Pakistani peasants shot dead
On August 26, Pakistani police and military fired on a gathering of 2000 peasants from Okara village.
The peasants had just been negotiating with the army landlords over the downgrading of tenancy rights. After refusing to sign the new agreement, the 2000 peasants were returning to their village when the army fired indiscriminately. Up to five are reported to have been killed, more than 30 injured (including 10 women) and many more missing.
Labour Party Pakistan legally registered
On August 14, the Labour Party Pakistan was successful in gaining legal registration. The LPP will now be one of 71 parties able to contest the October 10 general election in their own names.
The election commission rejected applications from 54 other parties. These parties will be appealing to the High Court.
Asian NGOs declare opposition to war and 'terror laws'
A conference of Asian human rights NGOs, held August 23-25 in Thailand, has issued a call to action for "human security not national security".
It calls on organisations to: "Take immediate actions to oppose the US 'war on terrorism', in particular the planned US attack on Iraq; develop solidarity and cooperation amongst the people of Asia to abolish national security laws that violate human rights; continue to promote and develop human security as an alternative to militarisation and the 'war on Terrorism'." The conference was organised by Suaram (Malaysia), Transnational Institute, Asia Forum for Human Rights and Development, and the Asian Human Rights Commission.
Renewal of military ties with Jakarta opposed
Twenty-seven members of the US House of Representatives sent a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations on September 3 to ask that it "renew both the International Military Education and Training (IMET), and Foreign Military Financing (FMF) restrictions on US foreign assistance to Indonesia".
This follows a July 19 decision by the Senate appropriations committee to lift the restrictions on IMET. The US East Timor Action Network is organising opposition as the full renewal of military ties continues to be debated in both houses of Congress.
Aceh activists released
After being detained at a mass rally on August 15, 12 members of the Acehnese Democratic People's Resistance Front from the Jeumpa district organising committee were released on condition that they pay massive bribes. The activists were severely beaten during detention.
China unionisation drive criticised
On August 30, Hong-Kong-based China Labour Bulletin criticised the All-China Federation of Trade Unions' (ACFTU) campaign to "increase the number of trade union branches in newly established enterprises to one million by the end of this year, with 36 million members".
The campaign, announced on August 12, aims to shore up the ACFTU's bureaucratic control over the new work force in the fast-expanding private sector. This is while worker protests escalate throughout China, with little or no support from the ACFTU.
[Compiled by Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific (ASAP). For more information on these and other solidarity news, visit <http://www.asia-pacific-action.org>.]<|>
From Green Left Weekly, September 11, 2002.
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