Global Peace And Justice Auckland Newsletter #115, November 19, 2005

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 / 09 845 4027 mike@unite.org.nz; Web page - bobo@enzyme.org.nz. Donations can be sent to GPJA, 6a Western Springs Rd, Morningside, Auckland. All communication regarding the GPJA mailing list (email or snail) should be addressed to gpja@xtra.co.nz

QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress had been made, through disobedience and through rebellion." -- Oscar Wilde - (1854-1900)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SUPERSIZE MY PAY CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED BY UNITE UNION – HELP NEEDED The scandalously low pay many workers in NZ endure is being tackled in a special campaign beginning in the fast food industry. After unionizing around 2000 workers in BK, McDonalds KFC and Pizza Hutt, Unite is calling for a $12 an hour minimum wage, the end of youth rates and secure hours. At present workers in the industry subsist on the minimum wage of $9.50 an hour (or less if under 18), and have no guarantee of hours worked in any week. The campaign is taking its message out to the public this weekend at the Grey Lynn Festival (Sat Nov 26) and Farmers Parade (Sun Nov 27). Unite will have petition forms and stickers for the public to wear when they go into the many fast food joints and Cafes. If you can help for an hour or two on Saturday come to the Unite tent in the park. On Sunday we’ll meet in Aotea Square at 12 noon. If you want to help email simon@unite.org.nz or ph 09 8452132 or 0274 555 789.

GOVT MUST RESIST UK CALL TO SEND NEW TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN - New Zealand should rebuff British overtures to send a new counter-insurgency combat force to Afghanistan, Green Party Defence Spokesperson Keith Locke says. “We should be like France and stick to a strictly peacekeeping role. “New Zealand officers have worked with European peacekeepers in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in and around Kabul. But now the British want to inveigle ISAF nations into America’s dirty war elsewhere in the country. “New Zealand special forces being engaged under ISAF would be no more acceptable than their present assignment as part of the American-led Operation Enduring Freedom in the south and east. We just shouldn’t be part of an American combat operation that is so trigger happy, so lacking in cultural sensitivity and so mistreats any prisoners it takes. New Zealand will be horribly embarrassed if it comes out that a prisoner captured by our SAS has been tortured at Guantanamo Bay or in one of the CIA’s gulag prisons in Poland or Romania. We all want a peaceful, democratic Afghanistan, but the American conduct of the war, as in nearby Iraq, has been counter-productive and destabilising. New Zealand has held its end up with peacekeeping, aid and reconstruction work, particularly around Bamian. There is absolutely no need for us to be part of Britain or America’s combat operations in south and east Afghanistan,” Mr Locke says. See http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10355457 http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,1642926,00.html

THE GE INFORMATION BULLETIN - IN THIS ISSUE: Rural NZ Supports GM-free Production; One-fifth Of Human Genes Patented; Aus: New GM Contamination Confirmed; Harvesters Unhappy GM Protocols Not Established; GE Organisms Out Of Control In Romania; Disappointing Biotech; GM Crop 'Ruins Fields For 15 Years'; WTO Ruling On EU GMO Laws Delayed; Peruvian Farmers Move To End Terminator Seeds. http://www.geinfo.org.nz/112005/bulletin39.html Subscribe to the Bulletin, or download a PDF version of this Bulletin at http://www.GEinfo.org.nz http://www.petitiononline.com/bauen/petition.html

THE INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT CAMPAIGN FOR THE WORKERS OF THE BAUEN HOTEL Dear Friends, The movements of worker-run businesses in Latin America are growing, creating dignified democratic jobs in the rubble of neoliberalism's ruinous experiments on that continent. In Caracas recently, the first pan-Latin meeting of recovered companies was a tremendous success, with 600 workers from 263 companies in eight countries taking the first steps to build an alternative trading network that will deepen and broaden the power of these new social movements. We are writing you today to ask you to help save one of the most important sites in this emerging network: the Bauen Hotel in Buenos Aires. The Bauen is a five star hotel that was abandoned to bankruptcy by its owners, and has been recovered and is now operated by a cooperative of its workers. It is also the informal living room/meeting place of the movement in Argentina, and as such has been targeted by right wing politicians in the city legislature of Buenos Aires for eviction. The hotel is now on emergency footing, with eviction possible within days. At the request of the workers, we're asking you to sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/bauen/petition.html Naomi Klein, Arundhati Roy, Michael Hardt, Antonio Negri, Michael Albert, and Avi Lewis have already signed. You can also send emails to President Nestor Kirchner at privada@presidencia.gov.ar and Anibal Fernandez, the Minister of the Interior at: anibalfernandez@infovia.com.ar

WHAT’S ON IN AUCKLAND

Sunday, November 20, 3pm, St Matthews-In-The-City, Cnr Hobson and Wellesley Streets, Auckland City MEMORIAL SERVICE IN MEMORY OF ROD DONALD Please distribute as widely as possible through Green friendly networks, or to anyone who may be interested. Enquiries contact the Green Party in Auckland on 376-4143.

Monday, November 21, 7.30pm, Unite Office, 6a Western Springs Rd, Morningside, Auckland GPJA COMMITTEE MEETING – ALL VOLUNTEERS/HELPERS WELCOME

Monday, November 21, 5-45pm, Amnesty International office, 145 Nelson Street, central Auckland - Auckland Human Rights Network meeting; (directions for drivers - drive northwards down Nelson Street, between Union Street and Cook Street, take small drive on left running parallel downhill off Nelson Street, and proceed to parking beside Amnesty International office). For more information, or to add items to the agenda, contact email joanmac@pl.net

Monday, November 21, 7.30pm, the Crypt under St Benedict’s Church, 1 St Benedict’s St, Auckland Amnesty International’s West Auckland group is holding a public meeting about human rights in Burma, “Burma – Land of Orwell”. This will be the first public speech in NZ by a young activist from the Karen Women’s Organisation, Naw Htoo Paw, who arrived in NZ last week to do a three-month internship learning about NZ democracy in Phil Goff’s electorate office. The other speakers are Labour MP Ann Hartley, Green MP Keith Locke, Auckland University politics student Tinmama Oo, and photojournalist Chris Henderson. We would be very grateful if you could spread the word to anyone who may be interested.

Tuesday, November 22, 9am to 12-30pm, at the Maritime Rescue Centre, 3 Solent St, Mechanics Bay - just off Tamaki Drive on the waterfront;- Forum TO DISCUSS REPEAL OF SECTION 59 OF THE CRIMES ACT, with addresses by Sue Bradford, MP, 'The Crimes (Abolition of Force as a Justification for Child Discipline) Amendment Bill and its anticipated progress through the Select Committee process'; Nicola Taylor, Children's Issues Centre, University of Otago, 'What does repeal mean? A legal perspective on repeal of s59'; Mereana Ruri, Office of the Children's Commissioner, 'Will parents become criminals and kids run wild? Overseas experiences with repeal of similar legislation'; Rev Glynn Cardy, Vicar, St Matthew-in-the-City, 'What does God say? A religious perspective on repeal'; and Beth Wood, UNICEF NZ, 'What do children say? A children's perspective on repeal; morning tea; and concurrent workshops (Chatham House Rule) on engaging with the media, the public, MPs, and networks on the subject of repeal; closing session - next steps, where to from here? There is some free parking in the Marine Rescue Centre car park (drive up to the Marine Rescue building and the parking area is on the right). Otherwise, there is parking on Tamaki Drive. Free entry, if you are planning on going, please RSVP to Valerie Serrao, tel (09) 921 9999 x8399 or email valerie.serrao@aut.ac.nz

Friday, November 25, 5.30pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn The Working Womens Resource Centre invites you to come to congratulate and celebrate the election of Auckland/Northland Labour and Green Party Members of Parliament. We will have the pleasure of the company of some Members of Parliament and it will be an opportunity for us all to get together to enjoy a pre Christmas drink or three, have some nibbles and meet up with old friends. Ros Hiini Organiser WWRC phone 09 3797906

Sunday, November 27, 6pm, Tom Forde's Bar, Anzac Ave SINN FEIN MP TO TOUR NZ - Bairbre de Brún is MEP for the Six Counties and the Sinn Féin spokesperson on equality and human rights.

Monday, 28 and Tuesday, 29 November, 9am to 3-45pm both days, at the Avondale Community Centre, 99 Rosebank Road, Avondale - TREATY OF WAITANGI INTRODUCTORY COURSE: "this 12 hour course by the Manukau Institute of Technology Treaty Unit will provide you with a basic introduction to the Treaty of Waitangi. At the end of the course, you will be able to: describe the motivations of the British Crown and the hapu for having a Treaty; compare and contrast meanings of the articles in the Maori Text and the English Version; outline the history of NZ after 1840 and how breaches of the Treaty have shaped our society today; and consider the application of Te Tiriti in your own life." From; free of charge to adult members of the public. "If you want to understand the present you must first understand the past. The circumstances of today were shaped by the events of yesterday"; for more information tel (09) 828 3302.

Thursday, December 1, 12 noon, Auckland Downtown square corner of Customs St and Queen December 1 is West Papua Independence Day. But in West Papua those who raise the West Papua flag risk lengthy jail terms or worse. We can use our freedom to promote theirs. Join us to promote West Papua's rights. IHRC will hold a lunchtime stall and raise the West Papua flag. December I is also World Aids Day and West Papua is facing an unacknowledged pandemic of HIV/Aids - the most serious HIV/Aids problem in Indonesia. Contact Maire maire@clear.net.nz

Sunday, December 4, 7.30pm, The Classic Comedy Bar and Theatre, 131 Queen Street, CBD INDYMEDIA (AUCKLAND) PRESENTS THE ANTIDOTE #14 - An evening of alternative political documentaries 7.45 pm start time for films. $5. Feature Documentary: MCLIBEL (2005), 85 mins. “Brand” New – released in time for McDonald’s 50th Anniversary earlier this year. Never seen before in New Zealand. With new material and completely re-edited archival footage, this updating of the David and Goliath story – ordinary people facing off against the corporate ogre - is the culmination of ten years of filming by director, Franny Armstrong, and her crew. An example of low to no budget documentary-making at its most successful, the documentary came together through donated equipment and largely voluntary crew work, and acclaimed film-maker Ken Loach donated his services to directing the dramatic reconstructions. Aotearoa Indymedia, http://www.indymedia.org.nz/ McLibel - www.spannerfilms.net/?lid=161 Reviews - http://www.spannerfilms.net/reviews McSpotlight - http://www.mcspotlight.org/

Monday, December 5, 7.30pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn GPJA FORUM: JANE KELSEY REPORTS BACK FROM WTO PROTESTS IN HONG KONG. How so-called trade liberalisation and free trade form the agenda of the majopr corporates that dominate the world economy. How workers in both the first and third work are the ultimate victims.

Tuesday, December 6, 7-30pm, at the St Columba Centre, 40 Vermont Street, Grey Lynn (opposite the Mosque)- 'SWORDS INTO PLOUGHSHARES: HOW IS LIFE IN ACEH AS THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE TSUNAMI APPROACHES?', your chance to hear two prominent advocates for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Aceh - Imam Syuja, National Mandate Party MP, Chairperson of Muhammadiyah in Aceh and the Aceh Task Force; and Hendra Budian, Human Rights Lawyer, Programme Director Aceh Judicial Monitoring Institute and founder of the Aceh Relief Aid Centre.; organised by the Indonesia Human Rights Committee, for more information contact tel (09) 815 9000 or email maire@clear.net.nz

Saturday 10 December, 7pm to 9pm, SkyCity Casino, Victoria St, City PARASITES ON POVERTY PROTEST. This protest is the second public protest of the GPJA "Parasites on Poverty" campaign which is calling for action against pokie machines and loan sharks. See www.pop.org.nz for more information. Many families are under serious financial pressure in the run up to XMAS and the casino is ready to exploit their vulnerability. Sky City contains the lion’s share of pokies in Auckland and has reported a profit of $104 million for the past year. This is money redistributed from the poor to the rich by the largest community parasite in Auckland. Come along and help develop pressure on poverty, loan sharks and pokies!

BEST ON THE WEB

NEW ZEALAND Kiwi workers backing their Aussie mates today http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0511/S00113.htm CYF staff should spend time in police cell, say Maori party http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10355142 NZ stance on Indigenous issues queried http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0511/S00186.htm Hand and finger amputations are occurring on an average of more than three times a week in New Zealand workplaces. http://www.dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2005/amputations.asp

AUSTRALIA Biggest workers' protest in Australian history - More than 600,000 workers rallied and marched in cities around the country on November 15 in the biggest trade union organised demonstration ever in Australia. They were protesting the Howard Liberal-National government's draconian anti-union and anti-worker laws which are now before the federal parliament. http://www.socialist-alliance.org/page.php?page=497

WORLD ENVIRONMENT Fish numbers plummet in warming Pacific; Disappearance of plankton causes unprecedented collapse in sea and bird life off western US coast http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article326752.ece Sewage altering fish http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fish14nov14,0,3080268,full.story We need to stop eating seafood http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2005/s1490388.htm New Dams Destroying Water Sources and Damaging Economies http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=9246

UK Corrections and clarifications - The Guardian and Noam Chomsky http://www.guardian.co.uk/corrections/story/0,,1644017,00.html

WORLD ECONOMY Economists expect sharp recession after real-estate bubble bursts http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-zrealestate12nov12,0,4871892.story?track=mostemailedlink

FRANCE Riots Are a Class Act - And Often They're the Only Alternative - France now accepts the need for social justice. No petition, peaceful march or letter to an MP could have achieved this http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1114-31.htm

VIETNAM UN report says Vietnam's social progress 'exceptional' http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2005/649/649p20.htm

KOREA Police fight back South Korea protesters http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20051118-07370800-bc-skorea-apec-protest.xml

WAR ON FREEDOM They couldn't take away my dignity' - Four former Guantánamo detainees talk about their experiences http://www.guardian.co.uk/guantanamo/story/0,13743,1646014,00.html CIA's Harsh Interrogation Techniques Described - Sources Say Agency's Tactics Lead to Questionable Confessions, Sometimes to Death http://www.abcnews.go.com/WNT/Investigation/story?id=1322866 Our Monsters In Iraq http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20051118/our_monsters_in_iraq.php

ISRAEL/PALESTINE Labor Party Leader Shakes Up Israeli Scene http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051118/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_new_man_in_town

Yours, Simon Oosterman

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