Home > Programs
> Democracy
Now! > Tue., Jan. 4, 2005
Democracy Now!
ATTN: ALL STATIONS
From: Democracy Now!
Re: Rundown 1-4-05
PRSS Channel: A67.7
ExxonMobil, Aceh and the Tsunami
Acehnese Refugees Speak Out
Congressmember Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Life of Shirley
Chisolm
Tom Delay, Ethics and the New Congress
ExxonMobil, Aceh and the Tsunami
ExxonMobil has contributed $5 million to the Tsunami relief
efforts. In Aceh, the company operates one of the largest
gas fields in the world and they're being sued for gross human
rights violations. We speak with a lawyer who has just returned
from Indonesia where he was interviewing witnesses against
ExxonMobil from Aceh. Today, as the United Nations puts the
confirmed death toll from the Asian Tsunami at more than 150,000,
we are going to continue our special coverage of the devestation
in the hardest hit area, the Aceh region of Indonesia where
the death toll is expected soon to rise above 100,000. In
a few moments we are going to be joined by two Acehnese activists
who were out in front of the Indonesian Mission to the UN
protesting yesterday against the Indonesian military regime.
But first, we turn to a story that has gotten almost no attention
and that is the story of the oil giant Exxon-Mobil, a corporation
that has a massive investment in Aceh. According to some estimates,
ExxonMobil has extracted some $40 billion from its operations
in Aceh, Indonesia.
According to human rights groups, ExxonMobil has hired military
units of the Indonesian national army to provide "security"
for their gas extraction and liquification project in the
region. Members of these military units regularly have perpetrated
ongoing and severe human rights abuses against local villagers,
including murder, rape, torture, destruction of property and
other acts of terror. Human rights groups further charge that
ExxonMobil has continued to finance the military and to provide
company equipment and facilities that have been used by the
Indonesian military to commit atrocities and cover them up
through the use of mass graves.
For years, the Washington DC-based International Labor Rights
Fund has fought a series of legal battles to hold ExxonMobil
responsible for its record in Aceh. One of the group's lawyers
was in Aceh interviewing witnesses just days before the Tsunami
hit.
- Derek Baxter, a lawyer for the International Labor Rights
Fund in Washington, D.C.
- Bama Athreya, Deputy Director of the International Labor
Rights Fund in Washington, D.C.
Acehnese Refugees Speak Out
We continue to look at the area hardest hit by the Tsunami
– Aceh. Over 100,000 of the dead are in Indonesia alone.
We'll speak with an Acehnese refugee whose mother was a woman's
rights activist in Aceh, imprisoned by the Indonesian government.
The prison was destroyed by the Tsunami. We also hear from
Acehnese refugees who held a protest outside the UN. Acehnese
and U.S. human rights groups protested yesterday outside of
the Indonesian Mission to the United Nations, condemning the
Indonesian military for its handling of the Tsunami. They
accused the Indonesian armed forces of continuing their military
operations in Aceh and of preventing the delivery of aid to
the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. Activists charge
that rather than helping the people, in a number of areas
the troops are intimidating villagers, scaring them away from
their villages, looting their homes, and stealing food. They
called on the military to implement an immediate ceasefire.
In a moment, we will be joined in our studio by two Acehnese
refugees, but first we turn to some of the voices from yesterday's
protest.
- Eddie Suheri, Acehnese journalist
- Aidel Abdul, Acehnese protester
- Cut Zahara, Acehnese protester
- Munawar Zainal, an Acehnese student activist with the
Acheh Center in Pennsylvania.
- Teuku Hendra, an Acehnese student and an activist with
the Acheh Center.
For more information and to make donations for the grassroots
relief effort:
Congressmember Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Life
of Shirley Chisolm
Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected
to Congress and a 1972 presidential candidate, has died at
age 80. We talk to Congressmember Eleanor Holmes Norton of
Washington, D.C. Shirley Chisholm, the first African American
woman elected to Congress and a 1972 presidential candidate,
has died at age 80. She died Saturday night in Florida. Chisholm
was known as an outspoken advocate for women and people of
color during seven terms representing New York City in the
U.S. House. She was raised in New York City and was elected
to the House in 1968. She went to Congress to represent New
York the same year Richard Nixon was elected to the White
House. She was a strong critic of the Vietnam war and served
in Congress until two years into Ronald Reagan's tenure as
president. She also was a founding member of the Congressional
Black Caucus in 1969.
- Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington, D.C.'s Delegate
to the US House of Representatives.
Tom Delay, Ethics and the New Congress
As the 109th Congress convenes today, Republican lawmakers
make a surprise move in the ethics scandal surrounding Majority
leader Tom Delay. We speak with DeLay biographer Lou DuBose.
As the US Congress swears in its newest members as part of
the 109th Congress today, Republican lawmakers took a move
on Monday that some political analysts say was intended to
strip Democrats of ammunition against the GOP in the ethics
scandal dogging Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
House Republicans suddenly reversed course Monday, deciding
to retain a tough standard for lawmaker discipline and reinstate
a rule that would force Majority Leader Tom DeLay to step
aside if indicted by a Texas grand jury. Already, three of
DeLay's associates were indicted by a Texas grand jury in
September in connection with illegal fund raising. The prosecutor
has said the investigation is not yet finished.
The surprise dual decisions were made by Speaker Dennis Hastert
and by DeLay who asked GOP colleagues to undo the extreme
act of loyalty they handed him in November. Then, Republicans
changed a party rule so DeLay could retain his leadership
post if indicted by the grand jury in Austin. Republicans
gave no indication before the meeting that the indictment
rule would be changed. A spokesperson for House Democratic
Leader Nancy Pelosi, said Republicans pulled back on the discipline
rule because "the issue simply became too hot for them
to handle."
Democrats on Monday toughened their own indictment rule.
Previously, only committee chairmen were required to step
aside if indicted. Now, the same rule applies to House Democratic
leaders. The House will debate all new rules proposals Tuesday,
the first day of the 109th Congress. Another Republican proposal
would allow relatives to accompany a House member on a trip
financed by a special interest group or nonprofit organization.
Current rules specify a spouse or child may go along.
- Lou Doubose, author of a forthcoming biography on Tom
Delay called, “The Hammer: Tom Delay, God, Money and
the United States Congress.”
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
|
Listen
to the show
Help
whole
show
