On February 24, Hy Vuthy, a leader of the Free Trade Union of the Workers of Cambodia (FTUWKC) was shot dead while driving home. The murder occurred shortly after Hy Vuthy successfully negotiated with a company for a one-day holiday for Khmer New Year. This was the third murder of a FTUWKC representative since the union聮s former president, Chea Vichea, was killed in 2004. On February 26, the International Trade Union Confederation called on the Cambodian government to investigate the crime, bring those responsible to justice, and to end the campaign of repression against trade unionists. For more information, visit .
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鈥淐omfort women鈥 survivors and their supporters will rally in Sydney on March 7, as part of a global day of action, to protest against the human rights abuses suffered by hundreds of thousands of women during World War II. An estimated 200,000 women in were forced into sexual slavery and continually beaten, tortured and raped by Japanese soldiers during the war.
The South Korean anti-war movement is appealing for support in its campaign demanding the right to hold an anti-war demonstration on March 17, as part of the global weekend of action on the anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq. The government has banned the protest. Korean Action against Dispatch of Troops to Iraq, an anti-war coalition comprising 351 organisations, is calling on international anti-war and pro-democracy groups to send letters of protest to, and organise demonstrations outside of, the South Korean consulate or embassy in your country. Messages of solidarity can be sent to <antipabyeong@empal.com>.
On March 5, maintenance department workers employed at James Hardie Ltd聮s Rosehill site took protected industrial action for 24 hours. They were supported by activists from Worker Solidarity, who organised a community picket on the day
On February 25, 12-year-old Deamonte Driver died of a toothache in Maryland. A simple tooth extraction could have saved his life, but by the time he received medical attention a tooth infection had spread to his brain. Driver聮s family did not have private health insurance and their Medicaid coverage had expired. Even with Medicaid, many people have to travel several hours to find a dentist willing to treat them 聴 just 900 of the state聮s 5500 dentists accept Medicaid patients. Figures show that fewer than one-third of children in Maryland聮s Medicaid program received any dental care during 2005.
Four Queensland University of Technology students were arrested on March 1 for expressing their political opinions on campus.
Despite having won formal equality, the lack of an organised women鈥檚 movement means that the Howard government has been able to take back a lot of the reforms won as a result of the struggles of the 1970s and 1980s. No reform is permanent under capitalism, and without a strong movement that mobilises to defend and expand reforms to improve women鈥檚 lives, the capitalist class can easily remove, or knobble, the gains that have been won.
Angry at the brutal occupation of Iraq and the inhumane treatment of David Hicks, university students are joining anti-war and radical groups such as Resistance at orientation weeks in bigger numbers this year. The first revolution of the 21st century, in Venezuela, is also attracting a lot of interest.
When the vice-president of the 聯land of the free聰 came to Sydney recently, the joke going around was that he brought a 聯troop surge聰 to town. A few friends are still sporting bruises from that 聯surge聰, made possible by the NSW Labor government聮s generous provision of a large number of bullies in uniform to terrorise the local population.
Most students started on campus a week after John Howard decided to send more troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. With the government under growing pressure to bring David Hicks home, the surge against the war and the so-called war on terror is growing rapidly on all campuses.
The NSW Public Service Association and Unions NSW have called a rally on March 15, in the lead-up to the NSW elections, against job cuts. The PSA is highighting Liberal leader Peter Debnam鈥檚 threat to cut 20,000 public service jobs if elected, and is circulating a petition calling on all candidates to 鈥渕aintain public sector job levels in real terms as at 2006 state budget levels鈥.
Australian soldiers fired on three youths in Dili on February 23. One youth died at the scene 聴 a camp for internally displaced people (IDP) near Dili Airport. The others were injured; one later died in hospital.
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