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Korea: labour rights - 19 Mar 2004
Migrant workers in Korea call for international solidarity
Since November 16 2003 South Korean authorities are hunting 120,000 migrant workers with the aim to deport them. Equality Trade Union Migrants' Branch (ETU-MB) and several other groups decided to resist and occupied on Nov 15 Myeong-dong cathedral compound (Report 15-16 March)in the heart of the South Korean capital Seoul. Seventy migrant workers from Indonesia, Nepal and Bangladesh, are there, daily agitating and protesting against the government's plans. On two occasions legal ETU-MB demonstrations have been viciously attacked by units of immigration officers and riot police, resulting in two migrants being seized and multiple injuries. On 23 February, 19 migrant workers in Hwaseong detention center began a hunger strike. Migrant workers on hunger strike are presently being forcibly deported. The migrant permit system has been described as a South Korean Slave system providing cheap docile labour to maximise corporate profit. Read a chronology and call for international solidarity at Sydney Indymedia and send a protest via Labourstart. ZNET: Migrant Workers and the Struggle for Political Space | Equality Trade Union Migrants' Branch | Labour News from Korea
MEXICO: LAND RIGHTS - 18 Mar 2004
Plan Puebla Panama
Tipping a hat to irony, the World Bank recently produced a document entitled Why NAFTA Did Not Reach the South in which it notes,"NAFTA did not reach the south because of obstacles to economic development that afflict the southern states, such as insufficient infrastructure." In its Development Strategy for the Mexican Southern States the World Bank "suggests stimulating economic growth by reducing bottlenecks that impede doing business in the region, such as the lack of market access, the undersized and costly market for financial services, and the plethora of legal conflicts with regard to land tenure." Preceding his inauguration in 2001, Mexican President, and former Coca Cola executive, Vicente Fox promised to deal with "conflicts with regard to land tenure" by implementing the San Andres Accords on Indigenous Rights and Culture, which would legally recognize and protect communal indigenous land holdings (ejidos). These promises proved empty, however, as virtually simultaneously the first murmurs of Plan Puebla Panama (PPP) issued from the other corner of his mandible, and fox continued his predecessors' policy of war against the indigenous of Mexico. INDYMEDIA: FTAA IMC | Chiapas CMI
HUMOUR | POLITICS - 17 Mar 2004
Political Cartoon Debuts on Indymedia
Political comic strips have long been a source of reflection and have offered a good outlet for activists to deal with the stressful situations that the leaders of the world put on the inhabitants of the world. The Indymedia network has recently seen a regular political comic strip on several local IMC's. These include: Portland, Los Angeles, and Seattle; however, other IMC's are picking it up and reposting it daily. The Daily Grind originally debuted in 1997 in a college newspaper. "The columnist, Jacob Jackrabbit, originally appeared as a parody of a Rush Limbaugh-style pundit," says Aaron Neathery, the strips author, "but the strip wasn't particularly political as it proved difficult to parody pundits who are, themselves, self-conscious parodies. But after experiencing three even worse than expected years of Bush, and inspired by strips like Aaron McGruder's Boondocks and Get Your War On, I decided to bring The Daily Grind back as my own personal political soapbox." There are also more well know comics like This Modern World, by Tom Tommorrow; and Wildcat, by Donald Rooum. And, of course, there are countless political comics we dont find out about! DAILY GRIND ON IMC: Portland IMC | Seattle IMC
GLOBAL : PEACE - 16 Mar 2004
M-20 Iraq War One Year Anniversary - The World Still Says No to War
The upcoming "Global Day of Action against War and Occupation" on March 20, is the one-year anniversary of the U.S. bombing and invasion of Iraq. Organizers say that "people on every continent will take to the streets to say YES to peace and NO to pre-emptive war and occupation." Groups are calling for an end to the occupation of Iraq and the Bush regime's belligerent foreign policies in places like Haiti, Palestine, and Venezuela. They note that M-20 will be the first time the world's 'other superpower', as The New York Times described [popular protest], will take center stage since February 15, when more than 15 million people across the globe expressed their opposition to Bush's looming war on Iraq." The action has been endorsed by the Global Assembly of the Anti-War Movement, the World Social Forum, and the 3rd Hemispheric Forum Against the FTAA. As damning evidence concerning lies and the manipulation of intelligence by the Bush regime continues to surface since the invasion of Iraq, both U.S. citizens and the international community are turning up the heat on Washington, Tony Blair's government in the UK and John Howard's administration in Australia. Talk of Whitehouse war crimes is increasing. Possible al Qaeda-led attacks on trains in Spain have resulted in the pro-Bush Aznar government being voted out of office. Italian people are opposing Berlusconi's support of the war as well. Keep watching Indymedia for reports on M-20. [International Actions | U.S. Actions | Bush Lies | Iraq body count]
Genetic Engineering Action Network Conference
March 12th, 2004 marked the beginning of the GEAN (Genetic Engineering Action Network) conference in San Francisco, CA, USA. Events began with a public forum called "California at the Crossroads". A roundtable of speakers talked about current GMO issues from the struggles farmers are facing, activists passing legislation in Mendocino County, CA, USA and consumer issues from GE foods, mad cow and other safety and environmental concerns. [ AUDIO: GEAN Conference 03-12-2004 | BioDevestation 2004 | Bio Tech InfoNet | Portland IMC ]
OCEANIA: Asylum Seekers - 14 Mar 2004
Flotillas of Hope to sail to Nauru
The Flotilla 2004 campaign was initiated in November 2003 in response to the appalling treatment of asylum seekers by the Australian Government. (see recent Refugee stories) The Flotilla 2004 voyage will recall the old law of the sea -- which obliges us to give assistance to anyone in peril, without regard for flags. The voyage, containing a fleet of small craft (flotilla), is leaving Sydney on May 15 to meet more boats in Brisbane on May 22, before traveling to Nauru (Map) in time for World Refugee Day on June 20, where many asylum seekers are currently being held in detention. The boats converging north of Australia will be crewed by autonomous affinity groups; online protests, media streams, radio waves and OpenFlow projects will aid the campaign back in Australia and around Oceania. With Four boats already signed up, but more boats are still needed for an effective campaign. There are several different alternate ways you can participate in this campaign, and donations are welcome. Flotilla 2004 | Nauru Wire
SPAIN: BOMBs - 14 Mar 2004
Massacre in Madrid
Ten bombs exploded last Thursday morning, March the 11th, in different local trains around Madrid. At that moment, most of these trains were filled with people from the poorest areas in Madrid. A large number of them were immigrants from Eastern Europe and Latin America. The blasts resulted in 200 dead and 1400 injured. The government immediately blamed the underground Basque separatist group, the ETA, and public opinion did not question the official version. Nonetheless some contrary evidence came up in the hours that followed:
AFRICA : INDEPENDENT MEDIA - 11 Mar 2004
First Regional Indymedia Meeting in Africa
 The first Indymedia Regional Meeting in Africa is taking place these Days in Dakar, the Capital of Senegal. Many Delegates from African based IMC's (forming as well as approved) are present. And after a long Trip, the Boundaries to Bridges Caravane arrived at the conference. The two week event has the title "the Alternative (Indymedia) Conference" to embolden participants who though interested and involved in alternative media may have never have anything to do with indymedia. more pictures: 1 | Program: EN FR | Website
WOMENS LIBERATION - 11 Mar 2004
International Women's Day Celebrated
International Women's Day has been celebrated around the world on March 8 since the early 1900s. It was originally modelled on the success of May Day as a day of international working class action. It is closely associated with improving working conditions and equal rights for women, such as in the 13 week general strike in 1909 by the women Garment Workers Union in New York, and in the 1917 women's day march in Petrograd for 'bread and peace', which contributed to the abdication of the Russian Czar and a provisional government to give women the right to vote. [ Global Women's Strike | A History of International Women's Day ]
Austin, Texas USA : Bridging Struggles - 08 Mar 2004
Austin, TX Activists Unite Against Police Oppression
Last year, while undercover agents from the Austin police department were infiltrating anti-war activist workshops, officers of the same department continued the customary practice of harassment and brutality against communities of color on Austin's east side. Austin continues to be a divided city, both economically and racially. Predominantly middle class activists have often voiced the same outrage against local institutions as the under-privileged in Austin, but from separate angles. The last few months, however, have seen an upsurge of cooperative resistance. Segments of the Austin activist community that have historically been divided are exploring new ways to connect and reinforce their struggles. Austin Police Department Internal Memos Documenting Surveillance of Anti-War Activist Workshops: Memo 1 | Memo 2: [ page 1 ] [ page 2 ] [ page 3 ] [ page 4 ] [ Austin IMC | Austin People's Legal Collective (APLC) | Austin Copwatch ]
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