in Shanghai has strengthened confidence that trade ministers will succeed next month in what they failed to do at Seattle two years ago - launch an new round of world trade negotiations.
The leaders' declaration voiced strong support for the launch of a new WTO round, "recognising that the current slowdown in the world economy has added to its urgency".
The director of the Apec Study Centre at Auckland University, Robert Scollay, said the Europeans had also been making encouraging noises.
The draft text thrashed out for the world trade ministers' meeting includes what is, on the face of it, positive language on the topic central to New Zealand's agenda, agricultural-trade liberalisation.
"We commit ourselves to comprehensive negotiations aimed at: substantial improvements in market access; reductions of, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies; and substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support," the draft declaration says.
The chief executive of the newly formed Trade Liberalisation Network, Stephen Jacobi, said the draft declaration picked up on agriculture where the Seattle talks had left off. "But it is a bit of a worry that the draft text goes on to say that non-trade concerns will be 'taken into account' in the negotiations."
The worry is that these non-trade concerns, about food safety or animal welfare for example, could give rise to non-tariff barriers and prove a protectionist Trojan horse.
The trade ministers are scheduled to meet in Qatar from November 9 to 13, but security concerns could force a change of venue.
In Shanghai, Prime Minister Helen Clark took the opportunity to bend President George W. Bush's ear on New Zealand's keenness to negotiate a bilateral free-trade agreement.
There are two main obstacles: President Bush does not have fast-track negotiating authority from Congress; and there is little value for New Zealand in an agreement with the US which does not include agriculture.
With fast-track, or Trade Promotion Authority as it is now called, Congress can approve or reject a trade agreement but not take it apart. Without it, a country negotiating with a US official runs the risk that the deal might be relitigated on Capitol Hill by legislators beholden to special interest groups.
Opinion in Washington is divided between those, like President Bush, who argue that at a time of global economic weakness what is required is more trade liberalisation, and those who believe that when the US is in recession it should be reluctant to expose its domestic industries to more international competition.
Since the attacks on September 11 there has been a rise in bipartisanship on Capitol Hill.
"But it cuts two ways," Mr Scollay said.
"The President may be able to convince Congress that bipartisanship means backing him on trade. But the other view is that it means the President limiting his trade ambitions and aligning with Congress. I would see it as a bit of a cliff-hanger."
WTO rules require bilateral agreements to cover "substantially all" trade between the parties.
There have been signs that the US would seek to exclude agriculture from these deals, Mr Scollay said, but that would be awkward for them, having criticised the European Union for excluding it from theirs.
"For New Zealand, dairy is the big prize and without that the value of a [bilateral free-trade agreement] is certainly diminished.
"There are strong defensive arguments. If Australia is going to get a free-trade agreement we can't afford to have one of our major competitors get preference in the US market. If the US concludes a Free Trade Agreement of the Americas [scheduled for 2005] that will include some of our more formidable competitors from the Western Hemisphere."
Full coverage: Apec 2001
From csamdup at ichrdd.ca Wed Oct 24 04:08:09 2001
From: csamdup at ichrdd.ca (csamdup@ichrdd.ca)
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 15:08:09 -0400
Subject: [asia-apec 1817] Rights Group blasts Nortel in China
Message-ID:
A new report released by the Montreal-based organization, Rights &
Democracy, reveals that the Canadian telecommunications giant Nortel
Networks may be contributing to human rights violations in the People's
Republic of China. The report entitled "China's Golden Shield:
Corporations and the Development of Surveillance Technology in the Peoples
Republic of China", points specifically to new technology launched in
Shanghai during the APEC Leader's Meeting.
For a copy of the full report in English and in Chinese, please visit
http://www.ichrdd.ca. Hard copies of the report are available by sending a
request by email to publications@ichrdd.ca.
Carole Samdup
Globalisation and Human Rights Programme
Rights & Democracy
1001, de Maisonneuve East, Suite 1100
Montreal, Quebec
Canada
H2L 4P9
From ircalb at swcp.com Fri Oct 26 06:29:39 2001
From: ircalb at swcp.com (Interhemispheric Resource Center)
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 15:29:39 -0600
Subject: [asia-apec 1818] No Room for Mistakes: Rethinking Nuclear
Message-ID: <5.0.2.1.2.20011025152224.01faf020@swcp.com>
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From parc at jca.apc.org Fri Oct 26 20:08:54 2001
From: parc at jca.apc.org (Pacific Asia Resource Center)
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 20:08:54 +0900
Subject: [asia-apec 1819] Joint Satement
Message-ID: <20011026200717.275C.PARC@jca.apc.org>
Dear Friends
After September 11, whole world seems to rush for the "new war". Facing this,
many people and organizations have already published their statements and comments
to stop the war. We also plan to publish a joint statement of Asian NGOs. This initiative
came from Korean NGO, Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM), to
Pacific Asia Resource Center (PARC), and both agreed to expand this move to our
friends in Asian countries.
So please relay this message to your friend organizations and NGOs to sign up.
We will have a simultaneous press conference or joint action in early November as many
countries as possible. Deadline is October 31, 5 PM (Japanese time).
For more information, please contact to parc@jca.apc.org or 81-3-5209-3455
Please return your sign by fax or e-mail
Return Sheet (FAX to +81-3-5209-3453 or parc@jca.apc.org)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name (organization)
Address
PHONE FAX
E-mail
Stop the War, Keep Peace in Asia
- Opposing the US Military Retaliation, Japan's Militarization and Korean Military
Support for the US
Joint Statement of Asian NGOs
We feel deep sorrow at the tragedy caused by the " terrorist attack" on September
11, in which countless thousand of precious lives were lost and many more injured,
and extend our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of
those who lost their lives. We should point out, however, that the US launched its
war of retaliation in disregard for the voices of peace-loving people of the world. This
war is meaningless both for the security of US citizens from terrorism and for global
peace. On the contrary, the US might be accused of dyeing the new century red by
military conflict and be faced with anger and resistance of many citizens all over the
world.
We are NGOs working for human rights, environment, gender, poverty, etc., in
Asian countries. We are also eager to bring peace to the Asian region. Based on this
position, we express our opposition both to the "simultaneous terrorist attack" and
to political responses against this attack by the US, Japan and Korea.
First, although we believe that we must not forget the victims of September 11 and
the grief of their families and friends, the same must be true for all victims and
people being victimized by war and violence, poverty and discrimination rooted in
global structures.
Second, regardless of what group prepared and implemented this violent attack -
although the US government seems to have identified the criminal - we strongly
oppose the labeling of this attack as an Act of War, and we oppose the US claim that
it has a state right to retaliate using military power. We also strongly oppose US
plans for a violent military retaliation. We believe that it is important that a
thorough investigation be conducted by international justice authorities and civil
police of several countries, and any response should wait until the release of the
results of this investigation. Blind military retaliation by a single nation or by
mobilizing allied countries might lead to the sacrifice of as many innocent citizens
as this attack or more. And such military retaliation will produce a vicious cycle of
military escalation. We would also point out that if the US wants to show its resolve
against terrorism, it should change its military hegemonic policies such as the
missile defense plan, illegitimate intervention into Third Word countries, and
arrogant economic policies under the name of "globalization".
Third, we must refer to Japan's moves toward militarism using this "simultaneous
terrorist attack" as a pretext. Japanese politicians, most of whom belong to the LDP,
plan to enact a new law for supporting US military retaliation and to establish the
notion of the right of collective self defense, which has so far not been acknowledged
in Japanese society. This is the first attempt by Japanese military forces to
participate in a war since the Asia- Pacific War (1930-1945). We strongly oppose
such moves towards the strengthening of military force. The participation by
Japan's Self-Defense Forces in joint military action will be a serious threat to peace
in Asia including the Korean peninsula. We demand that the Japanese government
recognize its responsibility for the Asia-Pacific War and apologize and provide
redress toward war victims such as the "former war-time sex slaves ". We also call
on the Japanese government to actively contribute toward peace in Asia.
Forth, we call on the Korean government to withdraw its position of support for US
military retaliation, and devote its efforts to cooperation between the North and
South in the Korean peninsula to create peace. The legitimacy of US military
retaliation is very problematic from the viewpoint of international law, and
retaliation may create thousands of victims among citizens. We insist that this
support is meaningless for Korean nationals, and therefore should be stopped. If the
Korean government supports a US war, it will result in the Korean government
approving the paving of a way for Japan to pursue militarization.
For the Korean government, a crucial way to contribute to the security of the
Korean people and peace in Asia is to develop a dialogue with the North, and to
make progress toward peace and reunification on the Korean peninsula, the last
land of the Cold war.
We will gather voices of Asian people to enlarge social movements against the war,
Japan's militarization which threatens peace in Asia, and support among Asian
countries for US military retaliation. We will also expand our solidarity network
throughout the world in order to eradicate terrorism, war, poverty and environment
destruction and other structural violence.
October 4, 2001
Convening Organizations
Korea: Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM)
Japan: Pacific Asia Resource Center (PARC)
Ayus
Asia-Japan Women's Resource Center (AJWRC)
Foundation for Human Rights in Asia, Japan (FHRA)
Consumers Union of Japan
Citizen's Nuclear Information Center(CNIC)
Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC)
Japan Catholic Council for Justice and Peace
People to People Aid (P2)
National Chiristian Council of Japan- International Committee (NCCJ)
Nerwork for Indonesian Democracy, Japan
International Movement against All Forms of Discrimination and
Racism Japan Committee (IMADR-JC)
Kansai NGO Council
Violence Against Women In War and Conflict Situations Network, Japan
(VAWW-net Japan)
------------------------
Pacific Asia Resource Center (PARC)
3F Toyo Bldg., 1-7-11 Kanda Awaji-cho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo Japan
TEL +81-3-5209-3455 FAX+81-3-5209-3455
parc@jca.apc.org