From: "robert rodvik" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2001 12:51 AM
Subject: Fw: P.N.G. Solidarity Message - 7 July 01
Solidarity message from Papua New Guinea received Saturday, 7 July 01.
7 July 2001
TO ALL OUR FRIENDS AND COMRADES IN AUSTRALIA,
On behalf of the Anti-Privatisation Alliance and all the people fighting
against the World Bank/IMF Program in Papua New Guinea, we would like to
extend our best wishes and gratitude to all our friends and comrades in
Australia for your solidarity, support and sympathy at this time.
Since 1993/1994 when we began the campaign against the corporate take over
of Papua New Guinea (PNG) by the World Bank/IMF, the struggle had been long
and bitter. And as recent events have revealed, it has also been bloody,
with our students paying with their lives.
Let there be no mistake however while the police in Papua New Guinea
pulled the trigger, Alexander Downer and John Howard are responsible for
the death of our students as they are the ones who have insisted and
demanded that the Government of PNG implements the World Bank/IMF program
despite the consistent and massive opposition of our people. They are the
ones who are also supplying the technical "expertise" to train and turn the
police in Papua New Guinea into brutal and vicious murderers.
While we are in sorrow and mourning the death of our students, your acts of
solidarity and moral support has and will contribute to easing the pain
that we are feeling at this moment. We know that we are not alone and that
the struggle is common and that the death of our students will not be in
vain.
While we are all saddened by the loss of our students, we know that the
campaign and struggle against World Bank/IMF program in Papua New Guinea
must continue as it provides the only hope for a better future for the
people of Papua New Guinea. We know the World Bank/IMF program cannot
solve the problems in Papua New Guinea as it has failed to improve the
lives of our people even though the country has been subjected to these
programs since 1991. Nothing has improved since.
We know too that while we are acting at local level to counter the
take-over and domination of our lives by the World Bank/IMF, our struggle
and campaign is the same campaign being waged all over the world by those
of you, who like us, are opposed to the take over and domination of our
world by multi national and transnational corporations. We therefore call
on you, all our friends and comrades to continue the anti-globalisation
struggle as it is the only way to build a better future for our common
world.
To effectively support us in our campaign and struggle we call on you all to
continue the campaign and acts of solidarity and to demand that the
Australia Government undertake the following actions:
1. Apologise and offer condolence for the death of the students.
2. Suspend its technical and financial support to the Royal Papua New
Guinea Police until there have been very serious steps undertaken to stop
the brutality and killings committed by the Police Force. All funds
provided to assist the Police in PNG should be diverted to fund and support
community initiatives to prevent crime and rehabilitate criminals.
3. Insist that a Royal Commission of Inquiry is held into the death of
the four students. (A coronial inquest will be inadequate in the
circumstance.)
4. End, suspend or otherwise slow down the implementation of the
structural Adjustment Program in Papua New Guinea, especially the
Privatisation Program.
5. Increase funding to health and education in Papua New Guinea,
including university education.
6. That AusAid seriously engages members of the Anti-Privatisation
Alliance and the civil society generally to address issues of development,
crime, poverty and other social/economic issues in Papua New Guinea.
With warm regards and solidarity,
Powes Parkop,
General Secretary
MELANESIAN SOLIDARITY GROUP
For Justice & Dignity,
PO Box 71, UNIVERSITY, NCD, Papua New Guinea
Phone: (675) 3261227 Facsimile (675) 3230887.
====================================
www.iww.org
Capitalism is like a dead fish in the moonlight - it glitters but it stinks!
--
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