> NEWS ADVISORY > For immediate release > > TWO STUDENTS ARRESTED AT UBC IN NON-VIOLENT PROTEST > > ADMINISTRATION ORDERS THE ARREST OF STUDENTS FOR ACTIVITIES AGAINST APEC > > VANCOUVER, September 23, 1997 -- Yesterday, two University of British > Columbia (UBC) students were arrested by RCMP officers while participating > in a non-violent action to raise awareness about the Asia-Pacific Economic > Co-operation (APEC) Leaders' Summit to be held on campus this November 24 > and 25. > > The arrested students, Shiraz Dindar, 25, and Mark Luchkow, 22, were > painting a circle on pavement around the Goddess of Democracy statue which > commemorates the victims of the Tiananmen Massacre. The students, part of > a grassroots campus group called APEC ALERT, have dubbed the circle an > "APEC-Free Zone." > > RCMP arrived on the scene and promptly arrested the people who happened to > be painting at the time. Dindar and Luchkow were fingerprinted, had their > photos taken and were charged with mischief. RCMP officers told the > students, who have no criminal records, that they were told to make the > arrests by members of the UBC administration. The administration decided > unilaterally to hold the controversial APEC meeting earlier in the year. > > Dindar, a sociology student, defended the actions of APEC ALERT: "We're > trying to establish an APEC-Free Zone, a place where we can be free from > the tyranny of dictators like General Suharto." Suharto, the President of > Indonesia, is due to visit UBC this November along with 17 other leaders > as part of APEC. > > Dindar also scoffed at the charge of mischief against him: "What's more > mischievious, our line on the pavement, or [UBC] sneaking in APEC withot > consulting students, faculty or staff?" > > According to Luchkow, a music student, yesterday's protest by students is > to draw attention to the negative effects of the APEC process, which aims > to impose a "free" trade zone in the Asia-Pacific region by the year 2010: > "I think APEC is a mechanism to create an aura of approval that doesn't > exist .. having it at a university legitimizes it." > > Members of APEC ALERT are also claiming intimidation from the > administration in the form of threats from campus security. Security > officers threatened suspension and academic discipline for the actions of > APEC ALERT, some of which involve non-violent civil disobedience and are > unrelated to classroom work. > > The action yesterday is part of a campaign called "REFUSE APEC!." After > the arrests, UBC students vowed to increase their awareness-raising > activities and civil disobedience in order to show their opposition to > APEC on campus and the APEC agenda in general. > > As part of yesterday's action, a permanent shelter was constructed near > the Goddess of Democracy statue. Moreover, at a meeting shortly after the > arrests, UBC students agreed to return to the statue on Monday, September > 29th at 12:30pm to enlarge their APEC-Free Zone. They intend to have the > zone reach the Museum of Anthropology -- site of the APEC Leaders' meeting > -- by November, in time for protests against the Summit. APEC ALERT > members insist that they will not be intimidated by the administration's > threats of arrest and suspension in order to exercise their free speech. > > For more information, or for interviews, contact APEC ALERT at 251-9914 or > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > -30- > > APEC ALERT > ... grassroots action to oppose APEC at UBC ... > tel: (604) 251-9914 * [EMAIL PROTECTED] > www.cs.ubc.ca/spider/fuller/apec_alert
