Global Peace And Justice Auckland Newsletter #78, December 15, 2004

Website http://www.gpja.pl.net/ Contact details: Forums - John Minto, (09) 846 3173, jbminto@xtra.co.nz; Newsletter Editor - Mike Treen 027 525 47440 / 3616989 miket@pl.net Web page - bobo@enzyme.org.nz Donations can be sent to GPJA, Private Bag 68905, Newton, Auckland. All communication regarding the GPJA mailing list (email or snail) should be addressed to gpja@xtra.co.nz

Hi All,

'Stealing a Nation', John Pilger's latest doco, will screen at 9:40pm this coming Friday (17th) on TV One in the Foreign Correspondent programme. More Info: http://pilger.carlton.com/home http://pilger.carlton.com/print/133384 http://pilger.carlton.com/print/133386

On October 6, the ITV Network showed John Pilger's 'Stealing a Nation'. This is a shocking, almost incredible story, largely hidden from history, of the secret expulsion of the entire population of the Chagos Islands, a British colony in the Indian Ocean, by the British Government, so that the main island, Diego Garcia, could be given to America as a military base. More than 2,000 people were dumped a thousand miles away, in the slums of Mauritius, and received little in compensation. Their fortunes changed in the 1990s with the discovery of a bundle of official files, which reveal a conspiracy between the Foreign Office in London and officials in Washington.

Friday, December 17, 7.30pm, Spanish Dept, Arts Building, Room 716, Cnr Symonds St & Grafton Rd, Auckland University. Building #206 on the map (link follows): http://www.auckland.ac.nz/cir_visitors/index.cfm?action=display_page&page_title=campuses#city Screening of WALLMAPU - a Documentary on the Mapuche Struggle for Land and Self-determination produced by Mapuche filmmaker, Jeannette Paillan. Jeannette will attend the showing of Wallmapu, to comment on her work and the situation of Mapuche today. Mapuche are the tangata whenua of southern Chile The Chilean state colonised their territory in the 19th century After the ending of Pinochet¹s military dictatorship and under increasing pressure from forestry companies, they took up the struggle in the 90¹s to recover their territory. Jeannette's works have been screened internationally since 1994. Wallmapu was awarded at the 2003 Human Rights Film Festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Jeannette was also festival coordinator of the 2004 CLACPI Festival of Indigenous Film and Video in Santiago, Chile Jeannette will attend the showing of Wallmapu, to comment on her work and the situation of Mapuche today. Free Entry: Organised by the Centre for Latin American Studies, University of Auckland and ALAC Inc.

Until December 18, Orewa Public Library, Moana Ave, Orewa Please be informed that an art exhibition entitled,"In and around the Heart...Art for Peace" will be on display at the Orewa Public Library, Moana Ave, Orewa from Mon 13 to Sat 18 Dec 2004. The exhibition is organised by the Aslan Trust and the recently established Islamic Art Group, Aotearoa Islamic Impressions. The joint venture is aimed at promoting peace and justice by promoting closer links between the diverse communities of NZ. Regards, Ahmad Esau, Aotearoa Islamic Impressions

PRESENTS FOR XMAS

"I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT THE MOON" - the disinformation campaign against Ahmed Zaoui - is now available from GPJA at the UNITE office - $15 with all proceeds to go to the Zaoui family. This book is a brilliant expose by Scoop Media editor Selwyn Manning of the campaign to discredit Zaoui by Algeria and France and the complicity of New Zealand officials in this as our country has tried to paint itself as a loyal footsoldier in the war on terror. Get in early for XMAS - no I'm not joking - and help make the Zaoui XMAS a bit happier! John Minto, Phone 0064 9 8463173, Fax: 0064 9 8463 176

PEACE NOT WAR CD’S THE SECOND PEACE NOT WAR CD IS NOW AVAILABLE FROM GPJA: Selected from 500 submissions and aimed at a youth market, the 37 track compilation redefines protest music for the twenty-first century: non-stop funky beats on one disc and fat guitars on the other, with deep and inspiring lyrics throughout. Produced & funded independently by a small collective of activists & musicians (not a record label), the CDs are SOLD BY PEACE GROUPS TO RAISE FUNDS. Check it out at http://www.peace-not-war.org/ Order for only $25 from mike@unite.org.nz Send a cheque made out to GPJA, Private Bag 68905, Newton, Auckland

BEST ON THE WEB

ENVIRONMENT Bush as marine terrorist http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/marine/nlfa.asp http://www.iwc.org/world_whale_news/2003/bush_11_12.htm http://www.independent-media.tv/item.cfm?fmedia_id=8108&fcategory_desc=Bush% 20Environmental%20Impact

MIDDLE EAST Barenboim pitches into Blair over handling of Middle East peace deals http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5074467-103552,00.html Mainline Protestants Challenge Israel Lobby http://www.antiwar.com/orig/cmoore.php?articleid=4101

CHILD VICTIMS OF MARKET FREEDOM Half of kids suffer war, poverty, AIDS http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/12/09/unicef.report.ap/index.html

VENEZUELA: An unfolding revolution: If there is one thing that US imperialism cannot stand, it is the threat of a good example. Venezuela's pro-worker government is in Washington's gun sights. http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2004/609/609p12.htm US backs Venezuelan terrorists http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2004/609/609p24.htm Education for revolution http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2004/609/609p14.htm

MESSAGES Go to http://www.cafca.org.nz and you will find a whole section on the Overseas Investment Bill. There are links to the Bill itself; a CAFCA leaflet about it; a model submission of opposition to it; and several articles about it from recent issues of Foreign Control Watchdog. Our latest information is that the Bill will have its First Reading in Parliament, under Urgency, next week (beginning December 13), and that it will be referred to the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee. We understand that the end of February will be the deadline for submissions to that Committee on the Bill. This remains to be officially confirmed yet. Murray Horton, Secretary/Organiser, CAFCA

Mike

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>