War criminal Rajapaksa to visit Perth

[Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa.]
By Peter Boyle, Green Left Weekly
October 22, 2011 -- Several prominent Australian human rights advocates have called for protests when Sri Lanka’s “war criminal” president, Mahinda Rajapaksa comes to Perth in late October to attend the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
The Rajapaksa government is guilty of committing “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity,” said Professor Damien Kingsbury, the director of the Centre for Citizenship, Development and Human Rights at Deakin University. Kingsbury spoke at an international conference on “Accountability In Sri Lanka: Common Justice In The Commonwealth” in Sydney on October 20.

Indonesia: Occupy Jakarta launches

[Foto: Dok. SDK]
Inspired by the growing Movement of the 99%, which has has staged protests and occupations from Wall St to all corners of the globe, Occupy Indonesia kicked off on October 21.
Visit the website here.
Below is a report from the Jakarta Globe.
***

Pacific Island that demanded climate action faces severe water shortage

By Stuart Munckton, Green Left Weekly
October 16, 2011 -- The Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu, in the Pacific Ocean, is facing a severe shortage of fresh water.
Australia Network News said on October 10 that a state of emergency had been declared and Tuvalu's disaster co-ordinator Sumeo Silu said there was only about three days of water left. Tuvalu is in the midst of a crippling drought and had no rain for months.
ANN said Australia and New Zealand would deploy a large desalination plant to the island, home to about 10,000 people.

East Timor: Union officials, workers arrested

October 16, 2011 -- On October 11, the general secretary and national organiser of General Workers’ Union (GWU), as well as 17 workers, were arrested by police while preparing for a peaceful protest in the office of East Timor's justice ministry.
The protest was being staged to support the demands of 19 workers sacked unfairly by the ministry.

Afghans rebel against decade of pointless slaughter

[Protest in Kabul, October 6.]
By Tony Iltis, Green Left Weekly
October 9, 2011 -- Crowds burned a US flag in Kabul on October 6 at a rally to mark the 10th anniversary the next day of the US-led invasion and occupation of Afghanistan.
For three hours, Reuters said, “men and women … with placards and banners accusing the United States of massacring civilians while denouncing President Hamid Karzai as a puppet subservient to Washington” took part in the peaceful protest organised by the Solidarity Party of Afghanistan.

Letter from refugees: ‘Our lives are in extreme danger’

[Hazaras protest on October 1 in Olso, Norway, as part of an international round of protests against recent killings of Hazaras in Quetta, Pakistan. Photo: hazaranewspakistan.wordpress.com.]
October 8, 2011 -- Refugee Action Coalition Sydney -- Hazara asylum seekers inside Darwin detention centre released the statement below to explain the aims of their recent protest.
* * *
We the Hazara Afghan asylum seekers held a peaceful protest in Darwin detention centre with number of 100 asylum seekers on September 24.

Philippines: Airline workers fight contract labour

[Philippines Air Lines Employees Association member and picket organiser Genevev Alegada. Photo: Zane Alcorn.]
By Zane Alcorn, Manila
October 8, 2011 -- Green Left Weekly -- Members of the Philippines Air Lines Employees Association (PALEA) have been engaged in three weeks of pickets at the Philippines Airlines (PAL) terminal at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.
About 2600 ground crew have fought against forced contractualisation — the replacement of permanent, secure jobs with contract labour.

Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam seeks support from Cuba and Latin America

[Image: Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran.]
By Ron Ridenour
October 4, 2011 -– Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal -- “We Tamils, inside and outside the island of Sri Lanka, still want an independent state. And because the war crimes and severe brutality of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government against our people has become well known, our cause is being spoken about all over the world”, Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran told me recently in Manhattan, New York.
A positive sign of recognition for Tamil rights is the dramatic Channel 4 UK documentary, Sri Lanka Killing Fields, shown first at a June Human Rights Council session and then worldwide.

Bangladesh to host South Asian Social Forum

By Fahreen Alamgir
September 25, 2011 -- The South Asian Social Forum will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from November 18-22. Part of the World Social Forum, SASF takes the democratisation process as its core theme.
The World Social Forum, which was formed in 2001, has its roots in the early 1990s and different NGO initiatives and activities parallel to those of the United Nations.

Taliban assault exposes failing, unpopular war

[Image: Snipers from the occupying forces in Afghanistan.]
By Ash Pemberton, Green Left Weekly
September 18, 2011 -- A 20-hour assault on the US embassy in Kabul by Taliban fighters on September 14 has exposed further weaknesses in the already-crumbling facade of the United States-led occupation of Afghanistan.
The Taliban launched a sustained rocket attack on what is supposedly the most secure area in the country, seriously embarrassing Western officials who continue to insist “progress” is being made.