> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 14:37:53 +1000 > > ASIA PACIFIC SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE: > SYDNEY AUSTRALIA APRIL 1998 > GLEBE HIGH SCHOOL, GLEBE > > > ALL WELCOME > > Organised by the Asia Pacific Institute for Democratisation and Development. > > Contact: > Dr Helen Jarvis, C/-School of Information, Library and Archive Studies > (SILAS) University of NewSouth Wales, Sydney NSW 2052 Australia. > Or Email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Or fax to: 02-96901381 > > The conference aims to be a unique gathering of activists, researchers and > academics. Your support, attendance and participation is what will make > this conference a success. > > Register early (save up to 20%) and send your suggestions for specific > themes for discussion under the general framework of supporting > democratisation, self-determination and social justice and opposing the > neoliberal austerity offensive. > > Submissions for papers > > The Institute also welcomes applications to present papers at the > conference. All are welcome to submit such papers. The conference aims and > the names of special guest speakers are further elaborated below. A contact > address is noted above. > > A Region Of Struggle and New Thinking > > Governments, corporations, banks and international financial institutions, > all talk of the Asia Pacific region as the region of miracle growth, of > accelerated development, of economic boom. For millions of other people, > the picture is different. It is a picture of political and social struggle > for basic human rights, for a sustainable economic and social order. The > massive worker and student struggles in South Korea against new labour > laws, the sharpening struggle against the dictatorship and cronyism in > Suharto's Indonesia; the continuing uprising of the East Timorese people > for self-determination; the labour struggles and renewal in the Philippines > in the face of Philippines 2000 neoliberal offensive; the ongoing war on > the island ofBougainville; the conflict in Sri Lanka over national rights > of the Tamil people and authoritarian government are just some examples of > struggles in the region. > > ATTACKS ON DEMOCRACY > > The strengthening of authoritarian practices as a means of defending the > austerity and economic restructuring policies have become major concerns > throughout the region. Laws to ban trade union organisers from worksites in > Australia; outright bans on independent trade unions in Indonesia; > restrictions and harassment of non-government organisations in Malaysia are > examples of this tendency. > > These restrictions are part of a pattern of general resistance to > democratisation by governments throughout the region. > > COMMUNITY RESISTANCE > > But at the same time there are innumerable initiatives to fight this trend. > > New political movements have emerged in Indonesia; old movements are > transforming themselves in the Philippines; an unofficial trade union > movementcan force the South Korean government to retreat; Malaysian > democrats rally to the cause of the East Timorese; the Burmese democrats > still refuse to surrender;anti-neoliberal activists are elected to the New > Zealand parliament. > > These are just a few of the many examples of democratisation initiatives in > theregion. > > 1998 ASIA PACIFIC INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCARCY AND DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE > > The Asia Pacific Institute has called the 1998 Asia Pacific Solidarity > conference as away to bring as many people as possible together to discuss > these issues andstruggles and to assess what fighting for democratisation > and for socially justdevelopment can do. The conference aims to bring > together political activists,NGO workers, intellectuals and academics from > different ideological traditions. > > > ASIA PACIFIC INSTITUTE for Democratisation and Development > > The Asia Pacific Institute for Democratisation and Development is a new > initiative in the Asia Pacific region. During February to May 1997 a range > of individuals involved in political movements, community organisations and > universities consulted over the need for greater regional co-ordination > > and dialogue regardingthe current struggles against authoritarianism, > violations io the right to self-determination and the social and economic > impacts of the world-wide neoliberal offensive. An interim council was > formed to establish the Institute. The provisional aims of the institute > were agreed as follows: > > 1. To promote research and disseminate ideas on the issue of how to ensure > asocially just and environmentally sustainable development as well as > rounded democratisation. > > 2. To facilitate dialogue and cooperation between the academic community, > theNGO community and the peoples' movements (parties, trade unions, > campaign committees, etc) > > The interim council comprises academics, political leaders and > communityactivists from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, > Australia and NewZealand. It is proposed to expand this initial list to > include East Timor, India, Japan andSouth Korea. For further information on > API contact: > > Dr Helen Jarvis > School of Information, Library and Archive Studies (SILAS) University of > New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia > Fax: 61-2-96901381 > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > P.S. For A$150 per year, you can become an affiliate of the Asia Pacific > Institute. This will entitle you to copies of major articles by Institute > Fellows (see Names of Council members below), a bi-annual newsletter and > access to email news services on developments in the Asian region. > > International Guests; > > Among the participants who have confirmed interest in attending the > conference are: > > Dr Syed Husin Ali, scholar, writer and president Malaysian People's Party > (PRM);API interim council member. > > Renato Constantino Jr., founding convener Asia Pacific Coalition on East > Timor(APCET); president, SANLAKAS, Filipino Federation of Democratic > MassOrganisations in the Philippines; API interim council member. > > Dr Francisco Nemenzo, founding president BISIG, (Union for Socialist Ideas > andAction); professor of political science, University of the Philippines; > API interim council member. > > Anna Maria Nemenzo, convener Women's Health Movement, the Philippines; API > interim council member. > > Jose Ramos-Horta, special representative of Xanana Gusmao; 1996 Nobel > PeacePrize co-Laureate. > > Jose Luis Guiterres, President FRETILIN External Delegation or other > central leader of FRETLIN External Delegation.. > > Nico Warouw, International Representative, Peoples Democratic Party > ofIndonesia; API interim council member. > > Edwin Gozal, Indonesia Centre for Labor Struggle (PPBI), Indonesia. > > Dr Sunil Ratnapriya, director, Sri Lanka Institute for Occupational Health > andSafety; national executive member of the New Socialist Party of Sri > Lanka; APIinterim council member. > > Matt Robson, MP, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson for the New Zealand Alliance; > API interim council member. > > Powes Parkop, cenrtral leader of Melanesian Solidarity (MELSOL) and the > Individual Community Rights Advocacy Forum Inc., Papua New Guinea, lawyer > and legal researcher. > > Max Lane, national coordinator of Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and > EastTimor; lecturer, Department of Southeast Asian Studies, School of Asian > Studies,University of Sydney; API interim council member. > > Dr Helen Jarvis, Head, School of Information, Library and Archive > Studies,University of New South Wales; researcher on Cambodia killing > fields project; APIinterim council member. > > Moses Havini, representative of the Bougainville Interim government. > > John Ondawame, representative of the Free West Papua Movement. > > It is also confirmed that participants are attending from India, Hong Kong, > and Pakistan as well as a number of other researchres and trade unionists > from the Philippines. > > ISSUES and TOPICS > > The struggle for democracy and the end of the Suharto dictatorship > Self-determination: East Timor, Sri Lanka, West Papua, Bougainville > Indigenous people's struggles and land rights in Australia and New Zealand > Labour and the struggle against neoliberalism > Neoliberalism and its social impact > APEC and counter-APEC > Asian Tigers and NICs -- who's benefiting, who's battling > Women's liberation, development and democratisation > NGOs, political movements and the universities > Democratisation, development and social class > Global capital's economic police -- the World Bank, the International > Monetary Fund and the World Trade > Country Reports > Australia - Bougainville - Burma - China - East Timor - India - Japan - > Indonesia - Malaysia - New Zealand - Pakistan - Papua New Guinea - > Philippines - South Korea - Sri Lanka - Thailand - West Papua > > Registration > ASIA PACIFIC SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE APRIL 10 - 13, 1998 GLEBE HIGH SCHOOL, > GLEBE, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA > Registration costs: To register by January 31, 1998 $60/$30 concession > > I would like to participate in the 1998 Asia Pacific Solidarity Conference > > Name: > _________________________________________________ > > Address: > ________________________________________________ > > Tel/Fax: > ________________________________________________ > > Email: > __________________________________________________ > > I am attending the conference as a representative of: (name of organisation) > _____________________________________________________ __ > > I am interested in presenting a paper on: ______________________ > _____________________________________________________ __ > _____________________________________________________ __ > > Print off this registration form, and please return form to: > > Dr Helen Jarvis, C/-School of Information, Library and Archive Studies > (SILAS) University of NewSouth Wales, Sydney NSW 2052 Australia. > Or Email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Or fax to: 02-96901381 > > ******************************* > * Alex Chis & Claudette Begin * > * P.O. Box 2944 * > * Fremont, CA 94536 * > * 510-489-8554 * > * [EMAIL PROTECTED] * > ******************************* >
