Filipino Human Rights Leader Touring NZ October 4-15

Wed, 29 Sep 2004

Chief Reporter MARIE HILAO-ENRIQUEZ

FILIPINO HUMAN RIGHTS LEADER TOURING NZ

OCTOBER 4-15

THE PHILIPPINES IN THE FIRING LINE

AMERICA’S "SECOND FRONT IN THE ‘WAR ON TERROR’"AND THE IMPACT ON HUMAN RIGHTS

Marie Hilao-Enriquez is the head of Karapatan, one of the biggest and best known human rights groups in the Philippines, and also of Selda, the organisation of former political prisoners from the 1970s and 80s martial law dictatorship of the late Ferdinand Marcos. Marie herself was a Marcos prisoner, as were several other siblings (a younger sister was murdered). She played a leading role in the US class action suit against the Marcoses which saw 10,000 human rights victims and their families awarded $NZ2 billion in damages in the 1990s (nothing has been paid yet).Marie has been a leading figure in the Philippine human rights movement for the past 30 years. Currently she is an official observer at the Oslo peace talks between the Philippine Government and the Communists (there has been a civil war for 35 years).

For full details on Marie, including her fascinating CV, click on this Link
http://www.converge.org.nz/psna/activity2.htm

She also features in the September 2004 issue of the UK-based global monthly magazine, New Internationalist.

In the early 1990s, a massive people’s movement ended nearly a century of US military bases in the Philippines. But Bush and his allies in the Philippines are using the "War On Terror" and the decades-old armed struggle being waged by Muslim separatists in the south as a pretext to get back in. Human rights have been trampled on. Marie Hilao-Enriquez’s tour presents an exciting and rare opportunity to hear first hand from a leading Third World human rights activist.

Marie is available for media interviews. See below for her itinerary, to find out when she will be in your city. To speak to her directly, from Monday October 4 – Friday 15 inclusive, you can ring her on 021 1789060. Please do not ring that number outside those dates, as it is a borrowed phone. I am the overall tour organiser and will be accompanying Marie throughout. Until October 3, you can ring me on 3663988. From October 4-15 inclusive, you can get me on 025 307742.

Murray Horton

Secretary

PSNA Philippines Solidarity Network of Aotearoa Box 2450, Christchurch, New Zealand cafca@chch.planet.org.nz www.converge.org.nz/psna

ITINERARY

Monday October 4 – Dunedin. Dunningham Suite, Dunedin Public Library (Fourth Floor), 230 Moray Place. 7.30 p.m. Contact: Maureen Howard, ph (03) 4778502 (w); fax (03) 4778958 (w); e-mail: metiria@southnet.co.nz

Tuesday 5 – Christchurch. Trade Union Centre (First Floor), 199 Armagh Street. 8 p.m. Contact: Murray Horton, ph/fax (03) 3663988 (day/night); e-mail: cafca@chch.planet.org.nz

Wednesday 6 – Nelson. St John’s Church Hall, Hardy Street, 7.30 p.m. Contact: Anne FitzSimon, ph (03) 5390527; mobile 021 1123890; e-mail: anne.f@clear.net.nz

Thursday 7– Wellington. Loaves and Fishes, Hill Street. 7 p.m.

Contact: Lisa Beech, ph (04) 4961765 (w); fax (04) 4962519 (w); home phone (04) 5646637; e-mail: lisa@caritas.org.nz

Monday 11 – Palmerston North. Te Whare Akonga, Open Learning Centre. Second Floor, Westside Chambers, 181-185 The Square, along from Rangitikei Street. 7.30 p.m Contact: Dion Martin, ph (06) 3569658 (w); fax (06) 3591333 (w); e-mail: dmartin@nduunion.org.nz

Wednesday 13 – Auckland. Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn. 7 p.m. Contact: Luke Coxon; ph (09) 8276059; mobile 021 2487005; e-mail: luke.coxon@finsec.org.nz

Thursday 14 – Whangarei. Pat Irving Lounge, St Johns Church Centre, 149 Kamo Road, Kensington. 7 p.m. Contact: Tim Howard, ph (09) 4346633 (h); (09) 4307464 (w); e-mail: the-farm@ihug.co.nz

Friday 15 – Auckland, end of tour.

ENDS

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