NEWS......NEWS......NEWS......NEWS......NEWS......NEWS....NEWS..
ARCHIVE FOR JUNE 1998
June:28:1998.............GEM OF A PLACE
Four miles out of Fort William on the A830 at the village of Corpach,is a unique museam.Located almost
within the shadow of Ben Nevis ,the highest mountain in Britain is Treasures of the Earth.
A fascinating collection of gemstones and crystals from deep within the Earth.......sent by unknown
:JUNE:28:1998...........TOP TEN SPOTS FOR VISITORS TO UK
A top holiday provider for trips to the UK has sent in a report of the top ten spots people head for.
1 EDINBURGH
2 DUBLIN
3 GLASGOW
4 YORK
5 OXFORD
6 CAMBRIDGE
7 BATH
8 STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
9 BOURNEMONTH
10 LONDON
London is at the number ten spot because of the number of people who stay in London to start there holiday.
:JUNE:27:1998..........ON-LINE SHOPPING CENTRE NEARS COMPLETION
The Star Rdaio web site will soon be able to offer you the change to do some of your shopping
in your home.With a direct link to and from Bargain holidays.There are others in discussion with star
radio just now and hope to bring you news of them joining us soon...........star radio
:JUNE:27:1998.............TITANIC SET TO HIT SCREENS AGAIN
The sequel to the hit of the year movie Titanic is at present being put together and could be out as
early as next summer.Titanic is still at the number one place on the star radio film chart after 4
months at the top.............sent by.M McMahon
JUNE:27:1998..........HAMILTON SET FOR NEW TOWN CENTRE
Hamilton town centre is to be upgaded with a £9million project planned to start early next year 1999.
The delay is to help to not hinder this years xmas trade.The plan is to enclose a large part of the present
street in keeping with other town centres like Stirling..........sent by M McMahon
:JUNE:20:1998.........NEW AMIGA IN 2 YEARS
An new Amiga will be with us in the year 2000 if all the talk can be taken as true.We have waited a few
weeks before putting this story here to see what if any more information to back this claim
up came out.Amiga inc with the backing of Gateway should have the compter out in 18 months or so.to see
more on this you are best to visit cu-amiga web site .........sent by g.gray
JUNE:16:1998.....FREE CEILIDH
If you are not doing anything and are in the Partick end of Glasgow head along to Mansfield Park
football pitch,Hyndland st, Dumbarton rd.For the third year we are holding a free ceilidh with bamds music
and dancing 7pm Saturday the 27th of June.................sent by Fiona curdy
:JUNE:14:1998....... W E E K L Y . H E A D W A T E R S . F O R E S T
. U P D A T E
Update 06-10-98
SANTA CRUZ HEADWATERS ACTIVISTS
MEET WITH ASSEMBLYMAN FRED KEELEY
Headwaters activists Steve Graves of the Rainforest Action Group, Marilyn
Hummell of the Sierra Club, and Reverend Sharon Delgado of the First United
Methodist Church met with Assemblyman Fred Keeley on Friday. The
Assemblyman has agreed to advocate for Senator Sher's SB 533 on the
Assembly side.
Keeley, a respected environmental leader, will be an important advocate
for Headwaters protections in the budget negotiations. Assemblyman Ted
Lempert and Assemblyman Kevin Shelley have joined Keeley in co-authoring SB
533.
For more information on SB 533 see the May 6 Weekly Update, archived in
the News section at http://www.HeadwatersForest.org/news/
------------------------------------------------------------
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE EDITORIAL
SAYS HEADWATERS DEAL SHOULD INCLUDE
STRONGER PROTECTIONS FOR STREAMS AND SPECIES
In a vast improvement over the Sacramento Bee editorial of a month ago, the
San Francisco Chronicle on Monday urged Charles Hurwitz to support
"clearer, stronger, and binding stream-protection guidelines" for
Headwaters.
While stopping short of explicitly supporting our position that any
state funding should be CONTINGENT on the incorporation of the SB 533
standards, the editorial is a good step away from the position of Gov. Pete
Wilson and Sen. Dianne Feinstein that their deal will "save" Headwaters.
------------------------------------------------------------
S E N T B Y Headwaters Sanctuary Project and Bay Area Action
.
http://www.HeadwatersForest.org info: headwaters@enews.org
JUNE:13:1998......WHALES SEEN AGAIN
The Blue Whales, the largest animals ever to have lived on earth (even bigger than any of the
dinosaurs) have been seen again in British waters for the first time in at least 20 years.
Five of the animals, which can be 100ft long were seen last year in a region to the north west
of Scotland by survey ships of oil exploration companies.....sent by kenny
JUNE:13:1998......LONGEST DAY EVENT IN GLASGOW
Are you in Glasgow on the 20 of June ?.Then Kevingrove park is the place to head for .On Saturday the 20th,the Park
will play host to a midsummer blend of the finest in Scottish misci.Teenage Fanclub will headline
the stage,supported by a selection of the best of scottish talent.There will be something to please everyone from
the music lover to
clubber......sent by A hogan
JUNE09:1998..........£4 MILLION COASTER HITS STRATHCLYDE PARK
A as yet un-named £4 million pounds roller coaster is now open to the public in North lanarkshire's
Strathclyde park just off the M74/J5.With loop the loops and devil curves the ride joins the rest of the fun
park which reopened last year after a major upgrade............sent by M Mc Mahon
:JUNE08:1998..........W E E K L Y. H E A D W A T E R S. F O R E S T. U P D A T E
Update 06-03-98
SACRAMENTO BEE PANS SENATOR SHER'S EFFORTS
TO IMPROVE ON MAXXAM-FEDERAL DEAL
Just a few months ago, the Sacramento Bee urged federal negotiators to take
a hard line with Pacific Lumber to ensure that "science, not politics," is
the basis for the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) that will cover the
approximately 193,000 acres NOT purchased in the Headwaters deal. On
Friday, however, the Bee took Senator Byron Sher to task for his efforts to
do just that.
Calling the process "a historic effort to buy Pacific Lumber Co.'s
Headwaters Forest and to devise a 50-year plan of environmentally
sustainable logging" the Bee goes on to wax poetic about the Maxxam-federal
agreement which they claim "goes far beyond state regulations by banning
any logging within 30 feet of streams."
The editorial then proceeds to criticize Sen. Sher for "playing
politics in the complex field of wildlife biology" simply because he has
asked for the scientific standard of 170-foot protective zones before
agreeing to free up $130 million state taxpayer dollars.
Considering that the girth of an old-growth coast redwood can be 15-20
feet, a thirty-foot streamside no-cut zone would leave maybe one tree
standing along the banks in some areas. This is hardly the "scientific
integrity" that the Bee rightly insisted was vital for the Headwaters plan
just a few months ago.
The scientific consensus is that the no-cut zones around streams must
be a minimum of 170-300 feet if the salmon are to survive. While federal
agency scientists involved in the negotiations may now be saying that 30
feet will do, one has only to look back at these same scientists statements
a few months ago to see who is "playing politics."
Federal negotiators, including federal agency scientists (who work for
the federal politicians in charge of this deal) have fallen down on the job
of demanding a habitat plan for Headwaters with scientific integrity.
Senator Sher is simply trying to reinsert science back into the process.
------------------------------------------------------------
KEMPTHORNE TO RESURRECT BAD ESA BILL IN CONGRESS
It looks like the federal Endangered Species Act may be in trouble again in
Washington. Sen. Dirk Kempthorne, co-author of S. 1180, appears to have
resolved some of the issues that created roadblocks to the bill's passage.
After recent deliberations between Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, the
White House, and senators key to the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
negotiations, it appears as though the bill may reach the Senate floor for
a vote by MID-JUNE (Yikes!).
The Kempthorne bill has been seriously criticized by conservation
groups, religious organizations, and scientific associations because it
would roll back many of the ESA's most protective mechanisms.
Environmental opposition combined with serious differences of opinions
among key senators had temporarily shortcircuited the bill. But now Capitol
Hill sources say that Lott has backed off from his controversial demands
that S.1180 be made even more "developer friendly." Meanwhile, Senator John
Chafee (R-RI), chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee and
co-author of S.1180, is attempting to make the bill more attractive by
proposing to use $100 million from the Leaky Underground Storage Tank
(LUST) (we're not kidding) fund to pay for ESA programs.
It now appears as though the entire Administration, not just Interior
Secretary Bruce Babbitt, supports the Kempthorne measure as well as all
Senate republicans. The pressure will be on to recruit more democrats.
Please see adjoining Action Alert to find out what you can do!
------------------------------------------------------------
HEADWATERS ACTIVISTS DOMINATE MAXXAM'S ANNUAL MEETING
Maxxam's Annual Shareholders Meeting, May 20, 1998
Update from Jill Ratner of the Rose Foundation
This year, we stunned Maxxam management by securing nearly half of the
non-insider shareholder vote for our resolution seeking increased
management accountability. Over 1,700,000 votes--amounting to 14.4 percent
of the total votes cast--supported the resolution, an impressive percentage
in the world of shareholder activism in which 5 percent votes have
triggered major shifts in corporate direction. Thirty-two of the common
stock voted with us, and .06 percent of the preferred stock (the preferred
stock, controlled largely by Charles Hurwitz, has 10 votes per share, while
common stock carries one vote per share). It has been estimated that
Hurwitz controls 68 percent of the stock currently.
Two proposals were placed on the proxy statement this year. One called
for annual election of directors to increase shareholder influence on
Maxxam's board, which was cosponsored by the Rose Foundation and the
California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS).
The second proposal asked the company to report on the feasibility of
ending old-growth logging and moving to more sustainable forestry
strategies, sponsored by the As You Sow Foundation. The fact that the
forestry resolution actually appeared on the proxy represented our
shareholder coalition's first victory...As You Sow's counsel successfully
convinced the SEC that this resolution presented important policy issues
that shareholders were entitled to raise.
For the second year in a row, our shareholder contingent dominated the
annual meeting, creating a forum on Maxxam's forest problems and management
deficiencies, and forced Maxxam management and CEO Charles Hurwitz to
address issues of mismanagement in front of their core financial
constituency: their major shareholders.
The resolutions allowed us to connect with a small group of private
fund managers who together control over 100,000 Maxxam shares. These major
investors voted with us on both resolutions, and more important, agree with
us that the shareholders would benefit from a Debt-for-Nature swap using
environmentally critical forestlands to settle Maxxam's S&L problems.
CalPERS did not support the As You Sow resolution, which called for
responsible forest practices, and as the holder of the trust of
California's public employees and an agency funded by California tax
derived salaries they are in a critical position to advocate more
responsible action on the part of Pacific Lumber. CalPERS needs to take
more responsibility for their Maxxam investment.
All in all, the shareholder campaign has significantly strengthened our
hand in our efforts to advocate a Debt-for-Nature settlement of Maxxam's
S&L problems, and provides useful context as we prepare for the June 16
reopening of the Treasury Department hearings on Maxxam's liability for the
failure of United Savings Association of Texas.
------------------------------------------------------------
READ ALL ABOUT IT ON MOJO WIRE --
ASK JULIA BUTTERFLY YOUR QUESTIONS
Mother Jones magazine's website features an online-only article covering
Headwaters Forest issues from Deal to Debt-for-Nature, Hurwitz to HCP.
Also included is a new interview with Julia Butterfly, the treesitting
activist approaching her sixth month at 180 feet in the air. Mother Jones
is giving readers an opportunity to ask their own questions of Butterfly,
and her answers will be posted on the site.
See the articles at...
http://www.motherjones.com/news_wire/mills.html
------------------------------------------------------------
JULIA BUTTERFLY APPROACHES HER 6th MONTH ALOFT
EVENT: Wednesday, June 10, 11am
Join Mickey Hart and other drummers for a rally in the town of Stafford,
Humboldt County, calling for preservation of the remaining trees in the
grove Butterfly sits in, preservation of the entire 60,000-acre Headwaters
Forest, and an end to logging of any more old-growth trees.
Come support this brave woman by bringing drums, costumes, and peaceful
vibes. Bring hiking boots, water bottles, and some food; rain gear just in
case. Stay all night and enjoy the full moon. Please honor the nonviolence
code.
Call 707-923-4949 for more information.
------------------------------------------------------------
S E N T B Y Headwaters Sanctuary Project and Bay Area Action.
Repost in entirety at will; please include all contact info.
http://www.HeadwatersForest.org info: headwaters@enews.org
:JUNE:06:1998................Meeting of the Americas
This April, the Second Summit of the Americas took place in Santiago, Chile.
The meetings dealt with issues of international cooperation and trade among
members of the Organization of American States (OAS), a coalition of 34
nations in North and South America. What first drew my eye to the story was
the April 19 LA Times headline "U.S. Urges the Americas to Deepen
Democracy." This is amazingly hypocritical, if one has any concept of the
U.S.'s history in Central and South America. Of the 34 countries in the
OAS, 18 have had their governments subverted or overthrown, their elections
rigged, candidates funded by the CIA, and their officials and popular
organizations infiltrated by US agents, hardly democratic practices. In
addition, a number of countries in the region have had their democratically
elected governments and officials replaced by brutal dictatorships with the
help of the U.S. Quite frankly, the U.S. has harmed so many OAS countries,
and violated its rules and condemnation so many times, I have no idea why
the other members have not thrown the U.S. out. The LA Times headline would
have made a well-informed public roll on the floor with laughter.
One can look at the goals of the OAS by looking at its "Statement of
Purpose." It focuses on "pursuing prosperity through open markets,
hemispheric integration, and sustainable development." They claim that they
have "firm adherence to the principles of international law and the purposes
and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and in the Charter of
the Organization of American States (OAS), including the principles of the
sovereign equality of states, non-intervention, self-determination, and the
peaceful resolution of disputes." It also speaks of eradicating racism and
poverty, and protecting human rights through democratic rule. We can
already see that the rhetoric is not matching the actual practices of these
nations.
The Summit ended in the member countries signing the Plan of Action (the
full text of the Plan is available at
http://www.sice.oas.org/ftaa/santiago/sapoa_e1.stm ). The first issue in
the Plan is education: the nations state their commitment "to ensure, by the
year 2010, universal access to and completion of quality primary education
for 100 percent of children and access for at least 75 percent of young
people to quality secondary education, with increasing percentages of young
people who complete secondary education, and assume responsibility for
providing the general population with opportunities for life-long learning,"
and specifies a number of concrete actions to be taken to improve education.
This sounds wonderful, and is a possible course of action. Nations that
wish to strengthen their economies can do so with a well-educated populace.
However, it may just be a optimistic hope, as many of the countries in the
Americas are impoverished and/or run by military dictatorships with little
interest in the public at all.
The next part of the plan deals with "preserving and strengthening
democracy, justice, and human rights." As many OAS countries regularly
violate these, I imagine that the real concern is to "create the _illusion_
of straightening" these qualities. The Plan contains many happy, optimistic
goals, with a few creepy ones hidden inside (vague plans about
"anti-terrorism")
.
The next part deals with the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
(additional information available at http://www.ftaa-alca.org), a plan with
the goal of progressively eliminating barriers to trade and investment. The
rationale for this: "Eliminating impediments to market access for goods and
services among our countries will foster our economic growth. A growing
world economy will also enhance our domestic prosperity. Free trade and
increased economic integration are key factors for raising standards of
living, improving the working conditions of people in the Americas and
better protecting the environment." The Plan calls for the members to
"achieve concrete progress in the negotiations by the year 2000 and agree on
specific business facilitation measures to be adopted before the end of the
century." Although I am not familiar with all free trade agreements in the
entire world, I have yet to see one that benefits anyone except the wealthy.
The final part of the Plan deals with another set of beautiful goals: the
end of poverty, discrimination, hunger, malnutrition and disease; plans for
a worker's bill of rights; support of women's rights. I can only hope that
these plans take effect, although I did notice that there were not specific
dates to initiate these plans.
_Sources: FTAA homepage, LA Times April 19, 20 98, OAS homepage_
Sent by NEWSWATCH
:JUNE05:1998..People In Glass Houses Shouldn't Throw Bombs
by Geov Parrish (and Jake Sexton)
[most text from "Eat the State!" Volume 2, #36 (May 19, 1998)]
The succession of five nuclear test explosions near the town of Khetolai,
India, near the Pakistani border, was the stuff of front-page news in the
U.S., and pompous moralizing from Bill Clinton, who immediately invoked
sanctions against India. It's a stunning bit of hypocrisy. He might as
usefully sanction himself.
India's tests were a direct response to the U.S. nuclear program, which has
most decidedly _not_ been front-page news in recent years, even when, in the
last year, two underground nuclear tests were set off in the Nevada desert.
During the Clinton years nuclear spending has gone _up_ 20% (in the absence
of any post-Soviet threat), with new weapons development--the reason for
tests--a big part of it. It's why Hanford, Washington is getting fired up
again for tritium production, as is the plant at Savannah River, South
Carolina. It's being done, in flagrant defiance of both treaties and
international momentum for disarmament, under an obscure program called the
"Nuclear Stockpile and Stewardship Management" (NSSM) program.
NSSM supposedly maintains the existing U.S. supply of nukes, assuring that
they're combat-ready and safe (sic). This is done by testing them. In recent
years, the U.S. has developed the technology to use computer modeling,
rather than actual explosions, to do the checks--"subcritical" tests.
The catch is that the exact same process can used to develop _new_ weapons.
New weapons, after all, are generally improvements on existing ones. And
that's exactly what the U.S. is doing at the Nevada Test Site and at
Lawrence Livermore Labs in Livermore, Calif., and in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
The bunker-busting nukes the U.S. threatened a few months ago to deploy
against Iraq, we learned from the media, didn't exist during the Gulf War.
They are, therefore, new weapons. The same memory-impaired media then
uncritically dismissed India's complaints last week that the U.S. is
developing new weapons.
The Indian tests came in the context of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
(CTBT), a long-sought disarmament Holy Grail up for U.S. Senate approval
this summer. All "big five" nuclear powers (U.S., Russia, China, France,
Britain) and all presumed nuclear powers except India (Israel, South Africa,
Taiwan, Pakistan, South Korea) have signed on. India's objection was, and
is, that the Test Ban freezes superiority of the established powers. India
conducted its recent tests, and incensed Bill Clinton, for two explicitly
stated reasons: to become an official, established nuclear power, so that
India would also benefit from the CTBT as written; and to establish a
baseline so that it could use the same subcritical technology in the future,
to develop new weapons, that the U.S. is now using.
From the Indian perspective, the tests were made necessary by U.S.
insistence on pursuing arms development and cooking an international treaty
in its own favor. Bill Clinton professed outrage and imposed sanctions on
another country for doing what he has himself pursued relentlessly: nuclear
superiority.
The irony--that a country, India, with widespread poverty, could be spending
huge sums of money on an arms race--is less ironic when one considers how
much _more_ the U.S. is spending, even as a percentage of its GNP, on the
same stuff, and without immediate borders with unfriendly neighbors. India
has Pakistan on one side and China on another, and has had wars with both
during its 50 years of independence.
The final of U.S. hypocrisies on the matter is Boeing: a company that is
promoting the regional arms race in South Asia by selling arms to India
_and_ Pakistan-- both proud owners of F-16 fighter jets--and, of course,
exporting military-applicable technology to China as well. To
some companies and people, it doesn't matter how much it costs or how many
people die through mis-allocated resources, so long as profits are made. And
so long as a self-righteous U.S. President and credulous media can divert
folks' attention from the real dynamics at play.
_[Jake continues where Geov left off:]_
These tests have taken their toll on Pakistani-Indian relations. Border
skirmishes between India and Pakistan have been reported in Kashmir. And
now, Pakistan has set off its own series of nuclear tests. Both countries
have nuclear devices, and vehicles capable of carrying the devices to
targets within the other country. The UN has taken steps to convince both
nations to stop their tests.
Tensions seem to be running high, if the mainstream news account of things
has any bearing on reality. I can only think about the current fears, and
compare them to fears of the past. We currently fear the repercussions of
two neighboring countries with small nuclear arsenals, when for most of the
Cold War, most of the world feared the repercussions of two gargantuan
empires with immense nuclear arsenals positioned fairly distant from each other.
_Geov Parrish is a political columnist, radio personality, and co-editor of
Seattle's weekly left-wing news-zine "Eat the State!" ETS! can be contacted
at ets@scn.org ._
_Clinton's New Fear Agencies_
In late May, President Clinton gave a commencement address to the U.S. Naval
Academy, in which he gave details about two new national security
directives. Directives 62 and 63 call for a "strengthening of the nation's
defenses against emerging unconventional threats to the United States:
terrorist acts, weapons of mass destruction, assaults on our critical
infrastructures
and cyber-attacks." Directive 62 establishes an office of the National
Coordinator for
Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counter-Terrorism (CNN dubbed the
position the "counter-terrorism czar").
According to White House Factsheets and Clinton's speech, these directives
seem aimed at the possible threat of biological warfare used by "terrorists"
on U.S. citizens, and attacks on American telecommunication infrastructure
via computers.
For the first directive, National Guard troops will be trained to aid local
police officers in case of terrorist attacks. In addition, a number of
actions are to be taken to prevent or recover from a biological attack:
enhanced medical surveillance to detect epidemics, additional medical
training for doctors and nurses; and a stockpile of vaccines for civilians.
For the second directive, Clinton wants various law enforcement and
intelligence agencies to work with "the private sector" (nervous yet?) to
find ways to make computer and telecommunications systems more secure. It
calls for the creation of a "National Infrastructure Protection Center
(NIPC)" at the FBI.
The first directive has several good ideas, but it is under paranoid
auspices. It is true that anyone at any time could possibly have a deadly
disease and plan to release it and harm the public. But is it likely? And
even if it is unlikely, should we be prepared for such an attack, should it
occur? It is reminiscent of the "peace through strength" arguments which
said that we should have immense nuclear arsenals "just in case." But at
least this directive only calls for defense rather than offense.
The second directive seems almost silly. If you are worried about your
sensitive computer information and vital control systems, make them
inaccessible via the internet or phone lines. It's that simple. Then you
only have to worry about actual physical contact with the computers, which
is your own business.
Most likely this directive was a reaction to the occasional hacker gaining
access to government computers. These hackers have not done any damage,
apart from defacing several government homepages. This directive may lead
to a "war on hackers," something like the war on drugs.
I feel that perhaps this act is primarily a government giveaway to Big
Business. The government will work on and help to fund research on computer
security which will then probably be given to these businesses. A more
secure telecommunications systems (i.e. the internet) would also help to
"realize the full potential of the information superhighway as a commercial
marketplace," as is the supposed goal stated by the White House's White
Paper on the National Information Infrastructure .
It all appears to be built upon fear. The government overreacts to a
terrorist attack, and puts anti-terrorism plans into effect. When no
further terrorism is seen, the plan is declared a success. Personally, I
feel that all this money could be spent better some other way.
_Sources: LA Times May 21 98, UPI May 18 98, White House Fact Sheets May 22
98, White House Press Briefing May 22 98
SENT BY NEWSWATCH
:JUNE04:1998........M&S PLAN LARGEST STORE IN GLASGOW
Marks & Spencers are planning to turn there Glasgow store in Argyle street in to the largest branch in
the world.The cost will be around £25million ................sent by A Hughs
:JUNE04:1998........Indonesia: Power to the People (and Generals)
After fierce economic "reforms" by the Indonesian government, students in
Jakarta began to protest the rule of "President" Suharto, ending in
Suharto's resignation, and the promise of reforms and democratic elections
for the future.
The economic policies were being dictated by the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), a lending agency that bails out troubled countries, but demands that
the country take steps to make itself more economically stable. These steps
usually include making private debts of major companies and banks into
public debts, privatizing industries, and ending social services. For
example, the IMF loaned $7 billion to Indonesia; the government then spent
$11 billion to bail out failing banks, while cutting $1.6 billion in aid to
the poor. Market changes caused prices on fuel and electricity to rise by
20-70%. This while Suharto has amassed great wealth for himself and his family.
While the new economic crises may have helped to spark the protests, it was
certainly not the only issue. President Suharto had ruled Indonesia for 32
years. He came to power while a general, supposedly suppressing a Communist
coup attempt against then-President Sukarno, which turned into a bloodbath;
estimates are that between 500,000 and one million people were killed, often
brutally and gratuitously.
Suharto was a dictator, plain and simple. Many of the standard features of
terror states were present in Indonesia: "disappearances," murders, torture,
repression, etc. And perhaps the most famous atrocity was the genocidal
attack on East Timor. In 1975, just after winning its freedom from
Portugal, Indonesia invaded the small colony, slaughtering between a third
and a half of its population (200,000-350,000 people killed out of a total
of 700,000).
So students protested, demonstrated and disobeyed. Protest turned to
outrage and action when Indonesian police killed six students. The students
rioted _[to my knowledge, most riots following protests are in some way
provoked by police. -Ed.]_, and a few hundred may have been killed in fires.
After days of revolt, Suharto announced his resignation. While some world
leaders applauded, and called Suharto's move a "historic act of
statesmanship," it seems more likely that he resigned not because of his
love of country or people, but because his head of armed forces, General
Wiranto, requested that Suharto resign. When you run a military
dictatorship, and your top military man tells you that you don't have his
support, choosing to remain in power is a form of suicide.
Suharto stepped down and gave the country over to Indonesia's vice-president
(which is considered a symbolic position) B. J. Habibie, who was Minister of
Research and Technology, and a close personal friend of Suharto
(incidentally, Habibie has a personal webpage at
http://habibie.ristek.go.id/english/english.htm , and his e-mail address is
habibie@ristek.go.id , although I doubt you'll get a response). Habibie has
spoken as though he will simply be a caretaker president, until new,
democratic elections can take place in 1999. He has also removed a number
of Suharto's friend from the Cabinet, and had them replaced. And further
good news is that the soldiers charged with the deaths of the six student
protesters are scheduled to be tried in court, and Habibie is releasing many
political prisoners. Yet despite the appearance of openness and reform,
more Indonesians are still being "disappeared."
Many are worried that Habibie is, or will become, a military puppet.
General Wiranto has become both the Defense Minister _and_ head of the armed
forces, has removed from power his closest rival in power, Suharto's
son-in-law Gen. Prabowo, and has eliminated a powerful head of state and
replaced him with a fresh-faced intellectual with little political
experience. The new government may be "Suhartoism without Suharto."
And to top it all off, the country is still in financial trouble, and has to
follow the IMF austerity measures to continue receiving aid. The nation's
future is uncertain, but the IMF and Indonesian military are sure to play
primary roles.
The American mainstream media covered the story as might be expected.
Suharto, a long-time US ally was treated with respect, or occasionally with
reverence, or pity. Suharto's bloody past was usually hidden, or he was
distanced from responsibility. The press seemed to sometimes side with the
Indonesians, and sometimes against them; sometimes the dissidents were
referred to as "students," "protesters," or "demonstrators," but were also
referred to as "rioters," "looters," and "mobs." Some outlets had very good
articles, but they were usually hidden away. For example, the Time Magazine
webpage had a good article about Suharto's rise to power (it used a CIA
quote describing the revolution that instated Suharto as leader: "one of the
ghastliest and most concentrated bloodlettings of current times") that I
found from a CNN link. I could find no way to access the story from Time's
front page.
One CNN Interactive article was especially strange. It was made up of
official statements from world leaders reacting to Suharto's resignation.
Most of the leaders seemed to feel sorry for him, commend his decision, and
but say "we shouldn't forget his accomplishments." _[Indeed. I suppose he
made the trains run on time, as they say. -Ed.]_ These "accomplishments"
presumably mean the "stability" that Suharto gave to the nation (this in
itself may be a convenient memory; East Timor has been resisting Indonesia
since 1975). The press did a poor job of helping the audience remember many
of Suharto's good accomplishments, and buried the negative accomplishments.
I saw no major newspaper mention East Timor.
The Washington Post did print a letter from exiled Indonesian activist Pius
Lustrilanang, who related the tale of his own imprisonment and torture at
the hands of the Indonesian government. Despite the fact that the
government and armed forces of Indonesia are known for their corruption and
brutality, the United States has continued to send the nation arms and help
train Indonesian soldiers. Again, I saw no mention of U.S. involvement with
the Indonesian military in the American press.
The press was also very hesitant to talk about the future of Indonesia. I
feel that this is due to the economic importance of the region, and the
possible economic interests in the region that investors might have. If the
press reported false information that negatively effected business with
Indonesia, it would hurt the powerful audience of the news media,
businessmen and investors. Better safe than sorry.
_Sources: AP May 5, 13, 14, 18, 19 98, East Timor Action Network, Eat the
State! May 19 98, _Killing Hope_ by William Blum, LA Times May 12, 14 - 16,
21 - 25 98, The Nation June 15/22, 98, NY Times May 14, 20, 21 98, Time
Daily May 15-17 98, Washington Post May 17 98_
Sent by Newswatch
JUNE02:1998..................NESSIE SAYS HELLO
The lock Ness monster nessie has shown her face for the first time this year.The woman claims she saw
the monster on Saturday morning near Urquhart Castle............sent by M McMahon
JUNE:02:1998...............AIRDRIE HOSPICE AIMS TO GROW
St Andrews Hospice will be a step closer to expansion after September thanks to four months of
fundraising.The hospice aims to raise enough cash to build a new extension and have sent out a plea to
folk to lend a hand they launched their sunflower appeal on Monday 1st of June.More information can be
had by calling Sam or Kirsty on 01236-766951..........sent by Paul Laven
END OF ARCHIVE
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