GLOBAL PEACE AND JUSTICE AUCKLAND NEWSLETTER #61, June 9, 2004

Website http://www.gpja.pl.net/ Contact details: Forums - John Minto, (09) 846 3173, jbminto@xtra.co.nz; Newsletter Editor - Mike Treen 0212547440 / 3616989 miket@pl.net Web page - Bruce Hubbard (09) 6232667 or 027 256 3933 bern@ihug.co.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

Dear friends,

"Antidote" Film evening Sunday (see What's On below)

This Monday is the regular GPJA forum which will hear a report back from Luke Coxon on the WORLD SOCIAL FORUM held earlier this year in Mumbai India. Tens of thousands of people attended from around the world to discuss corporate globalisation and war and how to fight back. We will also show a video of RUMBLE IN MUMBAI, - a film of the events at and around the Social Forum.

With the continuing reports of abuse of prisoners and deaths of civilians in Iraq GPJA has decided to support an international protest on June 30 to demand all foreign troops OUT NOW. June 30 is the date when the fake Iraqi authority is being created to camouflage the occupation. Helen Clark has said the NZ troops in Iraq will remain until the end of the year and other troops may be sent to support the occupation. Posters to advertise June 30 available from the website in PDF or Word format. http://www.gpja.pl.net/sub/Education/IraqPublicity/2004/June30.pdf http://www.gpja.pl.net/sub/Education/IraqPublicity/2004/OutNow300604.doc

WHAT'S ON IN AUCKLAND

Sunday, June 13, 7pm, The Classic Comedy Bar (321 Queen Street, CBD) The "Antidote #7" features a varied line up of documentaries. New Zealand has one of the most commercialised media markets in the world. With "Whose News?" the Auckland Indymedia investigates just who owns the news in NZ. Confused about the Ahmed Zaoui case? Background info about the Algerian political situation will be brought to you by Eamonn Deverall who ill present a quick run down of the issues. Then we present the French "Canal" + documentary, "Attacks on Paris" which puts the case forward that the GIA, which Zaoui has been accused of running, is actually just a puppet organisation run by the Algerian Military in order to destabilise the country and keep power in their hands. Includes interviews with former high-ranking officers from both the Algerian and the French secret service. The programme also includes "Hikoi" by Matthew Donaldson and the Guerrilla News Network. "The Antidote" aims to be a regular forum for the exposure of alternative political filmmaking and media art. This is the seventh screening presented by Auckland Indymedia. For more information contact auckland@indymedia.org

Monday, June 14, 7.30pm, Trades Hall Auditorium, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn

PUBLIC MEETING: COAL MINING, ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT The meeting will look at important national and international issues such as climate change and threats to biodiversity, as well as other impacts of coal mining such as Acid Mine Drainage, focusing on coal mining here in New Zealand, in particular Solid Energy's proposed opencast coal mine at Happy Valley, near Westport. This will be placed in the broader context of current energy issues in New Zealand. The speakers are Jonathan Oosterman (Save Happy Valley Campaign), speaking specifically on the proposed Happy Valley mine, Green MP Jeanette Fitzsimons speaking on coal mining in New Zealand and alternative energy sources, and David Pattemore (Forest and Bird) speaking on energy conservation issues. For more information contact savehappyvalley@enzyme.org.nz

Tuesday 15 June, 5.30 for 6pm till 8.30pm, The Music Theatre, School of Music, The University of Auckland 6 Symonds Street. (Just up from St. Andrew's on the corner of Alten Rd)

BONFIRES IN THE NIGHT' AN AMAZING A - Z POETRY & MUSIC FUNDRAISING MARATHON For Amnesty International & the Ahmed Zaoui campaign. Organised by the Remuera Group of AINZ with an interval Performers:Raewyn Alexander, Andelka, Bernard Brown, Lee Dowrick, Murray Edmond, Riemke Ensing, Bernard Gadd, David Guerin, Isabel Haarhaus, Siobhan Harvey, an Kemp, Philip Khouri, Michele Leggott, Linn Lorkin & Hershal, Rosemary Menzies, Jack Ross, Anna Rugis, Iain Sharp, Caitlin Smith, Denys Trussell, Wensley Wilcox, Ahmed Zaoui (in absentia) Door sales: $10 per person

Wednesday, June 16, 7.30pm, Ferndale House 830 New North Road, Mt Albert 2004 Alan Nixon Memorial Lecture will be given by Professor Margaret Bedggood a former Human Rights Commissioner, now a member of the Human Rights Foundation and Amnesty International Executive. Topic : WHY BOTHER WITH RIGHTS? PRISONERS AND REFUGEES IN AOTEAROA/NEW ZEALAND. Organised by MAP (Movement for Alternatives to Prison) Contact Rachel Maule ph (09)846 0925 bor Joan Macdonald ph (09)360 8001

Monday, June 21, Academy Cinema, 64 Lorne St City Vision Drinks and nibbles and the NZ premiere of Man on Fire. $15 per ticket Be there because we need your money! Tickets available from: Dr Cathy Casey, PO Box 78 324, Grey Lynn. Email: cmcasey@xtra.co.nz Tel: 09 849 6662 (h) or 021 1766633 (cell) (Make cheques payable to "City Vision")

Saturday 26 June,10.30am - 12pm, Room 018, ClockTower Bldg,22 Princes Street, Bldg No. 105 TOGETHER AGAINST TORTURE: In recognition of the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Centre for Continuing Education is holding a free seminar to raise awareness on this issue. To register ph: 3737599 ext 87831/87832 . Many thanks Jo Davies, Programme Manager,Community Education, Centre for Continuing Education, The University of Auckland Ph: 3737599 ext 88693 je.davies@auckland.ac.nz

December 2-5, Massey University, Albany

An International Interdisciplinary Conference on Restorative Justice to be held at Centre for Justice and Peace Development Massey University Albany Auckland. "NEW FRONTIERS IN RESTORATIVE JUSTICE: ADVANCING THEORY AND PRACTICE" To express interest in attending and/or to offer a presentation email newfrontiers@massey.ac.nz or write to Dr. Warwick Tie, Centre for Justice and Peace Development, School of Social and Cultural Studies, Massey University, Private Bag 102 904, North Shore MSC, Auckland. Closing date for the submission of abstracts is the 31st May 2004. Conference URL: http://justpeace.massey.ac.nz/

MESSAGES

TOGETHER AGAINST TORTURE: In recognition of the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Centre for Continuing Education is holding a free seminar to raise awareness on this issue. This event will be part of a global campaign to help raise support for a world without torture. The following issues will be discussed: • What international law is in place protecting people from torture and how effective has the 1987 UN Convention against Torture been? • The screening of asylum seekers and the assessment of their non- accidental injuries • Treatment and services available for refugees suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. Refugees who have experienced torture will also tell their stories. Course Code: G2.922 Cost: FREE (but please register) When:1 session, Saturday 26 June,10.30am - 12pm Where: Room 018, Clock Tower Bldg,22 Princes Street, Bldg No. 105 To register ph: 3737599 ext 87831/87832 . Many thanks Jo Davies, Programme Manager, Community Education, Centre for Continuing Education, The University of Auckland Ph: 3737599 ext 88693 je.davies@auckland.ac.nz

Dear Friends - I thought you may share my concern. If you support Nuclear Free New Zealand then please take a look at this website. http://nuclearfree.lynx.co.nz It is vital that New Zealand maintains its Nuclear Freedom and does not give in to US pressure or Don Brash and the National Party. New Zealand acts as a beacon of hope and sanity in the world by being brave enough to stand for an end to nuclear proliferation. We do not want nuclear weapons or nuclear power in this country. NZ must continue to hold this position in order to help the whole world because we could all be destroyed by nuclear weapons. PLEASE consider writing your MP or local newspaper to convey your support for keeping NZ nuclear free. Also, if you are interested in further discussion, meetings or action in Christchurch or Auckland do ring me -Laurie on 811 8696. For the history and development of the NZ NFPA and for a wealth of information and insight relating to the human struggle for truth and freedom from nuclear weapons of mass destruction please checkout the website.See the latest letters, articles, etc. http://nuclearfree.lynx.co.nz/

THE EDEN ALBERT CITY VISION CAMPAIGN is holding its first fundraiser on Monday 21 June at the Academy Cinema, 64 Lorne street (next to Auckland Central Library). For the extraordinarily low price of $15 per ticket you can be one of the first people in New Zealand to see the brilliant new Denzel Washington movie "Man on Fire" which is breaking box office records in the USA. Also included in the price is a glass of fine wine and some nibbles to tempt the tastebuds. The company of the City Vision team is an added bonus! WHEN: 7.45pm Monday 21 June (movie begins 8.30pm) WHERE: Academy Cinema (next to Auckland Central Library) WHAT: Drinks and nibbles and the NZ premiere of Man on Fire HOW MUCH: $15 per ticket Be there because we need your money! Tickets available from: Dr Cathy Casey, PO Box 78 324, Grey Lynn. Email: cmcasey@xtra.co.nz Tel: 09 849 6662 (h) or 021 1766633 (cell) (Make cheques payable to "City Vision")

BEST ON THE WEB

PACIFIC

Kelsey Attacks NZ's Role In Pacific WTO Accessions http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0405/S00335.htm FIJI: Three firms share 'worst company'award http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0406/S00002.htm TAHITI http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/text.shtml - Historic Win For Opposition In French Polynesia - France Threatens To Cut Tahiti Support - Flosse Supporter Says Tahiti Election Unfair’ http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2004/June/06-04-01.htm http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2004/June/06-04-02.htm http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2004/June/06-04-03.htm Group says Forum recolonizing’ Pacific http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2004/June/06-08-12.htm Flotillas of Hope continue on course for Nauru following heroic send offs along the east coast of Australia. Now into their 12th day at sea, the 7 person crew this week reported from the South Bellona Reef 500 miles north west of Brisbane their ongoing gratitude to all who continue to support them and their desire to be allowed to land on Nauru to deliver their "Cargo of Hope". http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0406/S00048.htm

VENEZUELA

No to United States intervention in Venezuela! http://www.globalwomenstrike.net/English2004/VenezStopPress5June04.htm

COLOMBIA

Colombia: Killings double under US-backed president http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0406/S00079.htm

THE US DOLLAR, OIL, AND MILITARISATION

Coup d'Etat in Washington and "The Dollar Paper Tiger", Fiery Dragon in Asia and the Pacific. We bring to the attention of our readers this essay by Professor Andre Gunder Frank, one of the World's leading and most distinguished political economists. Frank analyses the relationship between militarisation and the crisis of the US dollar as a World currency. http://globalresearch.ca/articles/FRA406A.html Bush and Sharon: The Oil Connection http://www.counterpunch.com/hallinan05262004.html Israel lays claim to Palestine's water : Under an agreement signed a decade ago as part of the Oslo accord, four-fifths of the West Bank's water is allocated to Israel, though the aquifers that supply it are largely replenished by water falling onto Palestinian territory. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99995037 Iraq War Causes Cracks In The US Empire http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0405/S00263.htm Australia: Hear no evil, see no evil, don't look hard and cover up the mess: An Australian military lawyer in Baghdad knew as early as October about allegations of prisoner abuse in Iraqi jails and had reported it to his superiors. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/26/1085461836378.html

WAR CRIMINALS

An exquisite danger: John Negroponte's record in Honduras does not inspire confidence about his appointment as US ambassador to Iraq http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4937309-103677,00.html Conspiracy to Commit War Crimes: President George W. Bush knew for over two years that his administration has been promoting policies that qualify as war crimes under the 1996 federal War Crimes Act, the international Third Geneva Convention, and the Torture Convention. http://www.interventionmag.com/cms/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=a rt icle&sid=750 New Transcripts Point to U.S. Role in Chile Coup: Henry Kissinger told President Richard Nixon days after the 1973 coup in Chile the United States helped create the conditions for the ouster of socialist President Salvador Allende, newly declassified transcripts showed on Wednesday. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5267482 Has the U.S. Government Committed War Crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq? http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0405/S00290.htm

MEDIA AND THE WAR

John Pilger: How To Silence An Awkward Newspaper The editor of the Daily Mirror, Britain's most famous mass-circulation newspaper, was sacked because he ran the only English-language popular paper to expose the "war on terror" as a fraud and the invasion of Iraq as a crime. He was marked long before the Mirror published the notorious, apparently faked pictures of British troops torturing Iraqi prisoners. http://pilger.carlton.com/print/133289 'The New York Times,' in Editors' Note, Admits Fault in Iraq WMD Coverage http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000518753 All the news unfit to print: A critique of the NYT http://www.nybooks.com/articles/17210 On-the-ground-reality TV: Shocking footage of US military conduct in Iraq is available through major news services, yet the American public seldom sees what reporters see http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6269.htm A Candid Interview With Uber-Reporter Robert Fisk " But we are doing everything wrong [in Iraq] ; everything we do is exacerbating this country towards what could be a civil war, which I suspect some people would like. It’s only a matter of time before we hear our leaders who led us into this appalling war say: We gave them every chance, but the people don’t deserve it. " http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00009.htm

REBUILDING EMPIRE

Conquest Games: Just when Iraq gets ugly, neocons talk of taking over the world http://www.laweekly.com/ink/printme.php?eid=53667 Noam Chomsky: Doctrines And Visions: Who Is To Run The World, And How?: The phrase "new imperial grand strategy" is not mine. It has a much more interesting source: the leading establishment journal, Foreign Affairs, the journal of the Council on Foreign Relations. The invasion of Iraq was virtually announced in Sept 2002, along with the Bush Administration's National Security Strategy http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=40&ItemID=5660

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan, the war the world forgot: Three years after the overthrow of the Taliban and George Bush's declaration of victory in the first conflict in the war on terror, Afghanistan is a nation on the edge of anarchy. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=524675

WESTERN SAHARA: The wall of shame

http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2004/585/585p18.htm

HIV/AIDS

Bush's medical sleight of hand: Remember the billions for HIV-AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean that President George Bush pledged in his 2003 State of the Union address? Those funds were to put two million people life-saving antiretroviral drugs. Has this promise gone the way of "No Child Left Behind"? Or the new mission to the Moon and Mars? http://www.jordantimes.com/wed/opinion/opinion3.htm

ENVIRONMENT

Geen Left Weekly On The Day After Tomorrow: Hollywood's latest blockbuster, The Day After Tomorrow , has triggered the release of vast amounts of hot air from fossil-fuel industry funded ''greenhouse skeptics''. http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0406/S00025.htm The Pentagon and Climate Change: Abrupt climate change has been a growing topic of concern for about a decade for climate scientists, who fear that global warming could shut down the ocean conveyer that warms the North Atlantic, plunging Europe and parts of North America into Siberian-like conditions within a few decades or even years. But it was only with the recent appearance of a Pentagon report on the possible social effects in terms of instability and war of abrupt climate change that it riveted public attention. As the Observer (February 22) put it, "Climate change over the next 20 years could result in global catastrophe costing millions of lives in wars and natural disasters." http://www.monthlyreview.org/0504editors.htm

OBITUARY

Killer, coward, con-man good riddance, gipper ...more proof only the good die young http://www.gregpalast.com/

QUOTES

"Secure supplies of energy are essential to our prosperity and security. The concentration of 65 percent of the world's known oil reserves in the Persian Gulf means we must continue to ensure reliable access to competitively priced oil and a prompt, adequate response to any major oil supply disruption.": from 'National Security Strategy of the United States', White House publication, March 1990

"If the public knew the truth, the war would end tomorrow. But they don't know and they can't know.": Former British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, to Manchester Guardian editor C.P. Scott, 1914 As quoted by Philip Knightly in his book 'The First Casualty: From the Crimea to Vietnam - Correspondent as Hero, Propagandist and Myth-maker.'

"The Pentagon recently justified its position on censorship by insisting: If we let people see that kind of thing, there would never again be any war.": - from Military Blunders, - article by Geoffrey Regan in Night and Day (Mail on Sunday supplement) 23rd January 2000

"Individuals have international duties which transcend the national obligations of obedience therefore [individual citizens] have the duty to violate domestic laws to prevent crimes against peace and humanity from occurring." : Nuremberg War Crime Tribunal, 1950

Mike

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