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THAILAND: Death squads target drug users

BY MICHAEL ARNOLD On February 1, Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra significantly upped the stakes in the war on drug users, resolving to make Thailand "drug free" within three months. Given the level of drug use and distribution in

Howard moves speech, rally follows

BY JAMES CAULFIELD CANBERRA — Around 800 people came to Parliament House on March 13 for an anti-war rally to coincide with Prime Minister John Howard's speech to justify Australian involvement in a US war on Iraq. Howard's speech was

Dita Sari joins mission to Baghdad

BY IGGY KIM Dita Sari, head of the Indonesian National Front for Workers' Struggle, was in Baghdad on March 14-18 as part of high-profile Asian peace mission to Iraq. Mission members visited hospitals, orphanages and schools. They met with

Socialist Alliance records strong vote for anti-war message

BY LAURIE SAUNDERS MELBOURNE — Socialist Alliance candidates recorded respectable results in the Maribyrnong and Brimbank local council elections on March 15. Maurice Sibelle scored 6.1% of the vote in McKay, a ward of the Brimbank council

PHILIPPINES: Government divided over war in Mindanao

BY NICK SOUDAKOFF The Philippines government has threatened to label the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) a "terrorist" group. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on March 10 stated that "actions, including the sabotage of [electricity]

1000 people protest war in Hobart

BY ROHAN GAISWINKLER HOBART — More than one thousand people protested against war on March 15, in a protest organised at less than a week's notice in response to the escalation of US plans for war. The rally, called by the Peace Coalition,

EGYPT: Huge government-sponsored anti-war protest

More than 1 million people marched through Cairo on March 1 in a anti-war protest sponsored by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party. Members of the party, including the minister of information, marched with the

Denzel Washington's 'love letter' to the US Navy

REVIEW BY JOHN ESTHER Antwone FisherWritten by Antwone FisherDirected by Denzel WashingtonWith Derek Luke, Denzel Washington, Joy Bryant and Salli Richardson It is a Hollywood fairytale come true. Antwone Fisher was a security guard at Sony

Thousands march in Darwin

BY OSCAR JUKES & RUTH RATCLIFFE DARWIN — Cries of "UN, USA — no war, no way!’‘ woke up the usually sleepy Smith Street Mall as 2500 people took to the streets on March 15. Larrakia activist June Mills opened the rally saying: "No more

Wollongong to secede to France?

BY CHRIS WILLIAMS WOLLONGONG — Illawarra NoWar is calling on the government of France to use its veto against any plans for war put to the UN Security Council. On March 11, a delegation from NoWar took their message directly to the French

IRAQ: Washington's bid for UN backing stumbles

BY DOUG LORIMER On March 9, US Secretary of State Colin Powell declared that Washington was "in striking distance" of getting "nine or 10" votes on the UN Security Council to pass a draft resolution giving Iraq until March 17 to "disarm" or face an

IRAQ: Washington's war goal isn't democracy

BY ROHAN PEARCE US President George Bush has increasingly resorted to the claim that the aim of his regime's planned invasion of Iraq is to spread "democracy" throughout the Middle East. The worth of this claim is belied by the US record of backing