GLOBAL PEACE AND JUSTICE AUCKLAND

NEWSLETTER #285, May 18, 2009

Website: http://www.gpja.org.nz/

SPECIAL GPJA FORUM ON JOHN MINTO'S TRIP TO SOUTH AFRICA 26 MAY

7.30pm Tuesday 26th May, at Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn. How has South Africa changed in the 15 years since the first ANC government was elected in euphoria after decades of race-based oppression under apartheid? Former anti-apartheid activist and GPJA spokesperson John Minto spent two weeks in South Africa last month at the time of the 4th post-apartheid election and met with political activists, community-based organisations and trade unionists. He will talk about his impressions of South Africa today with photos and video to illustrate.

GPJA JUNE 1 FORUM: What does the super-city mean for Aucklanders? Who is driving the change and why? What does it mean for Maori representation?
7.30pm Monday, June 1, at Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn. Invited speakers will form a panel to discuss this issues. More details later.

PRISON PROVATISATION: Submissions close on 22 May (this Friday) on the government bill to allow for the privatisation of prisons. Every submission counts so send one in even if it’s only a sentence. Send your submission to: Submissions to the Law & Order Select Committee on the Bill to privatise NZ jails close in only one month's time - on Friday May 22: http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/SC/SubmCalled/f/5/b/49SCLOcorrectionscontractm200905221-Corrections-Contract-Management.htm

Corrections (Contract Management of Prisons) Amendment Bill 20-1 (2009) Government Bill, Hon Judith Collins: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2009/0020-1/latest/DLM1888310.html

See also: Prison Privatisation Report International No. 61, http://www.psiru.org/justice/ppri61.htm

March 2004 Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) University of Greenwich, London, England. http://www.psiru.org/ppri.asp

April 2009 Australian action against jail privatising: Justice Action website, much useful material on privatisation + Stateline ABCTV presentation 'Mr Privatisation'. http://www.justiceaction.org.au

Transcript, from p.40, of presentation of the prisoner defence against privatisation before the NSW Upper House Inquiry, on the first day of hearing behind the government, and the prison officers: http://www.justiceaction.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=248&Itemid=1

Submissions to NSW State Parliament's Public Hearing Inquiry on prison privatisation - proposed for 2 more jails in NSW: Of 451 submissions, only 11 support privatisation - including Corrections and the corporations who are tenderers... http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/committee.nsf/0/16B4F843319D2EBCCA257522001B35C

National debate on prisoner health run by the Public Health Association of Australia. Brett partnered the Executive Director of Australian National Council On Drugs, against the head of the prison officers (commonwealth) and the Director of Justice Health. We won: http://www.phaa.net.au/JusticeHealthConference.php

some NZ criticism: Drivers of Crime - Metiria Turei MP http://www.greens.org.nz/node/20881

Maori justice system solution proposed - Metiria Turei, MP http://www.greens.org.nz/node/20880

John Minto: Maori Party stooges for prison privatisation http://johnminto.org.nz/

Bomber Bradbury: Earth to Pita Sharples - you’re being taken for a ride! http://tumeke.blogspot.com/2009/04/earth-to-pita-sharples-youre-being.html

Tapu Misa: Is privatising jails really worth the risk? http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10561829&pnum=0

HIKOI: NO SUPERCITY WITHOUT US!
E Nga Iwi, Nga Waka, Nga Hau e Wha! Nau mai tautoko mai! The people of Auckland and Aotearoa from all waka and all cultures are invited to hokoi - stand by us Auckland we're making a stand for you. The hikoi will converge at the bottom of Queen Street by 12 noon on May 25 before peacefully walking together to the Town Hall and Aotea Square. Start from your part of Auckland or at Queen Street:
* South Auckland - 8.30am at Manukau City Council, 9.20am leave by car convoy. Parking in the Auckland Domain, leave Domain by foot by 10.30am for Queen Street via Symonds Street and Anzac Ave.* East/Central Auckland - 8.30am at Bastion Point-Orakei Marae, 9.30am leave by walking along Tamaki Drive to the bottom of Queen Street.
* North Auckland - 10am at Awataha Marae, 58 Akoranga Drive, leave by car convoy; 11am re-group at Victoria Park then walk to bottom of Queen Street. CBD parking details to be announced.
* West Auckland - 9am at Te Piringatahi o Te Maungarongo Marae, 19 Luckens Road, West Harbour; 11am re-group at Victoria Park then walk to bottom of Queen Street. CBD parking details to be announced.
Updates, and contact details for area hikoi coordinator/s if you'd like to get involved, are at http://ihiaotearoa.wordpress.com

SUBMISSIONS DUE: FORESHORE AND SEABED ACT REVIEW
Kia ora, this message is to remind you that the deadline for written submissions to the Foreshore and Seabed Act Ministerial Review is 5pm tomorrow, Tuesday 19 May. Submissions should be sent to email foreshorereview_submit@justice.govt.nz Please also consider sending a copy of your submission (or the link to it if it is on yourweb site) to Peace Movement Aotearoa, email pma@xtra.co.nz to be uploaded to the 'Foreshore and Seabed Act Ministerial Review' page at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/fsarev.htm That page currently has resources to assist with writing a submission, including Peace Movement Aotearoa's Foreshore and SeabedReview Action Alert, Moana Jackson's Primer on the Review, and a link to the Ngai Tahu Review Background Paper.

WHAT'S ON IN AUCKLAND

Thursday, May 21, 5-6pm, WE240, Art and Design Building, Gate 3, AUT
PACER - the latest tool for recolonising the Pacific. In her 2001 reports for the Pacific Network on Globalisation, Big Brothers Behaving Badly and A People's Guide to PACER, Jane Kelsey outlined what the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) between Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands Countries might mean for Pacific peoples. Australia and NZ are now pushingfor Pacific leaders at the Forum Leaders' meeting in Cairns in August to agree to negotiations for a free trade agreement known as PACER-plus. Jane Kelsey's talk will examine the geopolitical, social and economic implications of a 'trade' treaty that is the latest tool for recolonising the Pacific. Prof. Jane Kelsey is one of New Zealand's best-known critical commentators on issues ofglobalisation, structural adjustment and decolonisation. She is an active member of a number of international coalitions of academics, trade unionists, NGOs and social movements working for social justice. She has written numerous books and articles on the neoliberal restructuring of New Zealand since 1984, including the best-selling 'The New Zealand Experiment. A World Model for StructuralAdjustment?'. Her latest book on globalisation, 'Serving Whose Interests? The Political Economy of Trade in Services Agreements', was published in 2008. WE240, Art and Design Building, Gate 3, Thursday, May 21, 5-6pm, co-hosted by School of Art and Design, Pacific Media Centre, and School of Communication.

Saturday, May 23, 4pm, Auckland Normal Intermediate School, Porouni Street, Mt. Eden
SEMINAR – STOP GENOCIDE: A study by a team headed by Madeline Albright, former US Secretary of State has enlisted 33 States as practising Genocide at present. Among them 8 have been identified and placed on Red Alert. The civilized world cannot play ostrich and keep aloof any more. The world order, is sadly trekking on a path that is unmindful of democracy, democratic values anddemocratic infrastructures. This has to be stopped. It is time the Int’l role players focus on preventing the re-appearance of barbarism. Please therefore make it a point to be present at the Seminar and make your contribution.. Would you like to make a 10 minute presentation? Please inform if you need a copy of the report by Madeline Albright team, and if so, please inform us your postmail address. Yours Sincerely, A.Theva Rajan, Secretary. TAMILS AGAINST GENOCIDE NZ, 8-115 Blockhouse Bay Road, Avondale, Auckland 1026, New Zealand Phone: 64-9-820-2113, Email: rajatheva@xtra.co.nz

Sunday, May 24, 9am, Grassy area on the City side by the bridge
"Walk/Cycle over the Auckland Harbour bridge - 1959 and 2009 chance to get across". Host: getacross.org.nz. Meeting in the Curran Street park next to the bridge. This date is 50 years after the original opening to the public to walk across and allows us time to coordinate the Demonstration March with the Police and the NZ Transport Agency.

Monday, May 25, 7.30pm, The Peace Place, Four Seasons building, 2F 22 Emily Place, Auckland
TAMIL GENOCIDE - Can we believe the media stories? • Evidence shows Government still massacring civilians • Sri Lanka's Government bans independent journalistsRecent Film from Refugee Camps in Sri Lanka. Comment and History from those involved. Phone 3089384 pmopnz@yahoo.com.au (Presented by Pax Christi Aotearoa New Zealand)

Tuesday, May 26, 7.30pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn
SPECIAL GPJA FORUM ON JOHN MINTO'S TRIP TO SOUTH AFRICA

Tuesday, May 26, 5pm, Pacific Media Centre, WE240, Art and Design Building, Gate 3, AUT
Burma's citizen journalists and the exiled media. Violet Cho, PMC's Asian Journalism Fellow. Film: BurmaVJ, a combined documentary and seminar about independent news media in Burma under the military junta presented by the Pacific Media Centre's Asian Journalism Fellow, Violet Cho. This 84min film won top prize at the 2008 Amsterdam Documentary Festival last December. It is the story of how agroup of citizen journalists filmed and got their images out of the repression by the military junta to the world's media during the so-called "Safron Revolution" in September 2007. Exiled independent journalist Violet Cho, who writes for Irrawaddy magazine, will present her seminar on Burma and also introduce the film.

Tuesday, May 26, 6.30pm, Room 039, ClockTower Building No. 105, 22 Princes Street
Photojournalism: Telling Stories of Trauma with Jim MacMillan. 1 session, Tuesday 26 May, 6.30 - 9pm. Fee: $35 $10 (student/ unwaged). Award winning Photojournalist Jim MacMillan will discuss the special challenges and responsibilities of covering traumatic events in the news, from urban violence to terrorist attacks and foreign wars. Primary concerns will include the ethical treatment of victimsand survivors, the impact of trauma coverage on news consumers and communities. Issues of accurate and complete reporting under stress, and the psychological hazards of covering traumatic events for the news professionals involved will be addressed. Jim MacMillan is an independent multimedia journalist, university educator and news media consultant based in Philadelphia. He will present his ownwork from the crime beat in Philadelphia, terrorist attacks in the United States and the war in Iraq. To enrol: Continuing Education, phone 09 373 7599 ext 87831/87832, or email conted@auckland.ac.nz Website: www.cce.auckland.ac.nz

Wednesday, May 27, 8.30am - 5pm, AUT Conference Centre (WA224), Auckland University of Technology, City Campus,55 Wellesley Street East, Auckland
Working Women’s Charter Seminar - For a celebration, a history and action plan - It is now 30 years since the Working Women’s Charter was adopted by the Federation of Labour Conference as policy. It had an immediate effect on conditions of work for women and on women’s participation in unions. Join the Auckland Labour History Group on Wednesday 27 May at a seminar which willestablish an historical record of the Working Women’s Charter 1980s campaign Celebrate that achievement. Take unfinished business from the Charter forward into the economic challenges we are facing. Globally, women are likely to be hard hit by the changes. Anyone is welcome to attend. We are hoping that it will also be a union occasion so that any action plan can be taken forward into thewhole union movement.

Friday, May 29, 7.30am, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Tamaki Campus
Budget 09: Child Poverty – For Better or Worse? Child Poverty Action Group is organising the 9th annual Post – Budget Breakfast. SPEAKERS: Prof Manukau Henare, Dr Steve Poletti, John Minto. MC Prof Innes Asher, Comments A/Prof Susan St John

Monday, June 1, 7.30PM, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn
GPJA Forum: What does the super-city mean for Aucklanders? Who is driving the change and why? What does it mean for Maorirepresentation? Invited speakers will form a panel to discuss this issues. More details later.

Wendesday, June 3, 7pm, The Peace Place, 22 Emily Place, Auckland.
THE WORLD MARCH FOR PEACE AND DISARMAMENT: Kia Ora, We all know what happens when violence breaks out- people get hurt. But what happens when peace breaks out? The answer is that lives are healed. You may be thinking that there's no war or violence where you are, that you already gave at the office, in the 60's etc. That people making a global statement asserting the desire to live in peace won'tchange anything. The World March for Peace and Non-violence isn't wishful thinking. I'ts real. It begins here in New Zealand and will travel around the planet. Getting involved can be as simple as going to the New Zealand Website: www.worldmarch.co.nz to see the events and learn about the possibilities for celebrating with us. The attached one page briefexplains what's happening, where and why, and who to contact. We also need volunteers to help in ways that you can even make happen while you're sitting in a chair. Better yet-- Why not join us at our next meeting: Wendesday, June the 3rd @ The Peace Place, 22 Emily Place, Auckland. 7- 8:30 pm. For more information about the meeting, please contact one of the Auckland event coordinators: Audreyvan Ryn: 021 035 4431/09 368 1516 audrey@writeaway.co.nz or Wende Jowsey: wende@jowsey.com 072563010 Thanks for your support, The New Zealand World March Team

Thursday, June 4, 6:30pm - 8:45pm, Cityside hall, 8A Mount Eden Road
The first Thursday of every month is Indymedia night and on June 4th we will be screening Lucio, an almost unbelievable but true tale of a revolutionary who resisted the Franco regime, captured hiding Nazi's and brought the largest bank on the planet to its knees. The film will be preceded by a short presentation from a local community group. $5 waged, or koha if low/unwaged. Please read the filmblurb below and watch the trailer here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBVjEUmmrGs&feature=channel Meet Lucio Uturbia — anarchist, bank robber, forger, fugitive, and above all, a bricklayer. Lucio’s life is the stuff of legend. As an activist in 1950’s Paris, he counted André Breton and Albert Camusamongst his friends, worked with anarchist guerrilla Francisco Sabate to bring down Franco’s fascist regime and carried out numerous bank robberies to fund the struggle to free Spain. In 1977, he successfully forged US$ 20 million dollars of Citibank travellers cheques to fund guerrilla groups in Latin America, bringing the bank to its knees in the process. His motivation was not his owngain, but to dent confidence in this powerful financial institution. Lucio was arrested for this and ended up in prison, but soon got back on his feet. He also helped organise the kidnapping of Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie from his hideout in Bolivia, aided the escape of Black Panthers from the US and not surprisingly was targeted by the CIA. The story of how this bricklayer with a skill forforgery brought down powerful institutions without resorting to violence is riveting. His sensibility is pure and enchanting: fight power altruistically without ever aspiring to hold power. Testimony from Lucio and his cohorts intermingle with a mesmerizing procession of archival evidence and tasteful re-enactments. Co-directors Arregi and Goenaga create tension and excitement without sacrificinggravitas and the film’s stunning cinematic style matches the rapid and almost unimaginable trajectory of Lucio’s tale.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.": Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), US civil rights leader

"I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have: three meals a day for their bodies, - education and culture for their minds - and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits" Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

HIKOI: NO SUPERCITY WITHOUT US!
E Nga Iwi, Nga Waka, Nga Hau e Wha! Nau mai tautoko mai! The people of Auckland and Aotearoa from all waka and all cultures are invited to hokoi - stand by us Auckland we're making a stand for you. The hikoi will converge at the bottom of Queen Street by 12 noon on May 25 before peacefully walking together to the Town Hall and Aotea Square. Start from your part of Auckland or at Queen Street:

* South Auckland - 8.30am at Manukau City Council, 9.20am leave by car convoy. Parking in the Auckland Domain, leave Domain by foot by 10.30am for Queen Street via Symonds Street and Anzac Ave.

* East/Central Auckland - 8.30am at Bastion Point-Orakei Marae, 9.30am leave by walking along Tamaki Drive to the bottom of Queen Street.

* North Auckland - 10am at Awataha Marae, 58 Akoranga Drive, leave by car convoy; 11am re-group at Victoria Park then walk to bottom of Queen Street. CBD parking details to be announced.

* West Auckland - 9am at Te Piringatahi o Te Maungarongo Marae, 19 Luckens Road, West Harbour; 11am re-group at Victoria Park then walk to bottom of Queen Street. CBD parking details to be announced.

Updates, and contact details for area hikoi coordinator/s if you'd like to get involved, are at http://ihiaotearoa.wordpress.com

Background information

Tamaki Herenga Waka – ‘Tamaki, the place many waka are tied to’. The Tangata Whenua, the traditional tribes of Tamaki Herenga Waka – the wider Auckland Region, have lived here for over a thousand years fishing in its harbours, the Manukau, Waitemataa and Kaipara and gardening across its once fertile land. The volcanic cones created by Mataoho, the god of volcanoes,served as thriving pa and villages and are the repositories of tribal histories. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed by Auckland tribes on the Manukau Harbour and Tamaki River. It was the intention of chiefs that their people and their descendants would always have a central role to play in the development of their towns and city and in the management of ancestral resources in their tribaldistrict.

All tribes gifted land or made land available for settlement. Some tribes had land confiscated and some taken under the Public Works Act and other legislation leading to great land-loss and its associated devastating social effects. Auckland and NZ has profited greatly from the lands taken or given by the tribes of Auckland. Tribal leaders have always sought a voice in Council. “Let usbe admitted to your councils”, said Paora Tuhaere in the 1860s. Auckland also now hosts many other Maori from different tribal regions making Auckland the largest centre of Maori population in the country. Over 25% of the total Maori population lives in Auckland with approximately 140,000 Maori residents.

The Royal Commission Recommendation on Maori Representation

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Auckland Governance spent over 18 months consulting with the public before recommending establishing 3 Reserved Maori seats on a proposed 23 seat Auckland ‘Supercity’ Council. The Royal Commission's report is available at http://www.royalcommission.govt.nz/rccms.nsf/CONTENTPAGES/$first?open

Why should there be Maori Seats?

Today there are many issues Tangata Whenua needs a direct say in. How our once pristine harbours and waterways are managed. How our sacred sites are protected and respected. How the history of this land should be part of the proud identity of every Aucklander no matter their origin. How our communities can pay fair water and other rates. How our culture and cultural values can contribute totourism and the major climate change issues facing our City. How Maori can contribute a more diverse view at the top table that includes a manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga perspective honed by living here for 1,000 years.

Maori have struggled to achieve representation in Councils. Less than 5% of councillors in NZ are of Maori descent. First Past the Post is still the voting system of choice at local level and that has always failed Maori. No wonder the majority are locking in their control for another 50 years as the face of Auckland is rapidly changing to a brown one. Maori vote proportionately higher thanany other ethnic group however Maori are still unable to get voted on to Councils. Some call this failure, the ‘tyranny of the majority’. Just as there are guaranteed seats in parliament, so too should there be Maori seats in local government to ensure there is a Maori voice and view being put forward on all matters.

What has the Crown decided?

The Crown ignored the Commission’s recommendation saying there will not be guaranteed Maori seats and that the issue of Maori seats is already provided for in the Local Government Act that allows for a public poll to be undertaken in 2010 on the issue. Maori are only 11% of the population in Auckland. It is unlikely that the wider public would vote for Maori seats and the Crown know thiswell. The Crown has further said that 3 votes out of 23 is a not a voice – but a proposed Maori Advisory Board somehow is. This defies all logic and sense and is simply a lie.

What are Maori Planning to do?

Maori firstly are planning to Hikoi, to march from the 4 corners of Auckland converging at the bottom of Queen Street to then walk in unison up to the Town Hall and Aotea Square. But this is not the end. There will be ongoing activities to keep the pressure on the Crown to reverse their short-sighted decision to exclude Maori from the Super City. Submissions will be made to the selectcommittee and negotiations will continue between iwi leaders and the PM.

You can express yourself too by joining the Hikoi on May 25. If you live outside of the Auckland area you too should be concerned as this model of corporate – rather than democratic governance is coming to a City near you.

I’m not Maori – Can I Hikoi?

Tribal leaders have invited all people no matter what culture to join the Hikoi. The Hikoi’s intent is to show the beauty, diversity and soul of today’s, and tomorrow’s Auckland. To show the Crown that Auckland and NZ have moved past gutter race politics towards an Aotearoa-NZ envisaged by those chiefs that started our City in 1840.

Nau mai haere mai koutou katoa!

FOREIGN CONTROL WATCHDOG 120 - MAY 2009
http://www.converge.org.nz/watchdog/20/index20.htm

Here We Go Again: Cargo Cult Mentality Behind Drive To Liberalise Foreign Investment Law, by Murray Horton
Financial Crises, Trilemmas, And A Time To Rethink, by Bill Rosenberg
Tobacco Merchant Of Death Wins 2008 Roger Award, by Murray Horton
New Zealand’s Overseas Debt, The Banks, And The Crisis, by Geoff Bertram
Hold The Front Page! Major TNC Takeover Vetoed, by Quentin Findlay
SIS Spied On CAFCA For Quarter Of A Century, by Murray Horton
Russians Take Over Nutritek: First NZ Dairy Products Company To Be Foreign-Owned, by Jeremy Agar
Reviews, by Jeremy Agar: “The Great Crash, 1929”, by John Kenneth Galbraith; “Bad Samaritans: The Myth Of Free Trade And The Secret History Of Capitalism”, by Ha-Joon Chang; “Corporate Complicity & Legal Accountability”, International Commission of Jurists; “Samuel Parnell: A Legacy”, by Paul Corliss;
Obituaries by Murray Horton: Martin de Wolff; Death In The Family: Connie Summers;
Cultural Exchange The Japanese Travel Company Way, by Ken Horlor

_TREATY CONFERENCE3 - 4 July 2009 Manukau City
A Tangata Tiriti initiative open to all. We invite you and members of your community to Treaty in the 21st Century. This conference is for people with an interest in applying the Treaty of Waitangi in the not for profit, public and private sectors, in local communities and in their own lives. The focus is on past, present and future work: looking at what's been going on, what's happeningnow and what the future possibilities might be for the Treaty. The conference will include keynote presentations, over 30 workshops, and informal networking time. It will provide an opportunity to reflect, share learning, and support action on strengthening the role of the Treaty in our society. Go to http://www.trc.org.nz/conference09 for moreinformation. Go to http://www.trc.org.nz/onlineregistration for a registration form. Go to o http://www.trc.org.nz/workshopproposal for a workshop proposal form. A pre-conference event is planned for 2 July, 7 - 9pm: details to be confirmed. If you cannot access the website please contactthe conference administrator Traci Mangu, Email: admin@awea.org.nz Phone: 09 274 4270 If you would like to talk about an idea for a workshop contact the conference organiser Jen Margaret Email: jen@awea.org.nz Organised by the Treaty Resource Centre and Tamaki Treaty Workers. Please pass this invitation on to yournetworks.

AUCKLAND HERITAGE PEACE WALK
9.00am Sunday 27 September, QEII Square - New Zealand is the starting place for a World March for Peace and Nonviolence which will travel around the globe with stops in 90 countries, beginning with an event in Auckland, to be followed by the official launch in Wellington on 2 October. The World March was initiated by the organisation World Without Wars. The objectives of the World Marchare:
•To give a voice to the majority of world citizens who want peace by having them send out a unified signal
•To create global awareness of the urgent need to condemn of all forms of violence and bring about real peace
•By highlighting the work of individuals and organizations around the world to end violence and promote peace, citizens who are moved to support this work will be empowered to do so.

Aotearoa-New Zealand was chosen in recognition of:

•The nonviolence traditions of Moriori and Parihaka
•Being the first country to grant women the vote
•Being the only country to have a Minister for Disarmament
•Our inclusion of peace studies in the school curriculum and the establishment of Peace Cities
•Our moves towards peaceful resolution of past injustices to Tangata Whenua and other ethnic communities
•Our nuclear-free status
•Our government’s support for the UN.

The Auckland Heritage Peace Walk Launch is Auckland’s welcome to the international participants in the World March. The walk will visit various peace landmarks around the central city, ending at St Matthew-in-the-City with performances, exhibits, music and speakers. Sites on the walk include:

• Rainbow Warrior mural, Marsden Wharf
• The Peace Place, Emily Place
• Memorial - Tiananmen Square Massacre
Maclaurin Chapel, Princes St
• Albert Park - the band rotunda
• Gateway sculpture, Victoria St
• Suffragette mural, Khartoum Place

Local individuals and groups have endorsed the World March including: Helen Clark, Jim Anderton, Jacinda Ardern, Phil Goff, Phil Twyford, Sir Paul Reeves, Kerry Prendergast, Dr Kate Dewes, Marion Hancock, Kevin Clements, Pauline Tangiora, Moana Manipoto, Yulia, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Disarmament and Security Centre, The Peace Foundation, Oxfam, United Nations Association of NZ. Weare seeking further endorsements as well as participation in the Auckland Heritage Peace Wal. Auckland co-ordinators for the volunteer team organising the Auckland events: Audrey van Ryn: 368 1516 audrey@writeaway.co.nz and Wende Jowsey: wende@jowsey.com www.worldmarch.co.nz www.theworldmarch.org

BEST ON THE WEB

NEW ZEALAND

SIS Spied On CAFCA For A Quarter Of A Century http://www.converge.org.nz/watchdog/20/06.htm

Return to Form: Nats Nix Pay Equity http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0905/S00163.htm

Homage To Aotearoa’s Anti-Fascists In 1996 the Spanish Cortez offered citizenship to any of the surviving volunteers who in the 1930s had travelled to Spain, from more than 50 countries, to fight against fascism. It was a touching and concrete tribute to the sacrifices made by these idealists from around the globe - including, as a new book, Kiwi Compañeros reveals, New Zealand. http://books.scoop.co.nz/2009/05/09/homage-to-aotearoas-anti-fascists/

AFGHANISTAN

U.S. Attack Killed 140 Villagers - Afghan Probe By Hamid Shalizi and Peter Graff: A copy of the government's list of the names, ages and father's names of each of the 140 dead was obtained by Reuters earlier this week. It shows that 93 of those killed were children -- the youngest eight days old -- and only 22 were adult males. http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22635.htm

In Afghanistan, New General, Same War http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/139971/in_afghanistan%2C_new_general%2C_same_war_/

BOLIVIA

Interview with Bolivia's foreign minister: `Communitarian socialism will refound Bolivia’ http://links.org.au/node/1048

GERMANY

Oscar Lafintain: "We want to overthrow capitalism" http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,624880,00.html

IRAQ

New 'Prisoner Abuse' Photographs Emerge Despite US Bid to Block Publication By Alex Spillius in Washington: Graphic photographs of alleged prisoner abuse, thought to be among up to 2,000 images Barack Obama is trying to prevent from being released, emerged yesterday. http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22624.htm

PACIFIC

PAKISTAN

U.S. Stirs a Hornet's Nest in Pakistan By ERIC MARGOLIS: If this continues, at some point patriotic Pakistani soldiers may rebel and shoot the corrupt generals and politicians on Washington's payroll. Equally ominous, a poor people's uprising spreading across Pakistan -- also mislabelled "Taliban" -- threatens a radical national rebellion reminiscent of India's Naxalite rebels. http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22633.htm

PALESTINE

Palestinians Recall 61 Years of Exile - Nakba remembered amid Gaza suffering - Video: Perhaps nowhere are the events of the "Nakba" more pertinent today than in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians are still feeling the devastating effects of the latest Israeli attacks. http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22628.htm

Boycott Israel campaign starts to bite: Motorola, Caterpillar, Veolia, the Tesco supermarket chain, and other companies across the world that do business with Israel are suffering losses due to a global boycott in support of Palestinian rights. http://www.greenleft.org.au/2009/794/40892

SRI LANKA
Why Don't We Care About Sri Lanka? Western governments and societies are always quick to condemn atrocities in the Middle East and Africa. But there's been a lack of comparable outrage over the events in Sri Lanka. http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22614.htm

JOHN PILGER: The Tamils of Sri Lanka - Distant Voices, Desperate Lives - The great moral citadels in London and Washington offer merely silent approval of the violence and tragedy. No appeals are heard in the United Nations from them. http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22610.htm

ENDS

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