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WEST PAPUA: Congress shows broad support for independence

Defying warnings from Jakarta, the week-long Papuan People's Congress ended on June 4 with a declaration that West Papua was no longer part of the Republic of Indonesia. The congress was extended for a day because of debates over the wording of

Teachers strike, plan more action

Teachers strike, plan more action BY ALEX ROBINSON BRISBANE — Queensland's teachers struck for 24 hours on June 14 in support of demands by the Queensland Teachers Union for an 8% per year pay rise, decreased class sizes and more resources for

FIJI: Class politics, not race, behind the coup

When the military took control in Fiji on May 29, Commodore Frank Bainimarama claimed he was acting to restore “normalcy”. But on June 16, the military arrested Felix Anthony, national secretary of the Fijian Trades Union Congress (FTUC), for

War drums in the Pacific

War drums in the Pacific Coming hard on the heels of George Speight's terrorist coup in Fiji, the Australian capitalist media's battalion of “analysts” were quick to pronounce the Malaita Eagle Force's (MEF) June 5 seizure of Solomon

Action updates

Salmat strike ends SYDNEY — Ninety members of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union's printing division, employed at Salmat Laser Printing Services in Chester Hill, returned to work on June 5 after nine days on strike. The

Write on: Letters to the editor

Write on: Letters to the editor Gullible press Many thanks to Green Left and Phil Shannon for his review in issue 407. Even more so than he normally does, Phil produced an analysis that is politically thought-provoking and insightful

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Seeds of conflict sown by imperialist exploitation

The seizure of Solomon Islands Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu on June 5 by armed militants of the Malaitan Eagle Force (MEF) demanding his resignation triggered a deluge of simplistic commentary in the capitalist media arguing for

Inside South Africa's 'elite transition'

Review by Marina Carman Elite transition: from Apartheid to Neoliberalism in South Africa By Patrick Bond Pluto Press, London, 2000 318pp, $47.95 For anyone disappointed with the fruits of the post-apartheid period in South Africa

New Olympic police powers threaten liberty

BY KIM BULLIMORE SYDNEY — New laws introduced by the NSW Labor government, with the support of the Coalition, to ensure the security of the Olympic Games are draconian and present a threat to civil liberties, participants in a June 13 seminar,

Tax staff reject pay offer

Tax staff reject pay offer BY CHRIS SLEE Australian Tax Office staff have narrowly rejected a new agency agreement proposed by management. Their union described the offer as inadequate and paltry. ATO management offered a pay rise

Rage against La Frontera

By Bill Nevins "Los ojos de me memoria. Minds eye dances. They can only take your soul if you let them." — Priscilla Baca y Candelaria "Poetry is the sacred way to touch the fabric of peoples' souls in a way that lets them take the stage and

National Union of Workers quits NSW Labor

BY SHANE BENTLEY SYDNEY — The New South Wales branch of the National Union of Workers has severed its ties with the NSW Labor Party in protest against the ALP state government's refusal to help the union in its legal battle with Davids Holdings.