Nuclear ship in Hobart
HOBART — The nuclear armed and powered aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis visited here on August 5-8. While local business and media went into overdrive to welcome the visitors, activists from Ecofleet used kayaks and sailing vessels to protest against nuclear weapons and nuclear power. A vigil was also held.
Politicians claimed big-spending sailors would help the Tasmanian economy. The Tasmanian Greens said a nuclear disaster would damage Tasmania's "clean, green image". The Democratic Socialists said the visit should be opposed, not only because of the nuclear danger, but also because the ship had just returned from the Gulf, where it was enforcing the US war machine's blockade of Iraq.
VCA students take the plunge
MELBOURNE — Some 100 Victorian College of the Arts students cheered as six of their number dived into the Victorian National Gallery fountain on August 3 to recover the coins thrown in by the public. These were then glued to the entrance of VCA's administration building to protest against plans to introduce up-front fees there.
Student union education officer, Kylie Wilkinson, said: "John Howard refuses to use public money to fund education and today students have been forced to recover public money from wherever they can and return it to education." A "Save Arts Education" day is being planned by the VCA and Melbourne University student unions and NUS for August 13.
Indonesian dissident speaks
CANBERRA — Sri Bintang Pamungkas, chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Union Party (PUDI), was jailed for subversion in 1997. A former MP for the United Development Party, his subversive acts were to form PUDI, call Suharto a dictator, challenge the 1945 constitution and, in 1997, send greeting cards at the end of Ramadan to all members of the "rubber stamp" Indonesian parliament rejecting the renomination of Suharto for president in 1998.
Sri Bintang's visit to ANU was organised by the Indonesian Study Group. He discussed with students and staff the problems of the Indonesian constitution. He called for an end to the involvement of the military in politics, a democratic general election, the trial of Suharto for the killings following the 1965 military coup, as well as massacres in East Timor, West Papua, Aceh, Tanjung Priok, Lampung and the "Petrus" killings.
Sri Bintang said the army should withdraw from East Timor, allowing the territory to be autonomous until a UN-sponsored referendum on self-determination.
Cuba solidarity night
BRISBANE — "Cuba si! Yanqui no!" was the theme of a solidarity night with the Cuban revolution held at the Resistance Centre on August 1. The night was sponsored by Green Left Weekly.
The celebration of the 45th anniversary of the famous July 26 attack on the Moncada Barracks, featured speakers including the Democratic Socialist Party's Mike Byrne and Oscar Orellana, vice-president of the Australia-Cuba Friendship Society.
Lynda Hansen from the Committees in Solidarity with Latin America and the Caribbean presented a cheque from CISLAC for $800 to Victor Umanzor, president of Australian Aid for El Salvador. The money, half the proceeds of a July 18 CISLAC fiesta, will support the FMLN's 1999 election campaign. The other half will go to a medical project in Cuba.