MANILA — Protests over human rights abuses await Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the Australian cities of Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne from May 29-31, according to the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan. The announcement came after protests hounded Arroyo in her New Zealand visit.
New Zealand was just the first in the many protest actions lined up against the fascist Philippine president. In Australia, there will be scores of protesters in at least three major cities. Arroyos dismal human rights record has finally caught up with her, said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes Jr
In Sydney, the protest will be on Tuesday May 29, 2007, 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm, outside the Philippine Consulate, Corner Wentworth Ave and Goulburn St, Sydney. In Canberra, the protest action on Wednesday, May 30, 2007, 11.30am is at the Philippine Embassy, 1 Moonah Place, Yarralumla. The last action will be in Melbourne on Thursday May 31, 2007, 5.30 pm at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, 123 Collins St, Melbourne.
There is no safe haven for human rights violators and dictators. That is the lesson being learned by the Philippine president, Reyes said.
The Bayan leader refuted the claims made by Arroyo that the Philippine government is doing its best to stop the killings. Why is it that despite the creation of the Melo Commission, the special courts, the Task Force Usig and other stop-gap measures, the killings and abductions continue?
Participating organizations in Australia include the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), Construction, Forestry, Mining and Electrical Workers Union (CFMEU), Philippines-Australia Union Link (PAUL), Philippines-Australia Women’s Association (PAWA), Lingap – Migrante (Western Sydney), Philippines-Australia Youth Organization (PAYO) and the Action for Peace and Development (APDP-Australia).
Our compatriots and friends in Australia are one with us in demanding a stop to all forms of foreign military aid to the Arroyo regime. Continued military assistance in the name of the war on terror only aggravates the human rights situation here in the Philippines, Reyes said.
The guns, bullets and war materiel being offered by Australia will be used to further the fascist designs of the Arroyo government, Reyes added.
Australia is trying to secure a Status of Forces Agreement with the Philippines which would allow Australian troops to conduct military exercises in the country. In exchange for the SOFA, the Philippines is expected to receive various forms of military aid from Australia. (davaotoday.com)
Extrajudicial Killings
